What We Learned (Sunday, April 27th Edition)

You may have noticed that the Mamas took a week or so off from writing. We were burned out - work, home, kids, LAUNDRY... it caught up to all of us all at once. So we took a blogacation. Don't hate us. We're back and ready to play... Every Sunday we summarize our weeks and talk about what we learned/experienced. Get ready to tell us what you learned in the comments!

Lisa:

1. Our Easter was a regular one: Sailor played at a few churches, we went to our church, and we gave the kids baskets. The girls think there's a hidden message here:

Easter fun!

Bwahahahaha!! Wererabbits are awesome!!


2. It was time for our recital pictures! They were extra special because the girls did it together. We never thought Banshee would ever make it to a dance class. It's the little things!:

Gorgeous!

3. We're headed into Amish country!! We cannot wait to visit Dutch Wonderland and have lots of fun! I can't wait to eat shoofly pie and Sailor just wants to eat pretzels. It's gonna be a good day!!

Oh! And just because:

The Cubbster!

Robyn:
1. I've learned that we were overdue for a car accident. Thanks to a texting and driving teen, she helped us get up close and personal with our car insurance company! Yes, our trucks got hooked together in case you were wondering!

Oh no!

2. Thursday, a violent threat had been made to an 'unspecified elementary school' in San Antonio. The attendance rate for the district was 43%, compared to the normal 96%. Therefore, our district lost 1.3 million in state funding to pay teachers, provide gas for buses, and other stuff. Now I'm wondering what we will see as the repercussions from this hoax! 

 3. "The blow dryer sucked my pants off" what Kasen meant was, (as he was blowing the leaves out front), was that his basketball shorts were being caught up in the leaf blower. You're welcome!


Liz:
1. The past few weeks have flown by because they've been so crazy at work and at home. Mike's been working 50+ hours per week and is tired when he comes home. I keep telling him I would prefer him at home to the money, but he feels guilty because his work needs him. We're currently on the prowl for a new job for him. Let me know if you know of anything for someone with an AA in Fine Arts and a landscape background!

2. Silas' 4th birthday is Saturday, April 26. I'm writing this Friday night, so I'm excited to celebrate with him over the next two days. It's amazing how quickly they grow up. This is Si newborn, almost 4 years ago...

Newborn Silas and momma

3. Bare Minerals 12 hour sales are the devil. Even my mama agrees (because I had to share the love and send her the link so she could shop too). They had amazing deals...like can't ignore stuff. I should start deleting any sale emails from them...


Now you! Comment below and let us know what made your week interesting or fun.

Embracing Ursula

Today Mama Lisa writes about Disney princesses - be sure to comment at the bottom to sound off about this topic!

I love Disney. I'm a card carrying member of D23, the official Disney fan club. This doesn't mean that when they do something I deem as ridiculous, I don't sound off on it.

Here's an example: I do not like that the only princesses of color are Pocahontas and Tiana. While they are awesome and we love them at our house, I wish there was a Latina princess somewhere in there. See what I mean? Not afraid to call them out. So when I saw this while checking my email, I was upset all over again. As upset as this wonderful poet was. 

Disney is always trying to come up with cool concepts. It's a way of life there. One of the cool concepts is to revamp certain characters, turn them into collectibles that are truly beautiful to behold. Villains are included in the revamp. Let me digress here to say that one of my favorite places to shop at Disney World, is the Villains boutique. I love everything about it! They have Maleficent makeup, the Mad Hatter's tea set, all things Jack Skellington (squeeee!), and every other villain you can think of. This is where the villain revamp and Ursula come in. 

I'm sure that you've seen The Little Mermaid and probably sang 'Under the Sea' more times than you can count by now. Ursula, the sea witch, is the villain in this film. She tricks Ariel into giving her her voice so that she can act out her plan to oust Triton from his rule of the sea. Here's the interesting part about Ursula and what ultimately makes her more than unique in the Disneyverse: Ursula is overweight. Take a minute and think back at all the villains, male and female, up to this point. Yup, ALL of then were characterized by their slim, gaunt, skeletal-thin figures. Thin embodied evil. Ursula was a groundbreaker, nevermind that her figure was modeled after an octopus. 

Imagine the outrage when the Disney Designer Collection came on the scene in 2012 with our awesomely evil Ursula revamped into, well, Kate Moss. It. Was. Shocking. 

Rephrase!!! It still is shocking. Why? There's no need to revamp these characters!! Why mess with perfection? I can't help but think that Ursula herself would be very pissed off at this transformation. If there is one thing that Ursula embodied was self-love. She rocked that black sheath dress like it was nobody's business! She had her face made up, rocked Jungle Red lipstick, had her nails done, and yes she got her hair to stay perfectly coiffed UNDERWATER!! Ursula loved every little bit of herself. It was obvious. She was perfect in her own eyes and even though she was evil, and had a well-pronounced muffin top and back rolls, she made it look good, honey! Ain't nobody taking her down. So, why would Disney turn her waif-like? How does this make sense?

Truth is, all of these companies that cater to children have bowed down to pressure to make their products fit what society deems beautiful: a size 0. Having a 36-24-36 figure is unheard of nowadays, nevermind having a body like Ursula's. Other toys that have gotten a revamp? All the cool 1980s toys/cartoons that we loved. Raggedy Ann, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony(I so hate the Equestria Girls, it's not even funny), Rainbow Brite and even old school Disney princesses. Have you seen the new Cinderella? Siiiigh. 

I can't help but shake my head. One of the things that Disney prides itself on is that their products help promote confidence, pride in oneself, and to show that we are all beautiful in our differences. How is changing Ursula, the embodiment of all those concepts, embracing that? That is not right. Ursula doesn't need to be slim, Cruella doesn't need a facelift, and Maleficent doesn't need a new wardrobe. They might be evil but they love themselves. No matte what. In the end, isn't that really what we want to teach our kids? To love the mold they came in, with all its blemishes, hard angles, and soft curves no matter what? With no excuses? 

Here's the rub: we ALL need to take a page from Ursula's book. Maybe not from the freaky spell book but from her 'To thine own self be true' one. We need to embrace ourselves. Love our differences, all our back fat, our skinny bodies, our voluptuous fronts, our curly hair, our straight hair, apple bottoms, flat butts, skin tones....everything. We are all beautiful in our differences. What makes us more beautiful is when we own our molds. We embrace all of ourselves: the villain and the princess both. 

At our house, we love all the princesses. We do. We have a little more love for the ones that don't need a prince to fulfill them, the ones that March to their own beat, and the ones that read books. With all of that, we also love the villains at our house. They may their issues but when it comes to giving you a lesson that reaches your core, the villains do it best. It's ok to be the princess but given the choice, I'd rather we all embrace our inner Ursula. 

What do you think about character make over? Let us know! 

Bare Minerals Review - Eyeshadow for The Scent Allergic

I have always had a love/hate relationship with makeup: I love to buy it, but my allergies hate when I wear it. I have literally bought a new product, opened it, and my nose started to run - no application needed! I had finally resigned myself to the fact that it I wanted to wear it, I was going to take allergy medication as well.

A few weeks ago a friend and I took a trip to a day spa. The massage therapist told me I was most likely allergic to synthetic scents after she heard my makeup story. She suggested I try fragrance free products.

If you've searched for fragrance free products, you know what came next. I looked in all the regular "haunts" and came up mostly empty. Then I saw Bare Minerals advertised in a magazine. I knew that boutique-type makeup would be more expensive, but I was willing to give it a go.

My skin is relatively clear (although I have issues with redness in some areas), so I always try out eye makeup first. I assume that if I can't wear your eye shadow without issues, then the rest of the line is pointless. And I love eye shadows. I love color.

I went to a local store that sold Bare Minerals and picked out some neutral shadow - a quad with colors I could wear on a daily basis. 

The Happy Place quad from Bare Minerals

I came home and applied color and waited for an allergic reaction - runny nose, itchy eyes, my eyelids feeling tired, anything. And...nothing. I wore it for the rest of the day. No allergic reaction. I wore it every day for a week and had no issues. I was ecstatic...and scared. This could be the beginning of a new addiction.

Just look at the eyes, ignore the hair...

One thing I especially love is Bare Minerals' YouTube channel - how-to videos galore. I like to watch them for ideas and for suggestions for new products to try.

 

 

 

If you tend to "lose" your eye shadow throughout the day, try some primer. Bare Minerals' Prime Time Eyelid Primer is a great product (and is on sale on their website for $12 right now). Prime your lid by using your finger tips, a cotton swab, or a makeup brush to apply primer to the lower lid. Let it dry. Apply a neutral base color all over the lid - this is what eye quads are great for - use the lightest color. If you have a duo (two colors) apply the lighter color on the lid and brow bone. Apply your darkest color to the crease of your eye (between the lid and brow, the part that goes in when your eye is open). If you have a quad, you can take your two darkest colors and layer them in the crease and blend or use one above the crease and one in the crease. There are a ton of "how to apply eye shadow" videos out there - feel free to do a search and experiment with what looks best for your eyes.

 

If you need makeup with no synthetic scents which works for sensitive skin and allergies, be sure to try Bare Minerals. The available options in terms of colors and products are truly amazing. Next up I'll try their Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara.

All reviews are my own opinions for products that I purchased myself. I was not paid for this review, I was not provided with products, and I am not associated with Bare Minerals. These are simply my experiences with the product.

Mothers of teenagers

Teen- How long have those waffles been in the freezer?

Mom: umm..since the last time I went to the store. So, Sunday? 

Teen: This Sunday, or the Sunday before, or the Sunday before? 

Mom: This past Sunday. 

Teen: No they haven't, they must've been in there for longer than that. (Laughing) 

Mom: Would you like to see my receipt? 

Teen: (looking disgusted) Uh No, they've been in there for a long time, I know that. 

Yes, son. Of course you know. You are a teenager! You are right. I'm glad you keep me in check about the date of a breakfast item, but can't remember if you even put on deodorant this morning. What would I have done without the questioning of waffles today? Probably wouldn't be writing this blog about teenagers, actually. 

After thinking about the options that I had as a parent in this situation, I came to the 

realization that nothing that I said could've been right. I can't slap the kid silly. If it wasn't considered child abuse, then I might! Hell, even at that particular moment, I would've liked to abandon the boy. Not in the middle of a cornfield without a compass or anything. I'm not heartless. I'd rather go. Just to leave, take a little 'road soda' while I think. Think about how stupid teenagers are. 

This is the kind of stuff that drives a mother to drinking. It makes me double think about situations and question the validity in my own statements. 

'Shit, was that even this week that I bought the waffles? Wait, no. I remember going to the store this Sunday. It was when you were gone at church with your friend. Yeah, I'm right! I didn't want to leave your unpredictable, crazy decision making ass at home!' 

At this point, I'm ready to stock the house full of pop tarts and corn dogs, fill his bathroom with Maxim, and put lotion on his bedside table. Seriously, what else could make this turd happy? 

Nothing. Why? Because teenagers hate their parents. We never understand and am expected to know what is going on in life with little communication.

 ('How was school today?' 

"Good" 

'Yeah? 

What was good about it?' 

"NOTHING, Mom. JEE-ZUS'

*Stomp upstairs to room*) 

This week, I'm so thankful that I'm NOT a teenager, because he is right...I would NEVER understand growing up as a teen in today's world! 

What We Learned (April 6th, 2014 Edition)

Another week closer to spring and nice weather! What did you learn this week? Every Sunday the Mamas post about what they learned or experienced. This week is no different. Comment to let us know what you learned this week!

Lisa:

1. I learned my son thinks he's Puerto Rican, when he's really a Yankee. He's even bought a shirt proclaiming it now: 

2. We were blessed with awesome friends, family, blog readers for Autism Awareness Day! A lot of people wore blue in honor of Banshee. It was awesome! We were humbled by all the blue shirts and messages. Thank you thank you! 

3. It is warm outside FINALLY!! I worked hard to get the feeders ready and....the bluebirds came!! I'm so excited. I worried that our bird friends wouldn't find us and I love to bird watch. I've got the kids into it too. I was losing hope and then..cardinals, juncos, wrens, titmice, chickadees, blue jays, woodpeckers, and even a turkey vulture showed in the yard!!! Hooray!! I'm hoping that our tally practice will serve for the big backyard bird count next year!! If you're looking for a fun, educational, and inexpensive project for this spring and beyond, look here:
http://birds.audubon.org/great-backyard-bird-count 

Robyn:
1. Reagan and I have started co-napping together this week. I've been thinking about making her more versatile in falling asleep in different places. That way she doesn't 'have' to be in a crib, or car seat for example to be comfortable to fall asleep. So far, so good. And watching her nap is totally worth me not getting one.

2. People of authority can be shady sometimes. Work your ass off and take care of the people beneath you. In the end, that's how respect works. You have to earn that shit. 

3. I've learned that even taking birth control, you can still get a period. Wearing light pants must've been a target for Mother Nature and Aunt Flow to come together in with full forces. Hey, at least I'm not pregnant, right?! 

Liz:
1) This week my Mac finally died and I ended up getting a Surface 2. I'm still trying to figure this thing out and work out the bugs. It will take some getting used to, but I'm getting there.

2) Thursday I presented at a conference and I really thought that we were over Death by PowerPoint. If you don't know what I mean, DbPPT is basically putting all your stuff on your slides and then reading off it. I was pretty sure the world knew not to do that anymore, but apparently that's not the case. Of the 6 presentations in my group, only mine used PPT as a prompt - everyone else read straight off their screen. Annoying.

3) I talked to my Mom and found that we're similar in that we spend money when we are sad or lonely. She usually feels guilty and cancels her online order while I tend to feel a rush as I "spend" online and then excited until it gets here. Then a day or so later I'm back to being meh. Do you guys spend money when you feel "down?"


Now it's your turn! What did you learn or what was exciting for you this week? Post it in the comments! We love to hear from our readers.