The ultimate face lift

I told you things were changing around here.  And when I decide to change, I go all out.  Blog name and all.  It’s the ultimate face lift thanks to the ever-so talented Beth at Ruby & Roja.  She’s got it going on.

I am completely pleased with my new digs.  It’s been a work in progress.  And after many returns to the drawing board, I have settled and I am satisfied with my new name and tag line. (I can just hear Beth saying “Amen to that!”)

The best things in life are three.

Uncovering the humor in life with three boys.

It’s catchy don’t you think?  

You may be wondering why I would uproot myself from my established blog home that has been with me for almost 3 years.  

To be blunt, the name sucked.  I was impatient at the time and wanted to start blogging, but didn’t give any thought to a good name (obviously!).  

Since then I have had many other name ideas.  Here are just a few examples:

• Nettie’s Nuthouse (but I really didn’t want to associate nuts to my name)
  
• The Nette Result (sounds a little too scholarly to fit in with me)
  
• On the count of three (then what?)
  
• My 3 cents worth (are you sensing a theme here?) 
  
• Life in the odd lane (sounded a little too negative for me)
  

I even had some other tag line ideas to work with:

• Cashing in on the love of my 3 boys. (I can’t put a price on them)
  
• I haven’t lost my mind, I know exactly where I put it. (Love this one, but it didn’t go so well with the new name.)
  

So there you have it.  The new me.  Change is good - very, very good!

Thanks Beth!  You totally rock girlfriend!

Sleep tips?

I love sleep.  Don't you?  I especially love sleeping in until say 8 or 9 in the morning.  All during the holiday break we slept in each and every day.  It was so refreshing to be able to do that.  But now that we're back in the routine of school, I am having the hardest time making myself get up in the morning.  

I think part of the problem is that I am not getting good quality sleep at night.  It is taking me at least one hour or longer to actually fall asleep.  I toss and turn and feel like I am wide awake.  And it's not that we're going to bed early or anything.  Generally we get the kids tucked in between 8:30 and 9:30 and I crawl into bed feeling tired around 10pm.  That's the thing that I don't get.  I am tired and so ready to sleep, but then when I actually climb into bed I don't feel tired anymore.  

It totally doesn't make sense to me. 

I haven't really changed my routine much.  I have been working out at the gym every night, I cut off caffeine in the afternoon, I have increased my water intake, and I have been eating better.  So one would think that all those things combined, I would be able to hit the pillow and fall to sleep immediately (like I am used to).  But my mind is not at rest.  It starts to race.

But there is one little thing that I have not mentioned yet.  Wine.  And lack there of.  

I have not had a single glass of wine in almost a week.  Gasp!

You may be checking to see if you're reading the right blog at this moment and let me assure you that you're in the right spot.  (You may not think so in the coming week, but that's a whole other post - stay tuned - exciting things on the horizon!) 

I decided to cut out the wine for awhile and see how I felt.  I actually don't crave it like I used to, not that I was an alcoholic or anything, but it was a habit to come home at night after a good sweat at the gym and pour myself a glass of wine.  Then after dinner I would pour myself another glass of wine.  I think it really helped wind me down and helped me relax, but who needs that kind of crutch?  

I'm not saying that I am going to quit drinking wine indefinitely, but I felt I needed this break.

I don't know, could that be the problem - withdrawal?  Any suggestions or tips would be really helpful (except ones telling me to start drinking wine again).  Bring 'em on.  PLEASE!

The new facial

I think I may be on to a new fad.

For dinner I decided to make a chicken alfredo ravioli dish.  I started by boiling chicken breasts in water.  When they were done I removed the chicken and placed it to the side.  Then I took the pot of hot chicken water to the sink. 

I began to dump the broth into the sink and all the hot steam rose up onto my face. 

I had an instant chicken facial.  Then I did it again but with the ravioli this time.

Dinner and a facial all in one.  

This could catch on you know.

These are a few of my favorite things.

My blog does not entitle me to any perks except those of you that leave comments which totally makes my day.  What I mean is that I do not have advertising on my blog and I am not contacted by companies to promote their items.  I blog about things that I like, that interest me, and that I am concerned about with no ulterior motive.  I like it this way.

I wanted to clear the air before I went on to talk about some newly discovered items that I am digging.

Let's start with grocery items, shall we?  

Look at this beauty.  Oh, she is so fine.  Black Opal, or as Taylor calls it Black Oprah.  (Not sure how appropriate that comment is, but that's what he thought it said the first time he read the label on the bottle. And now that's what we call it as a nickname.)  I had this for the first time during Thanksgiving, Cabernet Merlot blend.  And yes that is me holding a bottle of it in a moving vehicle, but I was not driving and it was not opened.  The other cool thing about this wine is that it has a twist cap and not a traditional cork.  Don't be alarmed - it's not a cheap wine.  More wines are switching over to the twist cap since corks are porous and can contribute to contamination.  Or so that's what I've heard.  Who knows?  I just know it's easier to unscrew a cap than it is to pull out the wine opener and uncork it.  Call me lazy. 

Next on my new items list are bagels.  Not just any kind of bagel, but one's full of goodness.  To be more particular, I am talking about the multi-grain from Dunkin Donuts.  I myself would have never considered trying these.  Normally I am a blueberry, french toast, anything fruity or plain bagel girl.  But, my husband brought them back one morning while traveling and I could either starve or eat a multi-grain bagel.  Thankfully I choose to eat because it was so tasty and it filled me up.  Why didn't I try these sooner?  It just goes to show you can't judge something unless you've tried it first.  I am so much more open minded to trying new foods than I've ever been.  Also I purchased 'everything' bagels made by Thomas.  These are wonderful as well.  I never thought I would eat something with a taste of onion and garlic in it for breakfast.  Who knew?

Moving on to another category - products for me.  Although wine and bagels are nice, I like to find and fall in love with clothes and skin care products. 

Do any of you suffer from chronic dry lips?  I admit, I am raising my hand (really high).  I received a gift of a 4-pack of Buxom Lips lip gloss by Bare Escentuals.  I do not wear and cannot wear lipstick because it dries my lips out so I always have a gloss or tinted lip balm on hand.  But my lips would still end up drying out.  These new lip glosses go on with a shimmer and have a cooling tingling feeling almost like menthol.  It instantly soothes dry chapped lips while making you look pretty too.  The only down side to these would be if you have long hair like myself.  My hair tends to get stuck on my lips.  I generally wear a ponytail when I wear this gloss.  The other selling point is that it lasts a long time unless of course you're using your lips a lot to drink or eat or for some smoochy-smoochy. 

And last on my list are jeans.  Ah, yes the ever so hard to find wonderful fitting pair of jeans.  I had a few items to return at Express.  Generally I don't shop there because their prices are ridiculously high, the styles are turning ridiculous (or I'm just getting older), and the music is so stinkin' loud that I can't hear myself think and I end up walking out with a headache.  But I endured the torture and decided to try and find a pair of jeans.  The first pair I picked out and tried on fit me like a glove.  I was amazed.  The rise was perfect, the length was perfect (which is one of the toughest things for me to find since I am a tall), the color was great, and the price wasn't as shocking since they were on sale for $20 off the ticket price and I had an additional coupon for 20% off.  The style is called Express Mia bootcut.  Yes, I was doing the happy-happy-joy-joy dance in the dressing room - come on the music was loud enough!

Now it's your turn to share with me a life-changing (or just really cool) product you've recently discovered.  I am all about finding new things to love.

More smiles and laughs

If you have kids and haven't begun documenting the things they say that make you laugh, I highly encourage you to start.  Not only is it fun to look back on and read, but a lot of the time you forget what it was or how they said that one particular thing and wish you would have written it down.  

Today I bring you a few more "kidioms" thanks to my boys.

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Luke was watching Taylor's hamsters play and he said they were playing "hide and sneak".

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Every night Luke says his prayers.  The other night he was in a thankful mood and was giving thanks for people in his life.  The last thing he added to his list of thanks with all seriousness was this; "And thank you God for farts. Amen."

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We were in the van and Jason turned on the Sirius radio to station 4 which is 1940's music.  Luke heard it and asked, "Is this Tom and Jerry?"

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I asked Luke what he wanted to be when he grew up and he replied, "A ghost.  A mad ghost."

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We were getting ready for church and Carson came down the stairs all dressed up.  He looked at me and asked, "Do I look better than you?"

I'm addicted

All I can say is Rock Band rocks!  

Taylor got this as a gift for Christmas and I must admit I think I am enjoying it a bit more than he is.  

Is it wrong to go downstairs and practice when the kids are at school?  

Either way - it's a blast.  My favorite is the drums.  Go figure.  Drummers run in the family.  

This past weekend we had some friends over (hey Laura!) and we were having a battle of the bands between the girls and the guys.  I will say we were rocking out pretty good to Mississippi Queen.  We turned the stereo system up really loud and I am sure we were irritating the neighbors.  The kids were even asking if we would turn it down.  

I can't wait to do it again.  But first I must get some more practice in and brush up on my mad drum skills.  

Peace!

What to watch

I am not that big of a TV watcher, but I do have my select shows that I enjoy and thanks to my tivo I have the luxury of watching them at my leisure.  But my tivo "now playing" list has not seen much activity in awhile.  

Of course America's Funniest Home Videos has kept me entertained.  But I am ready for some of my favorites to return and luckily this is the month.  

So, you ask, what is on my list of shows I am looking forward to watching?  Well, let me tell you.

Lost - yeah baby!  This is my favorite drama/sci-fi show.  It's been so long since I have watched an episode that I think I will be the one who is lost when it comes back.  (January 21st)

American Idol - This season should be interesting with a new female judge added to the mix.  I wonder how Paula will do not being the center of attention anymore.  (January 13th)

The Bachelor - I don't know how I get sucked into this show, but it's a train wreck and it's hard not to watch.  (January 5th)

The Biggest Loser - Yes, another reality show.  I can't help it.  This show is so motivating.  I am amazed at how hard the contestants are pushed and the crazy results they see.  Jillian is awesome too.  It would be my dream to work out with her.  (January 6th)

These shows ought to keep me busy until spring.  So tell me, what TV shows are on your must-watch list?

My new gift

Over the holiday we had numerous grab bag gift exchanges.  I really enjoy this type of gift giving because not only is it fun, but it's also somewhat of a competition.  And if you know me, I am all about competing.  

At one particular gift exchange a hot item was opened and I stole it.  I don't know if Jason's aunt is ever going to speak to me again, but every time I give myself a facial and a pedicure I will think of her.  And I am sure every time she sprays herself with the perfume she ended up with (that I purchased) she will think of me and plot out her revenge.  

At a separate gift exchange I once again was the stealer of the bunch (do you see a trend here?), but it came back to bite me in the you-know-what.  I ended up getting some assorted chocolate goodies so it wasn't a total loss.  But I really wanted the digital outdoor thermometer.  

Ever since we moved to Ohio I have no way of knowing what the temperature is outside.  Back home in Indiana I could dial a local phone number and it would give me the time and temperature.  I am not sure such a number exists here.  So I was on the hunt for my own outdoor thermometer and off to Target I went.  

Would you know that out of the six racks of different models, only one was left.  One.  They were completely sold out of the others.  That left the decision making pretty simple.  

I got home and took out the directions.  It is supposed to be mounted outside on a window.  I couldn't believe they actually had to write this:

"For your own safety, do not lean out of the window."

There must have been issues with people falling out of their windows while trying to install their thermometers.  

I lovingly handed it over to my husband and let him finish the job.  Aren't I nice?

And further in the directions there were multiple precautions.  One I found amusing read: 

"The contents of this manual may not be reproduced without the permission of the manufacturer."

Oops.  Don't tell 'em, ok?

Follow up and some love.

First, I just want to clear things up.  This was a joke.  I really didn't wear it.  Last year around this time we had a Mommy's Group get together and the theme was tacky sweaters.  I think mine fit that bill pretty good, don't you?   So there is no need to panic and send me to a wardrobe intervention.  

Instead, I wore this other cute shirt that I found at Target and now that I look at the pictures from that night, I noticed you can totally see my bra through it.  Nice.  I wish someone would have told me about that.  Maybe they were all enjoying their New Years a little too much if you know what I mean.  Geesh!

On another note, I hope you all appreciated the effort it took me to blog while on the road.  It wasn't an easy feat.  We stayed at my parents house 4 out of the 6 nights we were gone and they do not have any internet connection, yet. We're working on that.  Therefore, I had to position myself in various places throughout their house in order to find another wireless signal.  I think I may have been using Starbucks.  So basically I was stealing in a sense.  And all for the sake of my blogging buddies.  See, I do love you guys!  The sacrifices I make.

Now feel free to show some love back.  I think a comment would be a great way to show you care.  Hint, hint!

 

Back at last

Whew.  

Finally we are back at home after a week of traveling and visiting with family and friends in the Midwest.  I must say it feels good to be in our house and get back to our routine.  It's still hard to leave and say our goodbyes.  I am sure it will continue to get easier. I just have to keep convincing myself of that.  

Now that we're home and the van is unloaded I have a lot of work to do.  But first things first.  

A glass of wine.  

Now to the unpacking which may require another glass or two of wine.  

Hope you all had a wonderful and happy New Years.