The Big City

There is something mysterious and intriguing about New York City. I know some people hate it, others love it. For me with my limited travel there, it still holds a lot of excitement and appeal. I would like to spend one month living there to get a real feel for the place and make my own decision as to whether I could be a city gal or not. And rather than the 300 sq ft apartments most live in, I'd really like to live in style, in a plush penthouse overlooking Central Park!


Interesting streets. Interesting people! Why do they
all want to live here? So many books and movies are
set in NYC. Why not Omaha? Why not Denver? NYC is the well-rounded Every City.







Central Park right there in the middle of it. I want to jog there and lay in the grass.








Broadway. I want to see some Broadway musicals at night and then trot back to my penthouse after having a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity. I really liked Serendipity (the movie) by the way. It was almost too agonizing for a romantic comedy but it had the right element of unbelievability to it.









Who doesn't want to see those Rockettes? They are so tall and it's not fair that they don't accept women under 5'7 or 5'6. Discrimination at its finest! My legs could kick just as high as theirs! Well, if I was flexible they could...








The shopping, oh the shopping! I don't think I care about Macy's since we have one here and I never go to it but I do care about the hush-hush underground shopping. The knock-offs. The beautiful bags. I didn't do my research beforehand on what kind I like so I sadly couldn't seal the deal. But next time I will. Also just having all the shops right down the street. "Honey, I'm going next door to buy some designer jeans!"
"Honey, could you go grab some milk from the corner store?"
Wouldn't it be kind of cool just to be able to walk everywhere because it's all so close?





And the Thanksgiving Parade. I love that parade even though I usually change the channel when it's on. I like the idea of it, and that it is in NYC. I also like that classic Christmas movie that has that cute little girl watching the parade from her apartment up high. Wouldn't that be cool? And what is the name of that movie?






The perfect Christmas tree to sing around followed by some more treats from the next door cafe. NYC is supposedly very magical at Christmas time! Just watch Home Alone in NY!








Of course there is a lot of other stuff to do in NYC like some good museums and fine dining places and culture stuff, but this is the essence of my someday city adventure. Anyone else interested in this fine locale?

Strange things husband brings

Does anyone else's husband bring totally random things home from work? This is the first thing:
It's a cool nightlight. A friend of Russell's gave him a night light! This is the coolest night light though. There are varying intensities to choose from, along with different colors. For example, if you want a little light, choose red. More light? Blue's the hue. Of course like with anything else, the girls enjoy fighting over which color they choose that night. It is a cool thing. But random.


Second thing: these jelly bellies. These are not your everyday jelly bellies! They are malformed. Russell got a huge can of these toss-outs/rejects from someone at work. Look closely: there are
siamese jelly beans in there. Many. Who knew how much men
like to share their odd treats?





Third thing: Vidalia Onion Salad Dressing. Okay, Russell didn't
actually bring this home from work but does anyone else out there
love to try the new salad dressing flavors? This is a great
marinade and it's good on sandwiches too.




Mmm...sweet and spicy is always
good. These are excellent chips! I'm
not even a chip person.

Okay, I'm sorry I only came up
with two odd things my husband brings home from work. There is a lot more but this is what I had today.

Do your husbands bring cool things?

Jergen's Natural Glow Before and After!

My pasty "before" picture. Sorry about the thighs and feet.
Russell took this picture. I told him just to take the bottom
leg, but I guess he's not worried about online- leg lovers?

Well, Russell was not impressed with my walk-in tub post. He didn't think it was very interesting and wondered who would want to see a tub in a blog?! I calmly explained to him that blogs are for sharing interesting things, even of the non-family variety. Especially if you have a husband that doesn't share your enthusiasm of interesting
observations in the world around us.

My "after" picure. A definite tan. Picture a bit lighter than reality.
Maybe a few soft streaks, not a prob. It is darker than before!

Along those same lines as tubs, but not really, I always wondered how tanning lotion worked and if it was worth using to cover up the winter whites.


So here is interesting experiment to share #1.

Jergen's Natural Glow is a self-tanning lotion. I applied the first dose (for medium/dark tones) to my legs Sunday morning, every day after that and just finished the last application today, on Thursday. Not bad for just a few days!

Pros:

• you look like you've been to Palm Springs for Spring Break instead of just Macey's and the backyard.
  
• weird veins get covered up
• you feel more energetic because you look outdoorsy
• you look healthy
• you're ready to start Summer with a bang

Cons:

• People may wonder why you're the only one in your family that went to Palm Springs
• there may be a few streaks here and there; but you learn how to apply as time goes by
• the smell of the lotion has a subtle chemical smell you get used to, but Isabelle says I'm stinky
• you have to keep applying the lotion every other day or so to maintain the "glow"
• It takes several minutes to dry and you don't want to stain your clothes, so you must be careful. Try waving the shower door back and forth on your skin or a book.
  

Conclusion: I like using this stuff, though I usually just use it in the early Spring when I am afraid of blinding myself and others with my white legs. I do like to use Jergen's Natural Glow Face Lotion in SPF 20 for Spring and Summer. Neutrogena also has an SPF version for body so you can have a tan and not worry about skin cancer.

I hope I've been of help to someone out there wanting a tan without having to lay out on the trampoline or their roof hours after endless hours...(I kind of miss that time for such tanning boredom!)

Please share your tanning tricks of the past or present!

Walk-In Tub!

I saw a commercial for this baby on some obscure channel the other night and I was in awe. A walk-in bathtub! They seem to be marketing this shower/tub for elderly people but I think they are totally missing their potential market.

Imagine walking in, sitting down, and letting the tub fill all around you. There is a sealed door (kind of scary!) and the showerhead is retractable, so you can wash your hair out with it.

I can imagine myself reading....relaxing in total comfort. Doesn't it seem more comfy than a big tub? Maybe the fact that it has a seat and you aren't floor-level? You can also practice your doggy-paddle and laundry machine or help your kids learn to swim. Just make sure to drain this thing before you open the door. Whhhhooooooooosssh.....the floodgates opening wide. Anyway, I think I want it. Do you?

The joy of siblings!

acting. Isn't Olivia's dress up the best?

When Anika was 1-2 years old and didn't have any siblings to play with, just me, I remember playing a lot of house and constantly thinking of new things to do with her. Exhausting, but easy to feel like a good mom with all that minute to minute activity.

Now, 3 kids later, things have changed a lot. Well, for a while anyway...with Anika in school all day, I have I and O who often play together in the mornings without any desire for my companionship. This leaves me with some good time to clean, read, and study and ponder (I should have put that one first so I'd do it). I can't say I didn't enjoy this peaceful time. However, I often felt bad about not playing with them as much.

Funny things happen, though, and I should have known all good things cannot last. I and O are having problems in their once mostly peaceful relationship. Now they want me! They need me to play with them and tell them what to do next! In other words, they are normal children again. We play house. We play kitchen. We play dolls and house again.

Olivia rockin' the house at our doll party

Any way you have it, I always feel better at the end of the day knowing I played some hardcore house with the girls. I feel better knowing during hide and seek I wasn't just cleaning up the kitchen really fast and ducking behind the counter using that as a lame hiding spot (tip: only do that when it's your turn to count and count slow). I feel better knowing I came up with some worthwhile activities for them to do. Then I feel I truly earn those times they play without me just fine. And I praise the heavens even more those times they play together in Zion-like fashion.

Commercial for Brain Quest?

(First, imagine me holding the product with my hair done wearing my best clothes, teeth possibly whitened)

This is Brain Quest. I discovered this on amazon.com.

When you are with your child one-on-one, in the car, hanging around on a Sunday afternoon, or just looking to encourage your child's brain activity, this "game" can help you feel like a good parent.

Examples are on the picture, but there are English questions, Math, Geography, Science, History, Grab Bag....all from Toddler age up to 5th grade levels. We have 1st grade, with intentions to buy Preschooler next time.

I'd be a lying lady if I didn't tell you that I've refreshed my knowledge on a few important trivia facts. Who knew that penguins live in Australia and not just Antarctica?

Anika loves playing this game and it makes her (and me) feel smart. Most of the questions seem fun rather than work.

So if you're looking for a fun car or summer mind stimulating activity, try this one out. You just can't go wrong! (fade to black)

750 questions. $10.95. Two sets of cards held with a little nail thingy.

What a GREAT Deal...

After that inspiring quiz located below, I felt a desire to prove my frugality by hitting the Albertson's sale. After being depressed last week when Negan and Neon* bought hundreds of boxes of Kellogg's cereal (oh Cinnamon Streusel Mini-Wheats! rarely on sale!) and didn't even tell me in time, I had a renewed desire to replenish our always-diminishing cereal reserves.

Fast-forward to last night. Kids playing at the park, baby crying in Dad's arms, it was time to hit the store before the busy weekend sale-nazis came and took everything but the nasty Golden Crisps and Chocolate Honeycomb (really gross, btw).

Here is my stash. All Kraft Products on this 8 for 12 sale. I couldn't be boring and get just cereal, so I threw in some mayo and cookies. Oh, I didn't show my capri-sun. It's in the fridge. I was sad they didn't have HBof Oats w/almonds, but such is life.

You can't feel bad buying sales items. More importantly, you can't feel bad buying FOOD STORAGE. Thank heavens I keep all my candy purchases under that important category.

*names have been changed

How cheap, I mean frugal, are you?

Since our family has frugal tendencies, I thought I would make up a quiz to show just how cheap you are. This is something to be proud of, right?

1) Each time you change a diaper, do you think "here's another 20 cents" and even let your kid walk around with a 10 lb diaper to save dinero?
YES- 2 points
Not on purpose, but I'm happy at the end of the day when I only used 2 diapers. 1 point
NO- 0 points

2) Do you hang clothes to dry to save money?
YES- 1 point
NO- 0 points

3) Do you find youself freezing your ground beef into tiny chunks to save $?
YES- 1 point
NO- 0 points

4) Do you always get your food off the dollar menu when you're out to eat?
YES- 2 points
Most of the time- 1point
NO; I get what I want, dollar menu or not- 0 points

5) How often do you go to a non-fast food restaurant in a year?
1 or no times: 2 points
2-4 times: 1 point
5+ times: 0 points

6) Do you always buy the generic brand at the store?
YES- 2 points
Mostly- 1 points
NO; I try to buy the best product regardless of brand- 0 points

7) (taken from Tonya's blog) How much do you spend on friend gifts for a bday party?
10 dollars- no points
2-5 dollars- 2 points
6-8 dollars- 1 point

8) Do you find yourself impulse-buying at the store on occasion?
Each store visit- 0 points
Once a month I'll buy that box of cookies- 2 points
Twice a month I'll buy my special treat- 1 point

9) I will never buy a purse over 20 dollars.
True: 2 points
False: 0 point

10) I will never buy my dream car, even if I've got the $ for it, because it's not "practical".
True- 2 points
False- 0 points

11) I stick to my budget like a bandaid on skin.
True-2 points
False- O points

12) My heat is set to 62 or below at night to save money; 2 points
My heat is set to 63-65; 1 point
My heat is over 66- o points

13) My AC is set to 78 or higher during the summer days: 2 points
My AC is 75-77; 1 point
My AC is 74 or below; 0 points

TALLY UP YOUR SCORE.

If you got between 18-23, you are one tight mama! Go buy a candybar!

If you got between 12-18, you are still pretty tight, sorry.

If you got lower than 12, you are not as frugal as you may have thought.

If you feel comfortable sharing your score and feelings on this quiz, please feel free to do so.