HiHoRosie's Place

Howdy-ho kids! Life’s been good these days and thanks to one of my pals, Maria , for making it even better! She was sweet to send me some goodies in the mail recently and the highlight was some organic raw chocolate from Lulu’s . my goodies I had never sampled Lulu’s before but knew Maria was a big fan so when she parted with some of her faves and shared them with me, I was honored. Of course, I quickly dove in. Who can resist chocolate?! Every once in a while I come across someone who isn’t a fan and I think, “whaaaa?” Does not compute. Anyway, back to Lulu’s Chocolates . I tried Sedona Spice, Chocolate Maca Chunk, Aztec Crunch, and Smoked Sea Salt Almond. What’s great about Lulu’s is she tells you exactly what goes into each bar .   They’re also low-glycemic because they are made with coconut sugar from Coconut Secret . Mmm! All of the cacao is fair-trade, sourced from small family farms using sustainable practices. Plus it’s organic. So all around you’re ge...

Recently, Morrocco Method contacted me asking if I’d like to sample one of their products. Now, if you don’t know MMI , they are a fair-trade, cruelty-free company who specializes in chemical-free hair and skin products, many of which are raw and vegan. Get all that? Basically, they’re an awesome company who cares about your needs…and the environment…and fair trade…and animals. :) You can read more about them on their website . So yeah, when they offered of course I said yes. I’ve reviewed their shampoo before, which I love! They have many other products I’d want to check out like their henna but I don’t want to do it myself -- it’s kinda difficult to work with in my past experience. Anyway, MMI sent me a jar of their new product, Styling Dragon Pomade . As you know, my hair is my challenge so any help I can get is great. I wasn’t sure how to use this when I first got it. On wet hair? Damp hair? Dry hair? So I experimented in all ways. I used it when wearing my hair curly a...

I’m usually very basic when it comes my daily face cleansing routine. I’m smart enough to use a gentle organic oil to remove eye makeup but it’s not uncommon for me to use regular soap to wash my face (tsk, tsk). And I don’t know about you, but most soaps are extremely drying. I wear makeup during the week so I need something that’s effective and non-drying and well, regular soap doesn’t work, at least, not in all the right ways. I recently had the chance to try some wonderful products from Farmaesthetics , specializing in natural herbal skincare. Founded by Brenda Brock and based in Newport, Rhode Island, all of their products are "100% natural, utilizing certified organic herbs, flowers, oils & grains from American family farms" [ source ]. Also, no animal testing. These products are found and used at many resorts and spas around the world, including the Four Seasons Resorts and Spas. Impressive! I wish I can remember where or from whom I first learned of Farmaes...

The holidays are upon us so it’s time to break out the good eats! We tend to have more nuts around during this time of year for either snacking or incorporating into various recipes. Recently, I had the chance to try some raw macadamia nuts and raw, shelled pistachios from Oh Nuts ! Oh yum! These are great to snack on all by themselves so it was becoming difficult setting some aside for something else delicious. Let’s start with the macadamias. Macs are full of fat – good mono-unsaturated fats – which translate in lots of energy. They also contain ample amounts potassium, calcium and protein. So while it’s probably not wise to eats these non-stop on a daily basis, consuming some now and again, is very good for you. Better for you than buttur n ol (say it like Paula Deen). My original plan with the macs was to make some raw vegan cookies. Mm, that failed (note to self: do not over-process nuts!). But…not all was lost, my friends. Instead, it became decadent, sweet nut butter. Swe...

Recently, I had the chance to try a new product (to me) called Inspirin by Versativa . Its main purpose is to help ease pain and stress in your body. For me personally, it’s an afternoon pick-me-up. Read on and you'll understand why. Inspirin is a superfood in and of itself but it consists of the following super foods:      *Essential oil of black cumin seed -- the compounds of the seeds boost production of bone marrow, natural interferon, and immune cells, all of which help in fighting against diseases and viruses.      *D-Ribose -- a naturally occurring five-carbon sugar, made by the body to combine a number of important compounds such as DNA and RNA but also ATP, the “energy currency” of the cells. ATP is critical to health and maintaining normal energy-dependent body functions.      *Malic acid -- most commonly found in fruits and veggies, this natural substance is important for the energy producing cycle that usuall...

Hey friends! Survive the weekend? Love that we've gained an hour, don't you? It was so nice waking up a bit more refreshed Sunday morning. Falling back isn't too bad, it still messes up schedules especially with little ones but it's the spring forward time change that's a doozy. I just wish the whole time change hoopla was done away with. Moving on... Stay with me as I share a couple of reviews for you + a giveaway at the end. Yay! My good pals at Kroeger Herb sent me a couple of their new products to sample. No problem! They have awesome products – you really should check them out if you haven't yet. Schizandra . Are you familiar with this fruit or have you been hearing the name lately? It’s gaining in recognition for its medicinal properties. The shrub, also known as the magnolia vine, produces berries that are harvested and dried. In traditional Chinese medicine, schizandra is used to help with sleep disorders, depression, anxiety (and other mood disor...

Hey hey! It’s time for more Tropical Traditions goodies! We love them don’t we? Today, I am reviewing their shredded coconut . Any chance to have some coconut I’m all over it. I currently use their coconut chips , which we snack on frequently but I was interested in trying the shreds. What I love about this is it’s certified organic. So no sulfates, no pesticides, and no preservatives. Also, it’s unsweetened, which I prefer (besides, the store-bought sweetened kind usually has suspect ingredients). It comes in a one-gallon, reusable tub (about 3.5 pounds). It was a little challenge getting it open at first but it can be done I tell ya. What’s great is when you run out of coconut, just order a refill bag then fill up the tub with the new coconut. No fuss, no muss, no excess packaging. It’s great to snack on by itself but it’s also great to sprinkle on top of cereal, muffins, smoothies (hey, any kind of coconut is good in or on top of a smoothie!) or whatever you want. I throw ...

It's been awhile since I've mentioned anything about coconuts but let me refresh your memory or clue new readers in: I'm cuckoo for coconuts. I often refer to them as coo-coo nuts. It wasn't until about four years ago or so that I actually tried a young coconut - I never looked back. The water it contains is perfect. It's amazing. Far different than the mature (brown) coconuts. The health properties of coconuts are incredible so it's no wonder that its water is too and serves as the ideal isotonic thirst-quencher. Assuming you know this (if you don't or would like to know a little more, check out my past post here ), let's move on to the purpose of today's post. One of my favorite brands of coconut water is C20 . It comes in a can but I'm not certain if it's a BPA-free can or not. Aside from that, it's a fave - very tasty. But, today's post isn't about C20 either... Today's post is a Taste Test between two other coconut wa...

I wish my skin was always smooth, youthful looking and never dry but…      I wear flip flops and sandals all the time      I chase a toddler in said footwear thru playgrounds, dirt and grass      I wash my hands a lot and then some more      I don’t always drink enough water      I’m outside a lot, even if it’s not always sunny …so, as you can see from this small list, my skin gets dry and rough (especially feet – ew). You can probably list some of these same things or others, I bet. Thankfully, I now have a quick spa treatment I can use at home with Tropical Traditions’ organic skin exfoliator . Smells nice too, not perfumey. My choice: citrus-mint. I used it on my hands – so soft. I used it on my feet – way smoother. I used it on my elbows and knees – ahh. I even tried it on my face - nice. It’s a bit rough for the face so I wouldn’t suggest doing it often or if you have...

Good morning and happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend. Today, I've got a book review I've been meaning to post. YS2 loves to read. Looooves! Okay, he’s not actually reading the words yet but books are a fave and they have been pretty much from the beginning. He loves books read to him or sometimes he “reads” them on his own. When I was contacted by author, Elke Weiss, about reviewing her children’s book, “ Hannah and the Talking Tree ” from Free Focus Publishing , I could see at first glance it’d be a great book for YS2 so of course I said yes. I was so excited when I got the book and could look at all the beautiful pages. So colorful! And the story is cute. And I thought it was so nice of her to personalize it for Caleb. The story is about a girl named Hannah who has big ears, which of course, makes her unique but because of it she’s able to help a talking tree she finds. She learns how important trees are to our environment, us and the animals. It’s written ...

Today, I’ve got a review for you of Tropical Traditions Organic Hair Oils . I received a sample a couple months ago so my sincere apologies for my tardiness of this post. It probably works out better this way as I was able to use the hair oil for a while before posting. I have naturally curly/wavy hair. Now, before you get all green with envy let me explain my hair. It does what IT wants, it gets frizzy, ends get dry and become unmanageable at times, and sometimes it’s just a real pain. I’ll also confess I’m not good with hair. When I first get it cut, I’ll make an effort and style it for about two weeks then it seems to find its way pulled back into a ponytail. Easy, done - not stylish but it's done. However, the not really taking good care of my hair and drying it fast on high heat and/or using the flat iron can cause some damage and dryness. I tend to use a lot of conditioner so I was very interested in trying the hair oil. You can use this in different ways but the way I ...

Please excuse me while I organize myself here. Some of my posts will basically be catching up posts and are more for me so you might find them less exciting, mundane or random. But here we go… First up, thank you for your support and loyalty . You guys are so cool . I knew you’d understand when I say I blog when I can. Life is happening all the time; blogging can wait any old day. I figure those who don’t understand aren’t real people anyway. Ha! For YS2’s birthday last month we got him a Strider pre-bike or a balance bike. If you’re not familiar with a balance bike, it’s a little tyke bike without training wheels or pedals so the focus is on balance . Everyone can pedal or easily learn, right? But balancing on a bike isn’t that easy. When it’s time to transition to a “big boy” bike there will hopefully be less spills and owies and instead lots more yays and smiles. YS2 has gotten the hang of it and now sits on the seat and not just walk with it standing up (that's how they fir...