I'm a woman with needs too~!

No, not those kinds of needs! (There are just some things I won't share on my blog!) Anyway....I totally agree with Mrs. Fussypants FTF post today. Shape your eyebrows! It isn't too hard, she'd got a great video to help you out. OR you can go spend a little $$ and get them waxed once, then keep them shaped well by using a great pair of tweezers! (Tweezerman makes some really spiffy ones and they sell them at Bed Bath and Beyond read 20% off coupon) I am one that needs to pluck even a little every day or my brows get unruly. Even if I get them waxed, I still keep a pair of cute pink tweezers handy for those stray hairs. So check out her post, and keep your eyebrows shaped! It's a small and easy way to Fight The Frump! Oh and for you guys out there (you know who you are) you can always get a Micro Touch Magic to keep from sporting a Bert style unibrow!

I'm Fighting the Frump in Vegas!

*Since I am on a weekend trip, this post was written before I left.... There is no better way to Fight The Frump than to hang with girlfriends...OUT OF TOWN! Hopefully at this moment I am sipping a glass of wine either by the pool, or looking at the awesome view...and just being me, the un-frumpy me. I haven't given you an update on the products I have tried so here we go: I am still loving the brown sugar scrub. I haven't used up the 1/2 recipe yet, but it will be gone soon. I still highly reccomend you make it, and make it with cinnamon, or cloves instead of the ginger, AND I even reccomend you even use it on your kids....my son has horrible dry skin on his knees and ankles and he loves it when I use the scrub on his legs! The Fashion Forms Breast Petals work beautifully! I just need to remember to actually use them. Try 'em out and see for yourself! No nipples! I'm still telling you the Soothing Care Chafing Relief Gel is awesome.....if you haven't bought some....DO IT NOW! John Frieda's hair glaze still makes my hair soft and shiny. I have only used it 3 or so times, so the bottle has lasted me quite a while, but it is a product I will buy time and time again! Even though the summer is over here in Utah..Certain Dri is still something I will use every night. If you aren't embarassed to tell your spouse he needs it (or even your extended stay guests, hope they are gone Cindy!) stick it in a stocking....it will fit nicely! I guess that is it for this week. Mrs. Fussypants might have a post.....check it out.

I'm continuing to Fight the Frump by following my daily checklist

Last week I fell off the "Fight the Frump Wagon". It was a crappy day and it felt so good to stay at home wearing sweatpants and having my hair in a ponytail, no leaving the house for anything but to drop off and pick up my kid from the bus stop.

I then started to get back into the swing of fighting the frump by going through my own checklist in my head. So this week is kind of a Fight the Frump Review, just to keep us all in tip, top Frump Fighting shape!

Fight The Frump Checklist

1- Wear make up whenever you leave the house :OK so I have been a little slacking on this front, I'm gonna add, "or your car" to that statement, just so I can get away with having no make up on when I drop the 5 year old off at the bus stop.

2-Find clothes that fit your body type: I think I'm still doing pretty well in that category...some of you may beg to differ, but don't let me know about it here, please tell me about the ill fitting shirt I wear in private.

3-Always wear Jewelry: I have no problems there! I at least have a cute pair of earrings on all the time!

4-Wear your sunglasses as a hair accessory: Have you ever seen me without my sunglasses? Even if the time of day changes while I am out, my sunglasses are still on top of my head, holding my hair back!

5-Take care of your hair style: OK well....um....if you have seen my hair these days you know I have "No Comment". Gonna take care of that one after I get back from Vegas!

6-Wear great shoes: I still have great shoes to keep me in style, but ones that I can still chase the kids around in.

7- Wear Color: I try to make sure there is some color in my outfit. Even if it is in the necklace I am sporting, or in the shoes I slip on.

8- Keep your toes pedicured: So I have been doing my own lately, but am still keeping my toes maintained AND I am hoping to get a great one while on vacation in Vegas next week!

9-Try to keep stress free: A few times I day I try to take some deep breaths, and re-center myself.

10- Spend time with friends: At least two times a week I take the time to spend with friends and it helps keep me laughing and unfrumpy!

Keep your own checklist in your head when you go out of the house, or even when you stay in, and you will be Fighting The Frump!

I'm a frumpy Mom today too.

No FTF post today....I'm feeling frumpy, dumpy, and blah. No way to fight it but to give in to the Frump, have an Irish Coffee (mmmmmm!) and hang at home all day! Hope I'll be back next week!

I'm feeling the heat (Indian Summer heat that is) FTF

Even though there is a chill to the air here in Utah, the High Temp has still been in the high 70's, low 80's. We thought we were over the"heat wave" and that fall was near. Alas, I still go out and sweat like there is no tomorrow. OK, I know, I know...."Never let them see you sweat" and never talk about it either. Well, if you want to Fight The Sweaty Frump, we have to talk about it. I know there are prescription deodorants and Anti-perspirants, but who wants to talk to their Dr. about that? Unless you sweat excessively, you don't have to go to your Dr. to stop sweating, you just have to go to the drugstore and buy:

You can find it just about anywhere and it it less expensive than its counterpart, Secret Clinical Strength. They work the same way, put it on at night and no sweat in the morning! (My only problem is remembering to put in on at night). Certain Dri has a whole line of products...try them out!

PS I found a place that sells my fave face mask! Walgreens carries the Queene Helene Mint Julep face mask for cheap! ($3.79 here in Utah) and the person I talked to said she stocks it all the time since it is one of their best sellers! I'm now off to mask and clean out those pores!

UPDATE* Mrs. Fussypants posted her FTF...check it out!

I'm a Mom wanting to stay stylish in Fall Fashions-FTF Friday

Fall Fashion is full of great sweaters, stylish jeans, and sassy boots! I started looking for new sweaters a few weeks ago and found some great ones from Old Navy that were $15 a piece online! I tried them on in the store, then bought them online. When they got here, I thought nothing of them until last night when I was getting ready to go out. I tried a green one on (they say redheads look great in green!) and found it didn't fit as well as I thought...I looked like this:

Damn! I took both sweaters back and would like to find some new ones that hug all of my curves perfectly! Is it even possible? Do I have to spend more money than I have just to find a few nice sweaters for fall and winter? I guess my quest continues.

So what I am saying is I was able to Fight The Frump by Fighting the Muffin Top, and returning those sweaters. I could have kept wearing them, and pretended I didn't even notice the bulges.That was a bit depressing having to take them back but my search for the perfect sweater will continue....as well as my mission to stay stylish and un-frumpy!

Fight the Frump with Mrs. Fussy Pants!

I'm a Mom with clogged pores-Fight The Frump Friday

Once a week I used to take the time to unclog my pores (yeah I know it sounds gross, but we should all do it!) I would wash my face and either a) use Biore Pore Strips or b) use a mask. I know most of us know about the Strips...but sometimes, you just need an all over facial. My favorite mask is this one:It is a great mask! My only problem is I can't find it anymore! It is so inexpensive, lasts a long time, easy to remove, and it made my skin feel so nice. I ran out a few month's ago, and I can't find it anywhere in the SLC area. I have checked all of the places I frequent, and no one carries it! Let me know if you find it anywhere....if not I guess I'll have to order like 3 tubes from drugstore.com and just stock up.

Do you have an over the counter/non-department store mask you like to use? I'd love new ideas!

Mrs. Fussypants doesn't have a FTF post yet today....I may link to her later, so check back soon!

I am a stressed out person, trying to Fight The Frump!

As many of you know, I have highish blood pressure. My Dr. put me on a low dose medicine to help lower it, and also gave me a few tips to keep it low. One of the suggestions was to meditate. I know on some of my yoga DVD's they have a short section that includes a little meditation. And we have all heard of the stereotypical sitting cross-legged hands on knees saying "ohm, ohm, ohm". But what do you guys do to "meditate"? Do you take a long hot bath and concentrate on washing your stresses away? Do you make sure you take time out for yourself every day to just sit and think, even if it means locking yourself in the bathroom for 20 minutes? Do you practice yoga? I just need a few ideas on how to relieve the stress...I know some of you exercise for a certain amount of time each day......that is on my list of things to try out....just let me know how you keep stress out of your life on an everyday basis. Fussy doesn't have a FTF post today, due to a family emergency. Keep her family in your thoughts....and hopefully she'll be back next week!

I'm an almost organized Mom, Fighting the chaotic Frump

I spent last weekend organizing my "crap". And I use the word "crap" lightly (it was really much more than that). It has been more than 6 months since I filed things, gotten rid of papers we don't need, and all in all just organized our stuff. I don't know what got into me, it might be the fact that school was starting on Tuesday and with that an influx of more papers and information, or it might be that for the last 4 months I have felt displaced after having to rearrange my storage to allow our nephew to move into our guest room (the guest room also serves as underbed storage, under-the-stairs storage and "let's put this crap here" storage).

I always forget how great it feels to be caught up on filing, and to have everything in it's place. It is such a cleansing process (literally and mentally). Why don't I do it more often? It is most likely because I don't take the time. Why don't I take the time? I have so many things going on each month, and most of them don't have a set day or time, so it is hard to schedule time to file/dejunk when I don't know where to fit it in. So my challenge to myself (and to those of you that are as disorganized as I was) is to schedule one day a month to get things together. It will make you feel much better, and you don't have to go through 2 straight days of uncluttering your house!

So Fight the disorganized Frump and take my challenge! (And here's the link to Mrs. Fussypants and her Frump Fighting tip of the week!)

Fight The Frump Friday

This is just a little reminder to Fight The Frump in any way you can! Don't forget to review my other FTF posts, and if you are preggers or are going to be, check out Mrs. Fussypants for her tips! PS Sorry there aren't any better tips.....I've been so crazy and stressed out this week, that I haven't even been Fighting The Frump the way I should be. I needed my own little reminder too!

Fight The Frump Friday

My hair was looking a little drab and dreary, it lost it's shine and the color was blah! I didn't know what to do short of chopping it off....because I knew I couldn't, and still can't, make it down to Spanish Fork to my hair dresser.

Then I had an epiphany! The heavens opened up and the light showered me through the clouds, and I swear I heard angels singing (or that could have been the beginning of "The Simpsons"...I'm not sure). I remembered hearing about hair stylists "glazing" hair to make the color shine through. Then me being the "Google Guru" that I am...I found an over the counter product to use instead of just leaving my hair the way it was.

John Frieda sells a wide array of products for colored hair, including shampoos and conditioners, but I think the greatest thing he has ever put on the shelves of Tarjay or even the WalMarts is his Luminous Color Glaze Clear Shine. There are two ways to use it, you can either use it every time you wash your hair, or just once an week. I opted for the once a week since most of my showers take all of about 10 minutes. My hair was and still is so soft and silky and it looked sooo much better! This product cost me less than $10...and I still have a few more applications left in the bottle!

So if your hair needs a pick me up, go get some Luminous Color Glaze in Clean Shine. It is soo worth the extra 20 minutes a week (pre shampoo and condition) to help you FIGHT THE FRUMP!!!

Fight The Frump Friday

I think I am going to continue my "series" on embarassing things that happen only to women, so guys...you'll have to skip this post, again. (OK so I am just kidding myself by thinking a guy even reads my Friday FTF posts....just me hallucinating) If you are a woman, no matter how much you weigh, or how much you don't weigh, your thighs rub together. Yeah, some of us more than other's...but it is just a fact of life (unless of course you are Miss NancyPants). I found this great product a few years ago that keeps your thighs from rubbing together when you are wearing a skirt or a dress! I bought a tube, and it lasted me years! (Mostly because I stopped wearing skirts and dresses) It goes on totally silky smooth, and helps keep your skin from chafing (I am sure runners would love to use it too!) Now...don't be put off by the name of the manufacturer. Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief is awesome! These guys know women's issues. I just got a new tube at Tarjay for like $5.99....like I said it lasted me a few years! So if you have the same problem most of the women in the US have....check it out! And check out the great info at Mrs. Fussypants!

Fight The Frump Friday

On this episode of Fight The Frump, I will talk about a problem that can be a little embarassing for women. Any men that read this blog (Seth this means you) can stop reading now, and wait for a new post to read (Oh and my younger 13 year old friends....stop reading now too). OK all the guys (and teenagers) gone? All of us women know way too much about revealing too much nipple when we get cold, or warm, or well, just about anything. I know it can be embarassing, or sexy depending on who you are with, or even too sexy if you are in mixed company and don't want to give the wrong impression. But most of us don't want to go around looking like this:

Well, hello ladies!*

I found a product that is supposed to work...well two different ones, but I am only trying one out right now. If these don't work, then I'll try the other, if those don't work, I don't know what I will do. I know, I know, most women purchase bras with a little bit of padding, just to help with this "problem". My problem is, the only bra I have found to help support my melons (and I do mean melons) is what can be considered "sexy", "racy" and "very lacy". So if you don't like padded bras, or can't find on that fits try these:

These baby's can be used up to 6 times...6 times! I'm not sure if the petal shape shows through the bra and t-shirt...but I'll let you know!

If you are feeling adventurous try these: OK...I so I KNOW the butterfly shape would be seen through a bra and t-shirt. But to each his own!

Fight the Nipple Showing Frump! And here's the link to Fussy and her other FTF tips!

*(photo found on The Onion-www.theonion.com/content/node/36527)

Fight The Frump Friday

I don't know who said laughter is the best medicine....but they were right. One of my favorite ways to Fight The Frump is to laugh. This week has been rough with my hubby working late and very hard every night (he even worked late Monday after we got home from buying the new car), he also had to work yesterday, our state's "Pioneer Day" the biggest holiday of the year for us Utahans, AND the month of July is slowly coming to an end, moving closer to the date when a a good friend of mine is moving out of state (sorry CB had to say it). SO to keep me in fairly good spirits....I have been laughing. On Thursday of last week, Ricky Gervais was on Letterman....and I love him! His whole "interview" with Dave was sooo funny. If you wanna laugh....watch it on You Tube. I could watch Ricky doing anything...it would be hilarious no matter what! On Sunday I spent some time with a few friends and we watched Superbad....I didn't think I wanted to see it, but after a few yummy drinks, it was funny!!! I laughed so hard, and I will totally see it again! I don't know why I didn't see it earlier. (Thanks J&H for letting us crash your Sunday night!) At some point during the week, I saw a couple of clips from a friend (thanks H) that just made me laugh, period. You can see them here and here. Last night, I watched parts of Last Comic Standing...nothing like a good old comic routine to make you laugh so hard you might pee your pants. I even looked at nbc.com to find out what happened to the Utah contestant, Marcus, and watched a clip of his. God, he is funny! I liked him when he was on the radio years ago (I'm not gonna tell you how many...don't want you to know how old I really am) and he wasn't too bad when he filled in on the local news program as "lifestyle reporter". I hope he wins...glad he won immunity because it would be great for a local boy to win! (And yes, this is one reality show I didn't "own" when I named the ones I watch. It isn't all the time, but I guess I should have mentioned it.) So take my Fight The Frump Advice...LAUGH! It will keep you from killing the kids, and it will make your horrible week, seem not so bad. And don't worry about those laugh lines....I'm sure you've got something in the medicine cabinet to get rid of them! As always, take a look at Mrs. Fussypants and get some more advice.

Fight The Frump Friday

No Fight The Frump advice from me this week.....I'm not doing a good job of fighting it right now. The weather is hot, the house is a mess (and I have friends coming over Monday AM), and the kids are driving me nuts!

Anjie: Right now

What do you do to make sure you aren't the Frumpy, overworked, underpaid (ha, ha), housewife when you are in this situation? Shopping? OR even better Shoe Shopping? Or do you hire a maid to help clean the house? OR are you all better at getting it together than I am, and you wouldn't be in this situation right now? If so, let me know HOW you get it together.....my tried and true method aren't working right now. As of this posting....Mrs. Fussypants didn't have her own Fight the Frump post up....but I may link to her later!

*Edited: Mrs. Fussypants has a great post...check out the other great advice too!

Fight The Frump Friday

So here is the post you have all been waiting for! OK, I have really just been lazy and haven't done the research I should have for this FTF post. And I am sure it is not as good as you may have been imagining. A friend and I were talking about shaving legs and body exfoliation one day, and since I LOVE to use a body scrub right after I shave to help with shaving bumps and rash, AND I haven't really been able to find a store bought product that isn't too overwhelming, or has salt in it instead of sugar (ouch!) she gave me the idea to look up recipes for homemade brown sugar scrubs. There are a lot of different recipes out there, and even though I didn't try them all....I did find one I really liked and it is soo simple to make. I wanted one that didn't have essential oils, or weird ingredients that I would have to buy at a health food store miles from my house. I also wanted one that is a bit hypo-allergenic since I have friends that are allergic to tree nuts and such (Some recipes called for ground up almonds and ground up walnuts...but I didn't think even using them ON the skin instead of ingesting them would be a good idea). This is the recipe I found: Brown Sugar Body Scrub --Use instead of salt scrubs, which can be drying or irritating to the skin if it is dry and/or sensitive. Materials: 2 cups brown sugar 1 cup honey 3 Tbs. lemon juice 2 tsp. ginger Mix together thoroughly. Grate fresh ginger, or use the powdered variety if fresh is not available. Take into the shower with you and apply handfuls at a time to polish the skin. * Note: Should keep for several days in the refrigerator in a closed plastic container. (Thanks to Amby Longhofer for posting this on HGTV.com along with some other great homemade recipes http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_personal_care_bath_body/article/0,,hgtv_3144_2535174,00.html) I actually had to half the recipe and it still makes a lot. I used the ground ginger, and it was a bit overwhelming so I might just leave that out next time, BUT this was a great scrub! The ratio of honey to brown sugar was perfect....the "scrubbing action" was sooo nice and the lemon juice didn't sting like I thought it would. When you first make the scrub it seems really runny, but put it in the fridge in an airtight container overnight, and it thickens up nicely! I used a jar I bought from IKEA that has a great seal, so it looks nice on the edge of the tub (in case I leave it out), and it is easy to see what is inside so no one tries to eat it. So go ahead and try it.....I am sure you will like it! Go on over to Mrs. Fussypants for some great FTF posts. I would LOVE to call her "Fussy" but there seems to be some very childish stuff going around on the Internet, saying she is stealing the name of another blogger....so Mrs. Fussypants it is as to not anger the blogger Gods. She will always be "Fussy" in my book though...everyone deserves a nickname!!! (Even if it is a nickname that comes from another nickname!)

Fight The Frump Friday

I am still working on my research for an upcoming FTF. BUT with this being Independence Day, I need to make a pet peeve of mine known. Do not go overboard with your patriotic clothes! Go ahead, wear red, white and blue on the 4th...hold a small flag during the parade...but do NOT wear a funky sweater, or wear a headband with pom poms on it. Be tasteful, show your partiotism in a sutble way. For instance, I will be showing my love for our country by wearing a white v-neck t-shirt with a blue tank underneath, a pair of denim capris and a very cute pair of red wedges (thanks CB!) In my hair I will have a red scarf either in my ponytail, or worn as a headband. No flag t-shirt, or cutoff daisy dukes, and for sure NO sparklers radiating from my head! Nor will I be wearing these:

Flags are not meant to be worn if you are over the age of, well I think 13. Yeah, Yeah, a few retail stores sell t-shirts and tank tops for adults with partiotic themes, but my opinion is to not buy them! My 2 year old daughter will be wearing a cute light blue shirt with a rhinestone flag on the front. My 5 year old son won't be wearing a flag, he will be wearing red, white and blue. But NO FLAG! This kind of "tradition" makes me wonder what other countries have this kind of merchandise for their National Holiday. Do any of you know? Maybe I'll do some research.

Go look at FUSSY for some great FTF advice!

Hope no one was offended during the making of this post. Who am I kidding? If you don't like it, then you can go "suck it!" (Thanks Holly, for that phrase, I don't use it very often, I promise!) The views of the post are most definitely the opinion of the post writer, but may not be the opinion of her readers, so check the comments for an alternate point of view.

Fight The Frump Friday

I am busy doing research for a future FTF, so there is no interesting post this week. Keep watching for the info I have found about...HA! You'll have to wait! (Hopefully only until next Friday!)

Fight The Frump Friday-Ouch...that darn sun!

Now I know we all faithfully make sure our children are slathered in SPF 60 or higher when we are out in the sun, but I know that I sometimes forget to put sunscreen on myself. Trying to keep kids from drowning, or from eating sand, or hitting other kids, makes me negelct my own sun care needs. Inevitably, I get sunburned...sometimes just a little, sometimes a lot. So, how many of us know what to do to treat a sunburn? Here are some tips to help keep your sunburn from keeping you awake at night.

• Take some ibuprofen to help with the pain and swelling


• Drink a lot of water, it helps replenish the liquids you lost while in the sun


• Cool down the skin with a cold shower, cold compress or a cool bath with 1/2 cup baking soda added


• Purchase aloe vera gel (not lotion) and keep in the fridge. Aloe Vera will soothe and moisturize, and the cold gel will feel soo nice! Bonus if it has a topical pain reliever


• Don't put on a sweater or wrap up in a blanket....that will trap the heat and make the sunburn worse

Hope this helps you Fight the Sunburn Frump! Thanks to my friend Katie E. for her idea for this FTF post. Fussy has links to more FTF posts!

Fight The Frump Friday-Friends

So I recently talked about taking some time for yourself to help you Fight The Frump. Today I'll talk about spending time with friends. I LOVE spending time with my friends...we don't do it sans kids often enough (well, my "often enough" would be once a week, which just isn't plausible). I see most of them at least once a month or so, and two different groups once a week (playgroup friends).



Spending time with friends makes me feel less Frumpy, makes me seem like I have less of a "mommy brain", and all in all makes me feel better about myself. Knowing I have great friends that think I am a strong woman, and hopefully think I am an an intelligent, knowledgeable woman, makes me realize "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it people like me!" One of my favorite places to hang with the girlfriends is MacCool's public house, and I like that place so much, I even hung out with two different sets of friends at MacCool's twice in the same week. (Yeah...those boys at MacCool's were sick of me!)



So pick up the phone, or get on the email and set up a day to hang out with the girls! (Truthfully, even just having a chat on the phone with a friend helps a ton).



Now go check out Fussy for some other great tips from other strong, intelligent, knowledgeable women!