For the bargain price of $50 you could have straight, shiny, frizz-free, undamaged hair!

Sound too good to be true? Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. I purchased the Conair Infiniti Ceramic Wet-Dry Straightener.

The complicated name appealed to my complicated nature The word “infiniti” in the title was intriguing and left me with the overall impression that me and this hair tool would be “buddies” over the years to come.

Instead we parted ways after just a few uses. I think this tool would work best on a person with wavy hair, not curly, and preferably a person who’s hair is short to medium in length. I could see it working on layers (maybe) but most likely working best on hair that is all one length.

For $50 it isn’t like you are out a ton of money, but if you don’t have a fair amount of time in the morning (you will need to set aside approximately 10-30 minutes for the straightening process depending on style and length of hair) then you might want to skip this purchase.

Read more reviews and purchase online: Click here.

I’m a fairly new mama who has recently undergone the insanity that comes with your first baby. I remember looking at PapaHacks and calmly explaining to him that the hospital was obviously an irresponsible institution if they were willing to send that fragile little human being home with us . . . But, at that point, there was no putting her back where she came from, and we just had to muddle through.

The next few weeks were a fog of trying to learn how to nurse, figuring out how to do things one handed, and crying (me more than the baby, if you want to know the truth). As time went by, however, I did find a few things that have made the process easier. Because I’m a bit of a geek, I’ve coined these shortcuts “MamaHacks,” and I’d like to share some of them with you.

Today I post a MamaHack that has actually saved me a lot of time. It’s also kept me from being a particularly stinky mama. It has to do with nursing bras.

Never in my life have I worn a bra continuously for this amount of time. Truth be told, the “girls” have always been . . . um . . . smallish, so I could sort of choose whether or not I wanted to wear one. That is so not the case anymore. I’m currently sporting a couple of D-cups, and I’m frankly kind of pleased and amused by them all at once.

On the other hand, the whole wearing a bra 24-7 got old quickly. I started out with only two nursing bras, which made things even trickier. That’s how this whole thing started. If I didn’t do a load of laundry every single morning, I was out of luck for a clean bra. There was not a big chance I was going to be washing clothes every day. The baby’s six months old, and I still don’t wash laundry every day.

There is something that I wash every day, though. My body. No matter what is going on in the world, I manage to find myself at least ten minutes a day to shower. So, I started taking my nursing bras right in with me. I slap a little Ivory or even some shampoo on the fabric, work it around, rinse, and hang over the shower rod.

When I get out, there’s a nice dry bra hanging there from yesterday’s shower. It’s all ready to go, and by the time I shower the next day, today’s bra will be dry. It’s recommended to wash bras by hand anyway, so I’m theoretically adding to the life of my garment, too.

Recently, while channel flipping, I stumbled across the “Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel. I am not an outdoorsy person unless it’s to take the kids for a walk or to the zoo. I prefer my seafood be handed to me by a waiter from Red Lobster, and I really don’t want to see the process that takes place between the Bering Sea and my dinner plate….or do I?

Instead of casually changing the channel…I was intrigued. These men are real men, tough guys, last of a dying breed, no penny loafers here. They are hard-hitting chain-smoking rough-living guys. They have families…and they have a lot of heart. Each episode caused me to chuckle one moment and be concerned the next. And with good reason, in today’s marathon alone, 6 people lost their lives to the sea and one person was diagnosed with a life threatening illness.

This shook me. I am so use to reality t.v. that nonchalantly exploits people’s lives – without apology (yes, I know the people sign up to be on the show and “put themselves out there”…but do they really know what they are in for? Who knows). Today, I became a fan of the show.

I have my dvr all set up, I will be recording the new episodes (although my husband heard a rumor that Alaska either already has or soon will pass a law that will ban smaller vessel ships like the ones featured on The Deadliest Catch due to it being too dangerous for those involved). While it is hard to argue with that logic, I will miss this window into a world I would definitely not know anything about without this show.

If you want real honest t.v. of real guys pulling together to do a tough job…this is the show for you.

My guest on Natural Moms Talk Radio this week is an author of two books about a fictional character called the Hodag.

Happy the Hodag has a fierce appearance, so when Buddy the Bulldog meets up with him in the forest, he’s more than a little worried. Don’t Hodags eat white bulldogs?

You’ll have to read the books to find out what Buddy learns about judging people before you’ve gotten the chance to know them!

Listen as I talk to author Jill Kuczmarski talk about her books and teaching kids tolerance.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008.

What a bit of bizarre and disappointing news I started my day with. It seems our Dark Knight, Christian Bale was arrested for allegedly assaulting his mother and sister. There are very few details other than they didn’t arrest him immediately, but that Bale came in by appointment this morning. He has been released on bail pending further inquiry.

This is a surprising bit of news and his representatives have made no comment, so we will have to wait to learn more.

EDIT 12:27 PM PST: CNN has updated their story and now say that Bale was at the police station for 4 hours, but was not charged. His reps have also denied any assault.

Everyday, small things happen in our lives that we can celebrate. Each moment that we connect with someone we love, enjoy great customer service or watch our children pants grow shorter and shorter are opportunities to give thanks. Seizing these opportunities for the small yet frequent celebrations of life are the best preparation for the even greater events.

One of the easiest ways to monitor your own gratitude is by creating a a grateful journal. Each day take a moment at the end of the day and write one thing that makes you smile. It might be watching your baby take her first steps, the warm embrace from your spouse or a hot bubble bath without the children’s rubber duckies. Choose today to celebrate consistently one aspect of your life.

We often easily go throughout our lives with a list of things to improve.

Challenge - Identify one thing each day that makes you realize how fortunate you are to have the life you have. I look forward to hearing from you. And to get you started creating your own list of goals, I would like to invite you to claim your free access to my E-book “Eliminating Mommy Burn-Out”. Get free access at www.helpformomsreport.com

From Mia Redrick- Author, Time for mom-Me:5 Essential Strategies for A Mother’s Self-Care and Finding Definitions, the premier self-care community for mothers www.findingdefinitions.com

COMING IN SEPTEMBER 2008! Time for mom-Me Retreat

If anyone has had the pleasure of watching this show on the G4 channel, then they know that they have witnessed true greatness. G4, a once annoying channel for gadget geeks and gamers (like my husband), has found a new way to appease me. While I don’t generally appreciate most of the content on G4, I truly am a fan of a Japan-based show by the name of “Ninja Warrior” (Weeknights 9:00 PM ET). The show has 4 stages that consist of nearly impossible to beat obstacle courses.

The people of Japan take this very seriously (some build replicas of the obstacle course – which measures quite some distance – in order to practice before they even make it on the show) but have humor about it at the same time. There have only been a few men who have ever completed all 4 stages (winning a monetary prize of approximately $100,000, but more importantly, they get FAME).

What draws you in about the show are a few things – one – everyone plays the game no matter how good or bad they are or whether or not they are a celebrity t.v. personality (in Japan) or a fireman. Two – There are several very colorful personalities that particpate in the obstacle courses as well. Mr. Octopus is one – he prepares octopus in a restaurant for a living and brings a dead octopus with him each time he participates…maybe for good luck, who knows, it’s his trademark.

Then there is the guy who each time brings his hanglider to the obstacle course fully strapped in, etc. for effect and then has to quickly unstrap and run the timed obstacle course. The whole time the show is going on, the announcer is encouraging/making jokes (not sure which!) in Japanese and the subtitles are flashing up on the screen.

This is mostly harmless family entertainment and our 5 year old seems to enjoy watching it as well. It encourages a sense of team spirit and physical activity. The obvious entertainment portion of this is whether the person will fall into the obstacle course with all the water or if they will make it in time to press that precious buzzer. A personal favorite in our household.

What is springing in your life? What inspires you?

Whenever, spring time comes I often become invigorated by the gentleness of the days breeze or the delight in seeing and hearing the birds singing. Spring always reminds me of the importance of being outside and how much I enjoy the outdoors. What about you? What does spring mean to you?

The seasons are metaphors for living. When we are in spring we are presented with the opportunity to clean up, dust off and appreciate what is already around us. What beauty can you discover? Maybe, it is that old park bench and beautiful tree in the front of your home. Every year you say,”I am going to sit here more often to read” and never make time for it. Or perhaps, it is never being available to have lunch with a dear friend. Join me this week and spring into your life by trying the easy and doing the si mple actions that will allow you to appreciate the sources of inspiration already present in your life. No money required, just recycling what you already have and making the decision to enjoy it!

I look forward to hearing from you.

Challenge - Identify what is abundant in your life that you have yet to enjoy? Make the time now.And to get you started creating your own list of goals, I would like to invite you to claim your free access to my E-book “Eliminating Mommy Burn-Out”. Get free access at www.helpformomsreport.com

From Mia Redrick- Author, Time for mom-Me:5 Essential Strategies for A Mother’s Self-Care and Finding Definitions, the premier self-care community for mothers www.findingdefinitions.com

COMING IN SEPTEMBER 2008! Time for mom-Me Retreat

Some words for thought on saving money on back-to-school supplies such as calendars, calculators, rulers, paper and pencils. Find out how to fill your child’s desk the cheapest way.

1. Stock up. Buy in bulk when supplies go on sale. If an item goes on sale, buy enough to last the whole school year. There is no point in making more trips than you have to or paying full price later down the road. Try hitting the supply store after school starts when sales on supplies are inevitable. Buy the necessities for next year. If you buy slowly throughout the year, when things go on sale, the hassle of back-to-school supply shopping will be gone next year and you won’t deal with the whole expense at once.

2. Keep your options open. Look in flyers or go to the stores and compare prices. Maximize each store’s sales. One may have a great deal on a calculator and another store on loose leaf paper. Ask the supply store about a price match. Many stores will match another store’s price if it is lower. This will allow for deals, yet require less travel time to other stores.

3. Buy store name brands. Office supply stores typically make their own office supplies that run cheaper than big brand names. A notebook is a notebook, even if the Five Star logo is not on it. A Five Star notebook may cost more than $2 more than a generic brand notebook.

4. Don’t buy unnecessary supplies. Avoid items such as pencil boxes or pencil sharpeners that you know will get lost or broken. Instead use some scraps of fabric and sew a case to hold pencils. Book covers are also unnecessary items. Use brown grocery bags and let your kids decorate the covers themselves. You can even use wrapping paper.

5. Don’t forget what you already have. It’s easy to forget you packed away that extra paper or last year’s ruler. If you search your house, you probably have more supplies than you thought. If you have more than one child, make sure that the supplies the older child cannot use any longer are passed down to the younger child.

6. Don’t buy everything on the list of “needed” supplies right away. Teachers usually hand out a supply list in the beginning of the year. Teachers are humans too, and may change their minds about what activities will be done. Buy the basics–notebooks, pencil etc.–but avoid items that are too specific. Often supplies might never be used, so hold off until the time the teacher says they need it. Maybe they won’t get to that art project that requires a pound of clay.

“I agree with your message but your delivery sucks!” This is what I would love to shout at Bill O’Reilly sometimes. He is the host of “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News. While I am a huge fan of Fox News and agree with Bill about most things, his delivery is such a huge turn off for me. He has an air of assumption (the assumption is that he is, in fact, more intelligent than every other human on earth).

It is sad, really, because some of the points he makes are very good ones. But between the rolling of the eyes, the scoffing, the cutting people off, the making offhanded or off color comments, or being completely rude for what appears to be no reason…Mr. O’Reilly’s message often falls on deaf ears. Isn’t it always good to remember that actions speak louder than words?