Peer Pressure & The Lesson

Today with school closed for a Superintendent thingy the kids and I headed out for the day, spent some time on the trampoline then headed out again for the park. There we ran into people we know.  One in Handsome's class and one a grade below Goddess.

Handsome is NOT friends with this kid. As someone on the spectrum Handsome has yet to make actual friends. Goddess makes them wherever she goes and knows how to chat with people she kind of knows from school.

As a hover mom I usually hang close and now with smartphones can spend time in Facebook land or read on the Kindle app while the kids hang. This time because Goddess was hanging with this boy from my son's class I listened instead of actually reading.

Handsome was doing the walk around the perimeter of the park as he usually does, in his own world. Goddess and the other kids were on the slide top talking. I overheard this boy proceed to talk about curse words with the girls. I heard them saying they know them and the girl says she knows what most mean but not the F word. She knows what the F word is but not what it means. My daughter said me either. Thankfully the boy didn't fill them in. I heard him tell my daughter and this other girl about my son and how he gets yelled at in class. How he yelled once and said a curse word (damn) in class and how he was sent to the principal. I heard Goddess say, "I don't believe that." I heard him say lets play a trick on Handsome and Goddess said, "if I do that I will get in trouble." I thought Great she knows better. She knows it is NOT OK to play tricks on her brother.

Then the boy said, "Come on I know how to get him." She followed. I was shocked! She followed them to do something she didn't want to do, knew she would get in trouble for BUT did it anyway.

The boy call my son, "Handsome, come here." My son excited runs over. "Coming!"

I started walking at the same time he was headed over wanting to make sure he would be OK.

They were out of sight. Whatever happened was quick and my son was walking back toward me asking if I wanted to leave. I said, "yeah guys I have to vacuum and clean the bathroom." He was bummed.

Walking to the car I asked him what was going on in the corner. He said, I don't know. I asked Goddess she said, "yes you do Brandi said Hi." She was hiding in the corner and I don't know I guess the boy had a whole scenario but the girls didn't understand or maybe they thought he would be scared when she popped out.   It wasn't a BIG deal BUT this was my opportunity to tell Goddess that ganging up on her brother with a bunch of kids was not OK.

She sat with her head in her hands as I calmly explained that I was disappointed. That her picking the side of some idiot kids over her brother was NOT OK in my book. That they kids were nobody to us and that she was never to work against her family because some kids are telling you too.  I mentioned that I thought she was tougher and smarter then that since I knew she had said she shouldn't and that she didn't want to get in trouble. She was shocked I had overheard and I reminded her that MOMMY hears everything.

I finally got in the truck after she said, "I'm sorry" and explained that THEY MADE HER.  I calmly explained that this wasn't that big of a deal and they can't make you do anything you don't want to do and you shouldn't do something you know is wrong. I explained that the voice in your head telling you not to is the one she should listen to. That voice is important to you doing the right thing. That if you think something is wrong and know in your heart it is wrong then go with your GUT, With YOUR VOICE, with YOUR INTUITION.  Again, I explained that this was not a big deal but that I tells me that she is NOT ready to be trusted. That this lesson isn't for now. It is for when you are 15, 17, 22. It is for when your friends are saying, smoke this, drink this, take this. It is for then.

Remember to always trust your voice. It is your heart! It is Me! It is you telling you NOT to do something. It is saying Danger. Stop before it is too late.

This may seem like an extreme conversation for something like playing a trick on her brother that turned out to be innocent, juvenielle and harmless but maybe the next time it won't be and I need her to think and stand firm. I need her to be stronger. Head strong, strong willed and not bend to peer pressure. It is NOT worth it and someone could get hurt. 

Halloween 2015

Halloween 2015 has come and gone.
My son had a difficult time picking out a costume. He doesn't love Halloween and I wasn't about to spend more than $25 on any costume. Luckily we had an awesome assistant at Party City. You young man named Ryan had the patience of a saint. He was no more than 20 and with at least 10 breakdowns in 45 minutes never lost his cool with my son. I made sure to talk to two managers before leaving because I wanted them to know just how amazing their associate was and how lucky they are to have him.

My son ended up not wearing the mask and I was annoyed until we all tried it on and saw that he could NOT see anything through the mask. NOTHING was visible. It is impossible to walk with it on.

Not sure what he was, everyone asked if he was the Grim Reaper, we just said yes.

Goddess was Sally The Killer, a Creepy Pasta Girl. It was easy. A pink dress, teddy bear, knee high socks and blood dripping down her face and dress. Dress from Ebay. Her friends came as Ironman and some chick from Attack on Titan

It was so much fun especially since we met up with her friends and her parents.

We got just enough candy. No overflow this year.

 We saw a lot of zombies, bacon (go figure) and Elsas (no surprise there).

My favorite photo of the night! All I did was call her name and shoot But I love this one.

Running out of there...too scary even though it wasn't dark yet...

Afterward we headed to dinner.

More photos later time to give the kids showers. Later gator.

My Pick For Christmas Gifts This Year

Never have I ever seen a product that I wished I could get for everyone I know until now!

NO lie if I could, I would order one for everyone on my Christmas list from my grandparents right down to my kids and everyone in between.

Let me rewind for a moment.

Like this blanket that was created from my photos.

I've never seen anything like this.

The detail of the photo is truly amazing. Each photo is on true color with the sharpest detail you can imagine.  I can see my son's beautiful mole, my nose ring and my daughters amazing sunlight hair.

You don't even need an amazing camera to get these. I didn't use my Canon 50D for any of these. They were all taken with my iPhone 4.

This Santa Cookie Cake Makes Any Holiday Table More Fun

 

Make this season extra sweet with this delightful Christmas treat! We've loaded this 12-inch cookie cake with rich chocolate chips and hand decorated with sweet frosting, creating a holiday dessert that's impossible to resist!

My hand for size reference

 

My daughter liked it so much she left a love note

Oh man!!!! This cookie cake is amazing.  My favorite part of it was how soft the icing was. It was as if I had piped it out AND it lasted like that until it was completely gone two weeks later. 

Wish I had more leftover. It looks amazing

The cake was moist and yummy and my kids and I loved it. We literally had to control ourselves not to go back for seconds and thirds every time we ate it. 

We will be using Gourmet Gift Baskets for our out of town family this year. They are so much more than baskets.

Everyone Should Have A Precision Kit

I am obsessed with making sure my face is hair free except my eye brows. For some reason I am constantly searching for my tweezer and never can find it. I get these little hairs in my chin and sometimes on my neck that I constantly need to remove. This Precision Grooming set is perfect for being able to control exactly what I need. In face the other day I handed the pointest ones to my 10 year old and asked her to get one on my neck that I couldn't see but could feel.

These are stainless steel and come in their own handy kit which makes them super easy to find unlike the one I am always searching for.

The ones I got were a beautiful blue. I have yet to try to tweeze a hair that wasn't tweezeable. Every single one so far has come out on the very first attempt. Usually there are those that slip out of the tweezers and have me pulling on air.

Yes, the set is extremely pointy. Yes, they could be dangerous but use with precaution knowing that you will remove whatever it is you are trying to remove, a hair or a splinter. The scissors have the tiniest tip, they are perfect for trimming any hair above my brow line.

Favorite set ever and priced as a set so well.

Make Your Phone Look Like A Pretty Snow Princess

I like this case a lot! It is definitely fluffy and very appealing and girly. When you flip it over you can see that it is just a clear plastic case but the embellishments are definitely eye catching. With winter coming really really soon I can so see how this would be a benefit. The fur is REAL. It is beautifully soft and the gems are definitely not movable. It appears to be very stable. However don't bother looking at it from the other side. Put your phone in it and leave it. The beauty is on the front anyway. I also wouldn't remove the phone to many times. The plastic seems like it would crack if you take the phone in and out too much.

With all that said, this is a beautiful phone that was worth the wait to get. It ships Internationally so it took 3 weeks to get here.

Paper Towns A Movie Review and Blu-Ray Combo

I have to admit it right here and now. I have not seen The Fault in Our Stars. I am not looking to cry these days maybe I will get to it eventually. But when I realized I had a chance to review Paper Towns through Fox Home Entertainment Insiders, I couldn't wait. I knew nothing about the movie other than there were two young people on the cover and it said from the makers of The Fault In Our Stars.

Going into the first 8-12 minutes I was completely invested in this movie about Quentin or Quinn and his neighbor Margo. They were really good friends as kids until one moment changed everything for her. She suddenly became adventurous going out at night on "investigations" and they drift apart.  Quinn has loved her forever and knows what he wants in life. He's got it all set in his mind. Graduate, college, doctor of oncology (of course), marriage, kids and he's a happy man. Margo on the other hand has no idea what she is doing tomorrow let alone planning her life.

Margo needs Quinn for one of her adventures and it changes his life. It changes the way he thinks and lights a fire in him that he didn't even know was missing. 

When she disappears Quinn become the adventure, taking off on a road trip with friends to find Margo through clues she's left for him. What will happen if he finds her? You will have to watch the movie to find out.

I love this different coming of age story. I enjoyed watching Quinn and his friends. Loved Margo and her antics and believe everyone needs a little bit of Margo and a little bit of Quinn to lead a truly happy life.

If You Get A Chance Watch SPY Starring Melissa McCarthy

 

The 411:

I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed Spy. Melissa McCarthy is great, Jude Law and Jason Statham equally attractive and amazing. It was definitely a fun ride one that I think you will enjoy if you are looking for a fun movie and enjoyed Bridesmaids. 

Tons of potty mouth but a great ride!

Melissa plays a behind the scenes agent who is the voice in the ear of her partner on the job Jude Law who she is crushing on big time. When he goes missing she goes under cover to find out what happened to him.

If you have a chance watch the adorably funny Melissa and all her crazy wigs and aliases.

Let Nora Or Leo Help You With Behavior Modification For Your Child

The concept is called "Nora & Leo, The Simple Solution to Positive Parenting." It is still in Kickstarter mode but this NEEDS to be on the market. I don't know a parent who didn't need something like this at one time or another.

Goddess' new homework helper

We were lucky enough to be able to check out one of the fairies for ourselves. We chose Nora and so far Goddess is responsive to the program AND eager to collect gems outside of the original arrangement we made regarding how she would get gems. 

Check out our unboxing of the Nora kit:

Luseta Beauty Products - A Review

This year I am revisiting my youthful love of beautiful products. When I was a tween into my twenties I adored make-up, hair products, nail polish and all potions and lotions.Work, family, blogging all came before that after a while. I didn't stop wearing make-up, or taking care of my skin or doing my hair but I had one or two things for each of needs.

Fast forward a few years...I'm a little older and LOVE trying new products.

Luseta Beauty Moisturizing Olive and Jojoba Body Oil - is a wonderful smelling blend of oils that moisturize and hydrate your skin. You can even use it on your hair. I have ONE (why one?) very dry elbow which used to bother me. My daughter would actually play with it because she said she like the way I felt. I used to tell her to play with her own because her elbows was just as dry as mine. After two days she mentioned that my elbow didn't feel the same. I touched it and realized their was no dry circle for her to grab onto. So we used it on hers. Our elbows now feel as soft as our other skin. 
 
With the dry weather coming in I will be using this on my legs as well as all over when I get out of the shower. It smells amazing and leaves your skin feeling amazing and silky smooth. I even love the bottle.

Luseta Beauty Macadamia Hair Oil Treatment is a wonderful treatment for your hair. I have used it on my wet hair as well as my dry hair and love it. After taking the towel off my head after a shower I take a small amount into the palm of my hand and run it through my hair. It makes combing so much easier. It is a wonderful way to detangle hair. Also since I wash every other day I apply a small amount in the morning to my dry hair before leaving the house. My hair tends to be drier and very thick and wavy. Applying in the morning makes my hair less crazy or frizzy. It basically calms it down. I have BIG hair and the Macadamia Hair Oil Treatment means I can walk out of my house without someone looking to put a straight jacket on me. No more big bed head.  

Both of these products have an easy dropper top so you don't use to much or accidentally knock it over and leave oil everywhere.   

Great stocking stuffers. The bottles look like old time antique bottles. I will not be tossing them when empty! Love them.   

My Lazy Sunday Featured The Entire 6th Season of #modernfamily

The 411 by Maria:

I had a wonderful Sunday sitting in front of the fire while the boys watched football with my laptop and headphones laughing alone to the Modern Family Season 6 DVD Box Set.

If you are a fan of this wonderfully written, brilliantly acted ensemble this is a box set for you.

If you are not a fan or have lived under a rock, the award winning Modern Family is about three separate households all from the same family.

Jay Prichett lives with his Colombian, much younger wife Gloria, her son and their toddler .
Claire (Jay's daughter) lives with her husband Phil and their three children, Haley, Alex, and Luke
Mitchell (Jay's son) lives with his husband Cam and their adopted Korean daughter Lily.

Season 6 highlights:

Cam and Mitch are married
Alex is seeking colleges
Manny is benched on Cam's football team
Gloria and Jay talk about getting older
Phil and Claire get new neighbors
The Dumphrey kids are as lame as ever
Lily is as feisty as ever

This season brings the laughs and shows no signs of jumping the sharks. The jokes are still fresh, the cast still deliver and look like they are having fun

I loved the episode of Jay wearing his big "old man" glasses and Gloria once again proving she is not only a sexy woman but smart too by dressing down so he can see how important trying to be attractive for each other are.

Also, Cam's over the top displays of affection to his new husband.

Anytime Phil is on screen I am happy. He cracks me up every time.

This is a wonderful done comedy series that you really should invest some time in.

Selfie Stick Monopod Looks Good And Goes Anywhere

Some people think selfies are selfish but I don't agree. As someone who lost my mother at a young age I wish we had smartphones and selfies before she passed away. I have so few photos of her and think it is important to take photos of yourself.

Selfie without a stick

If I look through my old photo albums, I have taken at least 8000 photos in the past 12 years and only appear in about 100 of them.  Thankfully selfies are here to stay and some geniuses invited the selfie stick so we don't only have to be a head and shoulders although these days, I'm fine with that.

This thing folds up to be only about 7 inches but extends to 32 inches for a full view or a group shot! Love it and love taking selfies.

The Tech Savvy comes with a carabineer so you can attach it to your belt or pant loop, backpack, tote, camera bag or wherever.

If you know someone who has a Smartphone give them a selfie stick this holiday season. They will definitely love it.

Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner

I LOVE the smell of coconut and this coconut milk shampoo and conditioner from Luseta smells amazing.

It is not only the scent that makes it a great shampoo but as someone who has super dry hair ever since changing from the over the counter, drug store, sale shampoos and conditioners, my hair actually feels soft. It has been many, many years since I thought my hair felt nice.

I know taking care of my hair has always been something I never spent much time on. I remember back in the day when I read Seventeen magazine as a kid I read that you should treat your hair the way you treat fine washables.

Using the Luseta coconut milk shampoo and conditioner makes my hair smell and feel like I just came out of my hair stylist. Come to think of it, I should tell them about this brand.

Even now as I right it I am touching my hair and smelling it.

My hair:
Smells amazing
Doesn't feel weighed down
Looks silky and shiny.

Great for all hair types too! My son and daughter have much thinner and straighter hair then me and it makes their hair smell amazing. They love it too.

These bottles hold over 16 oz each. They are a nice size and even though they cost more than the .77 cents I usually spend, I feel like they go a long