Noticing

I took my car in for an oil change today. The mechanic at the dealership informed me my car would be ready in an hour. Um, I wasn't prepared for that. (I have a lifetime oil change thing, and it used to only take 25 minutes!) I had the single stroller, I was in flip-flops and Miss E was wearing her princess high heels. But off we went. I decided we would walk to the mall and get Miss E's hair cut there. It was only a few blocks. As we slowly walked (to accommodate the restrictions of princess high heels), I was struck by how much more I notice when I am walking as opposed to when I am driving. I saw:

• a man looking chagrined as a cop wrote him a ticket
• a limousine being towed
• a church with a "Closed - Gone to Vegas" sign in the window
  
• a apartment building with a charming mosaic tile entryway

The only thing I might have spotted while driving is the guy who was pulled over, but I would have merely thought, "Sucka!" as I cruised past him. Miss E chattered happily and told me about the leaves on the ground, the cars on the street, and her princess shoes. Ace was content to chill in the stroller.

(When I get around to it, I will take some pictures of Miss E's new do. It's just a simple shoulder-length cut. The hair all the way down her back was just too much, since she cried like a banshee whenever I try to brush it.)

Tomorrow I am going to a show for the first time in forEVER and I am excited. Dh and I are going to see Blue October and Switchfoot. These are mainstream, right? EK and my brother had both never heard of them. I have decided they are the weird ones and I am the normal one. Ha ha

I am stuck in a terrible sleep cycle. I stay up too late, then sleep badly for four or five hours. Then when the kids go down for their naps, I crash for two hours. Then I'm not tired until late, and sleep badly for four or five hours. Repeat ad nauseum. I can't seem to break it. All I know is, these dark circles under my eyes are probably permanent.

Oh and somehow Dh already found the criticism of him contained in that last post! (...possibly because I left the laptop open to this blog...) Obviously I'm going to have to be a little more careful. Or less critical. Umm....yeah.

A Day in the (Grouchy) Life

Miss E dumped Cocoa Krispies all over her brother's head and the carpet this morning while I used the bathroom. Have you ever cleaned wet Cocoa Krispies off a carpet? It's a freaking joke. I had to pick them all up by hand. I swore in my wrath that tomorrow I am ordering a carpet cleaner. I tried to get Miss E to help me, but she kept accidentally stepping on them and grinding them into the carpet more. I had a minor meltdown.

I was a grouchy mess by the time Dh got home from his church meetings. Both kids were half-naked and I was still in my pajamas. And yet somehow we were ten minutes early for church. That's journal worthy. Ten minutes late is what we are 99% of the time, and I'm not exaggerating. At least I looked smokin', which did ease my angst temporarily.*

During the sacrament, Miss E said everything loudly. "That baby's cute! Can I take my shoes off? Is the sacrament over yet? Can I have some pretzels? Can I take my shoes off? Can I take my shoes off?" A red haze passed before my eyes as I whispered "Shhh!" ineffectually.

My husband made dinner and then expected accolades for it. Is the kitchen messy? Yes! How did you know? I know you're supposed to reward desired behavior with positive reinforcement, but I just didn't have it in me. I was too busy being grouchy, if you must know.

I oversaw the children playing in the pool. After Miss E threw water in Ace's face for the 9,000th time and threw all of his toys out for the 135th time, I picked her up and carried her naked soaking body into the house to spend some enforced quality time with her father. I could hear her screaming bloody murder even with the door closed. On the plus side, once she was gone, Ace played quite contentedly in the pool for ages.

I was not a nice mom or wife today. The good thing is I get to try again tomorrow.


*Apparently exercise really does make one look better. Who knew?

All Parents Believe Their Children Rock

Ace emerges from the water fountains at the park with a cool look of triumph.

Miss E helps Ace get some breakfast.

Miss E helps Grandpa build a crib for her baby doll while looking effortlessly stylish.

Miss E shows off the cool loot she got at her 3rd birthday party.

Ace really enjoyed celebrating Miss E's birthday.

Miss E riding a train at a local theme park. By herself. *sniff* My baby is growing up.

My Newest Love

So, hi. I just haven't felt like blogging. I've been reading oodles, which has been lovely. My kids are bigger. My husband is still in grad school. But I tried a new product recently and am so in love with it that I thought I would send out the news to the ether, in case someone else is also searching for something better in the makeup department. The product:




I've been reading in fashion/beauty magazines for literally years that cheek stain is the way to go. But seriously, who named that? I don't like stains. They get on my kids' clothes and sometimes render said clothing unwearable (because yes, ugly = unwearable). I can hardly ever get those puppies out. So in my mind, cheek stain = scary red blotches on my face.

I was at Sephor@ the other day with my m-i-l (I know, kinda weird) and I saw the above cheek stain, and thought oh what the heck, I'll try it. I put it on and instantly fell in love with how I suddenly looked a bit like Snow White (in my own fanciful mind). Loved it. Bought it on impulse.

Then lo and behold, this stuff stayed on my face all day. No reapplication required whatsoever. I'd been using Neutrogena blush, but had to reapply about every three hours to avoid reverting to my natural deathly-pale shade.

This stuff is so easy to apply. No scary red splotches! It's easy to layer to build up the color, and just a little bit of rubbing and then you're completely done for the day. My pallor is gone.