It sounds so “Housewives of Orange County,” doesn’t it? But, trust me, I would never seek out a facial on my own. My thoughtful husband pampers me about every year with something like a facial or a massage. I think my last one was in January.
I kindly asked him to stop getting me gift certificates for manicures unless he’s going to do the dishes and cleaning for about 2 weeks. Otherwise, it’s just wasted money.
It’s nice to be away from the house for 1 ½ hours, which is rare. I enjoy my facials … ah, the soothing music, the darkened room, the aromatherapy, having my face touched and all the gunk cleaned out of my 37.5-year-old skin. I don’t know how much the facials cost, but the Facialist (not a word, I know) gives me a sheet at the end to show the items I need to purchase to keep my skin all tuned up. This is AFTER she roughs me up by telling me all about my age spots and rosacea.
Here’s the rundown (none of which I buy because I love my L'Oreal stuff):
1. Lavender Cleansing Milk ($20) … or breast milk with purple food coloring?
2. Sea Cleanse ($23) … use sugar or sand from the kids’ sandbox instead!
3. Hydrating Essential Oil ($36) … use olive oil instead?
4. Eco Protective Cream ($30)
5. Purifying Cream ($32)
6. Anti-oxidant Balm ($50)
7. Nutrient K Plus ($54)
8. Glycolic 5% Pads ($30) … what is this???
9. Lip Balm ($6.50) … glorified Chapstick?
10. Eye Contour Serum ($40) … which burned my eyes and made me cry for 10 minutes, so why would I want to drop the equivalent of TEN mocha lattes on it?
11. Hydrating Mask ($19)
For a grand total of $340.50. Probably twice a year.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t even have the TIME it would take to apply all this crap day and night. I don’t even remove my mascara before I go to bed, and my poor teeth don’t get flossed all that often. My mom still looks great, and she’s 21 years ahead of me, so I have hope that I’ll age okay. Still, if I can grow as a person and be good INSIDE, I’ll be happy.
Does Botox freak anyone else out? YEESH! Sure, it would be nice to instantly get rid of my worry line in the center of my forehead, but didn’t I EARN that line worrying about my kids? Just like I earned my cute little stretch marks and my ever-changing boobs.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Holy Thursday of Easter Wek
Sometimes I feel like we are a Crazy Family. Let’s take Holy Thursday as an example.
So Holy Thursday was also Michael’s birthday this year. We woke up and got ready to go to a homeschooling friend’s house who also has 4 kids. To make it special since it was Michael’s birthday (and since we were bugging my friend over lunch hour), I called ahead to a McDonald’s to make sure they had 10 small fries, 10 double cheeseburgers and 10 orders of chocolate chip cookies. Yes, I CALLED AHEAD to a fast food joint. What a dork! Grabbed the food, realizing later that they shorted us 2 of the cheeseburgers. Then I had to run by the bank, then to my friend’s.
We spent 3 hours at my friend’s house, which ROCKED because we have much in common homeschooling-wise, and I checked out her Saxon Math and decided to buy it for the boys for next fall’s schooling. She doesn’t have to clean her house for me, and we love that about each other.
Raced home so we’d be here when Tresa brought her puppy for us to babysit for the weekend. After Tresa arrived I saw that Eva’s diaper was off and her legs were brown. That meant bathtime for her. Tresa couldn’t stay (sleeping kids in the car), so as soon as she left I threw dinner in the oven to turn on later, then Eva crashed on me nursing. Forgot Aron is off work on Good Friday and also took ½ day off Thursday to deal with boat issues (the boat = his mistress!!!), and I noticed the laptop shining in the kitchen and beckoning to me. Rigged it up somehow down by the couch so I could type and check email while I held Eva and the kids played outside and watched cartoons.
By the time she was awake, Aron was home and dinner was ready. Shoveled in dinner, then off to church at 7 p.m. Lately I spend most of Mass in the entryway with a restless toddler, which is cool. This night was no exception, and it was an almost-two-hour service … I got to use lots of my Spanish since it was also the Spanish Mass and there were tons of parents with toddlers in the entryway with me.
Home around 9 p.m. Aron gave the boys haircuts. I took a shower. Then I gave the boys baths. Then Callie got a bath. Then the kids colored Easter eggs with Aron. Then it was 10:30 p.m.
We are for sure freaky baby-makin’, stayin’-up-late Catholic homeschoolers!
And it works for us. We’re all healthy and smart and happy and kind (except for me, who goes on mean, selfish, whiney pregnant rants sometimes).
So Holy Thursday was also Michael’s birthday this year. We woke up and got ready to go to a homeschooling friend’s house who also has 4 kids. To make it special since it was Michael’s birthday (and since we were bugging my friend over lunch hour), I called ahead to a McDonald’s to make sure they had 10 small fries, 10 double cheeseburgers and 10 orders of chocolate chip cookies. Yes, I CALLED AHEAD to a fast food joint. What a dork! Grabbed the food, realizing later that they shorted us 2 of the cheeseburgers. Then I had to run by the bank, then to my friend’s.
We spent 3 hours at my friend’s house, which ROCKED because we have much in common homeschooling-wise, and I checked out her Saxon Math and decided to buy it for the boys for next fall’s schooling. She doesn’t have to clean her house for me, and we love that about each other.
Raced home so we’d be here when Tresa brought her puppy for us to babysit for the weekend. After Tresa arrived I saw that Eva’s diaper was off and her legs were brown. That meant bathtime for her. Tresa couldn’t stay (sleeping kids in the car), so as soon as she left I threw dinner in the oven to turn on later, then Eva crashed on me nursing. Forgot Aron is off work on Good Friday and also took ½ day off Thursday to deal with boat issues (the boat = his mistress!!!), and I noticed the laptop shining in the kitchen and beckoning to me. Rigged it up somehow down by the couch so I could type and check email while I held Eva and the kids played outside and watched cartoons.
By the time she was awake, Aron was home and dinner was ready. Shoveled in dinner, then off to church at 7 p.m. Lately I spend most of Mass in the entryway with a restless toddler, which is cool. This night was no exception, and it was an almost-two-hour service … I got to use lots of my Spanish since it was also the Spanish Mass and there were tons of parents with toddlers in the entryway with me.
Home around 9 p.m. Aron gave the boys haircuts. I took a shower. Then I gave the boys baths. Then Callie got a bath. Then the kids colored Easter eggs with Aron. Then it was 10:30 p.m.
We are for sure freaky baby-makin’, stayin’-up-late Catholic homeschoolers!
And it works for us. We’re all healthy and smart and happy and kind (except for me, who goes on mean, selfish, whiney pregnant rants sometimes).
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Happy 6th Birthday, Michael!
My sweet, smart, kind Michael is 6 today! He is the long-suffering younger brother to Joel, and he puts up with a lot! I woke on the morning of his birth having some contractions, but they weren’t too bad. We headed to the hospital around 9 or 10, and I was in no pain. Then labor came on heavy (I was dumb and had my water broken to hurry things along), and he was born around 2 p.m. Man, that kid had big lips! He still does, and has huge eyes to go with the luscious lips.
His favorite color is orange. His favorite animal is the hippo. He used to say he didn’t want to ever get married, but now he’s changed his mind and has even added kids to the mix!
Something very telling about Michael is that he doesn’t want everyone to know his good deeds. We babysat a tiny dog for a week, and Michael jumped up on a chair every time the dog came around. But right before it was time for the dog to go home, Michael HELD it. When I bring it up, he denies it. Also, sometimes I catch him being so sweet and playing with a younger kid. When he sees me watching, he stops doing it!
This picture is of his new Weeblz in the butter dish in the fridge. This is the kind of silly thing he does. He’s also quite an artist and makes up his own jigsaw puzzles and rebuses and dot-to-dots. He’s amazing. And I'm not posting a picture of him today because it would drive him nuts.
I love you, Michael!
His favorite color is orange. His favorite animal is the hippo. He used to say he didn’t want to ever get married, but now he’s changed his mind and has even added kids to the mix!
Something very telling about Michael is that he doesn’t want everyone to know his good deeds. We babysat a tiny dog for a week, and Michael jumped up on a chair every time the dog came around. But right before it was time for the dog to go home, Michael HELD it. When I bring it up, he denies it. Also, sometimes I catch him being so sweet and playing with a younger kid. When he sees me watching, he stops doing it!
This picture is of his new Weeblz in the butter dish in the fridge. This is the kind of silly thing he does. He’s also quite an artist and makes up his own jigsaw puzzles and rebuses and dot-to-dots. He’s amazing. And I'm not posting a picture of him today because it would drive him nuts.
I love you, Michael!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Ongoing Organization Battle
I had a burst of energy the other day while I was in the basement doing laundry. That’s where all my old journal stuff is stored, and there is a LOT because I process EVERYTHING through writing (anybody I’ve written about over the years: I was just venting and I still love you, I’m sure). I’m working on an essay for Mothering Magazine where I pour my heart out about my tandem nursing experiences over the years, and I need to hunt for journals from 2003.
My parents call me Sidetrack for a reason (and my husband calls me Flit). I get sidetracked easily and flit on to other things, leaving the previous mess behind. I remind myself of my destructive toddler.
Of course, you know how organization goes. Before I could think about the huge task of organizing my old journals (think spiral notebooks, Daytimer pages, loose sheets of paper, napkins, folders, etc.), I HAD TO organize my Celebration Shelf. This is the shelf that has items to regifts, things I’ve bought for future birthdays, tons of gift bags I save so I don’t have to buy any OR wrap anything, a few birthday tablecloths I found a good deal on, etc. I FINALLY put away Christmas wrapping paper.
When that was done, I stared at the Homeschool Shelf for a while, then got tired (conveniently using the Pregnancy Excuse) and the baby got clingy, so I went upstairs.
This exciting saga will have to be continued. In the meantime, how organized are YOU? What areas do you struggle with? Any tips?
My parents call me Sidetrack for a reason (and my husband calls me Flit). I get sidetracked easily and flit on to other things, leaving the previous mess behind. I remind myself of my destructive toddler.
Of course, you know how organization goes. Before I could think about the huge task of organizing my old journals (think spiral notebooks, Daytimer pages, loose sheets of paper, napkins, folders, etc.), I HAD TO organize my Celebration Shelf. This is the shelf that has items to regifts, things I’ve bought for future birthdays, tons of gift bags I save so I don’t have to buy any OR wrap anything, a few birthday tablecloths I found a good deal on, etc. I FINALLY put away Christmas wrapping paper.
When that was done, I stared at the Homeschool Shelf for a while, then got tired (conveniently using the Pregnancy Excuse) and the baby got clingy, so I went upstairs.
This exciting saga will have to be continued. In the meantime, how organized are YOU? What areas do you struggle with? Any tips?
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Suite101.com Dropout
A friend of mine makes great money doing online writing. The lucky (and talented) chick doesn’t even have to venture into the local parenting pubs because she does so great at so many online places. So when she suggested I sign up at Suite101.com, I got right on it.
You have to do a bio, including your education and experience (professional and otherwise), plus link to all the websites or pubs you’ve written for plus include 2 600-word samples. I reworked my 2 pieces I keep recirculating and made sure they were not in first person.
They gave me all these reasons why maybe I wasn’t going to work out. One was that I had too many grammatical errors. Nope. One was that I didn’t have enough experience. Probably not. I mean, I don’t have more than 2 years of college, but unless you’re a lawyer or a doctor or an engineer, college doesn’t necessarily mean a lot anymore (read John Taylor Gatto and tell me you disagree!) besides a big fat school loan to repay.
My friend says they probably get too many applications for writers in the parenting/family category and were just full (I also applied in the personal finance and freelance writing categories). She’s so kind. Actually, I was bummed for a second but then remembered how she told me you have to crank out 4 articles a month plus they have real editors who ride your butt PLUS you have to know how to put the right keywords with your articles (so people searching for an article on your topic can easily get to it from, say, Google) or they hunt you down and beat you (just kidding!). I’m thinking it’s called “101” because it’s like a writing class for writers and if you do well, you make money.
Then I realized I don’t even have time to work on all the stuff I really need to be doing, so why was I signing up for yet another thing to take up my time? If I could come up with 4 articles per month, I’d better be sending them out to the big parenting pubs and then the littles. I know you get residuals for life from online writing, but I’m happy with $25 for an article that I can resell again and again for $25 more.
Anyone have experience with Suite 101? Think you’re good enough to sign up there and get accepted? I hope so … do it and let me know how it turns out.
You have to do a bio, including your education and experience (professional and otherwise), plus link to all the websites or pubs you’ve written for plus include 2 600-word samples. I reworked my 2 pieces I keep recirculating and made sure they were not in first person.
They gave me all these reasons why maybe I wasn’t going to work out. One was that I had too many grammatical errors. Nope. One was that I didn’t have enough experience. Probably not. I mean, I don’t have more than 2 years of college, but unless you’re a lawyer or a doctor or an engineer, college doesn’t necessarily mean a lot anymore (read John Taylor Gatto and tell me you disagree!) besides a big fat school loan to repay.
My friend says they probably get too many applications for writers in the parenting/family category and were just full (I also applied in the personal finance and freelance writing categories). She’s so kind. Actually, I was bummed for a second but then remembered how she told me you have to crank out 4 articles a month plus they have real editors who ride your butt PLUS you have to know how to put the right keywords with your articles (so people searching for an article on your topic can easily get to it from, say, Google) or they hunt you down and beat you (just kidding!). I’m thinking it’s called “101” because it’s like a writing class for writers and if you do well, you make money.
Then I realized I don’t even have time to work on all the stuff I really need to be doing, so why was I signing up for yet another thing to take up my time? If I could come up with 4 articles per month, I’d better be sending them out to the big parenting pubs and then the littles. I know you get residuals for life from online writing, but I’m happy with $25 for an article that I can resell again and again for $25 more.
Anyone have experience with Suite 101? Think you’re good enough to sign up there and get accepted? I hope so … do it and let me know how it turns out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)