It Takes a Village

You guys know that I have been having difficult times with The Wild Child lately, and I have been (im)patiently waiting for things to turn around. Almost three weeks ago WC and I visited a family therapist together who offices with our OT in hopes that she could give me some tips to make things go smoother at home. I also wanted to make sure that we weren't dealing with something like Oppositional Defiance Disorder.

I've been to see the therapist twice on my own since then, and one of the things we've been talking about is me finding some confidence in myself. I needed to remember that I am a good mother! I was having such a rough time that I was simply feeling sorry for myself and a little bit lost, parenting-wise, and come to find out, that's just a vicious cycle that creates more problems. The therapist thinks that WC is so in tune to me that my anxiety severely affects her. Since she knows she doesn't know how to deal with that along with her other issues, she pushes me away.

I feel so blessed to have found someone else who can help us. It's amazing how much better I feel after just three visits! She thought that as I gain my confidence back and institute some of her tips and ideas, things would slowly get better.

Well, last night was the best night we have had with her since her surgery in October! She actually let me lay down and snuggle with her and read some books and she fell asleep with her little hand on my chest. I am so excited that things seemed to have turned around for us!

In your prayers tonight, remember WC and I and ask for continued support for us from all the wonderful people who have been helping us over the last year. It seems to take a village to raise my child and I'm super happy to have the population of my village continue to grow.

Where Have I Been Today?

• OT with the Wild Child
• meeting at city offices about the music festival
• work (my paying job!) where I freaked out about a deadline I forgot about and ate lunch at my desk
• another meeting from 6-8
• now home finally

Now it's time for a break and I am fixin' to go eat one of these:

South Beach Living Fiber Fit S'Mores Bars

Absolutely, hands down, the one of the best thing I've ever eaten. Actually, Neiman Marcus bars are the best thing I've ever eaten, but the S'Mores bar earns points for tasting good and being a points-friendly snack choice!

120 calories, 4 grams fats, and 9 grams of fiber. Yup, 9! Capping fiber at 4 grams, that's just 2 points! Well worth it, my friends.

These are so good they are sinful. Rush to the store. Getcha some!

Abundance Check: Written!

I been watching threads about Abundance Checks on my bargain board, and I jumping on the bandwagon this month. Who doesn't need some abundance in their lives! I, for example, could use more time, patience, and energy.

Abundance checks are a tool you can use to create more abundance in your life. They are written within 24 hours after a New Moon. Surprisingly, you really don't even need to believe that the check will work when you write it. You will however be amazed at the results, as you will see increased abundance in your life, in some life area. It is not always financial, but certainly in an area that you need.

1. Within 24 hours after a New Moon, take a check from your check book. Where it says "Pay to," write your name.

2. In the little box on the same line where you would fill in a dollar amount write "Paid in full."

3. On the line underneath your name, where you would write out a dollar amount, write "Paid in full."

4. Sign the check: "The Law of Abundance."

Do not put a date on the check. Do not write a specific dollar amount in the check. Put it in a safe place and forget about it. The Universe will take it from there.

Last night was the new moon here, so I've written my check this morning. It'll be interesting to see what follows.....

Dessert Contest Entry Yet Again

Yes, I did it.

I went ahead and entered the damned dessert contest at my work yet again.

After I was robbed last November, I swore I'd never enter again.

But I am a glutton for punishment and I whipped something up last night.

My new theory: Go super-easy because the judges around here don't seem to appreciate time and effort.

So I spent a very short time making a Super-Duper Apple Cake, which was recommended by a zillion people on the bargain board. The recipe can be found here. I made this last month for a Sunday school party, and one of the guys swore it was the best thing he had ever tasted in his entire life (Hi Matt!) so I'm thinking it was a good choice. We shall see......

Unbelievable

Last night about 7:00 I was getting ready to run the bath water for The Wild Child's bath, and my husband came into the bathroom and said, "I think you're too late...."

She was fast asleep on the couch.

We decided to just put her to bed and see what would happen.

She slept until 6:45 am! (To be fair, I should tell you she snuck into our bed twice in the middle of the night, but she went right back to sleep when I carried her back to her own bed.)

Knowing her sleep issues, I'm sure you'll agree with me- that was crazy!

I'm hoping this is the start of something new......

GDA: Crocs at Finishline.com

I hesitate to tell you about this, because I think Finish Line does a crappy job on their website, but they are having a pretty fabulous sale on Crocs.

I tried for hours yesterday and would get my cart all filled with goodies for the kids, and then it would crash and I'd lose it all.

That being said, their site seems to be working today, except for the fact that they still have links up for products that are out of stock. You don't find out whether it's in stock until you click on a product- which is uber-annoying.

I was unable to find any toddler sizes of shoes that I wanted, but I did order some preschool size 1s to put up for later. Four pair, shipped, was $35.48- so $8.87 a pair. Still a pretty good deal.

But be prepared that their site is going to piss you off! Don't say I didn't warn you!

(Oh, and don't forget to go through ebates for 5% back- referral link on the left!)

Have You Smelled?

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom

($40 for 1 oz)

and



Clinique Happy In Bloom?
($30 for 1 oz)

There was a sample of the DKNY in the March 09 Glamour that I have smelled but not tried on yet, but I did try the new Clinique at Dillard's on Saturday.

Typically, I don't wear fragrance because I seem to get a headache when I smell a constant smell. But these were very nice and seemed pretty light, so I'm actually thinking about getting them. Seems very spring-y!

Yummy Giveaway

Go check out this fun giveaway!

Ebates Daily Double is Avon today!

Fabulous Sasha Says reader Erin G pointed out to me that Avon is today's Ebates Daily Double! That means they are offering 10% back rather than the usual 5%, today only. If you saw my Avon post last week (free shipping codes included!) and haven't gotten around to ordering yet, today's definitely the day.

Now, if you have yet registered for Ebates, what in the world are you waiting for? I got an email this morning that my quarterly check is on the way- and it's $173! Ebates is wonderful about referrals- if you sign up under me, we'll both get $5. And then you can refer all your friends and family members and get $5 for each of them that signs up! Such a win-win situation!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Happy shopping!

Thank Goodness I'm Already Happily Married

Because if I was a Bachelor contestant, I'd be in trouble.

I think Jason has taken all the final girls on airplane rides, and we all know how I am on airplanes! I am sure he'd cut me after he saw my unavoidable air travel behavior.

And on that note, Mr. Sasha and I are flying to NY in mid-April for a little vacay. I've got two things to figure out before then: if my doctor will prescribe me a Xanax to take pre-flight, and how to get tickets to a Broadway show.

The Xanax will require a phone call that I will of course put off until the last minute.

But I imagine I need to work on the Broadway ticket thing now. Any advice?

Oh, and if you are watching The Bachelor, you should really be reading I Love the Bachelor Blog. Great play by play and great commentary.

ING $25 Bonus

Would anyone like a code to get a $25 ING bonus?

The primary account holder must be a new ING customer. Since I was already an ING customer, I set up a savings account for The Wild Child and put myself as the joint owner.

There is no minimum deposit to get the bonus (typically their minimum for a bonus is $250). I started with $50, but I imagine you could start with as little as $1!

First person to email me at barelytogether at yahoo dot com will get the code!

(By the way, I get no referral bonus for this. I just have an extra code I am unable to use since the entire family now has ING accounts!)


As of 3:04 CST, code has been taken! If I get more, I'll re-post.

Norman Music Festival Offers Joaquin Phoenix First Professional Gig

Yesterday, Norman Music Festival offered Joaquin Phoenix his first professional gig.

Now how cool would it be if he really came?

Mabel's Labels: My All-Time Favorite Product

Back in the days when I had bottles to prepare for daycare, I embarked on a hunt for the perfect product: a label that would stay put without fading or peeling through the dishwasher, the crock-pot (that's how my daycare heated bottles), and oh, it needed to be cute too!

When I found Mabel's Labels, I knew I hit the jackpot! They had great products, and great customer service to boot. I've been using their products for over 3 years now and love them. Here's a few of my favorite products.

These Shoe Labels are fabulous- I know my daycare providers love me since they can quickly tell which shoes belong to the Sashas! These two-part labels (colorful main label and clear top label) stay fresh through sweaty socks and even through the washing machine. ($18.50 for 24 labels)

I use the Skinny Minis for all sorts of things- these were my bottle and lid labels, and I use them for sippy cups and anything else I need to label for daycare. ($18.50 for a pack of 80)

I saved my favorite product for last- the Tag Mates. We use these for any piece of clothing the kids may wear to school, including coats..... these don't come off either. Wash and dry.... no peeling off. These beat iron-on labels by a mile! ($21 for 75 labels)

Although they are a Canadian company, shipping to the USA is only $3. Shipping within Canada is free.

Mabel's Labels has given me five 15% off codes to share with my friends. These codes are good through February. Please email me at barelytogether at yahoo dot com if you'd like a code- oh and please, since there are only five codes, please only request a code if you plan to use it.

Getcha some!

Our Semi-Homemade Life

Have you ever "met" someone online and knew that you were kindred spirits?

That's how I felt when I met Elaine on the birth club message board for our Jan 06 girls. There were more than a few crazy coincidences that brought us together- our girls had the same first name (even spelled the same way!), her daughter was born on my birthday, and Elaine was originally an Okie like me.

It didn't take long before we were emailing each other on a daily basis and even making plans to meet in Summer 07. Luckily we hit it off in person too! In February 08 Mr. Sasha and I were in TX for a weekend getaway and and while he golfed Elaine and I had a fabulous day of shopping and girl-talk.

So you really need to go meet Elaine right this very second. I swear you'll love her- she's a chic, super-cool working mom of two who somehow manages to (Barely) Keep It All Together much better than I do! She just started a beyond-fabulous blog that you'll love- Our Semi-Homemade Life. Show her some Sasha Says love!

Notes From School: Some Redemption

I think The Politician's teacher knew how upset we were about him being asked to leave Spanish class the other day, because we got later got this note:

As usual The Politician is the first in line to help. The apple doesn't fall far etc. He also needed very little prompting on his manners.

And he got a good manners treat after lunch.

Swoon

Too Faced Mood Swing Emotionally Activated Lip Gloss ($18.50)

From Sephora.com:

What it is: An emotionally activated lip gloss that ranges from Smurf-blue shimmer to beautiful berry.

What it does: Too Faced Mood Swing Emotionally Activated Lip Gloss allows you to wear your emotions on your lips. Depending on your body heat level, the gloss blooms into countless shades of Smurf-berry pink. You never know what shade you'll get, but Smurfette thinks that's part of the fun!

I love this so so so much that I ordered a back-up! Note that this is a bit different than the original (which I also love), although the name seems to be the same on Sephora's site. The Smurfette version is more wine/berry than pink. Don't be scared of the "blue" mentioned above- it's only blue for about 3 seconds!

Silly Blogger

Well, blogspot address aren't redirecting to custom urls as they should.....

http://www.barelykeepingitalltogether.blogspot.com/ should redirect to http://www.sashasays.com/, but it's not....

On the blogger board, seems to be a blogger-wide issue.

If you've still got an old bookmark, like I did for Lipstick until just now, it won't work. Lipstick can be found at http://www.lipstickatthemailbox.com/ if anyone is looking for her! Be sure and change your bookmarks so you won't have this issue in the future.

Others I've redirectected in the past:

http://www.ashleyquitefrankly.com/
http://www.angryjuliemonday.com/
http://www.multislackingmama.com/
http://www.iusedtobewitty.com/

Any others I missed?

http://www.chicrunner.com/

Hope you can find who you are looking for until Blogger works this out!

Notes From School

Monday:

The Politician and a friend were asked to leave Spanish class on Monday because they were being disrespectful and disrupting class.


Tuesday:

The Politician was in the "Top 3" in manners at lunch today!!!!!

As you can see, consistency is not a Sashas family trait.

A New Lipstain

My favorite Avon rep, Valerie, knows how much I love lipstains, so when Avon's mark line recently re-released their Kissink Lip Tintmarker, she was kind enough to send me one to try.

I tried the Tintmarker in Berry Bitten and I love it! Typical lipsticks and glosses bleed into the lines around my mouth, which is so annoying! But using a lipstain and a gloss over it keeps that from happening. Quick note: You need to make sure your lips aren't chapped before you try a lipstain. Lipstains and chapped lips don't mix!

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!

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!

A Little Too Late

Last night when I got home from work, I checked our Call Notes, and we had a message.

"Hello. This is Sam's Club calling. We noticed you purchased some of the recalled Austin Peanut Butter Crackers, and wanted to make sure you knew these were not safe to eat. Blah blah blah."

Too bad they didn't call before I tried to poison my son.

New Skincare Routine?

I am toying with getting the Olay Professional Pro-X Anti-Aging Starter Protocol.

It contains Age Repair Lotion SPF 30 (day), Eye Restoration Complex (day and night), and Wrinkle Smoothing Cream (night).

Right now, Walgreens has it for $61.99 and there was a $5 coupon in the Sunday paper. The Olay website has a $25 mail-in rebate, and I know I have a Wags giftcard laying around from a script transfer. So I really wouldn't be OOP any....

Makeup Alley reviews are mixed, so I'm torn.

Have any of you tried it?

Chicken Fried

I just got this email from Mr. Sasha, who is lacking in technical skills, which makes this even funnier.

The name of the band that sings the Chicken Fried song is the Zac Brown Band. If you would, download it for me. I need you to make me a mixed CD of my favorite songs for Valentines.




We do like this song, 'cause it reminds us of our hick upbringing, but he's kidding about the mix CD. I think.

Today is Big Girl Bed Day

From Nov 1 through Christmas, The Wild Child didn't slept worth a shit. In addition to not going to bed until close to 10 pm, she would wake up an average of 5-7 times per night. Mr. Sasha and I were exhausted and didn't had a moment to ourselves. I didn't say a whole lot about this on here, because it's just hadn't been something I wanted to unload on you guys.

About a week before Christmas , I was doing some research and read about weighted blankets, which are supposed to help kids with SPD sleep better. I thought, what the hell, I'm desperate and ordering one. I ordered a 7 pound blanket that was 36" X 54" from The Hug Shack.

(photo from The Hug Shack)

It arrived on Christmas Eve and a miracle occurred! Her wakings decreased to 1-2 times per night, which was oh-so-much better. We were still having the issue of getting her to go to sleep in the first place though- 10 pm was still about the norm.

Last week, at the suggestion of Kelly Bee, I asked our OT about trying Melatonin. She said she had quite a few patients on it. I of course checked with my bargain board ladies and got some info on what kind to pick up (liquid). Another miracle! After giving it to her at 8 pm, she was going to sleep at 8:30 without a fight! I also checked with our ped to make sure he was OK with it, and he said if it's helping that much, go for it.

But she's still waking up once a night or so and coming into our bed, stealing my pillow, and jamming her little knees into my back and just generally disrupting my much-needed sleep.

So we think maybe she's rolling around in her crib-converted-to-a-toddler-bed and hitting the sides. So tonight, it's Big Girl Bed time. Mr. Sasha has already picked up the new full-sized mattress and box springs and dropped them off home, ready for us to rearrange her room tonight. All her furniture is tethered to the wall (I'm a super-smart mom!) and so we'll have to undo that and move stuff around to make it fit.

For now, we'll be leaving the mattress/box springs on the floor. I have a beautiful family quilt and a gorgeous pink blanket I've been saving to use on her BGB.

So cross your fingers and toes that tonight goes well!

Absolutely Final: Sasha's Motto

I love Jesus, but I drink a little.

This is my new motto.

Another Giveaway!

How could I forget Another Online Mom's Beauty Giveaway? She had an awesome month of budget-friendly tips, capped off with a fab prize! Go check her out!

Two Giveaways From My Friends

Two of my friends are having fun giveaways this week!

Katy, an IRL friend, is giving away Sentsy goodness!

And Chic Runner, a FIMH, is giving away the book Eat This Not That!

Go and enter!

Question

Coach Sterling Silver Logo Ring

What finger would you wear this on?

More specifically, would you wear it on your pointer finger on your right hand, if you already wore a Nelle and Lizzy Double Ring on your ring finger of that hand? (And only wore your wedding ring on your left hand.)

Sorry for the crazy details, but I really want to know if this would be too much.....

Pinecone Research Referral

The bargain board always freaks out when Pinecone Research opens up membership. Although I don't get a thing from this referral, I wanted to tell you about it because I really like Pinecone. They pay $3 for each survey you answer, and although I can't tell you about the surveys or products I have received, I can say that it's certainly worth your time!

Here's the email I got from them:

Dear SASHA:
**It’s not too late to take advantage of this special opportunity to refer households to apply for membership on the PineCone Research panel.** If you have already assisted with this effort - thank you and please feel free to disregard this email.

PineCone Research continues to grow and we invite you to help! We are offering select members the opportunity to recommend membership to a friend or relative who is NOT a member of their household.

Do you know of households that would like to join the PineCone Research Panel? If so, please FORWARD A COPY of this email to each household you would like to refer so that they may click on the registration link shown below. That household should complete the registration form themselves and submit it. REMEMBER THAT ONLY ONE PERSON PER HOUSEHOLD MAY REGISTER. Multiple registrations of the same Household will void all registrations.

Here is the link to the registration:
http://www.pineconeresearch.com/signup/ds531Referral1.asp

As a member in good standing, you've already seen the benefits of being part of PineCone Research. So please, share the benefits of membership with a friend. Just don't forget, please don't tell them about any of the products that you have seen in our questionnaires or tried in your home. Remember, it's important that your PineCone Research survey and product testing experiences remain confidential.

If your referral has any questions, they can email us at scott@pineconeresearch.com or click on the attached links to learn more about PineCone Research.

http://www1.pineconeresearch.com//about.HTM
http://www1.pineconeresearch.com//policy.htm

While this is not a paid referral program, we genuinely appreciate your help in spreading the word that PINECONE IS GROWING!

Thank you,
Karen Scott
Web site: http://www.pineconeresearch.com

Email: scott@pineconeresearch.com

Good Deal Alert: Walgreen's Revlon Creme Gloss

New Revlon Creme Gloss

Since I often run outside, my lips can get super-chapped this time of year, and my much-loves lipstains don't just work right.

So I was excited to see this new Revlon product offered as one of Walgreen's February Free After Rebate products. (Remember you can submit your rebate request online now- so much easier!)

I picked it up in Wine Anytime yesterday and it's a great color. Very smooth and pigmented. Feels great on my chapped lips. One caveat- it's one of those click-type brush applicators that Stila often uses- and you have to click it a million times to get it started. Seriously. I bet I clicked it 65 times....

There's also a $1 coupon for Revlon cosmetics in both the 10-12-08 and 12-07-08 SS inserts. That would make it a money-maker since Walgreen's will give you the pre-coupon price back! (And choose the Walgreens giftcard option to get an additional 10% back!)

Getcha some.

Trans Design Order

Oh my.... I am officially addicted to nail polish. If I had the time, I think I would be painting them every day!

I wanted to pick up all your suggestions, but I just couldn't! Some of the colors I already had, or at least had a dupe for. Thanks for all your ideas!

Here's what I got for myself:

SECHE-Restore Thinner 0.5oz. (my Seche Vite is too thick and needs to be saved from the trash!)
CND-Cuticle Eraser 0.5oz. 6/pk. (love love love this stuff and am splitting this 6 pack with a friend)
OPI-DS exclusive
OPI-DS couture
OPI-DS reserve
OPI-DS tapestry (I am in love with the DS shades!)
OPI-Queen Of West Web-Erly
OPI-Sweet As Annie-Thing
OPI-Pretty And Privileged (these three are the 90210 colors, had to have these!)
OPI-Yes...I Can-Can! (a friend had this on and it was so pretty!)
OPI-Pink Of Hearts 2 (breast cancer research color)
OPI-She's Golden
OPI-Pearls Night Out (thanks Belle for the suggestion!)
OPI-Coney Island Cotton Candy (thanks Carrie for the suggestion!)
OPI-Los Angeles Latte (wore this to my wedding and am dying to have it again!)