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TIL Tuesday: Olay Total Effects Body Wash

December 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Last week, the folks at Procter & Gamble gave me the opportunity to talk to Rebekah George, a guru of skincare and prettyness, about how to care for your skin during the winter. She had a lot of tips – and one of them was to not necessarily moisturize more, but moisturize better.

And then I got this box in the mail. And in this box was one of the products that Rebekah recommended: 7-in-1 Advanced Anti-Aging Deep Penetrating Moisture Body Wash (Say that three times fast).

At first I was like, “Whoa, what? Anti-aging? Are they calling  me… OLD?”

And then I was like, “Well, Sarah, you did just turn 34. You aren’t getting any younger. I don’t know if I’d call you OLD, but you’re hardly a spring chicken.”

And then I was like, “But, I suppose it couldn’t HURT to try this product. Maybe I can pretend that they really meant well, instead of as a subtle attempt to call me old.”

And then I told my inner selves to shut up and go run a bath.

This stuff?

It’s pretty nice.

Most importantly (to me, anyway) – it smells very good.  I have priorities – and while this is indeed scented, it’s not overwhelming or gross.

Secondly, this stuff is thick, but rinses clean and doesn’t leave you yucky and filmy after you get out of the shower.

And? Happily, it IS moisturizing. Which is good, because… well, it SAYS it is. Always nice when a product does what it’s supposed to do.

As for the anti-aging part – I don’t know if I look or feel any younger, or if my body looks or feels any younger, but I’m just happy to get clean and moisturized, really. Oh, and I smell amazing.

The body wash was sent to me at no charge to me, but the opinions and the obsession about my age are purely my own.

Filed Under: Things I Love Tagged With: ,

Thursday Ten: OH THERE’S MY CHRISTMAS SPIRIT edition

December 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

1. I think I’m slowly – oh so very slowly – finding my holiday spirit, and I’m glad about that. It’s been a difficult time of year for me because I LOVE CHRISTMAS and I have lacked the enthusiasm that I usually seem to have for the festivities. BUT, I’m finding it. And that’s a good thing – because coming up, I have to shop for the 12 Days of Christmas. And finish shopping for the family (My Mom is SO hard to shop for – usually she’s easier to shop for – this year, I’m roadblocked).

2. Tomorrow, I get to be the “Mystery Reader” at Pumpkin’s kindergarten class – which would be awesome but SOMEONE TOLD HER I’d be coming in. I’d hoped to be surprising her, and didn’t want her to know I was the reader until I walked in the door. I think the teacher’s aide spilled the beans. BOO TO HER, I say. I’ll be reading David Shannon’s Good Boy, Fergus! and Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s Spoon. We love both of these books – though, I have to say, I’m pretty much a fan of all of AKR’s children’s books. “Spoon” is the one that Miss Amy (as we call her here in our house) read to The Princess over the phone on her seventh birthday.

3. None of the Christmas ornaments are where they were when we started. I’m not that fussy about the Christmas tree – to a degree. These ornament clumps drive me a little crazy, though. Want to know why? Silly but here’s why: It makes it hard to take pictures when they are all squished together. And I LIKE TO TAKE PICTURES OF ORNAMENTS.

4.  I’ve lived in Michigan for twenty years and finally for the FIRST TIME bought a winter hat. I bought it at Target – it was three dollars. Figured the price was right since it won’t take long for the dog to find it and eat it. Or for me to decide it was making my hair too stick-uppy.

5. I am hoping to get to the movies this weekend because I desperately want to see “Black Swan” – the new ballet movie with Natalie Portman – it’s getting great reviews, and frankly I want to see something different than the slapstick-y holiday movies that seem to multiply endlessly this time of year.

6. I have had the worst time in guitar lessons the past two weeks – I think my brain has just been jelloed and not really fully functional (Shush. It’s not ALWAYS that way). I suppose actually PRACTICING might help, though. Need to do that more. Like, a lot more.

7. So, I was shopping for stocking stuffers for my mom for Christmas and ended up buying myself some nail polish. This is my MO when Christmas shopping. Last week, when shopping, I ordered for myself The Beauty of Different by Karen Walrond (@Chookooloonks on Twitter) – I’m still waiting for it to arrive. Last night, I finally ordered OPI’s Linkin Park After Dark – and that color is several seasons old – but I’ve always loved it and why shouldn’t I have pretty nails for Christmas? I think I may be doing this wrong. Or so very right.

8. As I type this, it’s nearly 2:30 in the afternoon and I’m finally getting around to eating lunch. A bowl of pasta. Like I’ll be running a marathon tomorrow. HUGE bowl of perfect al dente pasta. Do you have a favorite pasta shape? I do. I love penne – hate rotini. I don’t know why it even matters – the taste is the same, but somehow, I’ve tricked myself to thinking the shape is VERY IMPORTANT.

9. I was talking to my kids about the ballet, “The Nutcracker”. Since Barbie had her own little version of “Barbie and the Nutcracker”, I thought my kids would be a little more excited about it. But no go. Or as Pumpkin said, “There’s not even any good songs in it… like ‘Tik Tok’.” If you’re wondering whose five year old likes Ke$ha? I guess it’s mine.

10. Only one more full week of school before the kids are off for two weeks. Ack. {hold me} I love to get to spend time with my girls – but the work/life balance gets difficult during long holiday breaks. Going to have to schedule some activities, load up our Netflix Instant Streaming queue with some good kids movies, and arrange for some playdates (some at houses other than ours). Vacations are the most difficult times for me because I want to be a good mom and cruise director and keep being a good employee… Perhaps I’ll see how much vacation time I have left.

Filed Under: Mom Shtuff, Thursday Ten

No Longer Entirely Newbies

December 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Now we know what to expect. Now we kind of know how things work. It’s not this huge mysterious thing that we don’t completely understand. It’s slightly less vague. Less daunting. Less panic inducing.

Yeah, I’m talking about gymnastics competitions.

(Overdramatic much? Yes. Yes I am)

The Princess made the team this spring and since she got accepted, it’s been a pretty straight shot of six hours of practice per week to get ready for these competitions. My living room has become a practice ground for handstands, I often hear roundoffs over my head as she thumps into a landing upstairs in the playroom. I’ve seen her floor routine so many times I’m pretty sure I can tell you where all the little dancey flourishes go.

And yet?

Seeing my daughter execute her floor routine, her beam routine, her bar routine and her vault in her shiny competition leotard with her competition hair do and her poise and her (where did that come from?) confidence – I was just stricken by awe at this eight year old child WHO IS MINE.

Blown away.

I had been extremely nervous going into the weekend – how would I feel about someone judging my daughter, what were their criteria, was she going to measure up? I kept my mouth shut and fortunately didn’t transfer any of my chaos to her.

She had been talking to me about which ribbons she wanted to earn in each event, and I kept thinking, “What if she doesn’t earn the ribbon she wants? Will she be devastated? And if she’s devastated, how do I let her know that this is totally okay – it’s not the end of the world, and that as she keeps practicing, her skills are going to keep sharpening and she’s going to get better?”

And none of that mattered because in the moment, she had the best time. She performed better than I’d seen her do before. I watched her on the balance beam – the musicality of her arms and the precision of her movements and thought to myself, When did she learn this?

And then I watched her do her floor routine – getting to see her round off back handspring (with a spotter) for the first time – as she’d only started mastering that stunt a few days prior.

I mean, shoot. A few months ago, her cartwheel was still kind of sloppy.

Before my eyes, I was getting to see just what The Princess could accomplish – what rewards her hard work would reap – the joy she had in a routine well performed.

It was SO EXCITING.

I didn’t expect it would be so exciting.

We drove home with four lovely ribbons and a readiness for the next one. Back at it in January.

Filed Under: Mom Shtuff Tagged With: ,

Thursday Ten: “Winter Has Came” Edition

December 2, 2010 by 5 Comments

1. For starters, I’m not (entirely) grammatically impaired – “winter has came” is from the movie Bambi. I can’t remember the last time I saw it, but I think of it when I see snow – and I thought of it when I took the puppy outside yesterday for his first glimpse of the snow. Yeah, we got a first snow of the year, and no, I’m not super enthused about it – but the dog likes it, so I guess that’s a good thing.

2. This week has been a busy one with trying to get some work stuff wrapped up as the end of the year (!!) gets closer. I admit, I got more than a little frazzled. I may have cried once or twice when I couldn’t quite get things done when I wanted them to. And I took time outs by making funny faces. Like you don’t?

3. I want to see “Black Swan” so badly – I haven’t been to a movie in a long while, and I generally like Natalie Portman. This movie looks pretty good to me. Are there any movies you want to see? (P.S. I’m still avoiding Harry Potter)

4. The Princess is mastering her round-off back handspring in gymnastics practice – and I’m so excited for her. In June, when she made the competitive team, she wasn’t nearly where she is now. It’s amazing how quickly these skills get mastered, how far ahead she is from where she was just months ago. It’s exciting to see the progress. And the confidence!

5. With these gray wintery days, I am reminding you all to be nice to yourselves, to treat yourselves kindly, and when you can, to infuse some color in your day. BUY YOURSELF SOME FLOWERS. They don’t have to be persnickety roses – a grocery store bouquet works the same magic. Trust me.

6. I think my sinus infection might almost be gone – which is good because for awhile there, things were not so pleasant. Especially that weird ramen noodle craving I was having. Where did THAT come from?

7. Guitar lesson went HORRIBLY this week. I hadn’t picked up my guitar in a week and basically, my mind went completely blank on everything. I just had to laugh – I mean, what else can you do at that point? I will practice this week (eventually). Next week’s lesson will go better.

8. Have you made much progress on your holiday shopping? My mission right now is finding toe socks for the girls – they both want them but I’ve only been able to find in adult sizes. I think I’m going to get them these funky pink striped socks. The Princess has been talking about getting “gloves for her feet” for a really long time now – I’d hate to disappoint.

9. In an attempt to not procrastinate the finishing of this post, I’ve had to pee for the past ten minutes – and I’ve held it all that time. You can remind me of this if I end up with a UTI in a few days. You can even do the “Told Ya So” dance.

10. As the year is drawing to a close, what have you found about 2010 that you hope follows through to 2011?

Filed Under: Mom Shtuff, music, Thursday Ten

Flip Side – Getting Festive Style

November 30, 2010 by 2 Comments

The dog is going to take my Christmas spirit and rip it into tiny shreds with his pointy little dog teeth.

Why?

Because this is my (fake) Christmas tree. Do you know where my Christmas tree is? It’s in the kids’ playroom – a room I don’t usually hang out in because I’m almost certain to slice my foot open on a sharp Barbie hand (Or her shoes – that girl’s got some pointy shoes).

On Facebook the other day, someone told me what to do if a dog happened to eat a glass ornament. And frankly, I just really didn’t want to deal with it (also, ew). The playroom, however, is off limits to the dog and minimizes the chances that I may have to force feed the dog cotton balls (You don’t want to know).

But it’s sad, right?

The tree should be where everyone can see it and enjoy it – where, as Christmas nears, you can tuck presents beneath it and feel the anticipation of the upcoming holiday.

But it’s not so festive when you’re worried about your dog eating the ornaments, or knocking over the tree, or chewing up Christmas presents.

So we’ve tucked it away.

It’s sad.

If you look behind me in this picture, you can see the chaos of the playroom. You’ll see my Michigan tee (this was Saturday. What a sad day).

And of course, there’s me, tucked away in a little ornament.

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With:

Black Friday Is Where You Pretend To Start Christmas Shopping

November 27, 2010 by 1 Comment

(And instead go buy stuff for yourself)

I do Black Friday.

I did Black Friday.

And I somehow survived Black Friday despite a sinus infection and a course of antibiotics that has left me queasy and with the taste of pennies in my mouth (don’t ask me if it’s working yet, because so far I am keeping the folks at Kleenex in business and have been on a mad hunt for cherry Lifesavers since my doc said that it would help the penny taste).

After a day spent with family on Thanksgiving (primarily curled up on the couch, trying to not be that one family member that falls asleep – I know my family – that person’s picture always ends up pictured on Facebook – drooling on their pillow), I was not quite geared up to wake up at the gruesome six o’clock hour. To shop.

(I didn’t wake up. I overslept. Got ready in five minutes. Like a boss.)

Hit Starbucks for a venti with an extra shot and was good to go.

Sort of.

Okay. I was along for the ride.

See, the thing is… I never really need anything when I go shopping for Black Friday. There is almost never anything I need quite so badly that I’m going to be upset if I’ve missed the deal. Frankly, I’ve been doing Christmas shopping for over a month, so I was kind of winging it.

Shopping with my mother is an interesting experience anyway – and toss feeling like road kill into the mix, and it was a morning of slow-going. At one point, I wandered into the shoe section of a department store just so I could sit down and stare blankly for five minutes amidst hordes of people trying to get a deal on ugly footwear.

I promise I wasn’t a scrooge all day.

I really wasn’t.

Especially once I wandered into Old Navy and found something I wanted for myself. And then bought four of them. What? That’s half the fun of Black Friday, right? STIMULATING THE ECONOMY, one five dollar camisole at a time. It was Old Navy that I ran into my sister-in-law. She and her mother had been shopping since FOUR IN THE MORNING. I’m just not quite that dedicated.

I did end up picking up some gifts for the kids – easy because there seems to be nothing they don’t want (Pumpkin asked for an iPad – but if mama doesn’t have one, the kids sure won’t).

Today? I’m so exhausted and confused about what day of the week it is and thinking of things that I might have bought yesterday but didn’t (uh, hello slippers to replace the ones the dog ate). I’m on a mission to be done Christmas shopping by mid-month – I didn’t put too much of a dent in to the process yesterday, so, we’ll see.

Filed Under: Mom Shtuff Tagged With: , ,

Thursday Ten: I’m Thankful Edition

November 25, 2010 by 4 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m doing things a little bit differently today (I mean, an intro? There’s NEVER an intro on Thursday Ten. Your mind? Blown. Right?). Though sometimes I get a little fidgety that we need a holiday to remind us to have gratitude for the things that are good in our lives, I’m going to embrace the spirit of Thanksgiving and list ten things I am thankful for. Mind you, these are not THE ONLY ten things I am thankful for. These are not in order of importance, necessarily. Hit me in the comments and tell me what you’re thankful for (or if you’re opposed to forced gratitude, tell me what you’re having for dessert today or what you’re buying me when you’re Black Friday shopping).

I am thankful for…

1. Reality television. From the good stuff (Project Runway) to the ‘hmmm’ stuff (SisterWives), I kind of like to turn my brain off occasionally (FINE. REGULARLY) and chill to something silly on television. I’m glad there are people willing to make asses of themselves for my entertainment.

2. iTunes. Music at my fingertips? Yes, please. Along those lines, I’ll add YouTube to the mix -because almost every time, I can listen to a song in its entirety before buying it. Music makes my world go ’round.

3. Health insurance. In a time where many people are struggling because insurance companies are making cut backs and being rotten, I’ve been lucky to have good insurance. Good insurance has made it possible to get stepson the help he needs to work on improving his life that there’s no way we could afford otherwise.

4. My 50 mm lens. I’m still working on building my arsenal of lenses, but I love my 50. Love the shots I can get of my kids with it. Love the speed and the clarity. And it’s so freakin’ cheap. Thanks, Canon.

5. DUH. Friends and family. I’m lucky to love and be loved – though sometimes I wonder how people put up with me! But I really dig being a mom and I have some great kids and how lucky am I to have a happy and healthy family? Good stuff.

6. Target. They have nearly everything. And usually there’s a Starbucks in there.  Which brings me to….

7. Baristas that know the difference between a cappuccino and a latte. One is yummy, one is a puddle of warm milk.

8. Ouidad Climate Control hair gel. Works wonders, doesn’t make my hair crunchy. You better believe I’ve tried almost EVERYTHING for my curly hair – this stuff is the best.

9. Hoodies. If it has a hood, the odds of my wearing it have just increased exponentially. I love a hoodie. Sweater, sweatshirt – zip front or not. Just… it’s my thing. I love them. And yes, I realize that I’m not 12 anymore and should probably stop dressing like I think I am.

10. The Okay To Wake Alarm clock. Pumpkin hasn’t waken me up before six since we bought it. WORTH the money.

Filed Under: Mom Shtuff, music, Photography, Thursday Ten

Um. Hey dog. Don’t eat that. That’s not food.

November 24, 2010 by 1 Comment

Last week, the dog ate  hairbrush, a few socks, he ripped a hole in more than one shirt, he ate my slipper and an American Express bill. Last night, he chewed a branch so thoroughly that the little splintered pieces of branch made him throw up all over the living room carpet.

This owning a dog thing? Yeah. It’s… something.

If you’ll remember, I wasn’t the one desperate to add to our family. I was cool with the status quo. Great kids – both potty trained, both able to not eat paper off the table. Life was good.

And then?

I caved.

I caved and this pup came into our lives and it’s with a mixture of pure love for this new member of our family and revulsion while scrubbing puppy puke out of the carpet that I go through my days.

Puppies are HARD WORK.

And when Sir Pups-A-Lot (name changed to protect the naughty puppy that lives in my house) chewed through my AC adapter last night? I was not – I repeat, NOT – a happy camper.

What are you gonna do?

(Short answer? Fill the little puppy chew toy with peanut butter, sulk and stamp my feet around a bit and then spend too much money on a replacement adapter. )

This time of year, people keep talking about how their kids are asking Santa for puppies and it makes me cringe – because in case you didn’t know? Children LIE when they say they will do all the work. When they say that they will feed the puppy, take it on walks, scoop all the puppy droppings, and play with the dog — I’d say 80% of the time, that’s probably a lie (that percentage might decrease based upon the age of your children). Realize when you commit to getting  pet that they’re REALLY FREAKING DIFFICULT (I would have a plethora more babies before getting another puppy – babies? They’re just easier) and they’re not that cute when your favorite sweater now has a hole in the belly button region big enough to put your head through.

Luckus Fergus McPuppus (as he’s more formally known in our house) is not a bad dog, per se. He’s just a puppy. But I have discovered time and time again that puppies make me crazy. Chaos makes me crazy. Disorder makes me crazy. And most of all, standing outside in the dark at 6:30 a.m. in 24 degree waiting for a dog to find the perfect place to poo REALLY MAKES ME CRAZY.

But, we deal.

As best we can.

But, just take all that into consideration when your kids ask for a puppy for Christmas. If you’re not onboard with completely altering your life (at least for a while), this may be the better gift choice:

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Thursday Ten: Anyone Got Some DayQuil? Edition

November 18, 2010 by 1 Comment

1. I have had the cold from hell for the past few days and fortunately it seems to be GOING AWAY. Which is good because this cold? I don’t like it. It’s a big stinky jerkface that makes me cough so hard my abs hurt (Silver lining: Guess who hasn’t had to do situps in days?). Fortunately for me, I like both green tea and popsicles and they seem to be easing the annoyance. Somewhat.

2. The folks from Nabisco wrote back about my Saltine Cracker Dilemma. They think perhaps it’s something to do with storage/distribution – something that is out of their hands once the product leaves their plant — but they are sending me a coupon for a free box of Saltines. But, but, but… how will I know if I’m getting one of the GOOD boxes?

3. Want to see me get antsy? Tell me I have to be at the gymnastics studio to bring Princess for 4:45 team pictures and then please don’t have your photographer ready for another half an hour. You know, I get that it takes time to get set up for a shoot. The lighting in the gym is horrendous and it probably takes a bit of wrangling to find the right light. That’s cool, I GET IT. So, uh. Just tell us to be there later. Or the photog to be there earlier. Easy peasy, and then the moms and dads don’t get annoyed.

4. Speaking of horrid lighting conditions – I need an external flash for my Canon dSLR. What do you recommend? Why?

5. Harry Potter movie – are you going? I’m not. I haven’t seen ANY OF THE MOVIES, and only read the first book. I’m willing to admit, It’s just NOT MY THING. And that’s okay. Right?

6. In Monday’s mail I received a box of Whole Foods Sea Salt Caramels. I may be a little bit in love. They are pure confection perfection. And then the organic Chocolate Truffles that my friend sent with them? Ohhhhh. So good. Too bad I’ve had this cold – I haven’t felt like eating candy and my girls are eating ALL OF THEM. I have to hurry up and get better so I can get my share!

7. Bookwise, I just finished reading Room by Emma Donaghue. I gave it four stars on Good Reads, but I was close to giving it three. It’s a good book – fast read, however there were some gaping inconsistencies for me that kind of took away from the overall book. Have you read it? What did you think? (And yes, that’s an affiliate link)

8. I’m in the midst of planning our family’s FOURTH ANNUAL HOLIDAY COOKIE DECORATING PARTY. Aw yeah. One of my favorite holiday traditions for sure – and the girls love it too. Pumpkin plans to invite more friends this year – now that she’s in kindergarten, she wants to share our family cookie party with more of her friends – and I think that’s awesome.

9. Some awesome peeps have launched The Curvy Girl Guide this week – if you haven’t looked yet, you might wanna. I love the empowering message (even if I’m less “curvy” and more “shaped like a twelve year old boy”).

10. I’ve created a monster. I took Pumpkin to Chipotle a few weeks ago and now? She’s hooked. Says it’s THE BEST PLACE EVER and constantly bombards me with requests to go. And now that I have a partner in crime with the Chipotle love I have to really fight the urge to agree everytime she says, “HEY! Let’s go to Chipotle!” Sometimes being a mom is hard.

Filed Under: Books and Stuff, Mom Shtuff, Photography, Thursday Ten Tagged With: , , , ,

Happy Birthday to The Sassiest Kat I Know

November 16, 2010 by 9 Comments
SecretAgentMama_Blissdom-2532

Photo by Mishelle Lane

Do you know this face? This is Kat, otherwise known as Sassy Irish Lassie. And today is Kat’s birthday.

As is the case with so many friendships in the age of Internet, I knew Kat for a long time before I ever actually met her in person.  I met her (as I have met so many of my dearest friends) through BD. I was editing the Blended Families section at the time, and she asked if she could contribute (or I begged her to – my memory is a little hazy), and from there? I couldn’t help but fall in love with her.

Not only is she my kindred spirit when it comes to music or making sure a dance floor doesn’t stay empty, we have matching stepmother horns. There’s something about bonding through difficult experiences that cement a bond. She has a perspective and a “been there, done that” point of view that not everyone can offer, and I’ve been grateful for that time and again, because it’s nice to not feel so alone.

We finally OFFICIALLY met at BlogHer 2009 in Chicago. It was like I’d known her for years.

We went to parties, we spent lots of time gabbing, and we ate french fries. Enthusiastically.

Oh. And we touched the Weinermobile.

Kat just kind of…gets me.

And whether it’s just dumb luck or a happy twist of fate, I ended up with a pretty amazing friend when Kat came into my life. Kat is someone I can talk to about damn near anything. If I’m having a great day, she cheers me on. If things are craptastic, she is encouraging and supportive. When it’s my birthday, she rallies the troops and orders me fresh hot cookies from a local bakery (and y’all know how I love a good cookie!).

I never fail to have a fun time with her. Whether it’s attending tweetups, conferences… or finding reflective surfaces to take our picture in.

She’s so awesome, she even agreed to get on a plane with me.

To some of you, that might not sound like much – but if you know (AS YOU SHOULD) how petrified I am by flying, this was a leap of faith on Kat’s part. I’m not a fun travel partner by any means (actually, I’m great prior to take off and immediately following landing – it’s that whole “up in the air” part where you’ll likely wish to muzzle me and strap my white knuckle hands down to the arm rests). But Kat didn’t do any of that. She didn’t even laugh at me too much.

Photo by Mishelle Lane

And while in Nashville, I had one of the best times of my life. You see that picture up there? I am so glad that Mishi captured that moment. In that moment, several of us had been laughing, laughing SO SO HARD, and it was in that moment that I felt the kind of ease of just being and contentment and total joy you get when you are around true friends. It’s like family, or like coming home.

She’s so much like family that I’ve agreed that my daughters should marry her sons someday. The cute would be overwhelming.

Happy birthday, Kat. I adore you and am so glad you are on this planet. And I love everything about you, missy (except that Ohio State thing).

Feel free to leave some birthday love for Kat in the comments or go visit her on her blog to wish her a happy birthday.

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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