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VANtastic!

Yesterday my life as I know it changed for the better. And for the convenient. And I am absolutely giddy with excitement in a totally geeky way that I am now a minivan mom! I suppose these are words that I never thought I’d say, but ever since this shoving-three-kids-in-the-back-of-my-sedan thing started (and immediately got OLD), I have been lusting after a minivan.

Since we are Toyota people, Bobby and I really wanted a Toyota Sienna.  We also wanted to pay cash, which meant USED.   And, we wanted leather seats (because, really, Joshua has thrown up in my car about 8,000 times and if it didn’t have leather, I’d have to wear a HAZMAT suit just to DRIVE it) and at lease ONE power door.  (Whoever invented the power door is a geeeeeeeeenius and should be given the highest honor the country of his or her birth bestows upon civilians.  Anyhoo.)  Also, we were hoping for a 2004 or newer because that’s when they last changed the Sienna significantly.  SO -we were being very picky!  We really began searching about a month ago and we called on a couple but they were always sold – these babies go fast!

Then, Tuesday, I saw one that was slightly out of our price range but not too far out.  And it was nearby, and had everything we wanted.  So Bobby said, “Let’s go look at it!”  We pulled into the JANKIEST car lot I have ever seen.  The first letter was missing from the company sign, it was about the size of a gas station and the lot was packed FULL of cars!  Nevertheless, it has the perfect Sienna.  It was pretty dirty on the inside but the outside looked great.  Since Bobby is a mechanic, he wanted to take it into work to look at it thoroughly, and the car salesman said that was ok.  After looking it over the next day, Bobby thought it was a no-brainer.  So we made them an offer, they took it, and yesterday, we brought this baby home!

We are calling her Yoshi.  A good Japanese name for a good Japanese car!  It’s a 2004, with leather, two power doors, and pretty much every option you could get back then. It’s like, the finest in minivan luxury from 7 years ago!! SCORE! Bobby took it to work today to get it detailed (it really was dirty on the inside – the previous owners left all kinds of stuff in it including several hair bands, some earrings, and an Nintendo DS game!) and tomorrow I will get to click open that power door and put my three kids in it without wanting to shoot myself and go for a spin!! I can’t wait and I’m so thankful to have this new-to-us-car!

Yippee! Minivans rule!

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When gettin’ clean gets dirty

My darling husband is somewhat particular about his grooming. Which is good, ’cause really?  I don’t want a stinky husband.  He likes Gillette Fusion razors (power of course!), Neutrogena for Men shaving products, and Axe body wash.  So that’s what me and my drugstore savvy get him.

A couple of years ago at Christmas time, my mom asked me for some ideas for what Bobby might like in his stocking.  I told her Axe body wash would be good.  So, she got some for him, and she also got some for my two brothers’ stockings.

On Christmas morning when my brothers opened their stockings there was some serious snickering going on, because unbeknownst to my mother or me, there was a lovely drawing on the back of the Axe bottles of the results of  the “Axe effect” – the drawing was a silhouette of a guy in a shower with two girls. Wow, that’s some pretty powerful body wash!  Of course my brothers thought it was hilarious that their mother would get them this product, due to it’s immoral “effects”.   Bobby knew about the offending label, but he always peeled the back label off his bottles before putting them in the shower, since it was you know, offensive, so I’d never noticed it.

Eventually, the marketing geniuses at Axe changed the label, and now it looks like this: a guy with a chick on each arm, but NOT in the shower.  So, that’s a wee bit better.

This week Axe was on an Extra Care Bucks deal at CVS, so of course I bought some for my hubs.  I sat two bottles on the dining room table and they were still sitting there Monday at lunch, when Sophie picked up a bottle to inspect it.  “Oh!” she said, recognizing that the bottle is the same as the one that’s in our shower,”This is in the bathtub!”  Then, she turned the bottle over and examined the back label.  “Look Mom,” she explained.  “First, you get some water, then you get your friends and give them a hug!”

If Sophie’s explanation is any indication, the good folks at Axe have successfully taken their label from PG-13 to G.  Almost makes you want to lather up with a manly scent and go make some new pals, eh?

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Cold Prevention Tips and a Giveaway from Vicks!

I’ve been telling you the past couple of months how much I LOVE Vicks VapoRub – it’s one of my favorite cold care products out there!  It really does soothe me, and has since I was a child.  I know my kiddos will grow up feeling relaxed and comforted whenever they smell that unmistakable Vicks smell, also.  You can read my other tales of VapoRub reliefr here and here – but today I’m going to offer up some great cold prevention tips I got from the Vicks VapoRub Facebook page.  Here are some practical ways to keep from getting colds or the dreaded flu:

  • Keeping hands moisturized helps keep our germs – I must say I had no idea about this one.  But apparently when your hands are dry and cracked, it’s much easier for germs to get in those cracks and infect you!  I am really guilty of not moisturizing my hands enough. Since I change about a zillion diapers a day, mine are always dry and cracked!  I’m going to start doing better on this one right away!
  • Warm water alone doesn’t cut it. You gotta use soap. Yikers, apparently there are folks out there who think simply rinsing hands with warm or hot water will kill germs, but studies show warm water alone does virtually nothing to kill germs!  You gotta use soap to kill those bad boys!
  • Hand sanitizing gel needs to dry all the way. When you use hand sanitizing gel, you’ve gotta rub your hands until they are thoroughly dry.  Germs adhere much better to wetness, even if the wetness is “sanitized”.
  • Humidity helps fight cold viruses! I must admit I didn’t know this one, either!  A humidifier can be your BFF during cold season!  Keeping indoor humidity levels between 40-60% really helps slow the spread and growth of viruses! (and yes, Vicks DOES make humidifiers!)

Ok, so there are a few tips to keep from getting a cold!  But if you or your kiddos do get one, I highly recommend Vicks VapoRub to soothe the irritating coughs that colds often bring.  And if you’ve never tried it – now’s your chance!  Once again this month I am giving away a Vicks “Cold care combo” – Vicks VapoRub, NyQuil, and DayQuil.  Here’s how to enter:

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me what you do to prevent colds!

2) For an additional entry,”like” Vicks VapoRub’s Facebook page and leave me a separate comment here letting me know you did so.

One winner will be chosen at random on April  2nd, 2011.  Winner will be notified by email.  Good luck!

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I am being compensated for my role in the Vicks Blogger Brigade.  All opinions on Vicks VapoRub and other Vicks products are mine alone.

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