I love you and appreciate you. Thank you for being here.
Here are some random thoughts cluttering up my brain this morning.
- One of the things I most frequently say to Carla is, “Tools only help if you use them.” Well, lately I have been having a hell of a time following my own advice. I’ve been consistently waking up at about 5:30 these days, which is working for a lot of reasons (and is really working for the cat). But for some reason, this shift has caused me to repeatedly forget to take my morning medication. My medication has always been on my nightstand, and my husband is often still asleep when I creep out of the room, and I don’t want to risk waking him up by rattling a bunch of pills. Obviously, just because I have always kept my medicine on my nightstand doesn’t mean I need to continue doing so! I could move them into the bathroom, or into my office, or the kitchen. Or! I could use the pill organizer I already own – and have neglected since my summer visit to my parents’ house – and have my morning medications all ready to go in the same tiny compartment. The tool is RIGHT THERE. Why is it so difficult for me to PUT IT TO USE?
- Speaking of getting up early: I have a plan for getting up earlier. My plan is to continue waking up at the same time I do now even once the clocks change. The cat refuses to adhere to human constructs like Daylight Savings, so I know he will help me by continuing to come into my room to apply his purr-and-bite wake-up system directly to my person. This way, I will soon be waking up at 4:30, and then, MAYBE, I will be able to exercise and shower before I start my day.
- By the way, every time my actual alarm goes off at 5:21 and I hit snooze so I can play Wordle and Connections on my phone and cuddle my purring kitten, I think of Sarah and how she referred to this behavior as “bed rot.” The term is amusing enough (I visualize myself slowly rotting like an old zucchini) that it does not spur me out of bed immediately at 5:21, although it is visceral enough that I no longer stay in bed after my snooze alarm sounds at 5:30. Thank you, Sarah, for the motivating morning visual.
- My eyes have been doing this thing where they suddenly sting and start streaming tears and I can’t see properly for a long time. The phenomenon has happened maybe ten times in the past couple of years (and definitely started pre-kitten, so there is no need to blame Lenny, not that you would), but it started happening more frequently in August and September. It seems to strike out of nowhere, sometimes in the morning, sometimes later in the day. I haven’t identified any specific trigger. I do all the things: take out my contacts, remove any makeup I’m wearing, flush my eyes with water. A few times, I’ve had to lie on my back with a damp washcloth on my eyes. I reported this issue to the eye doctor who suggested eye drops for dry eyes, so I use those as a preventive measure. But it occurred to me recently that maybe I’m allergic to my mascara? I love drugstore mascaras, like Maybelline The Falsies and L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes. In fact, I purchased a tube of Maybelline Lash Sensational Firework mascara in early September. It seemed that I mostly had these weird reactions when I was wearing mascara; maybe I was allergic to it? So I took myself to Google and read a bunch of articles about the best mascara for sensitive eyes and ended up buying this one. Yes, it is $28 (even on amazon), which is FAR more than I typically prefer to spend on my mascara. But oh how I love it! It makes my lashes nice and long. It doesn’t seem to clump. My eyes haven’t had a single reaction in the weeks I’ve been using it. And, best of all, it comes off my lashes without having to use paint thinner. I suppose it’s still early days, and my eyes could decide to revolt against this mascara… or perhaps there is something totally unrelated to mascara that is causing the stinging/tearing issue. But right now, I am in LOVE with this mascara.
- Speaking of things I love lately, I am really into this guacasalsa from Trader Joe’s. It’s possible I’ve mentioned this before, but I forgot about it for awhile. It’s really good – slightly tangy, slightly creamy, neither guacamole nor (very mild) salsa. I love it on chicken tacos but it is good on nachos, too.
- Back to discussing makeup. I have never been a person who wears foundation. I don’t like it. But it seems like maybe foundation – or other products with similar benefits to foundation – has improved since I last wore it, which was at my senior prom in 1999. What I want is something that goes on and feels like a moisturizer but has some sort of blurring/smoothing effect as to even out my skin and hide my undereye circles. What I don’t want is something that makes me skin a different color than my neck, or something that looks cakey or flaky, or something that emphasizes my wrinkles by cracking around my mouth or eyes. Does this magical product exist? Bonus points if it works with sensitive skin (my skin is prone to break outs if cosmetics even glance my way). I think I am looking for a tinted serum, but… that’s as far as I’ve gotten. What do you use?
- Older kids are amazing part 324: Carla did all the Halloween decorating this year! I am so pleased with how it turned out. All I had to do was bring the box of Halloween decorations upstairs and she took care of the rest. Are things arranged the exact way I would have arranged them? Nope. Do I care? Not one bit. (Update: Lenny / Leo has decided the decorations don’t scare him.)
- Colorful leaves are not the only view I enjoy about fall. Right now, I am loving the Halloween decorations I see as I drive. While I know it’s not for everyone, Halloween is such a delightful time of year for me. I’m not even really into it the way a lot of people are, but it’s a season of pure joy (and chills) that has no expectations besides sharing a bit of candy. I love everything – the super scary scenes, the animatronic ghosts and ghouls, the yards that have a million zombies, the roving orange spotlights on people’s houses, the arrangements of pumpkin and squash, the giant skeletons, the inflatable spiders. My only question is where do people KEEP their Halloween decorations during the off season? All of my decorations (except for one stand-up ghost) fit into a single plastic bin and I love that. Some yards showcase so many skeletons and zombies, I wonder if the owners have a separate storage space just for their decorations.
- It’s been super rainy this week, as befits the latter half of October. I do hope we get some warm, dry weather for Halloween. For the first time ever, Carla will be trick-or-treating at a friend’s house instead of at our house. Wait. No, for the second time ever. (We went to a friend’s house when Carla was in… pre-K? I can’t quite remember.) Even though I think Carla and her friends are kind of at that borderline age for trick-or-treating (which is not to say I oppose anyone of any age trick-or-treating) so I hope this year is spectacular for them. My kiddo has gone around and around about her costume. Originally she wanted to be one of the characters from KPop Demon Hunters, which is a phenomenon I still find baffling, but whatever, you do you, teens. Then she was waffling between Wednesday or Enid from Wednesday. She went with the latter, which seems to be a good choice; I’ve heard that KPop Demon Hunters is such a popular costume that people are having trouble finding it. And I am NOT a Make Your Own Costume person. I mean, I would support Carla in making her own costume, but I don’t sew and I’m not creative about sourcing inexpensive ways to put a costume together. Which is to say that we bought a costume online. Carla was eager to dye her hair, and I was not, so the costume element I am most excited about is a pack of colorful hair extensions. When I bought them, they were $6.99 – I price I gladly paid to prevent Carla from using hair chalk, which I loathe. Now I just have to figure out how to install (?) them in her hair so they look good!
- What are you doing for winter outerwear these days? It was in the mid 40s (8.3 C) and raining when I went for a walk yesterday. I had to wear a heavier jacket than usual and I discovered that it is NOT waterproof. Don’t get me wrong – I adore my jacket, it’s cute, it’s comfortable, it’s lightweight, it’s super warm. And it’s not like it claims to be waterproof. It’s “water repellant.” But apparently it repels water only for so long, and then the rain soaks through into your arms. The cooler temperatures reminded me, though, that Carla needs a new winter coat this year. She’d been wearing a hand-me-down from a friend for the past two years, but now her wrists extend far beyond the sleeves so it’s time to get something new. Ugh. She also needs new snow pants and snow boots. In the past, I got her winter outerwear from Lands End – the snowpants were waterproof and had reinforced knees and I always bought them in a larger size so they would last two years. But she no longer fits in kid sizes. Wait a second – Lands End actually has sizes up to 15-16 years. AND they have a slim line. Maybe I have answered my own question! Boots though. Those are always trickier. I have SUCH a hard time buying expensive footwear when I know it’s only going to last a year. I wish I had Elisabeth’s thrifting eye, but I don’t; thrifting makes me feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable, and it’s not like I even know of any good local thrift shops. Which snow boots do you wear and/or buy for your kids?
- Let’s talk about something that’s unrelated to spending money! Carla has a parent / teacher conference coming up and, as usual, I am anxious about it. Her school doesn’t do conferences with individual teachers, although I assume I could set some up if I wanted to. Instead, we meet with a teacher who sees her for something like homeroom. Fortunately, this homeroom teacher is also Carla’s instructor for a core class, so at least I can get some in-depth understanding of how she’s doing in one key subject. I never feel prepared or satisfied for conferences. The teachers usually have a prepared list of things they go through, and then answer questions. But we only have thirty minutes together, and a homeroom teacher can only address so many things about a class she doesn’t teach. Carla is having a tough year on several different fronts, so I really want to understand how I can support her at home, but I don’t know the right questions to ask or how to find a balance between support system and helicopter mom. The whole thing stresses me out. Parenting is IMPOSSIBLE. It is so hard to see your child struggle and not be able to step in and fix everything. Ah, okay, now I understand why I just want to write about frivolous shopping needs. Much less stressful.
- It’s Friday and I still have yet to make a single phone call on my list. The anxiety of making the phone call is a big part of the battle, but the other half is the knowledge that one phone call rarely resolves anything. As Birchie said when I first moaned about not wanting to make any of these calls, “Up to the point where I make the call, it’s just one item on my to-do list. Once I make the call the task expands to 10 items.” PREACH. And yet I do need to make these stupid calls. One of them should be fairly simple: scheduling our flu and Covid shots. Carla’s pediatrician will provide shots to parents, too, which is fabulous. I am going to make this call today. I am. Ugh. I should probably also schedule our furnace check-up. That should be a pretty easy one. The others can wait until next week / never. Are there any phone calls you are delaying?
- Have you “inherited” any weirdly specific things from your parents? The other night, I was writing down the word “believe” for Carla (for some reason I could not remember how to spell it without looking at it; my brain is SO fuzzy these days), and then I caught sight of it the next morning and thought for a moment that my mom had written it. Somehow, she and I have very similar handwriting. How? Is handwriting a genetic trait?
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for now. What random things are rattling around in your mind today?
You know, I have toyed with the idea of tubing mascara but since I love the Falsies so much I haven’t pulled the trigger, especially at $28. I’m assuming that’s $28 US so it would be even more in CAD. But…okay, no. I’m not going to.
I use Ilia Serum Tint (I don’t know if that’s the actual name, but it’s close). It’s a serum with SPF and I really like it. Now, I don’t know that it would be hypoallergenic, and it does have a weird smell, but I find the smell disappears once it’s on my face (I mean, I hope so, but who is sniffing my face? Only Rob and if that’s the case we are probably on the precipice of sex and wouldn’t care.) There’s another one I like, but it’s a BB cream, and I cannot remember the name of it. I’ll text you!
As you know I am a huge proponent of early waking. I find it to be such a great time of day, and also it’s so nice to have Nicole Time.
OMG Nicole I am delighted by the phrase “on the precipice of sex.” Amazing. I like Ilia and think it is in general pretty sensitive-skin friendly (at least, the mascara made some of the lists I looked at), so I am going to check it out! My face already smells weird because of my stupid magical sulphuric face wash, so what’s another weird smell to add to the mix?
I am 100% a foundation girl, but I think a BB cream is the way to go. Nicole and I agree. I’ve heard good things about Maybelline’s New York Dream BB Fresh 8-in-1 Beauty Balm (and, yes, typing that did make me want to cry a bit) if you’re looking for a good drugstore BB cream for mature skin. (I have to buy products for “mature skin” these days and it makes me want to sink into the earth and never return.) Revlon has a Photo Ready BB Cream, but I think it’s too light, actually, and feels more like a lotion, but maybe that’s a good starting point for you.
ANYWAY. I’m always hear to talk about makeup.
Bed rot 4 life!!! Luckily dogs are excellent insurance against bed rot since they need to go outside first thing in the morning, so most of my “rot” is couch rot, but still, it is precious time that I adore. BTW I just started playing Connections and I am hooked.
I keep hearing about guacasalasa and I can’t wait to check it out on my next trip to TJs. Also anytime that I open the fridge Doggo is front and center.
Do you have seasonal allergies in the fall? That sounds like a likely candidate for the eye problems. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that they are the culprit and not your mascara.
Yes older kids are amazing! They’re just like tiny adults.
Ugh. Daylight savings. How I loathe thee. I will have to start to push the boys’ bedtimes back by 10 minutes this coming week so we don’t have an extra hour of parenting on DST Sunday.
I, too, love all the Halloween decorations and do not understand where such things are stored. We live in a neighborhood with homes built in the 1910-1940s, which most being built around 1915-1920, I believe. So these houses DO NOT HAVE STORAGE. And we all mostly have very small alley garages that have no extra room. Ours barely fits our 2 cars, and we will always need one of our cars to be small compact sedan. I did learn from house hunting that people do not park their cars in their garages and instead use it for storage. I cannot wrap my mind around this! It is so cold and snowy here. I can’t imagine not parking in the garage! Especially with all the snow emergencies which means you can only park on a certain side of the street. I could go on and on about people and their excess stuff… it is very unrelatable as a minimalist married to an uber minimalist… BUT BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND – I am here for the Halloween decoration but am glad to opt out of any decor. Well, I would like a skeleton for our front bench but Phil is a hard pass and it’s not a hill I want to die on.
I hope your eyes behave! I stopped wearing mascara when I wore contacts (my eyelashes are dark anyway) and never went back. Isn’t it great when kids enjoy doing something that for us is a chore? I’m sorry about the school stress for Carla. I worried a lot about social things with my daughters and the “mean girl” cliques that started in about 3rd grade. Ugh. Hope the year improves.
If the question is about BB cream (/tinted serum), then the answer is always Erborian!
Sigh, conferences. For 7th grade, we can sign up for a conference with her team of teachers (like a group interview), but we always hesitate because of how limited the spots are. My daughter does well in school, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to talk to an expert about it or about social stuff. It’s so messy as they get bigger.
I hated parent-teacher conferences. I haven’t gone since Ella was in elementary school. I just don’t sign up for them. I’m rebellious like that. She’s a good student, I stay in touch with her teachers throughout the semester, so I don’t see the point. Mostly because I hate parent teacher conferences. 🤣
I still remember the first time I wrote something that looked like my mom’s handwriting. It was freaky.
As a parent AND as a former middle school teacher, I recommend that you send an email with a few of your questions ahead of time to the teacher you will be conferencing with — that way that teacher has a chance to gather information/answers from the teachers of other classes so that you get a more well-rounded assessment of what your child is doing/not doing/experiencing in school.
I am loving the Wet’n’Wild Hydrator (https://www.target.com/p/wet-n-wild-bare-focus-tinted-hydrator-0-91-fl-oz/-/A-80121338).
I must try this guacsala. How have I missed that at TJs so far?
There’s a house in our neighborhood that you’d love – they have at least 25+ life-sized Halloween statues (ghosts and clowns and zombies) and I have also wondered where they keep all these during the year. I think their whole garage is full.
It was in the low 40s (but dry) when I went out to walk this morning. I added thermals under my clothes and my Columbia jacket and was pretty comfortable. I think that’s going to be my go to strategy this year to keep warm – keeping thermals in rotation.
I don’t typically thrift – but I think the key to learning the “code” is to know the good brands and not get sidetracked.
I have also wondered where the houses that have *all the decorations* store them. We have one house – a standard ranch – no garage, no storage shed and their yard is COVERED in decorations…where are they keeping them?!
BED ROT?? I refer to that as “lounging,” and I REVEL in it. It is my treat on days I don’t have to be up and around as early.
The thing with your eyes reminds me of a thing I am suddenly having with my throat: I get, like, what feels like a light PINPRICK?? in my throat?? and then my eyes water and I kind of choke and cough for awhile for no good reason at all. Is this aging? I think this might be aging.
That cat is so beautiful.
I am putting off a phone call to refill a specialty medicine for Edward from a specialty pharmacy our insurance forces us to use. Every 6 weeks I have to basically reinvent the pharmaceutical wheel with them. I don’t understand it. JUST USE ALL THE INFORMATION FROM LAST TIME. It takes like TEN MINUTES for NO GOOD REASON. Furthermore: EACH TIME they ask me if I want to authorize them to AUTOMATICALLY refill the prescription next time, and I say “GOD YES”—and then I get an automated call 6 weeks later saying I need to call them because they can’t refill it otherwise.
My handwriting is a mix of my parents’, and Elizabeth’s handwriting looks like mine.
You brought up where people store all their Halloween decorations, and I had never thought about that! I’m like you and have one plastic bin of them, so it’s not a problem. (Actually, my bin is Halloween/ Fall decorations.) From the quantity of storage units being constructed in my area, I’d say people use them a lot! I do enjoy seeing all the decorations, skeletons doing funny things, etc. It’s all good fun! My handwriting isn’t like my mom’s at all, but when I see pictures of myself, I sometimes think it’s her! This is how she looked when she was my age. It’s uncanny!
You might have the most photogenic cat ever – he could be on calendars. Maybe he can get a day job? I love that Carla set up the Halloween decor. Maybe I should delegate that to a kid and then it’ll actually happen. I don’t wear foundation, so I can’t help you there, but your ‘paint thinner’ remark made me laugh. The eye situation sounds uncomfortable and strange. I hope using a new mascara helps. My eyes get so dry now (I think this is in part to due to my old age?) that I have to wear a mask in the morning that I heat up in the microwave for 24 seconds. Then I have to put drops in my eyes 3-4 times a day. One eye is so much worse than the other. Weird, right?
Isn’t that weird – my last comment showed up as my email and then this one is back to my actual wp name. I don’t get it, but I’m happy that it’s allowing me to comment again.
I do not lay (lie?) in bed at all, but then I come downstairs and sit at the table with a cup of tea and play my games (Wordle / Connections / Strands / Octordle (5 different Octordles) / Waffle) and this pretty much takes an hour. So I get up at 5:whatever, and play until 6. Then I do my exercises. I play whatever is left late r in the day, but I really love that quiet time. (My daughter is an adult and I work from home. I have SO MUCH TIME.)
I have a pill that I have to take at least 30 minutes before I eat, and I don’t know what that means for tea since I have milk in my tea, so I take it at 4am. Like you, I don’t want to wake my husband. So I keep water and just the pill next to me. Could you do this, with Lenny? Or would he eat it? Could you hide it some way that is silent to access? I thought I had solved it for you (just the pill) until I considered kitty. Now perhaps taking it elsewhere is the solution.
Tubing mascara…I haven’t tried it yet, but I know Elisabeth loves it and I feel like some others do too.
Have you considered a cc cream? Erborian has a good one with sunscreen that adjusts to your skin tone. I am older and like a heavier coverage these last several years, but I use this when I want something lighter. Worth a try.
I do love tubing mascara. I mean, in general I hate wearing mascara because I hate washing my face and I hate taking it off. Tubing mascara does NOT smudge or flake and while I hate taking it off too (even though it is easy: this is a me issue, not a mascara issue), I don’t see myself ever going back. NO RACCOON eyes…ever.
That said, I am not a big makeup person, so I realize tubing mascara has limitations in terms of being able to layer it etc.
I hate making phone calls. The end.
I have very similar handwriting to my dad- was it like… osmosis? I never tried to emulate his handwriting. It’s very weird. He and I are both left handed though… so that’s something.
And my eyes have also been doing the thing! I recently got new mascara! I would have never put this together in a thousand years!!! Also Tarte is the only eyeshadow that doesn’t set off my eyelid eczema… why I am I thinking other brand eyeliner and mascara are a good idea? Much bafflement, over here…
Yes, I love all the Halloween decorations! We have a house in our neighborhood where they put up a TON of Halloween decs, and then a TON of Christmas decorations as well. I think someone told me they use an entire bedroom in their house just for storing decorations. They would have to- but I’ll bet people also have a storage until for these things. You have to give people credit for that kind of dedication!
We are looking forward to an alleged cooldown on Halloween! If this comes true, it will be our first cool day of the year, which is kind of comparable to spring up north. I remember growing up in IL, how disappointing it was to have to wear a coat over our costumes. Down here it’s more like, can you wear that furry tiger suit without having a heat stroke???
Love the photo of Lenny looking furious. Hee hee!
There is apparently an actual brain thing explanation (lol I am so erudite) for forgetting to take your medication, although I guess it could just be our regular brain thing.
My eyes started doing that same thing, but mostly in the mornings. I use Systane eye drops and it works pretty well. Engie posted a book quote that was something about your tears evaporating and leaving tiny salt crystals in your eyes that was both gross and illuminating.
Eve came home at Christmas last year and someone asked her what she was going to do and she was like ‘what do you mean? Rot in bed surrounded by all my presents, duh.’
I made two important phone calls one morning last week and YES, I felt like I had performed the Labours of Hercules. You can do it! I believe in you!
I love tomatillo salso, I would be ALL OVER THAT awkward portmanteau of a dip.
I am so late and nobody is likely paying attention to this space anymore, so I will stop.
I want to like foundation and have tried multiple times to use it but end up letting it languish in my makeup drawer. Then I met tinted moisturizer and never looked back. It has SPF, evens out my skin just a bit, and is a great base for any makeup I decide to stick on top of it. I can’t even tell I have it on, which makes me happy. Something to try if other options don’t work for you.