Category Archives: LIFE + STYLE

5 Thing To Know Before You Move In Los Angeles

April 2, 2021

Moving can be a daunting and tiring process. I did it in 2019 and it was a big big deal. The stress and anxiety that it produces can be so overwhelming that most people hate even hearing about it. However, if moving, in general, is tricky, moving in LA is a whole new level of tough. Whether you are just moving a few blocks down or changing neighborhoods completely, moving in the City of Angels is truly something else.

Read on to find out what makes LA so unique regarding moving and make your move as seamless as possible.

LA Is Crazy Expensive

Everyone knows that moving takes a significant amount of money. However, many people don’t realize how expensive moving in Los Angeles actually is. The cost depends on many things: moving supplies, hiring a moving company, the cost of fixing up your old place, and so on.

The Cost of Moving and Moving Supplies Can Wipe You

The cost of moving mainly depends on how big your current place is. Moving out of a studio apartment costs around $395+. Then the prices rise steadily depending on how many rooms your home has, and they reach $1595+ for three-bedroom houses or apartments.

You also need to think about moving supplies. You will need to buy boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, tape, and so on. Though these expenses might seem insignificant, they will take a lot out of your budget without you even noticing.

Fixing Up Your Old Place So You Can Get Your Deposit Back!

Besides thinking about your new apartment, you also need to take care of the place you are leaving behind. That includes cleaning it, fixing anything you might have broken that was your responsibility, and so on.

You Need to Hire a Mover Which Is A Thing In Itself

According to Oz Moving who have been in the business for a long time, moving on your own in LA is close to impossible. That is especially the case if you are moving from one part of the town to the other.

In such cases, you will need a way to drive all your belongings to your new address safely. You will also need help carrying everything up the stairs and into your new place. Though it might seem like your family and friends can help you out with this, having a professional team might be a safer plan.

You Need to Clear Your Move-In Ahead of Time

It is essential that you tell your landlord when you plan to move in. Doing so will allow you to book the elevator on time, as it is usually in high demand in big buildings.

Telling the building management about your move on time is vital even if your building does not have an elevator. It will ensure you don’t move in at the same time as someone else, which would be messy.

You Need to Plan and Pack On Time

No matter how boring it might seem, making a detailed plan is essential to moving in LA without losing your mind. Before you start doing anything, you need to sit down, get a notebook, and write down everything you need to do and buy. That way, you will make sure you stay on top of everything and don’t forget anything.

The same goes for packing. You need to start well ahead of time, and you need to do it methodically. Donate anything you don’t need, organize your boxes logically, and you should be fine. Additionally, use colorful markers or post-its to make everything a bit more fun and to remember where everything is better.

You Need to Get Insurance

Moving insurance or valuation is a good thing, no matter where you are moving. However, it is a must in LA. Make sure you discuss your plan with the moving company you hire, so you know where you stand in case your belongings get damaged.

Even if you have to pay a little extra cash to get it, we recommend that you do. That way, you’ll be at peace, no matter what happens during the move.

As you have read, moving to LA indeed is special in comparison to moving in any other city. Hopefully our little guide helps you understand just how much. If you use all our suggestions and tips, moving might go from stressful and tiring to exciting and fun. Good luck, and happy moving.

A Phone Upgrade Hack You Can’t Resist

March 31, 2021

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Pick-me-ups come in all shapes and sizes, in this case – the size of a phone case. I must admit, a new phone case perks me up more than a new phone. When my case is cute as heck, my mood boosts right up. As it should, I am looking at it all day (and through the night, cuz I’m a mess and don’t sleep).

www.zgla.com. They are super cute, high quality, embroidered cases. So many fun styles. Let me know what you think ?

GROOMEDLA and is for 20% off all products through 5/31!

New Pioneering Book “Sugarproof” Empowers Families to Identify Hidden Sugars, Understand the Risks of Added Sugars in Infants & Children and Right-Size Sugar Intake 

March 21, 2021

Sugarproof Guides Readers Through the Modern-Day  “Sugar Storm,” Providing Realistic Family-Based Solutions


For the recently-released book, SUGARPROOF: The Hidden Dangers of Sugar That Are Putting Your Child’s Health at Risk and What You Can Do (Avery/Penguin Random House), Dr. Michael Goran, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, co-director of the USC Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute and expert in childhood nutrition, teams up with co-author Dr. Emily Ventura, an expert in nutrition education and recipe development. Sugarproof busts myths about the various types of sugars and sweeteners, helps families identify sneaky sources of sugar in their diets, and suggests realistic, family-based solutions to reduce sugar consumption and protect kids.

“Sugarproof” isn’t about quitting sugar entirely, it’s about becoming a smart consumer, identifying and replacing hidden sugars while reducing reliance on sweet foods & drinks as daily staples by transitioning from processed foods (70% of which contain added sugars) to a more whole foods-based diet. Sugarproof encourages families to take on a life-changing 7-Day No Added Sugar Challenge or a 28 Day gradual sugar reduction. Learning how to sugar-proof your life is an empowering journey for the whole family designed to bring sugar consumption to a reasonable level.


In a groundbreaking study, Dr. Michael Goran and his team conducted a detailed analysis of the sugary products that kids love and how they impact everyday life. What they found was that these yogurts, cereals, sodas, and juices often had more sugar than advertised and contained different types of sugar than were being disclosed. The overabundance of sugar, and different types of sugar, can have a direct adverse effect on kids’ weight, chronic disease risk, behavior, and how well they do in school.

In Sugarproof, Goran and Ventura explain how babies are born with a built-in preference for sweet flavors, which is supposed to be protective so that babies like breastmilk, seek out calories and avoid contaminated foods. However, this protective mechanism backfires in today’s high sugar environment, making their developing bodies particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of too much sugar. Food companies target this innate preference for sweetness through advances in food technology, delivering new types of artificial sugars and processed sweeteners like fruit juice concentrates, and then using aggressive marketing campaigns that target children by using their favorite sports heroes and celebrities.

In Sugarproof, we also learn that children don’t need to be overweight to have a sugar problem. In fact, even if well-meaning parents purchase organic options, their children could still have dangerously high levels of blood lipids or body fat wrapped around internal organs. Sugar could be causing problems in school, disrupting sleep, concentration, mood and/or contributing to inflammatory conditions such as asthma and acne. A high sugar intake has also been associated with longer term cognitive decline, including Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as well as contributing to increased lifelong risk of cancer.

“Most of us know that sugar can wreak havoc on adult bodies, but few realize how uniquely harmful it is to the growing livers, hearts, and brains of children.” says Dr. Michael Goran. “Today’s children are not just consuming more sugar than ever, but they are consuming different types of sugars that are particularly harmful to them–and their parents may not even be aware. Our goal with Sugarproof is to help educate, motivate and empower parents and children to make informed decisions.”

Readers will learn how to identify if their child is eating too much sugar, the many disguises of sugar which can go by over 200 different names and how to become a smarter consumer by understanding labels. They will also learn tips to prevent the ill effects of added sugars, and gain ways to address and reverse those effects.

Could even a week with no added sugar change a family’s health for the better? Yes, and Sugarproof shows you how. The 7-Day No Added Sugar Challenge gives families that start with tools to reboot their diets, identify everyday sources of hidden sugars and find alternative replacements. The book also offers a 28-Day No Added Sugar Challenge for those seeking a more gradual plan. Goran and Ventura offer a reliable and straightforward theory-based approach, encouraging family-based solutions, including easy steps like engaging children in the shopping and cooking process, which will inspire kids to adopt healthier eating habits and the ability to self-regulate sugar. Sugarproof includes 39 food and beverage recipes that are easy, kid-friendly, flavorful, and flexible to account for different food preferences and needs within families.

The release of the book is particularly topical with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent changes to the Nutrition Facts label, which marks a clear shift with added sugars being listed for the first time. Sugarproof is also timely given the new USDA dietary guidelines which for the first time recommends that infants age 0-2 years of age consume zero added sugars. The COVID-19 pandemic has also added new urgency to the desire to make ourselves and our families as healthy as possible. High sugar and high processed food diets weaken the immune system, making us more susceptible to viral infections and worse outcomes if infected.

You can buy the book here.

Spring Cleaning for OTC: And What That ACTUALLY Means

March 16, 2021

Spring is finally, well, springing. And top of mind for me is cleaning out the clutter – especially in the bathroom. My makeup, skincare and even OTC medications have been unruly to say the least. As part of this, I am also taking a look at all of the products I have and evaluating if a cleaner or greener option is available. While I have always been fairly conscious with beauty, I never knew that there was a better option for my medicine. After doing a little digging I came across Genexa, a company known for their clean medicine. Basically, they use the active ingredients we all need like acetaminophen, but without all of the fillers and junk we don’t. Intrigued, I actually spoke to the founders of the brand, David Johnson and Max Spielberg, to hear more about what exactly clean medicine meant, why they started the brand, and how we can tell the difference among all of the “cleanwashing” out there. 

Tell us why you started Genexa? 

We started Genexa because as two dads, we were disgusted by what we found in so many of the ingredients found in kids OTC medicines. We could not understand why so many other industries had already started getting cleaned up – beauty, skincare, food, beverage, automotive – but pharma was behind. It’s the most counterintuitive thought in the world for the medicines that are supposed to help you feel better would have the most sickening ingredients. So we decided to do something about it and after many doors getting shut in our face, found partners with deep expertise in formulation, manufacturing, and medicine to create what we call real medicine made clean.

You say that it’s the first clean medicine company – but what does that really mean? 

Our products have the same exact active ingredient as leading brands – like diphenhydramine – which is the reason you take the medicine in the first place. But we take all the unhealthy inactive ingredients – like talc, wood pulp, fake sugars, allergens, etc. – out and replace them with organic, non-GMO better for you ingredients. That means diphenhydramine with the same efficacy as Children’s Bendaryl, but instead of sodium benzoate (which can convert to a potential carcinogen), we use organic citrus acid (which is naturally found in citrus fruits). 

Why do consumers even need to care about what is in their OTC medicines? 

Consumers have only been given 1 option for far too long — synthetic, potentially harmful ingredients in their medicines. Today, more than ever, consumers can impact what products are being made and demand change with their wallets. I don’t think the big pharma companies making these OTCs are putting people first when they’re putting in ingredients like talc (which have been linked to cancer) or artificial dyes (which have been linked to ADD and ADHD) in their medicines. These are terrible ingredients that these companies put in their formulas because they’re cheap. Like sucralose, which is 4% the cost of sugar. These ingredients have been in OTC medicines for decades and they don’t care to really make a change. Consumers deserve better and it starts by them knowing what’s in their medicines. 

Max, you personally also suffered from side effects due to ingredients in OTC medicines, can you talk a little about your experience? 

When I was a kid, I had severe seasonal allergies; but, when I tried to take over-the-counter medicine for relief, I had multiple allergic reactions. I still have terrible seasonal allergies, but I can’t take drugs with synthetic ingredients because my temperature spikes and I break out in a horrible rash all over my body. My reaction is not abnormal. 35MM Americans have allergic reactions to ingredients found in food, drinks and medicines they ingest. I’ve talked to customers that went to the ER because of anaphylaxis reactions to ingredients in Benadryl. Our CMO’s grew up with a brother who would get a 104+ degree fever, which initiated seizures, anytime he had Red Dye #40 — which is found in many of the red liquid medicines on shelf. Too many people, just like me, are allergic to these ingredients and just don’t know they are the root cause. 

What’s next? 

Last year we extended our line of Kids’ medicines. We have a robust pipeline of both adult and kids’ medicines that will launch later this year and next. We are on a mission to revolutionize the entire medicine aisle — creating clean alternatives to every medicine on shelf today. And beyond just creating clean products, our ambition is to create change at the systemic level. There’s no reason that the US should allow ingredients in products we ingest that are banned in other parts of the world. We want to raise awareness about what’s really in the products we’re putting in our bodies, and be the impetus for change systemically. 

Sustainable Winter Essentials With GoSili Reusable, Silicone Straws, Tumblers

March 4, 2021

We love these eco-friendly, silicone must-haves from GoSili, to help you drink responsibly during winter activities. Affordable, sustainable solutions to beat the cold winter blues and best of all, they are good for the environment.

  • GoSili Silicone Cup with Straw or to-go Lid ($19 – 24 oz) – The first silicone cup that will hold its shape! GoSili reusable cups are 100% European grade platinum silicone and feature an embedded stainless-steel ring that prevents the cup from collapsing when gripped. Smart, simple design meets amazing functionality
  • GoSili Silicone Straw with Keychain ($4.50) – Reduce your plastic footprint with a straw made with 100% European-grade, platinum silicone that can be used over and over again. This reusable straw is completely bendable, so it folds up perfectly in the included keychain travel case. When you are done sipping, simply fold your straw up and place it in the tin. It is small enough to put in your pocket, yet big enough to make a significant impact on our planet.
  • GoSili Silicone Universal Top & Straw ($9 – 2pack) – Now, you can turn any cup into a straw cup. Made from 100% European-grade platinum silicone, this straw lid stretches over a WIDE variety of cups and glasses. When the silicone lid is stretched over a cup, the suction keeps the lid in place making your new straw cup virtually spill resistant. Use it at a restaurant, keep the bugs out of your drink while sitting at the campfire, use it poolside or on the boat – the list goes on. Never be without a lid or straw again!
GoSili is also available at GoSili.com, Amazon and Target.