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!

A New 100 Calorie Treat

Made a quick run to SuperTarget at lunch to pick up necessities (milk, Mr. Clean, printer cartridge, Market Pantry Raspberry Blackberry sparkling calorie free water, toothpaste for P) and of course I went down the snack aisle. I'm a big fan of the 100 calorie packs, seeing as how I have no control when it comes to portions and the way I've been eating lately, I'll be needing that wardrobe back that I donated to charity after I finally lost my baby weight last year. So I'm making the 100 calorie packs my afternoon snack.

Anyway, the above York 100 Calorie Peppermint Wafer Bars called my name and ended up in my cart. And they are tasty! The are 7 packages in the box ($2.99) and each package has two long slim chocolate-covered wafers with a peppermint creme in the middle. I'll definitely be buying these again and will also be searching for the Reese's version.

New Beverage Find

Damn, this stuff is good. Mike's Light Hard Cranberry Lemonade- 98 calories or thereabouts.

Super good on an early summer night listening to an Americana band in the park. Makes corralling the kiddos on picnic blanket not as bad as it could be.

Maybe if I had brought a few more we could have stayed longer......

Ebates Rocks!

So I know I mentioned it earlier, but can you believe I am getting a check for over $125 this quarter from ebates?

If you aren't signed up yet, now is the time! Through June 30, anyone who signs up through this link will get $10 (and so will I!).

Let me know if you have questions. Glad to answer them!

My Avon order should be delivered today!!!!

Dude. I love makeup. And I love my new friend Valeri who emailed me a free shipping code to use on her Avon site!

So I've been stalking the UPS website and I see my package in now in Big City Close To Me, My State, so it should be there when I get home today. I actually foresee that I might have to continue to stalk UPS and once it's delivered, I may or may not have to make up an excuse to run home to get it.

I ordered: (and yes, I know I went overboard, but hey, that's what I do, and Mr. Sasha, if you are reading this, I am using my $128 ebates check to pay for this that should be arriving any day since it was mailed to me yesterday)

• Pro To Go lipstick in Cherry Glisten, Berry Juice, and Provocative Plum
• Skin So Soft Bug Guard since we live in Mosquito Land
• Banishing Cream Skin Discoloration Improver (recommended by Valeri for my hyperpigmentation)
• mark Glossblossom Ripening Lip Tint (like O-Gloss or Mood Swing, only affordable!)
• mark Caribbean Shine Lip Gloss in Kiss on The Beach
• Nail Experts Nail Brightener- a must-have per Traci Ann
• mark Self Sanctuary Lemon Sugar Moisture Milk - supposed to smell like my beloved Fresh Sugar Lemon
• mark Shine Tubes Hook Up Lip Gloss in Buttercream Brioche - another Traci Anne recommendation

So hold tight, reviews to come!

My New Favorite Song

I recently found my new theme song (Jason Mraz- I'm Yours), and it's all summery and makes me want a beer or three. That works out great since this is The Summer of Beer.

For some reason I can't explain, I've developed a little crush on Jason Mraz. Yum.

Let me know what you think. Am I nutty?

Edited to add: I figured it out! It's that cute little sideways grin he has when he is singing..... Boy, I'm certainly a pathetic 34 year old working soccer mom of two, huh?

Concealer Answers for Laura

I knew the only person who loves makeup more than me would have some ideas for Laura!

Thanks Traci Anne! Love ya!

Ask the Product Junkie: Concealer

Laura writes: Sasha, I read your blog daily. I’m Laura and you link to mine (Our Crazy Wonderful Life) on yours. Anyway, I’ve got a product question for you. I have dark under-eye circles that I can not get rid of. I use Bare Minerals for my makeup and love it. I also started using the Neutrogena eye makeup remover after you suggested it and I really like it a lot. For under my eyes, I’ve tried the yellow-tinted powders, lighter foundation under my eyes, coverup (which I can’t stand – I’m a powder girl) everything – but nothing works. What’s a girl to do?Help?

Laura, first of all, I've seen a pic of you on your blog, and I see no dark circles! You are gorgeous! But if you insist that this is a problem for you, I may have an idea that you haven't tried.

Have you tried applying your minerals wet? I have heard of ladies using water or, get this, Milk of Magnesia, to make a paste with their minerals and applying that with a concealer brush. Let that dry before you apply your foundation dry with your normal foundation brush. I believe they were just using their regular foundation color for this method.

Let me know what you think. If this isn't a road you want to go down, I have another makeup crazy friend who might know..... Traci Anne, any other ideas?

I Want To Be Like Reese Witherspoon

So I'm gonna use the same lipstick she does. Isn't she gorgeous?
My fab new friend from OBBC, Valeri, directed me to her personal avon page and was kind enough to send me a free shipping code so I could get my hot little hands on some of their new Pro To Go lipstick!
I imagine she may have some more codes to spare- just email her at bucfanri at gmail dot com and tell her Sasha sent you!
I would describe the Pro To Go as a highly pigmented lip balm. It doesn't have a lot of staying power, but it feel absolutely fabulous on your lips and wears off extremely evenly, so I didn't mind reapplying it. My lips were somewhat chapped the morning I started using the lipstick, but by the end of the day, they felt conditioned and weren't chapped at all. Love this stuff.
I tried Cherry Glisten (Reese's shade and my favorite), Provocative Plum, and Berry Juicy- all are beautiful shades. Try 'em and let me know what you think!

Ulcerated Hemangioma Pictures

I get A LOT of google search hits from my hemangioma posts. I thought it might be useful to put my timeline of pics all together. If you are squeamish, I recommend you skip this post.

I did a lot of internet searching out of desperation when WC's H started ulcerating, and I didn't easily find any pics like these, showing in order how an H opened up and then healed.

If you ever need any information about hemangiomas, or just someone to talk to who has been through one, just email me.

5 weeks

8 weeks

9 weeks

13 weeks

14 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

22 weeks

almost 7 months

10 1/2 months

1 year

15 months

18 months

2 years

I also want to send you to another post I wrote on this subject that mentions specific doctors and contact information.