We are Marshall. Remember the Titans. Friday Night Lights. The Blind Side. Rudy.
Add When the Game Stands Tall to that list of great football movies – it looks so, so good. And, I love me some Jim Caviezel. Swoon.
Will you go see it? What’s your favorite football movie?
Dear anyone buying gifts for a baby:
Skip the classic wooden toys, plush animals, developmental skill builders, animated machines, and all the other fancy toys…the only toy your baby wants is a tv remote. Proof (notice discarded toy pile in back):
Take out the batteries, wrap that sucker up and gift it to one of your girlfriends for her baby shower. Her baby will love it. Trust me. Oh, and just for giggles, remove the mute button. Those don’t work on babies.
You’re welcome.
P.S. Smart phones may also be used in place of television remotes. (Isn’t it a bit sad that our babes already understand how important these devices are in our lives? Eek.)
Do you use deodorant? Of course you do. But is your deodorant just a deodorant or also an antiperspirant? I’ve always used an antiperspirant because, well, I’ve not wanted to be dripping with sweat all day. But a little light went off in my brain the other day when I read this beauty profile of Erica of The Mama Circle and she mentioned that anti-perspirant includes aluminum as the active ingredient, which is a super scary thing to be putting on your skin and seeping into your blood and the rest of your body (especially for nursing moms because your breast tissues extends in to your underarms). Say what?! Add that to the long column of things we need to worry about.
So I tried one of the ones Erica recommended – Lavanila. Despite its lovely name and the promise of a soothing vanilla scent, it was awful. Just horrible. To me, it smelled like bug spray as soon as I opened the cap and by noon I could smell that fake perfume swirled with body odor amplified in a horrible way, even worse I’d say than it would have been if I simply hadn’t worn anything. Woof. There are a few other natural deodorants out there that some people swear by. Like this one, this one, and this one. Clearly this is an issue that resonated with more than just me because not too long after that beauty profile, A Cup of Jo editor Caroline did a “Do I Smell Funny?” Natural Deodorant Challenge (kudos to her). But she gave the Lavanila four out of five stars so maybe what works for one doesn’t work for others. I’m still not sure. Perhaps I should just start stealing Mumbles’ every morning – after all, it seems to be working just fine for him and he can only use deodorant (not antiperspirant) due to some kidney issues. I’m not above putting some Old Spice under my arms every morning. I’ll smell like hunky man and it’ll be fabulous.
Before shelling out any more dough, I may just try Erica’s easy peasy DIY for deodorant, found here. (Apparently it’s a common DIY, all-natural recipe because it was also posted on Babyccino Kids a while back…tried and true, fingers crossed?!).
Do you use an all-natural deodorant you can recommend?
P.S. “Do Any of These Hippie Deodorants Work?“
Enjoy these fun finds from around the web this month:
Meet Hands Solo, an injured pup who walks on his front two feet.
Never thought of wood as sunken treasure but it sure is pretty.
Made me laugh because that’s totally me whenever I drive Mumbles’s super fast car.
This in-car feature almost makes me want to become a minivan mom. Almost.
Would you ever sign a pre-pregnancy contract?
Children’s Hospital of Orange County needs blood.
The interior dividers in this weekender bag are genius. Adding it to my Dear Santa list.
Like wine + animals? Here’s the perfect event for you on August 2 in OC.
Speaking of wine…mmmm…sangria.
Still love this song.
A sneak peek of the 2015 Ikea catalog. Get ready.
And how sweet is this: some Ikea stores are advertising adoptable dogs in their stores.
These nannies know how to kick ass.
Re2pect. The Derek Jeter commercial that makes you tear up a little.
What does “like a girl” mean to you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs
Image: boozy chocolate-dipped coconut popsicles via Hungry Girl Por Vida. Yum.
In my opinion, stories like this from other moms in the trenches, sisters in “there’s spit up on your shirt” solidarity are not shared nearly often enough. In some moments, they’re pretty much the only thing keeping me sane, reminding me that whatever it is I’m struggling with as a mom, “it’s okay” because out there are other women also staring down a house project to-do list that started a year ago and never gets a darn thing checked off. Or maybe it does but I just keep adding more that progress seems a mirage. It’s super overwhelming.
“Isn’t it funny how parenting works out? It’s just so loud, even when they are asleep. You can never turn parenting off. It’s a good thing it’s what we always wanted, isn’t it?” – the 42-year-old mother at the library who has finally had that baby after 12 years of trying but still feels tightly wound at the end of the day
Last weekend I was in such a funk. Trying to be a good wife, I even kept warning Mumbles about my mood, throwing him daring glances over my shoulder as I furiously washed another sinkload of dishes. I cursed. A lot. And then I silently scolded myself for being short with him. In the next breath I was pissed at myself because what if I’m cursing too much and Declan is aware of my negative aura and his first words are the kind you have to bleep out?
And in a snap I was back to cussing and not caring because my fingers were turning to prunes, my manicure was chipping (said manicure was hurriedly performed on myself just one hour prior to my friend’s wedding a few days earlier…needed to clarify that point because what mom has the leisure time to patiently paint her nails?), and I was taking too long to do the damn dishes and I’m probably the one responsible for the drought in California. Sorry. If it’s not my never-ending dish doing, it’s surely my 20 minute showers. The showers hide the tears, folks. (Kidding! KIDDING.)
Just like the author, Kate, says: it all feels very tragic. And it is. Especially when I read that she hasn’t unpacked from a month ago – because neither have I, which means I’ll probably just not unpack and take the same bag with me next time we go to Havasu, and then I can rid myself of that guilt, call it time management and efficiency, and pat myself on the back. But thinking of all those dirty clothes in that bag reminded me that I forgot to move the baby clothes from the washer to the dryer the night before so now they’re probably all mildew-y and I’ll have to rewash them. More bad words.
And that’s how it goes. But then your baby giggles or cocks his head to the side with a smile, or does some other ridiculous thing that is so cute it breaks your heart and all the little pieces melt back together so you don’t even care that you don’t have time to put on makeup or do your hair or get out of your workout clothes (because – high five! – I totally made it to the gym!).
P.S. What no one tells you about having a baby.
Stick Girl JAM 