Coors Brewery: 2000 and 2008

2000


2000


2008

2008

Holy crap. I miss my old tan 26 year old self. I miss laying in the tanning bed, and making damn sure they gave me one with a special bulb so that my face will get extra-dark.

I do not, however, miss wearing pleated shorts with belts. What the hell was that all about?

Seeing these pics together point out to me that I have aged quite a bit in 8 years.....

Wah.

Ya'll

OMG.

I forgot how much I hate flying. I am the worst passenger evah.

The second I walk through the doors at the airport, I say, "I feel sick." Mr. Sasha does not think this is funny, but I certainly am not trying to be funny- I'm totally serious.

During take off and landing, my face turns beet red and I start sweating and I feel like I might explode. I have to toss my reading material into Mr. Sasha's lap and put my head between my knees. I also have to moan a bit and grab on to his arm and whimper and do the whole cycle again, until the feeling is gone.

It's quite a sight. And it's not that I am scared of flying, cause I'm not, it just makes me sick.

The lady next to me today offered me a Dramamine.

I would have preferred a Phenergan, but I didn't have any on me, plus I'm no good for hours after I take one.

Anybody else a terrible flyer, and if so, what do you do about it?

Beer, Pie, and Gellato

All of these three things I have overindulged in over the past few days.

We'll be back in town tomorrow night and I'll try to check in.

Cheers! (drink some beer!)

Hoping to Get to Try

MGD 64.

Only 64 calories! That means I can drink more and still stay within my WW points, which I am totally going to start counting again when we get back from CO.

Hope they have it at the brewery today. Looks like it rolls out nationwide in October.

Boring Conference + Brewery Tour = Saved Trip

Mr. Sasha and I are headed to Colorado today. I've got a super-exciting (not) conference to attend Mon-Wed.

In an attempt to salvage the trip, we will (of course) be touring the Coors Brewery in Golden. Now, we have done this before while on our 1st anniv trip in 2000. It was then that I first tasted (and became a big fan of) Blue Moon.

Also, after this tour, Mr. Sasha and I were pulled aside and chosen to be Official Beer Tasters. This involved going into a special room and tasting samples of various beer and giving our opinion. We were chosen because of the amount of beer that we reported we drank weekly. Embarrassing, but super-fun.

And when we left our Official Beer Taster certificates in our rental car, Hertz was nice enough to mail them to us at home.

KytoStat Linkage

How cool am I?

Last month I did some Cliff Notes on June 2008 Parents magazine, and I mentioned KytoStat Bandages.

Now my blog is linked to from their front page! (StatCounter rocks by the way)

These bandages instantly seal the wound and stop the bleeding- with The Wild Child around, I am pretty certain I will need these at some time.... They are $15 for 3, but it sounds like they are worth it if you have small children around. I'm definitely going to get some to have on hand.

Has anyone tried them?

Unbelievable!

I was just going through my 4th of July pics, and by George, it's a miracle!

Do you see what I see?

Two kids with their sunglasses on correctly.

Typically, they are upside down.

Just like shoes, somehow more than 50% of the time, WC gets them on the wrong foot.

The Politician is Having a Birthday Party With Store Bought Invitations

Don't you judge me!

Oh, Ashley, how I love thee.

But do you know how many nightmares I have had about putting together birthday parties since your birthday post of August 2007? Your party-planning skills are amazing and I am so impressed with what you put together.

But I just can't do that.

In fact, I was so overwhelmed with birthday-party planning anxiety that poor WC didn't even really have a 2nd birthday party in January. I just decided that I sucked so bad I'd just call a few people and see if they wanted to come over and eat some cupcakes.

But Since P is old enough to be aware of these kind of things, I decided I better work on planning him a party since his bday is in less than 6 weeks.

We had a Sasha Family Roundtable Discussion last night about All Things Birthday, and here's the plan:

A Diego Party!

Place: The Birthday Park (where we had his 2nd and 3rd birthdays, it's basically free and there's tons of crap for the kiddos to play with so I don't have to come up with entertainment on my own)

Menu: $5 Pizzas and cupcakes from whatever store does Diego cupcakes (Sam's? Walmartz? SuperTarget? Homeland? chime in if you know and save me some dreaded phone calls)

Things to Buy at Party Galaxy: All Diego items: tablecloth, napkins, plates, invitations, goodie bags

Done and Done! Now that's how The Sashas throw a party.

Dear Laura and Sophie,

I'm just not feeling you. In fact, Laura and Sophie, your music stylings remind me of someone......

That's right, every time I hear you I think of The Culps on SNL. I'm just saying.

(By the way, this video is just a parody of The Culps- I can't believe I couldn't find an actual Culp clip on youtube)

Lip of the Day: 07-08-08

Maybelline Superstay Lipcolor in Plum

This is one of the two step products- you apply the long-wearing lipcolor first, allow it to dry for about a minute or so, then apply the topcoat.

The color is just OK- pretty natural, and I typically like more color on my lips. It's the topcoat that ruins this for me- it's a petroleum-type balm that doesn't smell very nice at all. This makes me remember that I really prefer the gloss-type topcoats.

Although I won't buy this again, I will probably use this from time to time since I found it in my stash.

New Ebates Link

Although the last $10 ebates sign-up offer expired, they have a new offer!

Sign up and make a purchase by August 14, and we'll both get $10!

Here's the link.

ABCs of Me!

Last month Jennifer tagged me, and this has been on my to-do list since then! The crazy thing is that a lot of my answers are the same as Jennifer's!

**Make sure you pay attention to the letter “T” cause I may be tagging you!**

A. Attached or Single? Attached (happily married!)
B. Best Friend? Lots of good friends
C. Cake or pie? Cake
D. Day of choice? Saturday
E. Essential item? 1 can of full-sugar Coke for breakfast every morning
F. Favorite color? Navy
G. Gummy bears or worms? Gummy coke bottles
H. Home town? A very small town in the Southwest
I. Favorite indulgence? Tiramisu
J. January or July? July (well, it's The Summer of Beer!)
K. Kids? Two and we are done!
L. Life isn’t complete without? Tivo
M. Marriage date? August 1999
N. Number of brothers and sisters? I'm an "only"
O. Oranges or Apples? Clementines
P. Phobias? revolving doors and also the car wash that moves you down the track by itself
Q. Quotes? The way the world underestimates me will be my greatest weapon. People pat me on the head, and I go to myself, "oh, and aren't they going to be surprised." - Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal)
R. Reasons to smile? Mr. Sasha and the kiddos
S. Season of choice? Fall- I love the cooler weather
T. Tag 5 people: Julie, Stephanie, Carrie, Holly, Traci Anne
U. Unknown fact about me? I can tap dance
V. Vegetable? Do potatoes count?!
W. Worst habit? biting my nails
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Pregnancy ultrasounds!!
Y. Your favorite food? shrimp en brochette
Z. Zodiac sign? Capricorn
Z. Which zoo animal is your favorite? Gobi monkeys

Lip of the Day: 07-06-08

Stila Long Wearing Lip Color in Exquisite

This is really a nice lipstick- a natural look that is actually pretty long wearing. I applied before church about 9 and it still looked nice at lunch. The sheen fades a bit but you are left with a nice color that doesn't bleed.

Of course, I've always found Stila a bit expensive, and this product is no different. At $18, it's a definite splurge. Stila's products are so darn cute though, and I love how this twists up. Not sure if I'll buy it again, but I do like it.

Don't You Dare Call PETA On Me

But WC got a little too aggressive with this guy and his friend (not pictured) and they are no longer with us.

Seems that Mr. Sasha's parents just installed a new in-ground pool (fancy!). And for some reason, it attract a bazillion little frogs who swim around with you. Strange. And creepy.

So WC manage to get her little paws on one and was just so taken by it's cuteness that she was carrying it around. You could just see a lone little frog leg sticking out. And just when you'd try to pry her hand apart to get the poor little prisoner out, she'd squeeze harder.

So I had to bury two of these little guys yesterday.

But other than that, a good time was had by all humans. I made some un-wise decisions regarding alcohol intake, but it's all good. We did realize at 9 pm when the kids were scarfing down birthday cake that we are pretty sure no one fed the kids dinner, but hey, they never said they were hungry! I would have totally put my beer down and made them a sandwich or a burger- all they had to do was ask. Don't you judge me!

We are off in a bit to a party that is sure to be fun- the words "Margarita Madness" were in the invitation! Hope you are having a great weekend.

Need An Alcoholic Beverage for the 4th?

Then stop by your local Wal-Mart and pick up a 6 pack of Smirnoff Raw Tea (I recommend the Raspberry).

I noticed the 6 packs were priced at $3.67 last month, and I figured it was being discontinued, so I bought all they had (four 6 packs- don't you judge me!).

But Tuesday night I noticed they were still on the shelves and still at that fantastic price!

You'll love it- promise!

Cleaning Up the Bandwagon

So how you are doing on the Couch to 5K Bandwagon?

I think I'll clean up the Bandwagon Blogroll a bit- take those off that fell off the wagon, and add a few who have jumped on!

Leave me a comment about your progress!

Edited to add: Even if you fell off, and you let me know you'd like to get back on, you can stay on the blogroll! (That's for you, Traci Anne!)

A special shout-out to my friend Amanda who is on Week 6! She was a non-runner like I used to be, and after she came to watch me at the finish line of a 5K, she decided to join in. I'm super-proud of her and excited she has caught the running bug. She hopes to run her first 5K at the end of August. Although it is still pretty damn hot then this time of year, I'll be joining her to show my support. (Someone better have a beer ready for me the finish line)

WC Is Time Travelin'

The Wild Child learned the phrase "last night" and now if anything happened in the past, it happened "last night", even if was a month ago.

"We went there last night."
"We did that last night."
"I ate that last night."
"I took off my diaper and slid down the slide last night."
"I took my clothes off and ran around the front yard like a nekkid jaybird last night." (yes you did)

But she got me with a new one yesterday.

I got her milk out of the refrigerator and handed it to her and it must have been an old cup (don't you judge me!) because she said....

"Yuck! That milk is from tomorrow!"

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Pool

Because fun can be had for a mere $7.

Promise.

Moving to Your Own Domain

Kelly Bee asks: Sasha, Could you please, please, please do a quick post on how to make the leap to your own domain name??? I would love to do that if it isn't too terribly hard. I think it's your duty as Ashley's hero, don't you??KB

Sure Kelly Bee! I've got a lot going today, so I'll post a few steps at a time. (By the way, I tried to check out your blog, but your profile isn't enabled....)

1. You are going to need to secure your desired domain. Mr. Sasha reserved http://www.sashasays.com/ for me a few years ago because he swore someday that I could somehow use as it as place to post reviews of all my product/makeup/food finds. Who knew this blog would develop and he'd be right!

There are lots of hosting sites, but we use http://www.1and1.com/ and Mr. Sasha says it's $6.99 a year to buy a domain name. Yahoo is $9.95 and GoDaddy is $9.99- so if you are bargain shopper like me, go for 1and1.

2. The next step is to create a CNAME record for it to point to ghs.google.com.

Here is the bloger help document with specific instructions for each hosting site on how to do this. I followed these instructions for 1and1 and GoDaddy with no problems.

3. Next, you need to update your blogger settings to reflect the change.

You'll do this on the Settings Publishing tab for your blog in Blogger. Click the link at the top that says "Switch to Custom Domain" towards the top. Fill in the domain you registered, and then save your settings.

It may take a bit for all the DNS servers to update. If it doesn't work at first, try again later.

Your original Blog*Spot address will automatically forward to your new domain. That way, any existing links or bookmarks to your site will still work.

And of course, I'm glad to help anyone that is having trouble. Provided, of course, that you name me as the "Hero of the Year" for your blog.

Tball is Over

Well, Saturday was our last Tball game. It was fun, but I'm not too sad that it's over. For one thing, chasing WC around the Tball fields was like a constant greased pig contest. I'm tired just thinking about it.

Above is The Politician with his trophy. He is so proud and really had a good time.

We did notice a few things we'll have to work on with him before next year. For one thing, he hasn't quite got the concept of running the bases down. In this league, each time someone bats, everyone advances one base. The last batter is the "clean up" batter and P pretty much thinks that a home run and jockeys for that spot in line every time.

But he also passes others who aren't running as fast as him. After he batted last in the last inning, he passed the runners on 1st and 2nd and made it home before they did. And he was so proud.

And the parent rivalry is already starting. I got down on my knees and positioned myself where I could take some shots of all our players batting to share with the other parents. One of the other team parents got all huffy about where I chose to be and said all snottily "Could you move? I can't see my son."

Listen lady, he's 3. He's going to stand there in the field and not do anything. At all. He might put his glove on his head, he might do a little jig, but he's really not going to do anything you haven't seen before. And in 10 seconds he's going to go chase a butterly and head 5 feet to the left anyway. Chill the F out. This ain't the Majors.

Lip of the Day: 06-28-08

Liner: Avon Color Trend Lip Liner in True Red (99 cents!)

Color: Avon Pro to Go in Cherry Glisten

Remember to email my favorite Avon rep, Valeri, at bucfanri (at) gmail (dot) com - she may have an Avon free shipping code for you!

Mr. Sasha has been playing in a golf tourney this weekend, so we are having dinner/drinks tonight with the guy he played with and his wife (Hi Amanda!). I need a night out so bad so I've really been looking forward to this!

I imagine I'll be taking advantage of The Summer of Beer. Yay for beer!

OT Visit Went Well

I've been meaning to post about our OT visit, but with VBS this week, and all the general craziness at our house, I just couldn't gather my thoughts well enough to write a coherent post.

And I still can't.... but I know you are wondering (or at least Hollyanna is) so....

The OT verified that it was sensory processing problems. And she said she can help! We'll be doing a Therapeutic Listening program, which is crazy sounding, but she swears it will work. WC will listen to a CD on some special headphones for 30 minutes twice a day. Somehow this CD will help WC learn to to cope with all her senses and how to deal with that herself and not to flip out and display inappropriate behavior.

And then she thinks we'll be released in 4-6 months. We are so excited!

More later.....

Holy Giant Coke Bottles, Batman!

So last Friday I decided to do some online Nancy Drew-ing and find some Haribo Raspberries since Target clearanced them out a few weeks ago, just moments after I had discovered (and loved!) them.

I found them at Amazon, 5 pounds for $15 or so, which is a steal, and they were even included in the $25 free super saver shipping thingy. So of course I had to look for more products to get up to $25.

Since I also love Cola bottles, I decided I'd order some of those too. Only..... the ones I got are absolutely huDge (tm Ashley)! Like you won't believe how big......

Isn't that the craziest thing you have ever seen?

Beer Find: Blue Moon Honeymoon Summer Ale

Is it bad that I go down the beer aisle every time I go to the grocery store?

Don't you judge me! (tm Joy's mom)

You know I'm a beer gal and that is a product of hanging with Mr. Sasha and the football team in college. You also know I'm a Blue Moon fan and of course this is the Summer of Beer at the Sashas.

Blue Moon's Summer Ale is called Honeymoon, and it's marketed as a beer flavored with honey and orange peel. I picked up a 6 pack the other day thinking I was sure there would be a beer occasion soon.

And I was right! Mr. Sasha and I have been chaperoning a group of 10 four-year-olds (!) at VBS this week and there have been a few nights that a beer has sounded awfully good once we got home and got the kids to bed. We tried Honeymoon the other night and we both really liked it.

Looks like it's available from May-mid August. Give it a try before it's gone!

Is Your Child a Pooh, Tigger, or Piglet?

Winnie the Pooh

• More adaptable character. These flexible children generally fall on the middle of the continuum for most temperament traits.
• Their moods are positive and their activity level is moderate.
• They are usually open to meeting new people but may occasionally need support and assistance to feel comfortable. The generally take change in stride.
• Parents and caregivers often find these children easy to care for. The parent of a Pooh may comment that she sleeps well and he can predict when she will want to eat, sleep, and play.
• About 40% of children fall in this category.

Piglet

• More cautious temperament. These are the children we think of as being thoughtful or quiet.
• Usually not comfortable in new situations and will need time and support to transition from one activity, setting, or caregiver to another.
• This child can at times seem to have a somber or serious mood. He or she will probably be slow to warm up to new people and activities.
• About 15% of children fall into this category.

Tigger

• Feisty temperament. These children usually react strongly to change and have a high activity level.
• They can be unpredictable and typically display strong reactions, both negative and positive. You never have to guess how they are feeling. When they are happy, they are joyful; when they are sad, they wail, when they are angry, they scream.
• About 10% of children fall in this category.

The additional 35% of children represent a combination of these types.

This was the information the CDS gave me about different temperaments. The Politician and I are probably a Piglet, with a little Pooh thrown in. Mr. Sasha is all Pooh.

WC is definitely a Tigger!

Off to See the Occupational Therapist

WC has an appointment with an OT today at 10:30. She called me yesterday and thinks she's got some info that will help us out.

The Nuk Massage Brushes are being used in 3 classrooms (toddler, 1 1/2s and 2s) at the school and are a big hit. I've even got parents asking how to get one for home use.

Yay! More later.....

Sign up for Hungry Girl Emails!

You guys, if you are not currently signed up for Hungry Girl emails, you must stop whatever you are doing and sign up right now!!!!!! They send out a daily email with fabulous new diet-friendly treats and eats. I love getting these every morning!

If you sign up, be sure and enter my email address (sasha2599 at yahoo dot com) in the "How did you hear?" field, because whoever is their 500,000th subscriber will win a fabulous prize (and so will the referrer!)

Look What the Mailman Brought Me!

Coach Sterling Silver Snaphead Earrings

I mean, I had to use that 25% off card on something, right?

The guy at the 1-800 number said they were dime-sized. Actually, they are pencil-eraser-sized, which is even better. They are so cute- I am sure they will be my go-to earring for a while.

Today

• P got stung by a bee at school (call from his teacher: Is he allergic? Me: I have no clue- you tell me!)
• It is 87 degrees in my office and I just went out to the family van and got some shorts to put on - very against dress code, but at this point I don't care. Send me home- it's 72 there!
• WC's teacher called and said she gave her a special arm massage she used to use with some special needs children she worked with when they needed to calm down, and it helped calm WC down and she went down for her nap really easily today. She's going to show me in the morning how to do it.
• Tonight is Night #2 of 5 for VBS. P had an absolute ball last night and really got into it. And Mr. Sasha did an excellent job as a chaperon- he kept track of 5 little girls and P with ease.
• Ordered some Luna bars from drugstore.com because they are today's Ebates Daily Double and it's 12% back! (Sign up through me and get $10!) This is going to be my breakfast everyday in an attempt to quit eating so many 100 calorie packs!

I Feel a Little Naughty

I am really liking Swingtown. Anyone else?

An RC Cola and a Moon Pie

Uh oh. I found something at the store the other day.

Mini Moon Pies. They are 3 points each.....

Verdict: Yummy. Now I actually (of course) prefer the double-decker regular size version, but these are much friendlier to my diet. There were six in the package I picked up at IGA for about $3, but the Moon Pie website seems to say they come in packs of 8 or 12. Who knows? Maybe I got a rogue pack.

At any rate, go for it. If you are a Moon Pie fan, that is. You'll love 'em.

Lip of the Day: 06-22-08

Liner: Clinique Sheer Shaper for Lips in 06 Black Honey (discontinued?- not on Clinique site)

Color: CARGO PlantLove lipstick in CeCe

From Sephora's description:

What it is: A lipstick tube made entirely out of corn - a renewable and abundant resource. This environmentally-friendly innovation also emits less greenhouse gases, which many scientists believe to be the major cause of global warming. The outer carton is made of flower paper embedded with real flower seeds. Simply moisten, plant, and wait for a bouquet of wild flowers to grow!

What else you need to know: CARGO is donating two dollars from the sale of every shade to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The PlantLove™ seeds we sow today affect future generations so we are investing in the earth and our children for the future of the planet!

Now, you and I both know I will probably never get around to planting the package, but what a cool idea! And I love that they donate to St. Jude's- a great cause.

This is actually wears pretty well (applied at 9 am before church and still looked nice at noon). It's very moisturizing, and the color is fabulous- not too dark, but such a pretty shade. I got no feathering, which I assume the liner helped with. I just bought the liner at Christmas and it looks like it may have been discontinued.

Lip of the Day: 06-21-08

The Balm Stainiac in Beauty Queen

with

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips in Dominique

applied over it

We are off to a "Blue Sox" baseball game (per The Politician). The Wild Child has never been to a big sporting event before. Say some prayers for us...... I am 99.9% sure they serve beer, so I should be OK.

Lip of The Day: 6-20-08

Revlon ColorStay Mineral Lip Glaze in Overtime Wine

Since I have about 200,000 lippies, I thought I'd start using a different one each day and weed out some of the ones that don't work for me. So here's what I am wearing today.

By the way, I totally have a crooked smile and a chip out of one of my front teeth. And my teeth need some whitening. Lipstick recently asked me about tooth whitening and I've been meaning to tell you all my teeth whitening story, so I'll do that soon- maybe later today.

Anyway, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this lipgloss. I normally can't wear gloss because it runs too bad into those pesky lines around my lips, but this gloss has some staying power. It's also a little bit sticky, which I actually like. That makes it feel very moisturizing and gives it a little bit of the staying power too, I think. It wears off evenly, and I don't mind reapplying after a few hours. Smells good too!

An Email about P

My friend Amanda sent me this email last week:

Today....dropping C at school (ed. note- C is 2).....C stops at the 4 yr old room to see the toys. We see The Politician and he said "Hi Amanda...what's C doing?"

I said "He's looking at your room."

Then P said..."Well this is the 4 yr old room. He's not 4. See here it says right here on the door (comes to the hall and points above the door) '4'....well it says '2', but it really is the 4 yr old room."

Too cute.

Fun! New Dowloads at Mom Agenda

Clemson Girl, this is totally up your alley.

I have the Mom Agenda Kitchen Folio in cherry (above) and I LOVE it. We keep it right by the phone and have all sorts of good info in there. And even though I am completely disorganized, I got my shit together one time and put everything anyone ever taking care of the kids would need. Even a medicine dosage chart (by weight!) for all the OTC meds I have for the kids. (email me if you'd like a copy)

But even cooler is that Mom Agenda just came out with some cool free downloads that can be printed out to put in the Kitchen Folio, or even in your own notebook. And they even come in cherry, ocean, and butter shades..... so cute! I just printed out the new ones and am going to pretend for a few days that I'm going to get around to using them. We all know I won't, but they sure look pretty sitting on the corner of my desk!

Meme from Clemson Girl and Hello Darling

You know, I did the 60 questions meme, but I am pretty boring today, but there is one thing I want the world to know (especially Ben and Jerry).

10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Ben and Jerry's Cool Britannia (not made anymore!).

Mr. Ben and Mr. Jerry, please please please bring it back! Vanilla ice cream with strawberries swirled in with little chocolate-covered shortbread pieces.... what's not to like? I think you were just before your time- it would be a hit in 2008!

Edited to add: Oh, and please bring back this one for Traci Anne!

The Full VerMonty - Maple ice cream with caramel swirl and pecans. A naked homage to our home state's Green Mountain bliss.
And holy cow, dear readers, if you love me but at all, you can vote here to resurrect Sasha's favorite flavor (Cool Britannia if you've got a short memory). I'd love you forever!

Hemangioma Surgery Scheduled

On Monday, WC had her pre-surgery appointment with her Pediatric Plastic Surgeon in Big City In A State Near Us and it went fabulous! He will be removing the remnants of her ulcerated hemangioma. They will be able to remove all of the hemangioma and all she will be left with is a pencil line-type scar across her arm, like the black line I have drawn on the picture above.

We were expecting that they would want to do the revision surgery in December or January, but they actually want to do her first surgery on August 7 and do the second and final surgery on December 4. We didn't know that it would take two surgeries to remove the remnants of the H, but figured that was a possibility.

The best part of all this is that it is outpatient, and they'll use internal dissolvable stitches and use dermabond on the top layer, so they said she could even get it wet the next day! We feel so good about this- so much better than we expected.

She was quite the ham at the appointment and was so friendly to the doctor. I think she will do great, although I may need a stiff drink to get me through it since I am a worry-wart. But I know she will be in great hands, so I think I can make it through. I am just glad to put this all behind us and stop getting the question "What happened to her arm? Was she burned?".

Sensory Sensivitity vs. Sensory Integration Disorder

The more research I do, I really think that WC has more of a "sensory sensitivity" than "sensory integration disorder". She just doesn't meet all the characteristics of SID. She meet some, but not all, and I think that's more of a sensory sensitivity. (Which explains A LOT about me- you know how I can't be hot or I freak out and can't breathe, and how I can't smell the same smell for very long or I feel sick and hot, and then I freak out, and then it's just a vicious cycle.....)

Anyway, last Thursday, our CDS called and me and said she wanted to refer us on to a Occupational Therapist to do an evaluation on WC. At first, I was worried that it was worse than we originally thought, but after reading more this weekend, I actually think it's better than we thought.

The CDS said that the OT will probably be able to tell us some specific things we can do at home to help WC, which sounds great to me.

So I called the recommended OT today and we talked a little about WC and I filled her in (what a story!). She felt like she can help us and we will probably get together next Wednesday.

I am just feeling so good about the steps we are taking!

Today

At school today, WC was at the top of the slide. Her teacher looked away for just a second, looked back, and WC had her shorts down around her ankles.

She took off her wet diaper, flung it off the slide (and they said she's got a good arm- it went far!) pulled her shorts back up, and went down the slide.

Wow.

Sasha's Favorite Books

Shannon asked for some book recommendations, so I created that handy little Amazon widget to the right.


If you haven't read Sophie Kinsella, drop what you are doing and get your hands on the Shopaholic series. Now, they do need to be read in order, so start at the top of the list. These books are an absolute riot- kind of like Bridget Jones, only funnier. And cooler. The Kinsella books without Shopaholic in the title are stand-alone books that are fab too.


At the very end of my list are two books by Pamela Des Barres- a groupie during the Zeppelin and Doors days. In our senior class newspaper, I listed her as my "Person Most Admired" and I think I scared the hell out of my parents. If you have any interest in the days of classic rock, give her first book a read- I guarantee you'll think she's a cool chick.

Happy reading!

Hemangioma Treatment Question

Anonymous writes: hello! our little princess also has a 4cm hemangioma located at her left deltoid area.. i wonder if your child underwent any treatment and if YES, kindly enumerate them..so we could have a better option on which treatment modality we are to take after considering all option offered by her physician..hoping for your reply..

We actually didn't do any "treatment". Our local pediatrician told us to wait it out. Once we decided that probably wasn't the correct advice since she was in so much pain for over 2 months, I started doing extensive research on the Internet and found a pediatric plastic surgeon who specialized in vascular anomalies in a neighboring state a made an appointment. The quickest appointment they had was 3 weeks away.

Unbelievably, during that three week period we noticed that the ulceration was starting to heal and by the time we got to our appointment, part of the scab was even beginning to come off! He said that if he had seen us sooner there would have been things they could have done for the pain, but since it was starting to heal, we should be OK to wait it out. He did tell us to watch for another growth phase between 9-12 months and there was a chance it would ulcerate again.

Although it did appear to grow a little bit more from 9-12 months, it did not ulcerate again (praise God!) so the doctor said they didn't need to see us again until she was 2 1/2, at which time they would assess and schedule a scar revision surgery around age 3.

One important thing I should ask, Anonymous, is if your daughter's H is ulcerated. If not, most doctors do agree to leave the H alone if it is not in an area that affects breathing, vision, or eating. If the H leaves a cosmetic defect once it involutes, a revision surgery can be done around age 3 like my daughter will have.

Hope I answered some of your questions!

Ask the Product Junkie: Non-Feathering Lip Color

Blanda Amania writes: I'm loving and appreciating your makeup tips and product reviews. One thing I'm having a problem with being older, and sun OVERexposed, is dry skin around my lips, which encourages my lipstick to feather-- just hate it. Have you encountered this problem, and if so, what products/application techniques have you found to combat it? I kid you not. At 10am everyday I'm checking the reflection and cursing it all.

Thanks Blanda! Feathering lipcolor is the thorn in my side too- it's always been a problem for me as well. Now, I attribute mine to smoking back in HS and college, but I was also sun OVERexposed like you.

What I have found is that I just can't wear a typical lipstick. And lipliner is no help. I've tried it all- the "outliner" that is supposed to keep your lipstick from running (ha!) and of course colored liner to match your lipstick. I still get feathering.

It's pretty much got to be labeled as a long-wearing lipcolor, or it's got to be a stain.

So I stick with Revlon Colorstay Overtime Sheer Lipcolor in Sheer Pomegranate or I use a stain with a clear sparkly gloss over it- I like The Balm Stainiac in Beauty Queen with Bare Esentuals Buxom Lips in Dominique over it. I also have found that Revlon's ColorStay Mineral Lip Glaze in Overtime Wine doesn't run that bad... actually one of the first glosses that wears OK for me (but it is mysteriously missing from the Revlon site).

Other products I like: Revlon Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor (a bit darker than the sheer version), Too Faced Mood Swing (a color changing gloss that doesn't seem to run) and Avon's Pro-To-Go Lipstick (order from my friend Valeri!) in Cherry Glisten (a highly pigmented lipbalm that doesn't seem to run).

Anyway, I feel your pain! If your coloring is way different than mine, let me know what shades you are looking for and I'll see if I have any ideas!

Meme

What was I doing 10 years ago? Working full time, going to grad school and drinking lots of beer (it was pre-kids and pre-marriage!)

6 Non-important things/habits/quirks:
1. I always have to have something on my feet. It can be flip flops or socks, but I simply can't be barefoot.
2. I drink 1 can of Coke every morning. Full sugar version.
3. I love classic rock and am pretty sure I was born 15 years too late. I am dying to meet Pamela Des Barres and have chatted with her numerous times in the late 90s.
4. I bite my nails, although I am always trying to quit. I go through cycles where I do a great job taking care of my nails and keep them painted, and then there are busy times like right now where I bite the dickens out of them because I don't have time to take care of them properly.
5. I am totally in the wrong career. I should not be an accountant, although I must say I am good at it. I should be in product development, marketing, or something with makeup!
6. I am a bargain shopper for househoold goods and food and even clothes, but I make up for that by being a Coach purse girl.

Five Foods I Enjoy:
1. Coconut shrimp, although I hate coconut and won't eat any other food with coconut in it. It gets in my teeth and I get all crazy about that.
2. Tiramisu, although I hate coffee.
3. Gummy candy- Sugar Plums, Peaches, Raspberries, Coke Bottles, Worms, Bears, etc.
4. Raspberry yogurt.
5. Chicken Burrito (no pico) at On The Border.

Things I Would Do If I Were a Billionaire:
1. Redecorate my current home- we've got all the room we need. I'd love a professional landscaper to come take care of my flower beds though. We are way lazy and they always look like crap.
2. Get the dent in my face from forceps when I was born repaired. I've tried fat transfer, but it only helped a little. I'd go see Dr. Rey! And get my cellulite taken care of while I was there.
3. Buy myself a few more hours a day so I could read all the books I'm dying to read. (A billionaire should be able to do that!)
4. Buy the house two doors down for my hairdresser to live in so she could blow dry my hair every morning.
5. Fully fund the music festival I helped found this year.

Five Places I Have Lived:
1. With the folks in 5 different places, including a mobile home and a log cabin on a farm
2. Sorority dorms
3. Rental house during the summer in college
4. Townhouse I purchased before I got married
5. House we bought after we got married

Diagnosis

The result of the screening/questionnaire from last week is that The Wild Child has Sensory Integration Disorder. I feel better that we know what is causing her inappropriate behavior and now we can start working on how to handle it.

Basically, her sensory threshold is like a half-filled glass of water. If you try to put anything else (more sound etc) in the glass, she has trouble processing it. So when the teachers ask her to stop doing something (like taking off her shoes) and she doesn't respond, it is because she can't process their words since so much else is going on sensory-wise. Makes me feel better that she's not ignoring them like we thought. This problem is also causing her to act inappropriately when she is over-stimulated- that is when she bites, hits/swats, spits.

We are still having her hearing checked on the 27th just to rule out a hearing problem.

And the Child Development Specialist will be going to her school on the next week to observe WC in class, and then the CDS will go back twice in the next two weeks to visit with her teachers during nap time and get us all on the same page. Mr. Sasha and I will go back to see the CDS in three weeks to see how everything is going....

I feel better, mostly, but also hate that there is something "wrong"... But I am confident that we will figure it out!

I Can Be Crafty!!!!

I bet you are wondering, what can be made with thin ribbon, pipe cleaners, and aquarium tubing?

Why, an Official Sasha Family Anti-Biting Bracelet.

Proof positive that it is totally possible for me to be a little crafty when necessary.

When I told our Child Development Specialist last Tuesday that WC has been biting herself on the arm when she's frustrated, she told me to get some aquarium tubing and fashion a bracelet. Once she is wearing the bracelet, we are supposed to encourage her to bite the bracelet when she needs to chew on something- not skin!

I spent a few days trying to figure out in my head how to thread ribbon or elastic thru the tubing, when I had a Eureka Moment yesterday and thought of pipe cleaners. I wrapped the end of the ribbon around the end of the pipe cleaner and used that to thread it through. Genius, I tell you. (I do hate that it took me 4 days to figure it out, but hey, I'm an accountant, not an art major.)

Anyway, she wore it to school today and had a fab day, and evidently spent quite a bit of time chewing on the bracelet and not her friends.

We see the CDS again tomorrow and I am hoping to get our Discipline Plan down on paper. Wish us well!

Swimming- Redneck Style

Damn Tornado Alley

So Mr. Sasha and I are in bed last night (get your mind out of the gutter!), enjoying the pilot episode of Swingtown, and as it often happens this time of year in our part of the country, our favorite weatherman broke in and he and the crazy-ass storm chasers started in talking on top of each other about power flashes and debris. So we missed the last 15 minutes of a show I think we are really going to like. Damn weather.

Did you watch? There's a recap up at cbs.com, but no real details about the last bit. Can you fill me in? We'll watch it online later, but I really want to know now....

For Slim- A Lesson in Consumerism

Slim, here's the link I was talking about at lunch- when we were discussing the dirtiness and lack of metal forks at Mazzio's at the absurdness that Carl's Jr. can claim to be out of ketchup (and fries!) with both Albertson's and SuperTarget within walking distance.....

The $39 Experiment

Self Tanner Update

Did you get around to trying Loreal's Sublime Glow in medium as I recommended?

So far, it's endorsed by me, my neighbor Crystal, Beauty Addict (she's got a fabulous post on self-tanner smell), and Laura!

Laura writes: ......but I just finished up my Jergens and bought some Loreal Sublime Glow (Medium) and OMG - It's so much better than the Jergens! At Target is was actually a bit cheaper too ($6.49 vs $6.99) I really like that it's got little sparkly things in it that reflect the light. Hey, any help we can get, right? Anyway, I'm definitely a convert! If they only had it for the face - I'd be happy! It smells so much better than the Jergens I'm using on my face (which smells like peepee). Thanks Sasha!

So who else has tried it and what did you think?

Instituting Anti-Biting Program

You may remember in April that I posted about the fabulous anti-biting workshop I attended at our local health department. I finally found the Nuk Massage Brushes online and am placing an order today for enough for the entire 1 1/2 year old class and the 2 year old class (WC's class). These are the two classes where biting is the biggest problem.

I am so excited and so hopeful that this helps! I feel so lucky that my kids attend a center that is so welcoming to parent suggestions. They are totally on board with this and I know it wouldn't be that way everywhere.

Cross your fingers that this helps!

Summer TV!

OK, before you freak out and leave me a comment that my excessive TV-watching is probably contributing to the downfall of my youngest child's behavior, let me assure you I Tivo all my programs and either watch them after the kids have gone to bed, or while I am running on the treadmill, which lately hasn't been much.

So basically my TV-watching time is pretty limited. I am freaking out a little because I just got my new TV Guide (love it!) and there is a whole list of things I am wanting to watch this summer.

1. Nashville Star (Tivo alert! Changed from USA Network to NBC- you'll have to change your Season Pass) (June 9th)
2. Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Home (Tivo alert! Name changed) (Oxygen June 17)
3. My Boys (Tivo alert! Needs to be re-added as a season pass- info from last summer was lost) (TBS June 12)
4. Swingtown (CBS Thursdays- this week!)
5. Big Brother (Tivo Alert! Will probably need to be added since the put the season number after it) (CBS July 13)
6. Project Runway (Bravo July)
7. The Next Food Network Star (Food Network- started last Sunday)

I still haven't watched the Lohan show or Denise Richards either, and I don't think I will. Just no time. My list above looks much better.

EDITED TO ADD: Damn, Slim, you are right. I left off So You Think You Can Dance! I even attempted to do a whole post dedicated to Claire Callaway and her new (bad) hair, but I couldn't find a pic the other day. Love that show. Love the choreographers most of all.

Note from School 6/3

"WC was sent to the office today for taking off her shoes 3 times and for sassing her teachers."

Wah.

New Motto Found at the Health Department

"Power belongs to those who use it, and if parents don't, their kids will."
-Gregory Bodenhamer, Former Probation Officer, Author

Well, well, well. We are making progress.

Today I met with the Child Development Specialist (CDS) and got the results from The Wild Child's developmental assessment from last week. As I suspected, she scored age-appropriate in all areas, and her speech actually measured at beyond a 3 year old level, which is fab since she is only 28 months old.

We worked on a sensory questionnaire today and I'll go back next week for the results of that. I also scheduled a hearing screening to rule out a hearing problem.

Some background for those of you just joining us: The Wild Child is hell on wheels. She's actually a fabulous child with such a great spirit and personality- but she chooses some inappropriate behaviors when she doesn't get her way that include (but aren't limited to) biting, hitting, spitting, ignoring, etc. We also have trouble getting her to follow directions when she doesn't want to do what we are asking. Most scary to me is that she has been running from us in public places and won't respond to us when we tell her to "Stop!".

The Child Development Specialist and I have decided that WC is a "spirited child". We also went over a cool analogy involving The Hundred Acre Woods that put it all in perspective for me (WC is a Tigger, The Politician and I are Piglets, and Mr. Sasha is a Pooh- more on that later when I get a copy of it next week). Basically, parenting WC is just different than parenting P, and the Sashas just need to figure out what to do. As one friend said last week, "You don't want to look up in 2 years and realize that WC is running the house!".

The most fabulous part of all this is that the CDS is going to meet with us weekly until we get a "discipline plan" in place once we figure out what will be most effective. She even offered to visit WC's early childhood development center to observe her in class and discuss with her teachers what discipline plan we decide on.

I feel so good about all this and really feel like I am taking the steps I need to take to keep myself off Super Nanny on national TV.

Passionberri?

Does anybody know what the hell passionberri is? There is a new store going in a strip mall near the Sashas but it's just this sign and a blank empty store right now. Their website is crap- take down that splash page and put up some content!!!! Am I missing something on there? Is there a "click here to continue" somewhere?????

So does anybody know- it is like pinkberry or Tutti frutti? Thanks to Perez and Buford Betty, I am flippin' dreaming about these places, just dying.

Happy Birthday Mamalicious!

Hollyanna, I knew when you came into Hayes in first grade with your Hawaiian shirt on and a comb in your back pocket that you were way cool and we were destined to be good friends.

And I also knew that we were way too hot for 1987 when we randomly dressed up and had Mimilicious take this shot in your driveway. That is a bandanna that you are wearing as a bikini top and yes, I do have on a trash bag and blue lips.

Thanks for being a good friend for all these years- I love ya and can't wait to celebrate your 34th with you.

Now when is that going to be?

Parents Magazine June 2008 Cliff Notes

I know you are as busy as me and don't have time to read magazines, but I had a hair appointment today and actually had 20 uninterrupted minutes while I was under the dryer! So I read the June 2008 Parents magazine for us and tore out some interesting pages so you don't need to read it yourself.

Without further ado, here's the high points:

• Veet In Shower Hair Removal Cream, designed to withstand water, so you put it on before you get in the shower, wait three minutes, then remove the cream with the sponge that comes with it.
• McCormick has come out with Potato Steamers (in your grocer's freezer) the steam in the microwave in no time- Italian Herb and Roasted Garlic & Rosemary varieties.
• KytoStat bandages ($15 for a pack of three at drugstore.com) don't just protect the wound- they actually stop the bleeding. Expensive- but it sounds like they may be worth having on hand.
• Theme park smarts- Safety Tat - Temporary tattoos with your phone number! Very cool.
• Last but not least, Parents is having their Annual Cover Search. As I've told you before, don't you dare go entering your kid and trying to beat mine. Kidding. Sort of.

Wow, I just noticed that was almost all "products" that I tore out and nothing about actual parenting, with the exception of the bandages and safety tats that would make me a safer parent. Interesting.

Damn you, swimsuit season

Oh, how I hate summer. I mean, I LOVE summer, but I HATE putting on a swimsuit. And most of all, I hate shopping for a swimsuit.

I hate it so much that I wore the same top for 8 years, and even when the back clasp broke, I continued to wear the top and kept using the MacGyver-ified grey rope that held the back together. For like 3 years. I'm sure Slim will remember because it all went down at the lake on their pontoon boat.

Anyway, one of my requirements is that the bottoms be shorts, not some skimpy bottom. Mr. Sasha doesn't understand, but the backs of your legs at 34 just don't look like the back of your legs at 18. Even if I was underweight, the yuckiness would still be there.....

Anyway, I am thinking about getting this suit but am not sure which print I like best. Opinions please?

Heat Wave Print

Ebbtide Print (on model above)

Beach Breeze print

2008 School Pics

Holy crap my kids are growing up fast. The Politician will be 5 in August and starting Pre-K. The Wild Child turned two in January and is continuing to turn our house upside down.

But, sweet niblets, isn't that the sweetest face you've ever seen?

This is more like it..... She's hamming in up for the camera, and P is dashing off in the background. I'll have to get this one for sure because it cracks me up.

Ask the Product Junkie: Brown Lipstain

Stephanie asks: Any ideas for lipstains? I tried Lip Envy at Sephora. It was 15 or 16 dollars and the only stain they had that wasn't pink. (I am looking for something brown or at least natural lip color-no pink!) It is not good at all!!!!! It doesn't stain anything! It comes right off and is chunky when it wears off and mixes with the gloss I wear over it. Ahhhh!

Stephanie, I agree that Lip Envy is not a good product- I was not impressed with it at all. Did you know Sephora has a great return policy?

Anyway, I saw a friend from college this weekend (Hi Heather!) and of course I asked her what lipcolor she was wearing. Her coloring just happens to be similar to yours.

Turns out she wears Revlon Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor in True Chocolate. Fabulous brown color. This is a two step product with a stain/longwearing lipcolor on one end and a top coat on the other.

I love love love this product (two of my HG lippies are Overtime Lipcolor Sheer in Sheer Pomegranate and the Overtime Lipcolor in Perpetual Plum) and think you would like it too. You can apply the topcoat as much as you like and it's doesn't ball up the lipcolor.

New Lipgloss Find

Well, my last two posts certainly were downers, weren't they? So in an effort to cheer you (and me) up, let's talk about one of our favorite topics, makeup!

I noticed a new product in my Walgreen's flyer last week, Revlon's ColorStay Mineral Lipglaze. (Note that for some reason, this product is not listed on Revlon's website.)

I love lipgloss, but have a terrible time wearing it because it always runs in the little lines around my lips. So I'm always searching for a lipgloss that has staying power and pigment and doesn't run.

Found!

I purchased the two darkest colors, Overtime Wine and Plum, and they are fabulous. Smell is nice, feels good on your lips, pigment has staying power, wears off evenly, and lasts all morning!

I Hope Supernanny Works at DHS

In a moment of desperation, I just called the girl who set up the biting workshop at DHS, and asked for her help.

Mr. Sasha had just called me and said that after I left for work, The Wild Child did the following:

• took off her shorts and tried to secretly throw them away
• poured out her baggie of cereal on the floor
• tried to get the cereal box to eat out of instead
• spit on him a few times
• hit at him
• yelled "No!" about a million times
• tried to bite Mr. Sasha when he was putting her in her car seat
• cried/screamed all the way to school
• then magically changed her tune when she saw her friend walking in to school, wiped off her tears and said "Yay, school!"
• once she was in her classroom, saw a little boy crying for his mom and she gave him a hug and said "It's OK."

WTH?

So we have a "developmental assessment" scheduled for next Tuesday morning. Maybe she has some developmental delay that is causing her to be frustrated? Maybe she has a sensory integration problem and just can't deal? Maybe we are just bad parents? We will see what DHS has to say.

Night Time Potty Training Hell

I was doing just fine putting a night-time pullup on The Politician every night. It didn't bother me one bit that he didn't wake up to pee. Not one little bit.

But now he's starting to wake up to pee and it is driving Mr. Sasha and I ca-razy.

Most usually we'll wake up in the middle of the night and realize that he's standing by our bed. Who knows how long he's been there and it's kinda creepy. He wants someone to go to the bathroom with him and then take him back to bed and tuck him in. Sometimes I pretend I don't hear him and let Mr. Sasha deal with it all (Hi Mr. Sasha!).

I have told him every night for months about how he can do it on his own, not wake us up, etc. He's not listening.

I need a solution, and I need one now. What's a tired girl to do? Help?

My Mother's Day Present

Amy asks: Did you ever get that garmin thingy for running you mentioned right before mother's day? If so are you happy with it?

I can't believe I forgot to post about this! Mr. Sasha actually got me the model that was one step up from the one I originally told him about- he got the Forerunner 205.

I absolutely love it! It shows your pace, distance, and elapsed time, all figured using a satellite system! It's rechargeable, so no pesky batteries to replace. The band is actually small enough for my pretty tiny wrist. All in all, one of the best presents I've ever gotten. All of you on the C25K bandwagon need one- you'd love it!

There's something to be said for picking out your own gift. Mr. Sasha actually ordered his own Father's Day gift today- some new golf shoes and some golf shirts so he'll be all set for his Amateur Golf Tour this summer.

How about you- what's the best gift you've ever gotten, and did you pick it out yourself, or were you surprised?

Problem getting your cashback from Ebates?

Evil Kate writes: This will probably come as a real shock but I think I screwed something up when I tried to use it. We tried to book our rental car through ebates but I don't see where it shows it worked....HELP!!!!

In the 3-4 years that I've used ebates, there have been about 3 times that something slipped through the cracks at ebates. However, if you click on "help" in the upper right hand part of their screen, you'll get a nifty customer service menu. And, behold, a link that says "Where's my cash back?"

So, Ms. Kate, just log in, click on that, and follow the instructions. I've never had a problem once I've gotten the proper information to them. Heck, there must be 10000000 people who belong to ebates, no less than 75 referred by yours truly. I figure it kind of like the post office, give them that much stuff, they're going to lose a little bit here and there.

Hope this helps!

Oh, and if someone still isn't registered with ebates, now's the time! Follow my link on the right to get your $10 bonus too!