Sensory Overload?

Always looking around. Always feeling it.

Last night, as I was strolling home from dinner with Dr. H, I commented on how wonderful it was to be outside on such a beautiful night. As I soaked up the park's live music and cool summer breeze, I felt incredibly content. "The fresh air just makes me feel so happy!" I mused. Dr. H hugged me close and chuckled in response... "You're nuts" he said. "You just feel so much. You have feelings about EVERYTHING. It's like... how do you have a feeling about being outside!? I just don't have that many sensors!" I laughed because this seemed like such a simple and perfect explanation. I do seem to have "more sensors" than Dr. H. We quickly wondered if this applies to women vs. men as a generalization - do women have more sensors?

This morning I spent longer than I'm willing to confess googling various questions like "are women more emotional than men?" and "are women more impacted by their environment than men?" in search of scientific proof that I am not an emotional nut nor is Dr. H a robot. No dice (though for some very interesting info on women's superior emotional intellect and how our empathy is the perfect yin to men's problem solver yang, click HERE and HERE). All I have to go on is me and Dr. H: I am always soaking things in and reacting to the way they make me feel. I can easily get lost in the deliciousness of a slice of pizza, the comfort of a day with my best friends or the dreariness of endless grey rain. Dr. H on the other hand seems to have two settings: "enjoying this" and "not enjoying this". He feels things, I feel things hard core. He keeps most feelings to himself, I'll talk to a wall about my mood if it will just listen. Must just be all my sensors:)

Summer Friday

au revoir!

Here's hoping that your weekend is as triumphant and amazing as THESE guys. 

Feeling the heat...

Thick thigh beauty

Maybe the intense heat wave we're having in NYC has officially roasted my brains, but for today's post I'm really gonna "go there". Ladies, let's talk about Chub-Rub. Chub-Rub is a term coined by my sister and I many years ago to describe the horrible between-the-legs rubbing that occurs on any woman with more than 1% body fat (this is an approximation, but if your thighs don't touch when you walk, I assume you are a super model). Turns out chub-rub is a pretty common thing, in both name and general bane-of-female-existence-ness. There's nothing worse than wearing a skirt or dress on a hot day and having the friction sneak up on you. Not every outfit can accommodate bike shorts underneath (though when it can, that's a GREAT solution) and no woman wants to be caught doing the chub-rub waddle.

Thankfully for us all, toiletry companies are in on the Chub-Rub dilemma and have developed a multitude of products to assist us thick-thigh'ed ladies in our times of greatest need. Thankfully for YOU, I've taken 3 of these products for a test drive and have an official Merry Meri Chub-Rub Relief Report.

The Products.

Body Glide Anti-Chafing Stick

This product was my first ever in the anti-chafing category, discovered at a sporting goods store during the summer I trained for the Marine Corps Marathon. The deodorant-like stick is easy and mess free during application and there isn't an overly slick or greasy feeling where you apply it. The relief lasts for hours at a time making this product perfect for a workout or for a hot day (though if I'm going all day, I do need to re-apply once or twice).

Merry Meri Verdict: Awesome product, especially for exercising, but bulky packaging for day-to-day use; definitely going to check out the "for her" product when my current stick runs out.

New-Skin Anti-Chafing Spray
I purchased this product last week when a day of running errands on bike and foot led to a desperate moment in the Duane Reade first aid aisle. I love New-Skin's blister products and was drawn to the mess-free spray application and purse friendly size packaging. The promise of cooling relief was accurate, but the non-greasy claim was not. Well it wasn't exactly greasy... but slick isn't a good thing either. This product provides relief, but leaves you feeling a bit too lubed up (hehe) and I also had to re-apply more than once.

Merry Meri Verdict: Good in a pinch, but unlikely to become a staple in my medicine cabinet

Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel

Girls, get over the fact that it's made by "Monistat", this product is the real deal. My favorite anti-chafing product for day-to-day use, after application this gel dries completely into what truly feels like fresh powder right where you need it. Available in a small, purse friendly tube, other than a small deduction for the fact that you have to apply by hand, this is my top choice for Chub-Rub combat. 

Merry Meri Verdict: Winner!! Great for all day (same as Body Glide, all day = re-apply once or twice) and according to the product reviews, also apparently an amazing makeup primer!?

Note that all of these anti-chafing products can be used anywhere on your body that you're getting an uncomfortable rub (underarms, underboob...!) and for a few other product suggestions, click HERE. (And a nifty little "fake your thigh gap" photo trick HERE!)

Hump Day Distractions

Eat a cookie.

This morning I woke up early (after a fitful night's sleep - anyone else in NYC get that blaring 3:51am Amber Alert on their iPhone!?) to workout. I had a great workout, then I showered and got dressed and discovered that I omitted 1 fairly essential, very "supportive" article of clothing in my gym bag... Oops. Here's to a bouncing good Wednesday:) 

* I think my parents' house by the sea might need one of THESE.

* If only we could all see the world (and enjoy Cheerios) the way these kids do (thanks Sis!)

* If any business on the planet was going to have the name "Meri Meri", I think it is fitting that it's a party supply company. (Enter for a chance to win some Meri Meri goodness HERE!)

* Well, I am generally a Happy Camper:)

* Check out THESE crazy cute shoes for kiddos to wear at the beach.

* I think somebody at Nike lost their job this week...

* My iPhone needs an ice pop. Anybody want to make one for me?!

* smörgåstårta = a Swedish sandwich cake with layers of bread separating creamy fillings = YUM.

* Lookout Cronut, there's a new dessert in town!

* It's the dog's expression in this photo that really makes it so great.

* What's that!? You want to see a ton of pictures of fluffy animals!?

Naked & Afraid.

Naked & Afraid on the "island from hell"

Please tell me that you guys are watching this show. This absolutely insane, ridiculously titled, completely addicting show. Summer's television lineup leaves Dr. H and I with a bit more free time on our hands (past posts on our tv addiction HERE, HERE and HERE) so last week when our DVR of Deadliest Catch (yup) ran into the first 10 minutes of Discovery Channel's new series "Naked and Afraid" we were willing to watch and see if it could hook us. 7 days and 3 episodes later (yup) we are beyond hooked - we are talking about the show incessantly (#nakedandafraid), debating the impact of life-saving producer interventions and wondering just how many days we could survive naked in the wilderness. 

The concept of the show is simple: 1 man and 1 woman, complete strangers, are left in an extreme environment (Panamanian jungle, the Tanzanian Serengeti, etc) for 21 days, totally naked. They get to bring 1 item with them (e.g., a stainless steel cup, a machete) but beyond that, they must find food, water and shelter completely from the earth. There are no prizes for surviving all 21 days, only a chance to boost your PSR (each contestant is given an initial and final "primitive survival rating" based on mental, physical and prior experience assessments) and to win bragging rights in the "survivalist" community. The elements are EXTREME (scorching sun, days-long storms, deadly animals) and the resourcefulness of each episode's contestants consistently blows my mind (twigs weaved into a lobster pot that actually catches 2 lobsters? who does that!?) The show is so captivating you almost forget about the nudity (almost). 

So this week after you've gotten your dose of Showtime and HBO, So You Think You Can Dance and whatever you're viewing on Netflix, check out Naked and Afraid. Seriously, because to quote The Daily Beast: Naked and Afraid is, in every sense of the word, an insane show. It’s also quite possibly the most riveting reality series on television. Ever." 

(pin) there, done that

(pin) there, done that.

This post brought to you by the fabulous (parent)thetically speaking.

Our fearless leader, Ms. Merry Meri recently talked about some (adorable) items and ideas that she has pinned for possible-future-bambino(s). I can vouch for the awesomesauce-iness of one of those items, the bow-tie onesie from Haddon & Co. (it’s as dapper as it looks). Her post got me thinking about other home runs scored on Pinterest and the times that I struck out swinging…(nice little baseball metaphor, huh? sometimes you just have to let it happen).

* I made this for my guest room – I painted the canvas an accent color and added in a second dot color. I love the finished result.

* This chicken recipe was not so good, I’m not sure where it went wrong. Too much lemon maybe? And soggy green beans, yuck.

* A headband holder was in order for J’s room – iced tea mix container for the win. (I actually took a headband to the grocery store with me and walked around sliding it onto containers until I found one big enough. I have the Ziploc bag with 3 lbs of iced tea mix to prove it.) She loves that she can get her headbands all by herself.

yum!

* Last year, right before Passover, I made this bread. It was the perfect way to carb-load before the holiday got under way. I would like to make it again and try this soup for dipping.

* Fail. I tried so hard to make this work, but it was just not meant to be. I think I used the wrong foam and the wrong greenery. I ended up buying a moss ball from Michaels and shoving (literally…I’m not being dramatic) on the tied-up sticks.

* And I am smack-dab in the middle of an Etsy-inspired project that could either be a success or a dud. Its fate lies with my hot glue gun.

Going through my pins as I wrote this, I realized how many ideas were lying dormant in my boards – so I am off to DIY, cook, organize and create a unique, functional wall shelf by simply hanging an old baby grand piano on the wall (I mean, c’mon. if you get a little lost in Pinterest-fantasy-land, click on over here for a reality check)

not going to happen, Pinterest.

Part of the fun of Pinterest is talking about it with fellow addicts! What have been some of your most successful pins? Any flops? 

For previous posts from (parent)thetically speaking, click HERE and HERE.

Happy Friday!

Ice cream truck route with a view

May your work day be speedy and your weekend be sunny and bright! 

For those hanging in NYC, maybe checkout THIS beautiful moment of light? (Big thanks to CupofJo for the tip!)