Learning from a Child

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Well, admittedly, you can't teach THIS old dog new tricks. She's so old she sometimes doesn't even remember her OLD tricks. (Help! I've fallen and I can't get up.)

But you can teach ME new tricks (I refuse to call myself an old dog). I'll tell you what I mean: I am learning to read Latin.

I just love this homeschooling thing. I'm not teaching Latin (soooooo unqualified), but my son is taking an outside class with a retired minister. And I help my son study for quizzes. AND I KNOW ALL THE VOCABULARY HE KNOWS. Woo!_Hoo!

I don't know all the verb conjugations, but give me time. His brain is a lot younger than mine, but I will catch up. I have YEARS of good study habits on me.

My son also takes an outside art history class, something else I am totally unqualified to teach.

He gets excited about painting like Mary Cassatt.

And making "stained glass" like Louis Comfort Tiffany.

He just wasn't interested when I suggested I could teach him how to draw stick figures.

He also takes an outside Spanish class. I haven't learned much yet, but I do know the most important word in Spanish: the word for vacuum. I love telling him to use the "la aspiradora" in my Southern drawl.

I'm hoping all this brain exercise will decrease my chances of dementia in a few years. But after all, if I lose my mind, I'm sure it will be because of a myriad of other reasons.

Happy weekend! Keep learnin'.
Love,
TCB

More Beauty Products for Dry Skin

In my last post, The Short List of Beauty Products I Can't Live Without, I listed 3 of the products I use every day, without fail, on my dry skin. Here are the other 3 products I can't seem to do without:

#4 - No. 7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum - $19.95 at Target. It's an anti-wrinkle serum. Need I say more, ladies? And it adds a little moisture in the a.m. under makeup.

#5 - RE9 Night Repair Creme - $85 from arbonne.com. If you have dry skin, there's nothing like this night cream to ward away the dreaded flaky skin in the morning.

#6 - I like to follow my p.m. cleanser with RE9 Regenerating Toner, also from http://www.arbonne.com/. $35, and it won't dry out your skin when removing the last traces of makeup.

So there you have it. I'm not a frou-frou girl, but every woman ought to have a few weapons in her beauty arsenal.

'Till next time,
TCB

The Short List of Beauty Products I Can't Live Without

I don't consider myself a high-maintenance type of girl, but there are a handful of beauty products that I just simply can't do without. There are six of them to be exact. Some are slightly pricey but most are surprisingly affordable. Here are the first three beauty products that are a necessity for my dry and maturing (ahem) skin:

#1 - Aveeno Positively Radiant daily moisturizer - This little jewel can be found at most drugstores and even some nice grocery stores like Publix. For $15.99 (Publix price), it instantly (and I mean instantly) brightens dull morning skin because it contains soy. I once got a compliment from a guy friend that my skin looked radiant. Did you hear that ladies? A GUY noticed. The SPF 15 is a nice bonus.

#2 - Lacura Hydrating facial cleanser - This bad girl won't hardly touch your wallet at a budget-friendly $2.49 at Aldi. Great in the morning or evening, it is the perfect cleanser for very dry winter skin.

#3 - Olay Quench daily lotion (plus shimmer) - I have tried practically every lotion on the market - from the cheapest of the cheap to the mac-daddy expensive. This middle of the line product keeps my skin "ash" free in the winter and super soft. I really don't care what it costs. It's great and I refuse to switch. $7-$8 at most drugstore and grocery retailers.

I will round out the top six in the next post this week.

Have a great Monday!
Love,
TCB