Oh Sweet Critter Glitter...

For years I've wanted a bunny, a lionhead to be exact.  Let's be honest- I'm pretty sure  I've wanted any type of small, fuzzy animal since I came out of my mother's womb.  With that being said, I finally got one!  

Over the past two years I've been asking "permission" from Jason (the only reason I had't got one sooner was because there was supposed to be a baby in the house and I didn't think I wanted to take on ALL that responsibility all at once) and a few weeks ago he finally gave in.  Of course I did tons of research and bought my bunny from a reputable breeder.  I watched videos and read articles on the proper food and housing, how to potty train, grooming, etc.  Well as soon as I heard "yes" from Jason my commitment issues immediately went into high alert and I questioned whether this was a smart decision- to add another animal member to our home.  This would mean cleaning her cage (of course I bought the biggest one I could find...).  Grooming her fur and main.  Trimming her nails.  Feeding her twice daily and making sure she has plenty of clean water.  Spending time with her so that she can be properly socialized and not become a biter.  Making sure she gets at least an hour out of her cage each day.  And most importantly- make sure to teach the kids how to handle her properly (Hailey) so that I don't come home to a dead bunny anytime soon.  I didn't want to get a bunny just because they're cute but because I love caring for animals.  Always have. So decision was made and I picked one out in hopes that I picked a "good one."

I have to admit, it's been great so far.  She seems to enjoy her "Kardashian" cage lifestyle and has fun running around whichever room we're in.  She is currently sitting on the stool beside me in hopes of getting ANOTHER treat!  I swear she's a little piggy but they say with bunnies/rabbits the trick to training is all in the incentives.  I'm nervous to admit that her tummy does seem to be quite a bit rounded since we first got her 2 weeks ago :/  Pretty and plump we'll say.  I love that she can be around Leo with no issues whatsoever but I'm hoping that with time she might even be able to be around Sophie.  As of right now, Sophie can be in the same room but not while Little Miss Fit is running around.  Soph tries to get a little nip in when she can and I'm not about to make Lil Miss run for her dear life.  Could end up having a bunny heart attack!

So far, my only frustration lies with her "critter glitter."  That is my much nicer way of referring to her poops.  I haven't found any laying around after she's been roaming the streets (aka my room) but I can't seem to potty train her in her cage.  Thus, there is critter glitter everywhere.  Thankfully with bunnies, their critter glitter does not smell and it's super easy to clean up.  On the other hand, their urine is super concentrated and thick.  She seems to do a good job of keeping it all to her cage though.  She's quite the clean, pretty bunny for the most part.  I'm happy to have her as part of the family and I'll be sure to update on the life of Little Miss Fit and the rest of the critters in the house very soon.

Oh-So-Fun Product Reviews!

If you're a woman who is in charge of the finances for your family, you are most likely somewhat of a bargain shopper, just like me, and I often find myself buying whatever is the best deal.  As I have grown older, and matured way beyond my years (wishful thinking?), I have learned that sometimes the off-brand isn't always better just to save a few measly cents.  With that being said, I would like to share with you some of the items/products that I love and which I don't mind spending a little more moola on.  They are that worth it!  I tend to do quite a bit of shopping online (mainly Amazon) but I also find myself wasting countless hours through the isles of Target, Walmart, Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, etc. (to name just a few.  I truly spend countless HOURS in any store which can offer me a good deal.  OK! OK!! I have a little bit of a shopping problem...) So here we go! My first post of product reviews.

If you're anything like me, you are a woman on the move!  I rarely find time to pamper myself but once in a while I take advantage of some quiet time and indulge.  Recently, my new hobby has been repeatedly painting my newly grown-out-for-the-first-time-ever finger nails!  Pretty exciting stuff, I know.  One of the issues I've had (besides splurging on tons of new nail polishes and kits) is that I can do a fabulous job painting my nails but I'm too impatient to wait until my nails are 100% dried before I start messing with something and before you know it, nails are totally messed up!  After spending too much time applying base coats, color and top coats, just to have to redo it all, I was fed up.  Then I got to thinking, "How do I always leave the nail salon with my nails being set?"  So I pulled out my handy-dandy mini-computer smart phone (Samsung Note II to be exact) and typed in "UV nail lam"p into my Amazon app.  There they were, UV nail lights/lamps ranging from around $18-$60.  As usual, I chose a product based off reviews and price.  I went with the "U-Spicy Eclair 9W Professional UV Acrylic Gel & Shellac Curing Nail Dryer/Lamp/Light." It had 4 out of 5 stars with 111 reviews, included Amazon Prime 2-day shipping and only cost me $20.56, including tax.  One thing I was excited about was that the product included UV protective gloves.  I was super stoked about this because I was a little worried to use the product often (more than once a week).  As soon as the package was delivered I tried it out to see how it worked.  I was so pleased!  I was able to apply a base coat, two coats of color, one coat of glitter, and a top coat and I didn't have to wait so long for my nails to be set.  I used the UV light for about 2 minutes between the color coats, and an additional 3 minutes after the top coat.  Not to bad when I had Jason breathing down my neck, ready to leave for our dinner date.  If you are someone who enjoys painting your nails at home, I highly recommend getting a UV lamp, especially since they don't take up too much space and you can spend under $20.00.

I never used to spend good money on hair products.  Really, I still don't.  I think I've only have my hair cut at an official salon a handful of times and the same goes for coloring/highlighting.  I buy boxed hair color when I'm in need of a change and I have been known to cut my own hair, especially when I used to have bangs.  A few years back I was having an issue with the shampoo/conditioner combo that I was using (most likely Pantene) where even after just washing and blow drying my hair, it still felt oily/dirty.  A friend of mine who had gone to cosmetology school explained that a lot of cheaper brands of shampoo were not sulfate-free and this is what was causing the issue.  I had done some homework back them and found out that I needed to spend a little more moola on my shampoos and conditioners and not to waste time and money on the cheap stuff.

About 6 months ago I splurged a little when shopping at TJ Maxx and bought TIGI Bed Head Styleshots Epic Volume shampoo and conditioner. At $14.99 per bottle, I was REALLY splurging this time!  Even though they came in pretty pink bottles and smelled so yummy, like strawberries, my main interest laid in the description: epic volume.  I have really long hair now and I like it to not just look limp and dull.  After my first use I was sold! Even Jason really liked the stuff!!  As soon as my shampoo was getting close to running out I began my search for a replacement.  After lucking out at Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx, I chose to order the shampoo from Amazon.  I felt weird ordering a personal product like that from Amazon but it worked out and the price wasn't too bad.  Around $17 including tax and shipping.  I loved the product so much I even asked for people to buy it for me for Christmas!  Unfortunately, I didn't specify WHAT I wanted them to buy and I ended up with 3 shampoos and no conditioners.  Now I was on a mission to even up my at-home supply but even Amazon was selling the stuff for crazy amounts of money.  We're talking over $25.00 a bottle (I know, not too crazy but do you know what I could buy for that much money!?!)  I couldn't get myself to buy the stuff online for that amount so I started looking around wherever I went but I couldn't find the stuff!  Not Walmart, couldn't find it at TJ Maxx or Ross, and not Target.  Then I realized I would have to search online for a deal and discovered that Ulta sold the product. Good ol' Ulta.  Not only did they sell it (FOR $28.00 A BOTTLE!!!) but they were having a sale which dropped the price to $12.99 AND THEY HAD A COUPON FOR $3.50 OFF $10.00! (caps obviously indicates my excitement...)  Needless to say, I purchased enough conditioners to even my supply at home (at separate times of course, so I could use my coupon more than once. Duh.)  So the moral of the story is if you can get away with cheap shampoo and conditioner, great! If not, spend the money and get something compatible for your hair type.  And always shop around for the best price.  It's so worth it when you can save more than 50% like I did. I practically skipped my way out of Ulta.

My third, and final review, is for the Conair "You Style 2-in-1 Brush."  I was browsing the beauty section at Ross (yes, they have one and I ALWAYS find cool stuff) and I came across this cool looking brush.  I wasn't sure what the 2-in-1 was at first but quickly realized that the brush was able to convert from a flat brush, good for everyday brushing and straightening, to a rounded brush used to create lift and waves.  I was really excited since every time I blow dry my hair I use BOTH a round and flat brush.  Another extremely exciting factor was the price.  It was being sold for only $2.99!  I bought the only two brushes still available and was really happy with my first use.  I also researched the product on Amazon and found out that it was being sold for $11.99 and had 4 out of 5 stars with 13 product reviews.  I will say that the head of the brush does seem like it will become loose over time since it is only secured to the handle by a single screw, but either way, I'm happy to be using only ONE brush now instead of two.  One less item on my already crowded counter.

When did being a woman mean you had to do it all?!

So, I'm not usually one to complain very often, but I do need to vent a little bit. As a woman, I was raised to be confident, loving, compassionate, nurturing, yada, freaking-yada... But damn, I never knew how much I'd be responsible for.  I totally take the blame for getting involved with a grown man who had three young girls from a previous marriage with a deranged,  "I am the Queen of Denial" chick (I promise,  I'll post more on this subject soon) but what I didn't expect was that I would instantaneously become an insta-mom and wife. It's one thing to go through the normal series of events: Boy meets girl. Girl talks boy into living together. Girl envisions marriage and plans ultimate dream wedding. Girl wants a family and plans pregnancy right down to post-labor photo shoot. Boy learns to be a "yes ma'am" kind of guy and does whatever he can to get alone time in his man cave... OK,  so that's not how things turned out for me.

I met Jason,  at the time father to three young girls, a 9 year old, 7 year old, and 16-month old (Seriously,  what the hell was I thinking!?) Jason had been recently separated from his then wife so he had the girls over every other weekend.  At the time, he had been living with his sister and her family and the girls would only spend Saturday nights.  As a woman in her late 20's, 28 to be exact,  I somehow thought it wise to have Jason live with me and have the girls come to "our" place,  now 2 nights every other weekend.  This literally snowballed over the next year and a half (due to extremely poor choices made on behalf of their mother) and the girls now live with us 85% of the time.  So in 2 year's time I went from being single,  doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted,  with whomever I wanted, to being a full-blown mom and wife (somehow without ever getting married...trust me,  that's another post of its own).

So here I am,  thrust into the world of heaps of laundry, stacks of dirty dishes, constantly picking up items off the floor, clogged sinks, toilet bowls growing possibly new science discoveries, and that's just with Jason! Besides  homework,  bedtimes,  puberty,  attitudes, paperwork,  etc., the girls require SO much time and attention,  especially since two of them have been diagnosed with diseases (the now 13 year old was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes early in 2013 and the now 11 year old had been diagnosed with Juvenile dermatomyositis a few years back and they both require more medical attention.  I've had to learn to see all and hear all.  I know when someone isn't really brushing their teeth behind the closed door.  I can sense when someone is opening the 2 liter of soda from across the house.  I swear I have eyes on the back of my head and Superhero hearing powers! The girls must think I'm a freak of nature and Jason just assumes I'm like any normal woman falling into her "destined role," but I think I'm going insane!  I swear to God if I find one more juice box straw wrapper NOT in the garbage I'm going to scream! And if I walk past the bathroom and see an empty toilet paper role I might hurt someone.  I never thought that at the age of 32 I'd be saying things like "no one's allowed to eat peanut butter since no one can clean off the counter, " just to regret saying that because now the sponge is chalk full of of an oily,  brown buttery substance.  Ughhhhhhh.

And Jason. Sweet,  always-makes-my-plate-first, Jason.  I swear to all that's Holy, if he doesn't start putting his dirty clothes into the hamper (which is usually only a foot and a half away) I'm literally going to strangle him in his sleep. Or ban him from our bed.  Or hide his Playstation 3. Yes,  I am THAT serious. So I promise from here on out that I will do my best but that I will not do it all.  I won't be the only one to clean toilets or make phone calls about incorrect charges on a utility bill.  I will not be the only one to nag about messy rooms or laundry bags overflowing with clean clothes that should have been put away 3 days ago.  I promise to ask for help with more chores around the house instead of doing them myself while gritting my teeth with bitterness.  Ahhh hell! Who am I kidding?!  Let's keep it real and admit that I'm just going to continue to act like a psycho from time to time in hopes that I'll just scare these kids (Jason included) into helping out.  Now THAT I can do.

It's about damn time!

Okay, here goes nothing. For years I've had friends and family tell me that I should write a blog. I've always thought about doing it,  even thought up names at one point, but I never got around it making it a reality. It's funny how that seems to happen all too often. So many things I've wanted to do, or wanted to say, but I just can't find the time.  I have plenty of passion in my life, and some great stories, so today is the day.  It's the last day of 2013, a year filled with some absolutely happy "I'll never forget"  moments, along with some utterly disappointing and heartbreaking moments.  Being as tomorrow is the first day of a new year,  I think it's appropriate timing that I start chronicling my life.   I plan to use humor,  wit,  sarcasm, foul language and honesty in all my posts. For those of you who know me well,  I know you wouldn't expect anything less.  And a special shout out to +Nicole Carter for being my recent inspiration!  Please check out her new blog, "2 Spoiled Naughty Dogs and a Manchild: An informal documentation into forever,"for some seriously funny and honest writing.