(Rhys enjoying a cupcake at his third birthday party.)
Rhys turned three over the weekend, and we celebrated with a party and bowling! This week was spent recovering from the long weekend (that burning-the-candle-at-both-ends thing left me pretty rundown), but we’re back to normal now. Here are a few things that caught my attention this week, and they’re pretty heavy on the womanly side of things.
I’ll be 35 in a few weeks, and according to most obstetricians, that’s OLD. One local woman is working to change the stigma of “Advanced Maternal Age.”
Lovely pictures of royal mothers.
An interesting comparison of U.S. versus U.K. births. I was pleasantly surprised by the doctor’s comments. WAY TOO MUCH intervention in the U.S. WAY TOO MUCH.
And speaking of intervention, this testimony given before the Texas Senate this week poetically compares reproductive rights to gun rights. “There are many like it, but this one is mine.”
The trailer for a new Jane Austen-inspired movie.
This weekend, I’m attending a cool local workshop, and I can’t wait to share the details with you next week. Have a wonderful weekend!
Since I’m the mom of two little boys and we are not completely finished with potty training yet, I am vigilant about what goes on in the bathroom. I try to keep both of our bathrooms relatively clean, to prevent them from smelling like the inside of a public restroom. It’s a tough job, but I’m trying to instill basic hygiene and cleanliness within both of my sons. So far, they are doing an excellent job. And though they can’t read yet, I’ve utilized a few signs to help the process along. Just a few friendly reminders, if you will.
(Owl Bathroom Decor by Hop Skip Jump Paper via Etsy.)
(Owl Bathroom Decor by Hop Skip Jump Paper via Etsy.)
I’ve had these signs up for a while now, and the boys point and ask me to read them. As they get older and can go without direct supervision, the signs can remind them of their bedtime routine.
And, since I think bathroom decor calls for a sense of humor, I also got this sign, which hangs directly above the toilet and is so appropriate for my house.
(Big Boy Boxers Print by The Dreamy Giraffe via Etsy.)
It’s completely tongue-in-cheek, but also gets the point across, I think. Of course, James and Rhys are too young to understand its meaning, and they don’t really notice it yet. What I find humorous is that nobody else has ever commented upon it, though it hangs in the guest bathroom and is obviously read a lot. It was there while our home was renovated, and all the workmen saw it, but no one ever said a word. And it’s there on brew night, when all of Ryan’s friends use our bathroom, and still nobody has ever asked me about it. Hopefully, they all take it to heart.
But you know what sign does garner lots of comments?
(A friendly reminder in our guest bathroom.)
That one.
I mean, it’s just a simple reminder to practice good hygiene while brewing, because, as I like to tell Ryan, “nobody wants pee pee fingers in their beer.” But this is the sign everyone complains about.
And, since I’m the one that cleans the bathroom, I refuse to take it down.
(Marc Anthony Beach Spray.)
I have naturally curly hair, and I always wear it curly. Truth be told, I don’t even own a straightener (I have no idea how to use one) and I only break out my really cheap hair dryer on really cold days when I’m in a hurry (in which case I scrunch my hair as I dry it). When I get my hair cut and colored, my lovely stylist dries it straight, then cuts it so she can see the layers. That means I leave the salon with perfectly styled, perfectly straight hair that everyone around me loves and compliments, until I wash it again the next morning. (See an actual picture of me with straight hair here.)
I have nothing against straight hair, but it’s just not me. When my hair is straight, it feels weird, like I’m bald or something, and I don’t feel that familiar, fuzzy halo around me. When I was a girl imagining my grown-up self, I always had straight hair, for some reason. But I came to embrace my curly hair years ago and I love it. Also, I’m really lazy. Scrunch and Go is my motto.
But I do think a lot about my hair, and you know I keep it colored and cut regularly, especially as I’m getting more greys and growing it out at the same time. And I’ve mentioned before that I go to a Paul Mitchell salon, so I use their products to keep my color looking its best between appointments. I also use a lot of products to control frizz and dryness, both issues that naturally affect curly hair.
More recently, I discovered a great, inexpensive spray by Marc Anthony (the Canadian hair stylist, not the singer) called Beach Spray. I first tried this out for fun when it was featured in my Winter Luxe Box by Loose Button, and I was truly impressed with its ability to make actual “beach waves,” a term I never really understood until I saw them in my own hair. I use my regular styling products, still including my beloved Hair Nectar of the Gods in a Pretty Pink Bottle, and then I spray my hair a bit with Beach Spray. As it dries, I get a very distinct curl pattern that is loose and wavy, just like my hair might be if it dried while I walked upon the beach. Hence the term, “beach waves.” And I actually think it helps preserve my color a tiny bit longer, too.
Best of all, Marc Anthony’s Beach Waves is less than $10 and sold at my local Walgreen’s! I’m a drugstore junkie, but I’ve never had much luck with their hair products, so this purchase always makes my day. My hair stylist has no idea I use this stuff (just like she thinks I often wear my hair straight), but she always compliments me on my curl pattern.
I won’t tell if you won’t.
