Dish: Chewing Gum Adhesive, Brussel Sprouts, & Make-up Worth the Splurge

What's going on around here...

Crafty Cupcake

The baby of the family has turned into  a craft-loving superstar. He finds all sorts of bits and scraps, throws them together, and gives it as a gift. It's really sweet. And exhausting. Because he would make stuff all the time if I let him and it is messy and sometimes takes a turn for the worse. Remember this?

Last week, however, he outdid himself. I was taking a nap and his big sister graciously let him hang out in her room. He woke me up and bestowed the loveliest gift: the back side of a post-it note embellished with jewels and a Dove chocolate heart. Impressive, I thought. How did he get these to stick on here so well? Still a bit groggy, I assumed he used glue and went back to my blissful groggy state. 

Minutes later the big sister burst into my room, indignant, and said, Mommy, you will not believe what he is using for his crafts... 

GUM!!! 

That's right, gum. The previously-chewed variety. I pulled out the "gift" he'd just given me and we cracked up. She is a serious child and easily upset but if you tip the scale just right and catch her eye just so, she will die of laughter. We're sort of alike in that way. Let me tell you, we had ourselves a moment over that one.  

Anyway, we attempted an adhesives intervention with the boy but he is still bent on chewed-up gum as the superior adhesive. I can't argue with him there. 

The New French Fry

I'm getting back to my vegetarian ways and in a quest for more veggie variety, I made Ina Garten's roasted brussel sprouts. They were divine. My kids did not feel the love but I gave them snaps for trying. The sprouts get super crispy and salty and were as addictive as french fries. I never thought I'd say that but it's true. 

Fancy Make-Up

The bottom of the concealer tube and my purply eyes prompted a trip to the Clinique counter a couple of weeks ago. Who am I kidding, it was more than that. I was having a rough week for lots of reasons and did not bat an aging eye at the thought of spending some of the clothing budget on make-up.

Long live the Bonus Week. I'd been planning to score some serious concealer and the lady in the white coat talked me into some serious foundation as well. When a girl is trying to age gracefully, good makeup is worth the splurge. {That's what I'm telling myself now that I have to say no to these cute leopardy flats from Target.}

No one will be looking at my feet anyway. They'll be too captivated by the shimmery, age-resistant complexion I'm faking. 

The Dumb Dog

Do not be deceived. She is a menace. Jetta is like a fourth child--a furry, disobedient toddler who slinks under the furniture with lightening speed when she has chewed up crayons {again} or lincoln logs {again} or Crocs {again}. 

Seriously, there's no love lost between Jetta and me right now. And don't get me started on the fact that a bag of her food is the same price of my probably-now-sold-out Target flats. She is a rascal and a nuisance and expensive and oh, the things we will subject ourselves to for the happiness of our children. 

The most tragic Jetta casualty of the week was my daughter's lip balm egg. This girl had been pining after the plastic egg filled with fruity lip balm. It had been calling to her from the Wal-Mart check-out aisle for months and I finally bought it for her last Saturday. She was as excited over her lip balm as I was over my new concealer. 

You know where this is going. The very next day Jetta was able to retrieve the egg from the edge of the desk and gobbled up all of that strawberry-flavored waxy goodness. My child was devastated. Thankfully she loves the dog more unconditionally than I do. 

Please tell me that the toddler dog days will end and that she will not always be such a menace. I cannot afford to keep drowning my anxiety and frustration in fancy make-up. 

{Can't you just see me at the Clinique counter asking for "the usual" and the gal in the white coat reluctantly slinging another tube of lip gloss my way and telling me I've probably had enough?} 

So that's the scoop around here. Between the chewing-gum fiasco, my dumb dog, and the gobbled-up lip balm egg, you can see why a girl can use some fancy new makeup and leopard-print anything.