Photographic Phriday

A friend of Mrs. Blonde's for the better part of a decade, Katelin Carter, is a professional photographer in the making. While still in her undergraduate program, she has started Full Pockets Photography. As you'll see from our shoot, her eye for a good photo is already much more mature than her education would suggest. Here are some of our favorites...















Make sure to check out more shots from our shoot and the rest of Katelin's work at Full Pockets.

LA unplugged: depacifying a toddler

LA was about 5 days old and wailing in the middle of the night (infants actually do that, make a note of it) we discovered the beautiful glorious allow-mama-and-dadda-to-sleep-for-just-a-bit wonders of the pacifier. We got one out of the package, plopped it in his mouth...and, wait for it...shhh...hear that...SILENCE!

And, so began the age of the paci. Jump ahead two years (this time last year) and you have a happy little boy who's eloquent in every feasible way except for one thing. The addiction we gave him. The dreaded paci!

"I'm tired I need my paci."

"I need my paci so I can calm down."

"I need my paci so I can relax."

Back when we were first thinking toward depacification, you had a few pieces of advice for us. We were most amused by what designHER Momma did when PK was at this stage. "oh, we were mean over here. We just started cutting the tip of the paci little by little over the course of a month or two until there was nothing to suck on but the plastic part. but it worked..."

We tried that a year ago and it wasn't working out too well with LA having recently adjusted to his toddler bed at age 18 months and getting used to his brother being around when he was 21 months. So, we gave up. Shortly after that he showed interest in potty training. We rolled with that and got that notched off the list. But, still needing omission...the paci.

In the middle of last winter, Mr. Blonde spontaneously told LA when he asked for his paci that we were going to give Baby Matthew (a friend's then infant) LA's paci when he turned 3. Much to our surprise, LA was into it and thought a baby SHOULD have a paci. Big boys don't need pacis. Ah hah! We had a plan.

Jump ahead to yesterday. August 4, 2009. As a prelude to going cold turkey at his birthday party this weekend, Mrs. Blonde cut a very very tiny slit in the end of the paci. Simple physics really. Kid sucks on paci, it goes in and out of mouth as desired. Kid sucks on paci with slit in it, it stays put. No in. No out. Nothing. LA didn't say anything about it until bedtime last night...

"Dadda, my paci has air in it. I don't want it. Get me a new one."

"It's the only one we have (outright lie), buddy. How about I just sit it here on the floor next to your bed and you can get it if you want it?"

"Uh huh."

He wasn't upset in any way whatsoever. Until about an hour later and he still hadn't fallen asleep. Now, in our house, we have a schedule. That schedule has been in plan since the dawn of time (dawn of time = when we had kids). It dictates a fairly strict eating and sleeping schedule. The boys like it. We like it. Don't screw with it. It works. So, when LA comes strolling out of his bedroom at 9PM, it's unusual to say the least. That's when the byproduct of a lack of ability to self-soothe took over.

"Dadda, I have to go poo poo."

"I'm thirsty. Please can I have some milk?"

"My belly hurts."

"I'm hungry"

"I have to go pee."

Oh, did we mention we had dinner guests over last night too? Yeah. We did. Ryan & Stephanie, we love your patience. Thank you.

Anyway, by 9:45, Mr. Blonde just went in there and laid with the little man. There isn't that much space in a toddler bed for a 200 pound 31-year-old and a soon-to-be-3-year-old. But, evidentally, there is enough. Because for the first time since we has a newborn in the hospital, LA fell asleep without a paci!

Did you hear that? WITHOUT A PACI! We're not out of the woods just yet. He has an overnight trip to Grandpa and Grandma's tonight and a couple nights until his birthday party at a local fire station this weekend where we'll give the paci to Baby Matthew. But, we've never been closer. We need a strong finish. Ready...Break! Go team! Wish us luck.

happy monster

For the past couple weeks my little Boatboy (age: 14months) has really become the little monster when he doesn't get his way. He is often the most easy-going (not to be confused with stationary, he's VERY active) happiest outoing baby. Think: laughs and says "Boom!" at loud noises, smiles at strangers, etc. At this age LA wouldn't let hardly anyone hold him without screaming and crying. His little brother will go to anyone. Very different children in several ways. That's part of the extreme beauty of parenting.

Watching them relate to one another has gone from 90% playing intervention / 10% having fun to 25% playing intervention / 75% having fun. Boatboy adores his older (21 months his senior) brother...until he doesn't get his way. Which leads us to yesterday afternoon's quick little shopping venture at Target.

It's about a half mile away. We needed my favorite generic brand diapers. Easy little jaunt, right?

I put them in the little 2-seater for the first time where they face each other. They were laughing and LA was tickling Boatboy and all was well. Then, Boatboy started taking everthing out of LA's hands. When LA clung to the item, Boatboy screamed and cried. I had to stop multiple times and squat down to try to calm him. He would calm down until he wanted something else. Now for the hidden jewel in this scene (and it WAS a scene), LA kept giving his little brother anything he wanted and telling him "It's ok. It's ok" in a really sweet little voice. He was also shoving his fingers in his ears because of the pitch level of the little monster's scream. I almost left a full basket (Mr. Blonde refuses to call it a "basket." He calls it a "cart.") in the center aisle and just bolted. Luckily removing Boatboy from the seating arrangement worked and I was able to hurry it up and scramble out.

It is interesting writing this. The first couple of years with LA I really struggled because he would not stay with many people. Major heaps of stranger anxiety didn't make for much flexibility in our lives. Now I am very thankful for his sensitive side. He is such an amazing big brother to Boatboy. Now, they have their moments (see previouisly cited 25% playing intervention), but he really does want to make him happy the best he knows how.

I am truly blessed to watch my sensitive LA interact with my happy Boatboy monster any day. I just won't be watching it occur in a 2-seated shopping "cart" anytime soon.

"Hey you...

...weekend's over. Get back to work!"

in the words of Tom Petty

"It's good to be king...if just for a day."

lookin' LUSHciously Marilyn

I am sure you remember me ranting and raving over a line called LUSH. That is fresh, handmade, green and good for you. I love their products!

So I am blonde (Mrs. Blonde) and my hair gets really dry (scalp and hair) in the summer sun. So this product called the Marilyn Hair Treatment is perfect for me. It smells so yummy. All of their products do! And it has seriously made my hair softer and brighter. I am a natural blonde. I would like to blonder...but it costs too much. So, I'm on the every-four-months-get-my-hair-done plan. From the picture you can probably tell it is about time. (By the way, this picture was taken after a 30 minute run. I'm glad picture posting don't have scents).

It smells so amazing. I don't ever want to wash it out when I have it on. It has chamomile, lemon and saffron to brighten. Linseed mucilage for softer tresses. And fresh organic lemon juice for shine.

This product would be amazing for heavily sun damaged hair and styling/bleaching abuse. Or, if you just want to be a healthier natural blonde.

It is only $18.55. That is absolutely unheard of for a treatment mask. I have used mine 4 times and I think I will get 2 more treatments. They do say if you are really damaged to use more product.

Check out other's reviews on the product page as well.

Go buy your new hair mask and check out all of the LUSH products. And, sign up for LUSH e-news and receive exclusive offers at the bottom of their homepage. They are definitley becoming my favorite bath/body products!

reconcili(ache)tion

I just stuck my toothbrush under the water cooler spicket at work in order to fill up the bottle in my opposite hand. Other than completely ineffective, do you know what that is? It's called preoccupation.

My mind and heart are incredibly full with the notion of reconciliation right now. Reconciliation has such extreme power in this world. I believe that to be because it's not of this world. In fact, it completely opposes things of the world. The world says..."Get yours." "Get even." Rarely does the world say "I forgive you. Let's decide to grow stronger in our relationship and use this damage for good."

It's been a bit of a theme in 2009 for Mrs. Blonde and I. Not the need for reconciliation between us. But, around us. (Not that we're immune from selfishly causing the other harm by putting ourselves above the other. It happens from time to time. But, it's not all too common. And, when it does happen, we have an understanding that it's to be dealt with immediately and put to rest. -- I digress.)

This week we found out that a dear friend was welcomed back home with his wife and kids after having been kicked out for almost three months. Things aren't perfect yet. Hearts still ache. But reconciliation is active. It's alive. It's well. Hope and Love are abound. That is beautiful. And, it's other-worldly.

Right now, Mrs. Blonde is at a court preceding as a character witness for a friend who is seeking justice for herself and her baby boy. To say it's an anxious time for them is a bit of an understatement. We have little control over how the situation will play out. But, we choose reconciliation in the form of justice. Time will tell.

When you choose to reconcile with another or seek to reconcile with another, you are, in effect, bringing more of Heaven here on earth. Of course the opposing decision (not choosing to reconcile) brings more hell here on earth. Hopefully, you're not in a position to consider such things right now and everything is all rainbows and bunny rabbits in your life. But, there will come a time when conflict occurs. When you hurt someone. When someone hurts you. When it does, what will you do?

Bring more Heaven to this place?...

or more hell?

I hope you choose humility. I hope you choose the most difficult thing. I hope you choose to forgive. I hope you choose to reconcile.

Wordless Wednesday: Sleeping Boatboy (in 3 color palettes)

meet the intentionally pennyless caveman blogger

Daniel Suelo lives in a cave. Unlike average American—wallowing in credit-card debt, clinging to a mortgage, terrified of the next downsizing at the office—he isn't worried about the economic crisis. That's because he figured out that the best way to stay solvent is to never be solvent in the first place. Nine years ago, in the autumn of 2000, Suelo decided to stop using money. He just quit it, like a bad drug habit.

I'm not saying this guy has it all "figured out." But, I do believe he does have several notions well cornered. It's worth the read and you asking yourself some questions about the role money plays in your life.

Do you allow it to serve others or do you serve it?

Click here for the rest of the story. Click here to read his blog.

down the rabbit hole you go

Click on the movie poster to watch the trailer. It wouldn't embed properly.

When something's crazy. Like really craZZZzzzy! How do you make it crazier (read crazier in this case as awesomer)?

Decide to remake Alice in Wonderland.

Hire Tim Burton to direct it.

Hire Johnny Depp as the Madhatter.

And, make it in 3D!!!

"I'm late / I'm late / For a very important date. / No time to say 'Hello.' / Goodbye. / I'm late, I'm late, I'm late."

eaves(ment)dropping

Ever sold your house? Ever tried to sell your house and couldn't. Ever tried to sell your house for a really long time?! The later is about where we fall right now. Mr. Blonde has written about this a bit before.

Trying to sell a house and not doing so begs the question: Why?...or...Why Not? might be more accurate.

In rhetoric response to said question, we wondered, "I wish it was just as easy as hearing them talk while they're in our house...hmmm...like when we listen to hear if Boatboy's awake from his nap yet...hmmm...WAIT A MINUTE!"

Commence Project House Monitor.

/ book next showing
/ ensure baby monitor is charged
/ ensure speaker unit is on in house
/ pull into neighbor's driveaway and hope client(s) don't see you and reception is clear

Imaginary conversations have gone as follows...

Client to his Wife: "This yard is incredible!"

Imaginary response from Mr. and Mrs. Blonde: "Yep. It sure is."

Client to her Husband: "This kitchen has a ton of cabinets!"

Imaginary response from Mr. and Mrs. Blonde: "Yes. There sure are."

Client to their Realtor: "You think this house is priced to high?" Realtor in response to Client: "Yes."

Imaginary response from Mr and Mrs: "Oh really? Have you pulled comps in the area? Our cost per foot is right on par and we've upgraded everything in the place since we bought it!"

Client to her Husband: "Gosh this master bedroom is small."

Imaginary response from Mr and Mrs: "Any smaller than the measurements you already saw on the MLS listing? We actually had that information drafted up in English language and used numbers that aren't fake."

Client to his Wife: "Oh, honey, this would be the absolute perfect house if only the crawl space entry was just 1 foot further south. Let's check out that cute little bungalow down the street..."
Imaginary response from Mr to Mrs: "I'm going to kill him!"

/ angrily jumps out of van sprinting for the front door with an open utility knife in hand.....

Alright, alright!...that's one's fake.

The jury is still out on Project House Monitor. We didn't learn anything. We haven't sold our house. But, it was pretty fun. Oh, and if we're showing you our house sometime soon -- We're listening.

an unexpectant gift

Tonight while playing frantically in the yard with Mr. Blonde, LA paused between walnut throws into the creek - hugged Mr. Blonde's leg, looked up at him and said, "I like to be close to you because I love you." Then, threw another walnut in the creek.

"What's that?...the WEEKEND I see?!"

caption this

(your caption here - and by "here" I mean in your comment)

Image borrowed from here.

Giveaway: Set of 3 Clean Safe Sippy Cups!

Get excited! I have found an eco-friendly sippy cup that is not made of toxic chemicals/dangerous plastics! And, it doesn't leak like a siv! Kid Basix has one purpose: Making kids' lives better.

The Safe Sippy is a stainless steel drink cup for all ages. It comes with handles perfect for my 1 year old and you can take the handles...which I do for my 3-year-old. This cup is very unique and way better than any plastic cup we have in our home. I always knew stainless steel was a better option, but never really saw any kid-friendly versions at the store. Why is it so much better than our plastic ones already in the cabinet you are asking?

It starts with the clean, non-leaching medical-grade stainless steel container. The cup has a sleek, modern look that comes in three bright colors: pink, blue and green. The spout is shaped like a straw because recent research has shown that wide, flat spouts can cause developmental and speech problems in young mouths. The handles are removable once a child is big enough to grip the bottle using the ribbed waist. The colorful protective sleeve provides insulation against cold liquids and acts as a cushion to protect the cup. Best of all, any plastic used on the cup is certified free of Bisphenol A, phthalates and DEHA.

“I created the cup because my wife and I had done extensive research about the toxic effects of
chemicals used to make many plastics,” says Bret Plate, C.E.O. of Kid Basix and creator of The
Safe Sippy™ cup. “Every morning, our son would wake up asking for water, and it drove me
crazy that I had to give him water in plastic sippy cups that I knew might be unsafe. One day I
thought, if I won’t drink out of plastic bottles, why am I letting my son do it?”

Thank goodness for people like Bret who have these ideas and DO them. I have often had the same thought when I am scrubbing a day old sippy cup, with rotten milk and then quickly pouring fresh new milk in it all while my child is pulling on my ankles screaming for his milk. -- "This cups still kind of smells like old milk and I bet it is not really clean." Not anymore. Not only do I love our new cup. It is so much easier to clean, it keeps our drinks cooler longer, the boys love it and it's SAFE! I will say it is a little pricier in the beginning, but it does grow with your child. I have 3 different stage cups x 2 in out cabinet. That is a lot of cups. I am happy to trade out 3 for 1.

Buy it: Head over to The Safe Sippy and get your child a safe cup. They retail for 13.00

Win it: The Safe Sippy cup is graciously giving one Blondes, Poop & Mascara reader a set of 3 Safe Sippies. A $39 value. Leave me a comment letting me know why you must have these cups! Don't forget to leave your email address as well.

Extra Entries:
1. Follow my blog publicly through Google's easy reader tool.
2. Subscribe to my blog via email (and except the confirmation email).
3. Follow me on twitter... mrsblonde1
4. Tweet about this giveaway.
5. Grab my button and post it to your cyber space.
6. Blog about this contest and leave the link in your comment.
7. Email this giveaway to 4 friends and copy me.

I'll pick a winner on July 24th (my birthday!). Good luck! Thanks for stopping by.

a 2yr-old's pictorial lesson in driving

Like most male-female journeys, the drive starts out a lot of fun. Just the two of you. The open road. A good sountern rock album blazin through the speakers. Fingers poppin' the steering wheel as the wind blows through your hair.



When the time is right, he moves in for a moment. She plays hard to get.



Next thing you know she's flipped the tuner from the Black Crowes to the Black Eyed Peas! The nerve!



"Take a left at the dance studio. Our tango lessons start tonight! I'm SO excited!" I guess the monster truck rally will have to wait.

my husband is a weirdo

Video from last Tuesday afternoon's happening while the boys and I were sick and resting inside (animal activists beware)...

(video embed below)

Giveaway: Picaflor kids clothing

I have had the amazing opportunity to partner with a new company called Picaflor Kids. Not only do they have vibrant, beautiful knitwear designs, but they are strongly committed to fair-trade practices and they give back to a variety of organizations.

Picaflor uses thoughtful fabrics and a small scale production to create unique collections of knitwear that are designed for busy little wings. Nancy Coronado, founder and designer works directly with a family-owned clothing maker in her home country of Peru. How awesome is that?!

Picaflor Kids is available for boys and girls. They have adorable infant styles all the way up to 7/8 year-old's sizes. And they all cordinate. If you have a hubby like mine who refuses to let me dress the boys alike then you will also love this company. They have so many coordianting outfits for both genders! They are made of 100% rayon, a natural fiber that is made to be very soft and comfortable on the skin. Rayon is hypoallergenic, absorbant and wicks mositure away. And it gets better....all of their clothing is machine washable and dryer-friendly!

The 2 adorable outfits I was able to review on the boys were just gorgeous. The colors are so vibrant. The fabric is soft and shiny. I just loved these outfits. Knowing that this company practices fair-trade makes me smile even bigger as I dress my boys in their new outfits!

Buy a new piece: Picaflor Kids is offering every Blondes, Poop & Mascara reader a 10% discount off their total purchase and FREE SHIPPING! Just enter "Offerblogfanss09" when checking out.
Win a new piece: Picaflor Kids is offering a Blondes, Poop & Mascara reader to your favorite piece of clothing. Leave me a comment letting me know which piece you must have and what size.

Extra Entries:
1. Follow my blog publicly through Google's easy reader tool.
2. Subscribe to my blog via email (and except the confirmation email).
3. Follow me on twitter... mrsblonde1
4. Tweet about this giveaway.
5. Grab my button and post it to your cyber space.
6. Blog about this contest and leave the link in your comment.
7. Email this giveaway to 4 friends and copy me.

I will select a winner July 13th. Thanks for entering!

Congrats to-

Brady and Jen said...

I love the Emmie Set, but if I win, I will have to get a coordinating outfit so that I have one for each of my twin girls. The turquoise one is my favorite in 18 months.

8:06 PM

Happy Birthday to my Husband!

Even though the day has passed, I am still celebrating you today! Your birthday weekend was kind of crazy and a bit challenging to say the least. With all of us getting sick, not being at home in our own beds, and a new environment.....you were so patient!

Thank you so much for taking care of our family the way you do and always putting us above yourself. I know that is often difficult, but you do such an amazing job. I am so blessed to have you as my husband and the father of our children. I love how you are striving to be a better man everyday for those around you and your family! I admire that in you!

Cheers to you and your 3rd birthday cake. You know LA has loved 3 birthday cakes! Love you husband! wt2f3s9rai

Giveaway: eco-friendly eyeliner pencils

As some of you know, I am a professional make-up artist. I have been doing this for a decade now. I started while I was attending the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. I was an assistant make-up artist for runway shows and then started at Barneys in Beverly Hills. After completing school in LA I moved to Chicago as a traveling make-up artist for Christian Dior. Since then, I've worked in every major specialty store and tampered with every line of products. I loved it then and now that I have my own business, it's even better. Especially since I carry what I considered the best of the best in my kit. Not one line has me tied down to any certain product for promotional purposes. Let's face it, the last thing a bride wants on her wedding day or a celeb wants before they going onto a green set for ESPN is a product pitch. I know the best. I use the best. And, I love it.

When I found Pencil Me In Cosmetics, I was really excited. 1) It is essential to have a quality eye liner. 2) I have extremely sensitive eyes and the "healthy" portion of their business model intrigued me. I have tried several "all natural" eye liners from high-end retailers to drug store and they just do not stay on. Once I read all the research behind Pencil Me In's pencils I knew I had to try them. Truth be told...I was intrigued but expected very little because of my past experiences.

Linda Eisner is the founder of the company and has been in the industry for 20 years. She believes that a pencil should visually enhance the eye area while promoting well-being. The nutrients in her products can be absorbed into the body through your delicate eye tissue.

These pencils are tremendous! They go on like satin. Smooth like butter! The color is vibrant and it actually stays on. The lid also has a built in sharpener. The ingredients are crazy good -- green tea leaf extract, pine bark, grape seeds, shea butter, aloe vera and vitamin C to just name a few that I get excited about. Check out why these are so good for you on the website. AND they are only 6.99!

Linda has also provided you with amazing tips on how and where to apply. Click on your hair color for more options as well.

Buy some: Get yours now. As I mentioned, they're only $6.99 each.

Win some: I have FIVE pencils to giveaway. Get to the website and leave me your email address with a comment telling me your favorite color.

Extra Entries:
1. Follow my blog through Google's easy reader tool.
2. Subscribe to my blog via email (and except the confirmation email).
3. Follow me on twitter... mrsblonde1
4. Tweet about this giveaway.
5. Grab my button and post it to your cyber space.
6. Blog about this contest and leave the link in your comment.
7. Email this giveaway to 4 friends and copy me.
8. Vote for Beauty by Crystal's A-list nomination.

The 5 winners are...

Blogger sweetsue said...

I am now following you on Twitter (ptowngirl).
smchester at gmail dot com

12:46 PM

MOMFOREVERANDEVER said...

mrs.mommyyatgmaildotcom
subscriber

count me in

Everyone have a great week!

Anonymous Miranda said...

I like the Amethyst eye pencil.
eponine367@yahoo.com

Jenna said...

I love black!! I have never entered so here we go!! :) Eye liner is a must for me!! It is my favorite piece of makeup!!

9:08 AM

Anonymous said...

I love the Nutmeg Eye Pencil! Thanks for the giveaway!

luckymegs1981 AT yahoo DOT com