Boxers vs. briefs

I am the mother of three girls and one boy and, so far, there hasn’t been too many instances where I’ve had to consult their father (my ex-husband) or another man on any … uh … male-related issues. However, a man I was dating said my son should be wearing boxers. After discussion, jokes, deliberation and the departure of the boxers promoter I purchased some for my son who’s 7. I figured why not let him decide for himself whether he likes boxers or not.

The shopping trip, which did not include my son, was pretty funny. It’s me along with my girlfriend who has an 18-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. She can not remember any underwear details regarding her son so we mulled over the choices. I considered the kind that the children’s father wears, the kind that I like (don’t ask!) and everything in between. In the end, I chose regular boxers.

I presented them to my son who was excited to try something new, but the first time he put them on he came out of his room, fully dressed and walked up to me with a strange look on his face.

“I don’t like the boxers,” he said.

“You don’t?” I asked while trying to hide the smile that was growing on my face. “Why not?”

“They’re… It’s… Uh…”

I laughed and he smiled.

“Feels funny, huh? Like things are flapping around?”

“Yea,” he said, relieved that he didn’t have to explain to his mother the details of his under the underwear experiences!

“It’s okay,” I said, “you can wear them as pajamas or something under your other underwear.

“Okay!” And the excitement was back.

About a week or so later, after I had seen him sporting his boxers pajamas, he asked if he could try the boxers again. “Sure,” was my reply.

At the end of the day he approached me with a report.

“Can I change my underwear? I still don’t think I like the boxers.”

“Oh okay, do you feel cold?”

“No.”

“How was it at school?” He made a face. “Uncomfortable,” I asked.

“Yea, at first. … Then later it was flopping around.”

I smothered an outburst of laughter and told him it’s okay and he could try again at a later time. The entire experience was new for my son and for me, and very amusing… at least on my side of the whole thing.

Have you had these experiences with your opposite sex child? This was new for me on another level because he’s only now starting to be modest. Luckily, I’m a very laid back parent who never makes a big deal about body stuff. It helps to make the child more comfortable. Don’t ya think?

Finding online college options

For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to get more than one degree. I started college in 1986, but for a variety of reasons I wasn’t able to finish and went back to get a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism after I got out of the military in 1993. I succeeded in getting that degree in 1995 and at the time my oldest daughter – an only child then – was about 4 years old.

While she was in elementary school I attempted to get a master’s in adult education through an online course. That went fabulously and I surprised myself by acing most of my work, but – unfortunately – I wasn’t as interested in that field of study as I thought I would be. In hindsight I should have probably reviewed my goals with an advisor to ensure I was on the right path. I had read, and heard, that as a writer there isn’t really a necessity to get an advanced degree in that area. What I should have paid attention to was my desire to learn everything I can about what I do, which is writing and editing.

I began my career in daily newspaper and have since spent the majority of that time working for magazines whether on a freelance or employment basis. Now I mainly writer web content and I have an itching to go back to school. A few years ago I thought I would go back when my oldest began college, but that proved too difficult to coordinate.

I’m not going to put it off too much longer (makes no sense to wait for my other three children to grow up) and I’ll be once again looking into my online college options. Whatever goals and dreams we’ve set for ourselves should be pursued. If your goal includes furthering your education then consider taking courses online. Have you experienced online college courses? If so, tell me what you like the best about them.

Celebrating my beauty’s 6th birthday

With a daughter who is almost 20 years old I had forgotten what it’s like to experience the growth and changes of a little girl. The fun, joy and ultra feminism of it all swept over me yesterday when my middle daughter celebrated her 6th birthday.

Because of major changes happening to us as a family, Amareah and I decided (yes, I discussed it with the little lady) that we would have the family cupcake and ice cream celebration on the actual day of her birthday, which was yesterday, and plan the requested tea party for early February.

My daughter, who can be the biggest ray of sunshine, had been hopping around all week in excitement so when she came in from school we “got the party started.” She maturely requested a healthy after-school snack first – an apple – and sat at the table in anticipation of gifts, laughing and, of course, the sweet treats.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

            

 

Notice the cupcake icing around their lips, which they’re oblivious to. :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy birthday to mommy’s beautiful sunflower, I look forward to celebrating many more girly birthdays with you. I love you!

Before you go (and after you comment – LOL) take a look at
Amareah’s birthday pictures from last year.

Oh my goodness, that was hard … but I still feel free!

I keep alluding to some changes that are going on around here, and the fact that my New Year’s commitment is to organize and minimize. Well, things have started to roll and it’s welcoming and terrifying all at the same time.

Last night I went into my office with the intention of filing and throwing away some more papers. I stood in front of my desk, shuffled a few papers, glanced at a few things and walked right out of the room. There is so much paper in there! Where did it all come from?

I sent a text message to my good friend Elaina and said, ‘I’m overwhelmed with trying to get rid of and organize all that paper. I need your help!"’ After she called me a hoarder, she promised to come to my rescue today and warned me to be ready for a major clean-up effort.

Today, true to her word, she came over and we started with my business files. I won’t go into all the gory details including her exasperation over my reasoning for keeping certain records, but I will tell you it was a major success. But it was hard.

Time ran out today and as Elaina went to do the afternoon carpooling for me I promised to corral all the papers that were being discarded, bag them and have them prepared for disposal. I thought it would be easy, but it took great willpower not to take one last look at the papers and rescue some that had been mistakenly thrown away.

The result is – of course – Zen-like, Feng Shui freedom. Those drawers at left were filled front to back with files; about 40 or so, I’d say. The amount that was kept? Just about 10 files.

After I finish all of the organizing and minimizing I’ll be ready to share my secret with you… Come back at the end of the week – the 28th – and I’ll reveal my news.

Wish me luck on the rest of the organizing… how are your New Year resolutions and commitments going?

My little spot on Etsy: Jewelry World

Do you remember when I shared my semi-secret desire to make jewelry and asked your opinion on a couple of my necklaces? Well, I recently started my Etsy shop called Jewelry World. I originally wanted to wait until I had tons (or at least a dozen) pieces ready to sell, but I finally realized that if I waited I may never open the shop. So, I opened instead of running the risk of only making jewelry for myself as well as family and friends as gifts. :-)

Now I’m sharing it with you. There are two/three pieces (one is a set)  available for purchase and I’d love for you to check them out and let me know what you think. If you like what you see feel free to make a purchase. Hey, no shame in my game!

I have a couple of ideas brewing around in my head and I hope to get them out of my head very soon. By the way, if you make jewelry or any handmade product for that matter, how do you go from idea to fruition? Do you draw or sketch your ideas then execute or just go for it?

Thanks for your input… and I look forward to seeing you all around my world!

Forever insulting?

A few minutes ago I stepped outside of my front door in pajama pants and a tee shirt to stroll to my mailbox. I have no idea what the temperature is, but it’s a sunny, crisp day and the chill felt good on my skin. I took a deep breath hoping to release the tension that had entered my being moments before.

Nothing specific had happened in the previous few minutes, but a couple of days ago someone said something that they’ve been saying for quite awhile. That something was insulting the first time I heard it and it’s just as insulting to this day.

Some people never change so I don’t expect this person to ever stop saying it. Why? Oh after you know someone for more than 10 years and they continually do and say the same things regardless of what anyone else says then you can be pretty assured they’ll keep it up.

So that leaves me. How can I not feel insulted by it? This particular thing (opinion? words? occurrence?) is everywhere, which means it’s tough to avoid the situation. Even if this person doesn’t say it there are other people who are saying the opposite (the non-offensive remark) and that causes me to think of the offensive remark.

You still with me?

How do I reframe my thoughts to alleviate the insulted feeling? When does something that’s offensive cease to be offensive?

Well, your guess is as good as mine. One day, I hope someone will challenge this offense. Someone mostly unrelated to the situation… They’ll grab a big stick and with each syllable reiterate the real facts. (Ahhh, how that image amuses me!)

In the meantime, I’ll be working on me. Staying healthy, organizing, minimizing and filling my head to the best of my abilities with positive thoughts. Right now, I’m about to take another stroll to the mailbox. I just watched the mail carrier pass by; it seems as if the mail I retrieved arrived yesterday. No problem, I’ll just take another deep breath while I’m out there.

Do you use diet pills?

For as long as I can remember people have been trying to lose weight and they have tried all sorts of methods in order to do it. There are diet pills, meals, shakes, candies and everything in between. They’ve tried different exercise machines, read all sorts of books and participated in various groups. Many of these things I’ve never experimented with – for a variety of reasons – but I do value others’ opinions about what works for them.

A very good friend of mine swears she knows the brand that carries the best diet pills and someone else told me shakes are the way to go. What I’ve learned is the best choice is to ensure you’re in the best of health by consulting your physician then talk to him or her about your weight loss and healthy eating ideas.

Some physicians will prescribe weight loss diet pills so if that is of interest to you then you will be all set. Maybe testing a pill will help me get over the seemingly sudden overeating habit that I’ve started. It surely doesn’t help that my darling daughter gave me a basket filled with chocolate and coffee goodies.

Have you ever tried diet pills? What’s your tried and true way of losing weight?

Healing power of love

If laughter is the best medicine then love must be the second best. For a brief moment today my stress hormone elevated because of another person’s irrational and illogical reasoning. For me stress magnifies the chronic pain I experience and it feels like it’s coursing through my muscles and bones.

Although I was angry and annoyed, I did try to (somewhat)  minimize my outburst and reaction. A little while after the stress-inducing incident, I sat in the  carpool lane with my youngest child, Anna. Sometimes when we’re waiting at the elementary school or sitting at a light, I’ll reach back to the second row to rub her leg or hold her hand and stroke her little fingers. Today, I reached back, touched her hand and reveled in the soft, sweetness of her skin. She glanced down and turned back to look out the window.

“I love you,” I said. There wasn’t even a pause as she said, “I love you too” around the  thumb in her mouth. I was going to pull away, but she held onto my hand and stroked it. Tears came to my eyes as my youngest child unknowingly comforted me. In that one stroke of her little fingers and the muffled professed love I felt lifted again. And the stress sort of oozed from me.

That one moment made a huge difference in restoring my day to the relaxing, peaceful experience it was before the negative encounter. It got me to thinking that if I can surround myself with people who truly love me, care for me and desire to make sure I get better then the road to recovery (and remission!) will be much easier.

My challenge to you is get in touch with someone who is dealing with something extremely difficult in their life – death, disease, illness, financial stress – and show them a little love. It can be a note, card, phone call, email, hug, etc., but believe me it’ll make a difference. You may never know the impact you’ll have – just like my daughter doesn’t know – but it will make a difference. Genuine love is healing.

Save your skin from winter weather {product review}

I don’t know about you, but I’m really picky about my skin. If you were to visit my bedroom you’d see a plethora of body lotions and creams (right now I have about 12 kinds. Seriously!) as well as a few moisturizers for my face. I have a fairly strict regimen for moisturizing, which I believe has kept me youthful looking with mostly trouble-free skin.

Most importantly among the regimen is how I treat my face. I have combination skin that tends to be a little on the sensitive side and I like to use skincare products that are gentle, moisturizing without being greasy and with a slight pleasant fragrance. Right now I’m using Pond’s to moisturize my face at night (Pond’s is one of those old-school products that have proved to be tried-and-true) and in the daytime I use Sensé daytime protective emulsion and Sensé hydrating toner. Right now these two products are at the top of my must-have beauty products’ list.

Over the years I’ve used a variety of different skincare products including various toners. I was surprised that the Sensé hydrating toner didn’t tingle. Because of that I thought it didn’t really work; that wasn’t the case at all. It went on smooth and cool adding a refreshing, clean feeling to my skin. The emulsion is light enough not to cause oily skin and potent enough to withstand dry skin… I know that because I have combination skin and my skin is very even regardless of the temperature.

According to the company, the emulsion is made to help fortify the skin against sun damage and the toner is to help prepare the skin to receive Sensé moisturizers, remove lingering debris, smooth the skin’s pH balance, and refines and minimizes the appearance of pores.

I like these products so much that I went to the Sensé site, BeautifulScience.com, to see what other products are available. They have a full line including cleansers, creams, polishers, masques and more. If the rest of the products are as fabulous as the two I tried then this line is a definite hit. What caveat, in my opinion, are the prices. The emulsion is $39 and the toner is $15.54. That seems  a little out of my budget, but – if you think about it – you get what you pay for. I’ve been using the two products for more than 30 days and I still have some left so you do the math and see if it’s an investment that you’d like to make.

Oh, and one final plus is the products have a unique self-preserving formula that doesn’t have any added chemical preservatives and is suitable for all skin types. Good, right?

Check Sensé out on their site and let me know what you think; it may be just the product you need to protect your skin from the hazards of winter weather.

Disclosure: I received Sensé products to facilitate my review, but that in no way influenced my opinions – those are my own. No other compensation was received.  More information can be found in my complete disclosure policy.

My little ladybug with her ladybug {Wordless Wednesday}

 

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom.
Check out my picture from the last time I participated in Wordless Wednesday.

It’s so real

I went in today for my Zometa treatment (oh, to make this easier to understand: It’s specifically to prevent bone fractures) and learned that I’ll have to do it once a month – at least for now. I sat down in the chair in the oncology/hematology clinic and looked around me. There were people, mostly men, hooked to IVs and getting treatments. My nurse never let me dwell on the moment and we cheerfully chatted.

It didn’t escape my consciousness that this is serious. I’ll seriously be hooked to an IV for Zometa treatments each month and, possibly, chemotherapy by the first week in February. Although my feelings regarding my situation are mostly upbeat I have felt a little anger, but mostly the desire  to be embraced in a big hug non-stop. No worries though, I’m still taking one day at a time…

Please be patient with me as I learn my new schedules and way of life (We spent about six hours at the VA hospital today), manage to get as much rest as I can and fulfill my motherly responsibilities. I hope to be back to blog hopping and writing about fun things very soon.

Day 1 of the New Year & commitments

This year is all about minimizing and organizing. It seems like simple and small areas to conquer, but – in fact – it can be quite detailed. With those words floating around in my head it’s fairly easy to accomplish them. Today, with laptop in place and a pile of papers that had made it from my office to the bedroom over the last few days, I was able to consolidate the papers by entering information into Microsoft Office OneNote and throwing away those that aren’t needed. I have a small pile that needs to be put away in the office and a little more to go through, but the organization and minimization is under way.

My New Year commitments also include organizing and minimizing as far as physical and mental health. Instead of just saying I’m going to lose weight or workout; it is a matter of organizing my time to meet my physical and medical needs as well as filing paperwork and information that I need at hand.

I’m pleased that the first day of the new year (2011! Can you believe it?!) was a success as far as my commitments are concerned. May the rest of the year be as successful in one way or another.

How’d you do with your resolutions and commitments today?

Happy New Year!!

Right now – Friday  night at 11:30 p.m.)  three of my children (Andre – 7, Amareah – 5 and Anna –3) are settled into bed fast asleep, and my teenager (I only have six more months that I can call her that) are relaxing in my king-sized bed. She’s snacking on Ritz and watching Hell’s Kitchen, and I’m doing a little work here and there.

We’re still awake because we’ve developed the tradition of staying up and watching the ball (and the peach for us Georgians!) drop. We hope that we’ll find it somewhere on the net because we’ve decided we’re a little too lazy comfortable to go into the living room.

As I enjoy my time with her it dawned on me that I wanted my first post of the New Year to be to you – my readers…

Happy New Year to you and yours.
May 2011 bring you happiness, love, peace and security!