On what's been keeping me so busy.

Back in December, a friend of mine, who happened to be my instructor at my old gym (who I knew wouldn't go in for gimmicks or a quick fix when it comes to getting healthy and getting in shape) started posting on Facebook about body wraps.

I'd heard of body wraps before - you go to a spa, they wrap you up, you sweat, get dehydrated, pay lots of money and get skinny for a few days. Meh - not my thing. I want to get thin for a lot of days ;-)

My friend started posting before and after photos from clients who'd wrapped. I watched them in my newsfeed, and watched people's bodies change - but I thought, "this looks too good to be true, can't be legit." As I continued to watch though, I continued to remember my friend was someone I trusted, and I just couldn't picture her not being honest about a product or selling something that was a rip off. So, I took the plunge and said I wanted to try a wrap.

My first wrap was on December 5th, 2012. The wrap itself is more like a giant patch that you hold in place with saran wrap. You wear it for 45 minutes, and for the next 72 hours, it continues to work (even though you've since discarded the wrap). It's important to stay really hydrated while the wrap's ingredients do their magic - so you drink a lot of water for those three days (the wraps aren't water weight loss).

After my first wrap, my skin got smoother and seemed a little bit tighter. Enough so that I knew I wanted to try another wrap (they work progressively - each giving a little further result until you get where you want to be and they can be placed anywhere on the body). But, I didn't have a ton of money - especially right before the holidays. I looked into the perks of becoming a Distributor for the wrap company (It Works!, which also sells a number of other health related products, all natural based) and decided that was the way to go to get wraps for myself as economically as possible, and hey, if someone wanted to buy a wrap or two off of me, great.

So, I started my own Facebook page to share the wraps with a few friends, which grew into a few more friends, and then a few friends of those friends. My plan to "get cheap wraps!" and "maybe sell a wrap or two?" turned into people messaging me daily wanting to try wraps. It was crazy awesome! The wraps were literally selling themselves.

I've never sold anything before. Pushy salespeople literally give me panic attacks. I'll sneak out of stores quickly if people try to talk to me too much about buying something. I'm a salesperson-a-phobic, but I think that's why this is working! I just share my results and the results of others, and the products sell on their own. They deliver the results they say they will. People feel good about their bodies and I earn a great supplemental income. Seriously - it's really been that easy! All of the other people I've met who are involved with the business are so nice too. Normal, decent people.

This is so different from what I feared encountering from any other MLM I'd ever heard of or been exposed to. And better yet, my waist is shrinking (and now my thighs too!) and my wallet is growing. Two things that never seem to happen! :-) In fact, I am actually going to be able to go part time at work beginning this summer! Something I thought I would never be able to do! With this wrap business, I could technically do that even now - but I want to save as much cushion as possible as a "just in case" cushion. I can not WAIT to be able to pick my son up from school several days a week and spend afternoons with him! Plus, for the first time ever, I am able to actually SAVE money. Not like use coupons and shop sales (I still do that! :-)) but actually put money into a savings account because there's some left over still by the next payday! (WHAT?!)

If you'd like to learn more about the wraps or the business, (including seeing client before and afters - REAL people!) feel free to check out my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/ThinkingThinwithNat/

And, because I want you to know that as always, I promise to be authentic here with you, even if it's a little embarrassing for me - I'm posting my own before and after pics of my tummy pre-wrap and post wraps! I'm working on my legs and back currently, and will share those on the FB page soon. :-) If you'd like to try a wrap, please email me at thethinkingblonde(at)gmail(dot)com. Wraps can be ordered online very reasonably - only $59 for a box of 4, just message me and I'll help you :-)

Gulp... here goes!

Here are a couple more of my favorite client before and after pics too :-) (anonymous of course!)

 

 

 

My Kiddo, Lover of Science

My son Keegan LOVES anything science related. If you ask him what he likes most about school he'll tell you, "Science lab and recess." (In that order.) His favorite shows on t.v. are science (especially life science and animal/zoology/biology related ones) and his favorite books aren't stories, they're books on the anatomy, habits and habitats of reptiles and dinosaurs. And that has been the case for at least two years now.

As his mom, I of course want to do my best to foster his interests in science since they a. make him happy and want to explore the world around him and b. could lead to his future career path. So, a couple weekends ago, when the Discovery Center in town had it's reopening, we spent an afternoon there together.

The day we visited the Discovery Center was one week shy of its official grand reopening, so we had the advantage of being there when it was relatively quiet. There was an opportunity to take a "Saturday Science" class about animals, so we took it. Keegan was the only kiddo in the class at that time and had the nice, knowledgeable college-kid instructor all to himself. The instructor showed Keegan mammal skulls and helped him determine what animal each was from. They discussed habitat and prey, and why the animal needed certain features. The same was done with several reptile skeletons (which thrilled my snake-loving child) and then, it was into the reptile room to check out several creatures in the flesh.

  

Keegan got to pet a bearded dragon lizard, and we found out they make rather good pets. (I thought they looked a lot like Rango, personally.)

The Saturday Science class ended with insects, and we got to check out giant hissing cockroaches (who were actually so calm they didn't want to hiss, even when the instructor tried to get them to) and I learned they are less disturbing of a creature than I once thought. The giant, hissing cockroaches don't infest gross places, they eat fresher foods - they have no wings (woot! No bug that big needs to come flying at me!) and they move slowly. (Whoulda thunk?) Our final "friend" was a rosey tarantula, who I was pleased to take a picture of from the other side of glass ;-)

We spent the rest of the afternoon touring the hands-on science museum on the campus, and Keegan really enjoyed experiencing the numerous activities.

If you live locally, or visit the Fresno area and like science (or have children who do) I would highly recommend a visit to the Discovery Center. We had such a nice time there, and there is a LOT to see. You can purchase a family membership for a year for just $40 or an individual membership for $25. We will definitely be going back, as there were tons of outdoor exhibits we've yet to check out, and a whole area of the museum the focuses on electricity that we ran out of time to see.

Master Bedroom Makeover

Hi. Is this thing on? Sorry, there seems to be a few cobwebs on this ol' blog. My bad. I have lots to write about and some pictures back logged, so I will hopefully catch up soon! :-)

For tonight though, I am very excited to show you my bedroom makeover!

Truth be told, our bedroom has never been a priority area to me. I mean, it's important to have a comfy place to sleep of course, but I spend the majority of my efforts and spending cash decorating the rooms in the house more likely to be frequented by guests.

When we bought our first house and our family asked what we wanted as a housewarming gift, we asked for money to purchase a matching bedroom set that we'd found on Craigslist. It was nice enough, and hey, it matched! But beyond that, my efforts in regards to bedroom decor were very minimal.

Recently though, I decided it was time to change that. I found a great bedroom set (after a bit of online hunting) on Overstock (and yes, they only charge $2 shipping even on furniture!) with great reviews. The pieces came assembled too, which was awesome! (A first for us.) So, after three weeks of waiting patiently semi-impatiently our furniture arrived and the new bedroom look began to take shape.

A trip to Home Goods, Marshalls and Kirkland's (big sale there - woot!) finished the job, and for the first time ever, our bedroom is no longer the black sheep of rooms in our house.

Also, added bonus? The old furniture makes for highly functional guest room furniture, so we no longer have an empty third bedroom either! A quick glance through Craigslist scored the room a brand new (still in original packaging!) queen-sized pillow-top mattress for under $200!

Here's our room before:

And here's our room now:

Items used:
Argonne Queen-Size Bedroom Set from Overstock
Framed pictures above the bed: Homegoods
Curtains: Tahari Home (Homegoods also, $29.99 per pair of panels, 4 shown)
Lamps: Homegoods, $35
Scroll iron wall hanging: Kirkland's, on sale $14.99
Bedding: Marshall's, Cynthia Rowley, $65

Now the big question... to paint the walls? Or not paint the walls...

My 2012 Beauty Staples

I figure if a product is great enough that I reach for it daily since discovering it, and intend to use it indefinitely, it deserves a mention on an annual list of awesomeness, don't you agree?

So, for you today, my list of favorite beauty products used in 2012 (in picture order):

1. Estee Lauder Double Wear Liquid Foundation
After years and years of wearing the same liquid foundation (Mac Studio Fix Fluid) and never having found anything to last longer or match my skin appropriately without being overly grey in tone (I'm fair skinned, but I need a yellow-based color and a lot of foundations for fair skin tend to be overly pink or grey) I've actually found something better. Estee Lauder was offering a ten day free trial of their foundation on my most recent trip to pick up foundation (I was headed to the Mac counter when the sign caught my eye). I remember NurberXO (YouTube beauty guru extraordinaire who also likes full coverage, yellow-based, long-wearing foundation) saying how much she loved Double Wear, so I asked for my free trial. They matched me to the shade "Dawn" and gave me this teeny, tiny vial of foundation. I mentally scoffed "right, this will last me TEN days, I'm so sure" but you know, it did. And then some! (12 days!) The thing I like best about Double Wear is though it will stay on your face ALL day without fail (you can even SWIM with it on I hear, and it won't budge!) it feels light and smooth going on, and doesn't oxidize at all during the day. I'm incredibly impressed. It's not cheap - at $36.50 a bottle, it is by far the priciest item on my list, however, I think if your skin looks smooth and will stay that way all day, you can use less expensive color products and you'll still look great. Also, the bottle will last a LONG time (remember the tiny vial that lasted 11 days?) this product spreads well - a little goes a long distance.

2. Bare Minerals Eye Shadow Quad in "The Truth"
I always want to call this quad "Honesty" which is wrong. Similar words, but not correct. Regardless of the name, the cool-toned browns in this quad are just stunning. (I first learned about this quad from a tutorial posted by Tiffany D.) They are different than any other brown shades that I have. (Including the Naked palettes, which are also fabulous, but I've continually passed them up in the morning for this quad, I have to admit!) The shades are shimmery, but in a very subtle way (this isn't your favorite tween's makeup, I assure you) and I use all four colors regularly, because they are so versatile. They pigmentation and blendability are both great, and the color wears all day with primer.

3. Jergens Natural Glow (Face) in Medium/Tan
Remember how I mentioned before that I'm pretty darn fair? Well, without this stuff, snowmen (and women) would likely brag about their tans to me, and tease me. This lotion is my daily moisturizer and keeps me looking healthy rather than ghostly. My face doesn't tan (my body doesn't tan easily either, but when it does, it usually gets much darker than my face, so I end up with this floating-ghost-face syndrome -- trust me, it's not pretty). So, I use this stuff daily, and I don't scare people. I'm going to call that a win.

4. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser
This stuff is an absolute must if you want to look awake and fresh. It's a concealer, but for under eye circles (not blemishes, ok?). It does SUCH a wonderful job of making me not look so zombie-like that I actually love the before and after effect of using it still, to this day. Having a bright, clean under eye area makes your eye makeup look so much more polished too. This formula (I use the shade "neutralizer") is not thick and won't settle into fine lines. It works exactly how it should and is flawlessly blendable. Two thumbs way up.

5. Urban Decay Primer Potion (original, pale pink shade)
I have probably received at least ten different trial sized primer products in the past year -- either as part of a set, a beauty subscription box, or as a sample from Sephora. Though many work just fine, Primer Potion remains my favorite for maintaining crease proof, stays-like-you-just-put-it-on shadow. When I found the old packaging marked down at Nordstrom Rack (hence my genie style bottle vs. the newer tube package) for just $8, I stocked up. (I don't care what the bottle looks like, that's less than half price, score!) I use this every day. I don't even put on shadow without it. (It feels pointless because it wears away so quickly otherwise.)

6. Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Eyeliner (in black)
I love a good felt-tip marker style liner. I've tried Revlon & Maybelline, and they are both good. (Revlon has a weird smell to me, kind of like a flea collar?) However, Milani seems to be the most fluid, the blackest of black, and the cheapest of the three (at least at Target). Sometimes it's hard to find it in stock, so when I see it, I grab one if it's been awhile. But, for about $4, you get a long of bang for your buck with this easy to apply, perfectly black liner. (I love this for winging my liner -- it makes it very easy to do.)

7. Mac Eyeshadow in "Kid"
I've had this shade for 3 years now. The same pot. And I literally use it every. single. day. It is the perfect shade for blending my shadow and making it look natural. I use it on my upper lid, between the area where I put the darkest shade (my crease) and my brow bone highlight shade. I brush it lightly back and forth with a fluffy brush, and it makes the dark and light colors not look drastically different anymore and pulls everything together. This is true regardless of what colors I'm using too -- it's close to skin color, and very natural, so I use it to blend even when I'm using color (like purples).

8. Ulta Eyeshadow in "Stardust"
In the pan, it looks like a gold, shimmery shadow. However, on the skin it becomes the perfect, creamy sparkly nude that blends across the lid and combines with almost any shade, similar to the way MAC's Shroom does, only Stardust is slightly warmer. I use this as my lid/corner highlight shade and base almost daily. (I'm still on my original pan of it too, after more than two years.)

Honorable Mention

And though I don't think it's fair for me to call this final product a 2012 favorite, seeing as I purchased it with my Christmas money in the final week of December, I must give honorable mention to a quickly rising favorite: The Clarisonic Mia facial cleansing brush. Holy moly. I've never, ever felt my fave SO smooth! Literally, after ONE time using it, my face felt entirely different. I loved it so much, I got one for my mom too. (She watches my kid, for free, many days a week while I work, and never lets me pay her. I figure it was the least I could do!) If you've heard the hype about them but thought, "Why on Earth are those things so expensive? Are they worth it?" I really hate to admit it, but yes, they absolutely are. (If you decide to buy one, get the cheapest one, you don't need two speeds anyway. Really. And, if you can wait it out, watch for a 20% off at Ulta coupon first and use that! :-))

Forgive my chubby, post-holiday cheeks (working on that...) but this picture shows how my skin looks now, after one week with the Clarisonic. I think it's the best it's looked in years.

Ok, your turn please! What are your favorite products of 2012? What should quickly become part of my 2013 list?



Clarisonic image credit: skincarerx

New year, new living space!

We've been living with a couch that I've been less than fond of for years. When we bought it, we picked it up wrapped, brand-new and signed for it. However, turned out we were signing that it was in perfect condition and we had no recourse otherwise. It so happens, the couch had a broken frame board. Add to that fabric that pilled up and required regular shaving (with my kiddo's hair trimmer!) and a couple of holes chewed in it, courtesy to our foster pup and you've got one annoying piece of furniture. However, it was not cheap and we have not been in a position to replace it, so it stayed.

Finally, it came time that we could purchase a new couch (nearly 7 years later) and I was very excited. A friend clued me into a great local furniture store that ordered name-brand (Ashley in this case) furniture at wholesale cost and her friend inspired me with an Instagram photo of an accent wall she painted in her own home. Next thing I knew, my new living room began taking shape!

Here's the paint photo that inspired me to try out Behr's Peacock Feather as an accent:

And here's our living room before:

And after!

 

I love the look and feel of the space now, and just want to curl up on the couch and stay there!

What colors are inspiring you these days? Any plans to change any rooms in your own home?

Happy New Year!

So much to catch up on writing about, it's hard to know where to begin! So, I shall begin by wishing you a healthful and happy 2013! 2012 was a tough year for many, and I would love to end 2013 hearing those around me saying, "What a wonderful year it was, I hate to see it go!" so cheers to you and yours, and being able to say that phrase truthfully just shy of one year from now!

In the upcoming week, I plan to share my favorite beauty finds of 2012 (the must-have, new staple items I will definitely repurchase when they run out), my living room makeover with before and after photos and a holiday season recap.

For today, however, I must share with you these photos of my sweet little man, who lost his first tooth on Sunday :-)

(You will hopefully notice an overall improvement in photo quality here as well in 2013, as I have finally invested in a DLSR, and am determined to learn how to use it! Thank you Andrea for the Canon recommendation, even in auto mode my photos are still 10 times better than they were before!)

 Happy First Tooth Loss Keegan!

age 5 years, 7 months

Recipe: Cracker Candy (a.k.a "Christmas Crack!")

In my old job with the tutoring service company, we used to ask people who wanted to work with us to "teach us something" in their initial (group) interviews. I really liked the process because it helped the cream quickly rise to the top -- anyone who can entertain and engage a nervous group of adult strangers, can typically engage the attention of kids.

During one of the group interview sessions, a nice woman who'd recently moved to the area from New York taught myself and my fellow interviewer how to make a candy with crackers, that her family shared at Christmas time. She demonstrated the process, and also brought the finished product for us to try. Holy cow was it delicious! We could not. stop. eating it.

Ever since that interview session, I've been making the recipe for my family and friends, and every time, without fail it earns rave reviews and lots of recipe requests. I've posted this recipe once before, but it's so good, I felt it was worth revising and reposting. So here, in all it's delicious, easy and amazing glory is the recipe for Cracker Candy (more affectionately known as "Christmas Crack" in our house). Enjoy!

Cracker Candy

(a.k.a. “Christmas Crack”)

What you need:

• 1 sleeve saltines
• 1 cup (2 sticks butter)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 bag chocolate chips (or chocolate and peanut butter chips)
• Sprinkles (optional)

What to do:

1. Place saltines (salt side down) in a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet. Line them up, don’t crush them. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Over medium heat, combine the butter and sugar and bring to a boil. Boil while stirring until sugar has dissolved (about 1 minute after boiling begins).
3. Pour butter and sugar mixture over crackers. Bake until lightly golden brown (about 7 minutes).
4. Remove from oven, immediately pour chocolate chips over entire sheet, spreading as they melt with a spatula. Add sprinkles if using.
5. Cool in the fridge, break apart to serve.

 

P.S. If you bring a bag of Christmas Crack to work with you on a Monday, and leave it in the break room, you'll make friends QUICK. Just sayin'

 

A fun, family-friendly holiday gift idea.

Recently, I've been hunting down some classic board games to add to our collection. Our current selection includes:

• Catch Phrase (our favorite party game ever)
• Apples to Apples (I love it, hubby does not)
• Chutes & Ladders (freaking chutes, man!)
• Candyland
• Monopoly
• Trivial Pursuit (80's & 90's)
• Scrabble
• Quelf (hilarious party game, requires some level of comfort or alcohol)
• Cranium Turbo
• Super Mario Yahtzee, Checkers & Chess (I don't actually know how to play Chess)
• Memory (a family favorite)
• Bug BINGO (what, you don't have Bug BINGO?)
• Sorry! (a recent purchase, makes you think you're going to win, then BAM, your hubby does)
• Uno

And, most recently, we've acquired Jenga. Target is running a $2 coupon for Jenga, which put the game at $7.99 at my local store.

In the two weeks we've had it, I think we've played it more than any other game (as far as games all three of us can play as a family). It helps Keegan to stay focused and strengthen his fine motor and spacial skills, which is a great factor as well. (5 year olds are BUSY little people! Getting them to slow down and focus can be tough!) And Brandon and I can truly enjoy the challenge of the game too -- we're not counting the turns until the game is over (be real with me, you know Candyland makes you feel that way too!).






If you don't already own Jenga, I highly recommend grabbing it for yourself while the coupon is still good (I believe through 12/29/12) and maybe a second for a family you know and love this Christmas!

*This post was written solely based upon our family's enjoyment of the game, none of the games listed have any idea my site exists, I'm sure. ;-)

Ipsy Glam Bag Subscription - December reveal and thoughts

A few months ago, I tried a subscription to BirchBox. While it was definitely fun getting a box of surprises once a month in the mail, ultimately, BirchBox losing my subscription randomly and the product selection left me feeling a little underwhelmed. I took a month or two off from subscribing to beauty boxes, but after my friends Meryl and Andrea both spoke highly of Ipsy, I decided to give them a try. This is only my second month with Ipsy so far, but I am thrilled with the contents of the bags I've received so far!

With Ipsy, each month you receive an actual, reusable cosmetic bag in addition to your products, and it seems the number of full sized products with Ipsy is much higher than with other subscription services. Both of these factors make an Ipsy subscription feel well worth the $10 a month cost.

In November (payment came out 11/1, bag arrived by 11/15), I received:

Image via The Budget Beauty Blog

• A brown, shiny zipper bag
• Bare Minerals Moxie Lipgloss (half size)
• Starlet Intense Eyeliner in Chocolate Brown (full size)
• Benefit's They're Real Mascara (half size)
• Nailtini Glitter Polish in Millionaire (full size)
• The Balm's Matte Eyeshadow in Matt Batali (half size - I think?)

In all honesty, the only product I haven't used is the Starlet liner. Mainly, because I tend to just stick with black liner. There's nothing wrong with it, it glides on smoothly and is very nice. I just like black. I LOVE the eyeshadow (and included it in my November faves). I've been using it a lot, and the gloss is a great holiday berry shade. I've been wearing They're Real daily, and am pleased with the ease of use and speed at which I can layer on and build my lashes. The Nailtini polish has stayed on my toes for a solid 3 weeks now.

In December (payment came out 12/1, bag arrived tonight, 12/10), I received:

• Gunmetal, shiny zipper bag with magenta lining
• Urban Decay Zero 24/7 liner (SCORE!) (half size)
• Be a Bombshell lipgloss in Hot Mess (full size)
• NYX loose shimmering eyeshadow pigment in pearl (full size)
• Mai Couture Highlight Papier (generous booklet)
• Mirabella Face and Eye primer (full size)

This bag is awesome! The liner is one of my all time favorites, and I use it daily. Now, I won't run out! (I use it mainly for my waterline) The gloss is a GREAT, rich looking holiday red. I love it! The NYX shadow is gorgeous and reminds me of the discontinued High Beam made by Benefit that I used to adore. The highlight papier is a really interesting product I'm excited to try. The pages inside the booklet are coated in a silky, bronzy shimmer powder, and you just run the paper on your face. I will definitely give it a try (but probably not on a workday ;-)). Looking forward to trying the primer as well -- as I just discovered the Revlon primer I've been using is likely the cause of breakouts I've been experiencing (sad face).

If you're thinking about trying a beauty sample subscription, I'd say Ipsy is definitely worth a try! I really feel like I'm getting more than my money's worth. I can't wait for next month!  

What's for dinner this week? 12.9.2012

Sunday: I never cook with sausage, and hubby would like me to venture out and try, so I'm going to make this recipe: Spicy Sausage Pasta (bonus: it's Weight Watcher friendly) (Could be made vegetarian with sausage substitute or omission)

This is the original poster's photo - go visit their site! Yum.

Monday: Brace yourselves, but according to the Pinterest caption, on Monday night I am going to make "the best soup in the WORLD!" Sounds good to me. Here's the recipe for Tomato Tortellini Soup. (Vegetarian-friendly)

Tuesday: We may be walking Christmas Tree Lane this night (we haven't decided) but just in case, I wanted a fast and easy meal, so I'm trying French Dip Crescent Rolls.

Wednesday: I'll be whipping up some Spicy Thai Noodles (with the vegetable oil omitted and only 1 t. of red chili flakes, so kiddo will still eat it) and adding some stir fried tofu. (Vegetarian-friendly)

Thursday: Pizza Pasta night - (this is one of those "I need a cheap and easy meal to finish off my week's plan" kind of things!) Rotini pasta, with spaghetti sauce, tossed with slices of turkey pepperoni, topped with cheese and baked until bubbly. Serve with green salad -- voila -- food your family will eat with very little effort or expense.

Friday: Take out night

Saturday: Date night?*

*We don't always go on a date on Saturdays, though we try to whenever it's a possibility - but it seems that if I plan for all 7 nights in a week, inevitably at least one meal will go to waste as we will make plans with friends, family or end up eating on the run once during the week and another meal shifts days. By leaving Saturday unplanned, I waste less food.