AND she’s a SUPERMODEL

I’ve been searching for the perfect skincare product for awhile now.  And when I say “searching,” I really mean reading In Style, Allure and other magazines that print ”best of” beauty products issues.  But once I find a product that looks interesting, and in my price range, I always chicken out and go back to my mainstay, Clinique.  I’m been using the “Dramatically Different” bottle of yellow moisturizing lotion for SO long now, it is really hard to change.  I love my Clinique lotion, but I want to really dig in and find a great anti-aging product.  I am fair skinned and super sensitive so I also need extra protection. 

The other day I did something that is (slightly) shocking. I ordered this after watching an INFOMERCIAL:

It’s Meaningful Beauty by Cindy Crawford.  Cindy developed this skincare line together with a leading dermatologist from Paris.  She calls it a “complete age maintenance” system.  I was literally glued to the television screen for 30 minutes watching this infomercial.   I was SUCK(er)ed in!  Just look at all the cool stuff I get!

There is a cleanser, a daytime moisturizer, a nighttime moisturizer, a mask, an eye cream, a serum, and a (bonus!) neck cream.   It’s every product I need/want and I didn’t have to keep “researching” (ie: awkwardly asking the chicks behind the cosmetic counters what they recommended.)

It was just so easy to call the number, give my credit card, and then have all the products at my front door in five days.  (Geez, now I sound like an infomercial.)  But honestly, it really wasn’t that expensive and I figure if Cindy Crawford is putting her name on it AND there is a dermatologist involved, I can feel good about it.  I just started using the products today, so I’ll see what happens. 

I just hope it’s not “Bean Bag Tuna.”

Big Bird and Big Macs

I worked in the world of media and marketing for many years before I became a full time Mommy.  So I try really hard not to be a hypocrite when it comes to allowing media or marketing into my home or into my kids’ world.  I already wrote about how I get sucked into marketing, so I can’t be surprised when it happens to my kids. 

I am definitely cautious when it comes to my children’s television viewing habits.  Daniel and Annabel are only 2 1/2 years and 16 months old, so they definitely should not be watching TOO much television.  They watch an hour in the morning and 30 minutes before dinner.  I also believe that there are some benefits to educational television like the shows found on PBS or Noggin.  One of the benefits is that I get a break.  (Ha.)   Some days I really need that extra time in the morning to get dressed, check my email, or even go to the bathroom.  The hour program they watch each weekday morning is the ol’ classic, Sesame Street.  It’s a PBS program, it’s educational, and I watched it when I was little, so I feel pretty good about it.  The characters are familiar (although we never had that crazy ELMO), so I enjoy it as well.  Daniel loves the “Letter of the Day,” the “Number of the Day,” and all the fun songs.  We love the family life vignettes when the children take a bath, bake a cake, or go to the dentist.  It’s a great show and they are LEARNING something too.  (Win-Win!)

The funny thing is sometimes Daniel gets most excited at the very beginning BEFORE the show actually starts.  He loves to recite the Sesame Street show SPONSORS.  (Each sponsor has a colorful 15 second “commercial” with a voiceover that thanks them for “sponsoring” Sesame Street.)

“Mama, Mama!…NEW BALANCE!”  “Mama, Mama!…BEACHES!”  “Mama!  Mama!…MCDONALD’S!”

It’s hilarious because the professional side of me is thinking, “Wow! These corporations are super smart.  They even have my two year old son shouting out their brand names!”  Then, the other side of me is thinking, “Wait. The entire point of watching a show on PBS with my kids is to avoid the infiltration of advertisers.”  But they found a way around that by having corporate “sponsors,” not advertisers. Well, good for them.  This is America.

We also listen to a lot of music in the house.  Most days I throw in a children’s CD to sing along with while we play or do projects.  My husband works in radio so, other days, we just leave the radio on.  Well, today I’m making lunch and the radio is on in the kitchen.  A commercial comes on for “Money Pages” (some coupon mailer) and after listening to it for about 10 seconds, Daniel starts singing the jingle. “The Money Pages..la la la..in your..MAILBOX!”   He’s been listening to 50 different kid songs on the CD all morning and THIS is what he decides to sing along to while waiting for his PB&J?!  It’s a little scary, but still so darn cute!  I start clapping my hands and singing along too.  Annabel starts to laugh and we all sing the chorus, “The Money Pages..la la la..in your..MAILBOX!”  (If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?)

BTW, today’s blog entry WAS NOT brought to you by The Money Pages or Beaches Resort or New Balance or McDonald’s. (Although I sure could use one of their new Caramel Iced Coffees right now - Yum.)

Bean Bag Tuna

My husband and I were doing some marathon furniture shopping one day and decided to grab lunch.  We were STARVING so we just scanned the area for the first place that looked like it actually served food.  There was a super small, but super cute, café in the strip mall called “The Bean Bag.”  We went in. 

It was one of those places that has three round tables and a chalk board menu. There were soups and sandwiches and various coffee drinks.  My husband ordered a BLT and then asked for my order.  There was turkey, roast beef, ham, and then I saw the tuna sandwich.  The board said “Tuna Salad Sandwich made with sunny yellow raisins, pears, and pecans.”   

“Oh, I’ll have the tuna!” I said. 

“What?” my husband whispered, “Really??” 

“Yeah, I’ll try it.” 

Needless to say, my husband finished up his BLT and I was sitting there with one bite out of my tuna sandwich.  It was…not good.  Let’s just say it had an interesting combination of flavors. “Bean Bag Tuna??” my husband said, “What were you thinking?”

I do this A LOT.  I try things and then end up hating them.  I worked in marketing and promotions for so many years you would THINK I would learn my lesson.  But I am so lured in by the seduction of product marketing.  I walk around the grocery store, see something new, and just HAVE to try it.  Or I go out to a restaurant and get something new off the menu while my husband just rolls his eyes at me.  My biggest mistake is straying away from the ORIGINAL version. Here is a brief list of some foods that turned out to be “Bean Bag Tuna“:

• IHOP Tropical Pineapple Pancakes (The waiter even told me not to order them. I still did.)
• Mango Orange Julius (Again, stick to the original.)
• Candy Corn Hershey Kisses (I don’t even like REGULAR candy corn that much.) 
• Vanilla Creme Frosted Mini-Wheats (I have an attraction to all thing “vanilla.”)
• Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper (See above.)

And I’ve even done it to my innocent children:

• Fruity Cheerios?  Bean Bag Tuna.
• Organic Banana Cookies?  Bean Bag Tuna.
• Curious George Fruit Snacks?  Bean Bag Tuna.

I’ve done it so much that sometimes I don’t even want to admit it.  I once finished an entire container of Tiramisu Coffee-Mate because I did not want my husband to see me throw it in the trash.  (And FYI you Coffee-Mate makers, it does NOT taste like “a combination of delicate ladyfinger cookies, layered in rich mascarpone cream and sweet cocoa.”)