Sasha Family Christmas

One of my goals for Christmas 2008 was to get a nice family shot- all four of us together, relatively clean and happy. How hard can that be?

We tried on Christmas Eve and couldn't coax The Wild Child into the shot.

But she was happy to "cheese" for me while she ate lunch.

Tried again on Christmas Day but I couldn't even talk Mr. Sasha into posing again at first.

And here, my dear readers, is as good as it gets. The Wild Child was squirming away, but by damn, it's a pic of all four of us. And no one is crying. Score one for mom.

Four Christmases

On Saturday Mr. Sasha's parents offered to come up and watch the kids for a bit so we could go to the movies and out for dinner and gelato for my birthday. We jumped at the chance since we don't actually remember the last time we went to the movies by ourselves to see something other than a Disney movie.

In fact, we don't even remember the last movie we saw at the theater together. The second National Treasure movie? Wedding Crashers? Friday Night Lights? Hell, who knows. At the very least, it was my birthday last year.

I chose Four Christmases. We've been Vince Vaugh fans since Swingers, and this was no disappointment. I also love Reese Witherspoon (my FIRL should already know this....).

Fabulous movie! We absolutely loved it! I will definitely be buying the DVD when it comes out. Because that's what I do- buy my favorite movies and TV series DVDs and let them gather dust on my shelf. But should I ever have some free time to watch DVDs.... I'm set!

I Must Have One!

Fellow Office watchers, how much do you want one of these Princess Unicorn shirts? I seriously do! Love it!

The Best Christmas Present Ever

Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of getting to have lunch with the oh-so-fabulous Holly. We had a great time chatting and catching up over Mexican food, and she brought me an awesome Christmas present- an Al's Koozie! I've been upset about not having one ever since I didn't win her contest. I am patiently waiting for her to create her Mamalicious koozies so I can get one of those too.

Anyway, that night I asked Mr. Sasha to take a picture of me using the koozie so I could post it on the blog, and here's the result.

Mr. Sasha can't take an in-focus picture to save his life.

And it's a Rebel, on auto-focus. How can it be out of focus? I just don't understand, but this is why I am never in any of the pictures. I'm the only one in the family who can take them!

But I am loving my new koozie and have used it quite a few times during this crazy holiday season. I'm using it to drink Wild Blue in the pic above, and it was utilized for Mike Light Hard Cranberry Lemonade during the Christmas Eve Present-Putting-Together Extravaganza that lasted until plum near midnight.

More later on the fabulousness that was Christmas at the Sasha house! Hope you all had a merry one!

NOTD: OPI A Ruby for Rudolph

Finally managed to repaint my nails. Love it! Also posted this over on Manicure Mommas along with a link to Katee's beyond-awsome nail tips.

PSA: Christmas Eve grocery shopping

Should you realized at 7:03 pm on Christmas Eve that you are out of the eggs you need to make the much-requested Neiman Marcus Bars for Christmas lunch (because that's just something that happens to you if your name is Sasha), the following places will be closed:

• Your neighborhood IGA
• Wally World
• Target
• Homeland

I was just about to stop at The Waffle House and ask if I could purchase 3 eggs, uncracked, when I spied an open store! Yay for Braum's!

But really, you should let your employees spend the holidays with family. People like me who forget about buying eggs deserve to have to think outside the box and head to the waffle house.

Where Did He Hear That?

That's what we are saying more and more around the Sasha household.

The Politician's teacher stopped Mr. Sasha the other morning to tell him this story:

On Tuesday, at the end of PE class, Ms. P asked the kids to get in line to say Merry Christmas to Coach K since it was the last time they would see her before the holidays.

The Politician was second to last.

When it was his turn, he went up to Coach K and said, "Merry Christmas Coach K. You're hot."

Fabulous.

A Lesson on How Hair Grows

Tonight I got home from my PTO (dinner and drinks and a Pizzoki, I love my PTO!) meeting, and The Politician was still awake, so I went in to kiss him goodnight.

P: Momma, Sissy made me fall in the playroom, and my head was about to crack open, but Daddy put some ice on it to keep it from cracking open. There's a bump there, but you probably can't feel it because it's under the barnacles.

Sasha: You mean the follicles?

P: Yeah, that's it. That's what our hair grows out of.

New Blog Idea!

I have totally become obsessed with nail blogs, and I would love to have a nail blog of my own!

But I realize that I don't actually get to paint my nails very much right now, since I'm chasing two small children around and trying to work full-time somewhere in there.

But what about a group blog for those of us moms who love to do manis? Each time we paint our nails, we can post our NOTD (or NOTW as it mostly like is) and banding together, we can be a nail blogger!

Let me know if you'd like to be a contributor! Hopefully I can paint my nails again tomorrow and snap a better shot for a header.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

One Last GDA- Dream Town items

Walmart has the Cherry Blossom Market for $15 with 97 cent shipping to your house! Hell of a deal! It says it will arrive by Dec 24.....

Oh Noes

I just realized something terrible. Absolutely frightful.

The other day I was laughing with Chic Runner about the fact that in just a few short weeks, I'll be crossing into a new age range for my 5Ks. I'll be moving from the 30-34 range into the 35-39 range, and we laughed about the fact that if I can't beat the 30 years olds, maybe I've got a better chance beating the 39 year olds.

But I was just on Sephora, and their age range for their reviewers is 35-44!

That's crazy! I'm not like a 44 year old! I'm just a baby! My beauty issues certainly aren't the same as someone in their mid-40s! That certainly needs to be recitified. You all know how much impact I have on companies and their websites. Come on Sephora, you need to change that. I suggest 35-39 and 40-44. Much better.

All of the sudden, I am realizing I am getting old.

NOTW

OPI Merry Holly-Days! (Ulta exclusive)

As crazy-busy and it is at the Sasha house, there's really no NOTD (day). Actually, it's more like NOTW (week). And there's no outside pic since we are sun-free for a bit as we deal with some actual December-like weather.

Yesterday I squeezed in enough time to paint my nails before I got on the treadmill. Of course, I once again forgot to get out my OPI Correct and Cleanup Pen before I got started, so I couldn't fix that spot on my middle finger. And my cuticles need some moisturization, but cut me some slack. At least they are pretty! I really like this color a lot. I felt the need for red since we are just 8 days or so from Christmas!

Notes from School

The Politician accidentally ran into E. He promptly said "Sorry" and gave a chaste kiss and hug.

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a good boy, but The Wild Child hasn’t been tonight, because I was eating my food and she wasn’t and she didn’t get a treat.

I was hoping you could bring me some toys.

And the toy that I wanted was the Little Einstein rocket (check!), and the Diego mountain (check!), and the Tigger and Pooh Changing Tree (check!).

And these candies that I have in this thing (envelope): Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Absolutely Divine 70% cocao, Hershey Kisses, Hershey’s Miniatures, and Absolutely Divine 30% cocao. (For some reason he cut all these little pictures of candy out of the CVS flyer and that's what he is referring to....)

And The Wild Child would like her own purse (check!) and her own play makeup (check!). And she would like a Barbie house (got a Dora house). And a Princess castle (got the vanity- that should qualify as "princess").

Daddy needs a new shiny golf club that looks like shiny Christmas lights (he did actually just order a new set of clubs).

The Wild Child wants a pink oven (she already has the Rose Petal Cottage oven, so no new oven).

Momma wants new shiny makeup and a new purse that she can carry all her makeup in.

I want to give two of my firetrucks away and get a new one.

The fireman hat I have pinches off some of my hair so I need a new one.

We will have some of those peanut butter cookies with those chocolate chips on them.

Your friend,
The Politician

Mr. Sasha, You Can Deal With This

The other day I saw The Politician walking down the hall and he sort of had a hand cupped over his, well, boy area.

Being a mom, I said, "P, do you need to go to the potty?"

P said: "No, I'm just ticklin' it a little."

Anybody Want to Move Here?

Look at this crazy-ass weather forecast! And it was 19 yesterday when I woke up!

Amazon Movers and Shakers

There are so many good deals on Amazon, I can't list them all!

The secret is to check out the Movers & Shakers page at Amazon.

Hope this helps someone looking for those last-minute gifts like me!

Snow-Capped Volcanoes

You know when you see those posts on the BHB that say "My Christmas crack didn't set up right! What did I do wrong"?

Well, this is not one of those posts. My attempt at Red Velvet Cake Balls did not go well, but I don't need hints or suggestions because I won't be making them again. Ever. They are my nemesis. Yummy, but my nemesis.

You can see that I tried to dip the two balls on the right in the coating. (I'm 99% sure I got the wrong kind of coating, which is a typical Sasha move.) After that, I gave up and just slopped the coating on top of the balls. Hence the new name "Snow-Capped Volcanoes". They are a million more of those bitches and making them wore me plum out.

They still taste good, but they look like shit. We've had a good laugh over them at the office today.

My Very First NOTD

OPI DS Extravagance

Would you look at that? A NOTD (Nail of the Day)!

Now, don't look too close at my pinky nail- it needs some clean-up, but I realized after I started painting that I hadn't unwrapped my OPI Correct and Clean Up Pen and I didn't want to risk further mess-up.

But isn't that a pretty color?

Speaking of Nails

Keeping your cuticles neat and clean is one of the keys to making your manicure last longer. My mom used to use Delore on me when I was growing up and I hated the smell so much! I shudder just thinking about it. I'd sneak in the bathroom and wash my hands as soon as I could to get it all off.

My blog crush Katee uses CND Solar Oil, which I haven't tried.

However, I've been using Avon's Cuticle Oil Pen with Lavendar and I absolutely love it. It smells so good, nothing like Delore! And right now they are having a special and you can get two for $6! And free shipping!

Follow these steps to ensure you get your free shipping AND your ebates rebates.

1. Visit Valerie's site first to make her your default rep

2. Log into ebates to get 5% back and go through them to get to the Avon site

3. Once the Avon site pulls up again, you should see Valeri's name near the top of the site

4. Choose your products and then use code REPFS or FSANY to get free shipping (if one doesn't work, try the other)

Happy Shopping!

I Knew There Was a Reason I Didn't Like CEC

From today's Wall Street Journal:

Calling All Cars: Trouble at Chuck E. Cheese's, Again

Kid-Centric Pizza Parlors Become Stage for Adult Bad Behavior, as Mama-Bear Instincts Kick In and Fights Break Out

My New Blog Crush

Guys, I need to tell you about my new favorite blog, e-polishblog. I adore Katee and have a little bit of a girl crush on her, even though the only part of her I've ever seen is her nails!

Look how gorgeous her nails are- and they are natural!

OPI A Ruby for Rudolph

photo credit: e-polishblog

Recently I asked Katee about her nails and how she keeps them so fabulous-looking. She did a post on Katee's Nail Care Tips and Saturday I dashed out to Ulta to pick up the CND Cuticle Eraser and OPI Correct and Clean-Up Pen just because she recommends them! I even picked up the color above (and a lot of other OPI colors, more on that later!) because it looks so great on her.

So go check her out- promise you'll like her- she's cool like us!

Christmas Program

Today was the school Christmas program, which is always pretty entertaining. Most years The Politician boycotts the program because he's not too fond of costumes and the like, and typically he hangs out in the wings. This year, they somehow got a choir robe and some angel wings on him and he marched out like he was meant to be on stage.


The Politician was pretty funny. He and his buddies to the right and left cut up quite a bit- tickling each other with the feathers on their wings. He knew I was watching him and shot me this look.

The Wild Child pretty much stole the show. She's the oldest in her class by 4 months or so, and she knows all the words to Jingle Bells, and loves to sing loudly, so they stuck the microphone right in front of her and she pretty much did a solo.

We are off to watch the Big 12 Championship on campus (Boomer!). We are kid-free tonight since we sent the kiddos home with my parents after the program, so Mr. Sasha and I plan on having a good time!

Starbucks Craving

Today I am craving Starbucks, and I may try something different than my usual "Short Non-Fat White Hot Chocolate, No Whip" (180 calories, 3 grams fat, 4 WW points).

I may try a Short Non-Fat Peppermint Hot Chocolate, No Whip. (170 calories, 2 grams fat, 1 gram fiber, 3 WW points).

While we are talking about yummy holiday drinks, Hungry Girl says to stay away from the Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate. A Short Non-Fat Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate, No Whip is 6 points (270 calories, 10 grams fat, 3 fiber).

Oh, and here is where I figure WW points.

What's you favorite Starbucks drink, and is it worth the points?

Notes From School

On P's take-home sheet recently:

Our big angel fish, Angel, died during the night. She was too big to flush, so we had a funeral.

Yummiest 7up Ever!

Last night I was trolling (of course!) Target and look what I found!

Pomegranate 7up!

(to no surprise, there's no info on 7up's website)

Of course I got the diet version, and it is absolutely scrumptious!

Local girls, I've got a mission for you. If you see the diet in 12 packs, by all means, pick some up for me! Target only had 2 liters, which I hate, and were all out of 12 packs.

I NEED this. I have to have this. And I'll pay you back.

It's A Sickness, Really

Xhilaration Tan Stephanie Bow Pump - $19.99

Xhilaration Black Stephanie Bow Pump - $19.99

Mossimo Danae Peeptoe Giraffe - $26.99


Most likely I will be taking the Danae back because it shows a little much toe cleavage for my taste. But the Stephanie is adorable and quite comfy. And she matches my newest Coach purchase.

Where the hell am I going to wear all these shoes?????

Shoe Shopping and Black Friday Report

I picked up some great shoes for myself at Payless in the mall on Black Friday. Yes, I know most people were shopping for Christmas gifts, but that was too overwhelming, so I decided just to shop for me instead!

Champion Fury - $24.99

Champion Globe Mary Jane - $22.99

They are having their BOGO half off sale, so I only paid $11.50 for the brown mary janes (note: I wore a half-size smaller in those than the tennis shoes). If you happen to buying online from Payless, don't you dare forget to go through ebates- you'll get 3% back.

I also picked up some movies at Target: Season 3 of The Office for $14, Devil Wears Prada for $4, and Christmas Vacation for $4.

Before you judge me, I did do a little bit of shopping for others. At Walmart, I got a Cabbage Patch baby for $10, and princess fleece pullover for $4, and a princess backpack for $10. These will probably be part of WC's brithday present.

I should also tell you that my big toe got run over at Walmart at 5 am by a crazy lady and her cart. I haven't taken my polish off yet, but I'm relatively certain my toenail was somewhat damaged. We shall see......

Dear Shannon Twins,

(picture removed because it was grossing me out....)


I think you are pretty skeevy. In fact, this picture makes me feel like I need to go wash my eyes (and that's why it's so small- I hate to subject Sasha Says readers to such nastiness, but I need to make sure they know where I stand on this....).

God Lord, girls, you are SISTERS. That's just wrong on so many levels.

Also, if GND continues with you as the main characters, I definitely won't be watching.

Just in case you were wondering.

Good Deal Alert: Croc Endeavor

Croc Endeavor in Chocolate - $4.61 Shipped!

Instructions:

1. Log into ebates so you can get 5% back (and a $10 bonus if you've never used ebates before)

2. Search for Finish Line - today is free shipping day!

3. Item number is 10010A
4. Use code COMEBACK for 15% off

Sizes available: 6/7, 8/9, 10/11, 12/13. I got 12/13 for The Politician.

Edited: Looks like they are out of stock as of 9:13 am CST.......

Edited at 9:27 am... and now they are BACK IN STOCK.

Are You Gonna?

Britney: For the Record on MTV

You know I am. (don't you judge me!) I admit it- I love me some trash TV.

Look At My TG CVS Loot!

When we got home from Thanksgiving lunch, I checked out the CVS BF flyer and headed out to CVS to take care of all the "Free After ECB" deals. I came away with:

• 1 J&J Softlotion
• 2 Colgate toothpastes
• 1 Aussie Shampoo (also had $1 coupon)
• 1 Aussie Conditioner (also had $1 coupon)
• 1 big Hershey candy bar
• 1 Right Guard Clinical deodorant
• 1 Covergirl Smoothers powder (also had $1 coupon)
• 1 Sally Hansen polish
• 2 L'Oreal glosses

And that was all FREE after ECB. In fact, they pretty much paid me $3 to take that stuff out of their store since I had some coupons!

They were out of the Complete saline solution, the Garnier cleaning cloths, and the G2, but I may stop by tomorrow and see if they re-stock.

Yay for Black Friday shopping!

Get thee to CVS!

Amazon: Black Friday Sale

I'll be heading out with friends at 5 am tomorrow for some shopping, but guys, there are great Black Friday deals at Amazon....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Per CVS, I Am Old

Today I was wearing my favorite Office t-shirt (Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run For The Cure) and the couldn't-be-17-years-old cashier at CVS said, "Cool! I have that shirt too!"

Sasha: "That's probably my favorite episode." (smiling)

CVS baby cashier: "My favorite is Benihana Christmas. (pause) You know, I haven't met many people your age who like that show."

Sasha: (no longer smiling) "Well, I know a lot of people my age who like the show......."

Holiday Shopping: Don't Forget Ebates!

I was super excited to see that Sephora is doubling their cash back during the holidays! You know I am addicted to makeup and have to place an order pretty often or I'll explode. Gap is also doubled.... (those are just a few samples of the increased cash back for the holidays- there's more)

Now, if you still haven't signed up for ebates, or never used it after you signed up before, now's the time! If you sign up and purchase something by Dec 31 (and of course you'll be buying something before Dec 31, it's the holidays!) we'll both get $10!

Dear Santa,

2008 has worn me out.

Yes, I know I should count my blessings, and I do that every day, I promise.

But between The Politician boycotting haircuts and throwing up every time someone in a 5 mile radius eats an orange and The Wild Child, well, being wild, I am not sure I have any rope left. I'm defintely at the end.

I'm just trying to be a good mom. I want to give my kids whatever tools they need to succeed in life. Actually, even if they end up being slackers, I still want them to be able to be part of the orange-eating, haircut-getting society and live long, happy, healthy lives.

So Santa, all I ask for is to continue to be surrounded by supportive friends who ask questions, listen, and offer advice or even just an ear or a shoulder to cry on. I have made so many fabulous friends this year and I don't know what I would have done without them.

I may also need to increase my dose of Lexapro, but I realize you can't help with that.

We'll have some Peanut Butter Blossoms waiting for you on the fireplace when you stop by on the 24th. (Props to Hershey's for having the recipe on their site!) I'm sure you'll hear from P and WC between now and then. I believe their list is long, but I'm preparing them for a Wise Man Christmas, and I know they will understand why Santa is bringing three gifts. The Sashas are on a mission to help everyone remember The Reason For The Season.

Oh No, Japanese Women Are Idolizing Paris Hilton

Look at these nails? Craziness, I tell you. Katee at e-polishblog, what do you think? Shall we join in on the trend?

According to the Wall Street Journal, Japan's newest fashion craze has women imitating Paris Hilton.

The end of the world is near.

I Was Robbed

We shall speak no more of it.

I am crushed.

(Jenny, it WAS the best dessert in the contest, the judges were just smoking crack or something. Thanks for the recipe idea- I love it!)

Stay Tuned

for results of the Sasha's Work Dessert Contest.

If I do not win, or at least place, all is not right with the world.

Just look at that yumminess!

Of course there was typical Sasha drama in the baking of the cake. I got 8 oz of sour cream instead of 16, so I found another half-eaten 8 oz container in my fridge and added a splash of milk for good measure. Slim had scrounged around and found me some Kahlua to use, but when I measured it, it wasn't quite enough, so I made up for it with Amaretto. (The other choices in the Sasha Liquor Cabinet were Buttershots, Peach Schnapps or Hot Damn, none of which sounded like a good idea and were at least 15 years old.)

But it smells divine and looks sinful. And I scoped out the competition and saw nothing else worth of a prize.

Check back in a few hours..... I will either be celebrating or having the sadz. Will you give me a hug if I lose?

Christmas Present Idea- For Your Girlfriends

Oh, I love momAgenda! (click on graphic to check them out!)

I have the Kitchen Folio and it's just darling- I've printed out all the free downloads and filled them in with all the Sasha family info and have it by the phone in the kitchen- perfect for the babysitter, or for Mr. Sasha- who never seems to know where to find stuff.

Be sure and check out their new holiday downloads too- cards sent/received, gifts purchased, etc. Just what us busy moms need.

Dessert Contest: Final Decision

I gave Slim some power and let her help me decide what to make.

Her vote is for the Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake that Jenny suggested.

Now Slim, do you have a bundt pan I can borrow?

Dessert Contest Idea: Opinions Needed

The following recipe was posted on the bargain board today and with the crazy week I've got, this might be the easiest, as I have all the ingredients on hand. What do you think?

SUPER-DUPER APPLE CAKE

Cake:

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 1/2 cups applesauce

Icing:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup of milk

For Cake: Mix white cake mix with applesauce until smooth. May take more or less applesauce. Use at own discretion.

Pour mixture into a 9X9 inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 350°F in a conventional oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done.

For Icing: Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add the remaining ingredients for the icing, stirring rapidly with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over warm cake.

Here were some additional notes:

• The cake mix powder is mixed with applesauce ONLY, do not prepare the cake according to the directions on the box!
• Many people poked holes in the baked cake before adding the topping. It tastes a bit different, but is not necessary.
• The 'icing' is VERY runny, but don't worry, it's supposed to be!
• Some posters added cinnamon to the cake or the icing. Again, not necessary.
• The recipe calls for a 9x9 pan, but you can use an 8x8, 9x13 and 11x7 and it will worked fine every time.

Does this sound prize-winning? I love all the suggestions I've gotten, and remember I still have the Christmas dessert contest I can use them for. With WC's appointment tomorrow I'm going to be short on time this week and the contest is Thursday.

The Bandage is Off

Well, the bandage is off. Mr. Sasha found it on the floor in the living room on Saturday afternoon.

So we've gone from this:

To this:

I'm still not convinced that all her thrashing around in the recovery room didn't mess up the dermabond. But we're going to see the doctor tomorrow so we shall see what he says. Tomorrow we'll discuss scar care and I'm sure they have us do something to minimize scarring.

Either way, looks like we'll be doing another surgery to remove the remaining scar tissue. I can't imagine not finishing what we started.

It is amazing to me to see how much they removed.

I'll update tomorrow night!

C25K Button

Hey girlies! I know quite a few of you have the C25K button on your sidebar.

Would you switch it out with this code so it will link back to my original C25K post?

<br /><a href="http://www.sashasays.com/2008/01/run-like-wind.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g241/Sasha2599/button2.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Thanks so much!

If you do so, leave me a comment and let me know! I can add you to the C25K Blogroll!

A Little Background on WC's SPD/SID

You know, I'm often asked how I knew that WC's had a problem. How I knew that something was off.

When I picked up The Out-of-Sync Child from the library the other day, I flipped through it on my way out the door. After a few seconds of flipping, I felt my eyes fill up with tears and I moved towards the wall so I could lean against it for a second.

I found it. I found a paragraph that I should print out and give to everyone that knows WC.

From page 193:

A mother wrote me this letter: "By the time Rob was two, I felt he had a special need, but I couldn't figure out what it was. He required constant attention. Time-outs didn't work because I couldn't contain him. He was defiant, disobedient, disrespectful, and demanding. He was always busy, always talking (great verbal skills!), strong willed, contrary, and easily frustrated. I felt blessed to have Rob, and wouldn't trade him for the world, of course, but he constantly tested and rejected me."

And more on the next page.

"What was the reason for his behavior? How could I regain control? What method of discipline would get through to him? If his behavior was an attempt to get my attention, how could I supply it in a way that would satisfy him? How could I help a high-energy child channel his energy in a positive direction? I was desperate for answers."

If you replaced Rob's name with WC's and switched out them hes and hims for shes and hers, I could have written that, word for word.

You don't know how good it feels to know that you are not alone.

WC's Sensory Diet

My Mid Mid-Life Crisis writes: Sasha, I teach children who need some sensory stimulation to help cope with their disabilities. Any suggestions about things you use at home to give your child a "sensory diet"? I have some things I am currently using, but I'm always looking for more suggestions!

That's a great question! I'm currently reading this book and came upon a great section on Sensory Diets.

The Out-of-Sync Child

From page 229 "Just as the main food groups provide daily nutritional requirements, a daily sensory diet fulfills physical and emotional needs. The out-of-sync child needs an individualized diet of tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive nourishment more than most not doesn't know how to get it. So, we must and can help.

A sensory diet includes a combination of alerting, organizing, and calming activities."

Here are some of the things I've found help WC. Some of these came from our OT, and some WC was already seeking herself (smart little thing).

Alerting- benefit the underresponsive child, who needs a boost to become effectively aroused

• Crunchy food- she loves and asks for cereal, popcorn, chips, crackers, pretzels, and ice
• Jumping up and down on a mattress or trampoline- we got a mini tramp at the suggestion of the CDS and WC sometimes seeks it out on her own
• Drinking large amounts of Crystal Light Raspberry Lemonade- WC practically begs for this, and the OT realized that she was "seeking" oral stimulation because this is pretty tart!
• She also loves lots of spicy food- Hot Mustard from McDonald's, salsa, spicy chips- the spicier the better

Organizing- help regulate the child's responses

• Chewy foods- including granola bars, fruit bars, chewy fruit snacks, cheese sticks
• Play dough and coloring
• At OT, she loves that yucky goo that has bugs in it- she loves getting the bugs out

Calming- help decrease sensory overload

• Getting massages- she'll say "I need a massage"- we concentrate on one body part at a time and do sort of a deep-tissue massage
• She insists on us rocking her in the rocking chair before bed- she knows she needs this transition time and rocking helps her relax
• Popsicles- the sucking activity is calming
• We use a white-noise machine in her room at night and she finds it calming

WC's main issue is "regulation" which means she has trouble modulating (adjusting) her mood and senses. Because of this, she needs a sensory diet that includes all of the above since she can go from being understimulated (sensory-seeking) to overstimulated in 60 seconds. Transitions are rough and she can basically be described as uneven. But we have seen great improvement from OT and from simply being more aware of how her system works.
If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to hear what items you include in the sensory diets of your students!

New Avon Limited Edition Pro-To-Go Lippies

Last week my favorite Avon consultant, Valeri, sent me one of the new PRO-TO-Go Limited Edition shades to try! She knows how much I love this highly pigmented lipstick that's sort of like a balm (it's very moisturizing!) and thought I might like to try Party Rouge.

Well, she was right! What a great color! And I love the silver case they are using for the limited edition colors. I just put in an order for Beaming Berry and Shimmering Red because I'm sure I'll like them just as much.

Valerie has offered up a free shipping code for Sasha Says readers to use! And of course, you'll need to go through ebates to get 5% back.

Follow these steps to ensure you get your free shipping AND your ebates rebates.

1. Visit Valerie's site to make her your default rep

2. Log into ebates to get 5% back and go through them to get to the Avon site

3. Once the Avon site pulls up again, you should see Valeri's name near the top of the site

4. Choose your products (don't forget about trying the Magix primer!- it's BOGO half off- so 2 for $15) and then use code FSANY to get free shipping

5. Post here and tell me what you ordered since I'm a makeup junkie and also quite nosy!

Happy Shopping!

Gap Coupon

Click here for a printable for 30% off at Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy valid from Nov 13-16 (in stores only).

OPI Minis

Yesterday I finally got the chance to go to Ulta in an effort to pick up the holiday OPI minis for the bargain price of $5! I love these little bottles and get them every year.

Only I wasn't fast enough! Turns out they sold out on Sunday. Was it you? Did you clean them out? Did you pick up one for me?

If you are local, they said they would get more in Thursday, so I'll be calling to see when they have them out and I'll you know.

Cause it's just that good of a deal!

The Nurse Practitioner Responded

and said not too worry. I hate to quote her without her knowing it, but she basically said if it wasn't oozing, they weren't worried at all and we'd be amazing at how much better it will look with time. Something about if they made it perfect now, the skin would stretch as it heals and it wouldn't be perfect anymore. Now, with a small amount of bunching, it will have room to stretch as it heals. Or something like that.

So we will see them in person next Tuesday and get our scar management plan- I assume it will involve some vitamin E oil or Mederma or those scar sheets or something. I'm on board with whatever they say!

New MomAgenda printables!

New printables at Mom Agenda! Love this stuff! How very Monica!