Mom Tip: Keep It in the Car

Wanna know what saved my life this week? Buying a tube of tinted moisturizer with SPF to keep in my car’s center console. I was tired of being on the road, halfway to my destination and realizing that I hadn’t put anything on my face after my speedy morning shower. My makeup routine is pretty minimal, but I like to wear a little something to even out my skin tone, especially after an exceptionally sleep-deprived night.

With two small kids in the house, my attention is in demand from the moment the first one wakes up. And then before I know it, it’s 10:30 and I’m trying to salvage the bagel I toasted three hours ago. Putting on a little tinted moisturizer after I’ve loaded the kiddos into their carseats helps me put the chaos of the morning behind and helps me feel like I have my act together.

Keeping things where you’re able to use them seems like kind of a no-brainer, right? It felt like a revelation! Have you had any similar ideas? What do you keep in your car or purse?

Best Ever: Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Sandwich

I think you can buy pumpkin spice flavored anything this year, but I feel like a genius for coming up with this super simple pumpkin dessert. Ready? Here’s what you do:

1- Go to Trader Joe’s and buy their Pumpkin Ice Cream and Cinnamon Graham Crackers (conveniently located in the freezer section)

2- When you get home, scoop some ice cream onto a graham, then top it off with another graham cracker.

3- Gobble it up, then debate whether to make another. Seriously, it’s so good!

Need more pumpkin to go with your pumpkin? I thought this recipe for pumpkin spice syrup made for delicious at-home lattes.

Career Crushes

Hello, Mike Nichols.

There are a handful of folks whose careers I find completely enchanting, for the combined quality and quantity of their creative output. Here are a few:

  • Harry Shearer : actor, host of Le Show. (Have you heard Le Show? It’s the only brand of satire that I find funny.)
  • Steve Martin : art collector, musician, comedian, novelist, playwright, friend of Earl Scruggs. The man is fearless in his diversity.
  • John Williams : film composer. You know his work.
  • Mike Nichols : film/theater director of what seems like every important movie from the past 50 years, comedian, EGOT winner
  • Stephenie Meyer and JK Rowling : moms who went on to produce epic young adult novels. Did I lose you on this one? I don’t care!

What is your dream career? Do you like to dabble in many different areas, or are you intensely focused on one field? Who inspires you?

 

Why Bother?

I’ve recently been debating whether or not to pick up where I left off (five years ago!) on this blog. I mean, who’s really looking for a new blog to read? So who knows. Maybe I’ll keep it going this time.

Jigsaw Puzzles

There’s something benignly satisfying about working on a jigsaw puzzle. I’m particularly fond of finding ones with fantastical, fabulously colorful, or just plain silly art. The puzzle I’m currently in the middle of assembling is a portrait of a fire-breathing dragon that just happens to glow in the dark! Wacky art aside, puzzles are a terrific source of low-fi, low cost entertainment and offer a much appreciated break from a life spent in front of a variety of screens– tv, laptop, iPhone, etc. It feels backwards to say this, but there’s something very luxurious about engaging in an activity that doesn’t require special equipment or electricity.

Enthusiasm

Few things are known to directly contribute to one’s happiness level, but a general spirit of enthusiasm is surely high on that shortlist. In 1755 Samuel Johnson defined enthusiasm as a “vain confidence of divine favour.” Excepting the fact that they had much more interesting dictionaries back then (written by enthusiastic men?), it’s convenient for everyone that the word has lost its religious roots and is now more plainly synonymized with words like “excitement” and “verve.” 

What am I enthusiastic about? Halloween, for one. But that’s a different post.