Running Update

So now that I've run my first official 10K, what's my next goal?

Why, a half marathon, of course!

I think I've already told you I'm pretty sure I have undiagnosed ADHD as I have the shortest attention span EVER, so this is a big stretch for me to think that I can do this. Right now, it's hard for me to imagine doing anything for more than 2 hours....

But I'm going to give it a try. I really think my audio book eureka moment was the best idea I ever had and I think it'll the answer. I am really enjoying listening to Shopaholic and Sister and already have Shopaholic and Baby on my itunes ready to go (thank you public library!) once I finish Sister.

So this is the plan I think I am going to follow to train for the half mary. I may shoot for doing one in the fall or early winter, hopefully with some of the girls on my relay team. (Come on girls, we can do it!) I think there's one in November in Texas (is that right Cory?). If not, then definitely next April.

Anyone on board with me? I need a "Training for a Half" blinkie!

I Am a Member of The Brewmaster's Club!

I bet you've been waiting on this post.

I posted a little preview about the fabulous Hospitality House at Sea World a few weeks ago. And really, fabulous doesn't do it justice. I'm all about the free, especially free beer. And especially after I've been chasing my ornery two-year-old around the park for hours on end.

Now, the first cool part is that there is a bar in the front of the Hospitality House that you can get two free beers from and enjoy them in their large comfortable facility that is scattered with beer history and memorabilia. The second cool part is that you can also sign up for their Brewmaster's Club and get to attend an educational tasting of various beers and fruit, cheese, and chocolate.

Mr. Sasha and I signed up, although we did have to sign up separately since the kiddos weren't allowed in the Brewmaster area. He went first and came back refreshed and excited for me to get to go too.

So while I was waiting for the Brewmaster thing to start, I visited the bar up front and chose Shock Top, which is Anheuser-Busch's answer to Blue Moon. If you like Blue Moon, you'll like Shock Top.

Next, they opened up the Brewmaster Club doors and invited us in. They seated us in groups of four. I was seated with a girl who had just turned 21 the week before and a mother and daughter. Could have been totally uncomfortable sitting with 3 random strangers, but they turned out to be nice so it wasn't so bad.

An employee came and handed us a big menu and asked us to select 4 beers to try, which she would bring to us along with a tray of fruit, cheese, crackers and chocolate. Fun!

First, I chose Michelob Ultra Fruit, knowing that there are three different flavors and not knowing which one I would get. I'm just wild and crazy like that.

I had tried the Raspberry Pomegranate before on a trip to Missouri and loved it. So I was pleased that they brought out Lime, a flavor I hadn't tried. It was crisp and refreshing. Fab.

Next, I tried Tilt, which is a malt beverage energy drink. It was quite tasty, although I typically don't drink energy drinks. I figure I'm already medicated enough, no sense in adding additional things in my system. I get enough caffeine in my morning Coke.

I was so excited to try Wild Blue, a fruit infused lager. I was not disappointed- it was wonderful. (And on another note, my wonderful friend Amanda just brought me a six pack because I told her how much I liked it! I don't think they sell it in my state, so I'll be rationing this out and if you come over and I don't offer you one, don't get your feelings hurt, K?)

I also chose LandShark, which I can't actually find any info on on the A-B site. After I ordered it I realized that I had already tried it at Margaritaville in Vegas (it's marketed as Jimmy Buffet's beer). On the plus side, I remembered liking it, so no loss there. It's kinda Corona-ish.

We stopped by a few convenient (convenience?) stores on the way home from Sea World but didn't see any of these for sale. I live in a crazy state with weird beer laws, so I didn't expect to be able to find these for sale at home. To my surprise, I did find LandShark and Shock Top at my local IGA!

I'm quite on a beer kick right now and think I'll christen this The Summer of Beer. Maybe that's my new motto......

What a Weekend!

Sweet Niblets, I am worn out.

After working an all-day music festival yesterday (I got to drink beer while I checked-in/wrote checks to bands!), I headed to bed about 10:30 pm.

After a mere 4-5 hours sleep, I picked up two band members from our headlining band who need to go to the airport (they hadn't been to sleep yet and made the Family Van smell like a tequila factory).

Dropped them off at the airport and headed to a hotel near the marathon site to meet my relay team.

A shuttle took us to the starting line and I ran my 10K at 6:30 am in a cold drizzle, but had a fab time of 1:01.

We decided to forego the marathon bus system and did the transportation from relay point to relay point in a car on our own, which started out stressful, but turned into fun and I had a blast hanging with 5 of my friends from college who I miss so much! We all joined our friend in crossing the finish line during the last leg! The announcer read our shirts, which had a little inside joke printed on them and it was so cool.

Got home and took a much-needed 2 hour nap. I am currently doing laundry (of course) and drinking my 2nd full sugar Coke of the day. Yum!

Articles in the local papers say the fest was a success and estimate 6000 in attendance!!!!!! And it went off without a hitch. Damn we're good. And cool, but you knew that.

Hope you had a good weekend yourself! Smooches!

6 Unimportant Things About Me

I was tagged a million years ago by Tina and Our Crazy Wonderful Life for this meme. And it's been on my To Do List for weeks, but there are quite a few things on there that aren't getting done either, so don't feel slighted too much. It's not you, it's me.

1. I always have to have something on my feet. It can be flip flops or socks, but I simply can't be barefoot.

2. I drink 1 can of Coke every morning. Full sugar version.

3. I love classic rock and am pretty sure I was born 15 years too late. I am dying to meet Pamela Des Barres and have chatted with her numerous times in the late 90s.

4. I bite my nails, although I am always trying to quit. I go through cycles where I do a great job taking care of my nails and keep them painted, and then there are busy times like right now where I bite the dickens out of them because I don't have time to take care of them properly.

5. I am totally in the wrong career. I should not be an accountant, although I must say I am good at it. I should be in product development, marketing, or something with makeup!

6. I am a bargain shopper for househoold goods and food and even clothes, but I make up for that by being a Coach purse girl.

I would tag somebody, but since I have waited so long, I think this one has been around already!

Let's Start a New Phrase on OBBC!

(that's Old BabyCenter)

Forget vajayjay. While watching My Name Is Earl, Mr. Sasha and I heard the best. phrase. ever. (uttered by Joy of course)

Undersmile. As in, "She uncrossed her legs and showed everybody her undersmile."

So let's start the new phrase on OBBC!

This will work great on Magic Cream threads.

Let's start a revolution!

The Sasha Rider

So today I was working at the local non-profit who is putting on the music festival this weekend (!!!) and an issue came up with our headliner's rider.

You know, the list of things bands need when they play. Like here.

We were under the impression that all riders had been X's out and sent back to the artists. However, this didn't happen with this particular band so we were working on what we could come up with off their list without breaking the bank.

30 towels, a bottle of Ketel One Vodka, various kegs of beer, certain food, etc. Crazy stuff.

But really not so crazy.

I mean, these people are away from home, and it's not like they have time or transportation to go to the grocery store before they play their set.

And even I have a rider (for when I go stay with my parents):

• 1 can of cold Coke per day, in fridge
• 1 package of frozen Pepperidge Farm Apple Turnovers
• bottle of Advil that is findable in their kitchen
• funny stories about my childhood
• magazines I don't subscribe to
• some type of alcoholic beverage, possibly a bucket of frozen margaritas
• general snacky food, some chocolate, some salty

Sigh... he's really growing up

Some night when I put The Politician to bed, I like to get under the covers with him and snuggle for a few minutes.

Last night I did just that and after about 90 seconds, he said, "Momma, when are you going to get out of my bed? I'm really tired."

Broke my heart just a little. A preview of what's to come, I'm sure.

Have You Ever

seen this many stains on one tiny little 2 year old girl's shirt? Seriously, what did she do today? Paint a room? Clean the whole school? Do yardwork? Because I've never seen a shirt that dirty before. Off to do laundry......

A Giant Thank You!

to the 3 ladies who used me as a referral for a Gymboree Visa! Each time we each got a $20 giftcard to spend at Gymboree!

It's super easy- just use this link and enter my referral code: 100 035 040

Thanks in advance if you sign up! Email me if you do so I can make sure we both get the referral bonus!

Dude

I am tired. And I have lots to do before I go to bed....

But I thought I'd share this pic. Don't look at my yucky lawn. We were re-creating Easter Sunday since I didn't get a good pic of me with the kiddos. Not sure why I am so squinty, but we are all looking pleasant and towards the camera, so it's a keeper.

Backyard Barber Night

So about 3 years ago we decided to stop fighting the haircut war with The Politician and just buzz it ourselves. It's definitely a backyard job, although we do it in the garage when it's really cold.

So tonight was Haircut Night. He really does like it now because he gets 4 packs of Smarties to cajole him to sit still.

My favorite part is vacuuming him off when we are done. It's my own version of the Flowbee. I desperately wanted a Flowbee, and searched all over (OK, for 5 minutes online) only to find out it doesn't cut a buzz. So we just wheel the vacuum outside, hook up the attachment, and vacuum up all the hair! You're totally not dreaming, that's the brush attachment on the left side of the pic.

Here's the finished product, complete with "Cheese!" face. And we'll do it all again in a few weeks.

Something that I am totally not ready for

happened yesterday!

I was doing my normal Sunday afternoon good deal round-up (Super Target, Walgreens, CVS) and Mr. Sasha was reading the paper while The Politician watched some TV after his nap and The Wild Child finished her nap in her crib.

Mr. Sasha heard WC awake over the monitor, and P jumped up and said "I'll go in there!". Mr. Sasha was just about to stand up to go let her out of her crib, and all of the sudden P and WC came walking down the hall together!

She climbed out of her crib!!!! She's only 2 years and 3.5 months old! P happily stayed in his crib until 3 and I was hoping to do the same with her because I'm just not ready for her to be on the loose unattended.

Both of their cribs are the fab kind that convert to a toddler bed (with a little rail so they don't roll out) and then to a full-sized bed, so we can totally go the toddler bed route if it's time, but I just like her being captive right now. Does that make me a bad mommy? I'm just not sure I'll be able to convince her to stay in bed and go to sleep.......

Sigh.... I think I'll wait and see if she does it again. Maybe it was just a fluke?

It's only 1:00 pm

and it has already been an eventful day.

I ran 6 miles this morning in fab 50 degree weather with no wind- perfect running weather for me.

Went to 10 am soccer game.

Attempted to take the kids to lunch after the game, but got re-routed by a downtown parade.

Finally got to lunch and Mr. Sasha locked the keys in the car.

So we waited quite a while for a locksmith to come.....

And now we are at home- after dropping a $40 dollar locksmith fee.

For those asking, The Wild Child was great this week at school! They said she was a new child! Now, yesterday she did act like she was going to start to bite once, but her teacher caught her and startled her and she stopped. They then started using the tooth-brushing technique from the biting seminar, but since they don't have toothbrushes, they used some kind of long teething object that would reach her back teeth. She loved it and periodically asked for it by saying, "I need to chew my thing." So we see real promise in the new technique and the teacher is working on getting teether toothbrushes donated for 3 of the classrooms! Yay!

Still to come today: a birthday party at a local farm for P to go to, and some friends coming over for burgers/beers with their kids. And I may just meet a friend for margs at Taco Cabana after the kids go to bed. Cause I'm probably going to need it. I think we'll get a pitcher. Definitely, actually.

Just another crazy Saturday. Hope you have a good weekend!

Ask the Product Junkie: Self-Tanners, Take 2

Well, ladies, I've found two HG self-tanners! (and they are still on the market!!!!)

First is Neutrogena's Sun Fresh in Fair/Medium ($10 for 4 oz). Oh, what a find!

Scent: Billed as "grapefruit/nectarine", which I'm not so sure about, but I will tell you it's not at all like some of the other tanners I've used. Leaves a very faint tanner smell, so faint you'll be the only one to notice, and that's only if you sniff your own arm.

Color: Fab!!! Perfect for me- I'm very yellow and this looks so natural on me.

Texture and drying time: No complaints here- in fact, it dries very fast and is very smooth-able. I loved putting it on.

Con: The fact that you only get 4 oz for $10 bucks is definitely a draw back. I could see myself going through this tube very fast.

My most recent find is probably the best deal, bargain-wise. It's Loreal's Sublime Glow in Medium ($10 for 8 0z).

Scent: Just as good as the Sun Fresh above.

Color: A bit more brown than the Sun Fresh, but still a great color for me. As a bonus, there's a slight shimmery to this lotion. Now, it's not a "I'm going to the Prom in 1992" kind of shimmer, it's very pretty and really, you'll probably be only one who notices. But I like it.

Texture and drying time: Doesn't dry as fast as the Sun Fresh, but still dries nicely and isn't sticky once it's dried.

Verdict: I'll be using both- probably alternating.

Application tips: I start by applying a plain, unscented lotion (I use Cetaphil Lotion in the pump)to my elbows, knees, ankles, and tops of my feet. This keeps the color from grabbing too much in those areas. Then I slop the tanner on, starting with my arms and chest. I move down and do my lower legs and feet next, and then my thighs. I don't worry too much about my back and stomach. Who sees that anyway?

Two other tips: After I've done my arms, I get another squirt of Cetaphil lotion and rub it on the undersides of my arm and in the crook of my elbows- kind of to dilute the tanning lotion and blend it in there.

I also wash my hands when I'm done, and use a round cosmetic sponge to apply a drop of the lotion to the top of each hand.

Let me know if you try these and what you think!

Eureka!

I attended a Biting Workshop at Health Department last night, and it was beyond fabulous!!!!!!

In a nutshell, what they've found is that kids who bite are having trouble with sensory integration.

To help with that, they have discovered that if they pass out toothbrushes and have the children brush their teeth after breakfast, snacks, and lunch, they can reduce the biting by 85%!!!!! And for the children who are in that other 15%, if they are encouraged to brush every hour, they have a 98% success rate!!!!!

I talked to The Wild Child's teacher after my seminar (she was on her way into the provider version of the class) and this is definitely something we can try in her classroom. From what I understand, WC is not the only biter in the room.

Other suggestions from the seminar are to discontinue spill-proof cups and give more crunchy food to encourage the use of the back teeth. Basically, children who bite will benefit further development of their oral skills.

I am sure I said some of this wrong, cause I'm just an accountant, you know, and not a child development professional.

But I am so excited to have something to try and also to have confirmation that it's nothing that we've done (or haven't done) that is causing WC to have this behavior. Yay for me being a good mom after all!!!!!

Ebates Double Bonus Offer Again!!!!

Yay! Ebates is offering their Double Bonus Offer again, through May 31. If you sign up through my link, and make a purchase by May 31, we'll each get $10!

If you don't know about ebates, they offer rebates for doing your regular internet shopping through their site. They have Gap, Old Navy, Children's Place, Sephora, Snapfish, etc. I've gotten check from them totaling almost $400 over the past few years!

Click here if you would like to sign up. My referral email address is sasha2599[at]yahoo[dot]com.

Ask the Product Junkie: Eye Makeup Remover

Slim asked me the other day about eye makeup remover- she said she wasn't sure that she liked the Too Faced Lash Injection mascara because she was having trouble getting it off at the end of the day.

Turns out, she was using a different remover than me. I have been using the oil-free shake-up removers and they work great. Now, note that I also use a cotton round rather than a ball. Never had good luck with cotton balls.

Laurie (a Mary Kay consultant) left a comment a few weeks ago about her favorite remover, and I agree that it's a great product. I especially like that their bottle has a small opening that allows you to squeeze out just the amount you need rather than the wide opening that most of these type of removers have.

Now, the bargain shopper in me also needs to tell you about a cheaper version that I also like. You can typically find Neutrogena's version packed with two bottles together and sometimes you can even pair this find with a ECB deal at CVS- in fact, this week if you spend $15 on Neutrogena skin care, you get $5 ECB. Although it has the wider opening, I still like this product, especially at the price.

Anyway, using this type of remover will remove the fiber mascaras very well. Now, remember they come off differently. Your cotton round won't have black smeary stuff all over it, and you won't get black smear under your eyes. Instead, these mascaras come off in clumps- little balls of product. It's a much cleaner removal process that I just love.

More Notes From School

Notes sent home yesterday:


The Politician had to talk to the director in her office for calling his teacher stupid.


We are so happy to have The Wild Child back. She was so sweet to all her friends. She kept hugging her teacher Ms. Q and telling her she missed her.


Well, that's a reversal, now isn't it?

Maybe This Should Be My Motto

So you guys have heard about Randy Pausch, right? He's the Carnegie Mellon professor and father of three small children who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and only given a short time to live. He was asked to give a "last lecture", which you can watch at the above link, and I guarantee you there is no way you won't shed a tear and be touched.

Something he said really spoke to me, and I hope that I can raise my children like this:

As a professor, I’ve seen how disruptive it can be for parents to have specific dreams for their children. My job is to help my kids foster a joy for life and develop the tools to fulfill their own wishes. My wishes for them are very exact and, given that I won’t be there, I want to be clear: Kids, don’t try to figure out what I wanted you to become. I want you to become what you want to become. And I want you to feel as if I am there with you, whatever path you choose.

Parade Magazine, April 6 2008, page 7

Dear Jennifer Garner,

You know I was one of your biggest fans when you were on Alias. And really, I still am. You just seem like you're a super-cool gal and you also seem to be a fab mom.

And when you go and say something like this, I'm still blown away by how down-to-earth and in-touch you are.

"My younger sister is my hero: She's a mom and an accountant for the state of West Virginia. She's able to juggle a job, kids, volunteer work and church, and she still manages to cook dinner every night without feeling bogged down. There are a lot of people out there who are literally heroic, but what she does counts too."

Glamour Magazine, December 2007, page 312 (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that's not MLA)

San Antonio Report

Well, that trip just aged me 5 years. And I gained 4 pounds. But hell, we had a great time. Here's a wrap-up report:

• Number of times P asked "Are we there yet?" on the way there: 997
• Number of times we had to listen to the Wiggles CD on the way there: 2
• Number of times Mr. Sasha told P "No more Wiggles CD": 58
• Number of hours spent in the car on the way there: 7 or so
• Number of margaritas I had that first night on the riverwalk: 1 (but it was giant)
• Number of bathrooms in our VRBO rental: 1 (!)
• Number of bathtubs in our VRBO rental: 0
• Number of children given baths in the big kitchen sink: 1 (WC)
• Number of times we ate at the Mexican restaurant down the street from our rental: 2 (it was fabulous) (and it's 3 if you count Mr. Sasha's breakfast taco yesterday)
• Number of times WC fell and scraped up her knees: 5
• Number of band-aids she put on herself, me, and the girl behind us in line: 65
• Number of beers Mr. Sasha and I consumed at Sea World: a lot (and expect a whole blog post on that!)
• Number of hours the return home trip took: seemed like 10
• Number of my favorite stores I got to shop at on the way home: 2! (Coach and Ann Taylor outlets!)

And things WC said while in the car:

• I wanna go to San Antonio!
• I wanna go to Sea World!
• I want my shoes off!
• I want my shoes on!
• I don't want that!
• I want that!
• I wanna color!
• I want a snack!
• I want a drink!
• Momma!
• Momma!
• Momma!
• Momma!
• I'm wet!

P feeding the sea lions! He loved it and he insisted we do it again the next day. WC did not want any part of it.

Here is a pic of WC doing what she did most of the trip- run from us.

And here is a pic of her getting a little talkin' to. Doesn't Mr. Sasha look serious?

It was super fun and we will probably go back later this year.

Not sure if you noticed, but the moons were all aligned perfectly and I held my tongue just right and somehow managed to get my blog to re-direct to my own domain, http://www.sashasays.com/!

Unbelievable- and it only took me two tries! Mr. Sasha registered it for me a few years back but I never got around to using it. Now, the old link will still work too, but you are welcome to change your links or bookmarks- I think it has a nice ring to it!

I Can't Believe No One Ever Told Me

that they have beer at Sea World!!!!!!!

What the hell were we doing taking the kiddos to Silver Dollar City and Six Flags when we could have been taking them to Sea World all along? And drinking beer? Damn, who knew? If you knew and didn't tell me, I'm super pissed at you.

Does Disney serve beer? This may figure in to our vacation planning for next year.

Anyway, when I was attempting to get my 2nd beer of the day, they happened to be out of light beer. No big- I just went on about my way and headed over to get P some popcorn and frozen lemonade. All of the sudden Mr. Beer Guy was tapping me on the shoulder- he managed to get about 1/3 of a cup out of his tap and brought it over to me- free! I suppose he thought I needed it- the Wild Child was napping in the jogging stroller, and P was tagging along, looking beyond tired, and Mr. Sasha wasn't around as he was riding an adult ride by his lonesome, and I'm sure I looked out of control as usual. What a sweet beer guy- made my day!

More family fun to come tomorrow......

Ask the Product Junkie: Hershey's Bliss

Ash asks: I keep seeing these commercials for Hershey's Bliss. Have you tried them? You are the snack food/candy guru as well. Let us know if they are worth the $ :)

Ash, you are in luck! (And you can call me Sash, by the way!) CVS has them on special this week (2 bags for $4 after ECB) so I picked up a bag of the Milk Chocolate, and also the Milk Chocolate with a Meltaway Center on Sunday when I was doing the Huggies diaper deal.

Now, typically, I'm not a Hershey chocolate fan. I don't particularly care for their plain chocolate bar, and don't like their plain chocolate kisses. The chocolate just tastes "off" to me. However, I do like some of their specialty products, so I was glad to try these, all in the name of product review of course.

Simply put, love them! They melt fabulously in your mouth, if you can keep from biting into them, and they leave a wonderful taste behind. So go for it, Ash, I really think you'll like them!

Progress? Maybe?

WC has been asking about going to school- and we've been telling her she can go back after she stops biting. She'll say, "OK".

I had to take her with me yesterday when I picked up The Politician, and his class was on the playground. WC's class was out there too, and her teacher came up to us and started crying, so upset that WC wasn't in school this week because of her behavior. It's been the talk of the school, I believe.

Wow. Such drama at such a young age. More to come, I am sure.

Our Pet Piranha

is home today with her DeDe.

Mr. Sasha said she stuck her bottom lip out this AM when he told her she wasn't going to school, looked upset for 1/2 a second, then went and found her Elmo book and said "Read it to me!"

Yeah, cross your fingers that time with grandparents and mom and dad without Bubba around doesn't turn out to be The Most Fun Ever.

Sorry, no lylas from me today. I'm kinda meh. I mean, I do love ya, just don't feel pink and swirly right now.....

For Holly: Target Liquid Dispensing System

I love this so much that I will actually pass on the of convenience of CVS's drive thru pharmacy and drag my two ornery kids smack dab in the middle of Target to pick my liquid meds up since I heart their liquid dispensing system so much.

See the pic above? There is this little insert in the bottle that allows you to insert your dosing syringe, flip it over, pull out just how much you need, flip the bottle back up, and voila! No mess!!!!!!

And if you ask super nice and bat your eyes a bit, they will even give you the inserts for your OTC meds like Motrin and Sudafed!!!!!!! Oh, it rocks. Best thing ever, and I totally should have thought of it.

Well, Crap

The Wild Child bite someone today. On the face. Left a huge bite mark, even though it didn't break the skin. I imagine the parents freaked out when they got their to pick up their child.

So Mr. Sasha and I have made the decision to suspend her from school for a week ourselves. I am trying to call the director to tell her what we've decided, but she doesn't seem to have call waiting.... "I'm sorry that line is busy..."

Anyway, this is unacceptable behavior and we've got to do something radical. Six months ago and I would have freaked out about her being out of school for a week, but it's time for something BIG. Between my parents, Mr. Sasha's parents and sister, and the planned vacation we have for next Thursday and Friday, we've got next week covered.

Hopefully the school and the parents of the child/children she's been biting will appreciate our efforts. And most of all, hopefully it will break the cycle.

I think she'll be crushed Monday when The Politician goes to school and she doesn't. That's exactly what we are going for.

Cross your fingers it works......

Effective Discipline Method Found!

Yesterday, The Wild Child did a little chomping, but that led her teacher to find AN EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE METHOD for her!!!! Yay!

Nose in the corner. She hates it, cries, and it totally hits home that she did something wrong! I am now going to be using this method at home to be consistent. Trust me, there will be plenty of opportunities. I talked with her teacher this AM and she thinks we have struck gold. Relief is washing over me and maybe I'm not the worst mom ever, we just had not yet discovered what was effective with The Wild Child.

By the way, another photobucket steal above- people, if you don't want your photos thieved, make your photobucket account private! That's a message to you, a-1tilemom!

So Who Am I?

Christen writes: okay maybe i missed something.... how are you such an expert in makeup? I am def trying the two faced products! Sounds fab! :)

Christen, I am definitely not an expert, by any stretch of the imagination. I am a product junkie, however, and if you are wondering about a new product, there's a good chance I have tried it and have an opinion on it! Let me know what you think about the Two Faced products!

Here's the little bio blurb I wrote for A Million Little Glosses, the beauty blog I contribute to:

I'm 34 and grew up and still live in the Southwest, where it was pretty much all the rage to bake your skin (face and all) to a nice crispy dark brown shade every summer! As a result, I suffer from some sun damage, and of course some wrinkles, which may or may not have something to do with wearing contacts since 4th grade.

I have naturally light brown hair that I highlight the hell out of. Blue eyes. My skin is pretty combo and can have some dry patches from time to time. I'd describe my skin color as PDP (pretty damn pale).

I like a natural look but love to experiment with vivid lip colors and am partial to rosy stains with sparkly gloss on top.

I'm a self-professed product junkie. If it's new and pretty, I'll buy it.

Phew, Wed was a Good Day

Well, we gave The Wild Child some Motrin yesterday because she is cutting her top two year molars, and I am looking for something to blame the biting on.

Whether that was the reason, I don't know, but she had a fabulous day and didn't bite at all!

We are continuing the Motrin today too for good measure.

Plus the assistant director loves it when I brings meds with the Target dispensing system in it. Why didn't I invent that?????

Ask the Product Junkie: Tinted Moisturizer

sweet-seventeen writes: Oh, it would be so awesome if you could recommend a good tinted moisturizer. My skin tends to be sensitive, especially to new products on it, and I have no clue which ones are the best and which ones will make me break out or get shiny. (If it helps, I'm PDP, too. lol.) Thank you!

You betcha.

One of my long-time faves (probably 15 years!) has been Clinique's Almost Makeup ($19.50). Sheer, lightweight, non-oily, this is pretty fabulous. I have relatively sensitive skin, and never experienced breakouts or extra oil while using this product.

It even has an SPF of 15.

I have always purchased the Light, which used to be the lightest shade- but it looks like they have even more colors available now so I'd probably stop by a counter and see what shade works best before I purchase again. If you can time your purchase with a GWP (gift with purchase), even better!

Application is super easy- I typically use a damp sponge. However, I have recently been using a damp foundation brush and like that as well and it seems more sanitary.

Another tinted moisturizer I recently discovered is Stila's Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer ($32). It's become my weekend staple and I love love love this product. It's perfect for the PDP!

Even better, it's available as part of the above Best of Stila Set, which is a $120.50 value for only $40 at Ulta. For just $8 more, you get five more products! Well worth it.

I Am Failing

Note from school:

The Wild Child was playing with another child in the playroom under the slide and bit the child on the head above her right ear. No other children were affected. The Wild Child sat in the corner, was told not to bite her friends, and apologized.

Also, right after I was discussing this with her teacher, The Politician said, "Momma, I ate some moon sand today, so I'll probably throw up tonight."

Uncle.

Dear Bret Michaels,

Listen, why don't you just admit that Heather is your perfect match and call off the show? You know it, I know it, everybody in my office knows it, and even Ambre and Daisy and Destiny know it.

Now, I'm sure you are contractually obligated to continue the show with VH1, and yes, it's fabulously trashtastic. But we all know you and Heather have a thing going on, and basically she's your perfect match.

Now that the writer's strike is over and my other faves like The Office (and Greek!!!!) are coming back, I've got less time for fake trash TV. Just wanted to make sure you knew that.