My Secret Identity.

Recently at work, I think people have uncovered the truth.  I have a secret identity.  Sure, most people think I am a mild mannered yet more or less stylish mom blogger.  But at work I am a super hero, sometimes known as Super Sparkle!  I imagine it may be hard to recognize me in either form so here are a few ways to figure out which identity I am rocking:

 

MOM BLOGGER

Also known as:  Skinny Jeans & Yoga Pants

Can be found:

Watching nerdy shows in the SyFy channel

Trying to convince her kids to play Crazy 8s or other card games with her

Surfing Pinterest to avoid doing any real work or blogging

Can be identified by:

The glass of wine in her hand

Two little girls who clearly dressed themselves attached at her hip

The yoga pants, sequined slippers, and a lack of makeup except mascara

 

SUPER HERO

Also known as:  Super Sparkle

Can be found: 

Fighting the evil of blingy and ill-fitting denim

Making other moms look and feel hot

Accessorizing outfits with a single  scarf…or necklaces….earrings…bracelets….

Can be identified by:

Sparkly accessories, makeup, tank tops, basically anything shiny

Skinny jeans and a wedge or heel of some sort.

Her ability to get herself and two squirrely little girls ready for a big event in an hour or less

 

 

Maxi Dress by Lily (similar here)

Denim jacket by Gap (similar here)

Sparkle scarf from Hot Mama 

Earrings by Stella & Dot (similar here)

Bracelets from Sundar Imports

Shoes by Me Too (similar here)

 

Why yes, I am a huge geek.  Wait until I start posting about Comic Con in July….

Counting My Blessings.

Last night was a gorgeous, spring night.  I had one of my besties over for dinner, we enjoyed the nice weather, and I relaxed for the rest of the evening before falling asleep with the windows open to let in the fresh air.  At four o’clock in the morning, I was woken by the sound of sirens.  The sirens were long and loud.  I couldn’t figure out what was going on but I went back to sleep.  At five thirty, I was woken by the sound of my cell phone ringing.  Since no one ever calls at that time, I assumed it was an emergency and jumped out of bed.  Of course, a fifty pound brown dog was snoring on top of me and it slightly hindered my leap for the phone.  When I reached the phone, I was shocked to see the missed call was from my daughter’s school.  You can imagine my shock to listen to a message from our superintendant stating school was cancelled due to a fire at the elementary school.  The early morning sirens suddenly made sense.  Unfortunately, nothing else did.

Rumors and questions began to fly amongst the parents of students at Saint Croix Central Elementary School.  What happened?  Was it intentional or accidental?  Did anyone get hurt?  We are all scared, confused, and wondering how could this happen in such a small community like ours.  This town is hardly big enough for a stoplight (although we just got our first by the highway exit!), yet we have been hit by a tragedy like this.  As the day progressed, we have learned that no one was hurt, save for a few brave firefighters suffering from dehydration, there has been extensive damage to our library (a favorite place of all the kids), and to the front office.  This is even more tragic because our principal, Mr. Sanders, was retiring at the end of the year after 29 years at our school.  What a send off for this amazing educator.

Equally confusing, is what will happen next.  Classes have been cancelled for the rest of the week.  Our educators are currently struggling to figure out how to resume classes for over six hundred students, grades kindergarten through 4th.

As this crazy day starts to come to a close, I am taking some time to reflect on my blessings today.  They are many and they keep pouring in.  So here are some of the top blessings I have found over the course of the day.

1. My children are safe.  Actually, all the children are safe, as are the teachers, the staff, the firemen, the first responders… you name it.  We were blessed that this was not an even bigger tragedy which resulted in loss of life, limb, or innocence.
2. We live in a strong, supportive community.  Today showed me the strength of the community in which I live. The fire at the school was fought by volunteer firefighters from several different communities.  Businesses were offering crews for clean up, starting book drives, giving discounts to help with donations.
3. I have great friends and family.  I have never received so much love, support, and offers to help as I have today.  And it isn’t even me they are helping, it is my community.  Every few minutes someone new does or offers something which brings me to tears.  I have received offers to help with the local book drive from blogger besties in other states and my dirty book club members (also bloggers).  A friend of mine in Illinois is even donating 15% of her store’s sales on Saturday, May 11 to the school.  She isn’t from my community, has never been here but feels the need to give something to others. 

Now since I don’t want this blog post to get long and rambling, I will stop at three blessings.  However, I do recognize many more blessings before me and will keep saying a prayer of thanks for each and every one.  Although it is hard to remember, please do not wait for a special occasion to do the same in your life.

 

Interested in helping support the St. Croix Central Elementary School recovery? 

Here are some ways you can contribute:

SCC Library Book Drive

Agave Kitchen in Hudson, Wisconsin, has started a book drive to help restock the library.  The book drive will continue until the school tells them to stop.  We will be in need of books geared towards kindergarten through 4th grade, as well as reference books and periodicals.  Books can be dropped off at or mailed to:  Agave Kitchen, 501 2nd Street, Hudson, WI.  54016

Chapter2Books, also in Hudson, Wisconsin, has offered a 20% discount on all books purchased at their shop to be donated to the book drive.  You can purchase books at the store, located at 442 2nd St or over the phone by calling (715) 220-8818 (ask for Brian). 

 

Wear Did U Get That

Stephanie Ormsby, owner of Wear Did U Get That in Crystal Lake, Illinois, will be donating 15% of her store’s sales on Saturday, May 11th to SCC Elementary School.  Wear Did U Get That is located at 66 N, Williams St. in Crystal Lake, Illinois.  Please call Stephanie at (815) 455-7500 with questions.

 

 

A huge thank  you to all businesses and individuals for supporting our community.

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Thong Song.

This morning Littlest lifted up the back of my dress.  (It was super fun and empowering for me, by the way….)

Conversation following:

Littlest:  Mom, you aren’t wearing any underwear.  I can see your butt.

SJ&YP:  Mommy is wearing underpants.  See?  (Lifting up the side of my dress to show my undies)

Littlest:   Oh…..

 

Now, I could sense the confusion in her, as if I couldn’t see it on her face.  Littlest, who has seen me in my undies a thousand times, has never registered the fact that Mommy wears a thong.  Now, how do you explain what a thong is to a four year old?  In my head, this conversation ends with Littlest hiking her Hello Kitty undies up her butt crack and announcing to the entire daycare that she wears her undies like her mother.  Yup, super fun.  I can see it now.

There are some things you are just not prepared for with motherhood.  Most of them relate to sex or weird body things.  I never thought my selection of underpants would be included in this category.  Maybe I should have know.  The first time that my kidlets decided to humiliate me was in the frozen foods section of Trader Joes, when they lifted my  skirt up and flashed my rear to the entire aisle.  This should have been my warning that a wearing a thong with small children was  a bad idea.  Thankfully, that day the aisle was filled with women who were most likely moms, based on their “oh that sucks” responses.

So now what?  How do you explain a thong to a kid?  Why does Mommy like to wear such strange and seemingly uncomfortable undies (which in reality are not bad at all)?  I have no clue.  I don’t think I ever will.  Let me know if you have any suggestions on this one.  Seriously.

Now I have no idea how to add an appropriate picture to this post, I thought I might try something kind of inappropriate.  Since this song has always made me giggle, here you go.  Enjoy.  Again, let me know if you have any ideas how to handle this one.

 

I would add the link for “Top Mommy Blogs” but it just seems wrong….

Don’t Roll in the Doritos – A Guide to Self Tanner Success

Many years ago, I worshiped the sun.  I spent my summers at the beach, frying my delicate skin to a dark crisp.  I recall using items like baby oil to get myself even more tan.  Now that I am older, I am starting to fight that never ending battle against aging.  My biggest fear is getting those deep-set wrinkles that don’t ever go away.  Unfortunately, I am white.  I don’t mean porcelain, pretty French girl white.  I mean hospice patient, hasn’t seen the sun ever white.  But that is not any secret.  If you have seen any photos of me on the blog lately you know this.  My real secret is that I never tan.  I am horrible at it.  I don’t turn a lovely brown shade, I turn a weird shade of red (yes, even non-sunburned).  So why bother?  I will just end up like a scarlet colored alligator handbag!

Like everyone else, I just want to look bronzed and healthy.  So how can I get there without becoming said handbag?  By using self tanner.  Now, there are a lot of ways to do this:  spray tan, air brushing or DIY lotions.  I have never had luck with the spray tans, always walking away with spots I missed blotting.  I love air brushing, but it can get pricey if you do it enough.  So, I find myself, summer after summer, rubbing on my own golden bronze color. 

Now, I get a lot of questions about how I do it, since it is not easy at first. There is always the risk of turning orange or looking like someone who just stepped out of a Jersey Shore episode.   But after several years, I find myself bronzing with ease, not even having to think about the steps I take anymore.  Like anything else, practice makes perfect.  So here are my tips for being a successful self tanner.  I hope they make your self tanning journey golden. 

• Don’t drink wine (or any other alcohol) first.  I learned this lesson the hard way.  Two years ago, I thought it would be a good idea to apply self tanner after enjoying a glass (or more) of wine.  It was not a good idea.  Thank God for maxi dresses, because I had streaks and hand prints all over my legs.  I was lucky my upper body remained mostly normal.  My co-workers thought it was hi-larious. Ok, it really was.  God bless the maxi-dress is all I am saying.
• Do it at night.  Yes, most tanners say “Apply me and you can go on with your day in 15 minutes.”  I say “Shenanigans.”  Apply your tanner before bed, sleep in a long sleeved shirt with long sleeved pants you don’t care about getting junky.  Some of the tanner will rub off on them.  You will also see it running off your body in the shower the next morning.  Don’t freak out by the brown water.  Your tan is not washing away, just some of the extra residue. 
• Put on gloves.  Seems common sense right?  If you want to avoid orange palms, put on latex gloves.  You can purchase them super cheap at Target and one box will last a while.  I never suffer from discolored palms.  Second tip:  Put a small dollop of tanner on the back of one hand after removing the gloves and rub your hands together, getting between the fingers, etc.  Do not forget to occasionally bend your knuckles when rubbing to avoid weird white spots on your hands.
• Moisturize.  A lot.  Again, seems common sense right?  If you want an uneven tan which rubs off in weird patches, skip moisturizing.  If you want a tan that lasts longer and is more even?  Moisturize.  Important note:  do not moisturize immediately prior to applying self tanner, except in dry areas you do not want to absorb too much tanner.  Examples of these places are the knees, elbows, and the back of your ankles.  Remember to use the lotion sparingly and just on the driest areas.
• Exfoliate.  A lot.  This is a similar tip to the one above.  This helps your tan apply and fade more evenly.  I try to exfoliate a couple of times before applying my first coat of tanner and again a couple days after.  Some products I use for exfoliating are body scrubs, either homemade or store bought, a loofah, and a nail brush.  These will all come in handy before and after applying tanner. 
• Use high quality products.  I cannot stress this enough.  Use a good product.  Yes it will cost you some money, but this is one of the biggest things which makes a difference between rolling in Doritos and looking sun kissed.  High quality products will look bronze not orange.  The better self tanners will also wear off more evenly, in most cases without simply rubbing against your skin (like some Jergens products which shall not be named).  My favorite is Xen-Tan Dark Absolute Luxe.  It has a great olive undertone which avoids the Dorito color often seen in self tanners.  I have friends and family who swear by St. Tropez tanning products as well.
• Practice follow up care.  Continue to exfoliate and moisturize.  This will help to ensure your tan fades evenly and smoothly, as well as makes reapplication a snap.  I usually wait a day or two after application to exfoliate again.  If you use a body scrub that moisturizes (like a homemade scrub with coconut oil), that is very helpful.
• Bring in back up.  I am not a contortionist.  I cannot reach my back.  Hubby is my designated back up tanner.  He graciously dons the gloves and helps a wifey out.  I have also used friends and family to get my hard to reach places.  There are tips and tricks to getting your back done solo, but I don’t trust myself to be successful at that. 
• Seriously, don’t drink wine first.  I cannot stress this enough.  Feel free to get crazy afterwards. 
• Don’t let your kids catch you.  There is nothing worse than standing naked in your bathroom, wearing gloves, rubbing yourself down and having your child walk in on you.  I think Biggest may now be traumatized.  Either that or she is spending the rest of her night questioning my sanity.

Now go forth and bronze!

 

Behind the Scenes at Sundar Imports

Last night while playing dress up at Sundar Imports, I was lucky enough to take it one step further.   I actually got to sit down and have a long conversation with Becky, one of the founders of Sundar Imports, about their business.  Unfortunately, I was not able to meet with both founders, as Stefani was home with kidlets of her own. 

Normally, I am not an interview person, but thankfully, Becky isn’t used to sitting down for interviews and we had wine.  During our actual interview, we covered a myriad of topics, whispered ominously into my cell phone while it recorded, created a SJ&YP radio ad, and generally got distracted by anything shiny in our line of sight.  Somehow, I managed to wrangle our conversation into a format in which you will possibly be able to follow.   I was amazed by their story and hope you will be too.

SJ&YP:  How did you get started with doing Sundar Imports? 

SI:  We found the frill pants, and we fell in love with them.  They were fair trade and that was kind of cool.  Over a bottle of wine, we thought “How cool would it be to sell these pants.  Would anyone buy them?”  We originally thought it would be trunk shows.  Then we started searching information about becoming a vendor for these pants from Nepal.  We had our launch party on Leap Day with only pants at Becky’s house.  Our friends would ask, “Do you have any tops?”  And we would say, “No, sorry, just pants.”  Friends were so supportive and telling us they would have a trunk show.  It just spiraled from there.

SJ&YP:  How does your current business align with your original vision?

SI:  When we started it was all fair trade.  But then we would find a cool product that was from Texas, for example, that was fairly made.  Then we became a fair trade/fairly made boutique.  We loved the made in the USA products.  Then we expanded to supporting local products.  So now we are a fair trade-fairly made ecoconcious boutique.  We don’t see it expanding beyond that.  The name Sundar Imports comes from the pants being made in Nepal.  We started searching Nepali names.  Sundar means “beautiful” in Nepali and we liked the idea of “beautiful imports” and that will not change.

SJ&YP:  What has surprised you the most?

SI:  Probably the support.  From two girls who had forty of our best friends from one house to the next house, our budget was low and now we have a line out the door by our sixth sale. It is overwhelming to know people make plans to wait outside!  And people are so understanding that sometimes the lines are long, we might make mistakes, there could be craziness, but people are still supporting that and supporting us.  It is also cool to build the relationships with the vendors knowing who is making the scarf or seeing a hand written card stating what made this possible for that woman to produce product.  There are stories behind it all and you are supporting women all over the world.  It is very powerful to support those women as well.

SJ&YP:  So where are you girls going in the future?

SI:  Million dollar question!  If you were to ask us a year ago, we would have said we would be in your living room with a trunk of pants.  We just kind of roll with it, taking it sale by sale.  We would love to have a traveling trunk show, having friends all over Wisconsin who are requesting it.  We get requests for a website, and that has been a fleeting thought too.  It is hard because we are two completely different personalities and this isn’t our fulltime job.  We say our vision was and is two girls with a brighter vision for making the world a little bit better. 

SJ&YP:  How do you pick the organizations you donate to and how did it become a part of your business model?

SI:  It might have been over a salad or a glass of wine that we thought “wouldn’t it be cool to have a sale and then donate things?”  We started question how do we give back. We love to highlight local non-profits that people might not know about. We research organizations the same way we research new product lines. Our first donation was Turning Point and that was found by researching local non-profits.  We will never forget the woman with Turning Point who said we might have people in the room who acted like they had never heard of them but had already been touched by Turning Point.  It was so powerful.  When we donated to the Hudson Food Shelf last December, they had no idea they were coming and couldn’t believe we were dropping the check off for them.  We don’t donate for the publicity so when we get it, it feels odd.   We are just happy to be giving money that is from not just us, but from everybody.

SJ&YP:  Everyday of your life, what gets you excited, motivates you, makes you happy?

SI:    Brown paper packages tied up with string (small town touches, like a note from the post office in my hometown), a sign from my daughter’s kindergarten class on birthday along with eighteen hugs,  my niece sitting in my lap while I blew out my birthday candles.  I think as you get older, it changes.  I just want to be with my family. I am very corny.  I love my husband.  Does he drive me bananas?  Yes, but he is a good guy!   (SJ&YP note:  According to Tyann, Becky’s bestie and a Sundar Imports staple, Becky is also born to bring joy to everyone everyday.  Even the Starbucks lady in town knows her order and she is amazed at how Becky spreads joy.)

 

So if you haven’t already, take some time to check out Sundar Imports. 

I know you will be glad you did. 

I Played Dress Up at Sundar Imports.

Ok, when it it comes to fun, I am like a five year old.  There is nothing I love more than a good game of dress up.  This is one of the reasons I love working where I do.  I get to dress up all day long.  Now, one of the perks of being a blogger is begging for favors.  Since a new Sundar Imports pop up shop was looming this weekend, I begged for an early admission.  Thankfully, the ladies were feeling generous towards a nut like me and let me in early for a sneak peek.  Score! 

Now, this time around, the girls at Sundar Imports have all the favorites from past shops.  They will be bringing back the frill pants and frill hoodie, which they are now famous for.  However, there is a whole slew of new products which I am massively excited about.  This time around, the girls at Sundar will be featuring lots of new lines like LaLa Red, Thread for Thought, and Andean Collection, some of which you may find at several other large retailers, such as Nordstrom, Antrhopologie and Garnet Hill.  Um…..hello, fabulousness!

Originally, my plan was to go to Sundar and have the girls model a few outfits for me, keeping myself off the camera. Naturally, once I got there (and the wine came out) plans changed.  I let the girls convince me to try the clothes on for the camera.  After a couple glasses of cabernet, it wasn’t hard to do, even with my lack of self tanner (it is coming soon!) or my favorite pair of leg lengthening wedges.  So here are a few of the newest jems from Sundar Imports for a sneak peek at this weekend’s pop up shop!

Outfit 1:  I loved this dress.  What the photo does not show is the color blocking on the back.  It was a toss up to show that or the cute pleating in the front.  The dress itself was uber comfy and I felt very put together in it.  All I was missing was a great pair of wedges to add to my look!

Dress by Greenola

Izzy Necklace by Andean Collection

Riven Bracelet by Andean Collection

Talin Bracelet by Andean Collection 

 

Outfit 2:  When I threw on the cute hi-low dress (which came in a maxi version too!), I was in love.  It was super comfy, which is always a win for me, but also very pulled together.  I loved the inner liner, keeping me from feeling exposed.  All I needed was a great denim jacket and nude flats to hit Target for running errands or drinks with my girls.  Well, that and it to not be snowing right now….

Shore By Dress by Thread for Thought

Floral Tote by Mar Ysol

Rosette Headband by Maddie Rae of Light

Convertible Scarf by Foat Design

 

Outfit 3:   OK, This photo might not even do justice to this dress.  It was amazing!  My scary places were well camouflaged, the dress hit a a great place on my leg (yay, no hemming!), and the shape really maximized my figure, curves and all.  I kinda felt hot.  Just a little bit…..

Tier Dress by Synergy

Acai Bead Necklace by Andean Collection

Stoney Bead Bracelet by Global Mamas

Agra Bangle by Mata

Recycled Paper Necklace by 31 Bits

 

So if you are in the local  Hudson, Wisconsin area this weekend, stop by 226 Locust street to check out all the goodies from Sundar Imports.  Trust me, you will be glad you did. 

How I Met Your Father.

Nine years ago today, I got married.  Can you believe it?  I know you are asking yourself, “Was she a child bride?  She can’t be more than 25 years old!”  Well, it is true, Hubby and I are celebrating nine years of wedded bliss today.  (Cue the “awwwwwwwww” sounds now).  Honestly, I am shocked that he has put up with me and my shenanigans for as long as he has.  The man has the patience of a saint.  It has to have gotten even crazier since we had Biggest and Littlest, who are usually smaller versions of me.

I occasionally mention snippets about Hubby in the blog.  I don’t talk about him overly much, mostly because he actually reads the blog and I don’t want to tick him off too much.  Well, this is one time I am going to take that risk, because I think we are in need of some advice.  Someday, when our kidlets get older, they are going to ask one or both of us the question, “How did you guys meet?” and I am not sure how we are going to answer that.  I don’t think I come off well in that story.

Flashback thirteen years ago.  A younger version of me was on a trip to Las Vegas with a few friends.  I think I was looking pretty good in my Betsy Johnson cropped top and khaki cargo miniskirt that night. Again, it was thirteen years ago, so don’t judge.  And yes, I was able to pull that look off a long time ago.  Very long time ago.  Pre-kids, pre-thirties, pre-everything.  Now imagine me, having a good time, doing what I do best…..dancing on a speaker at a club in Vegas.  Yes, I was on top of a speaker.  Again, pre-kids, pre-thirties…you get the point.  So I am on the speaker, having a good time, shaking my rear, when the crowd suddenly parts.  Through the parted crowd, I spot this guy at the bar.  He is pretty hot.  I think I should go meet him.  So I get off my speaker and march on over to the hottie.  I grab his arm and he turns and looks at me.  I have no clue what I am going to say so all that comes out of my mouth is “How you doin’?” in true Joey Tribiani style.  Thank God it worked.  That could have been embarrassing.  Four years later, we were married.  Not in Las Vegas, just sayin’.

Now, it was humbling enough to tell our grandmothers how we met.  Actually, I don’t think my grandma (GG) was surprised.  She was probably proud.  But it is a heck of a story to impress your in-laws.  Makes a great first impression, doesn’t it? 

Now that being said, how I am going to to share this story with my two daughters someday, while instilling a sense of values and decency in them?  The only redeeming things from this story is the fact that cell phone cameras and social media were still fairly underutilized at the time or I would be never living that night down, especially in pictures on the internet.  Maybe I can work that angle with the kidlets?  Nah.  I think we will just avoid the question until they are old enough and cool enough to understand.

Happy anniversary, Hubby.  I love you!