One thing I hate...

about summer-reruns!  That is why I am glad some cable networks…TNT, USA come to mind- are going against the grain and introducing new episodes.  HBO as well-with the return of Entourgae (I am sure it is out there, but I can’t find the exact date..but how great is Ari?  HOw funny is Drama!?) and True Blood (sometime in June is what the official site says).  But seriously…I annoys me that I have to wait three months to find out what happens to Violet’s baby (Private Practice..not the best vehicle for this immensely talented group, but the Season Finale was good), and are Derek and Meredith going to get married or what? (Grey’s anatomy)

But at least I won’t have to wait months to find out what Michael Weston is up to (Burn Notice-USA Network) and what is going on with Sean and Gus (Psych-Usa as well).  In Plain Sight (Also on USA-with the talented Mary McCormack) has already started their new season, and I am happy, though I have a few episodes to catch up on.

But all in all…Summer sucks for network TV.  I mean at one time I was able to catch up on shows I missed, but with the greatest invention in the world…(DVR) I don’t need to do that anymore.

Oh well, at least I can work on my Netflix que.

Going to take a break..

from posting about my magazines to talk about something a bit more serious…trust in a marriage.

Without going in to too many personal details, there has been a ‘compromise’ of sorts in this area in my marriage.  My husband betrayed my trust, and I betrayed his…so can that be fixed?  Perhaps the better question is, do both parties want it to be fixed….

For me, I have been given no choice.  He said that he has not done anything else that I would consider a betrayal of trust, and that it is up to me to beleive him or not.  I have to say, I don’t know if I agree with that….shouldn’t people prove they are trsutworthy?

For my part, money is an issue.  I pay the bills and handle the finances.  I don’t mind doing this, it makes me feel useful, on the other hand my husband does not believe that I do a good job here, and I admit in the past I have not.  I have gone through ‘episodes’ (for lack of a better word) where I used ‘retail therapy’ as a way to make myself feel better.  I was made at my husband, let me buy a new shirt.  My kids did something wrong, let me buy a pair of sunglasses.  Don’t get me wrong…I don’t do this at the expense of our mortgage or car payments, I am not looking at all our new stuff in the dark because I forgot to pay the electric bill.  On the other hand, my husband makes enough that we should have some savings, and we have none.  I will admit that I am part of the problem, on the other hand, I admit that it pisses me off that my husband takes NO responsibility for anything.  Is that my fish tank?  Is that my motorcycle in the garage?  My HUGE TV? (OK, I admit it…I LOVE that TV more than him and it is easy on my bad eyes…)  the point is, we both like nice things..and IF I tell him…can we wait until the next time you get paid?  Or we don’t have the money right now?  I get dirty looks…so, do I stick to my guns, or do I give in because I don’t want him to be mad at me.  I admit it…99.9% of the time..I give in.

So, we got a nice tax return..and I coached again this past winter.  Is it better to pay off the credit card that is charging us interest?  To get caught up on all the bills and start fresh?  I thought so, but I am wrong.

I admit that perhaps I am not a very trustworthy person…I live in fear of disappointing my husband, so I do things my way and figure I will explain them later.  On the other hand, I am not given a chance to prove that I am doing what I said I would do..I am just told I am full of crap (though that isn’t the word that was used).  Which makes me defensive, and frankly it does make me feel like crap..so again, do I ignore how I feel and just say, “hey, look…YOU said you trusted me to do it…so trust me.”  And then ignore the dirty looks and the snide comments, or do I once again, cry and say I am sorry, forgive me, forgive me.  Perhaps part of my frustration comes from the fact, that I am not supposed to say anything about his breach of my trust, I can not question him on that without starting a fight, and I admit this bothers me.  My mouth is to be kept shut.

Well, this time I KNOW I am doing what I said I would…and frankly, I am tired to apologizing.  So, I will do what I continue to do, and get things done.  And let’s face it…he will get his fish tank stuff, and we will go on vacation, whether I feel like doing it or not.

(OK…OK…perhaps all of that sounded harsh, and angry, and if I am being honest…in a way I feel harsh and angry, but I got to vent somewhere!)

People's 100 Most beautiful

I enjoy this issue.  Granted there is a part of me that ultimately feels inferior looking at all these beautiful skinny women, it is a fun issue, and I have to say I agree with many of their choices this year.  Obviously, I won’t list all 100, but a few highlights…

The lovely Christina Applegate is on the cover, and frankly I can’t think of anyone thta deserves it more.  Her graceful recovery and fight with breast cancer, along with the honest and inspiring way she talked about it is truly beautiful.  Not to mention, at 37, I don’t think she has EVER looked better.

People always seems to do a little feature on “Stars without Makeup” in this issue, and I have to say the ‘older’ women look better than the younger gals.  Eva Mendes at 35 and Cindy Crawford at 43 look amazing, while the lovely young women of 90210 (Jessica Stroup-22, Annalynne McCord-21, Jessica Lowndes-20, and Shenae Grimes-19) look exhausted and washed out.  Moon Bloodgood at 33 looks simply amazing as well.

We have the usuals-Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry, Brad Pitt, etc…but a few new faces.  Jon Hamm of Mad men and Idris Elba of Obsessed, both very deserving men.  And I have to say…SAndra Bullock…WOW.  Like Christina Applegate, I don’t think she has ever looked better.

My favorite dancer from “Dancing With the stars” made the list…Gilles Marini, as did “Slumdog Millionaire” star Freida Pinto.

They also did a spread on Beauty at Every age…and Tiffani Thiessen (Kelly Capowski of “Saved by the Bell”..my husband’s tween crush…) is my age.  And perhaps it is my age talking, but many of the women in their 30’s and 40’s look better than the 20 year olds!  What’s going on?!

They spotlight comedians as well…and two of my favorite at the moment…Tinay Fey and Amy Poehler made the list. Though I have to say, I think Poehler’s husband Will Arnett should have made the list.

There is the Under 21 crowd, and I have to say…not impressed with anyone really.

I do have to ask…Where is Justin Timberlake?  Sorry, the guy is good looking and talented to boot..and where are the “most beautiful Couples?”  I mean Pitt and Jolie are on the list, but seperately (and I got to say…I am tired of seeing them….)

But for me…it’s the crossword puzzle that is the real draw.  I can complete it…all by myself!  Makes me feel so smart…even if it’s only for a little while.

A great recipe!

If you have picky eaters (and I have three!) you know that IF you find a recipe that the whole family likes you keep it around and remember it.  It’s strawberry season, and thanks for Better Homes and Gardens’ May 2009 issue, I found some great recipes.  Last night I tried a new recipe for a pulled pork sandwich.  BBQ is always a hit in my house, but this one had a bit of a twist-a strawberry BBQ sauce.  I wasn’t sure what the kids would think, but it looked awesome, and sounded different.  It was easy enough, and it smelled great.  Sitting down to eat, I heard awesome, this is great, and yummy more than once.  My oldest son had three sandwiches-part of his 15,000 calorie daily requirement.  Even the baby ate a bit of it…so I am adding this one to my sure fire hits.  You can find the link below this post.

Shape’s May 2009 issue has a very charming lady on the cover.  Jenny McCarthy.  (I hope I spelled her last name right!)  A beautiful woman who might be best known for her provacative Playboy spreads, in recent years she has shown us not only is she beautiful but she has a brain to boot!  While I can’t say i agree with her views on vaccines, I applaud her for standing up for what she believes in and doing what she thinks is best for her son.  Something all mother’s should strive to do.  Shape also had a few interesting things to impart.  (though I am only about halfway through and have tons of stuff to share, so look for more tomorrow!)

81%-the percentage of people living with someone who want to get rid of stuff around the house.  Ok..this is BS…try 100%.  We ALL have some stuff we want to get rid of, or should get rid of.  But according to Shape, people don’t because their SO wants it.  TOO BAD I SAY!  Slap a price on it, and put it up for sale in your next yard sale.  Ok…ok…I am not that callous, but there has to be some give and take.

Should employers be required to provide healthy vending machine options? -things like this have always bugged me.  Is it Burger King’s, TAco Bell’s, or now our employers job to police what we eat?  Is is their job to make sure people get enough exercise?  NO, there is a thing called personal responsibility.  Learn it, Love it, Live it.

Another Reason to get more sleep-We all know that exercise helps prevent a myriad of things, and it makes us feel great.  (Obviously I need more exercise!) It is also a proven way to lower your risk of cancer, BUT there is a prerequisite to that…sleep.  Woman that got less than seven hours of sleep a night had a 47% greater chance of developing cancer than their peers tha exercised, but got more sleep.  Guess my husband is on to something!

Sleep in your Bra?-Don’t…it doesn’t prevent the girls from traveling south, and it’s uncomfortable.

Go get Dirty!-Spending time outdoors, getting dirty does more than give us a pretty lawn.  Germs in soil trigger the body to produce more immune boosting white blood cells (says Mary Ruebush, Ph.D author of the new book Why Dirt is good.)  This means we’ll be better prepared to beat back colds and other illnessed down the road.  Works for me!

Lavender-The new ‘it’ color for spring and summer.  I am not a huge make up fan, but the model looks lovely with lightly lined eyes in a perky purple color.  Maybe I’ll give it a shot…IF Roy takes me somewhere that is!

As I mentioned, there is a lot of great info in Shape this month, so more tomorrow!

Well...

What a weekend!  About two years ago, we bought this awesome TV.  It’s a samsung, and it’s big, that’s about all I know…so anyways.  It is an HDTV, and since I have bad eyes, I really appreciate the sharper picture.  Before this weekend we had cable, and let me tell you…one head ache after the other.  Issues with the DVR, issues with the box, problems with billing, etc…but the big issue is they had very few HD channels, and doesn’t that mean that our cool TV is going to waste?

So, anyways, we looked into DirectV,and saw that they have over 100 HD channels,and with all the rebates and packages, it would end up being cheaper than cable.  So, we signed up.  We paid for the equipment and scheduled our installation.  We placed our order on Friday, and picked the first available day for installation.  Sunday.  Well, Sunday was a mess.  Cloudy in the morning, and by 10 it was a constant drizzle.  The installer, a nice guy, got to our house about 10:30.  And he left about 3!  CRAZY!  Any plans we had for the day…a complete bust.  And while I have to say that so far, they certainly have more to offer than our local cable company, that was just ridiculous.

I hope that if there are any problems in the future and someone needs to come out it won’t be another all day affair.

Other than that, it was a low key weekend.  Right now, we are just hoping for the rain to let up, so H and his preschool classmates can take their field trip up to the Post office.

Redbook May 2009

Once again Faith Hill graces the cover.  Open up the issue and you will find Hill made up as three iconic beauties-Twiggy, Grace Kelly (one of the most, if not the most, beautiful women ever), and Bridgette Bardot.  I didn’t really see Hill as Twiggy, and while she and Kelly have that same classic look, I was surprised to really see Bardot in her.  Great Picture!  This issue was devoted to Mom, and making her day special.

Two books Redbook recommends-To read in the tub-Love will Tear us Apart-by Sarah Rainone.  Six childhood friends, now in their 30’s, get together for a wedding to share old stories. To Read with the club-Love Stories In This Town-by Amanda Eyre Ward. This is a collection of short stories dedicated to the ups and downs of romance.  Redbook has recommending some real gems in the past, so I added these two to my reading list.  I will review them once I have read them.

Target is one of my favorite stores!  They know me by name at our local Target, Roy just loves that!  Recently (the past year or so) Target has gotten some high end designers to bring a line of affordable clothes to their store.  At the end of this month it is Tracy Feith’s turn.  I am not familiar with his work, but recently he has been in the news because Michelle Obama wore one of his creations the day after the Inauguration.  It was a lovely oriental print dress.  Feith is a surfer, or he was…not really sure.  His line will debut at Target on May 17th, and prices range from $14.99-$139.99.  That seems on the high end for Target, and while i am not really impressed with what Redbook chose to show, I am curious to see the other pieces, as Feith is described as a hippy, chic designer.  We’ll see!

Nooky Vs the Net-I found this amusing.  46% of women and 30% of men would rather go without sex for two weeks than give up internet acces for the same amount of time. (reported by Harris Interavtice and INtel Corp. Study of 2,119).  I am proud to say that my husband would rather give up the internet.  Score one for me!  Take that google!  (and yes, if you are wondering…the net would go, in face I would give it up for much longer if need be!)

One of the dumbest things I have heard of-The LipStamp Kit is a set of 10 lip shaped sponge applicators, in the shape of our favorite stars.  Plump is an Angelina set of lips and the Sexy slim Slender is based on Cameron Diaz’s lips.  Just pick your sytle and press the sponge to your lips.  Huh?  So, nevermind that you don’t have Angelina’s pout…just pretend you do with these stamps?  Who wants lipstick smeared all over their face?  Isn’t the idea to keep the lipstick ON your lips?  Dumb….

My favorite article was entitled “The Moment I first Felt Like a Mom.”  I had a little moment like this with each of my boys.  In fact, I have a little moment like this almost every day.  I never forget I am a mother, but there are moments when I can’t believe my good fortune.  Five beautiful, amazing, funny boys…and they are my sons.  I think for each of us there are defining moments, moments when your mettle as a mom is tested, and those are the ones that we write about, that we tell our friends and family about, but it is the little moments, the moments that occur every day that truly prove what we are worth.

Cuisine at Home Preview issue

I got this in the mail a few weeks ago.  On the cover it says that since I am a cooking enthusiast I was chosen to receive this preview issue.  Since I love cooking magazines, Simple and Delicious from Taste of Home is my favorite, and Everyday with Rachael Ray isn’t far behind, I was thrilled to check out this new magazine.

Their big claim is NO ADS, and while that is true, there are A LOT of fillers.  Tips for home cooks, how to get the perfect cutlet, an entire article about pizza on the grill.  While all of that is great, I want recipes in a cooking magazine, and while there are a number of recipes in this issue, it’s nowhere near what you would find in one of Taste of Home’s issues.

There are some good tips in the ‘tips and techniques’ section.

-To avoid scorching your pan while you heat up milk, rinse the pan with cold water, but don’t dry it.

-instead of greasing pans, and then flouring them, use sugar.  Apparently it spreads easier, and gives the bottom and sides of the cake a sweet taste.

As I mentioned above, there is an entire article about cooking Pizza on the Grill.  Ok, great…do we need four pages on that?  How about two or three paragraphs and then get right to the recipes?

Same with ‘perfect cutlets.’ I don’t need two full pages on how to pound the perfect cutlet.  A few paragraphs will do, and then of course add the suggestion that you can always just buy them at the store.  Their recipe for Chicken Piccata sounds great, and they add pictures to illustrate each step, which is nice for the novice cook.

There is an interesting article about the different types of salt, and what you should use each one for.  They mention something called red algae Hawaiian sea salt…sounds interesting, though I have no clue where you get something like that.  I looked in Walmart and Target, no luck…so i am guessing you need to go someplace a little more upscale…Wegmans, William Sonoma, someplace like that.

There are some good recipes, but I don’t need to read a full page articles about each and every one.  I do think there are some good tips, and the illustrations are nice, especially if you are a novice cook.  And for what you get I think the price is quite high..5 dollars an issue.  For a dollar less you can get three or four times as many recipes in one of Taste of Home’s magazine.  If you like to read interesting little articles along with your recipe, Southern Living is a much better bet as well.

More Real Simple May 2009

One thing this magazine does that I always enjoy reading is they rate and compare products.  This month they did dishwasher detergent, fruit juice and budget makeup.  Here is what they have to say:

Dishwasher Detergent-they break it down into three categories.  Best Powder-Cascade Complete.  Not a huge fan of this brand.  I have been trying to use more eco-friendly cleaning products, so I have not tried ‘the new and improved’ version.  Best Liquid-Mrs. Meyer’s automatic Dishwashing liquid.  Have tried and LOVE IT.  This stuff really works.  The scent can be a bit strong, but it dissipates quickly, and leaves a nice clean scent behind.  My favorite is Lemon Verbena, but basil seems to get high marks so maybe I will give that a shot.  Best Pellet-Finish Quantum.  Again, from what I have read not the most eco-friendly product, certainly not the most economical, so I have not tried this one either.  Nice to know that my Mrs. Meyer’s supplies are getting the recognition they deserve.

Fruit Juice-LOTS of stuff here.  LOTS of stuff I have not heard of or tried.  Best Orange-Natalie’s Orchid Island..never hard of this brand. (We like Simply Orange or Tropicana) Best Apple-Mott’s Natural Fresh Pressed (my kids like this one! SCORE!)  Best Grape-Old Orchard Organics Heard of it, but never tried it (I don’t think I really buy grape Juice…does Grape kool-aid count?) Best Grapefruit-Simply Grapefruit-Love the brand, didn’t even know they made grapefruit juice!  Best Pomegranate-Whole Foods (NOT my cup of tea, pomegrante juice is just too tart for me, and my husband refuses to pay 10 dollars for that Pom stuff) Best Orange Blend-Tropicana Pure Valencia with Mango (tried this, and dug it! but my oldst son just drinks the whole bottle, so Roy and I rarely get a chance to enjoy it) Best Apple Blend-Martinelle’s Gold Medal Apple-Pomegranate (Never heard of it, and frankly I don’t know about those two blended together…) Best Pomegranate Blend-Pom Wonderful Pom blueberry (NOT paying 12 dollars for 48 ounces of juice…sorry, not happening) and finally Best Cranberry Blend-RW Knudsen Family Cranberry Raspberry-heard of the brand, sounds yummy, but never tried it (I usually drink Ocean Spray, or Target’s brand)  I realize that my family and I have very mundane taste in juice, but I am cool with that.  I mean really , how good can $11 juice really be?

Best Budget Makeup-this is what I was really interested in.  I don’t work in an office, so I rarely ‘makeup’ my face.  So frankly, I see no point in spending $40 on lipstick.  They break it down into two sub-categories-The classic and the Newcomer.  I did try to find a link but it would appear that Real Simple’s website is a few months behind.  So, I will only touch on a few things.  Best Lipsticks-LOVE lipstick.  Putting this on always makes me feel a bit more polished.  The classic-surprise, surprise Revlon Super Lustrous (with 72 colors, EVERYONE can find something!) The Newcomer-Maybelline New York Mineral Power Lipcolor-never heard of this, and I admit that I usually walk by the Maybelline aisle on my way to Revlon’s huge inventory, but this one sounds promising.  Though there are only 12 shades at the momey, so I imagine the shades are more universal, and you aren’t likely to find something special color wise here.  Best Nail Polish-Classic-Again, Revlon wins.  With over 60 shades, and the companies reputation behind it, this one is a no brainer.  The Newcomer-Nicole by OPI.  I LOVE OPI’s witty names for their polishes (one of their new colors is called “Paint my Moji-toes red”  Too cute!) I have seen this brand at Walgreens, some amazing colors!  You can choose from a classic baby pink to a shocking emerald green. Best blushes-The classic Covergirl.  17 shades to choose from…not too shabby when it comes to blush.  And you can’t beat the price (I have seen this at Walmart for 3 dollars!) The Newcomer-Sonia Kushuk.  Target carries this, and while it is more than double the price of the Covergirl winner, I think the color is much better on your face.  They go through a few more products, and give some great reasoning behind their picks.

This was a great issue.  TONS of information, and some truly great tips and ideas.

Real Simple May 2009

I really like this magazine.  It has a simple format that they rarely deviate from.  Though I do joke with my sister that living “Realy Simply” apparently costs money.  Usually, they will do some sort of feature like…the best jeans for your body.  AWESOME!  We all wear jeans right…apparently every body needs $200 dollars jeans.  But this issue surprised me.  Sure there were some $400 dresses, but they were mixed in with dresses that cost $45 as well..and they were just as cute.  Here are some of the highlights: (this issue was packed with great info, so I might break this up into two posts)

Each month there is a quote, or a thought as the magazine calls it..usually accompanied with a picture.  This month’s quote is from Oscar Wilde: “All Women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No Man does. That’s his.”  Now, I sat there and thought…”Huh?  Is that true?” And then I got a bit offended.  When I was 16, if someone told me I was just like my mom, I got offended…but now, I can see that many of the qualities she possesses are truly admirable.  Sure, sometimes she says something hurtful, and doesn’t apologize, but I have never known her to back down from expressing her opinion.  She has always stood her ground, whether she has the popular opinion or not.  I am proud to have that same trait.  On the other hand…my husband’s mother…my mother in law, is a pretty great woman as well.  She has some qualities, like my mother, that are also truly admirable, and I think my husband got some of the best ones.  Guess, ole Oscar was WRONG!

Each month there is also a question of the month?  They publish some of the best responses from readers.  This month’s question: What’s the Greatest gift your mother ever gave you?  Easy…she gave me life.  Sure, sure, some would say that is the easy part…raising a child is where the challenge comes in, but when I say she gave me life…I mean she gave me A life.  Again, growing up…I thought she was strict, I thought she was mean..I rebelled.  Whatever she wanted for me, I wanted the opposite.  But she never gave up on me.  We argued, we fought, we cried…but when the chips were down, she NEVER let me down.  It took me almost 35 years to realize that behind the rules, and the regulations…there is a lot of love.  And I am glad that I realized that before it was too late.

“New Uses for Old Things”-they repurpose things here.  This month they had a great idea, that actually works well for me.  With five boys we ALWAYS have single mittens and gloves.  Real Simple suggests using them as holders for glasses.  Nice.

“The Insider’s Guide To Beauty”-what I like about instyle is that when they ask ‘experts’ to weight in..they actually seem to look for experts that have something relevant to the article.  They also list their qualifications..cool.  This way we can at least make an informed decision as to whether or not their advice is crap or not.  Here they look to experts in the beauty field to share their tips.  Dr. Jeanine Downie, a Dermatologist from New Jersey reminds us that sunscreen should be a must in ANY beauty routine…man or woman.  Might sound like common sense, but I don’t think that tip can be stressed enough!  Brigitte Reiss-Andersen a makeup artist from NYC offers up this-Don’t be afraid to take a chance.  Makeup isn’t permanent, experiment.  Makes sense, too bad I am too much of a wuss to do anything more than wear a darker red at night. Laura Geller, another makeup artist outside of NYC (she also has her own popular and respected makeup line) has a great tip.  I haven’t tried it yet, but in the heat I will be: After applying makeup, take a powder puff and wet it, squeezing out all the excess water.  Press it over your face, this will lock in the makeup, so to speak, leaving you smear free in the heat!  Mark Garrison is a hairstylist, also from NYC-I tried this yesterday, and AMAZING results.  IN the heat, to control frizz condition BEFORE you shampoo.  Your hair gets clean without the drying impact of the shampoo.  I was skeptical, but I tried this, got out of the shower and my hair looked great.  Even without my frizz fighting goo.

I admit that cleaning and organizing the basement or the garage is not my idea of a fun way to spend the weekend.  I walk down the stairs, see the mess that is our basement, and walk right back up the stairs.  Same with the garage…all the tools, and wrenches, the bikes and lawnmowers…what a mess!  But real simple offers up 20 tips to control the mess.  I admit…I didn’t read it, but I did tear it out for my husband.