There is a bit of a stigma associated with tattoos in the ‘burbs.  I thought it would be a great time to address my thoughts on the subject being that my dear husband and I just celebrated our anniversary with a trip to the tattoo shop!

I am going to refrain from getting all heated (as if I am trying to defend myself…I’m not defending myself, right?).

To start, here is my tat background: I got my first tattoo when I was 22. I thought for a long time about it, and got something that symbolized what was most important in my life – my faith. It is a Chinese symbol for Spirit & Soul on my lower back. A few years ago, I had three stars tattooed on my right shoulder blade to represent my three kids. Then about 2 years ago, I had a dove done on my foot.

And finally (but probably not finally), a few days ago, I had some work done on my foot to make it more beautiful and had my stars filled in. I am in no way an expert in this world of tattooing – but I have spent a good few hours of my life in a tattoo shop thus declaring myself “expertish.”

So, here are my Tat Rules that I give to my nearest and dearest friends:

1. Do something that means something. And, what is meaningful to me may not be meaningful to you so no judging!  Never feel bad about what you choose to be meaningful!  Unless its a cartoon character – then feel bad.
2. No neck or face when you still have to run carpool or go to your kids’ soccer games.
3. Think about it. Run it by a few people. Think about it more. Google it. Pray about it if you need to. Think about it more. Then go get it.
4. Be sober(ish). Being that it is actually illegal for a tattoo artist to work on someone who has been drinking, this is pretty easy – but for real – a drunk tattoo is one you will likely regret.
5. Ask for an artist referral from a friend (or me). Go meet & take your ideas to them. Schedule a time to come back.
6. Be completely confident in your decision before you do it.

I would love to hear your thoughts and any additional rules you would like to add! Play nice though!

When Shauna isnt hanging around tattoo shops or keeping your dear website afloat – she is providing more unsolicited advice over at Blah Blah Blog!

For the month of September, the casa de phillips station wagon is getting a bit of an overhaul.

It is going from this (*):

Into this:

Yep, I am going to be driving a Chevy Malibu for the entire month of September. and will be taking each of you readers along for the ride

(Figuratively speaking, of course. Unless I know you in real life…then you are more than welcome to come along for the ride. You could even star in a video if you want.)

One might ask…what are you going to do for the entire month of September while driving around in a car free from sippy cup stains and goldfish crumbs?

My first answer is “Relish in all its glorious cleanliness while chatting with the On-Star representative“.

My second answer is “Continue my daily life as a mom/writer/casa de phillips CEO while I cruise around town in a sporty car completing some fun ‘mommy missions’”

The best thing: You all get to come along for the ride.

(Figuratively speaking, of course. Unless I know you in real life…then you are more than welcome to come along for the ride. You could even star in a video if you want.)

 
Want to know why you might want to come along for the ride?

Well, GottaLoveChevyDFW is hosting a few giveaways during the month of September.

• Girlfriend Getaway to Chicago: Who doesn’t love getting away with their girlfriends for a relaxing weekend?  Beginning September 2nd, you can register to win a Girlfriend Getaway  for two to Chicago, IL.  The package includes a $2,500 JNR Incorporated travel voucher.  The travel voucher is redeemable for travel services from JNR Incorporated and is valid from one year from the date it is received and has no value upon expiration.  The voucher is good for the winner and one guest. 

• Pick Your Purse Sweepstakes:  This giveaway involves free purses. Expensive free purses. Can I get an “Amen”?   Beginning September 2nd, you can register to win a $1,000 American Express gift certificate to purchase a designer purse of your choice by registering on the DFW Facebook Fan page, www.facebook.com/gottalovechevydfw. 

Be sure to visit GottaLoveChevyDFW to enter both of these amazing giveaways!

Check out my introduction video and follow along with my adventures as I experience a bit of “Malibu Mayhem” this month.

Lynley Phillips Intro Video for GottaLoveChevyDFW.com from Lynley Phillips on Vimeo.

I am married to one of those people that buy any new product in the grocery store.  He plots to order anything shown on an infomercial.

Plots?

Ya.  I would have to admit to being a little unsupportive in this area of matrimony.

We had the baconwave.

We had that instant counter top meat defroster.

We had several varieties of chopping devices.

HAD being the key word.

I don’t want to reinforce my skepticism, but not all those things are still with us…

Broken.

Ineffective.

Lost (on purpose?).

I take just about any product claim with a supersized grain of salt.

Early in the summer a friend made wildly unbelievable claims about her water bottle – it keeps things COLD all day!  When I saw the thermos at the store and saw the price tag, I just slowly backed away.

There is NO WAY a bottle to carry water is worth in excess of $15.

Another friend bought one….peer pressure of the mommy variety set in.

I bought four – one for each boy and one for myself:

So I did a test -  I filled it with ice water at around 7:00 am.  I then took it on a day trip where we were outside for 5 hours in 95+ degree temperatures and then left it in the car for awhile.  I drank all the water.  When I reached for it at 6 pm to clean out the container, it clinked.

Clinked from the ice cubes that were still intact inside.

Are you kidding me?  Ice cubes intact after 11 hours?

I now use these thermoses to send fruit smoothies for school lunches with my boys.  They report that they can even wait until AFTER school to drink the smoothies and they are still cold and yummy.

I am a believer…sign me up for a testimonial in the infomercial.

Somewhere today a kid is stepping onto a playing field.

Her first soccer game in her speedy pink shoes, his first freshman at-bat. And that standout day will be punctuated in some cases not by how well your child played, but by how you led them to the field.

We have all seen the stories in the news, tragic in some cases, about parents who went too far. And yet, most of us consider those cautionary tales as extreme, and nothing like what actually happens at our kids’ games. I gotta tell you, though, some of the rest of you aren’t impressing us much either.

Do you remember what it felt like to be eight years old, standing on that mound?

On that field?

Were you standing there wondering what flavor slush you would get after the game, or were you sick with worry about what your Dad would say about the grounder you fumbled? Or if he’d start trouble with that guy in the stands. Again.

It’s been awhile, I know.

Maybe 20 years?

Maybe 30?

You didn’t get picked, you struck out.

One second, one lapse in concentration and that ball went sailing by, much like your youth. I hope for the sake of the relationship you have with your child that you finally realize this cold hard fact. It is no longer your turn to play.

It’s his.

I’ve heard some of your pathetic arguments. Competition builds inner strength and commitment. Scholarships aren’t given to the weak and carefree. Talent is wasted without focus. I have news for you. If you put that kid on that field, he will learn with your help, or without it. And he will love you for your guidance and encouragement, or hate you for being the embarrassment at the game instead of the father who should have been.

Sports didn’t get hyper-competitive, my friend, you did. You invented the two-a-day, the club team, and the smack-talk. Sports turned into stepping stones for higher education, revenue generators for schools, proving grounds for respect and adoration, and the place where parent-child relationships went on the disabled list.

Reign it in.

Pull it back.

I know this is tough to accept, but this isn’t your turn at bat, it’s his. If he hits that ball it won’t make up for the one you missed. The only thing you can do to help that kid now is to develop his sportsmanship, and pure love of the game.

The good news is that after all these years, you will get to play this time. And you can play really well, or you can really strike out. The only way the “w” in the win column will be yours today, however, is if your child feels your pride and encouragement no matter what happens at the plate.

Your kid and I are hoping you’ll just do your best, and have fun.

Jay Lessons is a novice ‘burb daddy, a husband-in-training, and a sarcastic elitist. You can find more of his reflective rants at HalftimeLessons.com.

Autumn is in the air- can you feel it? The leaves crunching under your feet, the brisk autumn air, the harvest colors. Okay, not so much in DFW but we can dream, right? Even though seasons seem to change in the blink of an eye here in the metroplex, you and your children can still take advantage of all the opportunities fall offers for fun activities.

• Leaf rubbings – Find a variety of leaves from the yard. Place a sheet of paper over each one and rub with the long side of a crayon. Your little archaeologist will love seeing the shape and details of each leaf come alive!

• Collect acorns – This one is easy. Dedicate a shoebox for autumn acorn collecting and keep it by the door for easy access. Acorn activities are endless- sort them by size and color, glue them to a fall scene drawn/painted/colored by your child, or just see how many you can collect over the course of the season!

• Make a cornucopia of thanks – For many families, autumn and particularly Thanksgiving is a time for thanks and reflection. Help your children participate by making a cornucopia out of posterboard (here’s a template). Hang it on the wall and let the kiddos draw and cut out things they are thankful for. Tape them to the cornucopia and watch it (and your children’s thankful hearts) grow!

• Break out the sidewalk chalk – It’s finally cool in Texas, so grab your bucket of sidewalk chalk and decorate the driveway and sidewalks! Think of and draw an autumn item for each letter of the alphabet (A-apples, B-broomsticks, C-cornucopias). Or, decorate ‘pumpkins’ by drawing giant ones on the pavement.

• Visit a pumpkin patch – Most pumpkin patches offer at least a day’s worth of fun activities- hay rides, apple picking, petting zoos, and, of course, pumpkin decorating! Hall’s Pumpkin Farm in Grapevine offers free admission and nominal fees for activities like the corn maze and hayrides. Even better: they are open 7 days a week!

• Toast pumpkin seeds – Though cleaning out the ‘gunk guts’ of pumpkins can be a chore and sometimes, an arm workout, the seeds are useful! Separate the seed from the gunk and rinse. Spread olive oil onto a baking sheet, then seeds. Stir the seed to coat, sprinkle on salt, and bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Autumn is a special time of year and one that offers lots of things to see and do for kids and families. Use these ideas to make autumn special for your family!

Today we took a fun trip back in time at the   Hertiage Farmstead in Plano. This beautiful 4.5 acre historic farmplace is truly a living history exhibit and the Spring Festival was the perfect time to see it all in action.

We got to watch wool spinning and learned about the process. I was really fascinated with this because I know that my cousin has a spinning wheel that belonged to one of my ancestors. What a wonderful family treasure.

After the wool was spun, another lady would use the wool to knit a shawl. She looked so relaxed under a tree quietly knitting.

Nicholas got to use a hand crank mill to grind corn which he then fed to the chickens. If only I could get him to work this hard in our own kitchen!

We learned about bees and watched them working in a real hive.

We smelled the fragrant wisteria which was just starting to bloom.

We visited the old school house. What antique charm! There was a craft there for children to make their own bookmark. Nicholas enjoyed choosing just the right stickers for his.

The kids got to pet a live bunny, just in time for Easter!

We looked at the sheep…

…and even had the chance to watch one get sheared.

We learned about blacksmithing and saw several handcrafted nails made. Fascinating!

Nicholas learned to walk on stilts…

…while Rachel sat and played with gravel.

We learned about pottery and were mesmerized watching this artist at work with his craft.

We listened to a live band play old folk music while Nicholas danced on the bales of hay.

It was a fun day learning about history by living it. Some little ones may have had too much fun…

Heritage Farmstead is located at 1900 West 15th Street in Plano. They offer wonderful hands-on classes for preschoolers that Nicholas has always enjoyed. They also offer other educational classes for older children and even a blacksmithing class for adults. There also offer lectures, summer camps and music festivals. Be sure to check out their events and education sections on their website for more information.

A group of moms in Collin County that love to find great deals for their families have come together over the summer to launch Juice in the City in Collin County.

It launched August 16^th and every day there is a new deal for burb moms.  You won’t have to drive very far because their deals are focused on moms who live in Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney and the surrounding burbs.

And there is more…

Burb Mom is giving away THREE $30 credits to Juice in the City to be used toward the deal of your choice!

And over there your money goes a looooooong way.

To enter:

• Sign up for the Juice in the City daily DEAL email and leave us a comment below that you did.  (Note:  if you land on the Dallas-Fort Worth page, click on the “Other Cities” tab and go to the Collin County page to sign up).

Want additional entries? (please leave a comment below for EACH entry you completed)

• Post a link to this contest on your Facebook page.
• Send an email to 3 of your DFW friends with a link to this contest (1 entry for each 3 friends emailed).

So, what kind of deals is Juice in the City bringing?

Today’s deal (Friday 8/27):

$75 (70% off ) for a high end professional photo session with Simple Desires Photography.

Let’s face it, getting a five year old to sit still for a photograph is one the hardest challenges out there. So if you’re looking to get some great photos taken of your little ones while they’re still so young and innocent (most of the time), we highly suggest you find a photographer who isn’t into making kids sit like statues! This is why Steve of Simple Desire Photography is superb: he’ll climb all over slides, benches and obstacle courses, allowing your kids to be their energetic selves (even in 90+ degree heat!) and by doing so he gets the essence of his subjects. Why pay for stiff portraits that will always remind you of how stressful that photo session was when you can purchase candid, natural pics you’ll more than happily turn into a shrine on your walls – photos that evoke pleasant memories and show you who your kids REALLY are!   And the best thing about this deal is that you will get a CD of your session.  Simple Desire Photography services anywhere in the DFW area.

Good luck!

The winners will be notified by email.  The contest will end midnight NEXT Friday, September 3.  All prizes provided by Juice in the City – Collin County.

Surely you know about the current craze with kids – Silly Bandz. They are little colored rubber bands that are shaped in all sorts of different designs from stars and hearts to wolves and vampire fangs. They look just like a colorful rubber band that’s been formed into a shape when they are lying on the desk but kids wear them as bracelets, sometimes 20, 30, 40, or more at a time. And they trade these things with other kids. “I’ll give you my guitar for a dragon?” I had heard about these crazy things a while back but not from Nicholas nor any of his friends. I really thought we were going to dodge that bullet altogether.

But then Nicholas noticed someone at school had a bunch of them on his wrist and he started hearing more about Silly Bandz.

Rats!

Then it happened.

He was given his first Silly Bandz at a party at school. He was given a band that was shaped like a cowboy on a bucking horse. He traded it for a longhorn. He was hooked.

Double rats!

He has been given other silly bandz by friends but I’ve also bought some for him to get as rewards for doing something above and beyond. They are definitely a good motivator for my child. Who knew? Colorful shaped rubber bands?! I would have never guessed it.

The Silly Bandz craze is so big that stores host Silly Bandz trading parties. I took Nicholas to one of these at our local Borders bookstore recently although Learning Express hosts them as well. It was a small turnout – 2 boys and 2 girls. I was amazed at how many bands some of these kids had! And how obsessive they were with remembering from whom and where they got certain ones and how they know which ones were “special” or “rare” and they would only trade one special bad for 2 regular ones because it is so “valuable”. It was entertaining to hear them talk amongst each other.

Borders even had refreshments for the traders who were working up an appetite with all the high pressure trading going on!

While the fad is quite silly to me, I can see that Nicholas has already learned a lot through Silly Bandz trading. He told us one time that he had to trade 10 Silly Bandz just so he could get one tie-dye colored phoenix. We were able to use this to talk about negotiating and bargaining. He must have taken our words to heart because he is a much more effective at trading now.

What’s really funny is that now Rachel is also addicted to Silly Bandz.

Rats just isn’t a strong enough word anymore!

She will grab up any loose Silly Banz and quickly put it on her little wrist. She will squeal if you try to take it off. And I make her take them off at bedtime when she isn’t supervised because I worry she will put it in her mouth and then fall asleep and choke. On occasion, she has also double wrapped a band around her wrist so that it is too tight. It hurts her but it’s so tight that she can’t get it off by herself. Toddlers and rubber bands of any kind just don’t mix.

Today I picked Rachel up from child care at the gym. Silly Bandz in the toddler area where she plays for the very reasons I mentioned above. And although she didn’t bring any Silly Bandz with her, she came out saying, “I traded Silly Bandz! I got a dragon!” Too funny. There were no Silly Bandz in sight but she has heard big brother say this kind of thing when I pick him up (and she copies everything that big brother says and does).

Pencils are sharpened.

Backpacks are packed.

Lunch boxes are full of healthy options.

Yet your child still seems a bit anxious about getting back into the school routine.

The excitement of the first day of school can fade quickly, leaving children (and parents) feeling stressed, anxious and longing for the laid back days of summer. The beginning of a new school year is a great time to embrace structure and routine, uniting the family in a common goal of having a peaceful academic year. Below are a few tips to ease those post-first day anxieties and establish a firm beginning to a new school year.

• Do prep work the night before. Getting kids out of bed, fed and dressed in the morning is stressful enough without having to run around searching for a pen to sign a homework assignment or attempting to make three different types of sandwiches. Take fifteen minutes each night to do some initial prep work. Lay out clothes (complete with shoes, socks, and accessories) the night before. Pack lunchboxes and set out non-perishable breakfast items on the table. Be sure that all paperwork is signed, completed and tucked into the appropriate place before heading to bed.

• Fuel up for the day. Before anyone heads out on a long car trip, they ensure their vehicle has a full tank of gas. Do the same thing for your children. Before sending them out the door for eight hours of learning, fill their stomachs with healthy and sustainable food. Avoid sugary cereals that will quickly digest and stick to lean proteins and complex carbohydrates. Have a picky eater on your hand? There are many websites that provide ideas for healthy and fun breakfast alternatives.

• Go to bed. The human brain needs rest and plenty of it, especially if it is expected to learn and process new information on a daily basis. Children need an average of 9-11 hours of sleep a night. Set a bedtime for school nights and stick with it. Be sure to enhance the mood of the house for sleep about thirty minutes before the arrival of bedtime. Turn off televisions, computers and cell phones. Dim the lights. Partake in quiet activities such a finishing up homework, reading a book or working a puzzle. A calm, quiet atmosphere signals the brain, letting it know that it is time to sleep.

• Communicate. The best way to have a successful school year is to keep the lines of communication open. With younger age groups, this can be done by sharing the highs and lows of ones day around the supper table.  Older children are less likely to want to sit down and have a chat with their parents. Consider talking via text message or during the course of a favorite family activity. Understand that most children are not going to spontaneously share their feelings about school, however they do want to talk about these feelings with their parents. Be creative in finding ways to talk to kids and then be consistent with the communication.

Use these tips to get the school year started off right for the entire family, making children’s’ academic experiences positive for everyone.

“Market Street is awesome!” “I LOVE Market Street.” “I missed Market Street when I moved from home and was so excited to find out they had them here too!” These are all phrases I’ve heard from many of my friends describing their own personal love affair with the grocery chain.  Having never experienced it myself, I recently decided to give it a try.

The closest Market Street to me is located in Coppell, right off 121. Camera in tow, I headed there first thing Saturday morning.  (Ok, so maybe it was closer to lunch, and maybe I slept in a little later than I planned…) I have to say one of the coolest features I like about this place already (and I hadn’t even been inside one yet) was the section on their website that lists recipes to try, complete with a printable shopping list and everything! They have a Recipe of the Day, a section of Family Recipes Under $15 and a Virtual Recipe Box where you can store your favorites.  Since I was heading to my BFFs house for lunch, and since she loves chips & salsa, I decided to try out Market Street’s Avocado-Corn Salsa.  I printed the recipe (which included the shopping list) and put it in my purse.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in to Market Street was that there were 3 options of carts. Yes 3.  It took me a second to figure out if they really were offering different features or just different colored handle bars. The 3 options are like small, medium and large at drive-thru. The large carts were full sized carts, the medium ones were half size (in length) and the small ones were little-kid sized! Like a play plastic cart, only REAL! OMG. If I wasn’t so close to 30 I’d totally use one because I am a sucker for all things mini-sized!

After convincing myself to bypass the mini-cart, I grabbed a medium one and headed to the produce. I have to admit, it was a food photographers DREAM. Everything was picture-perfect. If there weren’t so many people around, I would have spent the better part of my memory card shooting everything my eyes landed on. But I used restraint and stayed on task.

I grabbed all my ingredients and headed to the front. While doing my shopping, several things really stood out to me. One, every employee who passed me either greeted me in some form (a nod, smile, or hello) and/or asked if I needed any help finding anything. But it wasn’t in the annoying-please-just-leave-me-alone-so-I-can-shop-way. It was in the genuine, helpful but not overbearing way. I really enjoyed feeling welcome and cared for! The second thing I noticed was how clean it looked! Being an almost exclusively-Wal-Mart shopper for about 10 years, I think I’d just gotten used to stained tiles and random crap in the aisles. This was definitely a treat!

I checked out and was about to grab my basket to head to my car when the gentleman who bagged the groceries said, “I’ve got it! Just show me where to go!” WOW. I hadn’t had car-side delivery for groceries since back when I was a kid at the grocery store with my mom. Which let me just say, as a parent going grocery shopping with your kid(s) – getting your groceries escorted and loaded in the car by someone other than you is DEFINITELY like star-treatment!

Note: The Dasani water was on sale 3 24-packs for $11. I have never seen such a deal! Not even at Wal-Mart! I snatched up 3 cases since I pretty much only drink bottled water (sorry Brita! I just don’t have enough reusable water bottles to drink filtered pitcher water!)

Groceries in tow, I headed to Amber’s and we made the salsa! I took out all the ingredients and followed the directions: Toss avocado, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a medium bowl. SUPER EASY! Note: Yes, the salt was from Wal-Mart, but everything else was from Market Street.

We doubled the recipe since the original only served 4 and there were at least 6 of us, plus Amber loves chunky fresh salsa.  The salsa turned out great! Although we did have a few adjustments: add one clove of finely miced garlic, about 1/4 cup of finely diced red onion, and one minced jalapeno for some added heat. We ate it with Tostitos Rounds and Tostitos Hint of Lime chips (the chips were 2 for $4 on sale).

Enjoy with friends and if you’re in the neighborhood I HIGHLY suggest you try out Market Street for yourself. You won’t leave disappointed!