She has a website now, called “Goop (unfortunate name, right?).” I’m not really certain why she has this site. A public service, perhaps? To teach the rest of us how to live a fabulous life? You know I’m all about that, right? And Gwyneth does seem like someone who has it all “together.” So I’m buying.

I periodically receive emails from the site. I guess I’d signed up for them quite a while ago, when there was no content, and then out of the seemingly blue, I started getting some interesting items: recipes, style tips. But my favorite email thus far has been this week’s, on cleansing and detoxing your body.

My friend L is starting the Master Cleanse on Monday. And she wanted me to do it with her (misery loves company, right?). I thought to myself, “hey self, let’s start the new year off with a cleansed and detoxed body.” And then I checked it out. It’s that creepy cleanse that requires you to live for two weeks on something like lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. Really? Can you even survive 2 weeks on that liquid diet? There was no way I was going to agree to suffer though that with L. I actually like food. But I thought about the idea of a cleansing of my system, and it started to sound like a pretty good idea to me. I’ve been overindulgent this holiday season. I’ve put on a few. I’ve actually found myself unbuttoning my jeans as I sit down at the dinner table. And the very next day, I checked my email to find the cleansing and detox plan from Gwyneth (originating from her doctor), and it seemed like more than a coincidence. It seemed fortuitous. The actual plan does not seem to be up on her website yet, which I am finding very irritating, but if you sign up for her newsletter, I’m sure you’ll see it in your inbox this week. It’s definitely worth taking a look at, if you’re interested in cleansing your body of 2008 and preparing it 2009.

So, I begin the cleanse on Monday. It looks manageable. Not much cruelty, really. It’s really the way that I should be eating in the first place, you know? If I had a personal chef, and all. Just kidding. It’s doable, for sure. My husband even signed on. I’ll let you know how it goes…

And so every day, I send her with a hat. A baseball cap, a bucket hat. You name it, there’s always one in her bag. But I don’t think she’s wearing it. Because the part in her hair is looking a little pink. And you know me, pink is scary. I’m so paranoid about sun protection. I knew I had to find another alternative, because I can’t nag her into wearing her hat. First of all, yuck. I don’t want to be that mom, the (s)mother, hovering over her child, barking orders at any and everyone who has any interaction with my children. And second of all, she’s a kid. She’s going to do what she wants when I’m not with her, and although that doesn’t amount to much at the tender age of three, it does amount to her not putting on her hat when she heads outside.

Do they make sunblocks for heads? For scalps? Surely, one must exist. After a day of searching, I found several options. And I decided on Shiseido Refreshing Sun Protection Spray SPF 16. A little pricy, but it had really good reviews as I was looking around. Other options were either really for protecting hair color (something I myself use, since I spend a considerable amount of time outdoors and color my hair), but my daughter’s hair is au natural, so that wasn’t going to cut it. I wanted something that I could spray on her scalp that would protect it from the sun. There were other options, less expensive options, but the reviews were basically that it was not much different than putting actual sunblock on the scalp, greasy, messy, no thanks. This spray is specifically formulated for the scalp. And it smells delicious. And she often reminds me in the morning that I need to spray it on her head. That’s always a good sign, because if she doesn’t like something, she’s going to put up a fight.

So while the spray is probably not as ideal as a hat, it’s better than nothing. It just gives me a little piece of mind, and now I know that she is covered when it comes to the sun, quite literally from head to toe.

But I recently decided to give California Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 a try. It’s fragrance-free, which is essential for us, so that was the clencher. I had a really hard time finding a tube of it anywhere, let alone two tubes. I did finally find it, though, and my goodness, did we use those up quickly. The tubes were tiny. I suppose more so because I’m used to that good old huge pink bottle from the drugstore. The sunblock worked well, no sunburns. However, it was extremely thick and left a very shiny and whitish gleam on the girls. Not a good look. So when my stock ran out, I decided to try something else. Because while I don’t mind spending a little extra for something I absolutely love, and in general I adore California Baby products, the sunscreen just wasn’t for us.

And so, the search continued…

And then, I found it…

The greatest sunscreen ever…

Kiss My Face Sunspray Lotion. It’s SPF 30. Water-resistant. Fragrance-free. Oh, and it’s a pretty large 8-oz. bottle. And the price? It’s definitely right. And I love it. I’ve been using it on everyone. It sprays on, but you still have to rub it in. No problem there, because it has a really light and lovely consistency and it’s so very easy to spread and it does not leave a whitish cast on the skin. Pea doesn’t complain when I pull out the yellow bottle the way she has with other sun protection lotions in the past. It’s just not a 15-minute ordeal to get her covered. It’s spray, rub and out the door. I keep one by the back door, one in her bag that goes with her to camp and one in the girl’s bathroom so that we’re always covered. Get it? Always covered?

Oh, and if you decide to give it a try? And you can’t find any? Anywhere? Well, let’s just say that you’ll know who’s been there before you…

Me.

I’ve always been pretty good about applying it in the past. But in all honestly, a quick trip to the park in March, for example? Doesn’t equate in my mind with sunblock. It just doesn’t. And while I usually have a tube of portable kid-friendly sunscreen in my bag, sometimes I don’t. Never mind, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. It’s only 30 minutes, I’d say. What’s the big deal?

Well, it is a big deal. News of skin cancer statistics rising dramatically are all over the media. And I have friends who have had a scare. Or friends of friends who have had an even bigger scare. No thank you. Not in this house.

The stuff you wear on your body is so easy to find. Very rarely have I had an issue with a product applied to any body part, other than my face. But when it comes to sunblock for my face, yikes! I’ve had some real doozies. Break-out, anyone? That was me. They were always very greasy and either left me with a whitish gleam on my face, or they just made my face look like that of a teenaged boy. With very bad skin. Ugh.

So, oil-free, smooth and undetectable application, and a little luxury wouldn’t hurt, either. And also? I like anything that I put on my face to be skin care. Formulated specifically for the annoyingly sensitive skin on my face. Prescriptives has a new product out that completely fits the bill for me. It’s called All-Weather Friend Daily SPF 40 Lotion, and although it’s on sale for just under $22 on the QVC site. So far, so good. It must be psychological, but it’s so much easier for me to apply this SPF every morning when it feels more like a luxury skin care product than it does just another thing I should do.

I have fair skin. But I have fair skin that doesn’t burn. I get dark. Very dark. But it’s not a look I’m striving for any more. A little healthy color is all I want or need.

My husband? He’s outside a lot. And I’ve talked to him about needing to wear sunscreen, too. It’s just something we have to do. Like brushing our teeth or putting on deodorant. And when we’re together, I can remind him and stick the bottle in his hand and watch him put it on. But he travels a lot. And I can’t keep my eye on him. So I had to find him something that was a “manly” grooming product but that would satisfy my desire for him to protect his skin. At the very least, the skin on his face. Because while I know he can take the two seconds to put on a “manly” moisturizer with an SPF in it, I’m pretty sure when I send him on the road with a secondary bottle of sunblock, he’s not using it. Not that he’s in a rush, but he’s a get-in-and-get-out kind of a guy.

Hopefully, he thinks this Jack Black product fits the bill. And he will use it. Every morning.

Coco started her fist class this morning. It was just the two of us, I spent a lot of time taking pictures to document it for her daddy who couldn’t be there with us. She was the youngest in the class and the only one who really isn’t walking, but her excitement at being around other kids really rubbed off on everyone. There was a lot of squealing and a lot of giggling.

Anyway, although the class is geared for 12 – 24 months, it seems a little advanced. There were very elaborate obstacle courses and foot races and a diving pit and balance beams. But we tried it all, the instructor flipped her around a bit and a genuinely good time was had by all. We are so looking forward to next week’s class.

When we got home, Pea was in good spirits. She’d been playing with her ballerina magnetic dress-up dolls with her new sitter, who has been to the house a handful of times in the last month. She’s a sweet girl, loves to play with Pea and her toys. They’re always having tea parties or building railroads or playing hide ‘n seek. I hear them laughing and chatting and Pea gets really excited when it’s time for her sitter to come over. And this afternoon, they even made chocolate-covered pretzels to have at their high tea.

And I really encourage sitters to make themselves at home in our house. I want them to feel comfortable helping themselves to drinks or snacks. And I always want them to feel comfortable talking to my husband and myself about issues or concerns that they might have. And I’m glad that this sitter has followed our lead. She told me after her first afternoon with us that it was the most comfortable she’d ever felt in someone else’s home. And I love that. I take pride in that.

Back to the story… the end of Coco’s class coincided with our normal lunchtime, and since it was late, I brought back lunch for all of us. This is where I started to get a strange feeling. You know, the one you get in the pit of your stomach when something just feels a little “off?” The sitter, after eating her lunch, polished off most of Pea’s dessert before Pea even had a chance to try it. Okay, no big deal, right? Pea didn’t make a stink, and so who cares? Right? But then there was the sitter’s reading of the newspaper on the couch while I was desperately trying to simultaneously get Coco down for her nap and get Pea to take care of her business on her potty. Uh, a little help, please? And then, as I was cleaning up in the kitchen, I swear I heard her say to my sweet little Pea, “go over there… no, over there… Your breath is humid and I don’t want you breathing on me.”

What?

Have I made her feel a little bit too comfortable in my home?

Am I nuts for being so weirded out by this very odd statement to a not-even-three year old? Should I let it go? It just seemed such a bizarre thing to say to a little kid. In front of her mother.

But I bit the bullet and bought “Skinny Bitch.” And I am pleased to say that I was way off base about it, just based on the title. You know, judging a book by it’s cover? That’s what I was doing. But I’m glad that I finally decided to give it a try. It is not at all what I thought it was going to be. It’s about food. Namely, any and everything you have ever put into your mouth. And although I’m not quite finished with it, I cannot put it down. It seems the best way to describe it would be as a book that tears to shreds any idea you might have had about nutrition and farming and ranching and the FDA and lobbyists and the government and what is and isn’t organic and wow! The wealth of shocking revelations in this book just come at you, rapid-fire. It is sad and infuriating and has left me somewhat speechless and definitely blindsided. And I can take it with that proverbial grain of salt. Please do not feel the need to defend farming and ranching. My own husband’s family are cattle ranchers here, in rural Texas. I know that the horrors described in this book are not taking into account each and every farming operation. I know there are those that are really wonderful and safe and clean and good. I know that. But I will say that as someone who has a keen interest in nutrition and health and just food in general, I think my world as I have known it has been shaken to it’s core.

I know there are vegans out there. And I’m still trying to decide if ultimately that is the path for me. But I can say this: I am a vegetarian. This is it for me. But veganism? Is it really feasible if you don’t live in a large city, like LA or Chicago or Manhattan, where you can pop into any one of a dozen vegan restaurants? Because I really like to eat out and I just don’t know if it’s possible to really, really do it. Are there any vegans out there? What do you do when you eat out? Or someone invites you to their home for dinner? Do you announce beforehand that you are a vegan? Because it’s so much more specific than being a vegetarian. As a vegetarian, you can walk into any restaurant and order a garden salad and some oil and vinegar and know that you are covered. But as a vegan, do you have to question every single item on a menu? Or in a dish on someone’s dining room buffet? I mean, it might look safe, but what if it was cooked in chicken broth? Are you now that annoying person that no one wants to eat with because you are just… so… difficult? Because I am not interested in being that person. I am not comfortable having to pick everything apart to figure out if I can consume it or not. Can you be a foodie and a vegan at the same time?

Recently, her GP told her to look into making the switch to a vegan lifestyle. Her doctor feels that with her particular medical history, a menu which does not contain animal by-products would really be best for her. She’s just started fairly recently, so I’m curious to see where it takes her. But I might also add in here that my brother is also a vegan. I don’t know the particulars of his reason to adhere to something so extreme, but I do know that he read a book called “Skinny Bitch” that scared his meat cravings right out of him. I should add here that I’m fairly certain the book was his girlfriend’s, and out of curiosity he picked it up and became hooked.

Now myself, I love books. Not necessarily “self-help” books, but books about diet, nutrition and general health are particular favorites of mine. And so my mother recommended that I start by reading Dr. Oz’s newest, called “You: Staying Young: The Owner’s Manual for Extending Your Warranty (You).” I bought my copy today and intend to start it this evening. She said it’s a good precursor to the book that she really wants me to read, called “Food For Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life.” My mother is convinced that my illnesses in the past year or so directly correlate to my diet. And although I swear I eat pretty well, I know what she means. I eat too much meat, too much dairy. As a kid, I was deathly allergic to milk , so when I outgrew the allergy, I might have gone a little overboard. But I had a lot of time to make up for. Can you imagine as a kid, going to a birthday party and not being able to have cake? As a matter of fact, in elementary school, my best friend Lyssa’s birthday party was at her father’s gourmet chocolate shop at the Water Tower Place mall in Chicago. As party favors, all the kids took home giant blocks of chocolate in the shape of their first name’s initial. Me? I took home a bag of lollipops. And then, there were all the summer’s of popsicles when other kids were eating ice cream cones. It was not a lot of fun.

To this day, I know I consume far too much dairy. Ask me my favorite food? I will tell you cheese. Just cheese. Any kind of cheese will do.

My stomach kind of hurts just thinking about that one.

Anyway, I’m not sure how this is all going to work out for me. To be honest, I am a firm believer that bacon makes everything taste better. But I’m willing to give it a try because these last few months in particular have been hell on me. I’ll see where it takes me, but for now? I’ve just made the vow to cut red meat and poultry out of my diet. I want to see if it’s manageable and also if I’m going to feel the effects of it in a positive way, before I commit to anything else more intense.

So, it seems I’m not feeling all that grateful today, which to me is a sign that I need my weekly gratitude practice, courtesy of the Everyday Yogini, more than ever.

Here goes…

I am grateful that out of everything I’ve given my girls, this nasty stomach virus is not one of them.

I am grateful that my husband took care of the girls this afternoon so I could take a much-needed nap.

I am grateful that my husband has been home with us for an entire week already, and doesn’t go out of town again until the day after Christmas, when he heads to NYC for New Year’s.

I am grateful that the entire clan is coming to our home on Tuesday to celebrate Christmas.

It doesn’t seem like a lot, does it? But it’s all I can muster right now.

Please, be careful with germs because this virus I have? It’s knocking out 500 people a day in NYC alone. Does that officially make it an epidemic? Wash your hands. A lot. Do your best to stay healthy because this thing is nasty. And if you are really paranoid, do as I have done and blaze a trail through your house double-fisting Clorox Sanitizing Spray. Spray down anything that can get grimy with germs: sink faucets, toilet handles and door knobs, to name just a few.