Wen and the Infomercials

My BFF and I often talk about infomercials.  We were roped in a few years ago with the Wen hair care line, and we both signed up for the cult "monthly shipping option".  Just recently, someone on FB asked about it, and I just thought "Oooooo!  She's about to drink the Kool Aid!"

Wen works.  It does.  It smells fabulous, my hair was shiny and soft, and I was able to comb through it easily.  (Just for reference, I have coarse, very curly long hair.) However, I have to use A LOT of it, and it costs a lot to maintain that every. single. month.  Like a drug, I suppose.

It just wasn't worth it to me, and then I tried to cancel and it was NOT EASY.  (You almost always end up paying for another month.) I went back to some of my other favorite shampoos and conditioners (Biolage Conditioning BALM--you need the balm, Suave Professionals (the one for curly hair), Fructis Sleek & Shine, Aveda Anything).  However, I recently found Pantene Cleansing Conditioner.  It doesn't foam up, and it advertises itself to be the cheap man's Wen.  It works great!! Dare I say, it works BETTER than the Wen.  It is all minty and tingly on the scalp, my hair is not frizzy, and conditions it really well.

And while we are the subject of informercials, here are a few I have been suckered into:

1.  Turby Twist--Greatest invention ever.

2.  CordaRoy Giant Bean Bag-- I want one or two.  We are still decorating our house, so these might be a future purchase.  The one negative in reviews is that they do not have enough stuffing.
3.  Wubble Bubbles--Tate makes fun of these every time we see them.  "Just play with a balloon!"
4.  Any QVC Scrapbooking Kit-Good, but I end up spending more on stuff I don't need, even if the whole kit is a deal
5.  Pasta Express--My sister swore by this.  I think it looks like the dumbest thing ever.
6.  Wikki Sticks--dumb.  Great for about 5 minutes of play and then dumb.
7.  Dutch Glow Amish Wood Milk-watched a full 20 minutes of this infomercial.
8.  Snackees--  My kids beg and beg and beg.

9.  Zippy Sacks-- Ugly Polyester Cat Sleeping Bag/Sheet?  Soleil flips out excited with each commercial she views.

Planning for Summer 2015

I am sooo excited!! I don't have to move this summer!! I have been planning for all of the fun things to do around here, and I started by theming the weeks to get us started.

I just picked themes that I thought the kids would like, and wrote them in my calendar on the first day of the week.  From there, my eyes were open for anything and everything that relates.

Week 1 is ANIMAL WEEK.  I went through all of our books and toys and pulled out anything that would relate.  Then, I have some craft kits put away and pulled out that related.  I added animal related activities to the list (zoo, pet store, MSU animal farms), and lastly went to the Pinterest, of course!!

Additions:

• Sand table, filled with toy animals and colored sand.
• Printes out mazes and puzzles that are animal themed for Tate.  
• ALLLLLL of their stuffed animals used to decorate the living room the Monday of the week with them.  (I think even Tate will get a kick out of this.) 
• Stickers in my stash that are animals.

And then I had to hide it all so they don't see it before the week, because that is part of the fun!  (It is all stuffed into the bottom basket.)

Our other themed weeks are:
BEACH WEEK, TRAINS & PLANES WEEK,  SPY WEEK (always a favorite), SCIENCE WEEK, GAMES & PUZZLES WEEK

The other thing that I do, is pick a Library day (Monday)and a Park Day (Thursdays), and put them on the calendar.  Now, we don't follow everything on the calendar, we just use it as a guideline.  We may not do a single thing listed, OR change entirely for the day because someone has asked us to do something.  The plan and the calendar just helps us look forward to things, plan with other folks, and to help avoid the dreaded "Mom! Can I have screen time!"

I would love to hear about your summer plans.