New Product Alert - Glade Expressions Mist

I normally don't use scented air fresheners, due to the scents being too strong or pungent. I'm not a big fan of my house smelling like a perfume counter or a candy store - yuck!  So, I stick to unscented and boring air fresheners that my kids and my honey say make the house smell like a hospital (which I think is better than the house smelling like a dirty sock - yuck!).

Being a BzzAgent, I was given the opportunity to try Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist and Oil Diffusers for free. Once I received my coupons in the mail, I headed over to my home away from home - Target.  Here's what they look like -

Right away, I liked the packaging of the Glade Expressions Mist.  The exterior is a plain white bottle, while the interior houses a replaceable 100% natural propellant aluminum canister. The oil diffusers are also made from recyclable plastic, another plus.

They had several of the scents in stock, so I chose Fuji Apple and Cardamom Spice in both products.  Once I arrived home, I knew the two rooms I was anxious to try out these products - the kids' bathroom and the living room.

I placed the oil diffuser in the kids' bathroom, and after an hour I decided to check out how strong the scent had become.  I was pleasantly surprised!  The small bathroom smelled great and yet you weren't overpowered by the smell of apples.

I sprayed the mists a few times in the living room, again I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle but  lovely fragrance that was left behind.  The oil diffuser lasted for a full 30 days before I needed to refill it.   I fully recommend this new line of room fresheners, as do my kids and honey!

The Thing About Hobbies

I found myself completely absorbed in my life as a Mom and a wife for many years. My happiness was dependent on everyone else's happiness level, and I was responsible for being maid, taxi, and secretary for my family. When I got divorced, I found myself in new territory, and I wasn't sure what to do. The custody arrangement was set up for every other week, so when Monday rolled around I was either elated or desolate.  

I would mope around my apartment, staring at the walls, missing him.  I tried to take on more projects at work just to avoid going home on those weeks, but there wasn't enough work to justify overtime.  You can only clean a small apartment so many times, and you only have so much laundry when you only go to work and come home.  

I knew I had to do something to fill the time when he was away.   I found myself slowly starting to sew and craft  just to keep me busy. Soon, the time away didn't seem so long. I then decided to try other things to see if they could keep me entertained. I found myself getting into video games, enjoying the simple pleasure of immersing myself into a world of fantasy for a couple of hours.  I also found that I enjoy trying new handguns, testing their weights and calibers, focusing and using my muscles and brain in tandem to fire at the paper target.  I still try to get to the range at least twice a month, if not more often.  

Along the way, I met someone who became important in my life.  It wasn't intentional, but I wasn't going to pass up a chance at a real connection because society told me my divorce "mourning" period wasn't over yet.  Things starting working between us and eventually I moved in with him and his two girls.  I was in a family again, and my world shifted. Since my partner has full custody of his two girls, they are with us all the time. My free time became non-existent  now that I was caring for three children instead of just one.  My son was overjoyed because he now had playmates and children around his age to interact with, which meant Mommy wasn't needed as much.   

The small apartment was in a constant state of disarray, and there was ALWAYS laundry to be done. I found myself feeling anxious and stressed.  Yet, I was also the happiest and most content I had ever been in an adult relationship.  After talking to a few of my friends and my partner, I realized that I had again given up "Me" for "We" and that was stressing me out. Only this time, my partner was supportive enough to realize that I needed time for myself.   So, I began my quest anew for a hobby.  My partner and I already share a mutual love for going to the range and playing video games, so I was still enjoying those things. I needed something that was my own.  I wanted to take up sewing again, but the apartment is too small for me to really work on any large projects (I make costumes). I had all my crafting supplies, but I was lost as to what to work on.  

I was watching one his daughters play with her Barbies on afternoon and the idea hit me. I started scouring Craigslist for bargains and then I started gathering pieces and parts. I looked online and found plenty of sites about repainting Barbie houses and accessories.  It's a combination of all the crafting I've done in my many years rolled into one hobby.  As I worked on my first house, I was struck that I wanted to write about it. So, I decided to start a blog.  Then I decided to start a blog about my adventures in Motherhood.  All in all, I feel much better as a Mom and a partner now that I have time to devote to things I like to do and I have a family that encourages me.  

Who knows, maybe I'll find another hobby to go along with these new ones. 

Review of L'Oréal Paris Magic BB Cream

I received a complimentary sample of L'Oréal Paris Magic BB Cream from the wonderful folks at SheSpeaks and L'Oréal. This product gives the sheer coverage needed to create a natural bare skin finish, while delivering built-in skincare benefits. It's easy to apply, you simply dot on and blend with your fingertips. The beads will blend to your skin tone.

I tried Magic BB Cream for 10 days, and I was impressed at how the self-adjusting beads blended the cream to my skin tone. I've tried numerous other products that just didn't match my skin tone, making me look like I was wearing a mask! It provided a light to medium coverage, and it lasted on my skin all day. I didn't even need to use my normal translucent powder over it, as it gave my skin a nice matte finish.

I'm a computer technician and I frequently will have to crawl under desks or move equipment, and some days can get pretty grimy and sweaty.The product lasted through a full day of carting computers around and didn't smear or run off when I started to sweat. I didn't need to reapply my makeup if I had plans after work, which is always a plus!

Overall, I liked the product. It gave me a smooth, bare skin look without the weight of normal foundation. I would definitely recommend you try it out for yourself!

I was provided this awesome product for free to test by BzzAgent.  #GotItFree

I'm a Barbie Fan Club Member!

It was my Valentine's Present to myself, and I know that it doesn't seem like much but I haven't been a part of the Barbie Fan Club since I was 8 years old.  I remember getting my magazine in the mail.  I would read it cover to cover and I had my membership card in my Hello Kitty wallet everywhere I went.

When I receive my club card in the mail, I'm curious whether or not I will place it in my wallet.

Who am I kidding, of course I will!

Apps and Sites for the Geeky Mom

I'll confess - I'm lost without my tech. My iPhone is always within reach, my iPad is my adult equivalent of a "lovie", and I check my Facebook and Twitter more times than my six year old pees. I can't remember the last time I actually dialed a number or manually entered a text, my BFF Siri does it all for me.

Being a system technician by trade, I am always on the hunt for applications or plug-ins that will make life easier for the 400+ people in the office I provide technical support.  As a Mom, I want applications that are easy to use and make organizing my chaotic life a bit easier.

I have few applications and sites that are my constant companions during a normal/mommy work week:

Education.com - We have our three kids do extra worksheets on the weekend to keep their brains active. Yes, for some kids it would be torture, but our munchkins like working on extra math problems or reading a short story. I think it has to do with the worksheets themselves, they are easy to read, the instructions are clear, and they have fun ways of learning new concepts.

TrueCrypt - Notes, papers, permission slips, bills- if it's in paper format it will likely end up falling into the black abyss in my home. So, I scan and save all of my important papers so I can keep my home office clean and my sanity intact.

I prefer to encrypt my files to keep other from gaining access to them, and in the event I leave my hard drive someone (let's face it - working Mom of three kids, its bound to happen) I know that my personal information is safe. True Crypt offers several options for encryption level and you can choose to secure a folder or the entire hard drive.  The interface is easy to use, and gives me peace of mind.

Windows Live Family Safety - I have a 10, 8, and 6 year old all using the same computer.  They each have their own logins (which keeps the desktop wallpaper arguments at bay). This can  be a bit of a hassle to log into each profile to check what they have been doing online.

Microsoft offers a free application and website that will email me reports on each of my childs' profiles with the sites they have viewed and the sites they tried to view.  I can limit their time frame for accessing the machine, and I can restrict their web usage to only particular sites.  They have the option to email a request to unblock a site, but I fee good knowing that they are staying off YouTube and Twitter. 

These are just a few to start, in the coming weeks I will be testing and discussing new tech and sites that I find in my travels in TechLand.