Adventures in Pennsyltucky

Mr. 1969 and I headed up to lovely Altoona, PA for a wedding this past weekend. Pure craziness ensued. We had to pick our boys up from school at 1:30pm and then hit the road so he could make it to the rehearsal at the church at 6pm. While driving up, we stopped and dropped the boys off in Harrisburg with their Auntie and cousins and drove off.

It was kind of nice driving with Mr. 1969, listening to whatever we felt like listening to. Especially with no screaming or fighting coming from the back seat. The bride and groom were great folks. The groom was Mr. 1969′s fraternity brother and good times ensued. Now while the wedding took place in Altoona, the couple live on a farm another 20 minutes outside of Altoona. Can you say COUNTRY?

They have two dogs, horses and mosquitos the size of hummingbirds. LOL The brides family had a great dinner set out for us complete with the best apple pie EVER. There is just something about a homemade pie crust that warms my heart.

That night, we  slept like kings at the Holiday Inn So happy to not have to wake up to making breakfast for the boys. As Mr. 1969 headed out to be with the groomsmen and get dressed together, I had a chance to wake up, work out,go out and walk to find coffee (yes, the coffee snob cannot drink Holiday Inn coffee #dontjudgeme) and lounge until it was wedding time.

We had a really good time at the wedding and the couple looked lovely. Suckers that we are, we left the reception early and drove back to Harrisburg to pick up our boys and head home. Call me crazy but after traveling so much for work, I like to wake up in my own bed.

We arrived back at casa Sixty Nine around midnight and we all slept in on Sunday. I love a good road trip but I love my house even more.

On a side note (and speaking of weddings) congrats to blogland’s own Tiffany in Houston who tied the knot that same day. Wishing you and your new hubby all the best!

Conversations with Tali 1

Mom, I have to tell you something.

What’s up son?

There is a really bad disease going around. You should be really careful.

Really? Where at your school?

It’s everywhere. It’s called Bi.eb.er Fe.ver. If you get it, all you care about is Jus.tin B.ieber, his songs, his pictures…everything….forever. All the girls at my school have it. You should really be careful.

I will remember not to stare directly into his eyes or listen to any of his songs. Thanks son.

Good. You can’t be too careful Mom.

Work It!

I just wanted to share a great and inexpensive piece of exercise equipment. I have been doing so much travelling for work the last few months and I have made a conscious effort to work out and stay on my schedule. One of my favorite things to use right now is a resistance tube.

I bought mine at Tarjay for under $10. They come in different resistance strengths and they are easy to store and great for travelling. Most importantly, these suckas are no joke. I do a variety of strength and toning moves with them at home. In my home office, they sit in a basket under my desk and I make sure to take a break every few hours and get in a round of my arm exercises. Arms are my problem zone so I statred using these as a means to do better at toning them at home.

Here is a website demonstrating some great basic exercises you can do with a resistance tube and yes….they work. Give it a try.

Silence is Golden….Duct Tape is Silver

Listen closely? Can you hear that? It’s the sound of peace and tranquility. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The Tali’s are back at school and all is right with my universe. All summer long, those boys were in the house tearing it up. Ripping and running from 6am until 8:30pm. I found myself unable to get anything accomplished staying home. Even if I tried to hide in my office, they inevitably found their way back to mommy.

Most of the summer, I spent on the road, seeing customers, visiting my hotels, etc. I have also snatched some work time from various places with free WiFi. Shouts out to Starbucks, Borders and Barnes and Nobles. All great quiet places to get a few hours work done.

Today was my first day working from home KID FREE in months. I dropped my boys off, hit the gym and was back in the house savoring a nice pot of coffee, a plate of fresh fruit and a greek yogurt. It doesn’t get much better than that boys and girls. Music playing in the background as I make deals in my swivelly office chair wearing yoga pants….who could ask for more?

The travelling was wearing on me and my mental state was struggling…not to mention this poor neglected blog. Either way, I am happy to be able to work in the comfort of my home, once again. The boys are loving school so far and they are back at soccer. You will be pleased to know that Tali 2 scored two goals in his first game and DID NOT CRY!

My babies are growing up. Here’s to a new school year filled with great stories.

Kindergarten Swagger

The Randomness

Tali 1 is in 3rd grade. Third grade. I can’t believe how big my baby has grown. He is a young man now. See?

I don’t care what a certain someone who reads this blog says….Nic.ki.Min.aj is NOT the hotness. That song Mon.ster is hands down, one of the worst things on the radio right now.

I have to turn something in to my boss at 6pm and I am procrastinating like a MUG.

Is anyone else mad that the summer of iced coffee for 99 cents is over? Say it ain’t so Dunkin.

Why did your boy Tali 2 (who starts Kindergarten next Wednesday) have a complete and utter meltdown in the schoolyard while we dropped his brother off for his first day of school. “I wanna go to school with Tali 1. I don’t wanna go to school in five more days.” He cried all the way back home. *sigh*

Speaking of crying, soccer starts up officially this Saturday. Let’s see if he has matured since last year when he cried at EVERY SINGLE GAME except the last one. *sigh*

And also related to crying…. he did his THING on this song.

I woke up to a cool 64 degrees and visions of new boots, sweaters and coats filled my head. That being said….to the lady I saw downtown in the Fur vest and boots today…it’s too early Sunshine.

I have been on an 80′s music kick for the last couple of days. Wham, Tears for Fears, Terrence Trent D’Arby, Culture Club….you name it. Who are some of your 80′s favorites?

I must thank Tom and Lorenzo for my new tagline for 2011 “Your jealousy tastes like candy bytches.” Hilarity!!!

I love Miss Willow Smith and her new little song. Growing up with parents that are both entertainers, clearly they have the bug to perform. Kudos to Jaden for a great job in Karate Kid and now to Willow for her cute and catchy (and YES, age appropriate) song. I wish her much success and I too will be “Whipping My Hair”.

I am back in full time Wonder Woman mode. Back to school, back to soccer, back to all of the kids other activities……….I dread this time of year. *Dusts off cape*

and finally….who remembers THIS?

Product Junkie

You know I am a self confessed product junkie. Just wanted to share a few items I am loving right now:

Moroccan Hair Oil is my new go to hair product. I put a dime sized amount in my hands and rub them together and then run it through damp, towel dried hair and voila….non-greasy, moisturized, manageable hair.  I can let my hair air-dry and go curly. I can blow dry it straight. Yes, it’s pricey but it has done wonders for my hair and the frizzies. I can’t say enough.

Bare Minerals Makeup So you all know that I am a fan of this makeup line. After using it for over two years, this summer, I ventured out and decided I wanted to change things up. I don’t know, maybe turning 40 made me want to make a change. Can I tell you how much money I wasted trying foundation after foundation? I tried everything from Lancome to Makeup Forever to Clinique to Laura Mercier. Now you know….none of that stuff is cheap. I can do cheap anything but not on my face. Nope. Anyway, guess who was thrilled about all of my makeup exploration? Mama 1969 who has used it all. After about two weeks with each brand, I shipped it off to her and she loved getting all of it in the mail. I have finally returned to my beloved Bare Minerals and I can’t believe I ever strayed in the first place. My complexion has improved, my skin looks flawless and natural…not greasy, cakey or overly made up. I look like me, only better. I love this stuff and I will never stray again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes to Carrots Night Cream. Since my entry into a new decade of my life, I have been looking for moisturizing face products. I am doing my best to battle the forces of nature. There are so many night creams out there that cost a fortune. $200 face cream? Uh yeah…..NOT! I purchased the Yes To Carrots face cream at Target. It is also sold at Whole Foods. Natural ingredients, no parabens and it leaves my face feeling like velvet when I wake up. All that for under $15? Sold.

Mario Badescu Drying Cream is tied with Moroccan Oil for the best product I have purchased all summer. When I bought my Bare Minerals, I received a sample of this stuff. If you recall, I blogged about my face breaking out due to the summer workouts a few weeks ago. One night, I remembered I had this sample and decided to put it on my face before I went to bed. I woke up in the morning  with all blemishes gone. I really thought it was a fluke. A few weeks passed and I had a few more blemishes. I put some of this on my face and the next morning? Gone. I recall seeing that little pink and green bottle in so many magazines over the years and never thinking twice but wow…..who knew? I don’t know if it will work for everyone but for me? The transformation in my skin has been amazing. I ran out and copped a jar and have been sporting my old great skin ever since. I love this product and can’t say enough. It’s sold at Sephora and at Ulta and it’s under $20. What a find!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!!

Priceless

In case you haven’t noticed…I have been extremely busy with work and juggling the day to day aspects of my life. They sold us on these jobs as “work from home” but the times when I am actually home are few and far between. I spend most of my time in my car between sales calls. In the last month alone, I have been to Pittsburgh, Chicago and New York. Crazy right?

Factor in school shopping and getting the boys ready and it has been a crazy month for me. As a working mom, I constantly struggle with making sure that my kids needs are always being met before anything else.

I place my boys at the top of my TO-DO list and everything falls into place after them. I have a lot of friends that don’t agree with me. They put their jobs first, their spouse, etc. In my mind, my job is important but not more than my kids. My husband is extremely important but he is a grown man and can fend for himself if need be. My kids need us to provide a happy and stable household and they can’t do that on their own. They rely on us. I wouldn’t even want my husband to put me over his children. Trust me when I say, if you take care of my boys and are a good father? That takes care of 80% of my personal needs. What can I say? I’m a simple girl.

I think back to when I was a childless woman. My needs were shopping, being cute and having fun. I enjoyed life to the fullest but let’s be frank….it was all about me. There was nothing wrong with that either! That’s what being childless is all about. You should be out enjoying yourself and doing for self.

As the demands of motherhood crept in, I relished taking care of  my boys despite relinquishing all of my selfish time. No more running out to the movies, dinner, blowing an entire paycheck on a trip or shopping. I can’t lie, some of these things were harder for me to let go than others and I struggled with it, still do sometimes. cough*shopping*cough

Now that I am out of the baby phase (*sniff* Tali 2 is getting ready for his first day of Kindergarten in two weeks), I am finally getting a balance back. I have replaced the majority of hanging out with friends once a week with working out and taking care of my health. I have slowed down on the shopping out of other financial needs for our home and our children and instead found small indulgences that I can’t live without and hung on to these as a means of pampering myself when I need some ME time (shout out to coffee shops, pedicures and the occassional trip to Target) to recharge my batteries.

I have grown up a little and shifted my priorities without losing myself in the process. No, I can’t do all of the things I used to and I truly miss that freedom sometimes. However, I do have two boys that need me and love me. They make me laugh at myself and really focus on the world around me. I get to help them grow into responsible young men. I get to experience life through their eyes every single day.

I think I actually made out in this life process. Who needs happy hours and martinis when you come home to cupcakes, family and love? Like they say…it’s Priceless.