Buy a pack of Yoplait Go-gurt, or for even better value, Moo Tubes from Aldi.

Put the box in the freezer.

Give your kids a tube of frozen yogurt in lieu of a straight-up sugar-water pop! (You may want to wrap the yogurt tube in a napkin to protect small hands.)

My kids love these things!

Gwen's mother does a pretty good job of getting her dressed for school in that car. She's more coordinated than my kids on any given day.

I have a couple of thoughts about this new addition to the American Girl (now clearly dysfunctional – ha!) family:

First, did they do any market research on this? Does this homeless doll fill a quiet void among children of parents who are able to spend $95 on a doll?

I’d also like to know which charity provided the Gymboree-quality, fully coordinated outfit of this lil’ sweetheart. Yes, I can tell that her seersucker dress doesn’t require ironing, which is a good thing. Obviously, her mother can’t very well iron in the car. And, Gwen’s mother is quite the artist. She’s dressed much better than my kids do on the average school day!

I think that introducing dolls of different backgrounds is a spectacular idea. Sure, it would make sense that in this day and age, there would be a doll from a single parent household. I think they jumped the shark a bit with the whole “homeless” bit, but then again, the singer Jewel lived in a car with her mother for quite some time as a young girl. Perhaps this was the American Girl attempt at showing hope.

Then again, it could be one more way to make actual homeless children feel inadequate, with their less-polished attire and hairstyles.

It’s a good thing Gwen is out of my price range. If my daughter wants a homeless doll for Christmas, I will take one of the forgotten, neglected Generican Girl dolls laying around my house and re-gift it to her.

I sent the link to my post to the company via their website, and the first thing I got was a form letter, promising me that my complaint would be passed on to the proper authorities. I didn’t have much faith that I’d ever hear another peep about it, but much to my surprise, I got a very personal response from their Milwaukee Director of Operations.

The email told me that this really was likely the result of a “misunderstanding,” rather than a sinister corporate policy. He apologized, and apparently went through the records from that day, pulled our check, examined it as well as the surveillance video from the restaurant!

He gave me a discount off of my next visit and thanked me for my business. I’m very impressed and appreciative.

I give the Steak ‘n Shake corporation two thumbs up for customer service.

We will return to our Steak ‘n Shake cheese fry routine this weekend… And NOT just because of the discount!

While the Topsy Turvy is a great concept, my $10 + tomato plant has yielded me *exactly* thirteen cherry tomatoes, with no sign of others to come.

Nine left! Hurry while they last!

While it’s true, it was easy and convenient to pick those first four, I’ll definitely be getting more bang for the buck from the 24 tomato plants that popped up on their own this spring, since I was too lazy to pull the plants in fall. While it made for quite a mess this spring, I’m convinced it’s why I have such a jungle now!

Much of what you are looking at is a Tomato jungle.

So, I guess I’ll take some preventative Aleve and prepare for what’s bound to be “back breaking work” of picking this bumper crop! Better yet, I’ll put the munchkins to work and feed their Disney fund with a nickel per tomato.

Calling all tomato recipes!

I give the Topsy Turvy a hearty shrug. If you ask me, it wasn’t worth the $10.

When they first came out, they smelled bad, made your skin turn a broad spectrum of orange tones (all on the same body part) and were generally miserable to handle and expensive.

Today, many different options exist in the self-tanning realm. I’ve tried L’Oreal, Banana Boat, Jergens and Neutrogena brands, (because I am a bargain hunter, I usually just buy what is on sale or the cheapest) and while I think all of them provided satisfactory results, it took a little bit of trial and error to get the technique down pat.

Now that I’ve got it mastered, I want to share these steps with you! I’m sticking to the legs, because that’s my comfort zone. (Presumably, the technique should apply to other regions of your pasty self, but I can’t swear to that.)

Steps to getting a natural-looking artificial leg tan:

1. Carve out a little time for yourself – time that allows for you to run around in your skivvies as your applied product dries. (Oh – and if you haven’t lately, be sure to shave.)
2. Begin with some cheap body lotion. Slather your legs with it, making sure to get your knees, heels, ankle bones… Any “sticky” (aka “rough”) part that the tanner will settle into, leaving you with weird looking knobs.
3. Immediately following the lotion, apply the self tanner. IMPORTANT: AVOID those “sticky” parts that you slathered with lotion. (knees, ankle bones, heels.)
4. Wash your hands with soap.
5. Go back to your new best friend – the cheap body lotion. Slather yourself up GOOD, including, once again, the “sticky” parts. Rub it in thoroughly.
6. Wash your hands with soap again.
7. Go about whatever chores you are able to, while clad only in skivvies. If that means painting your toenails, reading a book or knitting, all the better!
8. Once dry, get dressed or go to bed. If you’re going to get dressed, I suggest a skirt. Your legs are no longer going to blind passers by, and you worked damned hard for it… Show it off! Just be SURE your legs are DRY before letting any of your clothing or bedding come in contact with them.

At the moment, I’m using and enjoying Jergens Natural Glow. I think it’s the least smelly of the lotions I’ve tried, and the results are pleasing.

Jergens Natural Glow

My cheap body lotion du jour is Queen Helene Soy & Cocoa Butter Hand and Body Lotion – about $4.29 for 32 ounces. It smells good and makes me feel like I’m on vacation somehow. I bought it at Sally Beauty.

Mmm, mmm.... Cocoa!

Good luck! Let me know how it goes. And, I’d LOVE to hear any self-tanner disaster stories too.

The Colgate Wisp

Gail bought a pack of them and we gave them a try on the way back to the car.

Imagine a tiny plastic toothbrush with a hard bead of Listerine. We brushed and brushed, almost demolishing the brush part, and agreed that we thought they were pretty cool.

They’re perfect for work. They’re disposable, and don’t require any water.

Hmm. They taste pretty good.

They have the added bonus of containing bristles, and a pointed end if you have something stuck…

The toothpick feature is awesome.

Very helpful indeed!

They don’t leave a funky aftertaste or coating like those Listerine breath strip things, either.

This is probably not socially acceptable. That guy just spotted us Wisping!

At the end of the day, I endorse the Colgate Wisp. It certainly wouldn’t hurt you to tote a few around in your purse. It provides a quick and sometimes necessary burst of freshness that we can all use from time to time, when regular brushing isn’t convenient.

They’re sugar free, and also reasonably inexpensive at $8.49(ish) for 16.

Shiny, happy people...

Drue’s first grade class put on a play the other day, so my mom, dad, Brett and I went to go see it. When it was over, I suggested we go check out the Slamwich.

The mysterious and intriguing Grand Slamwich

Basically, it tasted like a grand slam all chopped up, and served on french toast. There was also ham and cheese on it, which was pretty tasty!

It came with hashbrowns, and all of this goodness was only $4.99.

If you like the Grand Slam and are the kind of person who doesn’t mind their food being mixed up or touching on the plate, odds are you’ll like the Grand Slamwich.

Give it a try!

Day 1: At first, I thought my eyelashes were being plucked out en masse. The brush is hard and unbending, apparently molded plastic in comparison to the traditional bristled mascara brush.

Once I realized that tension is everything, I was able to control and suppress the searing pain by reigning in my gusto.

Day 2: It was important I look good today for reasons I’d rather not reveal at this time. While leery at first, I bucked up and opened the shiny pink tube for another go-around. Based on my near-plucking on day one, I approached this mascara application with much more caution.

My restraint paid off. By adding 30 seconds to my morning routine, I added a relatively pain-free, visually pleasing lash experience. When they say “define a lash,” they really mean it. The prickly brush definitely applies mascara in a uniform manner to each and every lash it encounters, and the result is just as I’d hoped.

**Note: Eyelash appearance was not enhanced in this photo. Surrounding fine lines, wrinkles and uneven skin tone may have been embellished. We want to focus on the lashes here, after all.

(This post was originally written May 1, 2008 for my old blog.)

All Purpose Cleaner

It claims to be “Industrial Strength-Family Friendly,” and boasts that it smells great, is non-hazardous, industrial strength and eco-friendly.

The price was about $2.49, almost a dollar less than larger name products. I bought it.

It is “rain” scented, and I love it. My kitchen and bathrooms smelled good after using it, and I liked what I read on the label.

Not until I decided to review this on my site did I notice it is manufactured in Thiensville, Wisconsin… The “donut hole” of my own hometown of Mequon!

Check it out if you want more info! They have many more products, which I intend to try.

http://www.simplysafecleaners.com

I was at Walgreens the other day, and I noticed the entire kiosk of Jane cosmetics was blaze orange with clearance tags. Being the makeup junkie that I am, I was drawn to the display and gravitated to a pretty, crystal clear tube of Max Lip2 Lip Plumper. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a hint of pink, which upped my interest.

Look at that pout!

You see, I was born with a rare condition (okay, it might not really be a “condition.”): There is no visible natural pigment in my lips. When I tan, they are lighter than my face. When I’m pale, they blend right in. Hence my love affair with tinted glosses. Oh, thank GOD I’m a woman! (It would be harder to pull off a believable lip tint as a man, no?)

As a result of this natural pallor, and based on my knowledge of makeup application, this “Barely Pink” gloss would nicely complement a more dramatic eye, which I am very fond of creating.

I was skeptical of the promise to plump, and didn’t really care. My goal is not to be the next Angelina Jolie, by any means. I saw it as an added bonus, or element of fun.

So, imagine my surprise when I applied it at work today, only to be met with a slow-building burning sensation, complimented by a creepy cinnamon/hot-pepper flavor and scent. It occurred to me that any plumping action that should occur would be the result of some kind of seasoning or chemical burn. I quickly extinguished the fire with some trusted CoverGirl Wetslicks AmazeMint Lipgloss
, and hoped I wouldn’t turn into the OctoMom at the office.

Because I’m a glutton for punishment, and because I wanted to bring you a legitimate review, I applied some when I hopped in the car for my 25 minute commute home. I was met with the same agony, but stuck it out for the ride home.

They stung until I was able to inspect them in my bathroom mirror. While there was no visible increase to the plump factor, there WAS an irritated red ring around my mouth that was anything but sexy.

I’m going to give this product 2 SingleWorkingMama THUMBS DOWN!

One more thing… Don’t leave this stuff in reach of your children! Imagine what could happen!

What can I get for you, Miss Jolie?