Things I yearn to say: “I’m sorry, I can’t go, I’m washing my hair.”

I also long for ways to feel relaxed and pampered on a daily basis. Small things throughout the day, nothing big and special like a day at the spa. Oh, if only! But time and money prohibit such indulgences, don’t they?

Well, I found a glorious shampoo and conditioner that truly make my head feel awesome: Rene Furterer. As in my scalp. Yes. I know – a little weird, huh?

I know what you’re thinking…who the hell pays attention to their scalp? I mean, it just lays there under the hair, not doing much but flaking off every now and them.

But hear me out. Have you ever had a scalp massage? Try it. It’s glorious! You can do it to yourself, yes, but when done by someone else it’s uber relaxing. My hairstylist does it sometimes when she washes my hair and I get goosebumps! She did it while using this shampoo once and OMG!

I started using Rene Furterer Carthame (from Paris, don’t you know) because of her. The shampoo is made of plant extracts and is all natural and good food for your hair and scalp. It’s not like it tingles or anything like that. Just try it, you’ll see. It’s normal shampoo, only better.

Until now, I haven’t paid attention to my scalp. But I shoulda been.

Nothing is like a miracle cure for unruly hair, to be sure. But since using this stuff, my hair has been very shiny and mostly cooperative – except for those pesky grays! Damn you, aging.

I do, in fact, give my scalp a little massage every time I use the shampoo and just that little bit of time in the hot shower, working my fingers over my head, feels amazing. I’ll leave it at that with the hot shower business (ahem).

On to grosser stuff – when I get stressed out, my head flakes. It’s like eczema up there, and it’s itchy and embarrassing. But I haven’t had any of that since using this shampoo. That’s the first time my head hasn’t gone all scaly on me since I don’t know how long. And it’s not like I don’t have stress in my life anymore. As if!

That’s why I’m addicted to this shampoo. It makes my hair look lovely and I don’t have to worry about wiping my shoulders like a dandruff shampoo commercial. Whew.

photo credit: the Italian voice

I’m notorious for always playing catch-up. If it’s not on work, it’s on sleep, bills, exercise…you name it. I even have to play catch-up with my book club sometimes!

Argh.

It’s aggravating and stressful. But with the new year, I made a commitment to get my catch-up pile caught-up and to make it a new habit to stay that way. Here’s the strategies I’ve been employing…so far, I’m making headway.

Be Realistic. There’s only so many hours in a day, a week, and a lifetime. So be realistic in what you commit to. Can you really take on another volunteer project without sacrificing either your personal or family time? Can you take it on without hindering your effectiveness elsewhere? If you’re a freelancer, I highly recommend using something like Freshbooks or another timer for your desktop so you know exactly how long tasks take you; I’ve often budgeted only 30 minutes for something but later found out it took me 75 minutes instead.

Prioritize. What do you really want to do? This is applicable whether you’re a dealing with a work situation or a personal one. What’s important to you? After working far too much last year, I decided that I was going to prioritize my clients and work with only the ones I liked best. Not only was it a relief, it was nice to be able to devote my full energy in just a few places.

Focus on One Thing Each Day. Endless to-do lists can be totally overwhelming. What’s the most important thing you need to get accomplished today? It might be a load of laundry or it might be a 10-page proposal. Whatever it is, tackle that first and devote your full attention to it; then, work on the rest of the list.

Schedule When You’re Sharp. What time of day do you think most clearly? For me, it’s right around 4:15 a.m. The house is quiet and I’ve had one cup of coffee. From 4:15 to 4:30 is when I sit down and plan out my entire day. By employing a realistic approach to how long things really take me, I’m much better prepared to set a realistic goal for the day.

photo credit: ASurroca

With 2012 zooming by at the speed of lightning, it’s amazing to realize spring is nearly here. And speaking of the passage of time, looking at the trends emerging from the runways, splashy neons are making their way back into our closets in a decidedly less ridiculous fashion than they did twenty years ago…meaning, no hair scrunchies or “Frankie Says Relax” shirts this time around.

As for home trends, though, sun-soaked vintage pastels are making a huge comeback, from warm sherbet hues to the ever-classic robin’s egg blue. A perfect example: cutie-pie Rachel Bilson’s new housewares line for Macy’s, Edie Rose, mixes and matches peachy patterned place settings with bird and hydrangea patterns, bringing a vintage chic element to the dinner table.

Target’s getting in on the action, too, with these soft microsuede throw pillows in a gorgeous, “give-me-that-right-now” Tiffany blue hue…and the best part is, they’re incredibly easy to clean:

Anthropologie — seriously, who doesn’t love Anthropologie? — doesn’t disappoint with its trio of peach, aqua and rose-colored nesting tables. If the $898 price tag gives you heart palpitations, take heart: these cuties are a DIY project in the making. With an abundance of mid-century furniture at vintage and thrift shops everywhere, it shouldn’t be hard to create your own set.

If your kiddos want to stay on trend right alongside you, PBTeen has a 1950s-inspired palette of striped sheets on sale online; or, of course, you could always just buy them for yourself. We won’t tell.

Photo credits: Macy’s, Target, Anthropologie and PBTeen. 

This is going to sound crazy. I just bought a new red wallet (on a great sale at Kate Spade!) and on buying it I thought WOW THAT’S RED. But I felt compelled to buy it, not because it’s Kate Spade and not even because it was on super sale. I just had to have it. It called to me. It’s come hither lipstick red. That’s not the crazy part.

When I got home and organized all my things in it, I thought, uh oh…did I just stash all my money in something as red as fire? As in burning a hole in my pocket? As in that’s what my mom has always said about me and money? OOOOHH NOOOOO NOT GOOD!

One of my goals this year is to make as much money as I can in order to buy a house. So spending it willy-nilly isn’t on the agenda (present example of buying a Kate Spade red wallet not included). Maybe you can see why Mom used to always tell me that?

Again, not the crazy part.

Instead of getting all worried about the potential of burning through my money, I Googled ‘red wallet’ and feng shui and guess what y’all! Red wallets attract wealth! Yippee.

Typically I don’t put much stock in this sort of thing not because I think it doesn’t work but because I think we never hear about when it doesn’t work, so all the information out there seems lopsided to me. Or maybe it’s all hooey. I don’t know.

But I love love love that I intended, at the beginning of the year, to buy a house and houses cost money, right. And I just bought something that will attract money to me.

Alright, money…here I am. Have wallet. Hop right in. Hooray for the red wallet.

And yep, that’s the crazy part

photo credit: MHMB

A few weeks ago, our house was football central. My husband’s 49ers were up against my beloved Saints for a championship game. A Super Bowl lead up.

Now, let me back up and say that football is rarely, if ever, on in our house. Mainly because we spend Sunday’s at the in-laws. Also, we’re fair weather fans. Oh, my husband would tell you different. That I’m the fair weather fan. He’s right; I am. But still!

That said, for this championship game, we were pumped. Either way, there would be celebrating. I was hootin’ and hollerin’ most of the way. Then at the end, we looked like that whack-a-mole game. I’d pop off the couch and cheer only to plop down defeated. Then he’d jump up, fist in the air only to wither back to the couch. Each 30 seconds or so of the last 2 minutes we were crazed, jumping up or falling down.

Our kids wondered who we were and what we had done with their parents.

Raucous. Screaming. Clapping. “Get em, get em, get em!”

The 2 year old picked up the rant, too, only she did it consistently for both teams. Such a big heart, that girl.

Anyway, all this to say that after, when the game was off by hours, we were once again awash in screams. Only these were tear filled, tantrum screams. And it hit me – all of our excitement deposited itself inside my children, only to come oozing out of their eyes and mouths.

I looked over at my husband, deflated, and said, “We kinda did this, didn’t we?”

Good thing he took that the right way and together we realized that our two sponges had indeed soaked up the craziness of the day. And the only way they could release it was to cry. And cry they did.

It got me to thinking about tears and how to best deal with them – which I’ll cover later. But. Coming up is another big football day. The Super Bowl! So beware!

If you’re planning on watching it with the kids, do know that they will gorge on more than just the visual eye candy of the commercials and the boys in those tight pants! Whatever loud fun you’ll have in your house, you’ll have to figure out a way to wring your little child-sponges dry by the end of the day. For your own sanity.

Care.com has a great list of things to do with the kids pre-game and during the game. Like making flags or pom poms to wave around. They’ll be the cheering section; might as well give them props.

And after,  if you have a yard, re-create some of the game. Give them a football and chase them round and round. Or, if you’re too tired, have the doggie chase them! (kidding!) Just find a way to work them out. Exercise will be your best friend come night time

Oh, and last but not least…what yumminess are you cooking up? I love 7-layer dip, personally. This year, I think I might try these pigs in a blanket. What is your favorite junk-food for the big game?

photo credit: iamjohntmeyer

Cold and flu season is definitely upon us. And while I’m no doctor, I try to believe that my methods of getting rid of germs are pretty effective. It goes something like this:

1. Quarantine sick person
2. Fill them with over-the-counter meds to alleviate discomfort
3. Provide a cooler full of popsicles and juice on ice to limit amount of time they must mingle with non-sick family members
4. Provide a baby monitor (regardless of sick person’s age) so they can easily call for help should they need it
5. Sanitize every surface in sick person’s room once they are feeling better

In my quest to find ways to appropriately care for sick kids and spouses, I’ve come across several other moms who have a unique view on “the sickness.”

My first stop was over at Divine Secrets of a Domestic Diva who describes her family’s experience with the “respiratory funk” and offers up both toddler- and mommy-approved tips for avoiding the spread of germs. I have to admit, her plan is way better than mine.

Motherhood WTF? takes a look at the issue of jealousy among siblings when one is sick and the other is not…it’s not always rational, indeed. And it kind of reminds me of that episode of Arthur when D.W. is jealous that Arthur has the chicken pox and she pretends to get them too by drawing all over herself…only to be discovered when Grandma Thora pops her in the tub and her spots are miraculously gone.

And pediatrician Vincent Iannelli, M.D. doles out legitimate, practical medical advice on both avoiding the flu and what to do if you’re exposed but haven’t had a flu shot. It’s worth looking at, even if it’s not hysterically funny because, after all, he is a professional.

Finally, you need to make sure you have the appropriate supplies in the event your child gets sick…check out how to get flu ready before “the sickness” even hits your home.

photo credit: lauren grace picture place

Here’s one of the things I love most about Target: the whole “designers doing it for a dime” thing they have going on. These celebrity partnerships have allowed millions of people to get super-fashionable goods at a fraction of the price…and the reality is, in many cases, these duds would have been unobtainable otherwise.

Like when the Gwen Stefani Mini Harajuku line for Target came out? I scooped up all sorts of it because I loved the style, and the prices were (and still are!) unbeatable.

The newest venture, though, has nothing to do with Gwen or clothing, for that matter. It has to do with crafty-sweetness and Todd Oldham. Yeah, you know, the guy that puts out uber-cool house stuff? And no, these craft supplies are not for us adults (we have Martha Stewart, after all), but for our kids that love to craft.

Some of his wares include neon-printed duck tape (though this is not a new concept and Target already carries this type of stuff + Hello Kitty duck tape, but the Todd Oldham stuff is different…); a handful of jewelry kits including felt-based and lucite-based; crazy crayons (Um, 64 colors in one ginormous crayon? Sounds fun!!); comic book kits (these look awesome) that include a blank comic book with specific markers and even templates to emulate comic book-style writing); and craft paper kits, which appear to be things like room lanterns and paper vases (though don’t quote me on that, I’m making an educated guess based on the video announcement).

photo credit: a bulls eye view/target

As many of you know, we don’t live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We don’t live in an exclusive neighborhood in San Francisco. We live in Portland, Maine.

Now, that’s not to say that we don’t have our fair share of challenges within the school system. As with every other state, the budget is underfunded, the teachers are tired, and heaven help you if you try and talk to the administration about “changing” something in your kid’s schedule.

What we don’t worry about is preschool and, for the most part, we don’t worry all that much about the elementary school either. We have several elementary schools and your kid either goes to the school in your neighborhood or you pay an exorbitant tuition rate to get them into a private school.

In our area of the country, most families don’t have the funds to pay for private school…$19,000 for part-time Kindergarten? Ha!

So when I was talking with a friend who lives near Atlanta the other day, and she was telling me that they don’t think they’ll be able to get their daughter into the elementary school they like, it seemed like a totally foreign concept to me. What was even more strange was the conversation that continued.

As it turns out, she is contemplating running for a position on the school’s Board so her children will get priority during the enrollment lottery.

In my head, she just started toeing the line of “a little bit crazy.” Taking on additional work, in addition to the career she already runs, plus all the volunteering she does, plus running a household, just so she can be sure that her kids are able to get into the school they prefer? I feel like that’s a lot of work for an elementary education.

Now, admittedly, I have contemplated taking a part-time gig with an extremely prestigious high school (with an annual tuition rate of well over 30,000) so our older daughter can attend at a discounted rate. But our high school situation is dismal and we’ll end up paying tuition of some sort anyway because we’ve already decided she will not attend public high school.

But I wouldn’t try to take a job just so she might have the possibility of getting in the door through a lottery system.

I told my friend I thought she was crazy, and I maintain my stance on that. But it made me wonder what other parents would do to get their kids into preschool or elementary school. Are all elementary school educations created equal?

Have you ever dealt with this situation? How did you handle it? Would you sacrifice your time to volunteer on the outside chance that your child could attend a specific elementary or preschool?

I have other friends that live in Manhattan and they talk about preschool waiting lists when they start trying to get pregnant…again, I think this crazy, but I feel like living in Manhattan is like living in a different country anyway.

Let’s discuss. I’m so curious to hear your thoughts on this. And by all means, if you have done something specific to get your child into a particular school, tell me. Maybe I’m missing something really obvious here.

photo credit: nasa hq photo

Haven’t laughed this hard in a while. I almost peed my pants and my cheeks ached.

It’s raunchy. And vulgar. And right on. Louis C. K. you are indeed brilliant if not sick. Completely sick. Good thing you can tell how much he genuinely loves his kids, even if he pretends otherwise.

Also, I love that he ribs people who watch TV since he works on TV. Can you say hypocrite?

image/video credit: YouTube/tonyjackson80

Are you done drooling yet?

Can you believe those were made by a kid no older than my twelve-teen?

And I’m not sure which I admire more: her cooking prowess or her ability to keep from licking the spoon.

These were created on the online-only show Kids Who Love to Cook. Part of the Season 1 line-up, these Chocolate Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting were created along with other culinary amazements like Brazino al Cartoccio, Mini Turkey Burgers, and Thai Shrimp.

The Kids Who Love to Cook website is devoted to getting kids in the kitchen with video segments, recipes, and tips and how-tos (from easy stuff like “how to boil an egg” to more complex stuff like “how to make a substitute for Mirin”). There’s even a section of the site devoted to “food trips” which includes the “best of food trucks” … I love it!

If you have a child that is interested in cooking, this is a must-view website.

What I love about it is the depth of the recipes. Most kid-focused recipes are for things like trail mix or flavored popcorn. Great for snacks but not complex enough for the kids to feel like they’re part of creating dinner. However, stream this on your iPad or laptop in the kitchen (or print out the recipes before hand) and ask your child to help create an entire meal. Then sit down and have dinner as a family.

Not only will your rising culinary star feel a sense of pride in his creation, he’ll also be more likely to try everything on his plate (even if some of it is green).

Check out the Kids Who Love to Cook website … season 2 will be starting soon.

What recipes will you encourage your kids to try first?

photo credit: kids who love to cook

What’s happening in the bookstore near you, y’all?

I love the googly-eyes on the second book that peeks out of the shelf.

Ahh, the joy of a real book. And a good editor;) And to have this much time on my hands to create something like this.

Image and video credit: crazedadman

That’s right. That’s what I said. Don’t save for college. Why on earth would we, as parents, save, save, save for college when our children learn how to learn in KINDERGARTEN? You remember that book, All I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten? Spend now…while your child’s mind is forming.

As parents, we owe it to our kids to educate them. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s our job. We love them, feed them, keep them safe and educate them. It’s what we do as parents. But for most folks, myself included, educating our kids translates into saving the big bucks for when our children go away to college.

Instead of pouring money into early childhood education we, collectively, have bought into the idea that extra curricular activities, honors classes and high school pressure will pave the way into a good college. The thinking is that college will allow my child to have a “successful” life.

By then, it’s too late.

Instead of coaxing supple minds to bend and weave like crossroads over the rocky terrain of information, we stick these wiggly little bodies behind desks and show them the straight concrete highway of knowledge. We do this in the hopes that we can fill their bucket with enough smarts so that they get into college, a good college, and can then use their minds.

It’s bonkers.

Listen, I’m no expert. I haven’t studied early childhood education. I’m not a teacher or politician or even social activist. But the way education is right now feels wrong to me. This is probably because I have teeny children just embarking on their educational journey so it’s in the forefront of my mind.

When kids are just waking up to the world is when we should foster their curiosity. As young children, they yearn to know. They can’t wait to learn. They want more, more, more.

Early childhood education is where it’s at. If you believe that you reap what you sow, then plant the seeds of learning early, don’t wait till their minds are no longer elastic to and try to cram the knowledge in.

For certain, college is important but more important to some than others. Also, I know that saving $200-$5,000 a year for 18 years will add up to a chunk of change for college and that it is more doable than spending up to $40,000 a year of private education each year while your children are young. I get that.

I’m just saying that lighting a fire in a child, as William Keats says education can be, is preferable to filling pails in hopes that little minds retain all that knowledge poured in. And focusing all our resources and attention on college may just be too little, too late.

photo credit: Môsieur J. [version 5.9a]

Messy and outside, a toddler’s dream. Modern Playhouse has made an outdoor playhouse for all those times when you want to go out and play in the garden rain or shine. It’s called the Dacha playhouse, named for a Russian garden house. Not to be confused with danke, which is German for thanks.

The playhouse can simply provide shade or it can be a garden/green house or a lemonade stand or a club house or, well, whatever your kid can come up with.

Apparently this playhouse is tool-less, so even the clumsiest of handymen and handywomen can assemble it. They say it takes minutes. Hopefully their directions are somewhere in between IKEA’s no word mystery directions and the 10 page tome bicycle assembly directions. “Assembly required” is a parent’s nightmare!

Oh how I yearn for a yard to put this in. As it stands, right now we live in an apartment and we have no place, inside or out, to put a playhouse. Instead, we throw a blanket over the back of the chair and hook it over their little kitchen to make a “cave.” It works for now.

But this little darlin’ would be a hit!

Maybe come summer. Maybe.

photo credit: Modern Playhouse