Just For Fun

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start.

1. Statement bag, statement shoe or statement lip?

This like my Sophie’s choice of statement items because I love them all! But I guess I’d go with the shoes because they’d be lower maintenance. I’d have to reapply the statement lip throughout the day, and if I were carrying a statement bag, I’d just spend the whole day worrying about not losing it.

At least the shoes should just stay on my feet, LOL!

2. Orange blush or pink blush?

Neither! — an orange-pink blush. 😊

3. Have you ever done a paint night?

Just once, and it was tons of fun. My friend and I went to one and painted a flying unicorn with a rainbow on its butt. 🦄



4. Should lipstick smell like food?

Hmm… I don’t mind a subtle vanilla fragrance, like MAC lipstick, but anything else I can do without. The sweet, sugary scents, in particular, make my tummy churn!

5. Have you ever been hypnotized?

Yes, in high school. It was for a psychology class. They had a hypnotist come in, and a few of us volunteered to be subjects…

We mostly just did silly stuff, or so I’m told — jumping up and down on one foot and acting like a hyena. Things like that.

New favorite food spot: Amy’s Drive-Thru

Hiya, friend. Happy Monday! 😊

How was your weekend? Mine was delicious. We went to visit my parents in the East Bay on Friday night. El Hub and I had a movie date night and saw the new Spiderman, which I thought was great, BTW!

We stayed the night there, then left early on Saturday to run a few errands up in Cotati and Rohnert Park.

That’s where we found this gem: Amy’s Drive Thru!

Yes, the Amy’s, the same ones with the frozen foods and soups. Turns out they also have a small chain of fast food restaurants with lots of organic, non-GMO and gluten-free fare, which are all things I don’t usually attribute to fast food places with a drive through, but this place has it all…AND it has a living garden on the rooftop.

Everything on the menu is vegetarian (with vegan options, too), and everything can be ordered gluten-free, which is why we ended up going there, since El Hub has Celiac.

They serve vegetarian hamburgers, fries, burritos, baked goods, pizza, mac and cheese, chili, soup, shakes, sodas and salads.

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Poppyseed, asiago, cinnamon raisin, blueberry… I’m thinking about bagels this morning, and not just because of their carb-o-licious goodness. I’m currently “reading” an audiobook called Take Control of Your Life by Mel Robbins, and it’s about fear and learning how to move past it. I just finished a story in it about bagels, of all things.

In the book, Mel talks about viewing things as either obstacles or opportunities, and she tells a story about two men who finish a foot race. There are free bagels at the finish line, and one guy says, “Oh, look, there’s free bagels. Let’s go get some.” But the other guy says, “The line is too long.”

Both men look at the bagels in different ways. The guy who sees the yummy bagels in yo’ tummy focuses on the opportunity, while the other guy sees the obstacle (the long line).

Interesting, huh?

Which person are you? I think I’m the person who automatically sees the obstacles, but I’d like to be the person who focuses on the yummy bagels, so that’s what I’m working on now…

Just some food for thought on this lovely morning.

And now, Saturday surfing!

• Lady Gaga’s Haus Laboratories makeup line will be available exclusively on Amazon, and it looks like there WILL BE shimmer.
• 11 purr-fect pieces of fashion for your favorite feline fanatic.
• You may soon be the one asking your little brother if you can borrow his concealer, because all the big players — L’Oréal, Shiseido and Estée Lauder — are developing makeup for men. Currently, the most robust line for men is by a brand out of Japan called Fiveism, which has more than 80 products from nail polish to eyeshadow to everything in between.
• Ulta plucked Frida Khalo’s famous unibrow in the imagery for the new Frida Khalo-themed collection, and I cannot roll my eyes far enough back into my head.
• Wondering how to outsmart facial recognition software? All you have to do is paint your face like one of the members of the Insane Clown Posse. 🤡
• The Louvre is launching a collection of fragrances inspired by their most famous pieces.
• Is there a difference between toners and essences?
• Experts weigh in on beauty apps, and whether they put you at risk.
• Fun facts about Ernest Hemingway’s cats! 🐱
• 5 tech gadgets for an instant summer glow, according to Vogue
• Speaking of beauty technology, you may want to skip the world’s first Bluetooth hair straightener, because it can be easily hacked.
• An Allure beauty editor’s guide to the annual Bronner Brothers Hair Show

I 100% enjoyed this, and it turns out my favorite X-Tina video is the same as hers, too!

Speaking of Christina!

I like this version of one my favorite songs of all time.

Thank you, universe, for the gift that is Lizzo.

Speaking of bagels, here’s how they’re made.

I think it’s a good time to hunt down a bagel. Ooh! — one with cream cheese and smoked salmon! 😋

Have a great weekend!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Connor is a busy, busy bee! At some point within the last month, she entered the phase where she repeats every word she hears — from me, her dad, the TV, school.

Sometimes, it’s endearing, like when she’s learning new words and phrases. (Yesterday we were bird watching, and she said, very matter-of-factly, “Let’s write down all the observations in a notebook.”)

Other times, it’s full-on shocking.

What did you just say…?

So…in the Trader Joe’s parking lot last Sunday, which unfortunately is one of the places I GO HAM because some drivers are extra nuts on the weekends, someone rudely stole the parking spot I was just about to pull into. Reflexively, I said, “Are you f*cking kidding me, lady?” which was followed two seconds later by a sweet, high-pitched voice in the back seat that echoed, “Are you f*cking kidding me, lady?”

RUH ROH! Time to lock down the “colorful” language, Karen!

Also, when Connor isn’t repeating everything she hears, she’s saying N.O. to everything else.

“Connor, will you please pick up your toys?”

“No.”

“Babylove, let’s go upstairs and get ready for bed!”

“No.”

“Cocobaby, how about we get into your car seat so we can drive you to camp?”

“NO!”

I’ve read that it’s a common developmental thing around this age… Toddlers are starting to feel independent and like having a sense of control over the world around them.

Redirection: err day, all day

Because I don’t want to spend the whole day fighting her or giving timeouts (Have you tried to reason with a toddler? It’s a fruitless endeavor.), when “no” happens, I do lots and lots and LOTS of redirecting.

Like, if I say, “Connor, let’s go to the potty before we leave for ballet,” and she says “no,” I try different tantalizing ways to get her up the stairs, like, “Why don’t you show me how you count your numbers? Tell me many stairs it takes to get to the top!”

If she says “no” to that offer, then I might try, “How fast can you make it up the stairs? Want to show mommy how quick you are?”

And if that also gets a “no,” I’ll go with something like, “Can you walk up the stairs on your tippy toes? Can you show me how to do it?”

Basically, come at it from different angles until she says “yes” to one of them.

Then, once she’s up the stairs, I’ll use a similar tactic to get her to the bathroom: “Want to hop like a bunny or a kangaroo to the bathroom? It’s your choice!”

And when we finally, FINALLY make it to the toilet, things just keep rollin’ from there. “Oh, look! We’re at the potty. Did you know that mommy’s underpants are purple and have a bow? Do yours have a bow? Oh, yours are purple, too? THAT’S SO COOL! Listen, while we’re here, why don’t we have a seat on the potty? You don’t have to pee, but if you’re sitting there and you want to, go right ahead.”

Redirecting takes a lot of patience and creativity, and tasks take 10 times longer than they would if she just did them, but gosh, it adds so much harmony to our day. Otherwise, everything — I’m talking EVERYTHING — is a massive battle.

Anyway, it’s working for us…for now.

This is the easy stuff?

And I realize that these things are probably small potatoes compared to the challenges ahead. I’m constantly reminding myself to enjoy this phase because it just gets harder from here.

Like, last week at her summer school/camp, her favorite teacher and closest buddy were both on vacation, so the first thing she said when I picked her up was, “Mama, when I was at the playground today, I asked someone to play with me and she said no, so I played by myself, and that made me sad.”

I swear, my heart broke a little.
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