Not-So-Scary Beauty Tips from GNO!

Our ward had a fun Girl's Night Out (GNO) where we had yummy snacks and shared our beauty tips and tricks. For those of you who couldn't make it or for all my friends in the cyber world, I took notes to make sure you can all be beautiful too!

Makeup:

• One fabulous mascara to be sure to try: Diorshow by Dior at Sephora.
• Wait until your mascara is DRY before you try to remove it.
• Don’t pump your mascara wand to replenish your wand supply, swish it around inside the tube. Air in the tube dries your mascara out faster.
• For luscious lips, put on your normal liner and lip color and then put a lighter shade of gloss on the front of the top and bottom part of your lips. Blend and be amazed!
• Sarah “Queen of the Bargain” Severson mentioned that twice a year, Carson Pirie Scott’s has a “Goodwill” sale where you bring your gently used clothes and the store gives you 20% off coupons. The kicker? The coupons are good on MAKEUP brands that never go on sale!
• Keep lipstick in your car (or gloss for summertime). You never know when you’ll have to talk your way out of a ticket!
• Baby wipes aren’t just golden for cleaning up a bum diaper, they are great for removing makeup! It’s best to remove your makeup before you wash your face at night.
• After applying lipstick, remove an excess by sticking your finger in your moth and wrapping your lips around it and popping it out. See? No messy teeth, too!
• Lori M. swears by her St. Ives Apricot Scrub for removing the dead skin to have the fresh glowing look she is renowned for in this ward!
• Check out www.makeupalley.com for all kinds of product reviews and beauty tips.
• To have baby soft skin? Lather on the baby oil straight out of the shower and then towel dry. Georgia Llamzon’s mom swears by it!
• Have your colors done! Our own Leslie Hicken knows that the right colors of your skin make all the difference!
• Need a good eye makeup remover? Lindsay suggests Mary Kay’s remover for an easy get away from your eye makeup.
• Looking for a new scent? Spray a little on your wrist, wait for it to dry, wait, wait, wait and then lick it. If it TASTES good to you, then it’s a good scent on you.
• Only use mascara for 3 months.
• Never share eye makeup.
• It’s better to over-moisturize your face than dry it out.
• Wash your face every night even if you don't put makeup on your face.
• It’s better to fork out the money for the eye firming cream then do your own stuff.
• If you pluck your eyebrows never go further in then the inner corners of your eyes.
• Don't pick at zits on your face it only spreads the infection and makes the zit stay abut 2 weeks longer than needed.
• No time for make up? Put on some mascara and use your blush. Put a little on your cheek bones and then a little on your eyes and you will look fresh and natural in no time.
• Invest in good brushes, blush, eyes etc. They do make a difference!
  

Nails:

• The day after a professional pedicure, put on another layer of clear topcoat to lengthen the life of your polish. Karrie King can go 6 weeks on one pedi alone!
• A good nail buffer (4-sided rectangle) makes all the difference on Carrie Christensen’s nails! No need for professional manis with one of these!
• For those ladies prone to peeling or chipping nails, keep polish on them to keep from picking at them.
• On your next professional mani and/or pedi, spring for the hot paraffin wax at least twice a year to feel like a queen for a day!
• When cutting your toenails, don’t round them, that causes ingrown nails! Yuck!
  

Hair:

• If you need to freshen up your ‘do without taking a shower, sprinkle a little baby powder on the roots. Darker-haired girls, be sure to use sparingly!
• Aerosol is a tried and true staple in the hair diet of Rachel R. so tell all of your friends! She likes DOVE, by the way!
• Several ladies mentioned a good hairstylist makes all the difference. Their secret? Lindsay F.! Give her a call, she’s in the directory!
• A deep conditioner can go a long way says, Sarissa H. For women with lots of hair or may be prone to the dreaded frizzeez, Sarissa suggests putting on a deep conditioner for an hour or two, rinsing and then using a leave-in conditioner before bed. She puts her hair into a messy knot and sleeps with it and in the morning, she has her lovely locks shining in the sun!
• For more volume on top of your head, Lindsay suggests blow drying against the way your hair falls naturally and using a round brush. Wash hair about every 3 days so your hair still produces its natural oils.

Wellness:

• Beauty comes from the inside out. Khania Lund believes that the way your dress, your hair, makeup and jewelry all have the potential to make you feel like a million dang dollars, even if you are just walking the kids to school or doing dishes! So go ahead! You’re worth it!
• Wear clothes that make you feel pretty.
• Exercise makes you feel good from the inside out and releases endorphins that are loads cheaper than plastic surgery!
• Always use sunscreen! Sun damage is not pretty!
• If you are ever having a “yucky” day, especially after you have given birth and find yourself staring at your hospital roomie and the less-than-appealing shared bathroom, slip into something familiar like your FAVORITE smelling lotion to feel human, again.
• Beware of the skin damaging duo: sun and caffeine!
• The fabulous Mrs. Downs claims that black clothes and a good A-line skirt make ANYONE look great!

Hey, if you have any great tips, feel free to leave a comment and I might just add it to the list!!

Being Green is Scary Business!

I decided to save a couple of quarters in gas and pick up Quinton from his Montessori class with my bike and trailer. It's only about a 10-minute ride but in the last two minutes, we had a not so fun scare!

About halfway down our block, I noticed a German Sheperd staring at us and I couldn't see his owner anywhere. Then, the dog started walking towards us and I decided to cross to the other side of the street.

Great idea, but the dog then started RUNNING AFTER US AND BARKING/SNARLING!

I tried not to freak out because you aren't supposed to show fear, right? They can smell it, right? So I yelled, "No, Dog!" peddled a little faster and then, he kept running after us, so I yelled, "COME GET YOUR DOG," to no one in particular, hoping the owner was nearby.

By now, I was about 3 houses away from my house but not sure if I should try and bike to the backyard before the dog caught us or if I should keep going. Just then, a SUPER nice guy in a car coming our way stopped and shouted, "Is that your dog?" That guy stopping his car and shouting stopped the dog in his tracks and I yelled back, "NO! Keep him away from us!" So the guy kept yelling at the dog to GO HOME while Q and I ran into the house.

Once I enetered the house, I ended up calling the local police department. At first, they said they didn't have an animal control department and to find a place in the yellow pages to take care of the dog. So I went back outside to see if the dog was still loose. Instead, the guy who 'saved' us, came driving back down our block and stopped and asked if I was calling the police. I told him what the police said and the guy told me the address of the dog's owner. Apparently, this guy stayed in his car, yelling at the dog to go home until the dog did. So I called the police back with the address and last I saw, there was a cruiser at that house. I don't know what happened from there but I was SO grateful for the man in the green Cubs shirt who yelled at the dog and kept the dog away from us!

My older sister has been bitten BAD by a strange dog so I know that some of these dogs mean business and can cause harm. It such a helpless feeling to have a dog barking, snarling and running after you and your child! Not to mention it's a great way to get to know your neighbors by calling the cops on their dog. Sheesh! I could do without THIS kind of excitement in my life!

SCORE on Birthday Weekend!

Well, you might think we're Jewish celebrating Hannukah birthdays that seem to last 8 crazy days and nights, but no, I'm just a busy mom with one cute little boy to spoil to my heart's content! With Quinton's birthday falling on a Tuesday, I tried to make that day special and then with the Cubs game, we made the week special and then with Saturday's birthday party, we made him turning 3 very special!

First thing Saturday morning, our church had a fun run. Personally, I think the term "fun run" is a perfect example of an oxymoron, but that's just me...and I walked!

Here is Quinton warming up with his buddies.

And here is Quinton in full "Lollygagging" mode. I had our big ol' super jogger with me but Quinton didn't want to be caught dead with his mom in a glorified stroller!

Oh, and we can't forget that Quinton is a total flirt and took this opportunity to turn on the charm with the new girl in town, Miss Makena. Sorry all of you other 2-3 year old ladies to whom I have betrothed Quinton to further our status in life, Miss Makena has her eye on the Q man! Trust me, Miss Makena gets what she wants, too!

After the quote, unquote Fun Run, Matt, Q and I headed back home where we went into full WHITE TORNADO mode, finishing the house to prepare for the Soccer-themed birthday party slash BBQ later in the afternoon. Matt was a really good sport about the sheet of legal note pad paper filled with my Honey Do scrawlings. I think one of my chicken scratches even mentioned spray-painting soccer field lines onto our grass in the backyard. Lucky for me, my level-headed husband skipped that task :)!

I wish I had more pictures of the event but I was so busy with everything else, I barely took pictures of the party at all. Here are a few snapshots of Quinton opening his gifts. It was really a mosh pit of wrapping and bows because ALL of the kids wanted to help Quinton open presents so he would run to a neutral spot and try to open a present and then the kids would all run over to him to "help." It was pretty hard to get a good shot of the melee, but it was funny to watch!
More birthday present helpers:

This is a really cute picture of our friend Miss M and her daddy, Mr. K. Miss M is one of my Sunbeams and I have known her since the day she was born. It is so much fun being back in an area where we already have history and friends! Plus, there are so many new people here, we are really enjoying the new friendships we are making, as well!

This picture still makes me laugh! One of Quinton's favorite presents? A bag...to put over his head! He is a goofball!

Towards the end of the party, I gave Quinton our presents for him: two Transformers! I bought him the 3-year old versions of the cars that pop up. One is Bumblebee and the other is Optimus Prime and he LOVES, LOVES, LOVES these cars! Another friend gave Quinton a Batman car and he has been sleeping with all three cars in his bed since Saturday night!

Here is Q and his friend, Grant, playing with the cars.

A funny story about our friend, Grant. Grant is a BIG Cubs fan and whenever we see him (except in church), Grant is wearing some kind of Cubs apparel, whether it's a hat, jersey, t-shirt, it seems like he has an endless wardrobe of Cubs gear. So when Quinton and I were walking to Wrigley Field on Friday, we kept seeing little boys in Cubs gear and Quinton would keep saying, "Mommy, there's GRANT!" and then, Quinton would yell, "GRAAAAAANT!" It really cracked me up!

Sunday, after church, I realized Quinton had his presents from my mom to open! I think it's been almost a full week of presents, so far! Seriously, Quinton woke up this morning asking where his presents were!
Q takes his wrapping ripping very seriously!
Grandma Kathy, he loves his new books! Thank you!!!!

Halfway There...

Matt and I had planned on taking Quinton to the Museum of Science and Industry on Friday, as part of Quinton's birthday week festivities. Instead, we decided we wouldn't have too many opportunities to take Quinton to a Cubs game, this season, so we ended up picking up tickets at the last minute and headed to Wrigley Field for the Cubs vs. Cardinals game.

Unfortunately for us, the Cubs didn't win, but it was so FUN to take Quinton to his first MLB game at Wrigley Field!

The score shows us "Halfway There" in the ninth inning but the score stayed the same until the end.

One of Quinton's favorite parts of the day was taking the EL down to Wrigley Field. It's actually a lot of fun because as you stop at each stop, more and more Cubs fans start filling the train cars.

This is Quinton's method of passing the time on the train...


And entertaining everyone on the train...

Practicing his dance moves for the game. I think he was hoping to make an appearance on the Jumbotron.

We met up with Matt, just as the game started. If you can see the Wrigley sign, we were already down by 8 in the 2nd inning!

See, I was there, too!

I don't just write this blog, I actually appear in pictures every once in a while. Kind of like a "Where's Waldo" deal!

Our lovely seats in the upper bleachers.

This is Quinton as we stood up in the 7th inning to sing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game". Quinton made it to the bottom of the 6th inning before passing out.
Okay, this is a funny side story worth telling. The guy in the picture below was sitting about 6 seats away from us. A different group of guys directly behind us dubbed this furry dude, "Cowbell," because he looked like Will Ferrell's character in the infamous Saturday Night Live Cowbell skit featuring Christopher Walken.

The one guy directly behind us kept saying COWBELL, COWBELL, COWBELL! He would then pretend he had a cowbell and dance and pretend he was hitting the imaginary cowbell. The whole time, the guy in the picture below would NOT look our way. Maybe you had to be there, but I was almost falling over laughing!

Half of the fun of going to a game is the social aspect!

Here we are at the end of the game. Quinton was kind of awake but not happy about posing for a picture. We had such a good time, even though the Cubs didn't win. I hope we have lots of opportunities, as Quinton gets older, to do fun stuff as a family!

Look At Me! I'm 3!!!

Diaper Diaries

Day #1,095

It's really weird to think that Matt and I have been changing diapers for over 1,000 days!

It seems like we can hardly remember life before Quinton because he brings us so much joy and I almost feel guilty for thinking he is the most wonderful 3 year old in the world!

Here was Quinton at 10 days old...

Now look at him!

Quinton's new friends Makena and Ethan were so excited about Quinton's birthday, today, they brought over this gigantic #3 last night! Quinton has had more fun with this balloon that dwarfs him! It will be a sad day when this balloon deflates and there is no more giant #3 to welcome him everyday.

We've even tried potty training for a couple of weeks and this morning, I asked Quinton if he wanted to go to the bathroom and as if by the pure magic of being on this earth for 36 months, Quinton said, "Sure." And he went!

We were high-fiving each other all morning...after he washed his hands, of course!

Quinton and his precious balloon...

When Quinton woke up this morning, he had several cards and presents waiting for him. This year, he was really excited to open everything!

My grandmother, Quinton's Great Grandmother, sent him this really funny book with googly eyes. Quinton kept moving the book to see if the eyes would follow him and sure enough, the eyes went around, upside down and every which way to Christmas, following him the whole time! We'll have to make sure and read this during the day time because I think it freaks him out a little.

After Quinton's Montessori class, we headed to one of my favorite places for a celebratory lunch, Chuck E. Cheese's! I joke with a friend that I will start a phenomenon (not unlike the whole Target being pronounced Tar-jay to give a french air of sophistication to the brand) where people will call Chuck E. Cheese's, Chuck de Fromage, so that I am NOT slightly embarrassed to admit that I love the place!

Seriously, Quinton loved it!

The guy behind the toy counter even slipped Quinton a free bag of cotton candy when I mentioned Quinton was the birthday boy. Next time, I'll have to thank that guy for my 3 year-old running around in circles and jumping on my bed at 10 o'clock at night because he sneaked into his bag of cotton candy at 6 pm!

Thanks, dude!

We topped off his birthday festivities, tonight, with a steamy bowl of Mac N' Cheese at his favorite local restaurant. Of course, it's only his favorite restaurantr because they have those blasted quarter machines that vend such novelties as bouncy balls that once bounced, are nearly impossible to find! But hey, it's HIS day, right?

More festivities are planned for this weekend, so stay tuned!

Random Pictures From Me!

This wasn't exactly Quinton's first day of Montessori since he's been going all summer long, but this was the first day of the fall session and since almost all of my friends' blogs have pictures of their cute little darlings heading off to their first day of preschool/school, I wanted to give Quinton the same kind of blog space. So here is my baby, who turns THREE next week. That has given me a whole new kind of anxiety!

So the rest of these pictures are a little random. Below is a picture of my luscious fruit pizza I made for a Sunday dessert at our friend's house. It was even more deliscious than it looks in the picture!

Quinton is at the age where I CRINGE when I see one of these rides inside a store! I cringe because I know that I had better have at least 2 quarters in my purse or I am in big trouble! Lucky for me, I had the 2 quarters in my purse when we saw this too fun truck for Quinton to practice his driving skills.

And last, but not least, between my sister's camera and my camera, we took over 1,500 pictures of our vacation in Utah! I have been VERY slow at putting up any pictures on the blog or even in an online album because there are so many!

Below is one of my favorite pictures from the trip to McCall, Idaho and if you go through old blog posts of mine, you'll see almost the EXACT same picture from last year, only the kids are one year older and there is a new one, Charlotte, aka ZuZu.

I also found out this afternoon that one of my favorite people fom Tulsa, Erin, is coming out for a visit in October, just to see MOI! I am so excited!

So you wanna be a rockstar?

Um yeah, I think I'm a cool hip mom - some days - since I can name every member of New Kids On the Block, still (thank goodness they are in again, along with leggings!). But as I was blog surfing (you KNOW you do it), I came upon a blog that had some really cool music - the sad part was that I had never heard of any of the artists on this person's music list...except for Deathcab for Cutie. I've heard of them, I think...or maybe it's Dashboard Confessional...I could be confused, both of them remind me of cars so I could have them mixed up.

You may not know this about me if you've known me less than a decade or so, but I used to dance my way up and down the club scene in the Wasatch Valley (If you are my mom and dad, none of this is true, I'm making it up!)! Those boxes at the Edge/Omni in Provo....yeah, that was me up there! That "cage" at the Vortex...nope, it wasn't me, but it was one of my roomies!

Anyway, sometimes I miss the good old days of being "Astronaut Girl", but honestly, hearing the Q man say "MOMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEE" a thousand and one times a day is way cooler than being hip anymore.