One of my daughter’s and my favorite things to do is to head to the drugstore – especially when there is a sale – and get new drugstore brand products to try out. Don’t get me wrong, we love a good department store or boutique product, too, but nothing feels better than finding a good product that’s also not very expensive. So here’s our secret…
MUA reviews
I’m a lifelong nail biter and tried bitter tasting stuff, acrylic nails, rubber band around the wrist, etc. Nothing worked. Gave this product a try and for the first time, I got nails. I loved it so much that I ordered a couple of boxes from the manufacturer and sold some bottles online. One piece of feedback I got on my eBay account said “this stuff works a little TOO good.”
Aspirin mask
MUA reviews
Yep, a face mask made of aspirin. You can either buy whole aspirin and crush them into powder or you can do it the lazy way (my way) and get the powder kind (BC Powder brand). Combine it with a bit of water to make a paste, apply to your face and it clears your skin right up. Same precautions apply as if you’d be ingesting it.
Ped Egg
MUA reviews
I was blessed with Shrek feet that are super rough. I’ve tried pumice stones and dangerous scraping tools and frequent pedicures but it turns out, the Ped Egg works brilliantly. Who knew something from a cheesy (and somewhat gross) commercial would work so well?
Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara
MUA reviews
This stuff is so easy to apply and makes eyelashes look amazing…if you already have long lashes. My daughter is blessed with gorgeous lashes that benefit from this mascara and end up looking full and long yet still natural. Great stuff.
Cover Girl Clean Makeup Fragrance Free foundation
MUA reviews
I don’t like drugstore foundations almost ever but this stuff is amazing. For some reason, the fragrance free variety is better than its fragrant counterpart. As a bonus, I often spot this at the dollar stores for even cheaper than drugstore prices.
Wired magazine once declared that “nine blogs are created every minute and 2.3 content updates are posted every second.” And of those blogs, I would guess that most just use the default settings from when they create their blog. Here are a few ways to customize your blog to make it stand out.
Get a custom domain
Instead of having yourdomainname.blogspot.com, why not have yourdomainname.com? It costs just $9 to do it and it’s easy to setup.
I recommend GoDaddy.com as a registrar since it’s cheap (about $9 usually) and fairly simple to use.
Detailed instructions for each blogging platform at the links below.
Custom domain on WordPress (Cost to “map” the domain name to your blog is in addition to your domain registration but both can be done at the same time)
You know that little picture that appears in the address bar next to the URL for your site? That’s called a favicon.
It’s also the same image that appears when people bookmark your site or subscribe to your RSS feed. By default, it will be the image setup by the blog hosting service but you can make it something that identifies you.
Each blogging service has built-in themes that you can choose from but almost EVERYbody uses them. Instead, choose a theme that is unique and will help you standout.
Tumblr’s own Theme Garden is better than most default options available from blogging services. Some additional options can be found at Tumblr Themes.
There are lots of blogging platforms but I’ve chosen to feature the three I am most familiar with here. If you don’t see your platform listed, a Google search should yield instructions on doing any of the things I’ve listed above. If you run into any issues or have questions, please feel free to comment and I will answer your questions there. Get out of here now and go blog!
On our first overseas trip, I had a terrible time with jet lag and fell asleep during meals and shows and took a few days to adjust. On future trips, I wanted to eliminate this awful feeling and lost time. This is the combination that works for me. Experiment and see what works for you.
1.) Water
One of the prime causes of jet lag is dehydration. The cabin air is so dry and causes you to feel fatigued. Take your own water and LOTS of it or you can get water from the flight attendant when possible. When we traveled before liquids were restricted, I packed about 8 or 10 bottles in our carry-on bags and we drank them all and barely had to go to the bathroom during the flight. Since liquids are restricted right now, you can do the same but you would need to purchase the bottles of water after you go through security and before you board the plane.
2.) No Jet Lag tablets
This homeopathic remedy works fantastically well. You take one every two hours when you’re awake and it eliminates symptoms of jet lag. Read reviews and purchase at Amazon.com.
3.) Take a prescription sleep aid
My body ignores over-the-counter sleep aids so before a long flight, I will ask the doctor for a few Ambien pills to take on the trip. You will need to test it out before your trip because there have been stories of people acting like chickens or sleep eating while taking a medicine like Ambien. I’ve also heard people say that Ambien has no effect on them. Assuming it works on you, take a few on your trip and sleep according to the schedule of your destination. It is recommended that you keep prescription medicine in their original containers to expedite the security screening process.
4.) Have a clock set on your new time
Before leaving home, have a watch set on the time of your new destination. Try to adjust your schedule a bit each day to more closely align with the new time. While traveling, sleep and eat according to the new time zone.
5.) Bring your own food and entertainment
Following up the last tip about living according to the new time zone, you will likely need to bring your own stuff to help make that happen because the airplane schedule may not match the schedule of your destination. If you bring your own food, keep it light and healthy. Bring a DVD player or video iPod to watch your own movies. Have ear plugs or headphones plus an eye mask so when others are watching the in-flight movie, you can rest.
Don’t be overly ambitious on your first day at your destination but do try to live on the local schedule. Hopefully these tips will help you avoid missing out on the fun and get your trip off to a fantastic (and non-sleepy) start!
Last week I lost my Cruise Virginity. I’m used to researching and planning trips but this was our first cruise and we did some things right and some…not. Here are some tips based on what we learned. [read more…]
Until last year, I had only run a mile one time. It was in ninth grade and it was a requirement for gym class. I managed to meet the time I needed to and then struggle to breathe for three hours afterward. Asthma makes it hard to run. Despite my lack of ability to breathe well, I had often hoped to run long distances. Many people in my life have trained and completed half and full marathons and it felt like I was missing out on a big accomplishment. Finally, 18 years after running that mile in ninth grade, I did it.
One day at the gym, I surprised myself by running a mile. I had been working out by running for a minute and then walking for a few minutes. Eventually I realized I was able to string the minutes together and run a full mile. I thought if I could work up to a mile (a seemingly impossible task for this lifelong asthmatic), what else could I do? [read more…]
I didn’t grow up going on many road trips. Anything over an hour and we were staying the night. I did, however, marry somebody who grew up taking long road trips and as adults, we have lived eight hours away from family for nearly eight years. I was sort of forced to get used to the idea. The kids have taken dozens of road trips with us (including several 17 hour ones between KC and DC). Here’s some of the ideas we’ve used to stay entertained. [read more…]
Last Christmas, I decided that I really wanted to create a very personal but professional-looking card for our family to send out. I hadn’t sent cards the year before so the perfectionist in me decided if I was going to do it, I wanted to do it well. My goal was a full bleed (front and back) folded card.
The first thing I tried was looking at the regular services available to consumers. None of them would let me have full control over the design. I needed something better.
Cars have an arrow inside that tells you what side your gas tank is on? My car is 12 years old, people. I don't have that feature.about 1 hour agofrom web
Cindy: Wowza! What woman doesn’t like a great deal on a handbag or new shoes? With fall coming on I’m looking to replace my old worn out UGG... Want designer for cheap? Buy from China.
Anna: I had the chance to spend 3 months living in South Korea a few years ago. Not for school or work, just to be there and see what life was like. It was the best 3 months... For the love of travel
One of my daughter’s and my favorite things to do is to head to the drugstore – especially when there is a sale – and get new drugstore brand products to try out. Don’t get me wrong, we love a good department store or boutique product, too, but nothing feels better than finding a good product that’s also not very expensive. So here’s our secret…
MUA reviews
MUA reviews
MUA reviews
Wired magazine once declared that “nine blogs are created every minute and 2.3 content updates are posted every second.” And of those blogs, I would guess that most just use the default settings from when they create their blog. Here are a few ways to customize your blog to make it stand out.
Until last year, I had only run a mile one time. It was in ninth grade and it was a requirement for gym class. I managed to meet the time I needed to and then struggle to breathe for three hours afterward. Asthma makes it hard to run. Despite my lack of ability to breathe well, I had often hoped to run long distances. Many people in my life have trained and completed half and full marathons and it felt like I was missing out on a big accomplishment. Finally, 18 years after running that mile in ninth grade, I did it.
I didn’t grow up going on many road trips. Anything over an hour and we were staying the night. I did, however, marry somebody who grew up taking long road trips and as adults, we have lived eight hours away from family for nearly eight years. I was sort of forced to get used to the idea. The kids have taken dozens of road trips with us (including several 17 hour ones between KC and DC). Here’s some of the ideas we’ve used to stay entertained.