Saturday, February 12, 2011

Who is bumping music at 9 in the morning?

 I have two really small cars with two humongous car seats. I drive my Nissan Cube most days, the Beetle is my "fun car" (only because it has a sunroof).  The Cube has led lights just about everywhere in it; cup holders, floor boards, the dash...It's mostly a disco club. You can change the lights to fit your mood, you have 20 colors to choose from. Most people think the car is u-g-l-y and it ain't got no alibi but that's what I like about it.

All that is beyond the point of this blog. I dropped the kids off at daycare, driving to work and I am at a stop light. Normal morning. Then I noticed I could hear a car "bumping". I look around for the stereotypical Neon, Civic, or beater car with a fart pipe on it. I was in a sea of minivans and guys wearing suits in SUVs. I am thinking to myself "What a moron. It's 9 in the morning. Who is bumping music at 9 in the morning?" Light turns green and the cars roll out. I notice the music keeps following me. I look around and nothing. No one is car dancing, no one is mouthing along to a song, nothing. Then my jam comes on. I always change the play list as soon as I get back in the car from dropping the girls off. One time Wendolyn starting singing "lolli lolli pop that body" I realized it is time to start censoring. The bass line kicks in and BAM. I realize I am the moron bumping my music at 9 in the morning. Holy Jesus.

Should I be embarrassed? Should I turn it down? OMG, can they see the car seats? I'm such a loser. But it's my song. I love this song. &^%* it. Turn it up.

That's when the club starts. Totally inappropriate songs about hooking up, getting drunk and the occasional use of illegal drugs. I pretend my coffee cup is my martini glass and car dance my ass off. This is not "mommy" of me at all. Not that I am a typical soccer mom by any means of the imagination. I feel like I should be more adult and listen to more Jewel and Jack Johnson (I do love that kind of music too) however, this mama likes a little gansta rap too. Nicki Manaj starts and I am right there with her. I'm going after it at this point. Screw you Dodge Caravan, I see you looking at me. Now I am throwing up hand signs that I have no clue what they mean. Okay, I've gone too far. Tone it down.

I know that if I was that poor lady in a minivan (my heart goes out to all the drive a minivan) I would be calling myself an idiot and making fun of myself. I didn't care. How happy I was and the mood it made me in was so worth it. Laugh at me. I'm glad I could entertain you and make you smile. Nothing is like when you are jamming out and the people around you join in. Once, I had a friend with me and we were rocking out, to the point the car was shaking and the people across the intersection started dancing too. We had a dance off right there in the car at one of the busiest intersections. It was a blast.

My point being, to everyone in the sea of white sedans and black minivans I was an idiot. To me I was being myself and I was making myself happy. Once I embraced it I noticed all the other 20 something moms and them bumping and singing. I smile. Oh the simple things in life, bumping in the morning and mid-afternoon. Who knew this is what my life would become? So pump, pump the jams. Gotta keep on moving. Fist pump, Pop it, lock it, I don't care. Be happy, that's all that matters. And if I see you, you better believe there is going to be a dance off. Bring it.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Don't Forget to Brush Your Face!

Alright domestic divas, who wants a facial for free? Over the summer of 2009 I was getting facials every other week trying to control my acne. I have more acne now then I ever did as a teenager. It's very annoying and disheartening. It's bad enough that I am 27 and could pass for a sophomore in high school; I don't need the pimples for affect. Every time I had my facial, the lady kept tell me that I really should by a Clarisonic. Which she used everytime I went and saw her. It is basically a electric face scrubber. It was a little larger then an electric razor. To be honest, I didn't really like it when she used it. She would go over my nose and I would cringe. My eyes watered, all I could think about was how bad I wanted to sneeze. It was borderline painful. Not to mention this was over 200 bucks at the time.

I never noticed such a dramatic effect that I was in my "omg, omg I have to have it" mode. Really all I thought about with it was how much space it would take up and that I had no where to charge it at. Months go on and I just lived with my breakouts and would randomly try something new. Mostly if a bottle reached out to me from a shelf. I admit it, I go for packaging. Some products helped, most ended up being pitched when I purged my bathroom. Then, I found something on YouTube that changed everything.

I don't know if you watch a lot on YouTube but I am into the hair and make up tutorials and the haul videos and that kind of thing. This one video I ran up on was about exfoliating your face. I clicked on it and watched. She made her own paste and then applied it with, you'll never guess, an electric toothbrush. I'm serious. It was basically a small Clarisonic. I was so mad that I never thought of this before. This girl is a genius. I happen to have an Oral B toothbrush that I never use. The head of the toothbrush just seems too big and my teeth never really felt any cleaner than my manual toothbrush. I grabbed my Clean and Clear blackhead scrub (which I absolutely love as is) and my Oral B. I lightly wet my face with luke warm water and rubbed the scrub all over. Then I took my toothbrush and started on my nose and worked my way out. It was kinda painful. The bristles were so hard! Then I remembered I didn't wet the toothbrush. So, I wet the bristles and then started again. It was so much better. Anytime it felt like it was getting too rough I would wet the brush. I spent 3 minutes on my entire face. I rinsed the scrub off and my face had good even hyperemia, that's a fancy word for the blood that comes to the ssurface when you exfoliate or get slapped. I could automatically see a difference on my face. My nose was so smooth and the pores were visibly smaller. A-mazing.

If you have an electric toothbrush like I did but you use it for brushing your teeth, go out and buy a replacement head that you can use for your face. And if you can get it in a soft bristle get that one. I am telling you, do this once a week and within a month you will see dramatic results. I did anyway and I totally recommend you try it. You will have that "glow" to your skin that no product can do alone.

So spend the 195 bucks on a Clarisonic or 25 on an Oral B or any other electric toothbrush and get your goddess on! If you have a great homemade facial or bath product that you would like to share, leave it in the comments. I LOVE trying these recipes out. Remember you are beautiful person!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

I heart Walgreens.

Here is something that I never thought would happen. I am madly in love with a drug store. And not for it's drugs. I have been avoiding Walmart like it is the plague. I have only been 3 times since November. I didn't get any major Christmas gifts there. Only stocking stuffers, which was a couple of DVDs. I have been lucky that an AMAZING grocery store has opened up in walking distance to my house. If it wasn't for trees I would be able to see it. I get all my groceries there. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. sigh. So in love. Did I mention it has a Starbucks in it? I also have a Walgreen's pretty close. Not walking distance but it takes about two minutes to drive to it; four if you get stuck at the light. I don't know what or how my obsession got started but it's pretty hot and heavy.

Actually, I do know. It started with Sissy getting sick and I had to pick her up from daycare. I knew I was running low on diapers and needed some baby fever reducer. Since it was on my way back from the daycare I just ran in. Sissy was passed out and so I put her car seat in the cart and went to the aisle that I needed. So, while I was there, they had this "jingle cash" thing going on. I saw the signs but didn't really know what it was about. Since Sis was asleep, I thought, I could browse around. The store wasn't that big, it wouldn't take long at all. I'm roaming, aisle to aisle. This lady notices my box of Huggies. She comes up to me and tells me about this sale on Walgreens brand diapers. She goes on and on about how her daughter loves them. I ask questions like "how are they on sensitive skin?" things like that. I didn't really want to buy the generic diapers. I know how most feel from working at a daycare, it's like sandpaper. She takes me over to the aisle and we look and she is opening her sale ad and points out that they are buy one get one free. I figured I would humor this lady and buy them. Plus bogo? How can you pass that up? I could take one pack to daycare and keep one at home and it wouldn't be long and they would be all used anyway. If it broke her bottom out I was out eight bucks. Not the end of the world.

THEN, she tells me that if you get six packs then you get 25 dollars in Jingle Cash. Which was like 25 dollars that you could spend at Walgreen's. And I'm not talking like Gymbucks from Gymboree where you have to spend 50 to get the 25. You could pick out 25 dollars worth of goodies and use the coupon and not spend a dime. I am not even joking. So, how it worked was, you spent 25 dollars you got 5 dollars Jingle Cash, 50 dollars you got 10 JC (as in jingle cash, not Jesus Christ), 75 dollars you got 15 JC and 100 dollars you got 20 JC. I didn't really think too much about it. I am notorious for getting things like this and NEVER using them. I just keep roaming. I find myself thinking, "What a fantastic stocking stuffer? Mom would like this. Wendi would love this. Sissy could get this as a gift from Wendi". I ended up spending over 100 dollars. But I got SO much more. I got both girls several toys, lots of candy stocking stuffers, two popcorn tins, lots cleaning supplies, and some beauty supplies for yours truly. Between the sale they were having and the already low prices it was amazing. That is when it started.

John comes home from Alaska for Christmas. The weekend he gets there we are off to Kansas to spend Christmas there. Then it hits us. We didn't buy dirty Santa gifts for his family. Mostly I was putting it off hoping we wouldn't be going to Christmas at his family. I know. I'm horrible. Money was pretty tight at this point. It cost almost 2,000 dollars for his plane ticket, plus it was Christmas. And we don't put anything on credit. All cash money, baby. Then it hits me. I have 25 dollars in Jingle Cash. BAM. Walgreens, go! We ended up getting his bothers popcorn tins, and one of our dirty Santa gifts and some roadies (i.e. snacks for the road) and spent under ten bucks. I mean come on! That like never happens.

I found somethings that I tried that I really, really liked! The diapers were okay. I didn't really like the print that was on them. Petty, I know. But I do get them from time to time. Sis has fairly sensitive skin and they didn't break her out at all. I was impressed. I have several products that I am going to do a review on in later blogs. You will be amazed how much you can save and cut out Walmart trips by shopping at drug stores and grocery stores only. I don't come home with frivolous things that I didn't need just because I walked up on them. That little rollback smiley face isn't there to break my will. We think that I save about 25-45 dollars every trip. Even though the grocery store is priced higher on some things, we save by not bringing home the crap Walmart throws at you. (If you can't tell I am a bit of an impulse buyer.) Not to mention you are spreading your money to multiple companies. I really urge you to go check out your local Walgreens. If you live in a city that has more that one, go to all of them. Not every store carries the same thing. I know when I go back home, I love me some Rite Aid. CVS is great too.

Leave a comment or email me some of your favorite drug store finds!