Works For Me Wednesday: Deodorant for $6.00/Year

Are you sweaty? Do you notice a little odor no matter what deodorant you use? Do you have to switch brands frequently just to keep the smell down? Do the thoughts of using aluminum products scare you about breast cancer, but the thoughts of going deodorant & antiperspirant-free scare you even more? Do you get in-grown hairs in your pits? Are you a cheap-o like me and hate shelling out the cash for brand-name deodorants?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, what works for me is the solution for you! One of my friends turned me onto this: Walgreens sells one of those crystal rock deodorant sticks for just $5.99! (Well, their website says $6.49, but it was cheaper at my home store.) I had been looking at one with an online company that costs $16.00 + shipping! Rhett gets eczema real bad under his arms and we think we've linked it to his deodorant.

But I ended up getting this for me after my friend's comments. No, she didn't say I smelled or anything. She just had rave reviews of this product. And I have to agree, it works great! And I answer yes to all the above questions! This product has solved all of those problems! Plus, it says one crystal deodorant stick can last up to a year! Some of the reviewers say it lasts 3 to 5 years!

Do I still sweat? Yeah, but not like before and it's different somehow. Like cleaner, fresher and not as much. Like maybe before my body was having a chemical reaction to all the chemicals and crap in regular deodorant. I know that sounds weird. I thought so when my friend talked about it, but try it and you'll see.

Now, I will say if I'm out moving boxes in 85 degree weather or something . . . yeah, I'm gonna get a little stinky. Um . . . but that's not any different from when I used regular deodorant. In fact, I could guarantee on any given summer day even if I stayed inside that I would stink. With the stone, all I have to do is wet it and reapply and I'm fresh again!

Or at least I hope so! Wouldn't that be terrible if I really was smelly but I had just gotten used to the smell and didn't know it? LOL! Oh, well! So far, I haven't had any complaints!

Mama Said

Magazine Addict

My name is Mama Said and I'm a magazine addict!!!

There's only one problem with this addiction (well, maybe more than one . . .)---

I rarely read them!

So, I've got at least 50 or so magazines stacked up around my house that I still have not read.

With more coming every month . . .

Um, yeah. I don't even know how many I'm subscribed to. Here's the ones I can name off the top of my head: Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens, Southern Living, Country Living, Reader's Digest, Family Fun, Scrapbooks Etc, Rachael Ray, Good Housekeeping, The Old Schoolhouse . . . .

Ya' know, it's just a funny thing whenever you move . . .
all those sweet little magazine companies just send you the best deals on subscriptions! You just can't pass them up. Seriously, you just can't. And my in-laws keep sending me gift subscriptions. I'm not sure why. I'm sure they can't tell I like magazines or anything.

Anyway, I want to read them. Really I do.

I even envision myself reading them. Daily, I picture myself kicked back leisurely perusing my magazines.

I have full intentions of reading every single one cover to cover.

But I'm kinda getting a sinking little feeling that it's not gonna happen. And I really need space on my bookshelf for the 5,000 books I unpacked this weekend.

I've been trying to do better. I'm not renewing alot of them.

But what do I do with this huge stack? I paid for these! I feel obligated to read them!

However, that is exactly why they are weighing me down. A big part of me wants to be free of them. Just toss them and never look back!

But what about when Rhett's grandparents ask me if I've been reading the Reader's Digest they give me every year as a gift? Do I tell them I only read one issue all of last year? Do I skim them as I'm tossing them and answer yes? Aaaagh!

Needing encouragement to make the toss,
Mama Said

Any More Boxes?

Oh! Come on now! Really, I need a few more!

Stacked up in every room is just not enough!

And in every corner is not enough either!

We could really use a few more bagged up linens to trip over! And Rocky has simply not had enough $20 jumbo Space Bags to chew up!

We love'em so much that we're even keeping the empty ones around!

What's that? Rhett has about 15 more boxes in the truck! Yes!

And our storage bin is almost empty now after 15 months? All right!

Wait, what? You mean I've got a find a place to put all this stuff!

Hmm . . . maybe the storage unit wasn't so expensive after all!

Unpacking like a mad woman over a year later,

Mama Said

Not Me! Monday

First of all, I absolutely did NOT get fertility advice from the Publix worker who was passing out steak samples. And the worker was NOT a guy! Whatever! Who discusses their infertility with the sample-giver-outer much less a strange man? Not me! And it did NOT creep me out in the least!

Speaking of infertility, I did NOT have my first visit with the reproductive endocrinologist. I did NOT go thinking that a consult visit would consist of me and the doc talking in his office. So, I was NOT shocked to realize I had to do a full-fledged exam (if ya' DON'T know what I mean). The whole thing of even going to a fertility doctor is NOT so emotional I was almost in tears while waiting in my backwards gown in a darkened room waiting to be looked up one side and down the other. I also did NOT notice a jar of cond*ms on the counter of the room. I did NOT wonder what they could possibly be for and I absolutely did NOT find out. 'Cause there is NO WAY I had some funky wand-type ultrasound thingy done. Whatever! NONE of this even happened! I just sat FULLY CLOTHED in a plush doctor's office talking with the doc! Oh and the doc did NOT tell me I had to cut back on my coffee!!! And if he did, I would RUSH to comply. 'Cause I am so NOT addicted to coffee. Who needs it anyway? Not me!

We did NOT go to a hippie burrito joint this weekend. While we were there, I did NOT notice a little display section where people sculpt things out of their foil wrappers from their burritos. I did NOT ask Rhett to sculpt something to put up there. I was NOT really excited when he said he would. All of the other sculptures were NOT of cute animals and cars and stuff. So of all the things in the world that could be sculpted, Rhett did NOT choose to sculpt a gun. No way! And BFG was NOT thrilled and did NOT think the gun was for her. And I did NOT give it to her because of course, I wanted to put it on display with all the hippie animal sculptures since hippies are ALL ABOUT guns and stuff. Since it did NOT become BFG's, when she got up for a drink refill these words absolutely did NOT come out of my mouth very loudly twice: "Leave your gun on the table". Oh, please. That would alert the whole restaurant to the fact we were being the world's BEST parents. Ya' know, cause the general public does NOT believe kids playing with toy guns is wrong or anything.

Happy Not Me-ing!
Mama Said

Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

That's What Little Boys Are Made Of . . .

Uh, could we check that again?

Someone obviously didn't know BFG and her cousin.

Sorry I didn't get a picture of the snake. I was too busy trying to kill it. Maybe next time.

(On a side note, see BFG's green t-shirt? It says "My Grandma Sells Candles". I bought it second-hand. And I will confess how mean I am. Sometimes I send her off to her grandmother's wearing the shirt just for a laugh. Hee, hee! Like when I know they are going somewhere. Ha!)

Fightin' off critters right and left,

Mama Said

Works For Me Wednesday: Frugal Antacid

I tried something new the other day and it worked! So, I thought I'd share with ya'll . . .

We all know baking soda has so many uses that it is just insane! But I never knew it could be used as an antacid!!! I'll spare you the story of my stinky shoes and how the baking soda box ended up sitting by my bath tub and I just happened to read it because I was trying to linger in my bath rather than face the reality of my messy home and sick family. Horrible, I know; but it did come in handy later.




Anyway, a few nights later, I was experiencing some nausea like I do frequently (due to my endometriosis I think) and decided to bust out the baking soda treatment! It worked! I felt better within 5 or 10 minutes! No kidding! Click on the pic above which will link you to Arm & Hammer's FAQ and you can find the details on how to use it for heartburn, acid indigestion, sour stomach, and upset stomach. They say to dissolve 1/2 tsp. into 4 oz. of water. I just used 1/4 tsp into 2 oz of water and it still worked for me! BTW, they make a big point of warning the consumer to be sure the baking soda is dissolved before drinking. I don't know if your belly explodes if you don't or what, but thought I'd mention it just in case you don't click over there and see the warning for yourself. But, everyone should read the "drug facts" because using this way is using it as a medicine.

No more being up late at night kicking myself for forgetting to buy the Tums!

Hope this helps someone,
Mama Said

Happy Mama's Day Gift

I just had a sweet lil' ol' idea for a Mother's Day gift (well, a keepsake really) for the grandmas and myself. First, I stole an idea from Let's Explore for a Mother's Day interview. I decided to ask BFG the questions about her grandmas and I went ahead and did one for me as well. I tried to do the great-grandmas, but I think she just doesn't know them as well. (For them, I did 3 Things I Love About ____) I typed them up in a cute, child-like font and underlined the portion that is her answer. I rounded the corners and glued them on construction paper.




They turned out really cute! I never knew my mom's favorite TV show was Spongebob or that when my mother-in-law goes shopping that she buys acorns! The best prompt is My (Mama, Nana, Whatever) always tells me . . . . BFG's answers were: to clean up (my mom), to eat healthy stuff (my MIL), and when I'm in trouble (me). (I really don't know where she got that! Not me!)

On the front of the construction paper, I made a little flower-thingy with her handprint. We used tempera paint. The flower is her hand, the grass is her fingertips, the bees and ladybugs are her fingerprints. I went back and drew in the details on the bugs with a fine-tipped Sharpie.

I just thought they turned out pretty cute! I'm going to have them laminated tomorrow. I thought about doing it every year for the next several years to get a laugh off of what her answers are. I even thought about doing a modified one for my mom myself with more meaningful, in-depth answers. But all three of us are sick now, so that may wait til next year. I am going to do a version of it for Father's Day though. I'm so excited! Men are way too hard to buy for or even make stuff for.

Happy Mama's Day!

Mama Said