Where the hell was I going with this?

The problem with writing every.single.day. or using writing prompts is that inevitably you're going to repeat yourself, unless of course you're one of those amazing awesome mommy bloggers (of which I am not) that talk about real shit all day, like something their lifesuckers (you like that? thank Baby Sideburns, her blog is awesome) have done that's insane, or how they wish they had something to talk about and still manage to make it sound amazing. Again, I am not one of these people. I wish I were. I wish I could say things to make people laugh and want to read what I write. I wish I could have followers. Alas, I do not though and so I guess I'm writing this just for me. I'm ok with this though. It's a record for me. Things for me to look back on. Things for my son to see about his mom. If he reads the good stuff, great. If he reads bad stuff, then even better because he'll know that I was not perfect and never claimed to be. As a matter of fact, one of the reasons I've never tried to do the mommy blog thing is because I can't commit and I'm somewhat negative. I tend to start projects and never finish. I tend to count the negatives in my life, not the positives. I've become bitter and self righteous because of it. I'm unhappy in my life and I know it. Everyone knows it! I want to be happy though. I really do. I want to be more peppy and have more friends and be more outgoing and talk to the other moms on the football field or the basketball court. I want to join the crowd while we watch our kids play. I want to be called up and asked if I want to have lunch or go out for drinks on a Friday night. In order for that to happen though, I think it's going to be me that has to make a change. I have to put myself out there. I have to stop hiding in a hole. I have to be more positive. On that note, being happy, being grateful... here are a few things I know I should be grateful for and I don't show it enough.

1. Keegan (sometimes I push him to the TV or game or to friends because I just want to play on the computer or sleep. This is what my mother did and I always felt like I didn't matter.)

2. Not having to work. (I hate taking care of dad some times because he's stubborn. we're more alike than I want to admit which makes it difficult. but it makes it easier to take Keegan to practices and get dad to and from doctors without worrying about missing work.)

3. Not having many bills. (this comes with the not having to work but it's separate. you can have a job but have little to no bills, it's called being financially stable, but I am 30 with a car and a cell phone and other needs but luckily nothing serious that requires me to need a job which would land dad in a home or with a paid caregiver that we can't afford.)

Sadly that's all I can think of today... I mean, when I first started typing this, I had a list a mile long and I swear as soon as I started putting words on paper, or on the computer rather, my mind just went poof, blank, nothing, nada. RIDICULOUS. I really wish I had some kind of lead I could attach to my head that would read my thoughts and type them up for me. Seriously. I'd have a LOT to say then!

fuck volunteering

I think 2015 should be the year I get out of helping ANYONE and volunteering for anything. I left the AllRecipes AllStars last year because they were getting too…demanding and they were clearly siding with people who had been in the program longer than others. There was some drama on the Facebook page that led to me being told to watch what I post. Basically, people were posting other sites and such they were selling for and these sites were left up there and no one said a word. I posted ONCE and someone had a fit and I told them that I had the right to do what others are doing and it led to ME being reprimanded by those in charge. This wasn’t the first time stuff like this had been done. They were also demanding more and more from us that was costing us more and more money and as volunteers, I felt that we should be compensated a little, free coupon or something but it got to the point where we were told what we had to do and if we had to buy it, it was our problem. As a volunteer, I don’t have to come out of pocket so that a brand can get future recognition and bring in sales. Nope. Not doing it, so I left that at the end of last year. I’m also a sales person for Jamberry now, since October and I don’t like their practices, bullshit corporate responses to actual real questions or the way they’re beginning to do things. Companies that have glitches are supposed to get better over time, not worse. If so, then they need to shut down. Also, with Soldiers’ Angels, they’ve created a new database for us to report the work we do for SA. I understand that this is for them to keep track of current military personnel and support but I think it’s bullshit how they’re doing it. For example, any one of us can select letter writing or card writing requests, report that we did and never actually complete any of it. We also don’t get recognition for anything we do that was once SA related but no longer is. For example, a former SA volunteer still volunteers for her local VA and we send birthday cards every month for her to pass out. We were told we wouldn’t get recognition for recording those hours. I think that’s bullshit. I am indeed a volunteer and not a paid employee. I get that. However, I think volunteers should be recognized for the work they do. We used to be able to put our hours into the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards site and receive recognition once the hours were certified. Now the lady over SA has informed us that she would see what she could do about PVSA but the point of the new database was to prevent the extra step. That’s bullshit because if SA is going to recognize us for our ACTUAL hours then we’re not getting recognized for what we’re actually doing. It doesn’t seem right because we’re giving up our time, free of charge to support those overseas, home suffering or in VA homes or whatnot. It’s only fair to at least receive a piece of paper in the mail saying we did something, which we can file for ourselves. It only seems right. I’m getting sick of all the bureaucracy though.

#FrostyVoxBox from Influenster

I love being able to try new things and who doesn't love FREEBIES!?!?!? This month, I received the #FrostyVoxBox from Influenster with all kinds of amazing products in it! So I've heard of all the brands and even tried some of their products and some I haven't, so it was like early Christmas for me! So, here go the reviews! (yes, I'm posting all my reviews in one post because I'm totally too lazy to create separate posts!)

all the goodies together!

First up is my favorite item in the whole box, just because I love their products and it is........... the EcoTools Full Volume Style Hair Brush. I've used several of their products including a facial sponge and make-up brushes. I love these products because they're made from all natural materials. What I really love about this brush is the vent factor which allows air to go through while you're using it so you can dry faster. It makes getting ready a lot faster and my hair comes out shiny, smooth, and how I want it, FOR ONCE!


The next goody I tried was actually a goody! These Fruit Vines® Bites in cherry flavor are very tasty! They're like a gummy version of licorice. I've never been a huge licorice fan because it's kind of tough to me and way too chewy. I think it's the rubbery texture of the candy. Clearly I'm a minority here because I've been told by my entire family and list of friends that I'm insane, but whatever! :) These are the perfect size and perfect consistency to me though. Delicious! Cherry is also my favorite flavor for ANY candy so these are super tasty to me!



Next up we have makeup goodies! My favorite out of the makeup items, was the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner. This stuff is AMAZING! I have always used another brand of eyeliner that I've loved for years. I'm one of those people that once I find something I like, I don't want to change to something else similar for fear that the product won't stand up to my standards. I LOVE this product though! Today was a ROUGH day for me, and I was beyond stressed. I cried. A lot. I have to get myself together and use some eye drops just for the picture you see below. Well, my eyeliner STAYED. I'm not kidding. No matter how much I wiped or dabbed my eyes, this stuff would NOT come off. Even through medicated eye drops, it didn't come home. This is honestly the first WATERPROOF eyeliner I've tried that is actually WATERPROOF. That brings me to my next review, which isn't so good.

see my eyes still lined all pretty!

This review is for Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. According to the bottle, it will work on waterproof mascara and according to the site, "Gently removes all eye make up, including long lasting & waterproof make up, with no oily residue." I beg to differ. It is gentle. There is no oily residue. I got it in my eye because I'm an idiot and it honestly just felt like water in my eye. However, it didn't remove my Rimmel eyeliner that I'd been wearing all day. This is where my tried and true (other brand) makeup remover actually did the job. I spent about 1-2 minutes with the Rimmel trying to get off the eyeliner and only about 30 seconds and three swipes with the other remover and you can see the difference in this picture. The eye above the nose ring is with Rimmel's remover and the other eye is with the other brand remover. In this case, I'll stick with my tried and true makeup remover.

eye above nose-ring still has liner.... smudged...

If you look in the picture above, you'll also notice my rather pink lips! This too was a freebie to try in the box. It is NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Sugar Plum. Ok. I don't wear lipstick. It's more out of laziness than anything. I don't like to go through colors to find one that suits me and I don't like having to hunt down a compact, a mirror, or a bathroom with a mirror to reapply once it comes off, therefore I just don't bother. I'm a chapstick gal! All the way! Well this particular lipstick is actually something I would wear. It has a nice texture to it. It glides on rather smoothly with no clumping and makes your lips look very soft and smooth. I wasn't crazy about the color though. The name of it, as you can see, is Sugar Plum so yea, it's probably definitely related to the fact that this is a winter themed box. It's not for me though. However, if you click on the link, you'll see there are sooooo many other colors, which does excite me. I will probably actually take the time in store to pick out a color I like. The price tag isn't so bad! For a mere $2, you can have soft, smooth, colorful lips that last! No reapplying every time you talk! That might be a slight over-exaggeration, but that's what it feels like when I usually wear lipstick.


I haven't opened and used the McCormick Gourmet All Natural Thyme yet, but that's because I already have a bottle open in the kitchen!!!! LOL. McCormick is the only brand of herbs and spices you'll find in my kitchen, unless I'm buying fresh. What I love about McCormick spices is that they are natural and really retain their flavor. They don't taste like a bottled spice or a stale spice. You get that fresh flavor. I could buy fresh herbs and dry them out and these bottled herbs would still taste the same! They are full of flavor and last. I do love the fact that I got a bottle for free though! Bottled herbs, especially McCormick, can get rather expensive but they're worth it. You're paying for fresh, natural herbs, as well as convenience and as a mom, caregiver and part time online employee, I'm always looking for convenience.

Speaking of "in-the-kitchen," we have some very tasty Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane® Decaf Green Tea.

This definitely has some holiday flavor to it! I like it though. I'm a peppermint person, especially during the holidays. You can often find me with a candy cane hanging out of my mouth. So I really liked this tea!


Last but not least, because I wasn't sure I wanted to try it, we have No7 Protect & Perfect Intense ADVANCED Serum. I'm not crazy about trying products that say "For more advanced signs of ageing. Younger looking skin in just 2 weeks," if I'm only receiving a sample that only has enough in it for one day. The thing about products like serums, is that they usually take time to work and you have to use them consistently each day to see results. A sample size that only provides enough product for one day usually just leaves your skin feeling some kind of way for one day and the next day your skin is doing funny things. My skin for example, will get super oily the day after I try a new product that has dried my skin out, if I don't continue using that product daily. It overcompensates for the dryness which eventually leads to a breakout. I hate this! I did try it and unfortunately for me, it did what I thought it would. My face was REALLY dry afterwards and once I went back to my regular routine, my face broke out. I'm back to normal now and it could have been because it was a short amount of time to use it, then again, it could have been the serum. I won't use it again but it might work for someone else.