Sunscreen Saturday

Once upon a time, I got a tanning membership for the summer. I was a bronzed goddess! Clothing fit better, my legs looked thinner, the sun shone brighter, people smiled more, and there was happiness on earth. Then the dad guilt trip happened and I reluctantly agreed that skin cancer was slightly worse than being pale.

The summer of bronze

Disney Cruise- not even a hint of a tan

And now I've pretty much accepted my Casper the ghost coloring. Laying out peacefully at the beach or pool are not even a possibility with three kids. If I ignored them for more than ten seconds, I'd end up with a bucket of water poured over my head, or worse. They're so lucky I love them more than anything in this world- even a good sun tan.

10 year old me at New Smyrna Beach, notice the shorts tan lines

So I set low expectations for my tanning abilities on a paddle-boarding and beach trip this past weekend. Fortunately, I went with a friend and, while she brought her older son along, I was able to relish not being mom-ed to death for a morning. The sun was beautiful, the water so clear I could see schools of minnows, and it was just the perfect Florida day. We paddled out to the Gulf and watched flocks of pelicans filling the sky while dolphins jumped in the ocean. God's creation is a wonderful thing and it was nice to be reminded that there is a world outside my computer and phone.

In the afternoon, I met up with Chase and the boys to take a ride on his new boat. It's orange and blue so, naturally, Cayden has named it Daddy's Gator Boat. The boys had a blast throwing handfuls of sand into the waves to 'make them go away', and wanted to put every large shell they found on a shell tree by the beach. They also wanted to share their boat snacks with the fishies. So for every bite they ate, one had to go into the ocean. Not sure what those poor sea creatures thought of m&ms and blueberries. But hey, sharing is a win, right?

It was the best Saturday I've had in a while and it made me remember how much I love the water and the salt and the sun. Hopefully by the time we hit the beach for a week in July, I'll be a respectable shade of off-white, maybe even a light beige. Fingers crossed!

With Love,
Susanne

The Most Important Thing

School shooting. As a mother, those words terrify me. Two weeks ago, I sent my son to school thinking his worst issue would be not getting in trouble for talking in class. Today, I fear for his life in the same way I fear for my husband’s every time he leaves for work. 

THIS is what he should be focusing on- not identifying where he would hide in each classroom should the need arise.

I have so much in my heart and mind right now I can’t even finish this post the way I had planned. I just have a plea. Parents, pay attention to your children. Love them. Be in their life. Cheer their accomplishments. Be a Parent- not a buddy. Know what your child is doing and who they are spending time with. I know I spend too much time on my phone when I should be playing Legos with the boys or listening to my son tell a story. I am going to be more intentional with my time and attention. I’m not a perfect parent, but my boys are going to know that I love them, and that they can come to me no matter the situation.

With Love,

Susanne

I Nailed it!

Since Chase is in Orlando picking up his boat with the little boys, yesterday I had a free afternoon to finally get my nails done/declawed/repaired... it’s been a few weeks and they. are. rough. 

 

However, I live in Naples. And it's the middle of season. As if I could just waltz into a salon without an appointment and not have to wait. So when my fav nail place told me it would be an hour till they could fit me in, I decided to find an alternative fav nail place.

I made the decision solely on two facts: alternative salon was right beside my take-out restaurant of choice, and it was $10 cheaper than anywhere else! Which is a lot in nail world, at least for me. I’m all about a good deal and I’ll sacrifice to save money.

And I did. Not a single person in the salon looked happy- they all acted as if they were getting a tooth pulled, which worried me a bit. How could you sit in a massage chair and have Angry Face? Then there were the weird, almost nude gilt frame pictures on the wall. Not really appropriate for the amount of children that seemed to be running free between the chairs. But $10 is $10, right?

I had to be sneaky taking this picture- it was at too awkward an angle for me to play it off like I was taking a selfie

 

Luckily, Ivey did a great job and I’m pleased with the results, even though she forgot about me several times because she was busy scolding her kid.  How did I know her name was Ivey? Because the lady next to me was either trying to impress, or just had a great memory. She called Every staff person by their name- and knew their kids- and their spouses! I don’t know about you, but when I am getting my hair or nails done, it’s me time. I don’t really want to engage in chit chat. The time I get away from work and little people is very limited and I prefer to sit quietly being pampered. 

 (Upon reflection of the above paragraph, it sounds a little snobby. I’m not rude- if they want to talk, I’m friendly. I just don’t initiate the conversation. Better?)

My ring is an heirloom- it was Chase's grandma's wedding ring.

 

I also felt extreme guilt over my former nail polish choice, pink sparkle glitter, as Ivey went about the arduous task of removing said glitter. I don’t blame her for making faces and muttering, what I'm sure were not complimentary, comments about me to her co-worker. What can I say? I heart glitter, even if it is impossible to take off.

Don't judge my life choices

 

So I smile and tip well, and try not to make eye contact with naked wall pictures. All in all, I think I’ll go back. At least it’s not boring.

With Love,

Susanne

I Love That Man

***WARNING*** This is a mushy lovey post. If you're looking for humor and sarcasm today, I'm afraid you'll have to check back in tomorrow.

Ah Valentine's Day. A day of love, high expectations, and potential disappointment. I have had a couple such disappointments in my history, and they're nothing I want to recall. Fortunately, I've got the most wonderful man in my life now and I am completely undeserving of him.

Chase sacrifices every day for myself and our family. He works 12-hour shifts at night, then comes home to four hours of sleep because he picks up Cayden from school and plays with the boys all afternoon until I get home from work. He makes dinner most nights and takes out the trash because he knows I hate to do it. He is a patient step-father and gets along with my ex-husband. He eats the chicken legs because the boys and I prefer the white meat. He changes the oil in my car and pumps my gas so I don't get dirty. He answers the phone every time I call, even if he's asleep or with the guys. He takes a lightsaber to Star Wars Day because Cayden asked him to, even though he's the only adult with one. He patiently endures my temper tantrums and is always quick to forgive.

Turks & Caicos- Honeymoon 2014

Holding baby Cayden- 2014

Micah's 7th Birthday

Armageddon Ambush Mud Run 2013

His first Tough Mudder 2013

Blackhawks game in Chicago 2017

One of our first dates- Strawberry Festival 2012

We've been together almost six years and he hasn't run away from my craziness yet. I thank God for giving me Chase, and I love him with all my heart.

With Love,
Susanne

What Not to Wear (because it will kill you)

I love history, and what I find the most interesting is how people used to live. What they wore, how they interacted, what they ate, their habits and customs. I'm still listening to the 'Into the Wilderness' book series and it takes place in the early 1800s. When the mortality rate was still incredibly high and death was an accepted part of life.

On that cheery note, I am here today to bring a very throw-back version of What Not to Wear, your great-great-great-great grandmother's edition.

I think we can all agree this entire outfit is a fail. From the peach glasses to the pearl and fringe shirt, complete with shoulder pads.

Mercury was used in the making of men's top hats back in the 1700's, and the haberdashers who employed this method paid dearly for their craft. They were the 'mad hatters' that Lewis Carroll brought to life in Alice in Wonderland. They suffered from tremors, erratic behavior, excessive drooling, kidney disease, and hallucinations. Even though doctors were warning people about the dangers of mercury as early as 1757, the process continued until the 1960's when hats were no longer what the cool kids wore. So in a way, by not wearing a hat, Elvis saved a lot of lives!

I'm sure we've all heard about the ancient Chinese custom of foot binding. This cruel status symbol essentially broke a girl's feet and kept them tightly bound so they were never more than 4 inches long! If they were really lucky, their toes would fall off, so the food could be even smaller! Women could barely walk and had to be carried everywhere- because, of course, they were so wealthy they had servants to do their walking for them. I think the equivalent is today's high heels. Have you ever worn a pair for more than a couple hours- torture!! Oh, and want to know the worst part? This continued up until the 20th century- the last factory making shoes for these women was open until 1999!

Then, of course, there were the ballerinas who danced on stages surrounded by gas lights- more than a few went up in flames when their gauzy outfits swept too close to the fire. Or how about as recently as 1999 when two women were electrocuted because the underwire in their bras acted as a conductor!
Is that Victoria's secret- death by fashion? And I can't forget good old Queen Elizabeth I- she used lead-based powder, which become a fad at court, and killed many of her subjects.

Making my stage debut as the starring character. Don't remember who I played, just that I worked really hard to win that audition and poufy purple dress.

In conclusion, maybe think twice before you paint radium on your nails and teeth because it glows in the dark, or use bleach and ammonia to achieve that platinum hair (ala Jean Harlow). Better to have large feet and brown hair, than fall prey to fashion killers!

PS- check out all the above links. The full stories behind these fashion trends is fascinating. 

Happy Monday!

With Love,
Susanne

A Day at The 'Con' (Comic-Con)

Once upon a time I was a comic book character. For a day. It was magical. Chase is an obsessive super-hero/comic-book nerd and he wanted to go to Comic-Con in Tampa. Well, honestly, he wants to go to the national one in San Diego, but we compromised on starting small.

His favorite character is Gambit, a little known comic book guy who may be getting his own movie soon. Channing Tatum will be starring, so if husband insists I go with him, I won’t protest very much. Gambit’s girlfriend is Rogue, whom you may recognize from the X-Men movies. We wanted to dress up in full character and really embrace the Con (that’s what we call it in the biz.)

You can tell the veterans from the beginners by the way they compliment you. Newbies refer to your outfit as a ‘costume.’ The experienced ones say, ‘nice cos’ (cos= cosplay). 

Now I’ll admit this whole idea was hatched over a bottle of wine- I ordered tickets and my Rogue wig that same night. By the next afternoon, Chase was already deep into planning his own outfit and there was no backing out. A small hiccup occurred two days before the event, though. Our neighborhood is relatively new so the mailman frequently mixes up the streets and delivers packages to the wrong house. The person who opened my sexy, spandex costume happened to be the parent of one of Cayden’s classmates. She left it with the receptionist at the school for me- open and in plain view, of course. I considered not explaining, and just letting them think I was…well, never mind. But some of the teachers watch my kids and I would Never jeopardize a good, dependable babysitter! 

Anyway, Comic-Con was So. Much. Fun. It’s a three day event that over 50,000 people attend. There was a food truck rally outside with lines of anime and caped avengers waiting for their turn at the deliciousness. Meanwhile inside, there were hundreds of booths full of merchandise, collectibles, unique art, and everything in between. We came home with a huge Star Wars light shaped like an ‘S', an obscene amount of Pop Toys, a couple original pieces of art, and very little money. I accidentally insulted a lady when I held up a cute little onesie that said, “Walker Bait” and commented that it would fit my son. She snatched it out of my hand and announced it was for dogs, not precious children. Oops?

One of my favorite aspects was that because we weren’t the normal characters, we literally spent half our time being asked to take pictures with people! (I lost count of how many Super Women, DeadPools, and Harley Quinns there were.) It’s an empowering experience pretending to be someone else and getting to forget your own hang-ups. I do not like new situations; it makes me uncomfortable and insecure. As Rogue, I was brash, confident, free, and not intimidated by the strangeness of my environment.

The amount of collectible items was totally overwhelming!

This was just the lobby, first thing in the morning. By the time we left, it was so packed you could hardly walk.

Orlando is hosting MegaCon at the end of May, and, if we can come up with even better costumes, I plan on attending. Suggestions for a character? Maybe Star Wars this time, but not Princess Leia- no cinnamon buns or metal bikinis! Think I could pull off Chewbacca? The guy who played him will actually be there! Guess I’m a little bit nerdy too…

With Love,

Susanne