October is my favorite month. It's full of wonderful weather, bright colors and crisp air. I feel more energized during this month than any other time of year. Maybe it's the jewel-toned leaves or the tart apples and cider everywhere. Maybe it's my annual fall hair color change. Yes, you heard that right. When the clock turns to Vernal Equinox, I book my appointment at my hair salon and put in the lowlights. A nice caramel color to off-set the season. Then fall is truly here. I love the pumpkins on doorsteps and the cornstalks wrapped on lamp posts that line my street. There are numerous fall festivals that crop up making my bustling metro area feel more like a small town full of hayrides, face painting and haunted houses. I just want to bake non-stop. Pumpkin-spice cupcakes, … [Read more...]

My 'Working Mother' magazine came in the mail this week. I'm somewhat puzzled by its appearance as I didn't subscribe to it. I've read it before so a free magazine is fine with me. The headlines on the cover were all about 'The 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers'. A quick rundown of that list showed Booz Allen Hamilton, Abbott, Avon, Citigroup and Dupont among many others. Obviously my company was not listed. I didn't even have to look at the list to know that, but two things did strike me as I went through the magazine. I found myself getting a little annoyed at first then frustrated.First, there was a letter to the Editor by a reader who made a very good point. She was upset that the only women featured in these articles happen to be VP's or Executives. I quickly flipped … [Read more...]

A dull ache like a constant thud, thud, thud is coming from behind my eyes. My eyelids feel as if they have broken up pieces of cheetos stuck underneath them and it hurts to blink. My face, my body, my brain are all tired. This week has been very long. The lack of sleep makes it so. I am making stupid mistakes just because I can't seem to find my needed allotment of REM. H is on travel this week so I'm pulling double duty with T.D. In some respect it's been nice. I'm eating like I'm single again. No one there to stare at me as I eat stir fry with chopsticks while alternately heating Morningstar Veggie nuggets in a series of two's because I'm not ready to commit to four or even three nuggets at a time. When I burned two bagels in one day AND half a loaf of Italian bread only T.D. … [Read more...]

Nothing makes me more cantankerous than bad manners. Rudeness abounds in this world on a daily basis, and I too can be guilty of that one. However, if you want to piss me off really quickly then exhibit some appalling manners like chewing with your mouth open, eating on the phone or generally having bad phone etiquette in general and I may not be able to talk to you for a while. I can't say I don't know where it comes from because I do. My mother hates ill manneredness just as much as me and my grandmother has often been known to be horrified by such displays as bad table manners or illicit behavior in public. Maybe that's why her hair is so white? When I call myself "Little Ms. Bree", my friends agree. H, in his ever entrepreneural mind, has even suggested that I start a class … [Read more...]

The month of October we have Arbonne as our featured product, specifically the RE9 Anti-aging skin care line.I was sent the whole set about two weeks ago and I started using them that weekend. It's been about a week and a half now and I can honestly say that I do notice a difference. I'm lucky enough that I have the WHOLE line (Face Wash, Lift gel, Serum, Day and Night Cream, and Eye Repair cream) including the Body Serum and Body Lotion as well as the facial scrub and deep-pore cleansing masque. That's a lot of stuff people. A lot. Just the facial line for day and night consists of seven items. It was, I admit, a bit daunting at first. I kept opening box after box of these bright orange and gold bottles thinking how on earth will I find the time to get all this on my face? I wake up … [Read more...]

I don't anymore. That's right. I've been outed people. My Mom has read the blog. Yes, a bit of panic hit my heart and stomach when I heard her say, "Oh, I've read it." I could just picture her little smile and almost but not quite bearing of the teeth thing that she does. So I now wonder a few things. Will this inevitably censor me? Which would render this whole blog venture null and void. I mean who wants to read about our daily insanity without the good stuff? Will my Mom be a regular reader? Hmm...Now that it's out there though it is kind of a relief. I've told her before all this that I keep a blog and she did ask last night, "Why didn't you ever tell me how to find it before?" Well, gee maybe because sometimes I seem a bit off my rocker and sometimes as Fresh Prince once … [Read more...]

At about 9:30 p.m. in a hospital basement elevator I turned to H and said, "Oh you know I will be blogging about this tomorrow!"After getting home a tad early yesterday armed with my budget spreadsheet, game plan, and mind set to argue my point about staying home and doing freelance writing full time I found it was all for naught. H came home late and while kissing T.D. on the head asked this question, "How is that bite on her arm doing?"Ummmm...what? Oh right the mosquito bite. "I don't know", I replied. H looks at T.D. and says, "Well it was worse this morning. I put that long sleeve shirt on her so daycare wouldn't see it. "Again, WHAT?!? I roll up T.D.'s sleeve. Oh my HORRORS! The tiny red bite from the other day is now a pussing, scabby mess complete with a bright red ring … [Read more...]

I have a confession to make. I am a fraud. That woman you all see holding it together, smiling and laughing, making snarky, sarcastic comments? The one who seems to know what is going on all the time while sporting the latest nail color? Yeah, that can be me from time to time. But she's also the one who spends so little time with her kid that when she does make it out to "brave" the grocery store she is amazed when they make it home alive and in one piece.Stop me if I'm wrong but shouldn't that phase be over by about 3-4 mos of the child's life? Shouldn't I, the mother of a 7 mos old T.D., be over this already? Because for me it's still on going. I live in fear of having to do anything with T.D. because I'm so not used to doing it. Either H, bless his heart, takes it on or I do it … [Read more...]

For October I'm doing one entire product line instead of various different 'Products of the Week'. The product this month is Arbonne.Arbonne is a company that until a week or so ago I knew little about. I knew maybe one person who used the products. They always raved about the items they used and the great customer service but I myself hadn't really looked into. It's a Swiss company developed in 1975. That's a whole year older than me! They pride themselves on quality, value, results and being natural product company. Like Avon or Mary Kay they rely on Representativesto sell their wares. Their approach is that their products are "pure, safe and beneficial" to the user. I'm using the whole RE9 line for a week to see what Arbonne is like. I was even sent baby care products (also all … [Read more...]

You know that first week you get back from vacation? It seems like it lasts forever and is always much more stressful because, well it's not vacation. I had that week last week and Thursday I. Lost. It. Big. Time.When we got back from Jamaica we immediately set about getting food back in the house, doing the mountains of laundry that accumulate and finishing the unfinished business of the house we are flipping. Add to that a regular work week and two nights of after work social plans, things we REALLY wanted to do, we should have known that is spelled Trouble with a capital T. The first one was a bit crazy with me running around the kitchen like a madwoman while H did things like folding laundry that I couldn't understand. Get your shoes off the table! Pick up your gym bag and put it … [Read more...]