Proactive

Have you started Christmas shopping yet?  I've tried to get a head start, and I feel like I'm both ahead of and behind in the game all at the same time.  I finally got over myself and put together Amazon wish lists for the kids and myself.  I can't really say why I haven't done it before now.  Maybe it felt a little bit like giving my family a menu and telling them what to get me, and that makes me uncomfortable.  But it's been surprisingly helpful so far. 

I've found a couple of sites/gadgets/widgets/whatchamacallits that have been incredible helpful in making sure I'm not throwing away money, and I'm sharing them here.  I vastly enjoy saving money and getting a great deal, and I love it even more when my people do, too.  So here's what I've been using this season to achieve those goals.

Honey - this is a Google Chrome add on that will tell you when the item you are considering on Amazon is at the best available price.  Right there on the description page.  If you have the best deal, it says so.  If you don't, tells you where it is. Maybe it's just a no sales tax listing, maybe it's a lower price altogether, but it's all money in your pocket.  Nice.

Camelcamelcamel - you add your Amazon wishlists (the URLs for any and all you've created and want to watch), and CCC will send you an email when the price drops.  Just this morning, CCC told me that an item on each of the kids' lists dropped by 50%, so I snapped them up.

Wikibuy - another Chrome widget (or iPhone app) that tells you alternate places to find your Amazon cart items cheaper.  This one can be a little glitchy, but it just might direct you to a site that hadn't come to mind or showed up on a Google search that can save you a ton.

With the help of these little gizmos, I'm feeling much more relaxed about my shopping this season.  I'm getting to spend a lot more time sitting down, having the deals delivered right to me rather than hoofing it from store to store.   Now if could just remember to look for gifts for my family and friends instead of myself...

Time to Buy the Donuts

I can't think of anything terribly interesting to talk about tonight, so I'm just going to show you the amazing donuts I got for Sammy's birthday as a surprise.  He shared these with his class in lieu of the more traditional cupcakes, and they were a huge hit.  I think we started a trend, since several other kids have brought them to school already.  I'm thinking about getting some for Christmas morning.  (They are delicious.  I am dubious of food that is too pretty, that the taste will never measure up, but that's definitely not the case here.) 

Sabrina would like hers right now, no need to wait for a pesky calendar date.

Shop 'Til You Drop

Today was a day I wait for all year - the annual sample sale.  The giant exhibition hall downtown is filled with vendors selling clothing, jewelry, housewares, and all manner of accessories at wholesale or less.  I love this sale.  Not only do I usually find a good portion of my Christmas gifts for family far and wide, I end up with a few goodies for my favorite self, ahem.

This year, in recent years, the sale coincided with Grandparents Day at the kids' school which meant I wouldn't be waiting outside the doors when the sale opened (I realize I am not a grandparent in this scenario, but someone has to take the pictures).  As soon as we finished the lunches and requisite book fair visits (nice dovetailing there, school), my mom and I headed out.  It was nice to have a compadre this year - I'm usually on my own, which I don't mind because I can go at my own speed - to bounce ideas off, help spot special things, and generally kibitz with the whole time. I was totally ready to check off gifts for all my nieces (7), my sister, my sister in law, and if I was lucky, my mother in law as well.  And, let's face it, to spend some quality time with my favorite jewelry seller picking out some presents for me.  I was ready to part with some cash.  Once a year, baby!

We walked the entire floor, and all I came away with was a few outfits for Sabrina from the booth I can always trust to have some cute things (although they raised their prices a bit, bummer), and a couple of necklaces from the aforementioned favorite seller (I typically bring home a good half dozen or more, depending on what I can talk myself into/out of).  Nary a Christmas gift in the bunch.  Disappointing.  Santa didn't even show up to take pictures with the shoppers, and you know he has a little time on his hands before the season really gets rolling.

However, if you need ponchos, leggings you can nearly see straight through, boot cuffs (not even full socks, come on), or anything bedazzled within an inch of its life, I can help you.  If these are examples of current trends, I'm happy to remain hopelessly out of date.

Things I'm Liking Lately

I'm sitting here, staring at a blank post window, feeling exactly that: blank.  It's been a rainy, relatively quiet day without a to do list a mile long (or at least one I can't really attack without a husband and 150 uninterrupted project hours), and I haven't been motivated to use my brain cells too strenuously.  It's been lovely.

So I suppose I can talk about some things I've been using lately, mostly (OK, all) in the realm of personal care. (Is there are better phrase for this?  Toiletries?  No.  Beauty product?  Ugh.)  Anyway, here's what's rocking my boat these days.

CND Vinylux Weekly Polish

Laura recommended this, and she is an expert at this sort of stuff, so I followed her lead.  This is a polish system comprised of 2 parts, the color and the weekly top coat, and it's supposed to last chip fee for 7 days.  I've never made it a chip free week per say, but it's definitely more chip resistant than just about any other brand of polish I've ever used.  I've even made it through hair washings, which usually chips the heck out of my manicure.  It dries really, really fast, too, so you're not waiting around not touching things forever.  The trick is shaking the color bottle A LOT.  Like a lot, then a lot more.  Or it will brush on thick and chunky.  Also, look on eBay or just Google to find it cheaper than the retail price.

Giovanni Conditioning & Styling Hair Elixir

I found this in a clearance bin (I think because they changed the packaging) and decided to give it a shot.  It doesn't weigh my hair down, and greatly reduces the frizzies and flyaways I get with my kinky/wavy straightened within an inch of its life hair.  A little goes a long way.

Neocutis Lumiere Eye Cream

My dermatologist recommended this when I asked about my under eye area.  Now that recommendation could have been born from his selling the line through his practice, but I came home and bought it on Amazon instead.  I firmly believe it has smoothed out my under eye area significantly.  It's somewhat spendy, but you use a dot the size of a grain of rice (according to the dermatologist's PA), and my bottle lasted an entire year with daily use.

I've also started using the Peter Thomas Roth anti-wrinkle peel pads that are all the rage on Twitter, but I've only been at it a few times so I can't report on my mileage there.  I'm very hopeful though.

So now, your turn.  What have you been loving lately for your skin, hair and nails?  Or loving for any reason, really.

Back from Black

I would like to preface this by saying that this is not the norm for me.  Yes, I am a super-frugal bargain shopper, and I love searching through the Black Friday ads, but it is rare that I go to a store on that day, and certainly not before 11 and certainly not when the doorbuster craziness is happening, as I prefer not getting elbowed in the spleen. Ahem.

So after the turkey was left with nothing but a carcass, the talk around the living room fell to 2 subjects typically: football and shopping.  I do not talk about football.  We all took turns looking through the ads, which, of course, I’ve already researched online, just to make sure there’s nothing I absolutely have to have, and if there is, to figure out if there’s any possible way to get it while sitting in front of the computer instead of waiting in line.  Unfortunately for me, there was this thing that we wanted to get for Sammy (details after Christmas) that Walmart had on significant sale at 8 PM Thanksgiving night.  I considered.  I stewed.  I shopped for alternatives.  But when it came down to it, this was the best option.  Also, my dad talked me into going because he is a shopping enabler (love you, Dad, but you know it).  Therefore, at 7:45 PM, he and I set off for Crazytown, with the very important asterisk that if it was too nuts, we’d happily turn around and forget about it.

We turned in the lot and it seemed everybody and their brother was there.  We twisted through a couple of rows, and were just about to call it a night when we saw break lights.  2 cars in front of us gave up when the car didn’t move from the space, but by the time we were 1^st up in the queue, the people shut their doors and the blessed beacons of reverse lights lit up.  We got a primo spot, so, of course, we had to go in.

There were no carts to be found, so we wandered in among the chaos (said cart would have been a hindrance anyway).  We saw the people lined up for computer and TVs and such, asked a few directional questions, and found the area where our item was supposed to be.  A customer was walking out with said item, and he told us the last one was just around the corner.  As we walked up to it, a lady set a box on top of it, and we thought we were done, but she was just resting, and we snagged it.  Huzzah!  But now, we needed a cart.

Dad stood guard while I shopped for another sale item or 2 and looked for a cart.  Still none.  I brought him back the rest of my booty and went out on Recon 2: the Cartening.  I was headed to the parking lot when a shopper rolled one back into the staging area.  I must have involuntarily shouted “Mine!” because a lady started giggling at me.  Well, what can you do?

We loaded up and headed to the check stands.  We were about 3 carts back when the customer checking out decided she wasn’t exactly through shopping and wandered back into the store, leaving her purchases half rung up.  As we stared in confusion, one of the myriad of surprisingly cheerful employees told us that the lanes farther down were empty, and indeed they were.  We sidled up to the checker and I whipped out my credit card.  But right before I swiped it, I looked at her and my dad and said, “Wait! I need some milk.”  You should have seen the horror on their faces.  Gotcha!

All said, we got back to the car, drove home, and pulled into the driveway at 8:31 PM.  Pure concentrated chaos, but it worked out splendidly.  That was just about as much Walmart insanity as I ever needed to take.  And I only got elbowed once.  I call that a win.

(I won’t bore you with the story of how we pressed our luck and went to Target as well, with no real purpose in mind, but still managed to find something we wanted and ended up in a snaking checkout line for half an hour.  But we got a primo parking space there, too, and I just wanted to dance in the space as cars circled by.)

Unsponsored Advertising

Today has been insane, what with a standing doctor's appointment  and another one thrown in just because Sammy decided to up his holiday excitement by coming down with an ear infection.  Not to mention the massive cleaning this house needs (I, uh, put it off too long and now beg forgiveness from the house and I promise never to do that again if it doesn't get this dirty again ever) and prep for 2nd Thanksgiving tomorrow (I'm bringing 4 dishes, 2 of which I added on my own,and yes, I am deranged).  I still need to set up the Christmas tree so it can be ready for 3rd Thanksgiving, and oh, I am so tired from all of it.

So this evening, you get a little promotion. Style Lush and Food Lush have released their gift guides for the season, and they chock full of wonderful things that I would like one of each, please.  Oh yeah, and you can use them to find the perfect gifts for everyone else under the sun.  I'm so proud to write for Food Lush, so please check these out. They can make your holiday shopping so much easier, I tell ya.

Have a peaceful and serene Thanksgiving Eve.  Be sure to set out your stretchy pants for tomorrow.

Soliciting Advice

We have these accordion shade things on the windows in our playroom that I’ll admit aren’t that attractive. But they get the job done and didn’t cost anything (unless you consider them part of the mortgage, in which case they cost a bazillion dollars in interest and my head just exploded), so they’ve stayed put. That is, until today when Sabrina decided she would so forcefully pull the cord to life one of the shades that she pulled it right out, rendering it useless. So now I must replace the shades. All of them. I guess I could go all hoopty and just replace the broken one, but, no.

I also hate my mini blinds. They, too, came with the house, and every time I dust them, I curse like a sailor from the hate (in my head – there are younguns around here). Not to mention that the twisty rods for the blinds on the two tallest windows have fallen off, so I end up dislocating my shoulder reaching up to open or close them.

Might I also mention that I admire you creative design people so much because I am discovering that creative design talent is something I just might not possess. Therefore, please tell me what I should do to cover my windows. Money is totally an object, so the less I spend, the better. Also, I do not live in a mausoleum, so heavy curtains (or really curtains at all, given my children’s penchant for playing Tarzan) probably won’t fit the bill. Please help me find something that won’t make me stabby when I look at them (also that will help us keep the meter reader from checking out our bizness and let us see the sun sometimes).

99 Bottles of Water on the Wall

I know I’m going off the deep end here. I KNOW. And yet, I can’t stop.

Last year, as Sammy started kindergarten, the teacher told us parents to send water bottles labeled with our kids’ names for taking out to recess, sipping with snacks, etc. A bell dinged in my brain, and as soon as I got home, I started rummaging through the cabinets until I found it. Years earlier, someone had given Sammy a brightly-colored water jug emblazoned with his name, and I’d stashed it away because my 2 year old didn’t exactly have the fine motor skills needed to operate it. But now, it would be perfect.

And so, he used it all year, at school and all over the place. And of course, me being the bottle-obsessed weirdo had to find one for Sabrina because, of course, they had to match. This particular line of moniker displaying thermoses didn’t make a Sabrina, much like most other name-labeled items out there, but they did make a generic design or 2, so I picked a butterfly bottle up for her (pink, natch) at Babies R Us. I’d seen then there every time I stopped by, which was many, many times.

Then last week, I noticed the spring lid wasn’t latching properly, and upon closer inspection found that it was just a little bit broken. It still worked, sort of, but I knew that after 2 days of school it would be completely broken and it would probably come home with pieces missing and that would be the end of it. And that just would not do. So off I went to the store. And another one. And another one. After years of seeing these things everywhere, they were nowhere to be found. So I turned to the internet. I expected to find the bottles all over the place, but no. I ended up on eBay.

Yet, for some reason, Sam was in short supply. Meaning, I could order it from England if I really wanted it. But, y’all. The international shipping nearly gave me a heart attack. So I got creative. I bought a bottle with another name on it. I hate to be wasteful, but I didn’t really need the bottom part, so I figured I could ditch the what’s his name portion and use the top. And it arrived over the weekend, just in time for school. Big pat on the back for me.

Until Sammy came home today and told me the bottle didn’t work. And sure enough, it didn’t. It’s missing an internal spring. And I can’t get to the internal part so I can fix it. GRRRRR!!!

This is irritating me much more than it should. I’ll get with the seller and hopefully he’ll make it right with me, or I’ll order another from somewhere else and it’ll be fine, but man, this is bugging me. Yes, I am a sad, sad person. Pick your reason: because I’m bugged about a water bottle, of which there are millions out there to choose from, or because I’ve just written 500 words about it.

I’ll be over here, grumbling under my breath. But please do me and my insanity a favor, and if you happen to see a cute water bottle bearing the name of Sam (or Samuel or Sammy, I’m not picky), tell me where I can get my hands on it. I can use all the spares I can get.

Somebody Stop Me. Or Shop With Me.

I have a problem.

I cannot stop buying my kids things to drink out of. Cups. Thermoses. Water bottles. Jugs. If it’s cute and can hold liquid, I have to have it (um, for the kids). Major bonus points if it looks like it won’t leak (which is a fantasy because they ALL leak, but I fall for it every time anyway).

My armchair analysis as to why is twofold. One, I love me a cool cup. My cabinets are stuffed with every kind of bottle imaginable, both the free ones I pick up from whatever business has be-logoed them and the fancy kinds I just can’t leave at the store. Every single time, I think that this is the one that will make me drink more water, will go with me everywhere, will keep me from lusting after that 20 ouncer of Diet Dr. Pepper. Do they work? Well, there’s a can of DDP sitting right in front of me as I type, so what do you think? (Actually, I do drink water, as much as possible, currently with the trusty, giant, bladder-testing vat I got from the hospital when I had Sabrina, so score one for the freebies. But I’m sure it’s not nearly as much as the experts say I should, because I’m afraid my eyeballs might really float out of my head. But sometimes, a girl just needs a little caffeine pick me up right around the time nap time comes to a close, you know?)

Part two is the no-leak dream. I swear, someday I really will find the holy grail of glorified sippy cups that won’t drip apple juice on the carpet in some kind of mother-crushing Rorschach spatter. Someday has not yet arrived, but a tiny piece of my soul will not give up.

And so I foist my obsession onto my children. It gets worse though. To mitigate potential fighting, I have to have 2 matching vessels, each made distinctive by some color or pattern that the kids can use to claim their own. And if one of the set happens to crack, melt, or otherwise break, my impulse is immediately to run out the door to replace it so I can maintain the balance of the cup collection. There must be a balance.

You think I’m crazy, right? Clearly.

Even though every nook and cranny around here is housing some kind of drink holding-and-carting container, I still picked up 2 more go mugs, as I call them, for my kids for our next road trip. They’re pink and blue! They have extra straws included! They say they won’t leak! Surely these will be perfect!

That is, until I have to refill them in a car moving at 70 miles per hour. So much for the upholstery.

My name is Julie, and I’m a mugaholic.