Bucket list-ish

I made this list near the end of June. Once we were somewhat settled in Kansas, I figured I could pass some time during the rest of summer (which I loathe) by checking things off a list. Posting this strictly for posterity to show that I did try to get something accomplished this summer. Here's a post with photos.  The best things we did were probably the baseball games because of the experience aspect. 

1. Go to the pool. We did actually go to the pool a lot. Maybe 8 times? We did not buy a membership since I wasn't sure what use we'd get out of it, but we will buy one next summer.

2. Rabbithole Museum. Yes. The kids liked this and I was glad to check it off the list. 

3. Library card/storytime. Yes, I got a library card almost immediately to the local system and to the on-base library. We went to one storytime last week and will try to go again tomorrow. I don't think it'll happen every week but it's good for Sutton either way. 

4. Independence, KS. I want to go to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum there. It's a few hours away but it's really just too hot right now. Maybe beginning of October-ish? Or over Thanksgiving. We'll see. 

5. Baseball games. We did actually go to a Kansas City Monarchs game and then a Royals game.

6. Walking trails. I have one that we do most days. We found one on base but Scott and I did it by ourselves and then there's one that a few minutes' drive away. So technically three. But the dead heat of summer is not, admittedly, the best time to walk in the woods. The fact that we've been logging a couple of miles a day is a huge victory though, after not walking for months on end. 

7. Coffee/read on porch. No. Maybe in October.

8. Plant flowers. Yes, I did this. It took a shockingly short amount of time. We also planted grass in the backyard because we have a lot of mud and poor drainage.

9. Scheel's. Yes, we did this. We went 5 years ago and took my parents there as something to do. It's a neat store if you have the time to look around.

10. Zoo. No. End of September sounds perfect for walking around the zoo. 

*Bonus: We also went to Wonderscope and that was better and more fun than the Rabbithole Museum. Very much recommend!*

Summer Skincare

You know, we used to just call it facewash. But now it's "skincare". I'm pretty sure I made it to age 27 without using any product other than Clearasil and Olay moisturizer. Just kidding. I used Pro-Activ. 

I'm not delusional because no one has asked but..where do you think I learn about different products? Literally only from blogs and instagram. I will say, the cheaper items here I randomly just picked up at Walmart. 

1. Adel Blue Lagoon Cleanse. I do this cleanse at night only, and usually use it in the shower. Oil cleansing is so good for your skin so I wish I would've tried it years ago when I was in the dry, flaky phase of hormone-induced acne. 

2. Adel Essential Moisturize. This is an oil. I mix one (1) drop of it with a neutral moisturizer to put on at night, after cleansing. It has a great smell. I recently used up all of my La Roche Posay moisturizer but that's what I'd been using with this oil for the last few months. 

3. elf Holy Hydration moisturizer. To replace the moisturizer I ran out of, I grabbed this at Walmart. It's better than the La Roche Posay so I highly, highly recommend it. I just add a drop of the Adel Essential Moisturize to it. 

4. Arbonne Foaming Gel Cleanser I grabbed this as a "free" gift from Arbonne (nothing is ever free from an MLM) but it's an amazing cleanser. It's also totally worth it for around $30. I use it in the morning. Not drying at all! 

5. By Nature Vitamin C Serum And this is the $14 moisturizing-ish serum I won't stop talking about. This is the best product I've found in the last two years. I cannot believe I used to buy uber-expensive products from Beauty Counter (oh, sorry, Counter) and this is so much better for like 1/7th of the cost. 

Are there any holy grail products I'm missing here? I posted summer make-up last week. 

Summer Make-Up

This is it! 

Maybelline 4-in-1 - This is a lot lighter than regular concealer. It's a nice change. It's not going to cover those dark circles that well, but it's going to be a lot lighter feeling and give a smoother look. Mine is 01-Light. I use a foundation brush to spread this out once I use the sponge to put it on. 

Elf Halo Glow powder - My second container of this powder. I love it. I have the Light but I'm never sure if I should go with the Light Pink for the undertones. Maybe I should get my colors done? 
But this is better than Bare Minerals*, by far, and also better than Adel. It's just lighter feeling and blurs better and I really like that in the summer. I use a big fluffy powder brush for this. 

*Bare Minerals does have SPF in it but you can apply that in other ways.

Liquid eyeliner is my preference and I like this one. 

Lash Princess is the best-kept secret in mascara. I don't understand why everyone isn't using it. 

And while I love my powdered Urban Decay eye palettes..not in the summer. I have this Julep shadow stick if I really want something on my lids. Plus, this is perfect for traveling. Very simple and no cases or brushes. 

Bonus: This is the SPF I'm using this year. Basically my goal was "cheaper than Goop" and I really like Goop. But the Elf tinted SPF is great.

And then this setting spray. I love a good setting spray, but I found this on sale at Walmart and couldn't pass it up. 

What is your favorite summer make-up product???

Friday recommendations 5/30

 The first Friday of summer. I've honestly been busier this week than I was last week. Water fills the space it's given and I do this awful thing where I fill up all my time with stuff if the space is given.

1. e.l.f Whoa Glow

I did not want to buy the SuperGoop Unseen Sunscreen this year because it's expensive. I generally have luck with e.l.f. products so I tried this. So good! It's works, it's less than $15 and it doubles as primer so I will just put this on to give a smoother look either under makeup or by itself. I have some very sensitive skin when it comes to cheap products (can't wear covergirl at all) and this works for me. 

2. We just finished Pulse on Netflix. It's good enough to binge. The main character is kind of annoying but when it comes to a medical drama, I liked it. Definitely similar to The Pitt but as someone who is not a fan of Grey's Anatomy, I'm picky about hospital shows. Then we started rewatching The Resident just because I like it. 

3. Just Ingredients Probiotic Complex. Scott bought this at...Scheel's? Maybe? I don't know? He goes to shooting competitions, stops at sporting goods stores (as you do) and comes home with random things...

It's amazing. Absolutely worth the price. It tastes like a tall glass of iced tea, believe it or not. Wells thought it was iced tea. I generally look for supplements for myself that aren't to solve issues but to elevate my health. I feel like I'm at a good starting point with no real problems but could always be better if that makes sense. I was taking the Arbonne Green Synergy pre/probiotic for months; this is better at like 1/3 the price. 

We also have their magnesium drink and their electrolytes (use in place of gatorade!). The mag drink will give you the best sleep ever. I was sick a few weeks ago and would mix the strawberry limeaide electrolytes powder in my water bottle at school. 

Keep it simple: EOY

*EOY is teacher lingo for end-of-year. BOY is beginning-of-year. MOY is middle...you get it.

Don't overcomplicate it. 

Teacher gifts: Last year, I went all out with cute little gifts of a glass iced coffee cup or whatever. They were a flat-out hassle to deliver and the one I kept for myself shattered and broke, so....

This year, Sutton had 3 teachers and Wells had one. Four Starbucks giftcards it was and a handwritten thank-you note for each. *As a teacher*, the cute stuff indeed looks cute but is rarely useful or worth hanging onto. I still remember the kids who gave me giftcards over the years because the practical efficiency of their parents stuck with me. Every single person, even if you hate Starbucks, will use a Starbucks giftcard. Sorry, but it's the truth. Although a kid did give me a nice notebook, and another gave me neat post-its and some great pens. That's always appreciated!

Birthdays: Wells got to take in a treat because he has a summer birthday. I could've panicked and tried to custom-order something because that's my tendency; then he told me he wanted cookies and then he told me he wanted donuts and then he told me he wanted cookies AND cupcakes and the kids would have to "make a hard decision" and I said no... then he didn't want to go to Walmart and told me to get donuts and that's what I got and it actually doesn't matter. It's what he wanted.

Student gifts: In the past, I've really hemmed and hawed over the perfect end of year activities or gifts for my class. This year, for field day, I ordered us some gear from Amazon. That was it. They don't want fancy stuff. Kids, honestly, want experiences. So sunglasses, eye stickers, headbands, and wristbands to go with our pink shirts it was!

Speaking of field day, it's A Thing here. I don't like organized fun so I put off the mile-long list of tasks required of me for my class to participate. I picked the color myself*, they picked our team name, and then I decorated the flag myself at home. 

*I wanted forest green. Then I was told it wouldn't be good with the black font because the writing on the shirts wouldn't be visible. I had about 2 hours in the middle of the school day to pick a new color. 

Summer activities: Speaking of overcomplicating...my pet peeve this time of year is the parents who put their kids in camps all summer long. In Missouri, summer school is a legit summer camp-style activity and it takes up all of June. Anyone can attend. But in other places, I've noticed parents are putting their kids into camps or spending $$$$ to send them off to camp and/or trying to figure out the logistics of having a place to send their kid every day lest they have nothing ("nothing") to do at home. Most of these are working parents, so I get that. But did anyone ever consider just hiring a babysitter? Having someone come to your house each day or dropping your kids off at a reputable sitter has to be 1/2 the cost of the camps. I babysat in the summer and one year I watched a toddler for $23 a day (which is what the mom paid for daycare the other two days of the week I didn't watch her) and, funnily enough, I babysat a toddler and an infant a few years later for $20 a day a few days a week, which was so below what I was worth and really speaks to what people are willing to pay for childcare if they can get away with it (but that's none of my business, I suppose :). (In either case, I had no business babysitting small children with my zero experience being around babies lol.)

All that to say, pay a teenager $60 a day to come to your house and care for your school-age kids for a few weeks out of the summer if it's about the childcare (you know, and not about organizing every second of your kids' lives and making sure they have More Fun Than Anyone Else.)

Do you have any other tricks to make the EOY and BOS (beginning of summer) uncomplicated? This is just my experience and realizations after many years of this. 

Things I will miss about summer: An exhaustive list

I went back to work, officially, yesterday, so it's time for a post of deep reflection.

What I will miss about summer (as a teacher):

Grocery shopping whenever I want. Not just doing pick-up at 4pm on a Thursday (my go-to strategy last year) or going on the weekend. Honestly, I could survive through the week just fine without a second grocery trip but if we ever run out of milk, Sutton might revolt (for real, not just her normal revolutionary behavior) so I have to plan second trips carefully. 

Going for walks outdoors in the middle of the day. Actually, no. I can't do that. It's too hot. But in summers past, I've been able to do that. Not since living in MO, though.

Going to the bathroom whenever I want. Something only a teacher can say. 

Napping on a weekday.

Staying up til 11pm with mild regret (because my kids get up at 6am on a good day in the summer) instead of immense regret, because I have to get up at 5am to get ready for work. 

.....

and that concludes our list!

(Seriously, that's it. I do not like summer. It's fun for two weeks before it gets really hot and then it's just a run out the clock situation. I start doing things like deep-cleaning, purging closets, re-arranging furniture, and repainting walls and trim out of the sheer need to feel progress. I remember doing this in Colorado when it was so hot that you couldn't go outside during the day.)

Fashion Files: Instagram shopping

I do a lot of my clothes shopping from Instagram. I guess you could say I'm easily influenced but honestly the algorithm just knows me really well; I've had Facebook since 2005 and Instagram since 2011. 

I keep, basically, a full shopping cart at jcrewfactory.com and then I just wait for holiday sales. 

I've also had whole DM exchanges with Stitchfix over how you can see an outfit you like, but there's no way to actually buy it. Clicking "learn more" just leads you to signing up for a box (not always a bad thing!) but you can't get to the clothing item you originally wanted. There's no physical way to find it. So I have definitely contacted them asking what a particular piece is and where I can get it. 

(Do I ever follow up? No, I don't.)

All of this, I would definitely wear: 

^^This is the dress I wanted badly enough to contact them about. It retails for like $200 so that was a hard pass. 

I'm actually trying to not buy any work-related clothing this summer. I have until August to worry about that. 

I got myself a romper, and some graphic tees and I tried two pairs of Tevas and a pair of Reefs and disliked them all, so I'm just wearing last summer's sandals which are like a Teva/Madewell hybrid. Obviously they were so great that they don't exist anymore, so no link. 

Of course, most days, I wear pull-on shorts and t-shirts in the summer. Sometimes a tank. Summer dress-up clothes are the nicest of all the seasons but it's hard to care when you're on summer break and it's a million degrees out.

Do you shop on Instagram???

Linking up with Fashion Files! 

Good riddance, Summer 2021

It's past Labor Day and we can happily say good-bye to one of the harder summers I've experienced. We started with a full DITY move that began when we bought our house right before Mother's Day and ended when we returned from Pennsylvania and did a full clean-out of our Kansas rental the last weekend in June. 

There was nothing easy about it. I speak for myself, but Scott carried an even heavier burden. But for real: some of it has been ugly. 

We did some DIY in the new house and we never, I swear, even had a chance at getting actually unpacked. Scott started work in Missouri around June 28, after only having 9 days off after graduating his Kansas course. That 9 days was spent driving to and from Pennsylvania and cleaning out the house in Kansas so we could hand over the keys. 

Come July, we had furniture at least. 

We celebrated Wells' birthday and we did what we could around the place (we bought it with the intention of fixing it up, remember?) and Scott prepped to leave for 5 weeks away. 

Meanwhile, Scott's father was in hospice care and we were trying to navigate being responsible for that from multiple states away.  Scott now entirely owns his dad's house and property instead of just half of it as he did before, so there's been a lot more to it than *just* losing a parent to a long illness. I do feel like Scott has the weight of the world on his shoulders with this because he's just on his own. I never thought I'd want to live in PA again (i do not, btw), but I'd love to be in Pittsburgh *this* year because maybe we could get some of this sorted. It's really hard when *you* are responsible for something and have to live states away for your job and you work 15 hour days and vacation days aren't a thing and ...I could go on and on.

Come August, we were hit with heat wave after humidity wave after heat wave. Scott's father passed away and, really, here's the list of everything that went wrong just that week. 

Honestly, August wasn't much better. There's even more to the story that I'll get to eventually here. But my mom came out for 3 weeks and took over caring for Wells so I could take care of random tasks that I can't do with him by my side. Like going to work, 

Wells did start preschool and that was a success. 

i don't have a lot of hope for school pics

School is going well enough.

Scott is here now at this exact moment and not away on some sort of deployment (for now...this is not a given so I'm trying to just go with it.)

The weather is cooling off (eh, kinda). 

How about you? How was summer? I was, clearly, not a fan. 

Long live #fall. 

A weekend of new things.

An exciting start to Friday night... ^^

I am struggling right now with finding a show. Scott has been watching Norsemen, which is funny enough but I want an actual show to get invested in. He loves movies and I generally don't. Since I can't find a show to watch (is there a greater 2020 marriage issue than "pick a show..no you pick a show...no you..fine"?), he just picked movies all weekend. 

We watched most of The Lost Husband. It wasn't great. I was bothered by the kitchen set the most. It looked like something out of a high school play. 

Saturday, we went to Cricket Wireless. I'll preface with a story: Scott hates the big phone companies. The $30-40 in taxes and surcharges, the contracts, the pay-off-your-phone each month...he can rant about it all. In fact, he had a wireless phone for a good two years (a phone that only works where there is a wi-fi signal) and he loved it. He bought the phone for $100 or whatever, and paid less than $10 a month. He even had a hotspot little hockey puck he could carry around with him if the signal was sketchy when he was hunting or something. He did go back to Verizon a few years ago and has gone through probably four android phones since. Last year, he canceled that account and switched to Cricket because he wanted a new number. His Verizon number had been previously owned by a woman who died of kidney failure due to drug use and she had a lot of debt collectors calling her (I cannot make this up). 

He was so pleased with Cricket that he's been trying to get me to switch too. You just buy the phone. You don't have a fancy contract to deal with and Cricket runs off of AT&T's towers. 

Last week, he pulled out the big guns: he would just buy me the iPhone 11 if I canceled the Verizon account. I said I would switch only if I keep my number. 

Wells was shockingly well-behaved.

So we went to Cricket and two. hours. later, I had a new phone and we have a quite low bill each month now. I am very curious about those who upgrade to the newest Apple products the second they're released each year or so...how does one afford that? I had an iPhone 4 (Los Angeles on vacation), a 5C (Missouri), a 6 (Colorado Springs), and an 8 (Laramie). That was over a 9 year timespan. 

Saturday night, we watched The Peanut Butter Falcon. Super good and heartwarming. Really recommend. I feel like they never make movies like this anymore. Then Scott watched Spare Parts after I went to bed, and said it was really good. 

On Sunday, Scott took both dogs and the two-year-old out to scout hunting spots. 

We made the leap and got a second carseat. This was a big step for me, personally. I can count the number of times Scott has taken Wells somewhere by himself on one hand. This is a "me" issue and not a Scott issue. But we said that when we got to Kansas, and when Scott wasn't doing construction work every weekend and had room in his truck (more on this at a later date), we would get another carseat and he and Wells would start going places together. The only other two times this has happened, that I can remember, I had near panic attacks. At this point, he's more than two years old and I feel okay. 

I finished a book and gave myself a pedicure. Two things I cannot do when Wells is running around. 

Then I made the world's ugliest chicken pot pie for dinner but it did taste good.

Not as basic as White Claw, but close. 

And we played with my new phone for a bit. 

He ate absolutely none of that chicken pot pie, by the way. 

Sunday night, we watched Pan, which I kind of enjoyed. It had terrible reviews, but I thought it was pretty inventive. 

Two more weekends until September and then...maybe some fall weather? 

Is there a show you're loving lately? It's slightly insane that we have streaming access to probably millions of shows, yet can't find a thing to watch. 

Summer Wknd something-or-other

 Is summer over yet? I think we're all ready for a bit of fall. I was thinking yesterday how much we all likely despise the months of January through March. For me, throw in April, May is okay. December and November are also depressing as heck if you live in the northeast and...well, this year is weird. August is usually my favorite month with back-to-school but since I'm not going back to school and since back-to-school looks odd this year...maybe we just move onto September and call it good. 

He found the pile of duck decoys and put them in the water.

The swimming pond on our property.

Other than that, it was hot and humid. This was a hazy downpour at sunset:

I started a new book.

 I went to the Class 6 and the commissary and felt like I was home. I'm pretty sure every army base even smells the same. Due to Covid, I don't know how much time we'll get to spend on base, but I really miss army bases so this move was the best possible thing for me. 

And I came up with a mocktail recipe. Just because we live close to a Sonic now doesn't mean I need a cherry limeaide every time I think of it. This is lime La Croix, fresh lime, and jarred cherries.

(This jar of cherries was leftover/unused in the pantry from the limeaide at Wells' first birthday party. Waste not.)