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Because I’ve been all over the place lately, this update has gotta happen in a list!

1. The camp grind

With all the driving back and forth between work and camp, we’re finally starting to find a camp rhythm. Yay!

This week was dive camp, which was really cool for Connor. She learned how to do some basic dives off of the edge of the dive pool and off the springboard.

By the last day, she was jumping off the 5 meter platform, which, gasp, is about 16 ft above the dive pool surface. Craziness. By the end of the camp, she was begging me to come back to dive camp. I wonder if we’re gonna become a dive family. Who knows?

2. I finally finished a huge project at work

So now I have a little more breathing room, which is a relief. This job has these phases where I’m working a ton in the space of about 8 weeks. For the past month it’s felt like a sprint from the time I walk into the office until I leave. I’m thankful that my schedule’s eased up in time for the camp.

3. Do you ever go through those phases where you hate cooking?

Sometimes I don’t mind it, but lately I haven’t wanted to deal with it when I get home. Plus, when it’s hot out, the last thing I want to do is turn on the stove and stand in front of it. We’ve been surviving on sandwiches, cereal and homemade snack plates (crackers, cheese, a smattering of fruit and veggies, and a handful of nuts). Whatever, at least it’s somewhat nutritious.

4. Life with Marnie is full and rich, but oh so time consuming

We’ve had her living with us now for two months, and as she’s getting more comfortable, we’re finding out all sorts of things about her. Turns out in her previous puppyhood life, she wasn’t given a lot of opportunities for socialization with people and dogs, so she’s got a bit of doggie anxiety.

We’ve been working with a trainer and a behaviorist to help her become the best Marnie she can be. I know she can do it, but it’s a lot of work. I love her and the joy she brings to our family, but I’m having even more trouble juggling everything, including time to write. I keep telling myself that I’ll get there, and I just have to be patient with myself. I’ll eventually figure out how to find a writing rhythm again.

5. Raspberry picking!

Lastly, today El Hub is working, so Connor and I are headed out to do something we’ve never done before – raspberry picking! There’s a u-pick raspberry farm north of us in Sonoma County, so we’re headed up there in a few to hang out and pick some raspberries.

What are you up to today? I hope you have something fun and summery lined up for this beautiful Saturday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I LOVE THEM! I like that they don’t hurt my hair OR my head, LOL! Because you know how sometimes when you put your ponytail up and you get a headache? That happens to me all the time, EXCEPT WHEN I WEAR SCRUNCHIES.

They also don’t leave that weird bend in my hair… You know what I’m talking about — that dent you get in the crown from a ponytail.

I’ve been thinking about them lately because I was looking around the Urban Outfitters website, and they’ve got a TON of scrunchies.

Like, what the hell, dude? I need to crawl out from under my rock, because I had no idea it became socially acceptable for hip youngsters to don scrunchies again.

Free People even has jumbo scrunchies!

Anywho, I’ve been wearing them for years, and it’s funny, but you know you’ve hit a certain point in your life when you’ve lived through trends that were totally in style, then fell out of style, and are now back in style again.

How do you feel about scrunchies? They seem to be one of those things that people either love or loathe.

#TEAMSCRUNCHIE! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. Brunch or afternoon tea?

I love both, but today I’d do the afternoon tea.

2. Diamonds or sapphires?

I feel like diamonds go with everything.

3. Hiking or kayaking?

Although I enjoy doing both, let’s go with hiking because right now that would offer me a better chance of finding shade!

4. Have you ever ridden in a horse drawn carriage?

Not yet!

5. Have you ever had a pen pal?

Yes, when I was in high school, I had a pen pal through French class, and we’d write to each other in French and English. And of course I had my friends in middle school and high school; we’d write each other notes and leave them in lockers, which is kinda funny to me now because we’d see each other all day long. Hmm, I wonder if kids still do that?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. Brunch or afternoon tea?
2. Diamonds or sapphires?
3. Hiking or kayaking?
4. Have you ever ridden in a horse drawn carriage?
5. Have you ever had a pen pal?

Good morning and happy Caturday from my happy heart to yours.

I’m SO RELIEVED that it’s the weekend. Is it just me, or was this week a doozy?

I don’t know why year after year, I trick myself into thinking our summer schedule will be less chaotic compared to the regular school year, but every year summer proves me wrong!

I think it’s summer camp. The ones around here are usually at funky times, like 10-2, which isn’t super helpful if you’re a working parent.

Connor’s doing a whole bunch of different camps, and this week, it was dance camp.

Now that I’m working in an office, I’ve got to juggle taking her to camp and picking her up in between manning my desk, which means adjusting my schedule in all kinds of funky ways. This week, I had Connor come in with me to work at the crack of dawn. We improvised a reading corner for her to chill out in while I furiously banged through emails so that I could meet my deadlines.

I’m lucky in that I have some flexibility with my schedule, so even though it was chaos for me, we made it work.

I swear when I sat down to write this post, I had beauty on the brain, ha ha ha. I’ve been adding to my beauty wish list lately because I’ve been diligently saving for things coming down the pipe in the last half of the year (Connor’s dance season and Christmas, mostly), and for some reason, adding to my virtual beauty list makes it a little easier to not buy things willy nilly.

Side note, I’ve also found that staying off social media helps with saving money too. I swear Instagram is the new Home Shopping Network!

Anywho, here’s what I recently added to my virtual beauty cart. 🙂

Clinique High Impact Shadow Play Eye Shadow + Definer

I saw these ultra-portable dual-ended sticks at Ulta last week, and they look so cute and fun! One side is a cream and the other is a velvety powder. You swipe on the cream first and then blend the powder on top, which I think is perfect for the on-the-go makeup that I favor these days. They come in a bunch of color combinations; I liked Double Latte, Cafe au Lait and Royal Couple. Each stick is $34.

Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow

What is it about a cream shadow in a pot that makes me weak in the knees, le sigh! I like how these are super pigmented yet easy enough to blend with a finger because let’s face it, I barely have time or energy to deal with brushes these days. These come in a wide range of wearable colors; a lot of them tend to lean warm, so heads up on that. A pot is $35.

Oribe Hair Alchemy Heatless Styling Balm

This lightweight balm is made for air-dried hair styles. It adds shine, smooths frizz and locks in your waves. No crunchiness; just soft, touchable hair. It’s $48 a bottle, and ugh, WANT.

What’s currently on your summer beauty wishlist?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The surgeon general recently called for health warnings on social media due to rising rates of mental health problems amongst kids and teens.

This got me thinking about the mental load women carry – well, at least I carry it with me – that could have benefited from a big warning label sign.

Let me backup a little bit. Growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I voraciously read magazines for kids, teens and young women. Fashion and beauty magazines were my favorite.

Also during that time, like most kids in the US, I was subjected to beauty ideals through commercials and print ads. There were so many beauty messages sent out through those channels, but the main one for me and my friends was you had to be thin.

Anyway, the other day, I was looking at a photo that I took with Connor right before her school’s closing assembly. I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud, but instead of focusing on the joy in our faces, the bright colors in Connor’s fun costume or my strong, healthy body, all I could see was how much bigger I look now because I’m carrying a little bit more weight than I used to.

I’ve had some health issues over the last couple years, and that, coupled with a lot of stress, plus hormonal changes has meant that I’m carrying a little more weight than I used to.

Side note, things have gotten a lot better, and I’m finally getting to a good place, but part of me is now wondering if it will stay this good. I’m nervous to keep hoping that it will, but that’s another story for another day.

Anyway, when I was looking at the picture, all I could see were thighs and my bum and the fact that I don’t look like I did 10 years ago when I was running 3 to 5 miles a day and wasn’t juggling a full household. All I could see was that I wasn’t as skinny as I used to be.

I’m thinking that maybe we all could’ve used some major warnings on all of the magazines from back in the day. All those pictures and commercials of what was supposed to be the beautiful and socially acceptable way women were supposed to look that flooded into our brains left something there that I can’t quite shake.

I can’t believe that I put in so much work to stay mentally healthy now, yet I’m still plagued with these ideas in my head that I should be thinner.

If only those warnings had come when we were young girls.

Still, I’m trying to focus on all the good things. My health. My relatively young age; oh, I’m still young, according to the 85-year-old student I helped the other day!

Anyway, this is something I carry, and I’m guessing others carry it too. I wanted to share it with you.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. Lefty or a righty?

Righty.

2. Always late or always early?

In theory I’d like to be always early. I don’t always achieve it, but I try really hard.

3. Walk or drive?

Depends on how hot it is. But usually I prefer walking.

4. Mascara on the bottom lashes: yes or no?

Nah, not lately.

5. Dry shampoo or hair oil?

Hair oil for my ends please.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. Lefty or a righty?
2. Always late or always early?
3. Walk or drive?
4. Mascara on the bottom lashes: yes or no?
5. Dry shampoo or hair oil?