Influenster Sweetheart VoxBox!

 

 

I have been looking forward to receiving my first ever Influenster VoxBox since having received the email that I had been selected as one out of THOUSANDS, and to be expecting the Sweetheart VoxBox soon! I don't know about you but I can hardly stand the wait when I know there is a package on its way to me... I mean honestly what is better than receiving a package in the mail?! I'll tell you, receiving a "complimentary" (thats right, it's all FREE!!) package in the mail full of surprising goodies, thats what!!

 

 

We got home Saturday evening later than we had expected from, let me just tell you, a HARD days work, I rushed to the mailbox and there it was...my Sweetheart VoxBox, I was tickled pink. Seriously, it couldn't have been a better day for that little white box with the pink heart sticker to have found its way to my mailbox! I couldn't get inside fast enough to open it. The hubster and kiddo both peering over my shoulder as I opened it to see what goodies it contained, (they were excited for me, ok, maybe not the kid, he was a bit disappointed the package was not for him, haha!). So here's the downlow on the awesomeness it contained ::

• Olay Fresh Effects POWERED CONTOUR CLEANING SYSTEM w/ Shine, Shine Go Away! Cleanser. Let me just tell you, this little thing is awesome! When it says "powered" it means POWERED, honestly I don't think my face has ever felt so clean and it's a gentle clean, which is very important to something as sensitive as what a face can be. The cleanser, I mean really, how did they know that I suffered from a little extra shine?! My face isn't the oiliest, I'm sure- but it is in fact oily, and nothing drives me more crazy than having that extra shine on my face. It's amazing but I can already tell a difference in my "shine factor"! HALLELUJAH! haha. Can't wait to buy the full sized version!
• 
  Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response deodorant (Serene Citrus Scent). Y'all, did you know that when you stress you sweat?! Like its a different kind of sweat and comes from different glands. Not only does this stuff act on the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life but when you're stressing about all that life is throwing at you and you start "stress sweating" this stuff kicks in and starts fighting it, so you'll continue smelling so fresh, so clean and serene. And lets be honest, it's nice not to have that one extra thing to "stress" about!
• Skinnygirl Daily On-the-Go Bars (Greek Yogurt Blueberry Crisp w/ greek yogurt) :: Guilt free goodness, ONLY 180 calories per bar. Natural, Kosher and High in Fiber. I'm a mom, and I'm busy, I don't always have bunches of time to stop for myself. I'll look at the clock and it way passed breakfast on its way to lunch- SAY WHAT?! Having something delish that I can grab, open, enjoy and not have to stress about- whilest running around like a crazy lady is an answer to prayers y'all! Thank you influenster for introducing me to skinnygirl bars!! and lastly but certainly not least...
• NOT YOUR MOTHERS {BEACH BABE TEXTURIZING SEA SALT SPRAY} This might just be the one I was most excited about receiving. I have naturally curly hair and sometimes it can be a real pain to deal with. Finding a styling product that will compliment these curls can be just as much of a pain, if not worse. Like oily skin, having what I call "crunchy curls" caused by a particular product drives me bonkers. I can't stand it. I like free-flowing hair that looks like it was effortless, yet put together- hair that "flows in the wind" (as I used to say when I was a little girl, lol!). Not only does this product do just that, but it smells AH-MAZING!!! HOLY WOW! I'm hooked!!

and it's all complimentary! wait, I think I said that already...oh, who cares- it's just t-totally awesome. I don't think I could have received a better first VoxBox, it was seriously perfect for me, they couldn't have designed it better if they tried (in my humble opinion.) I cannot wait until I check my email and see that I have been selected for another!

 

the power of the hug + a shout out to the inventor

as I rode along on the lake yesterday I silently set holding my sleeping son looking out at the water around me, so big, so calm, quiet amazing and beautiful. I looked down at him often and I know I kissed the top of his head at least five hundred times, knowing that these moments are ever so fleeting. as I continued to bask in the warm sun as it too kissed my baby’s body, I found myself holding him so tightly, not to the point of squeezing him for fear of waking him; but I assure you it was close. as we rode along, traveling several miles we hit waves of other boats that went before us causing a rougher bumpier ride, in his sleep he was startled, he jumped in fear of falling, maybe. in that moment I made sure that I held him just a little tighter assuring him that I had him and that I was not going to let anything happen to him. he dozed back off knowing that he was safe- just by my embrace. and then I thought (because it’s what I do- I’m a thinker an analyzer) whoever invented the hug, the embrace, being held- was right on the money, genius. I remember being a kid, a teenager, when I was sick, or scared or hurting there was nothing, no words that would make me feel any better than my mom or dad hugging me, it was so reassuring feeling that eventually, whatever it was would pass, that I was safe, it made whatever was ailing me feel better. to this day, my favorite thing is to be hugged, to be held, embraced. nothing makes me feel better than getting a big ole’ hug from my hubby after a long trying day or when that boy of mine runs over to me throws those little arms around my legs or my neck and squeezes me so hard that he’s gritting his teeth (which by the way totally makes me cringe, but really, who’s gonna tell him not to do that in the moment?!) as if he’s trying to super-hero squeeze all the life out of me, in turn actually breathing more life into my being, warming my heart. it’s amazing, really, how something so small as taking your arms and wrapping them around someone holds so much power, magnificent power. just this morning the kiddo wasn’t feeling so great, he said, “momma, my belly’s hurting, will you hold me, it will make me feel better,” after minutes of holding him, he assured me that his belly was no longer hurting that “momma, you made it better” and he was on his way, that alone proved my point, my theory. it’s a cure, an emotion, a feeling, an action assuring you how truly special- how important you are, it speaks louder than any words letting you know everything is gonna be ok, that you’re safe, that above all else that you are SO loved. i hug him while he sleeps, my hubby hugs us when he's leaving if we're still asleep, it’s the first thing I do when Lo wakes up in the morning, I hug him sporadically hundreds of times throughout the day, it’s the first thing we do when we see daddy, when we leave from visiting someone special and every night before bed- not counting all those times unmentioned in between. in other words, I don't think I would make it thru a day if I knew I didn’t have a hug to look forward to, if i thought that i couldn't hug my loves, my family. it’s such a good thing, a pure thing, in a world where very few good things exist, where there is very few things that haven’t been tainted; it remains. it’s my go to for all things and it works every time. it makes for a better day, a better life- that’s a promise. I can guarantee it, it’s a been there, done that, been tested again and again and walked away with a t-shirt one hundred percent kind of guarantee! try it, you’ll see, test me and try to prove me wrong. you won’t! ;)

on another note…hey y’all- if there is even a y’all left out there waiting for my writing return. it’s been a while. if you couldn’t tell I have been on a pretty strict hiatus from the blogging-sphere this summer. I have spent my time totally focused on all that’s important. my blog (and most social networking), being the lesser of those things got put on the back burner, rightfully so. as summer is coming to a close closing (man, oh man, at times I can almost feel fall in the air, I’m craving it, y’all, it’s my favorite), I’m going to try my best to be a better blogger, at least a once a week check in. along with summer, fall is a pretty busy time for the H.family (ok, now I’m thinking- what season isn’t?! but if I had to pick busiest…) with all the holidays, the kiddos birthday and such, so I’m gonna do my very best- but no promises. so bear with me if you will, check back periodically, I may surprise you. (I tend to update my facebook and/or twitter (@mommaratzzi) more often, so look me up add me or follow me, sometimes I can be kinda fun.)

things i'm lovin'.

my boy and his extreme love of lightning a.k.a "gitchow"-

it's just too darn cute.
date days or nights. i'm lovin em'.
yesterday we went and saw two movies, yes I said two. it's has been a dream of my hubby's- and it was the perfect time to come true. we saw crazy, stupid, love...charming, just perfect. a GREAT movie. and cowboys and aliens...completely different than the first but really good too. we did a couple other things while we were out too since we left in the a.m. it was a great, much needed time out.my kiddo's drawings- his imagination.
these are just a few that i have take pictures of.
1. a fishy, 2. a smiley face, 3. airplane, 4. "gitchow"
5. a person, 6. an octopus
i personally think he does a GREAT job.
i think we have a little artist on our hands.sour patch kids...love em'. the honda cross-tour i really really want one. rita's italian ice on market sq.
juicy pear is my absolute favorite, yummy.
it's my my favorite treat. mello yello and coke...zero.
guilt-less goodness. (stephen king's)
haven.
friday nights on syfy.
i watched it last season and loved it-
it's even better this time around. hello giggles.
peaches.
i'm addicted to them this summer.
twitter.
hi, i'm crystal and i've been a celebrity stalker since april, lol.
that's pretty much all i have one for, with the occasional update here and there.

the gift of time.

i'm on a sharing what i read frenzy here recently, but mostly it's just the stuff that really hits home with me, stuff i can't help but spread around. the article that i am gonna share with you is one that honestly i couldn't have said it any better, wrote it better. i'm actually a little jealous that i didn't write it to be honest, i certainly wish that i had so that i could take the credit for taking such an emotion, one that can't be seen-only felt and painting it's picture with words, so beautifully perfect. as i sat there reading it, it will come as no surprise to you that i squalled like a big ole' baby. i then quickly shared it with my hubby at work, shortly there after i got a text that read, "thanks a lot, Crystal- what a flood of emotions, i'm all teary eyed..." it really has that effect on you, or at least it does to us, lol. whether i wrote it or not it's to the "t" how i feel- who i am.

• I’ve always had the ability to recognize the happy moments I will miss later in life as I live them. It’s like a pre-nostalgia – a certain knowledge that in the future, I will lament the fact that I cannot go back to that particular sliver of time. Nostalgia is a nasty emotion. Linger in it too long and it grows stronger. Try to ignore it and it weakens you. I suppose nostalgia gives us something to yearn for, but that yearning feels awfully hopeless as memories fade.
  
  My children, still young and unaware that they will one day want to have their own lives away from their parents, are at the age now that I know for sure I will miss very much. Though I often joke about how hard parenting is (and it is), I wouldn’t trade away this time of my life for an easier life of self indulgence. Being a dad has been an important part of my own growth as a person and fatherhood adds a complexity to my existence that I cannot imagine living without. My wife and I are still young enough to feel young and our own parents are still active enough to not seem too old. This is a happy time, which I know I will miss desperately as the years go by.
  
  As a workaround for that pesky problem of aging and lost years, I often imagine that an older me has been granted the wish to come back in time to right now. I pretend that 95-year-old future me has been given that gift just before death and that my one wish is to come back to 2011 to see my kids as little kids, my wife as a beautiful young woman and to see a world around me still within my grasp. I know it’s a bit strange, but it helps me savor the smallest moments around me that might otherwise slip away under appreciated, or worse, unnoticed.
  
  I suppose it’s something of a nostalgia alarm.
  
  It hits me at strange times. If I hear them playing and laughing in the other room, I wonder what it will feel like to dream about that very moment one day, when they have long since moved out and I won’t be able to walk in and hug them and play with them. I picture older me waking from a dream of my happy past, hearing the fading echoes of their young voices evaporate into the darkness around me as reality reclaims an old man from his sleep. I can actually feel the longing (as if I am that old man right now) to run into that room and see them as young children just one more time, to hug them and talk to them and tickle them and play with them and laugh with them. It’s a longing that I can vividly imagine and it makes my heart hurt.
  
  But then, here I am. I have not aged and my nostalgia is premature. I have that opportunity every single moment of every day, I remember and I seize it with relief. This weird nostalgia alarm seems to go off in my mind each time some piece of me senses that I am missing time with them or that I am ignoring the happy family moments I will later ache for.
  
  Yesterday, I was watching a baseball game in the living room. It seemed important, although I realize of course that it’s not at all. Outside, Lucy and Zach ran around the yard, chasing hummingbirds and inventing games to keep them laughing. Emmy crawled in the grass and discovered the brand new world around her. As I sat on the couch, the happy laughter and squeals from outside faded into the background behind the less important sounds of a televised baseball game. Inside me, that familiar alarm sounded softly. “Get out there while you can,” I thought. A wish granted, I imagined. Suddenly, the laughter outside became the only thing I heard. I recognized, with some sadness, that I will never wish for the chance to go back in time to see a baseball game on TV. I turned it off and joined them outside. Maybe somewhere, future me is enjoying this precious time as if he never aged at all.
  
  Even if not, present me most certainly is. - s. nickerson