Smooth Away ..... really???

I am usually pretty good about not buying things off of infomercials. Usually because I am broke. I did buy a Magic Bullet. (not so magic, but still not bad) I have been sorely tempted to buy this cooking thing that looks like a clear dome. Also - there was a ballet bar exercise thing that I have wanted try for a while -- but way too much money for me.

Now this Smooth Away thing comes on TV and I think to myself -- yeah right. See my problem is that I have thick, coarse, hard to remove hair and super, uber sensitive skin. This does not make for a happy combination. I shave and that day I am ok -- then I break out all over my inner thighs, back of my knees, etc. Most of it is ingrown hairs, and just plain skin irritation. Now if you are my sister-in-law Katie who only has to shave once every couple months, this is not your problem I am sure. But 12 hours after I shave (or once I get the chills) the stubble is back. I tried waxing but it only took off 20% of the hair and most of the skin. Nair (and equivalents) just dissolved it down to stubble and left my skin burned and rashed. *sigh* My best option was just to shave once or twice month. Yeah Sasquatch legs!! So I figured what could this hurt right? I bought this, and the 3 month supply. Cost 60 bucks with shipping. Ouch! Come to find out -- 3 days later I see it at Target for 10 bucks. *sigh*

Here is what I have found. It is pretty much superfine sand paper. Now don't be scared, I meant superfine. My cats tongue is rougher. The box comes with 4 replacement pads. Well you will need them all. They just don't last very long. And the hair needs to be short, like 1/4 inch or less. Unlike the lady in the commercials you do NOT just rub it up and down your arms and legs. You go in little circles like Mr. Miyagi. You know..hair on/hair off. Don't be afraid to use pressure but not too much! All in all, this worked. It only lasts as long as shaving, but it takes a lot longer than shaving to do! On the plus side, I have not broken out 2 days later. And as an exfoliant -- it is very good! I don't know that I would recommend it on your face though. Mine didn't get red or irritated, but it sure stung like *&%@ for a couple days on my upper lip and neck. My legs didn't have that problem.

So I am sure it will totally depend on your skin and hair type, and if shaving is quick and easy and you don't have problems, I would just keep that up, maybe use this as just an exfoliator? But for me this seemed to work ok once I got over how much longer it took and how long(or not) the pads lasted. But buy it from Target and not online!!! It's not worth the shipping. Just my 2 cents.

Football & Peppers

Football season is here again. Well, maybe football season part 2. This is indoor football. Should be fun. I have to say that I really enjoyed my nights and weekends though and now here they go again to the ever present football practice after practice. The interesting (and crappy) part is that they play indoor, but practice outside. In the cold. In the snow. And somehow -- they still love it. Bruises, frozen toes, snow scrapes that go up half their arms and all. Well, Curtis likes it, thinks it's fun. Josh adores it. It's fun listening to him talk to Aaron about his practices and words like man coverage, wedge, windows, cover 3 and stuff all seem to make sense to them. Now, I enjoy watching football, I really do. I have been a fan of the Giants for a couple of years. You know -before- they won the Super Bowl. But as to how to plan plays, what they are called and stuff - that part goes over my head. Mostly because I don't care. But I love seeing my kids doing something they love that doesn't involve electricity and paddles. (If you didn't know I meant video games that could sound kind of scary. But then in my family you never know -- So I'm just going to point out I meant video games.)

On my quest to be healthier and lose weight (The ever present New Years Resolution that somehow never happens. I think because I am lazy and really like my cheese and pasta.) I have discovered bell peppers. I have had green peppers of course on pizza and stuff because my mother loves them, but I have never really tried them before. However, I have cut my cheese, pasta, mayo, and creamy things down to almost nothing. I am trying to eat more salad as a side instead and have mostly successful. I realized that salad needs color. So I experimented, and have found out that I like radishes and bell peppers. All of the colors. Who knew that red ones were sweet? Well, besides people who have eaten them before. I get one of the four colors the supermarket has, chop them up and put a big handful in my omelets, and in my salads. Vegetables have mostly been limited to corn and green beans in childhood and since then I pretty much stuck to that -- adding in mushrooms here and there. But holy cow -- there is a whole world of veggies out there! Radishes, asparagus,leeks, and artichokes to name a few I have found and liked. I still don't like celery though. Icky. I do believe in fresh or frozen though. Most stuff out of a can is icky. Now maybe I can make myself try a beet.

Rock Band

Ok - so I have mixed feelings about this one. I knew my kids would love it. I knew my husband would love it. I knew I probably wouldn't. But I got it for my family for Christmas anyway. It's all they got (besides 3 packages of 20 energizer batteries and pajamas) and they loved it. No that's not true I got cool folding banana chairs for them too at walmart for 15 bucks the day after Thanksgiving. (which is an absolutely crazy time to go shopping and don't recommend it to anyone. Saving 10 bucks isn't worth it!!! BUT I had to go to Joanns that morning because the flannel was on sale for 1.99 a yard instead of the 6.99 it is regularly and when you are buying 40 yeards........that makes a difference. And since I was already up .. why not go to Walmart too. Which was scary!)

Anyway, the kids were trying to teach me the guitar. Which was frustrating and I kept bringing their score down so they gave me the michrophone. Um, well anyone who knows us knows that singing is just not a talent we have. That gene skipped all us kids. And Aaron .. well thats even scarier. But I was trying to learn so I didn't just get sick of listening. Because when they are just playing instruments its not so bad, but when they sing....they seem to think they need to sing (screech) at the top of their lungs. So not only are they singing (screeching) loudly, its also coming out of the speakers on the TV at top volume. Yay. Stereo. My poor poor neighboors.

The drums look kind of fun maybe. Can you justify playing a video game when you are the mom that tells the kids they can't just sit and play games all of the time? Not that I would. I have too many other things to go and I feel terribly guilty after half an hour or so. But why should they have all the fun? That, and it irritates them when I take it over. And thats fun.

James Bond

I think the first Bond film I ever watched was "A View To A Kill". Mostly because the evil black lady was in the Conan movie I just watched and I thought she was cool. Then I think I didn't see any more until "GoldenEye". I watched all the Pierce Brosnan ones and the first Daniel Craig. I didn't really like "Casino Royale" because I had been used to a more suave and polished Bond. This one just seemed a little harsh and cold.

Well come to find out, my husband had never seen any of them. So we decided to watch them all from the beginning. After all, you hear so often that Sean Connery is the only real Bond. I have to say -- I think he is much better looking as an older man. Now we are only up to movie #7. We just watched "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". I liked George Lazenby better than Sean Connery. I'm not sure why. But so far I have learned a couple things.

#1 -- Mr. Bond has Arnold beat on the number of bad puns one can say in a movie. I'm pretty sure the Bond movies are where Arnold first got the idea they were ok and cool. I on the other hand think they are silly and roll my eyes.

#2 -- I never thought of myself as a feminist really. Mostly because of all the extremists. You know the men can never have a private club or school but women can (after all - who really cares or wants to be a member of the Elk Lodge anyway?)women are better, yada yada yada. However I do believe in equal opportunities, equal pay for equal work etc. Women should be able to have any job they are qualified for, should be able to get an education etc. See can be president, an astronaut, a teacher, a scientist whatever. As can our boys be anything they are qualified for. Anyway -- I have to admit that I cringed an awful lot watching these movies. Bond thinks nothing of sleeping with whoever he wants, slapping them around a little and moving on. The only one he seems to have any respect for is MoneyPenny. I realize all the ones I have seen were in the 60's but still. I shudder. Maybe I am more of a feminist than I thought. Especially when in the last one the girls dad tells him she is too independent and just needs someone to dominate and master her. Ich.

#3 -- I really dig new cool gadjets. Even in these old ones -- it's pretty cool. And the Aston Martin is a really really nice car. And I'm not even really into cars.


Well, we will see what happens as the movies progress. :)