Killer Cats

I have been wanting to put the cats on a raw food diet for a while now.
I am very aware that felines are carnivores by nature and that the majority of kibble food out there is loaded with grains and an unnecessary amount of rice and other fillers. A ferile cat is not going to be eating bread or rice or even a ton of vegetables and probably close to no fruit. So even the foods that advertise "whole grains" and "plenty of fruits and veggies" are not actually good for our pets. What they actually need (and want) is protien. It is what their bodies are biologically made to process. Cats are specifically desiged to be predators of meat.

The unfortanate thing about the industry of pet food is how much crap they put in those hard little pieces of food and how little they care about the nutrition value. Most of those foods are literally just grain, rice, corn, and animal by-products. The cheapest stuff they can find. Then they are loaded with preservatives and artificial flavoring because they know without it no animal would want to go near it. The other unfortanute thing about the industry is they know that the average consumer is not going to actually look at the ingredients on those labels or even know what to look for.

What you should look for is a diet that is high in protien and has zero grain, if possible. I know that for us it is a necessity because Aslan is allergic to it. You should look for a food that has real meat instead of a ton of by-products and has no artificial flavoring or coloring. I don't think fruits and veggies are bad for our little furry friends but I do think that they should be kept to a minimum. 

But what would REALLY be best is to chuck the kibble all together and try for a raw diet. There are varying degrees of this from a literal 100% raw meat diet to a raw meat diet mixed with veggies and supplements such as eggs, fish oil, vitamin E, vitamin B, and taurine.  Either way, a raw diet for our pets would be the closest thing we can give them to emulate what their diet would consist of in nature. It is also believed that a raw diet eliminates a lot of health issues in pets and gives them more energy and a longer life span. I cannot attest to this personally but I can say that I have read many many blogs and articles swearing to it.

But with work and school it is very hard for me to put this into practice. I can't even get myself to portion out their food, let alone prepare them a specialized diet. Instead we got one of those free flowing feeders so they can feed themselves as needed. With Obi Wan being a little food monster this worried me, but it seems to be alleviating some of Aslan's stress and he is picking less fights with Obi since he doesnt have to worry about running out of food. Id rather have one be a chubby kitty than the other be an angry hungry one :)

Also, we had them on a special limited ingredient diet that we could only get from the vet but it was getting way too expensive so we are trying something new. It is called Orijen and it is a 80% protien, 20% fruits and veggies, grain free food made with free range chicken and wild caught fish that is never frozen or treated with preservatives and is fit for human consumption. The food is also slow cooked at a low temperature to retain nutritional value.

I really like it because even though it is a dry food it has a lot of moisture and is not made up of unnatural  perfectly shaped kibble, it looks more like chopped up meat. And as soon as I put it down the cats were all over it.

What I am interested in is the quality of their poop with this food. If a food is high in nutrition and protien their poop is supposed to be dryer and have a lower odor.  So I will have to check in on that!

I swear, these cats... what we do for them! 

Identity Crisis

I have been thinking long and hard about what my next blog is going to be on and nothing I have thought of seems to fit into my description of what I originally thought this blog was going to be about. So I think I will have to leave it more open ended for now and see if it takes shape in the future. And if not, oh well. It is what it is.

Right now it is coming up on 4 am and I cannot seem to get myself motivated to sleep. That does not even make sense but really, my insomniac (maniac) mind seems to be in overdrive, and for no particular reason. I am sick of this season. I need sunshine. And here I am talking about moving to Seattle. Can I handle the gloom?

Someone tell me, is Seattle really all that gloomy?

Clinique, Schlinique, Say Yes To Tomatoes!

Welcome friends!

I wanted to start out by stating the purpose of this blog.  Being a young woman in my early twenties, married and in school, there seems to always be a decision that I have to be making, some very hard and others as minute as what to wear on any given day.  I find that many woman that are in the same boat as me face many of the same issues as I and I thought I would discuss some of these issues as well as some solutions. I also hope to get feedback from you! I will post about anything from skincare, makeup, trends, to marriage, pregnancy, children, to organization, home decoration, cooking, etc. You name it!  Because, well lets face it folks, its the little and simple solutions to life's small problems that make us smile!

I will start with my most recent dilemma.  I had very mild to no acne in high school. Of course I complained about my skin like everyone else but honestly, there was nothing to complain about but a few blackheads and a pimple here and there. Then all of a sudden when I started my senior year of high school my skin started to full on break out.  I believe it was the stress of moving to a new high school, breaking up with my long term boyfriend of the time, trying to figure out what college to attend and with what major, etc, etc, etc.  Ever since, it has been quite a battle with my skin to keep it clear.  

The most frustrating part about it all is that no matter what skin care products I am using, when I am stressed, I am breaking out.  And considering I get stressed pretty easily, I cannot even tell what is working and what is not.  

I went on birth control a couple months before I got married to my wonderful husband, Jeremy, and to my surprise my skin became GORGEOUS.  Even in the midst of wedding planning drama and stress, my acne kept at bay and was beautifully clear on my wedding day and stayed that way. HOWEVER, I quickly came to the resolution that The Pill was absolutely not for me (another blog for another day!) So a few months into our marriage I went off of it, with my skin being the last thing I was thinking about. Unfortunately, my skin started breaking out pretty bad and my usual skin regiment was not enough.

One day, I received a random  gift card to Macy's from my wonderful mother and I knew right away what I wanted to do with it, CLINIQUE.

I have tried SO MANY different products for my skin. They all just seem the same, nothing really works. I used Clinique while in high school and I attributed my clear skin to their products.  I stopped using it when I started taking more responsibility and started paying for my own things (Waaaaah!)  So in my mind I am thinking, I used Clinique in high school and had clear skin, I have bad skin now and am not using Clinique, therefore I should use Clinique and all my wildest dreams will come true, right? Um... no, not exactly.

I got "skin typed" by a Clinique representative that had worked for Clinique for 9 years.  She was super sweet and knew everything about every product.  I gave her my full trust.  So here I am, super excited to start the 3-step plan again and impatient for 2 weeks to pass when I am supposed to see vast improvement.  However, 2 weeks later and my skin is worse. I talked to my mom who went to cosmetology school and who is also a typical Korean woman who is OBSESSED with skincare and has wonderful skin.  She said that most likely my skin needed to get used to the product and that I needed to allow time for any impurities that were in my skin to get out.  So I take her word for it and wait 2 more weeks.  2 weeks after that and my skin is. even. worse. In fact it is worse than I have seen my skin in a very long time.  

I did some research online and, low and behold, I found HUNDREDS of pages on how Clinique ruined the skin of other women.  I could not believe it.  I felt really bad but I felt like after spending that kind of money on a product that not only did not work, but made my situation worse, I had to return it.

So I went to the counter and the same girl who sold me the product was there again. I was actually hoping it would be someone else so that I didn't have to feel so bad about returning it, but of course I wouldn't be that lucky. After a few minutes of her trying to convince me that there was no possible way that Clinique's products could make me break out and that I should consider the Acne line and blah blah blah, I was able to return the products and get the heck out of there.  I made my way to Ulta, a gorgeous beauty super store located in our mall, and after much looking and debating I decided on Yes To Tomatoes.

Some of you may be familiar with Yes To Carrots, a product line with close to all natural ingredients and sold at Target, among other places.  Yes To Tomatoes is their solution to blemish prone/oily or combo skin (ME!) I purchased their daily clarifying cleanser, deep cleansing facial pads (which contain salicylic acid), and daily balancing moisturizer. Their biggest catcher is that the products contain lycopene, an anti-oxidant found in tomatoes that is supposed to block impurities from entering your pores. All of the products are at least 96% natural.  I am BIG BIG BIG into using natural ingredients in the food that I eat, so why shouldn't I take the same care in what I put on my face. After all, our faces have pores that lead into our bodies. So what we put ON our pores go IN our pores and go in our bodies.

At any rate, I had high expectations of this product and it has not failed me. The cleanser feels very gentle yet washes off my makeup, including my mascara, with ease.  One problem I have with cleansers is that they can be irritating on my eyes if I have to work too hard to get off the grime since I am a contact lens wearer with a love for mascara, but no problems here! I do wish that it lathered more but I guess if it cleans, it cleans.  The facial pads are a sort of toner but they feel SO nice. They are not harsh at all and leave my skin feeling refreshed instead of dry. The pads have a lightly exfoliating texture and are what contain salicylic acid, the only acne "medicine" I can use since benzoyl peroxide gives my face hives, eek! I was a bit apprehensive about the moisturizer because it is not oil-free but it has not proved to be a problem. It keeps my skin soft and smooth without clogging my pores at all. It is a little heavy but I enjoy the extra hydration. I have not broken out once since I have been using this line, even though I am currently on my period, a big breakout time for me.  And the existing acne that I had started clearing up from day 1 of using this product, quite literally.

I think there is definitely something to be said of using ingredients found in nature to take care of my skin, something that nature has given me.  I am very pleased with this line and am even considering purchasing other products from Yes To Carrots, such as body lotion, shampoo, etc.

Anyway, thanks for reading and stay tuned!

What kind of skin do you have and what have you found that works for you?