Geek in Heels - Page 95

Apr 26, 2011 • In Education, Funny, Parenting, Personal, Science

A Chemistry Kit with No Chemicals

Last night, The Daily What featured a children’s chemistry set called Chemistry 60 which boasts “60 fun activities with no chemicals.” Sadly enough, I was not surprised.

You already know my thoughts on this matter.

It’s actually a pretty clever marketing technique when you think about it. Because most children’s chemistry kits available to consumers today are quite similar to Chemistry 60 in that they do not contain any inoffensive, potentially dangerous materials (aside from small parts which may be considered choking hazards). By outwardly admitting — and boasting — its lack of actual chemicals, the manufacturer has gained substantial publicity of viral proportions.

You can be sure that J and I will be purchasing for our kids chemistry sets that contain actual chemicals. 🙂

Smashbox Perfectly Polished Lids Giveaway!

Ever have one of those days when nothing seems to go your way?

Well, today was like that for me.

And because I always feel better when I can help brighten someone else’s day…

I’m giving away a Smashbox Perfectly Polished Lids makeup set!

(Disclaimer: I received this set for free by trading in 500 Sephora Beauty Insider points. According to Sephora, the retail value of this makeup set is $72, but I’ve only seen it go for $15-$20 on eBay. Nonetheless, it’s a great kit from a fabulous cosmetics company and if you win, you’ll get it for FREE!)

The set includes:

One FULL size Smashbox Cream Eye Liner in Midnight Brown
One FULL size Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio in Vanilla, Champagne, & Brazilian Bronze
One mini size (0.5 ml) Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer
One mini size (0.20 oz) Smashbox Lash DNA Mascara

As you can see in the picture, the box is a bit dented but all the products are BRAND NEW and have NEVER BEEN OPENED.

For more details on the products and additional photos, please check out Makeup Moment’s full review of the set. Alina, the blogger behind Makeup Moment, gives the set a glowing review. (And on a more personal note, I love Smashbox products and believe this set to include great neutral shades that is perfect for everyday wear.)

Per the usual fashion, you can enter the giveaway in three different ways:

Leave a comment to this post
Tweet (and leave a comment here saying you did so) the following: I just entered to win a Smashbox Perfectly Polished Lids makeup set via @geekinheels! http://bit.ly/esEkyb
“Like” this post using the Facebook “Like” button at the bottom (and leave a comment here saying you did so)

Each method will grant you one separate entry, so you can increase your chances of winning by using all three methods of entry.

Please leave a valid email address (which will not be published or shared) when filling out the comment form so that I can contact you if you win.

The giveaway will end this Friday, April 29th, 2011 at 12:00pm EST. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator and be notified via email. The giveaway is valid only for U.S. residents.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!

That’s How!

When I was a little kid I used to dream up crazy characters and scenarios being acted out inside the wonderments of the world. Tiny artists residing inside cameras. A chorus of fairies inside musical instructions. Actors behind the boob tube.

Isn’t a child’s imagination so much greater than real life?

I was reminded of my innocent years when I stumbled upon That’s How!, a children’s book by Christoph Niemann, an illustrator whose work has graced the covers of New Yorker, the Atlantic, and the New York Times Magazine. The book, which will be released May 10, 2011, explains how complicated objects of the world work in humorous and wonderfully imaginative ways.

Not only are the illustrations cute and clear-cut, I love the idea behind the book itself and how it advocates creative thinking. You can be sure that I will pick up a copy for Claire when it is released.

Via Laughing Squid.

Because She Loves Me Most

I once read that a baby will cry hardest to her mother (or the primary caretaker) because, just like adults, babies reserve their most passionate and deepest emotions for those they love most.

Our household is a perfect example of this.

When Claire is around me, she WILL make it known if she is displeased in the slightest bit. Whining, fussing, crying, tantrums, you name it. But when she is in the care of others she is more subdued and much less vocal.

She will also only take short naps when I am watching her — which I can only guess stems from her desire to spend as much waking time as possible with me. My SIL has the pleasure of getting 2-hour naps from Claire when she babysits. J? Upwards of three hours. I get one hour IF I am lucky.

This isn’t to say that Claire only reserves her worst behavior for me. Because additionally, she will also share only with me some of her best. The rare smile even as she is teething and I know that she is in a considerable amount of discomfort. Perking up when she hears my voice. Following me around the room with her gaze even as others are showering her with attention.

This is precisely the reason I look to the arrival of the new baby with trepidation. Not because I know it will be a lot of work (well, that too), but because I feel bad for Claire. I feel bad that I will not be able to devote all the love and attention she deserves at a time in her life — learning to walk and talk — when she will require so much of it. I feel bad that I may not be able to run to her immediate aid if she is upset or hurt. I even feel bad that I may not be able to throw her a nice 1st birthday party (me, the person who doesn’t even like parties much) because I will be grossly pregnant and uncomfortable.

I fear that she will resent me.

My only hope is that because she loves me so, she will forgive me for all this. That she will realize that just because mommy has another baby in her arms does not mean she loves her any less. That she will still cherish every moment we share together.

April 21, 2011

I have not been a big fan of James Cameron’s latest films (I tried soooo hard to like Avatar. I really did! But, after three failed attempts at trying to watch the movie without falling asleep, I have called it quits.) but I remain a huge dorkus over his earlier masterpieces. Aliens. The Abyss. And who can forget The Terminator and Terminator 2?

I bawled like a baby the first time I watched T2.
It was the very first movie I shed tears over — no joke.

Well, any true fan of the Terminator franchise is familiar with Judgment Day. The day when the machines rise up against humans. The day when computers try to take over the planet. The beginning of the War Against the Machines.

There are actually three dates given for Judgment Day in the Terminator franchise:

According to Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Judgment Day is August 29, 1997.
But thanks to the hard work of Sarah and John Connor, Judgment Day is pushed to July 24, 2004 in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles gives the date as April 21, 2011 due to their attack on Cyberdyne Systems in T2

And since the first two dates have passed without a peep…

Today — April 21, 2011 — remains the last Judgment Day.

According to The Sarah Connor Chronicles Skynet became self-aware two nights ago, on April 19th, 2011, at 8:11pm. And two days later — today — Skynet launches its first missiles in a declaration of war.

I can practically hear the ominous-yet-exciting theme song from T2 playing in the background, can’t you?

To educate yourself on Skynet in preparation for the war, go check out Skynet on Wikipedia (which may or may not have written itself).

And if Judgment Day does happen, it was great knowing you all. 😛

P.S. — Here’s what James Cameron has to say about Judgment Day:

Introducing BebeDeux

Faithful readers would know that I’ve been having some health problems as of late. They would also recall that I had promised to describe these problems in further detail…

Well, the secret’s out of the bag.

I am currently 12 weeks pregnant with Claire’s little sister or brother!

I know the first question that pops into practically everyone’s mind is: were we trying? And the answer to that is no. And I wouldn’t be lying if I were to say that there were moments — there are still moments — when I feel completely overwhelmed and scared. But we believe this pregnancy to be just as much of a blessing as Claire, and are happy to be expanding our little family.

We had our NT scan today and everything looks perfect. BebeDeux (my nickname for the little tyke)’s heartbeat was strong and steady at 172 bpm, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of how Claire looked at her NT scan. However, this pregnancy seems to have brought me more nausea, fatigue, and other unfavorable symptoms (such as insomnia and migraines) than my pregnancy with Claire and I’ve been really hurting as a result. Fortunately, I have wonderful people in my life — such as J, my SIL, and my mother — who have been graciously donating their time and energy in helping me take care of Claire in my fragile state.

Incidentally, BebeDeux’s due date (November 3, 2011) is exactly 13 months from what was Claire’s due date. So if he/she decides to show up a few days early like Claire did, we could very well end up with a Halloween baby!

(Personally, I am hoping for 11/1/11, 11/10/11, or 11/11/11 because then the baby’s birthday would be a binary number!)

I know that the next few years will be quite a rollercoaster as I’m sure that other mothers of “2 under 2” can agree. I would greatly appreciate your prayers and support as we embark on this next chapter of our lives!

P.S. — I have blogged about this pregnancy but have only written a couple of (private) posts thus far. I have since made them public, and if you wish you can view them — in addition to all future posts regarding BebeDeux — at https://www.geekinheels.com/category/bebedeux

Child’s Play: A Book Bed

In the East, it is not uncommon for people to use thin mattresses in lieu of a bed. The mattresses are folded/rolled and stored away during the day to save space. (This is, in fact, how my family slept when we lived in Korea.)

Creative photographer Yusuke Suzuki has taken this concept and transformed it to a short but fun series of photographs. The Book Bed allows you to literally crawl into the pages of a book; the pages act as blankets that you can use to keep yourself warm and cozy at night, while the bed itself can be folded/closed to create more space during the day.

A short web search shows that the Book Bed is not available for sale, but I have no doubt that bookworms everywhere would be coveting it if it were.

Via My Modern Met.

3 Years, A Busy Weekend, and A Winner

Three years ago today, J and I said “I do” in front of 250 of our closest friends and family.

We’ve certainly had our ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn’t trade what we have right now for anything in the world. The amount of love and respect I have for this man has grown exponentially since we first started dating 8 years ago, and he continues to amaze me every day.

It also doesn’t hurt that I still catch him looking at me with the same expression as below:

(photo by Danny Weiss)

Happy anniversary, my love. Here’s to many, many more to come.

* * *

We celebrated our anniversary this past Saturday with a lunch at my favorite steak house and a visit to Discovery Times Square for Harry Potter: The Exhibition. My surf & turf was superb, and the Harry Potter exhibit was worth every penny. It was a bit more crowded than I would have liked, but I was giddy like a little schoolgirl the entire way through and am really regretting not having purchased the audio tour.

J and I had a fantastic anniversary celebration despite the torrential rain which continued throughout the day.

The trouble started when we got home.

My eyes started itching almost as soon as we stepped through the front door. I immediately took off my contacts and washed my face, taking care to remove all eye makeup.

But the itching and tearing continued through the night and I could hardly sleep. By the time the sun rose Sunday morning it even hurt to keep my eyes open. Light sensitivity added to my list of symptoms, and I was so miserable that I was sobbing. I was also scared — I had visions of Claire growing up with a blind mother and J having to take care of a blind wife.

We called J’s brother and luckily my SIL was able to come over to watch Claire while we headed to the ER. After the doctor put some numbing drops into my eyes I finally started to feel better. She checked for scratches on my cornea (there was none) as well as other symptoms of allergic reactions. Because the swelling, tearing, and itching subsided after a series of steroids, antihistamines, and antibacterial eye drops, the doctor concluded that it must be an allergic reaction…but we weren’t sure from what. It could be the circle lenses I had donned the previous day, or the old eye shadow I had applied. The doctor seemed to think that the cause stemmed from the antibiotics I had been taking for the past week as a result of a root canal.

The good news was that I seemed to be responding to the treatment, so the doctor wrote me some prescriptions and sent us home. I spent the rest of the day recovering in bed and I’m happy to say that I’m feeling much better today.

* * *

With all the excitement I had almost forgotten about the Magic Sleepsuit giveaway! Well, better late than never, right? Drum roll please…

The winner of the Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit is…

#51 is commenter Olivia, who had the following to say:

Congratulations, Olivia! I will be emailing you shortly!

And thank you to everyone else who entered! The past month has been a HUGE month for this blog (more than 95k unique visitors!) and I owe it to every one of you. I have stated in the past that I do not make money from blogging, and I am still quite happy with the status quo. That being said, if I do hit 100,000 visitors in a month, I do want to do a big giveaway in celebration. So stay tuned, and keep reading!

16 Things You Didn’t Know About Sleep [Infographic]

I have been experiencing horrible insomnia lately. It got a bit better last month when I started taking sleeping pills, but now I almost feel like my body has become immune to them. Can this happen?

Whenever my body is in dire need of sleep it responds with migraines. Needless to say I have not been a happy camper lately.

Coincidentally, I found this interesting inforgraphic about sleep over at haha.nu today. After looking it over — and realizing the crappy state of my own sleep-deprived body and mind — I have no doubt that you will die of sleep deprivation before you die from food deprivation.

P.S. — The Magic Sleepsuit giveaway ends tomorrow! Be sure to comment, Tweet, and “Like” for three chances to win!

Additional [Fictional] Reading for Harry Potter Nerds

J and my 3-year anniversary falls in five days. But since the actual date is a Monday, we will be celebrating this Saturday instead…in true nerd fashion.

That’s right — we will be attending Harry Potter: The Exhibition at Discovery Times Square!

(We also have reservations at my favorite steak house this side of the Hudson. I’m pretty sure it’s run by the NJ Mafia but hot dang their surf & turf is TDF!)

So in celebration of my favorite boy wizard — after all, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 comes out on DVD and Blu-ray on Friday (have you pre-ordered it yet?) — I only saw it appropriate to share with my readers these fictional titles from Harry’s world. Because not every wizard is a hero…some of them are PR people, social media gurus, and marketing professionals for whom these books were penned.