Younger? Maybe…

I have started using the Anew Ultimate (Yes, it’s technically for women at a more advanced age than me, but I have wasted some time using just average moisturizers and need to catch up.) Night Cream as well as the Contouring Eye System.  I have used it for just under a week and am absolutely flabbergasted (yes, flabbergasted) at how much better my skin looks already.  Maybe by the end of the month I will look 10-15 years younger.  It could happen…

If you have been using some of the cheaper moisturizers (like I have been), there will be an opportunity in Campaign 10 (I believe, I’ll have to check) to purchase a four product trial of the Anew products for $9.99.  I encourage you to try it and see what results you see in a week’s time.  It might just surprise you!

Smart Kids!

Last week while we were down south, Kerri took the three girls to the Amish store.  On their way home, the girls started in with a conversation about the solar system.  They’ve been VERY into space lately, so we have gotten lots of library books about all aspects of the solar system.  I’m now absolutely certain that they have learned a lot!  They were discussing the dwarf planets as well as Ceres (which is the largest asteroid) and left Kerri feeling a little under-educated in the driver’s seat. 

As I type, they are all three dissecting the atlas we bought at Barnes & Noble a couple months ago.  (Yes, I realize that is not the typical kid-type purchase, but they have enjoyed it more than any other book in the house!)  They are discussing, with an incredible amount of emotion, the pros and cons of visiting various places on the planet.  Hope just informed her sisters that she does not want to visit Hawaii because they can have everything there:  earthquakes, volcanoes, and even TSUNAMIS!  Now they are discussing Chile and its climate.  It’s amazing how much they can learn about something when they’re really interested.  They are expert atlas readers! :)

Anew Ultimate

This stuff (the night cream and especially the contouring eye system) is my new best friend!  After three days of using it (I used it while we were at Mom’s), I decided I would buy it for myself.  I have had xanthelasmas (cholesterol deposits) on my lower eyelids since I lost weight and have never found anything (until now) to diminish them.  The Anew Ultimate Contouring Eye System has almost completely gotten rid of one xanthelasma and has significantly diminished the other one.  It’s phenomenal!  I have exceptionally sensitive skin and typically have a problem with burning when I use many skin creams, but I didn’t have any problems using this.  Granted, it’s considered to be in the 50+ skincare group, but I don’t care.  If I start using it now, at 35, I might just be able to hold off the wrinkles, right?! 

If you’re interested in trying some of this miracle cream, visit my website: www.youravon.com/dvan-cleave .   Free shipping is relatively easy to come by, so even if you’re not in my area I can still get it to you! :)

*Spring* Break?!

We spent a few days at the farm over the first part of spring break.  We were very thankful to get at least one nice day (Monday) when we could play outside, but the rest of our time there was cold.  We did end up shopping Chanute (mainly as an excuse to visit El Pueblito) and making a much anticipated trip to Ernesto’s to celebrate Jonathan’s birthday.  All in all, it was a fun time, but we really would have liked to have some warm weather.

We returned home Wednesday and had hoped for smooth sailing.  The twins went shopping in KC with me while Hannah stayed with Meme.  We had a fantastic time!  It was really, truly one of the most fun shopping trips I’ve ever had.  We only went to JCP on the mall (although we spent roughly 2 hours there) before going to eat, going to Lifeway, and finishing up at Walmart.  They were so much fun!  Hannah had spent the day outside and had broken out in hives by the time we returned, though, so the fun was just beginning.  By 9:00 I called the ER to make sure what I was doing (Benadryl, primarily) was the right thing to do.  It was, but when the phone rang at 12:15, I knew it wasn’t good news.  I ended up taking Hannah to the ER at 12:30 to get her pumped full of more Benadryl and steroids.  By 3:00 when we got home she was was no longer itching and was ready to sleep. 

We (the twins and I again) made a trip to Topeka to go to Grand Lodge for the banquet, but we all came back home that night when it started sleeting and snowing.  We’re glad we came home when we did.  We had, on the first day of Spring, no less, a pretty impressive snow storm.  Hopefully it will be short-lived.  I’m so over this whole snow thing.

Tomorrow they’ll be back in school for 9 days before having a couple days off around Easter.  Hopefully we’ve moved past the really nasty bugs and can soon enjoy a real taste of spring. 

A Few Recommendations

I tried out a few new Avon products (new to me, not necessarily to Avon) this week and wanted to spread the word on some new favorites.  Rest assured, if I didn’t like it, I would tell you.  I’m only going to give my seal of approval to things I really like. 

First up, the MagiX Face Perfector and Cashmere Finish Liquid Foundation.  They are, for me anyway, great!  The Face Perfector goes on after moisturizer and prior to foundation.  Here’s the official description from my Avon website:  

MagiX Face Perfector
A magical air-light gel-powder colorless formula* that makes all skin tones look flawless... invisible coverage; instant perfection. Banish shine up to 10 hours. Apply evenly before sun exposure or as needed. Targets pores: visibly minimizes pores with patent-pending Optix Light-Diffusing Technology. Banishes Shine: holds back shine for up to 10 hours. Smoothes Skin: reduces the look of fine lines...skin feels softer than ever.

It also has SPF 20 and does make my skin feel amazingly smooth.  I have been using it with the corresponding MagiX Cashmere Finish Liquid Foundation.  I love the combination of the two. 

Now my final seal of approval for the day/week/campaign goes to the Glimmersticks Diamonds Eye Liner.  I’ve never used Avon eye liner before, but I will never use anything else ever again.  It’s that good.  This particular eye liner has subtle sparkles as well, so that gives it just a little something extra. 

That’s it for this time.  As I try new things, I’ll give you my honest opinion of each product.  If you’re interested in more information, please let me know or check out my Avon website:  http://dvan-cleave.avonrepresentative.com/ . 

A Better Day?

So I took the girls back to the doctor on Monday, thank goodness.  All three were put on different antibiotics, which currently has its own set of problems, but that’s a whole other story.  The doctor said Addie’s sinuses and ears were “a reservoir of infection.”  That’s not exactly the phrase I wanted to hear about her.  On the plus side, because she has those beloved tubes in her ears, all that nastiness has been able to drain.  It hasn’t been pretty.  It’s been a little scary, since that’s the first time I’ve seen bloody gunk (for lack of a better word) drain from my child’s ears.  This is the child who never complains about anything, and she’s been complaining about her ears hurting.  I hope we’re on the right track now.  They’ve eased up on their draining considerably, so that’s positive.  Her doctor wanted to see her yesterday to check her out, so we went back.  She said that everything is looking better, and her eardrums and tubes are in good shape.  There is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. 

I’m currently trying to get everything ready so the girls & I can head to the farm for a few days over spring break.  I have to get my Avon orders delivered this afternoon and tomorrow morning, but that shouldn’t take too long.  Getting the house back in working condition before we leave is going to be the bigger task.  Sick kids do not a clean house make! :)  Wish us luck!

ANOTHER Trip to the Doctor

I give up!  I really thought that if I kept them in and required them to drink lots, get lots of rest, sneak out for some fresh warm air and take it easy they would, without a doubt, be healthy and back to school today.  Not so.  This HAS to be the last big illness of their first grade year.  The house may permanently smell like Vicks after this one.  We might never find all the cough drop trash and Kleenexes.  We had to buy our last bottles of hand sanitizer at Sam’s, for crying out loud!  Have you seen the size of those things??  I spent Saturday disinfecting anything and everything I could think of to disinfect.  The bathtub was full of toys soaking in a bleach and water solution.  Every doorknob, light switch, Wii accessory, remote, phone and other surface has been wiped down with Clorox wipes.  If there was just a way to disinfect the kiddos! 

We’re going back to the doctor today.  Addie’s ears are now draining and hurting – that can’t be good.  Something has got to change…and soon!

Will it End?

We have spent every day since last Saturday with somebody feeling crummy.  First it was me, then Gary, then the girls.  While we seem to have kicked the strep bug out of the house (hopefully forever), there seems to be a stubborn cold that has latched on where the strep left off.  It’s not a fun place.  I took Addie to the doctor yesterday to make sure there wasn’t something else going on that I was missing.  There wasn’t.  They’re still on antibiotics and Mucinex, and they have doctor’s orders to stay home for the rest of the week and keep something in their mouth (hard candy, cough drops, gum) continually until they’re better.  To say I’m a little weary would be accurate.  Thankfully, Meme came up Monday and has been keeping Hannah at her house.  She’s a life saver!

Suffice it to say, I am ready to be healthy, ready to have healthy kids, and ready to do something FUN!

Anew Reversalist Renewal Day Cream

The brand new Anew Reversalist Day Renewal Cream is, for the first time, now available in campaign 7.  It’s a fantastic moisturizer, and one I can personally recommend.  Here’s the official product description:

Visibly reverses wrinkles with Activinol Technology while helping to protect skin with SPF 25 UVA/UVB. Makes skin look and feel reborn all day.* Skin will look fresh, new and younger. In 3 days: begins to reduce the look of wrinkles.* In 2 weeks: improves discolorations by up to 25%.** Over time: dramatically reduces the look of wrinkles and discolorations. Skin looks dramatically tighter.* 1.7 fl. oz.
*In a consumer-perception study. **In a clinical study.

It is currently on sale along with the foaming cleanser, night cream, serum, and the new illuminating eye system (also brand new).

Last Day of Campaign 6

Just a quick note to remind you that if you had anything you wanted to order from Avon during this campaign, tomorrow is the final day to do so.  I'm just now trying to narrow down what I want to order this time around.   Who knew it would be so difficult?!

Another Anniversary

Today we celebrate the day we FINALLY became a family of five living in the same house.  Seven years ago today we brought Addie home after almost 4 months in the hospital.  We celebrated, sort of.  I guess it's more accurate to say that we acknowledged it.  It's been one of those days.  And there begins a story...

Saturday morning at 3:30 I woke up with a sore throat.  I don't have tonsils, so I don't even remember the last time I had a sore throat that wasn't accompanied by nasal stuff.  I trudged through Saturday fully and punctually medicated with Motrin & Tylenol to keep the pain away and thought there might even be some achiness.  I just kept going.  I slept on the floor Saturday night with the twins and woke up again at 3:00 and had to have more Motrin in the middle of the night.  I was awake for about three hours, and ended up getting one more hour of sleep before the girls woke up at 7:00.  I felt okay yesterday morning/early afternoon, but by evening I was near tears from feeling so awful.  The Motrin was no longer doing anything for the pain, and I knew today would be a doctor day.  The fever I had been unknowingly treating finally broke around 3:30 this morning, thank goodness.  I got in to the dr. this morning and got a whoppin' shot of penicillin for strep throat.  The girls and Gary also stayed home today because they woke up with crummy throats.  They are all now on ten days worth of meds to treat round two of this nasty strep.  The toothbrushes are discarded, and I'm already planning to thoroughly disinfect the house in the coming days.  Hopefully we can totally get rid of this stuff soon.  I will say, though, that the kiddos have handled all this better than the adults.  The mama can't get sick, or at least can't get sick and be the vegetable she'd like to be.  The dad, well, he's not used to being sick and therefore doesn't realize how bad it can be.  I'm keeping him on a rotating Motrin/Tylenol schedule just like I do the girls until his fever breaks.  It's just like adding one more kid to the mix...