Home made pore strips

I love Biore pore strips. I love slapping them on my nose and then peeling them off and examining my face in the mirror. There was even a time when Husband and I would sit with strips on our noses and then compare what was stripped out of our pores.

See, single friends? This is what married life is. So glam.

But those strips are PRICEY. And I'm....thrifty. So when I found this little recipe for homemade pore strips, I knew I was going to try it.

What you need:

microwavable bowl

a clean Popsicle stick or something with which to apply the goop (I used the handle end of a plastic knife)

1 tbsp clear gelatin. (I guess you could use green or something, but unless you want to look like a distant, weaker relative of The Hulk, I wouldn't recommend it.)

11/2-2 tbsp milk

Mix the milk and the gelatin together in your bowl.

Throw it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds (15 was a smidge too hot for me)

Apply the goop directly onto your face, wherever you want to strip your pores.

Wait.

I'd say after 15 minutes you are set, but basically when it feels like your face is frozen like a pond in a cold snap and will crack if you move it, you're good to go.

Peel it off. (Yes it can pull a little, sort of like a band-aid.)

Admire the results.

That's it!

I will say that I don't know if it was quite as good as Biore's version, but it was quite effective and a lot cheaper. Let me know if you try it!

A Peanut by any other name...

Peanut asked me today "Mommy, why didn't you name me Rosalinda? It's SO beautiful."

I explained to her that her daddy and I spent a lot of time thinking about what her name should be and ultimately we chose what we thought was the most beautiful name for her.

To which she shook her head and said with a sigh, "You must not have thought about Rosalinda, then."

Sunshine

So this morning, after dropping the big two off at school, the little girls and I headed to the grocery store. It was very quiet in the store and the only folks we encountered was a lady shopping and several clerks stocking the shelves. We all nodded politely as we passed.

 But in the third aisle the man stocking the shelves said "Good morning." And so I answered. "Good morning. How are you?" He said he was fine, thank you and asked how I was. I was also fine. Pleasantries successfully exchanged, I was moving to pass him when I noticed that BabyGirl was taking him into careful consideration and I could see she was about to say something.

 I'll be honest, I held my breath. That kid is a loose cannon; I never know what she might say. And you see, this gentleman was African American, and she's commented on that before, not in a malicious way, but in the way of a small child who's close circle mostly looks just like she does.

"Good morning. I love you. Have a nice day." She smiled and skipped off. I think the man melted into a little puddle of goo. He declared his day made and I could hear his happy chuckle all the way over in the next aisle, even a few minutes later.

 #4 will likely not remember she did this. It's been 90 minutes and it's probably already out of her mind. But I am sure the recipient of her sunshine remembers. And so do I.

 My friends and I have been talking lately about how common decency seems to have taken a hit. That people no longer remember, not only how to be polite, but sometimes even how to be civil.

I think I know someone who could teach them a lesson.

"Good morning. I love you. Have a nice day."

For My Girls (and hello out there!)

Dear Daughters,

Photo by cambiodefractal/flickr

 This has been rolling around in my brain for a few days. I saw a little something a mom wrote to her son and it had gone viral. It was pretty good, I’ll admit. And I thought to myself, well, what would I say to my girls, then?

 So here it is. Some of it might be profound (if I’m lucky) and some of it might just sound odd. Some of it is borne of painful first-hand experience, and some of it is just based on things I’ve seen and people I have known. I’m also quite sure it is incomplete. I’m only 38…there is still a lot I don’t know. I’ll think the same when I am 48 and 108 and every year in between, I’m sure. But so far, this is what I’ve got, and I’m your mother, so you should listen:

 • Learn. School is important and you will learn there, but that isn’t the only place you will learn. Listen to people, watch things, observe as much as you speak. Go to museums, watch documentaries, be up on current events. Read, read, read. You’d be surprised what is fascinating when you expand your horizons.

 • Know that alone and lonely are not the same thing. Love and stay close to your family, make lots of good and fun and interesting friends. These things will keep you from loneliness, even when you are all by yourself.

 • Love your sisters and maintain a good relationship with them. They have the same memories as you, have known you your whole life and love you like crazy. They are the best support system you could ask for.

• Have at least one honorary sister. You need someone to listen when you complain about your blood sisters.

 • Love and stay close to your brother. Sometimes you need a guy hug and he will always be good for that. Plus, it’s always nice to think he could kick someone’s butt for you, even if it’s more likely he’d just spitefully let the air out of their tires.

 • Marry (or commit to, whatever you want) the person you makes your life better just by being in it. Yes, I said person. I don’t care if it’s a man or a woman. Love is gorgeous and you deserve someone who loves you the way you love him/her.

 • Don’t settle. Good enough never is, well, good enough. If you want something, go after it. There is nothing that feels as good as a true sense of accomplishment.

 • Learn how to say “No,” without feeling guilty. You don’t need to do everything everyone asks. But say yes, too, sometimes. Sometimes things you dread become the best things you do.

 • Be careful with your credit, both financially and reputation wise. Honor your agreements and contracts and promises. No one respects a flake and you won’t respect yourself if you aren't as good as your word.

 • Be true. To yourself. To family. To friends. To ideals. To causes. To beliefs. But be willing to see other sides. Life is very gray. Black and white is boring. Gray can be beautiful.

 • Don’t just hear; listen. Not everyone says what they want you to know. Listening will help you realize that. Hearing will not.

 • Call your parents. Because even if you aren't doing what I recommend here, we will still love you. We have from the moment we found out you were on the way, and we always, ALWAYS will.

 • Be happy, but know that living life well isn’t just doing what you want. Life is complicated and messy. Sometimes you have to look for the happy. But it’s there. And when you can’t find it, talk to your family. We’ll help you look.

 • Be who you are. Sometimes that’s the hardest one. Embrace your mind and your body and your soul and your quirks and your strengths and even your weaknesses. You are awesome. Not being perfect or not being the best doesn’t mean you aren’t amazing. You are. Trust me.

 • As amazing as you are, you are not better than anyone else. Eat your humble pie and digest it well.

. • Be good and remember your manners, but don’t be anyone’s doormat.

 • It’s okay to cry. Everyone feels like a good sob occasionally, and sometimes life just stinks. Let it out.

 • Keep going. You can do it, whatever it is.

 • And lastly, not all advice is good, not even mine, but I mean well. It’s like a supply of bandages: you won’t know when you’ll need it, but apply what you do need, and stash the rest for later.

I love you the morest,

Mommy

Guh

Last night was the preschool Christmas show for the two littlest girls. BabyGirl sang her heart out and rang her bells with gusto. Peanut recited her lines for "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" pretty well for a kid who refused to practice.

Then we got to the car and it was dead. So there was a scramble to stay warm and call Triple A while Husband tried to fix it and Grampy came to ferry kids home.

And I guess, in all that shuffle and scramble, perhaps their performances got lost a little, because this morning Peanut asked me this:

"Mommy, you know my show? My show with my friends? Was it....was it...was it...proud making?"

I told her it was the best show I'd ever seen. Very proud making.

Sometimes, even when they don't mean to, your kids can break your heart.

Blame

So today I found two acts of vandalism in my home.

There was drawing on a step stool and the interior of a book shelf had a tic tac toe game and some scribbling on it.

Underneath both were the words "Peanuts falt."

I'm not sure exactly how dense StinkyMan thinks we are.

But I still laughed.

Flowders

I just have to write it down, so that I never, ever, ever forget, that BabyGirl cannot say "flower" but calls them "flowders" instead.

It's just the cutest thing in the world and I want to hang on to it forever as her babydom washes away and is being replaced by little girl.