Shabby Apple Day 3 Sale

Hello everyone!  So here it is, day 3 sale for Shabby Apple.  The easiest way to get to the website is to click the icon on the right ;o)

Today's sale is 25% off the Tambourin #18 Silver Fringe skirt pictured below!!  Just use the code 'Day3.'

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How fun is this skirt?!  Don't miss out as this sale ends tonight at midnight.  Remember all black dresses are 15% off through November 23rd by using the code 'BLACKOUT.'

Shabby Apple Day 2 Sale!

So I totally forgot to blog about the first day of the Shabby Apple sale...so sorry!  Everyday until November 23rd there will be a special sale code for one day only on specific item in there line.

Since there are still a few hours left for the Day 2 of the sale I will put up the info.
The code you will need is "Day2" and will get you 25% off the French Quarter dress!! This code is good for today, November 13th only.  I will update my blog tomorrow with the next code and dress it is good for. Below is the French Quarter dress.....

How gorgeous!! If this one isn't your style...just keep checking back.  November 23rd is suppose to be the best sale of all.  Just click on the Shabby Apple link on my page and shop away!

P.S. ~ All black dresses are 15% off until November 23rd, just use the code "BLACKOUT."

Fit Yummy Mummy

I have started a new fitness regimen!  I am very excited about this because as an extremely busy mother of two, I have very little time for myself let alone exercising.  However, I feel that it is important to my physical as well as mental health to get back on the fitness "wagon."  I want to make clear that by "wagon" I am not in any way condoning fad dieting or extreme/fad exercise routines.

I found Fit Yummy Mummy on Facebook after I noticed a friend "liked" her page.  It was created by Holly Rigsby who is also a C.P.T.  Even better yet, she's also a mom.  Her philosophy is quite simple, eat right and exercise 90 minutes a week.  Yup that's 90 minutes a week!  She has it broken down into intervals (cardio) and strength training.  Each takes just 15 minutes a day.  You can either work out 3 days per week for a total of 30 minutes per day (which can be broken up into two sessions if needed) or 6 days per week alternating between interval training and strength training days.  I have just joined her program (which is very affordable considering other programs I've tried) and can't wait to keep you all updated on my progress.

My ultimate goal is not to loose a certain amount of weight but to get myself in the best shape I can be in for myself and my family.  Whatever my weight ends at is just fine with me.

To check this out for yourself just go to www.fityummymummy.com.  At first glance it really seems to be a gimmick but you can purchase her book and check it out on a trial basis at first.  Once I saw for myself how easy this was and that there isn't any crazy fad dieting or insanely low caloric intake, I knew I was in the right place.

Home Sweet Home

Our vacation was amazing! It so nice to visit a new destination without any pre-set plans.  Most of our time was spent pool side watching the kids practice their swimming skills.  We spent one amazing day at Disneyland...I would have loved to go another day but the budget wouldn't allow for it.  We were also able to meet friends for dinner we hadn't seen in a while.

All in all, it was wonderfully relaxing! 

Now back to reality.  Hubby is back to work after a freak skateboarding accident which resulted in a broken ankle.  My son is very happily back in preschool (he started his first day the week before we left for vacation)!  I am starting a new sales position for a company that allows me to work from my home office and tele-commute.  I also need to start back to my videos on YouTube (I have been feeling very neglectful).

One other exciting piece of news is that it seems that Summer has finally landed in our neck of the woods!!  We came home to warm sunny 80 degree weather.  I have no idea how long it will last but I am sure glad it's here, even if only for a few more weeks.

Hope the end of Summer is being as kind to you all as it is to our family.  Please check out my YouTube channel...VintageinSC!

Stay tuned...

Vintage Vacation

I always have the biggest dilemmas when packing for vacation.  On the one hand I love vintage/retro/pinup styles but on the other hand, when on vacation, I just want to be comfortable.  This is the case with my upcoming vacation.

The last couple of months have been extremely stressful and I am very much looking forward to A LOT of R&R!!  We are staying at a beach resort in Newport Beach, CA and all I really want to wear is shorts, tanks and flip flops.  The only problem is I don't really feel like those particular clothing items lend themselves to the vintage/retro/pinup look.  Now I have never been a fashion slave, that is to say a slave to a certain "look." 

However since I have entered my thirties I have found the strength and confidence to be my "true self" no matter what others may think.  In all reality I just want to be as comfortable as possible on my vacation.  Since we have been on an EXTREME budget, the majority of my wardrobe is still more modern than vintage so really my dilemma is how am I going to style my modern clothes to look more vintage/pinup without having to pack a ton of accessories?

This may seem like a silly and/or petty delima since I am supposedly so confident in my "true self" it shouldn't matter what I wear but these are the little things my brain obsesses over when trying to pack for any trip...especially a vacation! 

So it looks like I'll just have to break out the extra large suitcase, lay out my outfits and edit from there!  To all those who obsess just like me, whether your trying not to pack every single vintage/retro/pinup piece of clothing you own or dress in more modern styles, YOUR NOT ALONE!! ;o)

Happy Vacations and stay tuned....

Abscence makes the heart grow fonder

It's been a while....I have been neglectful......but with good reason.

1. We had an awful stomach bug run its course through most members of the house.

2. My husband broke his foot.

3. The day after my husband broke his foot my computer exploded (I seriously thought it was a gun shot).

So things are starting to calm back down.  Hubby is recovering nicely and should be back to work in about three weeks.  My wonderful father-in-law is our computer IT guy and patch the computer back together.  The awful stomach bug finally left the building.

The curve ball life has been throwing my way has not only derailed my blogging but has put a serious halt to my YouTube videos.  Hopefully over the next week, I will get caught up with some of my videos I had lined up and I will get back to my blogging.

A few things we're all looking forward to....

1. Hubby returning to work.

2. I got a new job in sales for a company and product I love.

3. My little boy starts preschool next week.

4. In two weeks we leave for SoCal for a much needed and overdue vacation....

5. Said vacation includes a trip to DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!!!

Much to blog about in the future...stay tuned!

I Belive in Kindness

Rude:  1. being in a rough or unfinished state; 2. lacking refinement or delicacy (offensive in manor or action); 3. marked by or suggestive of lack of training or skill; 4. occurring abruptly or disconcertingly

Discourteous:  1. lacking courtesy

Unkind:  1. not pleasing or mild; 2. lacking in kindness or sympathy

I believe in kindness.  I believe that when dealing with others, to treat them the way you would want to be treated in the same situation.  I do not believe in creating unnecessary stress on another person when a situation is already stressful.

I had a situation this morning arise in which a woman was rude, discourteous and unkind to me in front of my four year old son.  I took him to his dentist appointment this morning.  I have become concerned he may have a couple cavities forming and I want to get them taken care of as soon as possible.

The dentist office we are assigned to by the insurance company has a policy that they call 24 hours in advance of your appointment to confirm it.  If they cannot reach you, they cancel your appointment.  When I got to the office this morning to check my son in, I found out they could not reach us (they had an old phone number on file) and canceled his appointment.  This in itself frustrated me, but what made matters worse was the way the front desk women spoke to me.

As soon as she saw the appointment was canceled, her tone immediately changed and she started speaking down to me.  She spoke to me in a way that made me feel like I was an idiot for coming in when my appointment had been canceled.  When I expressed my frustration with the situation (in a very calm way) she shrugged her shoulders at me and told me there were no more available appointments until September!! She also told me I could sit around and wait to see if the next appointment showed up (literally the words "you can sit around and wait" came out of her mouth). 

I was absolutely dumb founded that she was being so hostile towards me.  My son was already tense at the thought of seeing the dentist and I was trying to remain as calm as possible.  At one point, I had enough of her tone and called her out on her rude behavior.  Again, I did this in a calm way as to not upset my son and try to keep my composure in front of him.  I did not want to fly off the handle and show a bad example.  The woman seemed shocked that I had called her out on her bad behavior, but nothing changed.  She just kept repeating over and over the office policy on appointment cancellations.

This is a reminder to us all that it's not what you say, it's how you say it.  No matter who is at fault in any given situation, if you are in a service industry and have an upset customer it's really better to try and temper things rather than add fuel to the fire.  If she had been more apologetic (even though it wasn't really the office's fault) that the appointment had been canceled because they couldn't contact us the confirm, I still would have been frustrated but at least I could have seen the situation for what it was.  Instead she made things worse by being unwilling to show kindness while trying to find the best solution.  In fact she didn't try to help resolve the problem, she sat in her chair staring at my while I tried to decide what to do.  I just wish she had been more sympathetic to my frustration and tried to help be part of the solution instead of the problem.

In the end, I was able to get his appointment rescheduled for early August (as an appointment seemed to magically appear on her computer screen) and he has also been put on the cancellation list. I left feeling beat up, abused and at lost for words trying to explain to my son why he wasn't going to see the dentist today.


Please remember to always show kindness as you never know a person's current situation and....

stay tuned.....

Why Didn't You Wait?!

That's what I heard from my bestie after I tried to explain what had happened to my haircut after bringing in a diagram of the "Middy Long" haircut to a salon.  The middy haircut was created by Ivan Anderson, a hair stylist for Warner Bros. Studios during the 1940's. It became very popular during WWII, as women started wearing their hair shorter trying to be more patriotic.

So in jumping the gun to get my haircut because I am an incredibly impatient person when it comes to my hair, I did two things wrong...

1. I did not got to a stylist I really trusted.  My bestie has been doing my hair for 10 years now.  In fact she's been doing my hair since she was in cosmetology school!  So when I tried to explain what went wrong and how my hair was cut, I heard "Why didn't you wait?! You should have waited until you could come over."  Which to her credit is totally true!!  Instead I had gotten impatient and found someone on a whim.  I also should have known when neither she nor another person in the salon understood the diagram I brought in, it was time to go or at least nix the middy until I could go to see my bestie.  Which leads me to my next point....
2. You really need to do your homework on the middy.  Haircutting techniques were very different in the 1940's to now.  Everything from the way the hair is sectioned to the direction layers are cut are very very different.  If you do not do your homework and really understand how the middy haircut is achieved you won't be able to explain it to your stylist and you won't be happy with the outcome.  More is needed then finding a copy of the diagram online!  I highly recommend you purchase Creative Hairshaping & Hairstyling by Ivan Anderson.  I had to purchase it from Amazon.com as I could not find a book store that carried it.  It was only around $21 with shipping, so there isn't a huge investment.  The book has all the diagrams plus written instructions on how the haircut is to be done.  It also has all the variations if you want a longer version for the top and sides of the hair.

So my bestie did the best she could with what was left of my hair.  I am now beginning the process of growing out the mistakes and continuing my experiment with a true 1940's haircut. 

Why would I want a 1940's haircut?....Well simply put, it really makes achieving the hairstyles from that era much easier than with a modern haircut.  As things progress I will be updating you all.

On the plus side, since so much of my hair got cut off, the majority of the damaged hair is also gone!  No more super dry ends.

Stay tuned my lovelies.....

Stay tuned...

So I've been thinking for a months about taking my blog to a new level....that is, taking it to YouTube.  For several years I have tried to figure out something to have that's just for me.  Being a stay-at-home mom and housewife is rewarding and my choice, but it can also be quite lonely at times.  I often feel like there is something missing in my life and I haven't quite figured out what to fill that void with.

I have gone back and forth about starting a YouTube channel.  I follow several people or guru's on YouTube and have wondered if I really had anything more to contribute that people might be interested in.  I have also been concerned with seeing what some have gone through with the amount of negativity and spam received.  It seemed to be very emotionally exhausting and I wasn't sure for a while if that was something I wanted to invite into my life.

Still contemplating all of these things, I am leaning more towards starting my channel.  I have decided to combine two loves of mine...all things vintage/retro and shopping!  It will be mostly reviews and whether I consider them to be a "splurge" or "steal."  I don't think I'll be doing tutorial's.  I feel like there are some amazing guru's out there that do a much better job than I could ever do with vintage/retro hair and makeup.

So as of right now, I am still working out the details.

Stay tuned....

RetroPlanet.com

I just received my order from RetroPlanet.com!  I am so excited to share this company with you.  They sell retro home decor and it is oh so cute.  I purchased two photo's to go in my bedroom....I'm doing a retro/glamour/50's Hollywood/pinup kinda style.

I purchased these photos of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.  I loved this photo of Marilyn because of how natural she looked.  You don't see many like this of her, so unique.  I loved the photo of James Dean I picked for the same reason.

They are printed on heavy card stock and as bonus surprise when I looked on the back, they look like giant post cards.  Oh yeah, did I mention they are 11x14?  A great size to frame and hang on your wall. 

The very best part you ask?  Yes...well the prints are only $4.99 each!  What a deal...just waiting for frames to go on sale so I can get them up on my walls.  Plus delivery was super fast.  I purchased the prints on Monday I believe and they are here already.  I didn't even use express shipping, regular old standard USPS.  They were packaged very nicely so they wouldn't get bent in transit.  The prints were placed facing each other and wrapped on a piece of cardboard.  Then they are placed in a priority mail mailing box, which was kept flat and the edges were taped closed.

I was very pleased with my purchase and the ease of navigating the RetroPlanet.com website. They have so many cute items for your home, you really just have to check them out to see.  I could go on and on and on with a never ending list of the fun stuff they sell.

Happy Shopping....

Bye Dolls!

My Etsy Favorites

I am very excited to share some of my favorites stores from Etsy.com....

What is Etsy.com?

A fabulous online website for people to post handmade and vintage items for sale.  I prefer it to ebay because it's much easier to see where the items are coming from and see the quality of each item.  I have also found that it has become increasingly difficult to find good deals on ebay anymore and prefer the way Etsy is setup.

So without further ado, here are some of my favorites in no particular order!

• PinkyPinups ~ Owned by Nori and Jennifer out of Orange County, Ca.  They make the most adorable pinup style clothing, that I feel is very reasonable compared to some of the websites I've found.  My favorite items they make are the bath towels. They come in hot pink, red or black and have the cutest details!
• LoveVanillaRose ~ Owned by a single mother from rural Maine.  She makes the most adorable bathroom accessories and kitchen potholders.  My favorite are her toilet seat covers. These are not your grandma's toilet seat covers! If you love a vintage look, you have to check them out. My favorite is the black with white polka dots! Also the dish soap bottle aprons are to die for!
• ashleycasey05 ~ Owned by Ashely Casey from Port Charlotte.  She makes the most adorable ribbon rings with a vintage/punk attitude. So cute!
• Vintagelucy's ~ Owned by Tabatha Hasselbrink from the Mission Viejo/Orange County, Ca.  Inspired by her great grandmother, she makes children's clothes, adult shirts and kitchen towels with retro designs and fabrics. My absolute favorite are her kitchen tea towels.  They have vintage pictures with a whimsical twist!
• LynnsRags ~ Owned by Lynn from San Diego, Ca.  She makes the most fabulous tube dresses! The bottom of her dresses are typically made from either tulle or vintage bedsheets (think Strawberry Shortcake and Star Wars kids sheets)!  She also makes other dress styles and tube tops.  I love the way she redesigns vintage dresses that you would normally pass up in a thrift store!
• LukaMish ~ From South Australia, Australia.  She makes the most adorable pillows and tote bags from vintage inspired fabrics.  Everything in her store is very reasonably priced and so cute!
• RevampProductions ~ Owned by Jennifer Perkins from Costa Mesa, Ca.  She is inspired by classic cars for her purse designs and let me tell you they are to die for!!  I really can't pin point a favorite design.  Each purse is handmade so you will pay a bit more than some other retro purses out there, but I think if you find one you really love go for it!  She even has a "Join the Club" option where you can register your purse and you can have it fixed or refurbished if needed.  I think that makes her purses well worth the investment!

So there you have it, just a few of my favorites.  I can't wait to start adding some of these amazing items to my home.  Please check these sotres out and the other shops on Etsy.com. 

Happy Shopping!

When Someone Makes You Blue

When is enough enough?  When is too much more than any person can handle?

I have been going over those questions recently after an incident with a friend.  It was someone I once counted as one of my closest friends.  Over the past several years our friendship has changed a lot.  The distance between us has grown and our lives have gone down very different paths.

It has been hard for me to gage if this friend has similar feelings towards me as they seem to go on as if nothing has happened, nothing has changed.  This attitude has only added my questioning whether or not this is a friendship I want or should continue.  It has been hard for me to call it quits, to say goodbye.  I consider myself to be fiercely loyal to my friends, almost to a fault by becoming a door mat for some.  So when someone hurts me or wrongs me, I do not always defend myself or tell that person how they have made me feel.  Which is exactly what I am doing this time around.

I said something recently, that was my own opinion of a news article.  A few friends commented on what I had said and we had a very normal conversation about the event that surrounded the article.  One friend in particular, took great offense and lost sight of my original opinion of a very specific point.  They blasted me and made me out to be a heartless monster.  The attack had absolutely nothing to do with my opinion or issue I took with the content of the article.  I have been left shell shocked and sick to my stomach.  Of course all of this was done on facebook for every one of my friends to see and read.  I ended up taking down the post of the article and my opinion, not because I felt like I was in the wrong but because I didn't want people seeing the exchange.  I felt like the reason I had posted the article had been lost and it wasn't worth keeping up.

This wouldn't be the first time this friend has had that kind of reaction towards me (again this is someone I've always considered one of my closest and dearest friends).  Although this would be the first time it happened on facebook.  I am now left licking my wounds wondering if it's really worth trying to hold onto this friendship.  Is this person really my friend?  Would they defend me until they were blue in the face, beating their head against a wall like I've done for them?

I really don't know anymore.  This time I feel like too much has built up to put aside for the sake of our friendship.  At the same time, I just don't know if I can stomach ending our friendship as I love this person as if they were my own blood.

Something That's Been Bothering Me

Since becoming a parent, I've become more sensitive to products being marketed for children.  There's a new trend that has been bothering me for some time and I just have to get it off my chest.

No I'm not talking about thong underwear or pushup bikini tops being made for girls as young as eight years old (although I find it disgusting).

I'm talking about food manufacturers putting "whole grains" into sugary kids cereals and then labeling it healthy.  As if adding "whole grains" to these cereals now cancels out all the sugar and food coloring in them.  In a country where childhood obesity is becoming the norm and not the exception, this is not a step in the right direction.

I find it unethical on food manufacturers part to put these claims on "boxes of death."  In all reality that's what these cereals are.  They in no way teach healthy eating habits to kids.  Given the fact that this is the first generation of children in danger of being out lived by their parents, I don't see how these companies can get away with it. 

I feel like the only way to get the point across to food manufacturers that we as parents are not going to buy into their lies, is to not buy any of these so-called "whole grain" kid cereals. 

It's time to take back control of our kids health and teach better eating habits.

My Hair

I have always had a love-hate relationship with my hair.  I have a head full of very fine hair which makes it seem thin.  Although I've been told by more than one hair dresses that I have a lot of hair just really fine.

So my dilemma came while my hair was blond....very blond.  Oneday after washing my hair, as I combed it out, I heard a sound much like paper being torn. 

It was my hair.

It had finally reached it's limit and the entire crown section on top of my head had melted and was breaking....along with my heart.  I tried to my hardest to be as gentle as possible while combing out my hair, but with each stroke more and more hair showed up on my comb.

I sprang into action and starting deep condition, doing protein packs, cut an inch off the bottom and even dyed my hair brown so that I wouldn't have as much color up keep.  Still I had dry straw-like hair.  So I went out in search of products that might help salvage what was left of my hair and treat the damage that had been done.  After several exhaustive and bank breaking trips I think I've finally found the answer for my hair.

I found a product at my local drug store called Organix "Beauty Pure and Simple."  It's a hair care line that is sodium and sulfate free and very affordable.  They've come out with a new line called "Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy."  I grabbed everything in the line....shampoo, conditioner, flat iron spray and anti-breakage serum.  Why do I love this stuff so much?  Not only is it an affordable sodium and sulfate free product by it has keratin in it.  Since our hair is made of keratin, these products help to put the keratin back in my hair to make it stronger.  Plus it has cocoa nut oil in it so everything smells like cocoa power....yummy!! 

Now as for a deep conditioning at home treatment I was at a loss for a while.  It seemed like nothing I found worked.  Then I went ahead and tried one I saw by Pantene.  Now I have never been a huge Pantene fan, but I do like the conditioning mask I found.  It's part of their "Beautiful Lengths" line of hair care and is formulated to help reduce breakage for longer stronger hair (by the way I'm trying to grow my hair out long).

Finally as a super intense conditioning treatment I'm using good old VO5 Hot Oil.  Yup that's right VO5!!  I like it because it too has keratin protein in it so again I'm putting keratin back into my hair to help strengthen it.  The only down fall I really see is there are a lot of chemicals I'd rather not be in VO5 like parabens.  I'll definitely be on the hunt for a more natural alternative to the VO5, but for now that's what I'm using.

The result you ask?  Well my hair is not damage free...that will take many hair cuts to rid my hair of the damage parts.  However it is softer, shinier and is not breaking as much.  That makes me very very happy :o)

A Few of My Favorite Things

So I am a huge AVON fan...so much so that I became an AVON Representative.  So I decided to post a few of my favorite products.

• AVON ANEW Age-Transforming Foundation SPF-15 ~ This stuff is amazing....it is full-coverage (think MAC foundation) without feeling having or making my skin breakout (like MAC foundation).  I was very sad the day I realized my skin couldn't handle MAC foundations anymore.  Imagine my delight at finally finding a foundation that covers and gives the finish of MAC without the bad skin and much better price...only $16!
• AVON ULTRA COLOR RICH Lipstick ~ I love the way this stuff feels on AND it smells great.  My two favorite colors are Poppy Love (a red-orange and VERY glamorous) and Pout (a nude pink).  At only $7 each at regular price you can totally afford to buy more than one at a time.
• AVON ANEW Skincare ~ It's the first anti-aging skincare line that did not irritate my skin.  It's broken down into age groups of 30's, 40's, 50's and newly added 60's.  You can definitely mix and match within the categories according to specific skincare needs.  When compared to department store or drug store brand anti-aging skincare products, the price is just right!
• AVON ANEW CLINICAL ~ This line caters to specific skin aging issues from crow's feet to wrinkles to sagging skin to cellulite treatment...ANEW CLINICAL can treat anything!

So there you have it, a few of my favorite things!  To check out all the AVON products you can go to www.youravon.com/jaelhicks or http://www.avon.com/ to find a rep closest to you.

This is more difficult than I thought...

So I am finding that being a stay-at-home mom is more difficult than I once thought.  My oldest (who is four) has one more year until kindergarten.  I find myself counting down the days until he is somebody else's problem for a few hours a day.

I know that seems like an awful thing to say and feel about your own child but let's get real....most of us have had those feelings we just don't like to admit them.

Let me just say that I do love both my children with all my heart and would give my own life for them if needed.  However, my oldest is quite the handful.  He has more energy with the shortest attention span of any child I have ever come into contact with.  This requires constant and ever changing stimulation that I just can't keep up with. 

Between trying to keep the house in order, take care of two children, take care of myself, cook, run errands and have time for my husband I just can't seem to keep my oldest occupied for more than five minutes at a time. 

What happens the rest of the time?

Pure chaos!  This leads to feelings of doubt as to whether I'm really cut out for this whole mommy thing.  Which in turn leads to depression because all I ever wanted growing up was to be a mom.  Never in a million years did I think I would have a child that was so demanding of stimulation that I simply cannot provide.

Oh yes...I have heard of preschool.  I would LOVE for him to be in preschool, but since we are a one income family it's just not in the budget at this time.  I am on the constant look out for an affordable preschool, but they are few and far between and difficult to get into.

All in all, I do love my job and yes it really is a job.  It's just more difficult than I thought and sometimes I need to own up to my feelings and let them go to be a better mom and person. 

Starting a Book Club

So I have this fantastic idea to start a book club.  As a stay-at-home mommy my conversations are fairly limited to pee, poop and nap time topics.  I thought this would be a nice way of getting in some adult conversations that have absolutely nothing to do with the previously mentioned topics.

So I am thinking of starting with Steinbeck ~
The Pearl
Of Mice and Men
The Grapes of Wrath
East of Eden
Cannery Row
The Winter of Our Discontent
Tortilla Flat
(Not necessarily in that order)

From there move on to Jane Austen ~
Pride & Prejudice
Persuasion
Sense & Sensibility
Emma
Mansfield Park
Northanger Abbey
(Again not necessarily in that order)

Not sure whether to stay on the classic literature kick or try out some contemporary works.  I'm also not sure how long it should take to read each book.  I know how long it takes me on average to read a book, usually a week or two. 

Would that work for a book club?  Should I allow for more time?  These are questions I haven't been able to work out on my own.  Maybe once I get this book club up and running these things will work themselves out.

I shall definitely keep you posted as to the book club developments.

Pinup Lifestyle

So I'll be doing a few of these blogs where I feature some of my favorite websites.  This one is really cool because it's dedicated to the Pinup Lifestyle whether your a fan, a model, a photographer or vendor. 

It's appropriately title Pinup Lifestyle.com (that's www.pinuplifestyle.com)!  It's kind of a social networking site for people who love all things pinup.  You do have to request a membership to join by filling out a sort of application.  It goes over your general interest in Pinup Lifestyle and whether your a professional joining or a fan. 

They have lots of cool features from photo contests to shopping websites to different promotions.  They even offer a magazine they put out several times a year called Pinup Lifestyle.  You really have to check it out to see everything it has to offer.  I really can't do it justice trying to describe it in my blog.

It's definitely worth checking out and best of all there's lots of shopping websites!  I find it hard to find quality websites that offer pinup/vintage clothing and accessories, but they have some really great stuff.  Plus you don't have to search through thousands of web pages!

Reporting The News or Inducing Mass Hysteria?

On Friday March 11, 2011 an 8.9 earthquake hit the east coast of Honshu, Japan.  The earthquake in turn caused a Tsunami which has caused massive destruction and left hundreds dead.  The effects of the Tsunami could be felt to almost the entire West Coast of the United States. 

This is similar to how responsible news media reported the facts Friday morning.  How did local news media report the facts?  Well that's a different story.  I can only tell you mine....I live in Santa Cruz County.  Things were reported a little differently here which made me wonder....

When are local news media groups reporting the new or inducing mass hysteria?

Friday morning, what could almost be described as mass hysteria broke out in many coastal counties.  People evacuated their homes to flee for higher ground, parents kept their children home from school, beaches were closed and lines to fill up gas were insane.  Why?  Why did we, who live thousands of miles from Japan, become convinced that we were in eminent danger?

It was reported that Tsunami waves were headed our way. 

Tsunami is defined as "A very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption." 

That is NOT what happened to any part of the West Coast.  We did, however, have stronger than usual waves that did cause damage and flooding to various coastal towns.  These strong waves and even stronger undertows were a direct result of the Tsunami.  Families in certain neighborhoods were evacuated as precautionary measures. 

Looking back to yesterdays events, was the hysteria caused by reports of Tsunami waves coming to the West Coast necessary?  Schools remained open, business remained open and ALL evacuation sites were in town. 

Does it really make sense for us to have gotten so freaked out by the days events which were over by about 12:00pm Pacific time? 

So again the question I have is.....

When is considered responsible news reporting or inducing mass hysteria?  Was it necessary to use terms like "Tsunami waves" to describe the ocean activity yesterday?  Could the news have been reported in a way to evoke the need for caution without causing the "Chicken Little Syndrome?"

Who Are "They" & Why Should We Listen To Them?

We have all heard that saying....

You know the one.  The one that makes us scratch our heads wondering why without any real answers just more questions.

So this is my most hated saying....

"Well you know they say....."

I for one do not know what they say....what makes them such an expert on everything....and why we should listen to them.

Now to be perfectly honest I have not researched who any of these mystery people are, so for all I know "they" may actually be experts on everything.  However I am barraged everyday with emails with from supposed experts about anything and everything that I must be interested in.  Plus all the ads on web pages from these experts which often times have been exposed as frauds.

Now.....here is the reason why I get so irritated from this saying.

My tomatoes can no longer go in my fridge our their texture gets weird, my flour and chips go in the freezer to keep bugs out and keep them fresh, I shouldn't wash my hair everyday because it's too harsh (or something however my hair gets disgustingly oily if I don't wash my hair daily), I shouldn't drink or give soy milk to my kids because it can cause cancer, we should only use cleaning and beauty products that are natural and/or organic because chemicals are too harsh and can cause cancer......well you get the picture.

So I for one am here to say, "NO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY SAY!" and I really don't care. 

I basically live my life the way I see fit and do not need to know what "they" say.

Mommyhood Is NOT What I Thought It Would Be

So I always had this image in my head growing up as to what I thought life would be like once I became a mommy.......

Some women have perfect pregnancies, perfect deliveries and easy perfect children.  They loved every moment of being pregnant.  If they had morning sickness at all they didn't care because it was all part of the pregnancy package.  Their labor was amazing whether they decided to go natural or have an epidural.  Their children are so easy and never give them cause for complaint.  Everything happened according to schedule and give us the delusion that every woman's experience will be the same.

I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE WOMEN.......

Between the morning sickness, migraine headaches, bloating and general feeling that I looked like a whale, pregnancy was not my friend.  To top that off with each of my two pregnancies I was very pregnant during the winter months.  Ideal you may say?  Not to me....feeling like a huge bloated whale while having to wear bulky winter clothes is not fun.  I so longed to wear cute little summer maternity clothes.

Delivering my children...well I'll spare the details but well labor is labor.

So after bringing my children home and watching them grow and develop I have realized one very important lesson....

I will love my children unconditionally until the day I die.  I would absolutely do anything for them...even give up my life for them.  However as much as I love them....

I do not always like them. 

Being a mommy means giving up a lot and having to put up with even more for two demanding little people.  It's not always easy trying to figure out what either of them wants or needs especially if they are demanding something at the same time.  Most of the time I feel like I want to pull my hair out and scream at the top of my lungs.  Some days I don't know how I'll make it through until my husband gets home.  Of all the fantasies I had growing up about what being a mommy would be like, the reality is the complete opposite.  However.....

Being a mommy is the most important job I have ever had and I would not change my decision for all the money in the world.