Rodan + Fields Soothe Review: A Tale of Perioral Dermatitis

I have always had very dry skin, but otherwise nice skin. It minded its manners, said please and thank you during meals--all of the things you would expect of skin that you raised and cared for your entire life. Then in my early twenties I developed permanent redness around my nose. Nothing I did made it better. I went to the dermatologist about it a handful of times and finally came out with elidel cream, cetaphil moisturizer, and vanicream moisturizer (both are dye and fragrance-free). I was told to use whichever moisturizer I felt worked best after trial and error and the elidel cream whenever there was redness (there was always redness).

After a few weeks, I gave up on the Elidel cream. The Vani cream and Cetaphil cream both work equally well for my super dry skin but did nothing for the redness. I looked like I had a constant cold, but I could deal with it since cover up worked just fine. Then perioral dermatitis showed up to ruin everything.

I'm fairly certain my perioral dermatitis was triggered by childbirth. All those hormones were running around pissing on the lawn, graffiting the sidewalks, and being a general pain in the butt. My dermatologist told me no one ~really~ knows why perioral dermatitis happens, just that it is more likely to happen to women. Joy. Also, topical steroids make it worse. The only known treatment is to wear nothing on your skin. I was told to wash my face with a gentle soap and water, apply my cetaphil/vanicream moisturizer if absolutely necessary, and ride out the storm.

One slight problem with this approach. I looked like a leper. Even with makeup, the best I could do was conceal the redness. I was, to quote Clueless, a full-on Monet. Perioral dermatitis causes an acne-like rash to spread around the mouth and eyes. For me, it was under my nose, around my mouth, across my chin, and under my eyes. It also made my skin very dry, very itchy, and very sensitive. My well-mannered skin became a gross mask. I was miserable and after months of no-makeup-every-damn-day, there was little improvement.

It was around this time, a girlfriend of mine made a post about how she was starting as a Rodan + Fields consultant. Nearly everyone has heard of Rodan + Fields by now. It's likely someone you know has sent you a FaceBook message or twenty about how you should consider being a consultant. You've probably seen similar spiels from consults for lularoe leggings, pure romance, beach body, it works, etc. The direct sales thing is nothing new.

I avoided anything direct-sales because, quite honestly, it annoys me. It annoys most people I know. Not that I have anything against these ladies--they have to make a living too--it just was not my cup of tea and still isn't. I have zero desire to do direct sales. However, I finally reached my breaking point when it came to using the products themselves. I could not walk around with this horrible rash on my face any longer.

Funnily enough, I reached out to this friend because she had never harassed me about joining or buying from R+F. I had seen her FaceBook posts including her own before picture. I figured what did I have to lose? I already look like my face was molting, so why the hell not? Plus, they have a money back guarantee. If I didn't like the results, I could send the empty bottles back and get a full refund.

I ordered the Soothe line and began using it as soon as it arrived. At first, I was disappointed. Two weeks went by and nothing seemed to be happening. My skin felt a little less itchy, but that was about it. I was incredibly disappointed. My friend urged me to keep using it. Around the 5 week mark is when I noticed a dramatic change. The change itself wasn't abrupt or overnight, it was simply the first time I realized I didn't cringe looking at my face in a mirror. I am now at the 7 week mark and I am sold.

My before and after. I am not wearing makeup in either.

I wish I had a better quality picture of the gross perioral dermatitis for my before, but this is the only one I have (when one's skin resembles a sunburnt orange peel, one does not take many pictures). The rash is gone around my eyes, nose, and mouth. I still have some under-nose redness, but nowhere near the "Do you have a cold?" levels it used to be. The itchiness is also way down. The dryness persists, but I also live 4780 ft above elevation. The environment itself is dry. That being said, my skin is not as flaky as it used to be. Before, I would put on my moisturizer, then apply my foundation and my forehead and nose would instantly flake (out of spite, I believe). While my skin is still dry, it is no longer sloughing off my face

Another product I now swear by is Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation. It is "eco-chic" (their language, not mine) and has never once caused a breakout of the acne or perioral dermatitis variety. It does not contain parabens, sulfates, or phthalates. I recommend going to an Ulta or similar store. The associates will help you find the right color for you. Ulta will also let you trade it if you realize the color isn't quite right (I had to do this--lesson learned: do not buy foundation at night).

If you have any questions and you don't want a sales pitch as a response, feel free to ask me. Like I said, I'm not selling the stuff, but it worked for me when nothing else did.

One Year Old!

My baby is one year old! I can't believe how fast the time flew by. I know everyone says that, but holy moly it is true. So far in her little life, she has visited 10 states (NC, VA, WV, KY, IN, IL, MO, KS, CO, and UT), started walking, and can say a few words. She's a busy little bee that never stops moving and playing.

For her birthday, I made her a smash cake and we visited a children's museum.

We are also officially done with the helmet! When she started with it, there was an 11mm difference between the sides of her head. Now it is down to a 3mm difference! We are super pumped to not have to deal with the helmet anymore and that E's head is round again 😂.

It's starting to warm up here, so we go to the park a lot. E likes to walk there and back on her own while holding our hands. Her little legs tire out pretty quickly, so she gets to ride on her daddy's shoulders the rest of the way. She loves the slide and the big, grassy field. She likes to run down the hill and usually face plants half way down. Apparently, it is hilarious because she giggles the whole time.

She also had her one year checkup. She's a tall, slender girl. She weighs 20 pounds and 5 ounces, which is the 34th percentile. She is 30.25 inches tall, which is the 84th percentile. Her pediatrician says she's doing great and is right on track developmentally.

We had a funny moment at the checkup. E's pediatrician was asking us questions about her eating habits (girl eats like food is going extinct), walking, talking, etc and then she asked if E claps her hands. The hubbinator and I couldn't remember, but as the doctor asked the question, she clapped her own hands. In the middle of our explaining that we didn't know if she could or not, E starts clapping her hands imitating the doctor. Guess she answered that question for us. Now we clap like morons all the time around her so she will do it right back. Sometimes she will high five if hubs and I do it first, She's an amusing little girl.

I went through all of the pictures from my phone that I saved to my computer over the course of her first year of life. I had over 650 pictures of E, which I whittled down to a mere 391. I ordered 4X6 of them, which should arrive today! I may have been a liiiiittle over zealous, but I refuse to be one of those people who only has pictures on Facebook, Instagram, whatever. I have picture walls in the house from our professional shoots, but I want memorabilia of actual day to day life as well.

I also have three picture frames I need to fill. Two of them look like windows, which I love. The other one is a window frame as well, but a different style. It doesn't have all the window panes. Instead, it has wires with clasps to hang pictures or whatever you want. I'll post pictures of them once I have them finished.

Update:

The pictures are all in photo albums and the wall art is complete and up on the walls :)

The pictures took up three albums.

Here is a close up of the window picture frames. Don't mind the sun glare.

It's so hard to get a shot during the daytime, and I always forget at night.
Oh well, bright light it is. 

My mom made that wine cork wreath. It's awesome. 

Chicken Salsa Casserole - 100th Blog Post!

100 blog posts, woo! Time to celebrate with tasty noms.

My mother found this recipe when she was staying with me after I first gave birth to E. Like any mother who recently gave birth, I was ravenously hungry all the time. Having someone around to make food for you is awesome. It's doubly awesome when that someone make fabulous meals like this.

Another great benefit of this meal is the prep is absurdly easy. Chop up some chicken, plop everything in a casserole dish, and bake. This is actually the primary reason I make so many casseroles. They are so simple and delicious. This dish has the added bonus of being relatively healthy for you as well. Here is what you will need.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 small can or corn
• 1 15oz can of black beans
• 1 16oz jar of salsa (I use medium)
• 1 cup chicken broth (or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup of water)
• 1.5 tsp cayenne  pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 4 chicken tenderloins
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 2 green onions, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Drain your corn and black beans (give the beans a quick rinse). Add your corn, beans, dry rice, salsa, chicken broth, and spices to an 8x8 pan and mix well.

Quick tip: Line the pan with aluminum foil first for super fast clean up later.  

2. Cut each chicken tenderloin in half. Push them down into the mixture ensuring they are evenly dispersed as well as completely covered. The original says to cover the dish tightly in foil, but I've forgotten to do that plenty of times (mom-brain, derp), and it comes out the same every time. Cook for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes (you want your rice to be soft). 

Another tip: If you are using brown rice, you will want to soak them in very hot water first while you prep. Brown rice takes a lot longer to cook and your casserole will dry out if you attempt it without the pre-soak. Or just use white rice and you won't have this problem. 

3. When your rice is cooked, sprinkle the shredded cheddar on top and allow it to melt. If you are super impatient like me, you can stick it back in your oven for a minute to expedite the cheese melting process. Add your green onions on top and you are good to go!

Mmmmm, cheeeeeeese.

I eat everything out of bowls (no idea why, I just do), but you should now have a very delicious chicken salsa casserole. You can serve it on tortillas if you like or eat it as is. 

Nutrition

Here is the nutrition data for 1/6 of the casserole

	Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
Brown Rice	113	1	0	0	24	1.3	0	2.7
Medium Salsa	26	0	0	396	5.3	0	5.3	0
Black Beans	73	0	0	266.8	13.3	3.3	0.7	4.7
Corn	10	0.2	0	53.4	2.2	0.3	0.5	0.2
Chicken	50	0.2	0	95	0	0	0	11
Cheddar cheese	55	4.5	2.5	90	0	0	0	3.5
Total	327	5.9	2.5	901.2	44.8	4.9	6.5	22.1

11 Months Old: Teeth, Talking, and Tylenol

I cannot believe that in less than a month, my baby girl will be one-year-old. That is insane. She is so big now, it makes me sad how fast she is growing.

She walks like a champ now and spends most of her time getting into drawers and pulling everything out of them. Surprise, surprise. She also has three little teeth now, with her 4th one on the way. Poor thing has swollen gums and is not a happy camper.

She can also say a few words. She says mama, dada, and kitty cat. Or at least she attempts to say kitty cat. It comes out more like KitKat.

Now back to this whole teething thing. Maybe I'm just behind the curve on this one, but I think Tylenol has been pulling a scam on us moms. I try to avoid giving my daughter Tylenol for teething pain. She usually does just fine with teething rings or Hyland's teething tablets. However, if she is clearly in pain, I'll give her some infant Tylenol.

Infant tylenol.

I've been under the assumption that infant Tylenol is somehow different from children's Tylenol. I believed this because one box says Infants while the other says Children age 2-11. Obviously, if they are packaged this way they must somehow be different. The concentration of acetaminophen must be higher in the children's Tylenol.

Wrong.

Both packages say 160mg of acetominaphen per 5ml. Both boxes say for children under 2 years and under 24 pounds, ask your doctor. They are the same exact thing.

So what's the big deal? Money.

People with babies are willing to pay significantly more for a product labeled "infant" than they are for a product labeled "children." They think it is designed for babies rather than a full grown child. They think it is somehow better for their baby, so they will pay more for it.

Don't believe me?

Pop on over to Target, Walmart, or any store that carries Tylenol. The examples below are from Target. I highlighted the label information in a red box on each image.

Here is the link.

Here is the link.

You will pay $5.69 for 4oz of children's Tylenol ($1.42/oz) vs $7.99 for 2oz of infant Tylenol ($3.99/oz). That is almost 3X the cost. The difference? A picture of a baby vs a picture of a child on the box.

Note: This is NOT true for Motrin. Motrin has different concentrations for infants and children. Always be sure to read the label. If I had been, I would've caught on to the Tylenol shenanigans before now.

Easy Cheeseburger Casserole

Whenever I grow tired of our usual go-to meals, I browse my Pinterest boards. Usually, I try to stick with healthy options; however, every now and then I indulge in cheesy deliciousness. While this is certainly not a healthy meal, it's not the worst thing for you either.

This meal has the added bonus of being a one-pot recipe. I personally think that is the best part. Less mess means faster clean up, which makes for one happy momma.

As always, nutrition info is included. I adapted it from this recipe here.

Ingredients

You will need the following:

• 3/4lb ground beef (90/10)
• 3 cups of pasta shells
• 1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes 
• 1 cup chicken broth (I used one chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup water)
• 1/4 of a large onion
• 2 tbsp Ketchup
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 and 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of water

Instructions

1. Dice your onion. Brown your ground beef and add the diced onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
2. Add your diced tomatoes, chicken broth, ketchup, mustard, pasta shells, and water. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the noodles are cooked (around 15 minutes).
3. Add your cheese and allow it to melt, then stir thoroughly.

You should now be the proud owner of something that looks like this: 

Nutrition Information

This recipe makes approximately 5.25 cups, which makes 3.5 servings at 1.5 cups per serving.

	Calories	Fat	Sat. Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
Ground beef	600	38	13.5	225	0	0	0	69
Pasta shells	800	4	0	00	164	8	8	28
Petite diced tomatoes	88	0	0	630	14	3.5	10.5	3.5
Chicken broth	5	0	0	840	1	0	0	0
Onion	11	0	0	1	2.6	0.5	1.2	0.3
Ketchup	40	0	0	320	10	0	8	0
Mustard	0	0	0	60	0	0	0	0
Shredded cheddar	412	33.8	18.8	675	3.8	0	0	26.2
Total	1956	75.8	32.3	2751	195.4	12	27.7	127
Total per serving	558.9	21.7	9.2	786	55.8	3.4	7.9	36.3

Like I said before, not the healthiest meal in the world. However, if you compare it to a Whopper, this still comes out on top. A Whopper comes in at 600 calories, 37g of fat, 11g of saturated fat, 910mg of sodium, 50g of carbs, 2g of fiber, 12g of sugar, and only 22g of protein.

So overall, this meal has fewer calories, way less fat, less sodium, and way more protein. If you're craving a burger, this is a pretty solid alternative. Plus, it only takes about 30 minutes—less if your ground beef isn't frozen.