Cheap Face Masks – #choosehappy2019

Walking through Target this evening, searching for my son’s prefered classroom treat and a replacement water bottle, I found I had time to search the 70% off end caps (a choosehappy list item for another time).  I came across one of favorite simple pleasures  and this week’s addition to my #choosehappy2019 list:  Cheap face masks.

They aren’t expensive.  They feel amazing. They make you look a little silly.  They are (hopefully) cleaning out my pores.  I can still multitask (aka write a blog like this) while I am pampering myself.   This is what I call a win-win-win – and those make me happy!

Best $.90 Spent

Golden Globes 2019

Candid Critic Commentary — I am proud that going into Golden Globe Sunday that I have seen 8 of the 10 movies nominated this year.  

Here’s my quick breakdown:

Comedy/Musical

The Favourite — Not seen

Crazy Rich Asians – Very entertaining, but follows the formulaic rom com.  I would recommend that everyone sees it, if nothing else just for the scenery and lux settings.

Mary Poppins Returns  – I loved Mary Poppins as a kid and I was pretty critical of what this would be and I fell in love again.

Green Book – If I tell people to make time to watch one movie this year, this is the one.  Viggo is amazing.  I didn’t want it to end.

Vice – I think Adam McKay, the Director and Writer, is genuis and Christian Bale is not far behind.  I learned something, I laughed, I fact-checked.  This movie has it all.  And who doesn’t love a historical, political movie that is a comedy.

Drama

If Beale Street Could Talk — No seen 

Black Panther –  I am not always a huge superhero movie fan, but I have a husband and two boys that are.  This one is different.  Wakanda forever!

Blackkklansman – I’ll be honest.  I fell asleept about 45 minutes into it on my couch.  What I saw, I liked but it got confusing fast.

A Star Is Born – This is where I am not a fan favorite.  I didn’t really like this movie.  I felt it was overdirected (sorry Bradley Cooper).  I thought his voice was the most surprising and exciting part of this movie.

Bohemian Rhapsody – I am a huge Queen fan and am always sad I never saw Freddie Mercury when he was alive.  This movie gave me that opportunity and Rami Malek totally transformed.

What are your thoughts?  What did you love?  What did you hate?  What do you have left to watch? 

Note: We have to wait until January 22nd for the Oscar nominations and that list may look a lot different.

Heated Seats – #choosehappy2019

As my kids get older and their lives get more busy…err… interesting, I have learned that I will be spending more time in my car.  I already had a job that has me visiting clients all over Twin Cities, and now with my kids I find I am in my car more and more.  Which brings me to today’s #choosehappy2019 list addition: heated seats.

Living in Minnesota means that you have to be ready for ridiculously low temperatures for many months that it feels a bit like torture. Unless you have a warm butt — then it all becomes do-able somehow.  Knowing you can warm up your butt almost makes me excited to go out to my car in the morning or to sit in a parking lot waiting for practice to end.   With the boys being only 6 and 10 now, I have many MANY more years to serve as their chauffeur so  I am glad that I have found a simple pleasure that makes me happy.

#choosehappy2019

One of the things that make me happy is writing.  I started this blog a LONG time ago and have let it sit by the wayside for too long.  This year, my 40th year, I am choosing happy.  That is my New Year’s Resolution  –  not because I have been unhappy, but that I need to consider all the things that make people happy; the things that make me happy and press forward.

Here is a list of things that make me happy (obviously these are just a few of the things, as I hope throughout the year I learn and determine more things that make me happy):

• A clean house
• An empty laundry basket
• Being proud of my kids
• Feeling cute
• Being organized and proactive
• Eating good food
• Travel
• Filling my “E”xtrovert
• Good movies
• Funny females (from Mrs Maisel to Amy Schumer)
• Baking
• Completing a check list
• Cuddling
• Working out so hard you sweat through your shirt
• A sun tan
• A bargain
• Doing something nice for someone, especially if it is out of the ordinary

I am bringing back the blog, because I believe in putting things out there in the hope that it both holds me accountable and also in the the hopes that it creates some positvitity for others.

Happy 2019!  Be happy!

Quote of the week (7/20/15)

Quote of the week: Anger is a feeling that makes your mouth work faster than your mind. 

Hopefully I am not alone in feeling like this quote is a good reminder for those times of frustration and annoyance. I am known for using some not so pleasant words, saying things I don’t mean and words I can’t ever take back. Often the people I love most are the same people who are on the receiving end of these anger-filled statements. Taking a moment to think before I speak; to breath before I steam; to stop before I go.

Quote of the week (7/6/15)

Quote of the week:  Be yourself because an original is worth more than a copy. 

I know I’m not alone; wishing for a different body, more money, less stress… the list goes on and on.  This came to me this weekend as I am at the pool, playing with my adorable kids who could care less about what mommy looks like in her swimsuit.  I know that if I could spend less time wishing and more time enjoying, my life would be fuller and happier. I need to focus on my original and quit trying to be someone else.

Quote of the week: 6/29/15te

Quote of the week: The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.  – Oprah Winfrey 

Such a wise woman, that Oprah!

Never one to shy away from a celebration, I love this quote. With that being said though, even I fall into that nasty habit of negativity and selfishness. All too often I find myself complaining about the things going wrong in my life instead of celebrating the all that is going right.  Last week, with the SCOTUS ruling, it showed me that there is really a lot of support out there for love and that is definitely something to be celebrated.

Enjoy this holiday week – take lots of time to celebrate!

Quote of the Week (6/22/15)

Quote of the week:  Life is a balance of holding on and letting go. 

Call it a personality flaw, but balance is something I have never been good at.  Whether it means taking on too many meetings in a day or trying to figure out how to make edible slime for a 3-year old birthday party 2 hours before the guests arrive, I have always taken on more than I can chew.

Last week was case in point of this behavior, I had carpet installed, an air conditioner that needed to be fixed, a business trip to Nebraska, baseball, my son’s birthday party, father’s day, a 10K run (I should have been training for), and that’s all on top of the regular weekly must-dos (laundry, groceries, cleaning, work, etc).  This week my calendar tells me that balance might be a lot more reasonable to find.  So that’s the goal.

Quote of the week (5/25/15)

Quote of the week:  Make today worth remembering.

With yesterday being Memorial Day, I started thinking about all the ways we remember people. We remember them for the memories made, for the memories they might have missed, their personality, their phrases, their demeanor. It’s important to live a life that is worth having people remembering.  If you haven’t started that life already, start today.

Quote of the week (5/18/15)

Quote of the week: The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you. – (the late, great, B.B King) 

To say I listened to him often, would be a lie. Though I have always considered myself a fan of B.B. King and his music. Randomly on a Saturday morning while we are busy cleaning, eating breakfast, or playing toys, we will turn on the B.B King Pandora channel and let his sweet, soulful music fill in the background noise in our house.

I was sad to hear of his loss last week.  He is truly one of those entertainers that will be sorely missed but never forgotten.