Toasted Blonde: May 2017

Summertime with your Kids - Prepare Now, Relax Later

Summer is quickly approaching. With the kids home, you may find yourself too busy running around, preparing meals, and chauffeuring them to and fro that you don't get a chance to enjoy yourself. Summer days can be long, busy, and not quite the relaxing vacation you deserve. Luckily there are a few things you can do to prepare now, so things run smoothly later. These items should head off most complications and allow you to relax and enjoy summertime.

10. Frozen foods are your friends

"Grocery Store Frozen Food Aisle" by Colin Knowles CC by 2.0

It's hot outside and there's so much to do. The last thing you want is to be stuck in the kitchen. Make sure to stock up on frozen foods for fast easy dinners that don't heat up the house. Keep some frozen rolls on hand for burger buns. Frozen fish and veggies make a delicious healthy dinner. Head over to Trader Joe's and stock up for some great meals.

9. Stockpile Snacks

When your kids get invited to a last minute event, have some snacks available for them to take along. Make sure to stash them away so the kids don't eat them.

8. Don't forget the Googles

Never mind that you never wore them yourself. Your kids cannot survive without them. You can go ahead and pick up the big pack at Costco. Eventually your kids will need some new ones, so stock up to avoid a last minute run to the store.

7. Sunscreen Stick

Face it, your kid isn't going to use regular sunscreen without you. Make sure to buy one of these sticks because your kids is much more likely to use it if you aren't around. They may not get the full coverage that you would like, but it's something. Pick your battles.

6. Jergen's Natural Glow

Don't be pasty. It's quick and easy to look like you have a healthy tan. It's affordable and it doesn't make you orange. Here's the amazon link, because you must get it now.

5. Anti-Itch Cream

This cream is amazing. I discovered it in a pharmacy in Stokkel, Belgium. Mix equal parts Hydrocortisone cream, Benadryl cream and Lidocaine cream. It provides complete lasting relief from mosquito bites. Sometimes just one application is enough to make the bite entirely disappear.

4. Stocked Beach Bag

Keep it ready for your kids last minute events - towel, sunscreen, goggles, pool toys, hair-ties. Just grab a suit, some snacks and they are out the door.

3. Stock your Trunk

It's time to check your trunk and prepare it for Summer. Don't forget a cooler (excellent for running errands), spare towel, beach blanket, sunscreen, first aid kit, bug spray. I love this bag for my trunk. And the collapsable cooler fits perfectly.

2. Prep your Bikes

If your bike has been in storage all winter, it's time to get it prepared for the season. Don't wait for the last moment only to find a flat tire; check out your bikes in advance. Pump up those tires and make sure you don't need new inner tubes. Tighten your chain and inspect your brakes and safety gear.

1. Prep your Car

Get your car ready for a road trip. Go ahead get the oil change, vacuum and wash the car. Dig out that roof-top carrier and bike rack so you can be ready for anything.

These tips should keep you prepared for all the summer time hiccups that prevent you from relaxing and enjoying the summer. Enjoy!

Shelin Graziela CC BY-SA 2.0

The Best Bug Bite Anti-Itch Cream Ever - Belgian Secret

One of my favorite souvenirs from our 6 years in Belgium is the most useful. It's the Belgian Anti-Itch Cream. One day while walking to the metro, I stopped in the pharmacy in Stokkel to find something for my daughter's bug bites. Remember the old pharmacies where they actually mix medications, well they still do that in Belgium. Each pharmacy has it's own anti-itch cream. Well, we lucked out because this cream was incredible. It worked like a miracle cure. One application and all itching was gone.

CC Image courtesy of Sam Burnett on Flickr

Over the course of the years, I bought this miracle cream many more times. Luckily one time it had the ingredients on the label. So now that we are back living in the US, I can recreate it. And you can too. It's very easy and takes just three over-the-counter ingredients that you can find at any store. You can watch me make it here.

Belgian Anti-Itch Cream

· Lidocaine Cream

· Hydrocortisone Cream

· Diphenhydramine (Benadryl Cream)

· Small Storage Container

1. Place equal amounts of each of the three creams in the container. You may weigh or measure them out to be exact. But approximate amounts work just fine.

2. Stir to combine all ingredients in the container.

To apply: Use a small amount of compound mixture and rub into skin covering bite and the surrounding area, about 1 inch radius from bite. Obviously do not use if you are allergic to any of these ingredients.

I hope you have excellent results with the compound. Enjoy your summer!

Pathetic Purse Purge - Lipsticks - Let go of the past

I made a new video of my purse purge. I finally cleaned out the lipsticks that have found a home there. You can watch it here.

What I learned is that I tend to hold on to things that I hate, even things that make me unhappy. I need to let them go, throw them in the trash and move on. Surround myself with things that make me happy.

Also I learned...

1. Try on lipstick before purchase
2. Don't buy online without being sure of the color.
3. Some things are not worth the splurge.
4. No corals, definitely not frosty ones.
5. No warm colors

Know thyself.