In Which I Am Both Cheap and Shiny. Kind of Like Your Uncle Bob's Suit. You Know, the One He's Worn For Years? Yeah. It Just Means I'm Worth Keeping Around, Right? Right?!?!

MTL: It's like I won the lottery with you, except I didn't have to enter.

TM: Well, you did kind of spend thirty dollars for a ticket.*

MTL: True. Best thirty bucks I ever spent. Now that I think about it, the ticket was kind of expensive when the prize is so cheap.

--Silence--

MTL: Um. That didn't come out right.

TM: Would you like to clarify that one for me?

MTL: What I meant was, you see, that you're so low-maintenance.

TM: Ah. Okay. I won't hit you then.

He's lucky he's so dang cute. And that I get him and knew it was just a brain-mouth disconnect. Besides, he's pretty much right. I am low-maintenance. I like it that way. For that matter, most men I know like it that way. In real women, at least.

My hair? I wash it in the mornings with Pantene. I towel-dry it vigorously. Then I run a brush through it and go. No blow dryer, no product, no hair irons.

My clothes? Yeah, I like to look good, but I tend to keep things pretty simple. Nothing too overwrought or complicated to grab and go.

My morning routine? I've been known to get showered, get dressed, get the boylets dressed, grab our stuff, and be out the door in twenty-five minutes. That's under pressure, granted, but still.

So yeah, I'm low-maintenance.

However, I'm very rarely seen out of the house without some makeup on.

It's nothing much, mind you. Powder, blusher, eyeliner, mascara. Perhaps a little eyeshadow. I can whip it on in a few minutes. But I wear it every day.

We all have our insecurities about our appearance. We all have our security blankets. Mine happens to sit around in a little pink bag. See, I'm as critical about myself as the next person. I scowl at my brownie muffin tops. I suck in my squishy belly. I peer at my complexion in the mirror, sighing over the scars and lines and certain other aspects that I'm not going to admit to in writing. Then I pull out my makeup bag and brush on a subtle veneer.

So when Jodie over at Mummy Mayhem challenged bloggers to post their naked faces on their blogs, sans makeup, sans primping, sans anything but woman au naturel, I was more than a little nervous. But her argument about how critical we women are about our bodies was a good one, and her challenge to bloggers to link up along with her has received a wonderful response. And then the amazing Wanderlust joined in with her own post, and when I whined in a comment about not having a good camera, she sent me a lovely and encouraging and totally guilt-trippy email more or less commanding me to Do It Anyway and so...

Here's the picture I just took of myself after my nightly ablutions, squeaky clean face and all (I swear it's fuzzy because of the crappy cell phone camera, not from any retouching):

And as proof that sometimes this happens without planning, this photo is from about three months ago on a day when I overslept my alarm, didn't even have time to shower (thus the hat for hair control purposes), and got nowhere near my little pink bag:

I've exposed a good bit of my heart and mind and soul on this blog. I suppose it only makes sense for me to expose my face as well.

Do you hide behind that sexy camera angle or PhotoShop magic or whatnot on your blog? Then head over and take the challenge too. I dare ya.

--------------------------------------------
*That's a story for another time. It probably sounds worse than it is.** But that could just be my gutter brain working.

**which isn't bad, trust me on that one. Get your own brain out of the gutter! Arby, I'm looking at you.

I Think It Should Be More Than One Week A Year, But At Least There's SOMETHING!

Photo courtesy of www.worldbuzznow.com

(See? I CITED MY SOURCE!)

Have you thanked a teacher today?

I mean, you don't necessarily have to walk up to some random teachers and thank them, because while they may be somewhat pleased, they'll also be very confused. This is because they'll be sure you must have been their student/parent of a student at some point and they've forgotten your face and name and holy crap what do they do now?!?!?!

So be nice. Thank a teacher you know. Or, more to the point, knows you.

As for me, my not-so-little brats are driving me crazy today because they apparently did NOT get the memo. I'm trying very hard to not commit a felony stay professional.

WARNING: RANT POST MAY BE FORTHCOMING unless those kids who didn't show up for the presentation THEY SIGNED UP FOR were in the hospital and have the doctor's note to prove it, because they are DEAD MEAT otherwise, let me tell you grumblemumblegrumblegrrrrrrrrr......

Cheers!!!

I'll Keep You Posted (Ha Ha) On How This One Goes

There are many resolutions I could and should make for this year, this year of Clarke-ian significance, this Twenty-Ten. (Am I the only one relieved for a date that's easy to say, finally?!?) If I were to list all the resolutions that crossed my mind in the last few weeks, this is what you would see--though of course, this means I AM listing all the resolutions that crossed my mind in the last few weeks. Whatever.

The List I Could Write and Maybe Would If I Was More, You Know, Masochistic

1. Exercise for at least half an hour at least five times a week. And walking around while teaching can't count.
2. Eat healthier food cooked at home rather than resorting to fast food and boxed carbs so often. Tossing frozen peas in mac 'n' cheese is insufficient. Of course, it would help if there were even any frozen peas in the freezer to begin with.
3. Get papers graded no less than one week after they are turned in. Oh, and actually remember to return them to the students too.
4. Make more money and spend less.
5. Be neater. Okay, just be neat. Tidy, even.
6. Write wonderful, witty, inspiring posts on a regular basis. Perhaps win some blog awards.
7. Write a book. Or at least a good portion of one.
8. Stay caught up on reading blogs too. And commenting.
9. Get rid of the house. Please. Anyone want to buy a house? It's a nice house. I just don't want it. Oh, and if you would actually pay what we OWE rather than what that pesky housing market says it's WORTH, that would be so nice.
10. Win friends and influence people. Without having to read some stupid self-help book.

So some of these are actually within the realm of possibility, at least in part, especially if I have a little will power. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 are quite reasonable. Well, maybe not five times a week for number one. Three times? I could at least try.

And I've even gotten a decent start on some others. Number four, for example. I'm trimming excess spending already. I also am looking into picking up some tutoring hours--I advertised on Craigslist and I've already gotten a couple of bites. It would be nice to pay off some of those debts...

(Hey, if any of you live in the area and want a really good Language Arts tutor for your kid, let me know! Seriously. I'm good at it and I could use the money. Ahem.)

Numbers 6 through 10? Well. We'll see. (I really, really would like number nine to come true, but it's a little tough to make it an actual resolution.)

Ah, but number five...

I've never been the neatest person in the world. Okay, Mom, stop laughing. You too, Lauren. And SoccerSister. And soon-to-be-ex-husband. Oh, and all you former students.

Sigh.

This does not mean, however, that I do not appreciate a clean environment. I do. I just am not all that great at the little stuff. The not-leaving-things-all-over stuff. The maintenance stuff. The Clutter stuff.

Recent months have influenced me for the good, however. First, sharing residences with an ex (you know, the whole trading off on the house with the kids thing?) means that each of us needs to leave the place neat and tidy before the other person moves in on those toggle days. It keeps things sane and (more) drama-free. So I've been having to clean up and tidy much more than I did in the past. I'm getting almost used to it.

Also, Joe's house is delightfully clutter-free and he keeps it very tidy. He tends to keep things as simple as possible in his life, and I've found some inspiration in that. This approach worked pretty dang well for Christmas, and I'm thinking maybe it's one I could apply to other areas of life too.

So my real, very concrete, very doable resolution for 2010 is to Declutter. Specifically, every weekend when I have custody of the boys and therefore am in the house, I will produce AT LEAST one large box or bag of Stuff to donate or toss.

Trust me, there's enough to keep me going all year.

Today I went through the boys' toys and books and clothes, and I managed to produce a very large bin of books and toys for donation, a garbage bag full of trash, and a small pile of outgrown clothing. So I'm already good for the first custody weekend of the year! In two weeks, I plan to tackle my own closet. That may take a month...

And overall? The word of the year, this nice, neat, tidily-numbered year of 2010, is SIMPLIFY.

Because my life is complicated enough without cluttering it up with all the extras.

Going Green and Gorgeous

This week has been very exciting because we have not one but TWO international celebrations of joy! Yesterday was, apparently, International Book Day (thank you for that info, orenata, even if it did come TOO LATE FOR ME TO POST ABOUT IT ON TIME!). I did happen to finish a book by a British author last night, which in my mind counts as a private celebration, even if I didn't know I was doing it. And then at some point earlier this week it was, apparently, Earth Day. I'm afraid that other than my normal efforts of turning off all electrical stuff at the end of the day and recycling the massive quantities of paper that pour through my hands on a daily basis, I didn't really do much to celebrate that one. No trees planted, no bicycling to work (HA!), no keeping the computer turned off all day, yada yada yada.

But since today is Fashion Friday (I'm getting hooked on the idea--I like being able to use Mr. Linky over at BigMama), I thought I might look more closely into that concept of "green" clothing. I'm not into the whole ugly hemp sandals and shapeless undyed cotton muumuus look, but surely in this day and age there's something decent--and perhaps more importantly, affordable--out there. It's such a rip-off that everything "green" and "organic" seems to cost so much more. It's like how you have to pay MORE for whole wheat bread, because you know, they had to LEAVE IN all that stuff instead of processing the hell out of it. Pay more for doing less and all that.

I just love capitalism.

Turns out (to my complete absence of surprise) that there are PLENTY of websites offering green clothing out there. Go ahead--just google "green clothing" and you'll get plenty. But I took the step of checking two of them out for you ( http://www.aventuraclothing.com/ and http://www.soul-flower.com/ ) and choosing some of my favorite (and more affordable) options. I'm also (because I'm just that nice) categorizing them. Your undying gratitude is, of course, absolutely welcome. There are other sites to check out as well, but these two seemed to have some great options and affordable prices.

I'm only covering tops, dresses, and skirts today. I'm also only focusing on women's clothing, although both sites have some awesome men's (and even children's) options. Now that I've been sucked into this world of eco-friendly clothing, I think I've found fodder for several weeks' worth of posts. So expect more next week.

Tops

Aventura:

This 3/4 sleeve organic cotton top by aventura has several really cute colors and patterns--I'm partial to the blue. It costs $49, which isn't Target price, but it's not absolutely unreasonable.

These little tank tops by life is good are on sale, which limits size and color availability, but drops the price to $14.99.

This adorable patterned stretch tank top by aventura is pricier at $37, but it's just so dang cute!

Soul-Flower:

These smock tops at Soul-Flower.com are a little on the hippy-dippy side, but they're actually kind of adorable and definitely affordable at $28.

Soul-Flower.com also has a ton of very cute hoodies like the Hempy ($52) and the Revolutions and Soulshine (both $35 and which I SO want and just might order) and the Partridge (which zips up--$48).

Maybe I should just order almost everything on Soul-Flower.com. These Butterfly tunic blouses are on sale for $20; these Feelin' Groovy tie-dye tie-up blouses are really cute at $32; this Totem Tie Up tee, $32, would make me feel feminine and sassy at the same time.

Oh geez. Yeah. Just go to www.Soul-Flower.com and look at all the tops. There are way more than are listed here, and I could take up forever putting them here.

Dresses

Aventura has pretty much nothing BUT cute on their dresses page, but here are a few favorites:

If you like halters and like simple, this organic cotton stretch dress goes for $52.

For a patterned version, this halter dress is $55.

And here's a sexy little nautical-inspired halter dress for $69. Get it in red and make the men's tongues roll out of their mouths.

If you aren't into halters, this ultra-light-weight cotton gauze dress goes for $57 and this patchwork-look dress ($72) would look great for either the fourth or fourteenth of July (depending on whether you'd prefer to celebrate Independence Day for the USA or France).

And finally for aventura, this gorgeous brielle chiffon dress would be PERFECT for summer date nights at $74.

Over at Soul-Flower they run more to skirts than dresses, but they have some super cute spring/summer options as well, and they're cheaper. Here are my two favorites:

This Jungle Love halter dress's name made me giggle, but it's really cute and only $34!

You'd have to be confident to pull off this much color and tie-dye, but I really like this Mudmee smocked dress, also $34.

Skirts

Aventura doesn't have as many skirts that grab me, but there are a couple worth considering:

This kenzie ruffled organic cotton skirt ($57) has a lovely light, airy look.

And this destry bamboo/organic cotton stretch skirt ($62) is perfect for a soft, neutral look with intriguing details.

Soul-Flower, on the other hand, has so many options it's dizzying! These are the ones that made me salivate:

This Moon and Tree applique skirt ($42) is just so fun!

The Carly wrap skirt ($48) is made by women in Nepal and has a gorgeous look reminiscent of henna tattoo patterns; this Emerald Batik wrap skirt ($32) also has a beautiful "ethnic" look.

Again, you have to be brave about vivid colors, but this Wave wrap skirt ($30) and Mudmee Belle wrap skirt ($32) are breathtaking!

For more delicate, airy looks, check out the Butterfly Kisses cut-out skirts ($25 on sale), the Neopolitan skirts ($16 on sale), and the Blue Sky Butterfly Spinner skirt ($44, not on sale).

There you go! That's a start.

As for me--there goes my paycheck.

I Still Believe

Santa Claus is still alive and kickin'. I've never truly lost my belief in him as a symbol, if not a flesh-and-blood person, even the year when we spent Christmas in the mountains in France. I was in third grade. We woke up Christmas morning (or rather, Noel morning) and were about to pounce on the presents when one of my parents gasped and said "Santa forgot to fill the stockings!" So my sister and I crawled back in bed and closed our eyes as tightly as possible so Santa would come back and fill those stockings to bulging. We were smart kids--we knew what was going on. That didn't make Santa any less real.

And now that I have small children, the opportunity to bring Santa to life is so much fun. DramaBoy is old enough this year to really get into Santa, and I was already thinking about starting a "letter to Santa" tradition when I read Riley's post on All Rileyed Up about Macy's Believe campaign.

This is such a very cool idea! Macy's is encouraging people to write a letter to Santa, stamp and address it to Santa at the North Pole, and mail it at one of the special mailboxes placed in Macy's stores. For every letter mailed, Macy's will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit organization that makes wishes come true for terminally ill children. Talk about a campaign that taps into the spirit of giving!

So write a letter to Santa this year, have your children write a letter to Santa, have your friends and family write a letter to Santa, and help make wishes come true.