Movin on Up

Loyal readers, it has been forever and I'm sorry.  A lot has been happening in our lives lately.  Namely, moving houses.  We had our house on the market for about a year and a lovely young lady finally decided she loved it and wanted to buy it.  

This may not seem like  a big deal to some, but squeezing a family of four into a 900 square foot home has its challenges.  Not to mention that if we hadn't sold this house we may not have been able to move into the house of our dreams.  

It is neither a mansion on the beach nor is it decorated in soft creams and blue-greens with white curtains that softly billow in the breeze overlooking emerald green surf in the distance.  It is however, bigger, cozy, and perfect for us.  Did I mention the parking?  It has parking (!) - which is more than I can say for the house we just sold.  

City living is great and we have soaked up every ounce we could in the 11 years since we lived there. Searching for parking, having one storage closet for a family of four and having my two year old think the bar of chocolate I offered her somehow related to the bar down the street from whence people staggered every weekend, was a clear sign to me that it was time to move on. We are in a new phase of our lives, and like so many others, are making the switch to 'the burbs.' 

Here are some pics that document our journey...

...getting ready for the big move...

...nerves before signing the papers....

...we got the keys

...our little slice of paradise (*ahhh)

...mid set-up but LOVING it so far!

...the girls get a playroom!

...almost Christmas ready...

We will definitely miss the convenience of the city - walking to restaurants, having many playgrounds from which to choose, jogging along the waterfront, great food and shopping, cultural events, museums - but as with everything, it comes with a price. Mostly, we will miss our fabulous neighbors, with whom we shared our lives and laughs.  A little walk down memory lane of our city life is necessary here...

...our waterfront walks will be greatly missed, and as my daughter put it, "especially the boat named 'Princess'"... 

...the last party with our lovely neighbors back when the weather was still warm...

...one of our favorite parks of all time.  Named after a Polish man, my husband and I lovingly referred to it as the Polish Fun Place when we didn't want my daughter to know that's where we were thinking about going. 

Walks with a view...

Friends and sidewalk chalk - it doesn't get much better than that!

For some of you the idea of the burbs may send shivers down your spine and cast fear in your hearts.  But I promise you the culture shock we are sure to experience in the coming weeks will be well worth it when our girls are able to play freely in our yard and have sleepovers in our basement.  I hope it is the house in which they will invite friends and make many memories.  

I am thrilled to begin this new journey in our lives and I am happy we are able to give our daughters a house, and hopefully, a full and happy life there filled with fun and fond memories, but more importantly love.  

Until next time, bon voyage and Happy Holidays!

Hopefully, it is spent with those you love and cherish. 

~And that, my friends, is worth a glass of champagne!~

The Best Hair Dryer in the World

I have found the holy grail of hair dryers ladies and gents.  I give you, The Rusk.  

One rare morning I was able to get a shower without my children in tow.  I rushed through the shower to hopefully dry. my. hair.  Well, friends, God smiled upon me and it came to pass that I was able to dry my hair.  There was only one snafu.  My hair dryer up and died in the middle of my blow out.  The nerve! 

And so began my quest for a better, bigger, stronger, more effective blow dryer.  After much research and examination, I decided on the Rusk W8less Professional 2000 Watt Hair Dryer.  It has changed my life.  Quite literally.  

I'm not what you'd call a 'hair girl.'  I was never taught how to blowout my hair or curl it.  I pretty much point the dryer at my head and expect to come out looking like a Victoria's Secret model.  Sadly, that never happens.  

I have fine strands of hair but a lot of them - so I have thin-thick hair?  Is that a thing?  Anyway, using my Conair hair dryer often took at least 20 min (and my hair still wasn't completely dry) and I was often left very frizzy, especially on top.  My hair is actually pretty healthy, but sometimes I looked like I stuck my finger in a socket.  I never believed the hype about expensive dryers, assuming it was all a ploy to make money.  And maybe it is. But in the off chance it's not I'm here to inform you of what has seriously changed my morning routine.  

I used to dread showering.  That sounds terrible, but with two kids under two it wasn't a peaceful time.  And forget about drying my hair.  Brush it and throw it in a wet messy bun.  Until, The Rusk.  No more frizzy, no more dread. Just pure unadulterated perfectly dry, smooth locks.  Don't believe me?  Take a look for yourself.

Its claim to fame is its infrared drying technique, which dries hair from the inside out.  It also uses ceramic and tourmaline to heat the hair.  Ceramic heats more evenly than other materials used in cheaper hair dryers and tourmaline, a mineral, produces negative ions helping to break up the water molecules,leaving you with shiny, luscious hair.   Learn more about the difference between ceramic, tourmaline, ionic (a third type) dryers, here. 

The Rusk claims to cut drying time by 40%.  I scoffed when I read this but figured, 'Hey, I need a hair dryer and mine broke, so why not?'  Boy am I glad I shelled out the $80 for this one.  

If I don't feel like styling my hair, but just want to dry it so I don't have to leave the house and enter the freezing cold with a wet head, it does so in literally about 7 minutes.  Let that sink in a minute.  I shower, I get out, I brush my teeth, put in contacts and put on make up, then I dry my hair.  It is still really wet, and somehow this life-changing hair dryer dries it in 7 minutes.  One time I had to battle with my two year old about time out and then dry my hair - 5 minutes to a dry head people.  Five minutes! (said in the voice of the guy who runs the Santa display in the movie Elf)

Do yourself a favor and put it on your holiday wishlist.  You'll thank me.  Sephora, Ulta, Amazon - they all carry it.  Although I think it's the cheapest on Amazon at $64.  And if you gift this to the lady in your life, you will get her out the door and on to the party or the game much faster.  It's in your best interest too, gents.  

I actually look forward to doing my hair now.  Thank you Rusk.  I wish I could say they paid me to write this review, but sadly they did not.  I'm just in love with this hair dryer.  I still can't believe I'm saying that.  Who am I?  In love with a hair dryer? It changed my life?  Sheesh.  Maybe I need to get out more!  

Happy drying my friends!

~And that, my friends, is worth a glass of champagne~