Not Fashion Savvy. Too Old to Start Now

Let me start by saying I'm not very fashion conscious. Never have been. I see something I like and that looks comfortable and I buy it and wear it. Even if nobody else would be caught dead in it. Just ask my High School chums. I've never cared. I'm also not a shoe person. I know. You're shocked. It's okay.

How are we supposed to keep up with trends anyway? In my book there are casual clothes and formal clothes. You can also sort by season. Winter clothes and Summer clothes. Now we have Islamic clothes and urban clothing. We also can find such categories (especially when one shops online) as Nightclub clothes and Trendy clothes. It's all too much.

I'm a simple person. I like it or I don't. I don't buy something because everyone else is wearing it, or drinking it, or using it. I also don't avoid things I like because others dislike it. I really should be that simple. Shouldn't it?

Feelings of Guilt

Do you ever just want to run away?

I'm having one of those days. Under appreciated and Fed-up. I'd like to do a New York job search just to go for a couple days and get away from the noise. I don't really want to live in NY, but a vacation, alone, might be nice...and Hubster keeps hinting about me getting a job.

It's no one's fault, really. I'm still feeling like dirt and screaming kids at 7:00 in the morning, coupled with Hubster upset because they woke him up is a little too much to bare right now. I'm supposed to be on my way to Raleigh to take care of my brother who was supposed to have surgery this morning. It got postponed to next week and I'm feeling a little anxious that I won't be able to help him out. Hubster took today and Monday off so I could go this week but now it's not happening. He can't take the days off next week so I'm kinda stuck. All this together has me a little short tempered and unsympathetic to the needs of my family. I'll shake it off.

I always end up feeling guilty when I'm short with the kids. Not that at times they don't bring it on themselves. I'm just usually such a laid back person that I know it must seem to come out of nowhere to them. What's good one day sends me over the edge on days like today. Should I try to hide my true emotions (as if I think before I explode)? Or is it good for them to see that Mommy has feelings too? Do I need to explain why I might be a little short tempered? I usually like to, to ease my guilt, after I've calmed back down and assessed the situation. How do you handle it?

Really Octomom?

If you missed The View yesterday you may be better off. It was like watching a train wreck over and over again. "Hold on. I'll get to your question in a minute." Nadya Suleman was unfocused, confused, giddy and energetic all while claiming to be a "shy, quiet person". My a$$. She is on some sort of upper, be it an anti-depressant or some diet pill. I'm sure of it. I think she should have been hooked up to a pulse oximeter . Then we could get some answers....or more questions.

If you missed the train wreck you can watch it here.

Myself and some of the other Brand Ambassadors were tweeting during the show and no one had any sympathy for this woman. We were all dumbfounded and a few even shut off the TV. I think we need to let this woman go back to taking care of these babies she willingly brought into this world. We must stop giving her media attention and insist she goes home to her kids. The only way for her to get her reality is to live her reality and I don't believe she's come even close to achieving that.

I'm pretty sure with 14 kids I would not have time to worry about my own self image, nor would it be a priority. I would be ragged, tired, and also only get 2 hours of sleep a night. I would not have time to indulge in writing a book, going to the gym, or shopping for stylish clothes. Let's show her how her life is really going to play out by not paying attention. Then, for kicks and giggles, let's pop in when the octuplets turn 5. Especially if they've inherited their mom's "natural energy."

As a Brand Ambassador for the View (through Mom Central) I've been promised swag but the opinions are all mine.

Reunited

I'm still in the process of viewing older posts and thought this one deserved another run. Since this posting, Colonel and Dash have gotten together and their "parents" have met. I feel happy that I helped in getting them together. I'm off to check out some tazorac reviews in the hope that I can find something that finally works. Any suggestions?

How cool is this?

I posted a while back about my Step Mom's dog Colonel. He is an assist dog that was bred and trained by Paws with a Cause to help her in her day to day life with Multiple Sclerosis. I had the opportunity to meet Colonel on my last visit home and had posted about how amazing this dog is and how much he helps WSM (wicked step mother, her name of choice). Through the power of the Internet, WSM now has these pictures and more of her baby colonel...when he was a baby.

In the first picture Colonel is the pup in the red collar. The second is of his mother, Dash, and his entire litter. Here's how I came to receive these:

WSM wrote a letter to all her contributors that helped her get Colonel and sent a copy to Paws. They asked if they could publish it in their quarterly News Letter and she said yes. A couple living not far from them who also participates in the Paws program saw the letter and decided to do an Internet search to see if they could get more info about the new owners of their dog's pup...and found the post I had done here. They e-mailed me with the pics above and explained that their dog, Dash, was originally being trained as an assist dog but they (the trainers at Paws) determined that she had a strong heart and good hips so they pulled her from the assist program and she joined Paws' breeding program. She is bred each year and the top pups are returned to Paws to be trained as assist dogs. Colonel was Dash's first pup put back into the program.

I was glad to be involved in getting WSM baby pictures of Colonel. She is now contacting Dash's owners to see if they can all get together.

Isn't that fun?

Stop Stealing Hemorrhoid Cream

I saw a report recently that stated the number one product most commonly stolen from stores is hemorrhoid cream. I imagine it's not a money issue but more likely and embarrassment issue. Now what if I told you that this hemorrhoid treatment could be used for so many different things?

Some people use the cream on cellulite and other flabby areas as the cream is known to tighten those problem areas.

Some women use it under their eyes to diminish puffyness.

It can be used to treat cold sores as long as it isn't in an area that your tongue won't come in contact with.

It can be used to treat acne and the swollen red bumps that it causes.

It can be used to treat frown lines on your forehead.

With all these uses there is no reason to be embarrassed to purchase hemorrhoid cream. Stop Stealing It!

Repost~ The Hunger Site

I've been spending the weekend looking back at early posts from when I first started blogging. It's been enjoyable to see how I started and how much more focused I've become. By branching out to 3 different blogs I've been able to post about different things and give a little more clarity to each. Some topics, like cholesterol treatment , would fit in any and other topics, like wine reviews, would only fit on Wine at Five? Because Someone Cares is about interesting things I find, charities and giving back, and general topics.

Here's a post from August 2008. I love spotlighting easy ways to give back and this one deserves to be revisited.

Here's a no brainer. An easy way to help children in need. The Hunger Site, developed in 1999, dedicates itself to eliminating world hunger.

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Hunger: Do You Know The Facts?

It is estimated that one billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. That's roughly 100 times as many as those who actually die from these causes each year.

About 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. This is down from 35,000 ten years ago, and 41,000 twenty years ago. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five.

Famine and wars cause about 10% of hunger deaths, although these tend to be the ones you hear about most often. The majority of hunger deaths are caused by chronic malnutrition. Families facing extreme poverty are simply unable to get enough food to eat.

The Hunger Site began on June 1, 1999. In 1999, a year marked by good economic news, 31 million Americans were food insecure, meaning they were either hungry or unsure of where their next meal would come from. Of these Americans, 12 million were children.

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By going to their site, you can click the "Click here to Give" button and every click generates money from sponsors which in turn is 100% donated to Mercy Corps and Americas Second Harvest. It's easy, and you get to feel really good about yourself for helping others.

What are you waiting for? Go to the site NOW!

I'm Worthy of The Bogart Award

Look at me! I just got another award. One can never have too many of these. I like awards. Aren't we (some of us) here for recognition? I love when someone isn't afraid to stand up and give me some props. Makes me warm and fuzzy. I actually received this award last week but felt I needed to use my special face creams, and lose that 5 pounds before I was ready to stand up in front of the world and accept this prestigious award.


Thanks Nicole

I received this award from Nicole @ The Young Mama Blog. She really is a young mama too. One of the rules of this award is to say where you would like to be in 10 years. She discusses her goals for when she turns 32. Sheesh, that was 10 years ago. I'm sure she'll do very well, and enjoy reading how the young mom's deal with their children in contrast to how us "older moms" do it. I don't know why I always think there is going to be such a big difference, there seldom is.

So. Here are the official rules:

- link back to the blogger who sent me this award
- post where I would like to be in 10 years
- pass it on to 10 awesome bloggers

In 10 years I hope to still have my hair and frankly will feel blessed to still be sane. You see. In 10 years I will be 52. Not a seriously "old" age, but I will also have a 16 and a 13 year old. That's the scary part. No matter how I envision my children growing up, I always seem to skip right over the teenage years. Maybe it's too much to imagine, maybe I'm subconsciously not looking forward to it. Maybe I know the crap I got away with as a teen and can only imagine how much worse my kids will be. I don't know. I see them now at 6 and 3 and the future (in my mind) is them as adults with families of their own. All the middle is missing from my dreams. Maybe not having any expectations for these middle years will work in my favor.

Passing it on...
Sorry. Can't pick just 10. If you'd like this award and are here to visit, then you deserve to take it and pass it along.

Thank you again Nicole. I'll look forward to checking in 10 years from now.

When is it too much Testing?

I knew when I became pregnant with my first child that I would be delivering after the "cut-off" age. I had read several articles that discussed the increased risks of having children after 35. I would deliver him 6 months after my 35th birthday. I fully expected to be talked to about amnio and other tests, but nothing was ever mentioned. I was pretty sure I didn't want the added risk of amnio so not being asked was probably a good thing. It was my first time and I probably could have been easily persuaded. The entire pregnancy was treated as if that magic age had not yet passed.

When I became pregnant again (exactly) two years later. The difference was mind-blowing. Everything I didn't wasn't to acknowledge the first time was shoved down my throat the second time. I would be 38 when my daughter was born. Not only was the mentality of the doctors different. I was a veteran. I had done this before and no amount of coaxing could get me to do an amnio or go for genetic counseling. The doctors were miffed and (it seemed) upset that I wouldn't take advantage of these added services they were providing.

I'm not telling anyone NOT to do these. Each Mother has to do what's right for her. Some people are worriers by nature and these added tests could possibly ease their minds. I'm the opposite. I don't worry until I have something to worry about. I did not want to go through counseling so I could be told all the things that possibly could go wrong. I wanted to enjoy my pregnancy. At every turn I felt as though My Doctor's were trying to get rid of me. Each test would be explained and then followed with "...and if the results aren't favorable, we'll transfer you to (the other hospital that deals with high risk pregnancies)". It got to the point where I would just say, "You can't get rid of me that easy. I'm staying here and you're stuck with me." It got to be kind of a joke. I took my prenatal vitamins, took all the "regular" tests and did just as I had planned. I enjoyed my pregnancy.

I guess part of me knew that, no matter what, I was bringing this precious baby girl into the world. I would love her unconditionally no matter what. I know some can't do this and I don't judge them for wanting to know. I just wish my decision not-to-know wouldn't have been judged so negatively.

The Recipe Club ~book review

I just finished reading the Recipe Club and it was truly a book I didn't want to put down. Written by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel, it is mostly comprised of letters written between two unlikely friends. Letters ranging from the time they were in breeches in grade school until they are middle-aged.

Brought together by their parents, Lilly and Valerie share everything. Attending different schools and being so vastly different as people, they managed to create a friendship that would stand the test of time. Opposites in almost every way, these young girls come of age in the 70's and have all the freedoms that that era was known for. One sets of to college as her life long dream. The other is forced into college by a father who doesn't understand or appreciate her other talents. They maintain a (sometimes strained) friendship and through it all share their innermost fears and triumphs.

At an early age the girls started to trade recipes. Each one is named after an event or emotion that they are living at the time of writing. Recipes such as Conspiracy Apple Pie, Wash-Away-The-Blues Berry Cobbler, Home-of-my-Own Hamburgers and Missing You Warmly Lentil Salad are scattered throughout the book as part of the girls attempt at an exclusive recipe club.

I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys cooking as it is an excellent array of unique recipes. I would also suggest this book to anyone who enjoys a good Lifetime Movie. I can see this book becoming one.

I was sent a copy of The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel. While I was sent the book at no cost, I am not being paid for this review and all opinions are my own.

The View

I've been watching The View on and off since Rosie was on the show. The interaction between the hosts and their guests is always fun to watch. It's also refreshing to witness "Hot Topics" being discussed by opposing views. It's nice to see opinionated women discussing topics unafraid to expose their own views. Shouldn't we all be this way?

I've recently been invited to join an elite group to help spread the word of The View. Mom Central and ABC Daytime have teamed up to create The View Brand Ambassador Group. Doesn't that sound elite? We'll be given inside scoops on topics and guests and they're even asking for our feedback (which excites me most).

If you are a fan of The View, check back next week for more info and "secrets" about the show. If you've never seen the show, you can view full episodes on The View's website. It really is like sitting down with some girlfriends for coffee and some chatting.

Today Victoria Beckam was on. Gosh, to have that beauty and body. I'd love to sit down with her for a chat. First I'd ask her what's the best fat burning exercise that she's used. I'd hope she wouldn't tell me to just stop eating. Looking at her I can't imagine she eats much, but jealousy may have clouded my judgement.

Yesterday they were talking with kids about sext-ing. This is scary stuff and I can't even imagine what it will be like when my kids are actually old enough for a cell phone. They had two teens on who's lives were totally ruined by sext-ing. I'd have made the kids watch if they were older. It was an eye-opening segment.

I look forward to watching the rest of the week and tweeting with the other Ambassadors. Look for us at #theviewmoms. Grab a cup of Joe and join in.



I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.