Making a Splash

I am so happy to let you know Mermaid Splash is now available! This is by far the most requested, most anticipated soap of the summer season. I have fielded so many questions from my dear soap family about this soap and moisturizer; I felt like it deserved a page of its own. This year, The Bean chose turquoise blue and vibrant green with an extra dose of glitter to make this soap extra special. The scent is pineapple, lime, and a hint of vanilla. It smells like tropical heaven.

Yesterday, Eric and Jenna made the moisturizer and added glitter to the moisturizer per Jordan's request. A very wise twelve-year-old informs me regularly that everything, absolutely everything is better with glitter. I trust her and her judgment. To date, she has not steered me wrong. Both the soap and moisturizer are available on the website, and we are well stocked. Mermaid Splash will also be available at the Ligonier Market tomorrow. If you are in the area, stop in and have a sniff. I believe it will put a smile on your face and a glitter-filled tickle in your nose.

As always, dear reader, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the fun of the summer season, and of course, wash your hands. Perhaps follow with a glitter-filled lotion for an extra dash of fun (insert wink).

Eternal Coolness

I officially feel old. I have recently noted that the trends I enjoyed as a kid or now considered cool retro again—scrunchies, paper bag waist jeans, bomber jackets, harem pants, aka. MC Hammer Pants are all back in style. When did my celebrity icons get old? Do you remember the supermodels of the nineties? Check them out on social media sometimes; sadly, even a deep and God-like gene pool cannot save one from the aging process. Sigh. As I watched the news this morning, Dusty Hill, the originator of "Hair Bands," passed away in his sleep. Dusty Hill was part of the iconic band ZZ Top. When I was young, I loved ZZ Top. Hell, I still love ZZ Top even though I am closer to fifty than not. When a classic ZZ Top song comes on, I rock out to the chorus and exasperate my bean.

My celebrity icons that were so cool, so hip, so edgy are now old. Sinead O'Connor, with her lovely little beauty mark and shaved head, she's old. She now has a mom body, and her beauty mark has expanded with age; it now looks like a mole. Kevin Costner, Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio are all old too. Sigh. The bands I once loved are considered "classic" or "retro." Def Leopard, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Kiss, AC/DC all have t-shirts available at popular kid stores like Hollister, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Aeropostle. I just bought The Bean AC/DC and Rolling Stones t-shirts per her request. She informed me that "old bands are cool now, mom." When did these iconic badasses become mainstream tween culture? Sigh.

Jordan wishes more than anything she could go back to the eighties when things were safer, simpler, and cool. She has this opinion, not because she admires my age group and me, but because she is obsessed with all things Stranger Things which is set in the eighties. My decade has become to my bean what the fifties were to me. When I was a kid, I wanted nothing more than to wear poodle skirts and saddle shoes. I wanted to go to sock hops and soda fountains and cruise the boulevard in a big, red convertible. When I was in junior high, we celebrated spirit days, and one day was always allotted to the fifties. I would wear a grey and pink poodle skirt, my hair in a ponytail, bobby socks, and a scarf around my neck. I loved it! Now, the eighties are the decade allotted to school spirit days, and the kids wear rolled, acid wash jeans, neon colors, headbands with bows, and keds. They look silly and fun. I don't remember looking silly and fun. I remember looking cool and stylish.

When I was in junior high, I couldn't believe my parents lived in such an amazing time and did such cool things. I also remember my parents, who were younger than I am now, seemed old. Not only were they old, but they also weren't cool. Except for my dad, I always viewed my dad as cool. I wonder, does The Bean view me as old and not cool? Sigh. I suppose it is part of the process of life. One day, you are young, taking risks with eyeliner, wearing cute outfits, high heels, and coloring your hair for fun. Then BAM! you're buying age-defying make-up, Spanx, wearing comfortable shoes, and coloring your hair to cover the greys. Life is so not fair. Sigh.

Rest in peace, Dusty Hill. May you forever do The Tube Snake Boogie with the angels, killing it with your long beard and mad skills. I apologize for your music and t-shirts becoming tweener trend fodder. You were a badass. As always, dear reader, stay safe, be smart, remember that you are still cool, even if it's only in your head, and of course, wash your hands.

Round II

Today is the day The Bean and I get our second round of the Covid-19 vaccine. I must admit, I am nervous. I am trying not to be nervous, but it isn't working very well. I'm not worried for me; I worry for my bean. I am fully prepared not to feel well. However, I hate it when my child doesn't feel well. I tell myself that a day or perhaps two of feeling under the weather is worth the protection and the peace of mind the vaccine will offer. Even with the facts and the science, it is still creating anxiety for me to think of my favorite girl not feeling well.

We decided to get vaccinated after my appointment with my rheumatologist. Initially, I was advised not to take the vaccine because there wasn't enough research for those with autoimmune disorders and some of the medications those with autoimmune disorders must take. Nine months later, my doctor, a cautious vaccinator, advised me to get the vaccine because she is finding her patients with Lupus are not fairing well if they contract Covid. When I asked her advice about having Jordan vaccinated, she told me she has a twelve-year-old and a fourteen-year-old, and they are both vaccinated. Her advice was that it is safer to be vaccinated if they are in school or in normal social settings than not. She also advised me to have Jordan vaccinated because of her history of asthma and respiratory infections. Having a doctor that I trust, who initially advised me not to get vaccinated until more studies were completed, makes me feel more comfortable being urged to get the shot now.

Part of my decision to have The Bean vaccinated was because we anticipate having her return to in-person classes this year. However, with all things virus-related, we find we are once again questioning that decision. The Bean is adamant that she does not want to go back to school if she has to wear a mask. With the new CDC guidelines that were just released, I feel that wearing a mask may be inevitable. I would feel more comfortable with her wearing a mask, but I understand her stance on not wanting to wear one. I struggle with wearing a mask for just a few hours; I would not want to wear one all day. So, we continue to struggle with what we will do about her education this fall. I know she can successfully complete her studies via cyber school, but I worry she is missing valuable life lessons and social interaction. It is indeed a conundrum.

Although I am anxious about the effects the vaccine will have on us over the next few days, I feel better knowing that we are adding another layer of protection. As for The Bean going back to school, we will have to wait and see how the developments of this virus thing affect our decision. I always tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to my child, so there is a genuine possibility she may again be home with us. The Bibbed Wonder informed me that he knew that once I had her school shopping completed, the status would change, and she would be doing cyber school. She very well may be the best dressed cyber school kid in the district. One can never look too cute, even when working on the computer.

As always, dear reader, stay safe, be smart, make choices that are best for you, and keep washing your hands. Handwashing continues to be the most effective way to fight germs of all sorts.