Clockin' Out

I'm taking a little bloggy break to spend some time with my family. It's going to involve a lot of sand, surf and, hopefully, a trip to the Banana Republic Factory Outlet (oh, happy day!). I'll be back in about a week or so with plenty of fun things to share. Catch ya then!

A Makeover of a Different Sort

I don't know about y'all, but organization has never been my strong suit.

I believe the reason is two-fold. First, I love to shop. So, I tend to acquire new things somewhat regularly. The other half of it is, I have a hard time parting with things. I am queen of the "I-should-really-keep-this-because-I'm-sure-I'll-need-it-at-some-point-and-it-would-really-save-me-a-ton-of-money" mentality.

I make mention of all this because my organizational dysfunction has had a disastrous effect on my makeup drawer. And, because a picture is worth a thousand words, here you go... (read more)

For the Pint-Sized Superhero

My 3 1/2-year-old son is obsessed with superheroes. He proudly dons his cape and boots while I run errands. He runs around the playground hunting out "bad guys." He's constantly showing me how strong he is.

Here's the problem, though. It's hard to find superhero items -- books in particular -- that a) are not scary and b) have a shred of educational value. The superhero books that I have found usually involve a tad more violence than I'd like for a 3-year-old. So when it comes to superhero books, I usually skip them. Thus, my poor son is forced to stick with the likes of Dr. Seuss at bedtime.

But.

I recently found the best book for the pint-sized superhero lover. It's called SuperHero ABC.

Written by Bob McLeod, SuperHero ABC features one superhero for each letter of the alphabet. I love Goo Girl, who "shoots great gobs of goo at gangsters." My son loves "The Volcano" because he "vomits on villians."

The illustrations are colorful and engaging, while not being scary in the slightest. My son loves reading the book, and I like the fact that the book helps work on his letter recognition (without him even realizing it!). Amazon says the book is appropriate for Preschool age through Grade 2. I would have to agree. It's written in such a way as to be entertaining for a variety of age levels -- adults included.

So if you're looking for a great birthday or upcoming Christmas gift for the superhero at your house, definitely check this one out.

For more great children's book suggestions, head on over to 5 Minutes for Books and check out the monthly Kid's Picks Carnival.

Why I've Been a Little Busy Lately...

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. This whole "parenting three kids" thing? It hasn't been that bad. At times, it's been pretty easy.

Why's that, you ask?

Well, my youngest is not in much of a rush to go anywhere. As we ticked off all the baby milestones -- first smile, first tooth, rolling over -- our "ticking" eventually came to a screeching halt. We hit nine and 10 months, and there was no sign of Grace wanting to crawl. We hit 11 and 12 months (ages at which my other two children were already walking), and there was still no sign of crawling. Grace was happy to just sit where you placed her -- and if there were no toys within reach, she'd happily play with the carpet lint, thankyouverymuch.

If this was my first child -- or even my second -- I would have panicked. I would have sought out referrals for physical therapists. But my doctor assured me nothing was wrong. So, I chose to view Grace's non-movement for what it really was: a gift. The hardest part of babyhood starts the moment your baby learns to crawl. For the next year, your full-time job is to watch them like a hawk. Hazzards abound and you cannot let your guard down for one second.

So, really, I wasn't too broken up that Grace wasn't going anywhere. I could set her in the middle of a room with her siblings, and I was assured she'd be in the same spot 30 minutes later. I could make dinner. I could throw on a load of wash. My job as "Mother of Three" was relatively manageable.

Well, that has changed, my friends.

Finally, at 14 months Grace has started to crawl. And, to make life even more complicated, she's apparently on the "accelerated movement plan." Where my other two kids happily crawled for a few months before tackling how to walk, Grace is already walking with assistance. She loves to take on the stairs, and she's also my first cabinet opener.

All that to say, my parenting job just got exponentially harder. I've been a little tied up lately trying to scoop up the Polly Pockets before she gets to them, or making a flying leap for the stairs before she attempts them head first. Again.

It's going to take a little juggling, a little more multi-tasking. But, slowly, I'm starting to get the hang of it.

And, truth be told, it's fun to see her so proud of her new-found independence.

Sheer Cover: A Missed Opportunity

Everyone's over at Chic Critique today for "I Tried it Tuesday." That's where everyday readers get to write about beauty products they've tried and tested. Here's my contribution...

All of us have made the occassional beauty faux pas.

I may have mentioned my horrid perms (a few thousand times -- those scars run deep). Add to that a slew of makeup and fashion blunders and really, I'm left wondering why the gals over at Chic Critique allow me to regularly write reviews on beauty products.

But, I suppose that's neither here nor there.

At the risk of sounding like a public service announcement, the biggest beauty mistake I've ever made has been sun exposure. See, I grew up in a time when this was the norm.



What's more, I've had the good fortune of inheriting olive skin from my mother. That means that no matter how much time I spend in the sun, I never burn. I just get darker and darker. Throughout my teens and 20s, I happily sported that "healthy glow" each summer.

Then I turned 30. That's when all the sun damage began marching across my face in the form of brown spots. That look, I can assure you, is not so healthy.

So, for the last four years, it has become my mission in life to hide or -- better yet -- eliminate the sun damage. It's something much easier said than done.

But, when I read Leigh Ann's post on Sheer Cover, I figured I'd give it a shot. I ordered the "medium" shade kit through the website. I agonized over whether to order the medium or the tan shade. I asked everyone what they thought. My mom and my sister (c'mon that's "everyone," right?) said that tan was too dark. They assured me I was a medium.

So, I got my kit. I followed the directions and all looked good for about an hour. After that, I wasn't so crazy with the results. It wasn't providing the amount of coverage I had hoped for. And, it didn't feel like it was "staying on" throughout the day.

After a few more tries, I ended up calling Sheer Cover to ask how I could return it and cancel my "membership."

The Sheer Cover customer service is really good. She asked if I was sure I had the right color, as many customers have found that when the coverage wasn't good they were using the wrong shade. She'd be happy to send me the right shade free of charge. I was pretty sure I had chosen the right shade, but in hindsight, I obviously didn't. I should have had her send me the other one. Additionally, she offered to send me the Sheer Cover primer to try at no charge -- which is another thing I should have taken her up on. I felt like without a primer, the makeup settled into my, ahem, fine lines and pores.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I was in a funk that day. I didn't want to try more product, I just wanted to cross "Return Sheer Cover" off my to-do list. I've been kicking myself ever since.

So, long story short, I do think Sheer Cover is a good product (the mascara rocked, btw!). If I had given it more of a fair chance, I probably would have been quite pleased. (If you're going to try it, I would highly recommend getting them to send you the primer.)

Really, I consider it a missed opportunity. Would Sheer Cover have been able to hide the sun spots? I'll never know for sure.

Some New Family Favorites

Darcie mentioned a few weeks ago that it's been a while since I've particpated in Menu Plan Monday. She's right. Part of that has been due to the allergy treatments that my daughter has been doing (when you've got to avoid say, sugar, for 30 hours, your menus lack a certain "excitement.") But the other half of it is that I've been in a recipe rut. I was getting to a point where it just felt like I was making the same ol' thing, over and over and over again. Anyone else ever feel that way?

Well, in the last few weeks, I've been on a new recipe search. I've found some great recipes and some not-so-great ones. This week, I thought I'd share some of our new family favorites:

Bruschetta Chicken: I tried this one at the suggestion of Laura and it was tasty. I used a few garden ripe tomatoes, which really made the whole recipe. The ingredients seem very simple, but the taste is great.

Thai Mango Chicken: I love Thai food, but I have never had much luck making it at home. It just never tastes quite like the real deal. Well, that all changed once I made this recipe. Oh my gosh -- this one is a home run! Make it now! It's so easy, and I could eat it every day. Really.

Mini Farfalle Chipotle Chicken Pasta in Fire Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce: Okay, this is so good, it will make your toes curl. To borrow a phrase from my blogging pal Heather, it's fan-flipping-tastic. It will look like it makes gallons -- trust me, you'll eat every last bite.

Southwest Black Bean Salad and Peach Torte: These are delicious -- hurry up and make the Peach Torte before peaches go out of season.

Open-Faced Chicken and Muenster Sandwiches with Apricot-Dijon Spread: This recipe is from the latest issue of Cooking Light. It's easy, tasty and great for a summer evening.

For more great menu ideas, head on over to Menu Plan Monday!

Did you try it? We want to know!

Do you read Chic Critique? Have you tried any of the products spotlighted? Here's your chance to tell us what you thought!

This Tuesday, September 9th, Chic Critique will be hosting "I Tried it Tuesday." All you do is write a short post on your blog about a product you've tried as a result of reading about it on Chic Critique. Be sure to include the name of the product, a link back to the Chic Critique post about the product, and your thoughts on the product based on your own recent experience. Pictures are optional (but welcome!)

After you've done that, simply place the permalink to your "I Tried it Tuesday" post into the Mr. Linky over at Chic Critique. (Please only leave a link if you have written an "I Tried It Tuesday" post.) Also, if you could please mention "I Tried It Tuesday" in your post, that would be supa fab.

Can't wait to hear about the great (or not so great) products you found!