Seven Quick Takes
1. I started these quick takes last week but never finished them, and it occurred to me that *gasp* I don’t need to start all over again this week, I can just use the half-written draft hanging out on my server. I know, I know, totally obvious, but I’m not really all that sharp sometimes.
2. From Katie the Wellness Mama: I tried this DIY beach waves sea salt hair styling spray last weekend and I LOVE IT. It’s easy, cheap, and effective. I have very fine hair that doesn’t do much of anything, and I have a really lazy “beauty routine.” (In other words, I usually just comb some product through my hair and put moisturizer on my face. I rarely blow-dry or style my hair and I wear makeup about twice a year. More if I’m going to a wedding.) This beach waves spray is a great texturizing product; it gave my hair curl and bounce and body. A word of warning, though: DON’T USE TOO MUCH. Because then you will REALLY feel like you’ve been at the beach all day because your hair will be thick and uncombable.
3. I should also mention that I’ve tried a couple of Wellness Mama’s DIY “recipes” before (specifically baby wipes and toothpaste) and really liked the way they turned out. If you’re not following her blog yet, you really should be. She shares lots of great information on natural nutrition as well as nifty recipes (for food as well as beauty products).
4. I could have written about half this list: The 20 Biggest Surprises of Parenthood (So Far). Especially this part:
16. I want to be with my son all the time. This shouldn’t be a surprise, but it is. Before I had him, I knew I’d love my child and enjoy being around him, but I also thought I’d crave adult interaction and be relieved to go to work. And maybe the fact that I work a lot has something to do with it, but the truth is, if I could spend 26 hours a day with my face buried in the back of his neck while he tells me stories, I would. That would be the best 26-hour day ever.
SO TRUE. I miss my baby all day long when I’m at work.
5. But NOT this part: “Baths have always confused me. Baths are sitting in a basin of your own filth and then pouring that filth back onto yourself in order to get … clean?” No, no, NO, lady. Baths are for lying down, all comfy and warm and squishy, to read a good book until your toes get pruny. Then you shave your legs. I took a bath every single night (almost NOT an exaggeration) of the entire nine months I was pregnant with my son. And then I took a shower every morning to actually, you know, get clean.
This? Right here? With the wine and the bubble bath and the novel and the scented candles? This is what heaven looks like. Photo source.
(FWIW, I recycle everything and buy used clothes and books because I feel so guilty about my water usage. #firstworldguilt)
6. My stepson is coming to visit in a couple of weeks and I am so excited! This will be his first visit to our home and I have lots of fun stuff planned, like trips to the zoo and aquarium and LOTS of beach time. Unfortunately, I have a LOT to do before he gets here, not the least of which is clear out a lot of unwanted/unneeded stuff out of our spare bedroom and clean the house extra good. I also need to paint our hall bathroom. Well, I don’t NEED to, it’s fully functional as-is, but I WANT to paint it because I want it to look nice. Yes, for the eight-year-old. Who probably doesn’t care. Whatever.
7. Since I have lots of stuff that needs cleared out of this house, I’m planning on having a yard sale on Saturday. And I hope to get rid of all my CDs. I almost never sit down and listen to a CD anymore – I guess most people don’t, really – so I’m just loading all the music onto my computer and getting rid of the shiny silver discs. I’m afraid I’ll regret doing this if my hard drive crashes, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the short-term benefit of clearing out a whole dresser drawer will make me feel great regardless of whether I have these songs in MP3 form for the rest of my life. Maybe I should buy some more space on iCloud? I dunno. #firstworldproblems
Kids, these are called “compact discs.”
That’s it! Head over to Jen‘s place for more quick takes.
Having had a computer die, I know the heart-wrenching feeling of feeling like you’ve lost everything. I was a teacher at the time as well, so it would have been nightmarish to have to recreate all my files. I managed to completely salvage the hard drive, though. Perhaps this is another sign that I should just give up and invest in cloud storage. I’ve turned over my entire personal (and work) calendar to Google and started blogging with my last name, why not give everything else to Mr. Cloud?
I have the same first world guilt about water usage, and recycle everything and buy used clothes partly because of it. I rarely take baths, though, I just love hot showers. If it’s cold outside, I stay in the shower until the water starts to get cool. I’m pretty sure my husband doesn’t appreciate that!
Oh, I love a loooooooong superhot shower too – especially on a cold morning! But baths are just awesome. I think I’ll go take one now