Nails are Jewels, not Tools

Every nail salon I have ever been has a sign somewhere that bears the statement above. It makes me smile, because the odds that I will even be able to emerge from the salon without mangling my manicure are slim. Before both boys were born I went to have a pedicure. Both times I looked down on the day after they were born to see a hunk of polish missing from my big toe. Both times were a result having my foot hooked under a hospital bed, but that's another story entirely. The point is that my life is a full-contact sport. All of the mortal enemies of a good manicure are every-day occurrences around here.

All of this is why I was so excited when I saw the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. No drying time was a huge seller. So I went to Target to check them out. I thought the $8.99 price tag for 16 strips was a little high, but I don't already have a line item for a nail salon in my budget. My next problem is that the color selection is a little wild. They have a wide selection of styles, but I really struggled to find something that didn't make me feel 14 again. I finally decided on Bling It On, a pink sparkle pattern. Since they were so bright, I waited until our beach vacation to put them on. They were a little more work to put on than I was expecting - more than an hour compared to 15 minutes, and I never did get the hang of rolling them over my nail to create complete coverage and optimal wear. The box also calls out that these are odor-free, but it smelled like nail polish to me. The packaging promises 10 days of wear. I'm at that point now and I think that they are about to go. I have some chipping on all of the nails and some growth away from the cuticles. Pretty good compared to a regular polish. But most of all, they are still too bright for me. Sad to say, I get distracted by my own nails.

BOTTOM LINE: I'm still delighted by the no-paint nail color concept, but I don't think that I can break away from my 1 shade wonder. I think Incoco has some colors that will work better for me.

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this review.

30 Days Starting NOW

This past Spring, Jackson had several WOW words (as in, "WOW, did my 4 year old just use that enormous word correctly? The child that I thought was never going to talk?"). Two of our favorites were "chrysalis" and "metamorphosis". Since the last time I came up with a blog post was 12-17-10, it appears that this blog has been in a cocoon of its own. However, I think that my story is a little closer to this guy's.

Particularly the eating part . . .

But the days of literary lounging are over.

The blog is back and is ready to take flight. With that said, I am excited (and a little apprehensive) to commit to you that for the next 30 days, there will be 1 post per day. I am sure that some will be a little shorter than others but every day we will have words.

"Let's DO this thing." - another Jackson-ism

Five Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand Minutes Ago

5,256,000 minutes!

5,256,000 moments so dear.

5,256,000 minutes!

How do you measure - measure 10 years?

In daylights? . . . we love the long ones of the summer best!

In sunsets? . . . we have some great ones in the wide open plains of West Texas

In midnights? . . . not an unusual bedtime

In cups of coffee? . . . used for medicinal purposes only (see prior statement about bedtime!)

In inches? . . . our beautiful little ones were 19 and 19.29 when they were born

In miles? . . . never very many apart

In laughter? . . . we have so much

In strife? . . . we don't have much

In 5,256,000 minutes

How do you measure 10 years of a marriage?

How about love?

Measure in LOVE

5,256,000 minutes ago
I married my best friend.

I LOVE YOU, J!

*** My thanks to the composer of the musical RENT - how else could I calculate the number of minutes in 10 years! ***

Happy Thanksgiving!

Things that we are thankful for - short list

1. Family

- Our three became four this year and we are so grateful for each other.

2. Faith

- Our Father loves us, protects us, and provides for us each and every day.

3. Friends

- We are so thankful to have friends all over the world who love us and support us in all that we are doing. And through the marvels of modern technology, I know what they ate for breakfast and what color their socks are at any given moment!

4. Freedom

- We are thankful for the soldiers and citizens who defend and protect our freedom both at home and abroad.

5. Fun

- We are thankful for the laughter and smiles that are so abundant at our house. As the days of having little boys at home FLY by, may we learn to celebrate in every season.

Honorable Mention, starts with F

Food - specifically pumpkin-flavored food

Facebook - both loved and reviled

Furry Friends - but not spare fur

Fashion - keeps me working!

Ferb - everyone needs a lovable, quiet sidekick

The downside

We started this week off with a trip to the pediatrician's office. Since the boys are both super healthy, this is a stop we don't make very often. The (very small) downside of their extreme health is that it is hard to decide whether they really need to go or not. I usually employ a combination wait-and-see/call the nurse line approach. This time we were worried about the-cough-that-would-not-quit that Jackson has. Surely, it must be TB. And he had some weird rash on his leg. Obviously, nothing less than Lyme disease.

Thus, when the diagnosis was allergies with a side of bug bites, I was a little annoyed to have made the trip. All the real germs we were exposed to! The co-pays! The whining (from me)!

But then I got to thinking about someone else who shrugged off a little cough . . . and now we have this . . .

How did we go from the awesomeness of the Fraggles to a perpetual 2 year old with a speech impediment? Walking pneumonia is no joke.

I love the imagination that is so prevalent in the Jim Henson products of my childhood. That's what we want to pass on - the ability to dream BIG. Two year old attitude is a little too reality TV for me!

Armed and Adorable

Jackson seems to be amassing a small arsenal. I was feeling a little concerned about that. Despite growing up in a place where boys were out shooting deer before they arrived in first period 9th grade English and the start of dove season is a local holiday, my feelings on weapons are a little mixed. So we asked Jackson about his stockpile. The sidearm on the right is a "blaster". It shoots water and in more dire situations "Diet Coke". Oddly, if he isn't packing when the need arises, his finger will also shoot water and Diet Coke. The firearm on the left is even more interesting. It is a "crumb zapper". It sucks up crumbs and zaps them at people, preferrably in the mouth. Huh. In its former life this item was a caulk gun.

I LOVE this little boy's imagination. I hope we do everything possible to nurture it. And I guess that I can put to rest any concerns over him holding up a Quik E Mart since his sworn enemy appears to be crumbs!

On the Lookout for Logan

So the nursery is all complete . . . except for one vital component . . . and that would be the baby!

Word on the street is that I have the comfy-est womb around and my little ones see no reason to be rushed on their arrivals. We shall see if this trend continues after delivery. Jackson seems to live a rather unhurried life.

But never fear, the utero eviction notice is on its way and we will have a new baby by the end of the week! And life will never be the same!

Until then, here are some pictures of the nest that has been completely feathered by now.