A Few of my Favorite Things...

I've decided to put up yet another post that offers no real insight into my life as Mom. This post, however, does shed some light on my life as Leah. Sometimes I forget that I can be me and not just Mommy! Recently I was inspired in the shower, my (almost) daily sanctuary, to let all my girl friends in on what I think are some the best pamper-me products out there. All Must Try's!

1. Schick Slim Twin Razors

I love these because they have this little button on the top when you push it, all the hair and dead skin gets pushed out from under the blade. They last a couple uses longer than most disposable razors and they are cheap!!

2. GlyMed Plus Gentle Facial Wash & Photo-Age

Environmental Protection Gel SPF 15

This facial wash is amazing. My skin feels so clean but not ever tight after washing it. It removes all my makeup and leaves no residue. The lotion is very light weight but my face never feels dry. I have an array of skin issues (sensitive, dry spots, oily spots, break outs!) and I've never had an adverse reaction to it. While on the pricey side, you need much at each use. I reorder about 3 times a year. I order mine online at http://www.ariva.com/glymed.html

3. Kerastase Nutritive Bain Satin 2 Complete Nutrition Shampoo & Nutritive Lait Vital Proteine (conditioner)

All I can say is, this is true daily pampering for your hair. I tried this line out way back in 1999 when I worked at a salon in college. In almost 10 years, I've never found any other product that made my hair look and feel as beautiful (believe me, I've tried!). It's expensive and harder to find (of course you can find it online), but it's a really great way to treat yourself and it will last a few months.

4. Body shop Exfoliating Skin Towel
I was surprised at how well this thing worked! It was an impulse buy one day at the mall with some sort of promotion. The first thing I loved was how easy it is to exfoliate my back! It was like a really really great back scratch (which I Loooooove). Then, I shaved my legs after using it and it was the smoothest shave ever! It really does an amazing job of sloughing off those dead skin cells and leaving soft, smooth skin behind.

5. Dove Sensitive Skin Body wash (soap free!)

I put this on the list, not because it does an exceptional cleansing job and has a fantastic scent, but because it's inexpensive and treats my sensitive skin really well. I still come out feeling clean and refreshed with no irritations!

Thanks for letting me share!

Just because

A little dark humor to brighten your day!

Johnson & Johnson Introduces 'Nothing But Tears' Shampoo To Toughen Up Newborns (click to read entire article)

"You'll notice a difference after just one use," said Michelle Baker, head of new product development. "Whether it's your newborn's more hardened appearance, the way he now approaches people with guarded skepticism, or just that look on his face that says, 'Oh wait, maybe life isn't all hugs and kisses and rainbows. Maybe I need to get my fucking act together.'"

-Aug 15 issue of the Onion.

6 months later...

OK, so I'm not so reliable in the blogging world. I can't believe it's been 6 months since I last updated, but many of you have started your own blogs, which has inspired me to get started again.

Let's play catch up. Ethan is 3 years old now. He's 41 1/2 inches tall and 41 lbs. I can't believe how big he is. He just keeps growing and growing. He's learning so much so fast and I think he will really love preschool once he starts in September. He will be attending school 3 days a week from 9am to 1pm. I'm not sure what Salla and I will do without him, but I'm super excited for him.

Salla is now 14 1/2 months. She is 26lbs and growing just as fast as Ethan did. She's walking (Yay!), practically running to keep up with her brother. She's not sleeping through the night yet (boo!), and still takes 2 (short) naps a day (who needs sleep anyway?) but in general her disposition has calmed down a bit since infancy. Don't get me wrong, she's fiesty, stubborn. and has quite the set of lungs when she's mad, but she seems to be enjoying life more these days.

This summer has been busy for us. Of course, we try to make it to the beach as much as we can. Ethan loves the water, Salla loves to get sandy. We celebrated Salla's first bithday and Ethan's 3rd birthday. Somehow I pulled off 2 great parties with tons of kids. Ethan took swim lessons and did fantastic for his first class experience. It was fun to sit on the side and watch him with the teachers and the other kids. He did great and passed "Level 1". Next we spent 2 weeks in MD/PA/VA in July. It was a looooooong drive up and back(18 hrs and an overnight hotel stay somewhere in the Carolinas), but better than dealing with flying (remind me to post about our trip in May when we managed to miss a flight out of Atlanta while we were waiting in the airport). We got to see lots of loved ones and friends we haven't seen in ages. Overall, the kids did great and everything went off with out a hitch. Since we've been back, I've been trying to keep us low key and back in routine. Ethan and Salla are playing a lot together, though I feel like a referee most of the time, but it's exciting to see them interacting so much more. He does get physical with her a lot, but most of the time she just laughs. I find myself saying this over and over, "If she's crying Ethan, it means she doesn't like it!". Now I just can't wait for the weather to cool off a bit so we can spend more time outside (it's Africa hot here)...

So that's where we are now. Thanks to everyone who's been keeping in touch and sending me their blogs! It feels good to be back:)