Okay, I’m back amongst the living. That was super fun.
Benjamin seems to be recovering from what could possibly be the nastiest stomach bug on the planet. I’ll tell you more about that later, cause I still can’t talk about it without getting nauseated myself.
But, now I really need your help.
I am not so good with the HTML. Thanks to the help of a code hero, I can close my comments, but some really aggravating spammers are getting through way too frequently for my own taste. I’d like to add that thing where you have to type a secret word before the comment is posted, but don’t know how.
Do you? If so, would you email me? There’s a chocolate toffee pecan pie in it for you.
Okay! Done. Folks, get your credit cards ready – these are things that every woman (and metrosexual man) should have in their beauty arsenal.
There are a few things I’ve decided to add to my list of must-have products. I don’t do this easily or often as I am a bit lazy when it comes to my beauty routine. (Oh, come on, you don’t wash your makeup off every night either even though we both know WE SHOULD.) However, these are too good to (a) pass up or (b) leave out. Buy them.
Have a zit? Need it gone tomorrow? This is how you do it. Seriously. I have no idea what’s in this little bottle of pink atomic power, but it works. OVERNIGHT.
This is quite frankly the most astonishing thing I’ve ever used. I use it on top of concealer to brighten under my eyes (which need all the help they can get some days). I also put it on top of my cheekbones and my nose for a little extra sculpting power for those special nights out. And you can reapply it later in the day if needed with no “gloppy” feeling. It’s photography lighting in a wand.
Having The Most Difficult Hair in the World has taught me to appreciate certain products. This was one that was part of my styling routine that I had let slip away over the years. A terrible mistake on my part. It has returned and OMG am I ever happy. Great for coarse hair if you want it sleek and shiny. It is lightweight and doesn’t pull all the curl out so you have options. Can coarse, curly hair be soft and shiny? Yes it can.
Here’s another one I let fall by the wayside that has now made a triumphant return. I tried really hard for years to switch to a drugstore brand of mascara. Really, I did. And for a few years I was happy with Almay or Great Lash. But the fact is that Lancome is simply the gold standard in mascara. And I loves me some long eyelashes.
Well, Amy had talked about it enough through the years and I wanted a little change in my complexion so I took the plunge. And? Not bad, really. Nice coverage. I still prefer using a slightly damp make up sponge for a softer look, but this is pretty good. And you can get one for relatively low cost. I got mine at Sephora ‘cause I was already there.
And now, because I’m feeling particularly helpy today, here are some other things that I’ll take to the grave clutching in my cold, dead hands in case they don’t have good hair and skin products where I’m goin’.
This is the best conditioner in the history of conditioner for those of us with coarse, curly hair. It has a painful price tag at $58, but you don’t need to use much and, quite frankly, I’d pay $250 for it. It’s that good.
Okay, this is a hard one, because there really are some great drug store face cleansers that I still have and would still use, but right now I’m loving this one. It is a wonderful cleanser that also takes every drop of eye makeup off. One step clean. Awesome.
Oily skin AND moisturize?? Yes, indeed. And this is the one to use. This light and fluffy goodness melts effortlessly into your skin almost like water. And I love the glowy look it gives.
($38 at Nordstrom)
And, that, in a nutshell, is my bathroom stash. Sprinkled in here are also eyeshadows from MAC, blush from Tarte, a variety of eyeliners and lipglosses.
Anyone else have recommendations on products or cosmetic lines?
Again, Mommy’s a little late. But you see, Little Dude, there has been much afoot around your home these past weeks and, well, the blogging? Notsomuch.
What a bunch of months. Really.
Although you are truly becoming quite the little person each day, there is a lot that happened to you these months that you have no idea about. First, you lost your grandfather after a hard-fought, six-month battle against lung cancer. You may not have a lot of memories of your Grandpa Gene, but, believe me, he loved you very much. We’ve gone through a lot of his things at his house and come across some of his baby pictures and OH MY G-D it’s YOU! Blue eyes and all.
As you grow up, you’ll hear a lot about your Grandpa Gene – and we’ll still get to see him in your face. It’s obvious you have his eyes, but I also hope you have his heart, intellect and kindness. And, don’t worry, he’s around watching you play, learn and grow. This we know.
In the middle of all this your Daddy and I decided we’d pull the trigger on a unique opportunity that presented itself to us and sell our house. You were a real trooper about all the cleaning and the putting away and all the endless showings that were constantly disrupting dinners. To you, it was just another adventure to Dodi and Zayde’s house for hours on end – and that is never bad!
Shortly after you turned 15 months we moved to our new house. We painted your room the same to help the transition, but I know this was a big change for you. But look at it this way…you gained STAIRS which you love to climb, regardless of what I think. And you handled it like a champ – it was if the other house never existed, which surprised me a little.
For many months you weren’t saying any words really clearly or consistently which might have caused me to anxiously Google “speech delay” at 7:30 in the morning one day, but, that’s okay. I can tell you’re working on it. Still. Diligently. And I’ll be patient. At 14 months you started saying “Dada” a little more regularly and when you point to a picture of Daddy and the other night actually busted out with “Nigh-Nigh” when I said Night-Night. These days you scream “DAAADDDYYY!” when he comes home in the evenings, but still no other “real” words. You are, however, having some very intent discussions with Elmo and Ernie. I hope they’re listening, otherwise it appears there’ll be hell to pay.
A few months ago you started pointing at things when I say a word or when you want me to say a word. These days we label and name EVERYTHING. Your favorite game is sitting at the dinner table pointing to everyone to make me say their names as fast as you can point. You have a little flat, wood, barn-looking toy with doors that flip open which hide a chicken, a cow and a horse. It is your favorite toy currently and you spend all kinds of time flipping those doors open and pointing to those three animals and grinning when I say their names and what sound they make. You also love to point at a picture of Daddy and I in The Swimmy’s room each morning and say “Da!”. You point to a picture of ArtsyDaughter as well, but you can’t pronounce her name yet. But at the end of this exercise you break into a huge grin – and that’s a great way to wake up each morning.
Your other favorite things to do this month are anything having to do with diapers. You love to play with them, take them out of the bags, walk around with them and have them changed. All I have to do is say “Let’s get a diapee!” and you drop what you’re doing, pop right up and run as fast as your little legs can take you to our room laughing and smiling the whole time. And you MUST see what Sesame Street character is on the diaper before we put it on. MUST. In case you were wondering, Ernie is your favorite. What a dude.
You finally got a taste of ice cream from your Zayde and, for a while, did actually say “iiii—seeem” when you wanted some. You know it’s in the freezer and you are not shy about walking over and pointing to it. We have undoubtedly created a frozen treat monster. Dats my boy.
The other major change for you is that we let your Nanny and our Housekeeper, Maria, go last month. It was a long time coming, but we finally did it and now you go to a little school The Swimmy attended in our neighborhood. The first few days were a little rough, but now you love it. You laugh, play, eat, sleep and learn happily every day. I love to see your art work that you make and I notice you are trying harder than ever to talk. Your teachers adore you and you love to go outside on their very cool playground.
The backlash for this has been that you have gotten sick. Not major fever or throwing up sick, but equally as painful viruses that causes awful little sores to pop up on your tongue. They kept you from eating or drinking, which made you hungry, which kept you from sleeping, which kept US from sleeping and the whole mess started over again for 10 glorious days. It over now. For you. Somehow I now have the damn things and they do, indeed, suck.
You had to take antibiotics, which tore up your stomache and caused some messy, but oddly odor-free diaper explosions. This made you cute little tushie a little raw and the pediatrician told us to let you walk around outside with no diaper on to allow air to get to it. You thought this was a WONDERFUL idea. I watched you pee all over our brand new deck. Either way, it made you feel better and we got pictures like this in exchange.
Finally, you love your Little Gym class that you play at every Saturday. Today was your “graduation” where you got a ribbon and got to show everyone how awesome you are at throwing your little self about. I now see why Daddy comes home so tired after those. Here is some video of you below that should pretty much be titled “Why We Don’t Have Enough Insurance”.
Benjamin, you are my Little Buddy. Everything about you from your messy smile to your sparkling blue eyes to the mop o’ blonde curls that stack up on the top of your head makes me smile. I never understood how boys could be “sweet”, but because of you I now get it. And I’m so glad I got you.
This week I sent in The Swimmy’s camp application for this summer. Normally that is no big deal (except, uh, for the PRICE of entertaining her tiny ass all summer).
But this application was a little different. This will be the first summer she goes to “sleep away” camp. For 10 whole days.
Dude.
Don’t get me wrong, I am THRILLED for her. This is a camp I went to, OldestDaughter and ArtsyDaughter have experience with and tons of my best memories are there.
Husband, however, cried a little when he realized I wasn’t kidding. And I quote: “Just get ready. Once they leave for camp they never come back the same kid.”
And? He’s right. I know that this experience will be challenging, a little lonely, completely eye-opening and absolutely a blast like she’s never had. How could she not come back different?
Husband always says enjoy the ages of 3 to 6 – that they are the best. I think he’s right. I’ve enjoyed her so much. And I wish I could freeze her little heart and brain where it is, but I can’t. And I know this.
I hope Camp becomes a part of her life that she looks forward to every summer. I hope she makes friends from all over Texas (and beyond). I hope she discovers parts of herself she didn’t know existed. I hope at the chapel under the twilight stars that the little piece of G-d inside her that she loves so dearly twinkles a little brighter. I hope she learns all the words to the Birkat. I hope that camp is ready for the little force of nature that is The Swimmy.
And I hope that as camp gives her wings to fly, she still comes back to us roots for a hug now and again.
A local high school girls basketball coach died last week from complications treating acute leukemia. His students did what most high school kids do in this situation, they spelled out “We Love You Coach [Name]” in styrofoam cups stuffed in the chainlink fench and went about trying to make sense of their own grief and how they will deal with the rest of the sport season.
Normally, I would simply feel sad, send a silent prayer out to the family and keep going. But something was different this time. Something bothered me about this more than usual, so I decided to look up this coach’s obituary in the paper to see if I could make sense of this.
As it turns out, I had met him. And his wife. And his entire family though I never knew their name. His oldest daughter (5) was in dance class with The Swimmy. I began to realize that he left behind daughters ages 5, 3 and a little boy named his junior who is only 2 months old. The mom is a teacher, they have enormous extended friends and family.
But the thought of this mom having to lose her husband, deal with two grieving daughters so young and a little boy who will never know his dad is crushing to me. Intrinsically I know that, if that were me, as a mom I would have to rise to the occassion and deal with the awful situation to help my kids. But as I allow myself to consider that position there is a huge part of me that thinks I never could. And that is so utterly unnerving that I have no words to describe it.
The Swimmy’s school has a curriculum piece that deals with a key character trait each week. For example, “Responsible” or “Truthful”. You get the picture.
Well, before school let out they had one that would last for the entire month. One elementary school put it on the billboard/marquis on its lawn: “Kindness”.
In true Swimmy fashion, the other day she announced that, oh, by the way, the character trait for the rest of 2007 was “Kidness”. (Dyslexia, anyone?)
I kinda like hers better.
Here’s wishing each and everyone of you a healthy, happy 2008 full of kidness. Be kid to each other. ;)
