You Can't Always Get What You Want

Moose is having a hard time getting used to the idea that, just because you say please doesn't mean you get what you've asked for. And when I say hard time, I mean sometimes an all out tantrum ensues. When I'm on my game, I try to diffuse the situation with a goofy song. It helps me keep my cool, it's a pressure release on my snark-o-meter, and it often distracts him enough that we can move past whatever has gotten him riled.

Sometimes I sing "It's the End of the World" by R.E.M. Recently I've turned to the Rolling Stones classic "You Can't Always Get What You Want."

Today the universe sang it back to me.

Mouse is struggling with a bout of something that may or may not turn out to be asthma. After her second dose of oral steroid last night, she became a fussy, fidgety monster and, ultimately, I did not finally get to sleep until after 1:00 this morning. Up again around 5:00. Up for good with Moose at 7:00, with the added challenge of joints that had locked up during what felt like an all-too-brief period of inactivity.

No doubt about it: I was a cranky puss this morning.

As I made the bed, I grumbled some half-intelligible prayer asking that, at least for today, could my hands please loosen up before noon. I started a pot of coffee and sent a vague, pitty-me text to a friend about how I hated prednisone even more than albutrerol (which I never thought possible).

About 30 seconds later my phone rang.

It was my friend. From nearly 700 miles away. Who I haven't seen since October. Who I last texted with from a physical therapy session in March.

And I got what I needed.

Sympathy. Understanding (her son suffers from asthma). Connection. Distraction (she just planted some wisteria). Perspective (she sees the hematologist today to find out if she has to stay on blood thinners post-PE last autumn).

I drafted this post from my phone at the park in bits and pieces between pushing Mouse on the swing, catching Mouse on the slide, saving Moose from a bumblebee.  My hands were still stiff and tender. I was fighting yawns.

I did not get what I asked for.

But I got what I needed (and it was even better).

When was the last time you got what you needed, even if it wasn't what you asked for or thought you wanted?

Mother's Day Hangover

My school-made card from Moose, who apparently thinks I'm underage and as big as a small elephant.

Apparently my kids missed the memo that Sunday was Mother's Day.  While my Facebook feed filled with gushing accounts of others' Mother's Day pampering and texts poured in wishing me a day of luxury, my kids were fighting (literally) in a shopping cart at the grocery store (Moose bonks Mouse over the head while I'm looking at lettuce; Mouse scratches Moose in the checkout line, etc.).

The thing is, I generally don't mind about Mothers' Day.  I grew up in a family that expressed their love and appreciation for each other often and didn't feel the need to make a big hoo-ha about the official days for moms and dads.

If I lived in a bubble, it wouldn't have gotten to me a bit.  It was a very ordinary Sunday for us: laundry, yard work, preparing for the week.  And, let's be honest, my kids frequently squabble in the cart at the grocery store.

But the comparison monster got me.

I'm not telling the other moms not to share.  I'm delighted that you had an amazing day!

But I get the sneaky suspicion that I'm not the only one who didn't get fireworks and diamonds.  Like so many things in our social media-driven world, reporting is disproportionate and skewed.  Which is to say, I think the fireworks and diamonds got tweeted and favorited, and the grocery cart boxing matches did not.

So today I pay tribute to all the other mothers whose "Day" was ordinary rather than extraordinary (or even a gargantuan flop).  And I wish you many Mother's Moments that happen without fanfare when it is least expected.

What's the best Mother's Moment you've had so far this week?

April FOTM: pur CC

If you've been following along with my Foundation of the Month series, you already know that I'm diligently testing twelve foundations in 2014 in an attempt to find my "perfect" foundation.  My goals/parameters for an "ideal" foundation are that it be long-wearing (especially on my peskily-oily chin) but not break me out.  It must not be too fussy to apply.  And it must come in under $40.  

Prior to this year, I exclusively wore Bare Minerals makeup, which I loved when I started wearing it in my mid-20's, but as the years passed, I found myself wanting more coverage and longer wearability.  One of the first things I tried was putting tinted moisturizer under the Bare Minerals and liked the results - especially during the summer months when I like less coverage anyway.  I also found it wonderfully easy to apply the tinted moisturizer in place of regular moisturizer and top off with Bare Minerals.  All of this means that we are going to take a BB/CC detour during the warmer months.  The goals will still be the same, but with the understanding that I'll be judging the overall result based on the BB/CC plus Bare Minerals.

April's Foundation: purminerals CC Cream

Like March's FOTM, this product was not on my radar when I began making a list of foundations to test.  I went to Ulta in search of the itCosmetics CC (stay tuned, I'm currently testing it as May's FOTM!) and one of the consultants raved about the pur CC and I caved.

According to the purminerals website, this product is a "multitasking moisturizer, brightener, primer, concealer and SPF foundation."  It sounded like everything I was looking for to boost my Bare Minerals.

Sadly, the pur CC is better described as a light coverage foundation than a CC.  

While this CC dispenses easily from the pump tube, the consistency is very dense and cannot be applied well with fingers alone.  Once on, the initial look was lovely, but without an additional primer in the T-zone, it started fading after lunch, even with the mineral makeup on top.  

This product wins back some points for providing a natural look (no color match problems here), washing off easily, and being kind to my skin (no breakouts).

Overall Grade: C.  At $38, pur CC was already at the high end of my price range and ultimately not what I was looking for.  If you're looking for a light coverage foundation that you treat as foundation, this might be a winner for you.  But for me, looking for an easily-applied undercoat for mineral makeup, it was too fussy to be worth the price tag.