Author Archives: Lea Barlow

Lately, you can find superfood lists everywhere.  To make it easier, I compiled a whole bunch of them for you in one place.   Unless you have been living in a cave like that lady in Shutter Island, you know that superfoods are defined as foods which are so nutrient-rich that they can help fight aging, illness, provide you with more energy and in some cases, help you lose weight. Superfoods have high amounts of flavonoids and micro and macro nutrients while being low in calories. Woo-hoo!  If you already have some of these in your kitchen, add a couple to your menu – today.  If you a superfood slacker, pick 5 off the list to throw in your grocery cart this week.  My personal favorites are eggs, salmon, blueberries and spinach.  What are your’s?

Click here for the 50 Superfoods

 

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This past weekend I was out shopping for some new summer clothes for myself but it was one of those days when NOTHING worked.  I was feeling very sad, disappointed and restless (not buying new things has that effect on me) until I wandered into a Baby Gap.   All of that pent-up shopping anxiety was instantly assuaged by a full-on spending assault.  Retail therapy – munchkin style.

The Tinsie

The Tinsie by leabarlow featuring GAP jeans

Gray Gray

Gray Gray by leabarlow on Polyvore.com

 

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Drinking coffee in the morning, diet coke in the afternoon and red wine at night is not exactly a recipe for gleaming white teeth and since I’m not real big on the whole brown tooth look bleaching my teeth has become a necessity over the years.  I absolutely refuse to pay the $400 to go get this done professionally so I have used a variety of over-the-counter products.  Some have worked while others have been a complete waste of money. I am so not a fan of Crest White Strips.  Recently, though, I came across some natural teeth whitening remedies that run the gamut of ‘no freaking way’ to ‘let’s give it a go.’  Here they are:

“No freaking way”

- Rubbing the bark of walnut tree on your teeth.  Uh, no.

- Brushing your teeth with hard wood ash.  Where do I even get this?  From a fire pit?

- On aluminum foil spread a paste made from toothpaste and baking soda and cover the teeth with the aluminum foil. Leave it for an hour. Really, an hour?!

“Hmmm….May-be”

- make a paste of baking soda and strawberries and apply to teeth with brush and leave on for 5 minutes.  The key ingredient here is malic acid, which acts as an astringent to remove surface discoloration. Combined with baking powder, strawberries become a natural tooth-cleanser.  Easy enough, I have strawberries and baking soda on hand.  We’ll see.

“Let’s give it a go”

- Pull out that old brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide.  If you are like me, you probably have several bottles lurking in closet corners or under the sink.  Make sure it’s only 3% solution (which most are at the drugstore).  After you brush, rinse with hydrogen peroxide for 30 seconds.  It brightens the teeth over time, fights mouth bacteria and helps heal canker sores.  Wow, who knew it had so many uses?  It kind of tastes like non-flavored Listerine but not quite as potent. Interestingly enough, it’s also one of the key ingredients in most of the store bought products.  Try it.

Happy whitening!


 

Written by Lea Barlow • 1 Comment

Name:  Valerie Sowell

Kids: girl 10 yrs, boy 9 yrs

Occupation: Model for Home Shopping Network

Hometown:  Tarpon Springs, FL
Click here for full interview with Valerie

 

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