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my daily skin routine
photograph by Stuart Richardson, 2009
Have you seen the beautiful issue of Martha Stewart Living this month? I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a big picture of a cake, do you? The articles in the magazine are beautiful as well. There’s one on edible flowers that makes me want to buckle down and actually start a garden. In “Good Things,” they have instructions for how to make giftwrap using soap bubbles and paint, and in the “Beauty & Style” section, there’s a picture of me!
Hahaha! I’m not kidding! The picture is actually in an advertisement for Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream. They had asked me and another couple of bloggers to write about our beauty rituals, and I wrote about how I wash my face!
So, if you’re in the store, and see a copy of the May 2013 issue of Martha Stewart Living, pick up a copy, turn to page 53, and then you can tell the cashier, “Hey, I know this girl!!”
Oh, and one more quick thing that they edited out for space, I think. When I wash my face, after I rinse with really hot water, I always rinse with really cold water. It makes my skin feel very smooth afterwards.
the hardest part of parenting
What do you think the hardest part about parenting is? For me, it’s when the kids have trouble making friends. Watching my little ones cry when kids are mean to them is heartbreaking.
In my Goldfish article this month, I talk about what we’ve been doing to try to help them make friends.
connecting with my kids
photograph by Stuart Richardson, 2013
I love this photograph my son took. For one, I don’t look fat in it . . . most pictures my kids take are of me in that exact moment when I’m smiling and have a double chin or something, and others are when I’m slouching or looking angry. In this one, I look content, and I’m in the kitchen, which is where I feel the most in my element. I love that the shot is candid, and I love that Stuart is following in my footsteps and working on his own skills as an artist, a designer, and even as a cook. Have I ever told you what a great support he is to me as a blogger? Maybe I never have . . . that’ll be a post for another time.
the last 15 and my new favorite protein bar
See that beautiful chocolate bar*? That’s what I like to eat when I’m done with a workout, and I’m gonna tell you all about it**—and a few other things—in this little video I made for you.
my favorite—and my kids’ least favorite—cold remedy
See the look on my daughter’s face? That’s the look your kids will give you when you start using the stuff I’m about to tell you about . . . but if ends up working for you and your family like it has for ours, then trust me . . . you won’t even care.
The product is called Xlear Sinus Nasal Spray*, and it has literally changed our lives. Maybe that sounds a little dramatic, but when your little kid coughs so much that you worry about whether or not she’s breathing, and when you don’t have good medical insurance and you need to be in and out of the doctor’s office at least three times a month, then any change for the better, no matter how small, is a blessing.
managing my kids’ computer time
photo by Stuart Richardson, 2013
My kids are playing video games right now, and the constant stream of technology never seems to end in our house.
But I have to admit, for a mom with way too much to do (which is, by the way, the definition of the word mom, i.e. /mom/ n. woman with way too much to do), sometimes the sound of computer generated dings and bells is, I confess . . . soothing. It is often the sound of no one fighting (at least for the moment), and it is the absence of hearing your own name shouted like an obscenity (MOM!!!!!!). That annoying computer game music more often than not represents peace and quiet for me . . . a chance to read, decompress, or sit and stare.
serving others
No matter what phase in our lives we are, my kids and I have so much to be grateful for. It doesn’t matter if money is tight, or we’re sick, or I’m afraid the car is going to die. We always have blessings we can’t begin to count. And I want my kids to know this. I want them to be able to see how good they have it.
indoor fun
It’s funny how certain foods can conjure up memories. Every time I toss a handful of cheddar cheese Goldfish crackers in my mouth, I think of my Nana and Oompa, my paternal grandparents. We didn’t get to see them very often—they lived in New Jersey, and we lived in Massachusetts—so whenever we were together, our time was special.
3 products we love
Over the last few months, several companies have sent us products to review. We wanted to post a few of our favorites.
This little guy is Karsen, our next door neighbor. He’s modeling clothes from Wittlebee, an online kids’ clothing club. When you join the club, you pay $40 a month and receive this beautiful box every month. Inside are six items carefully wrapped in tissue.
Their high quality clothing is fun and varied. Some is graphic and neutral, like the green and white striped shirt, which we paired with the orange long sleeve shirt underneath, and some is more keen to reveal some personality, like this one with a silk screened Cat in the Hat. Karsen can now show his peers his literary interests far surpass his age.
chillin’ on winter break
Baby, it’s cold outside. It has snowed everyday since Monday, and the kids and I are getting a little stir crazy.
Before we go off on that, though, I want to know how everyone’s Christmases were. What did you do to celebrate? Did you have family in town? What did you bake? What did you give?
