*I don’t get paid for my opinions in any way; this is just me sharing stuff that I like and I think you will too.

I don’t like coconuts.  Candy, cake, ice cream, Pina Coladas–nothing.  Blech.  So, it was with a screwed up face when I tried coconut water.  And I didn’t like it.  But I had heard of all the health benefits, so I tried it again, this time a different brand, Vita Coco.  Well, knock me on the head with a coconut, I liked it!

Now that I reconciled the taste (which doesn’t taste at all like coconuts…more like “something green in nature”), I took a closer look at the health benefits on the box and website:

• It has more potassium than two bananas.
• It helps to detoxify your body and boost your immune system.
• It is loaded with five essential electrolytes: magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium and phosphorous.
• It is more hydrating than sports drinks (which are disgusting anyway; the website doesn’t say that, but I do).

So far I’ve had Pure, Açai & Pomegranate and Pineapple.  I like the flavored coconut waters better than Pure.   I can only find those flavors at my local Whole Foods, but there are more flavors for sale on the website: Passionfruit, Peach & Mango and Tangerine.   You can only buy in packs of 12 on the website, but it is less expensive per box than in the store.  Pure is the only one that comes in the larger 34 ounce size, all the other flavors are available in 17 or 11.2 ounce boxes.

And it’s not just hype or an expensive water.  As my son says, you can feel your insides getting lubricated when you drink it, so much more so than when drinking plain water.  Of course it does have calories (60 calories/8 oz) and water doesn’t, so I wouldn’t drink it all day long, but I love drinking it after I exercise.   It’s a great recovery drink.

I really became a believer today in yoga class.  I had a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast about 7:30 a.m., but my class wasn’t until 9:30 a.m. and I was worried about my blood sugar crashing; normally I try to exercise within 30 minutes of eating, when I have the most fuel.   On the way out the door, I threw a box of coconut water in my bag.

Sure enough, about 10 minutes into the class I was hungry, light-headed and starting to shake.  I was cursing myself for not bringing a cereal bar, because I know how quickly I can melt down.  I was very doubtful that the coconut water would help, but since that was the only thing I had with me, I put it next to my yoga mat.  I was fully prepared to leave class while I could still drive home.

While we were still doing seated yoga poses, I drank half of the 11.2 ounce box.  And to my utter surprise I immediately felt better.  My blood sugar rose and my insides calmed down.  I felt a million times better, but I didn’t think it would last.   I was wrong.  I was energetic, strong and calm throughout the entire class.   I didn’t even drink the rest until I got home.

My insides like it and my taste buds too.  My whole body is in agreement about coconut water.   I have never found anything to give me an immediate energy boost like that except for a Snickers candy bar and wouldn’t you say that coconut water is a healthier choice?

Like so many other mothers, I feel that the First Day Back To School deserves a celebration.  Yes, for the kiddies–new lunch boxes, backpacks, blah, blah, blah–but once the kids are dropped off, mom does some celebrating herself.  A movie, a lunch date, a pedicure–mothers everywhere take that day to celebrate with some much-needed Me Time before they get back to the grind.

Me?  I walked my daughter into class, took photos, talked to the teachers, had coffee with other parents, took the dog to daycare and went to the mall.  I had a gift card to Anthropologie and was excited to shop the store alone.  ALONE.  What a nice sounding word!  Let’s say it again: ALONE.  Hear it echo through the empty house?

My next stop was Bloomingdale’s; I figured that summer shoes would be on sale and I was right.  The sale was crazy; shoes on clearance and then marked down another 40%!   After taking my time in the shoe boutique–because I was ALONE, remember?–I strolled over to women’s clothes; I figured that the sale would be happening there as well.  Nothing good on sale, but this stopped me in my tracks:

Whaaaat?–I had never seen these clothes before, or anything like them at Bloomingdale’s!  And it wasn’t a rack or two of clothes, it was an entire in-store boutique.  The decor matched the clothes; both were visually stunning.  Quizzically I turned to the salesperson and she confirmed that this was a new addition to Bloomingdale’s, called AllSaints.

A 10 year-old UK-based brand, AllSaints Spitalfields entered the US market about a year ago within Bloomingdale’s 59th St. store.  Since then they have opened free-standing stores in Los Angeles, Miami and NYC-SoHo as well as several more in-store Bloomingdale’s boutiques.  The one in Atlanta had only been open a few weeks when I discovered it.

Someone on Yelp described the clothes as “boho-chic meets Mad Max.”   I don’t think they meant it as a compliment, but still it’s pretty accurate.   I love the look; it’s so me.  The clothes are sort of hippie–all loose and flowy–but with a rocker edge.  Yup, that’s me. With uneven hemlines, asymmetrical shapes, lots of leather, mostly black and earth tones, the clothes are at once both modern and vintage-inspired.  Here are a few dresses that I like:

The leather jackets are incredible; I’m saving my pennies to buy one.  Or maybe if my husband reads this post he can get a hint for a Christmas present.  AllSaints even have iPhone and iPad apps; that should make it easy for my husband to shop!

I bought this shirt.  The photo does not do it justice; it’s very fitted and sort of bustles in the back.  I plan to wear it with leggings and high wedges.  Dude, if I had a top hat, I would smoke ‘em!

AllSaints, I’m digging ya.  I see ya.  Eyeball to eyeball, I’m there.

*Today I am participating in Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop by answering the prompt: 1.) Your childhood neighborhood.

I moved a lot as a child, so in reality I don’t have one childhood neighborhood, but I do identify with one neighborhood in particular, Stonebridge, in Hazel Crest, Illinois.   We moved there from Chicago the summer that I turned 10.

It was a big move.  We lived in an older home in Chicago in a more established neighborhood, but Stonebridge was in the suburbs;  everything was new and shiny–including our house and all the furniture in it.   There was an attached garage, family room, den, separate dining and living rooms, a huge eat-in kitchen, swanky new appliances, an office for my dad and a big back yard, perfect for my new puppy.

It looked like a neighborhood on television.  The houses weren’t cookie cutter, but there were only about 6 variations.  They were laid out differently, painted different colors and tweaked a little here and there, but it looked like a cohesive neighborhood.   All the lawns were green and freshly mowed.  Our parents belonged to the Stonebridge Neighborhood Association, which I supposed made sure that residents took care of their property, but really I think that it was just an excuse to drink and play cards together.

My family can’t remember the house number, but at least I found the street on Google Maps.

But then I “walked” down the street and found my old house!  I love Google Maps! Wow, the house and neighborhood still look great.

It was a neighborhood full of kids and I had many friends.  I lived there for only 3 years before moving to Minnesota, but I made some great memories.  Here are a few: (more…)

Jeans.  They are one of my least favorite things to shop for, along with swimsuits and bras.  So many brands, so many different fits!   I know that I’m not alone in my angst.  I’m sure that you do what I do when I find a brand of jeans that fits me well–stick with it.  I have friends that swear by Joe’s Jeans (they don’t fit me) or True Religion (they don’t fit me).  My friend Luxetips loves Hudson Jeans, while I love G-Star Raw.  We’ve both tried each other’s brands, but nope, they didn’t work for us.  She stayed with Hudson and I stayed with G-Star.

Did you notice that the brands I mentioned are trendy, boutique brands?  Luxetips and I, both fashionistas, wouldn’t be caught dead in “mom jeans”.  You know the ones: non-descript, ill-fitting, off-color with oddly placed pockets.  So honestly we approached the jean table at Getting Gorgeous NYC 2010 with some trepidation.  Miraclebody Jeans?  Hmm…we hadn’t heard of them, but we were willing to give them a try.

We retreated to a corner, tried on the jeans (stretch leggings for both of us) and instantly fell in love! The dark wash leggings were heavy without being stiff and just tight enough.  We felt hip, but still comfortable (these things don’t normally go together) due to the ample amount of spandex in the leggings.  We both agreed that we will live in these jeans come fall!   The dark wash and quality denim will allow us to wear these jeans dressed up or dressed down.   These were not “mom jeans!”

But, here’s the best part: the jeans are made to make you look 10 pounds lighter.  The tag on my jeans reads:

Miraclebody by Miraclesuit is handcrafted to shape and firm the body without using bulky linings or girdles.  Miracle Body supersoft fabric has twice as much spandex as the averave jean, our exclusive Miratex fabric as triple the holding power as assuring as a beautiful fit as well as a trendy style.  Look 10 lbs lighter in 10 seconds.

Now, as awesome as this sounds, I wouldn’t wear them if they didn’t look good.  And neither would Luxetips.  We’ve got reps to protect LOL!

Here I am, modeling my jeans for the family.  Yeah, I could get all sexy with some heels, but I rock Converse on a daily basis, so this is how I’ll be wearing the jeans most of the time.

I am wearing leggings, but there are several different kinds of jeans available.  At $88, these jeans are very affordable, but right now Miraclebody is offering my readers 10% off all jeans as well as free shipping and returns from 8/15-9/15.  Just enter the code “Take Ten” at checkout.

Look good and feel good, that’s what a good pair jeans ought to do, and Miraclebody does just that.

*Full Disclosure: I received a pair of Miraclebody Jeans as part of Getting Gorgeous NYC 2010, an invite-only event during Blogher 2010 weekend.  I was not asked to write this review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.