Tuesday, December 17, 2019

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS : AKA STOCKING STUFFERS : CHRISTMAS 2019

You don't have to spend a lot of money to give a great gift. The following items are integral to my daily routines. I am sure you, too, have favorites that are indispensable.  Here are mine, and the ones I like to gift to loved ones.


1) O'Keefe's Lip Repair-$3.99 Amazon or Target. Great for extremely cracked and chapped lips.


2) Pacifica Glow Baby Booster Serum-$16.00 at Ulta. Infused with glycolic acid and vitamin c. Mix a few drops into your moisturizer. Instantly glows and brightens your skin. My favorite!


3) Aquafor Advanced Therapy Body Spray-$12.29 Amazon. Extremely healing but a bit greasy. Let it soak in before putting on your clothes. Great for healing wounds or cuts.


4)Vaseline Intensive Care Spray-$6.00 at any drugstore. Perfect just out of the shower for both men and women. Non greasy and keeps your skin moisturized throughout the cold winter. The Best!


5) Clinique All About The Eyes-$33 at all department stores. Lightweight eye cream that relieves puffiness and circles. Use at night and in the morning. Make sure to buy the gel and not the cream.
For anyone who has issues with their eyes, this should be your go to. Hypo allergenic.


6) Cremo Original Shave Cream-$1.99 at drugstores, Target, and Amazon. The perfect shaving cream for the men in your life. Once you use it, you'll stop using your other brand.


7) Prada Infusion D'Iris Eau de Toilette-$160 at high end department stores. A pricier stocking stuffer but the most beautiful scent. The toilette is just the right intensity and not too strong. I am not a fan of any perfume. I much prefer the lighter toilette version- it's alluring but not overpowering.


8) Sistema Microwave Cups-$49.00 for a set of six at Amazon. Each comes in a pretty individual box. They are great for soups, chili, and hot drinks. There is a vented cover that locks. No more explosions in your microwave. Divide them up and give them out to 6 friends. Great for the workplace.


9) Bobby Brown Beach Hand and Body Cream-$39 at Net A Porter. It's very hard to find. Seems to be in great demand. As soon as you dab it on, you are transported to a sandy beach. It's divine. Keep searching for it-it's worth it!


10) Dr. Brandt Oxygen Facial Recovery Mask-$70 at Sephora. This could be my favorite product! Apply to wet skin after the shower. In 3 minutes, you skin is reinvigorated! It's fabulous-use it once a week.


11) Loreal Magic Root Coverup-$7.00 All drugstores. My "go to" for my gray roots. In between color appointments, I spritz it on my part and hairline. Gets me through until I get back to the salon.


12) Versed Twice As Nice Serum Rolling Gift Set-$16.99 at Target. Includes roller and anti aging serum and brightening serum. Such a wonderful stocking stuffer.


13) Orolay Down Jacket-$139 at Amazon.  OMG - my friend turned me on to this yummy warm coat. (Thanks Robyn!).  You will never feel the cold again! Tons of pockets for gloves, phone, wallets. Comes in lots of colors. It's fun, cute, warm, and perfect for long walks. It's the BEST.


14) Almay Smart Shade CC Luminous Primer SPF 15-$8.99 at all drugstores. I am obsessed with this primer. I dot it on my face with a little foundation and sponge it on. Instant glow. Just as great alone on your bare skin. You'll look well rested, even if your not.


15) Tretinoin Cream 0.05 % (Retin A)-You need a script from your dermatologist. Use several times a week at night. I mix it with my moisturizer. It helps renew your skin, removes sun damage, and keeps you looking young.
Everyone should be using it!


16) Silk 'n Revit Microderm Kit-$99 on Amazon. I was given this kit years ago from my daughter. I use it at least once a week. It comes with three different heads and it aids in removing blackheads, age spots, and dead skin. In between your microderm treatments at the dermatologist, this helps maintain your skin. Love it.


Wishing Everyone A Happy Chanukah, A Very Merry Christmas, And A Happy and Healthy New Year. May we all spend more time appreciating what is right in front of us-We all have lots to be thankful for.  PEACE OUT-ONE B



Thursday, December 12, 2019

"AGE IS RARELY KIND TO ANYONE. ONE JUST HAS TO GET ON WITH IT!" (FROM THE CROWN)

 I haven't checked in with you in a long while. With the passing of my Dad in September, came the onset of heart failure in my 92 year old Mom. On November 4th, I retrieved her from her hospital bed. Four days later, I had put her house on the market, I had arranged for the house to be packed up and cleared out, and I swooped her onto the plane (she was half dead and I was praying the whole way home she would survive the flight). We arrived in N.J. on November 7th, and I drove directly to a rehab facility where she slowly regained her strength. Miraculously, two weeks later, I was able to move her into an assisted living facility. The good news is that she seems to be doing okay. In fact, I am amazed and proud at what a trooper she has been. It has been three months since she lost her husband, closed her beloved home and transitioned to a rehab facility, and then again to a new apartment at Brandywine. It has been rough ride.
  I, however, am completely overwhelmed, overworked, underpaid, and literally having a bit of a breakdown. I miss my grandchildren terribly. I have spent almost every day for the last 4 weeks on the phone for several hours fighting with Insurance Companies, reenrolling in Part D plans in NJ, paying bills, picking up prescriptions, making deposits in various accounts, and generally fighting with a zillion people about address changes, stopping phone service, television service, and newspaper service, long term care benefits, and questioning the realtor on updates of the Condo sale, etc.  And when I am not doing these things, I am with my mom advocating for her at a doctor appointment, buying her groceries, shower curtains, shoes, loveseats, or bringing her to CVS, and on other various errands. I, literally get out of bed  at 5 to hit the gym before spending the greater part of my day righting her ship!
 I used to see my five precious grandchildren several times a week but I don't have that luxury right now. This fact makes me very depressed and anxious. They are the joys of my life. I am hoping that as the months go on, mom will become more independent and not rely on my services as much. And, I will be able to transition back to helping my daughters more and start to see my grandchildren as much as I did before my mom moved here. Or is this my new normal?
  In the meantime, I still don't sleep. As Thomas Edison said, "sleep is a waste of time."
 As you all know, the panacea for my sleeplessness and my mode of decompression has been visual outlets for the past few years (and vodka!). Sadly, I don't have the ability to concentrate on reading books right now. I am hoping that, too, will change again. So here is what I've recently been viewing.


TELEVISION
The Morning Show-Amazon Prime. Pretty entertaining. And NOONE rocks a little black dress like Aniston. Reese Witherspoon is fabulous and the show is really "The Matt Lauer Story". Worth watching.


Mrs. Fletcher-HBO. Soooo much sex-you won't believe it!! I love Kathryn Hahn. She is a recent divorcee who explores lots of erotic possibilities now that she's single. Love it!


Succession-HBO. The second season was even better than the first. All the characters have so much depth. Brian Cox and Kieran Culkin are my favorites.  It's the story of an elderly patriarch running a large company and figuring out what the future holds for the company and his family. Great!


The Kominsky Method-Netflix. This is the second season. Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin are amazing. However, I enjoyed the first season much more. This season it was a little ho hum and boring. But for those of you who enjoyed the first season, you'll want to watch.


Modern Love-Amazon. Six different episodes based on the N.Y. Times Sunday Column. I especially liked the last episode about an elderly woman and man who meet running and fall in love. Very well done.


The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel-Amazon. Season 3 rocks! I am loving every second. I didn't love season 2, but the writing has been spectacular this season. I love the scene at the pool at the Fontainebleau in Florida. Suzie sums up my feelings about Florida perfectly!


And, of course, I continue to watch Ray Donovan (SHO), Shameless (SHO), The Good Doctor (ABC)-LOVE THIS SHOW! Just beginning to watch The L Word and Work In Progress (Both just starting on SHO).


BROADWAY SHOWS


Hadestown-Completely amazing. Loved the acting, the songs, the story, and the staging. So worth seeing! Mesmerizing. Read the story first, before you see it.


Tina-Adrienne Warren is beyond fabulous as Tina. The little girl who plays Tina as a child steals the show and is immensely talented. The show is fun and enjoyable completely due to the incredibly talented cast. The show itself was ok, but it didn't matter as long as someone was singing!
An uplifting night that will leave you smiling.


MOVIES


JoJo Rabbit-GO!
Knives Out-GO! Fun, well done mystery. Great cast.
The Irishman-Watch at home on Netflix. 3 1/2 hours. Hated it!
A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood-Fair. Liked the documentary much better than the movie.
Motherless Brooklyn-Go! Liked it.
Marriage Story-Very good and you can watch it on Netflix. Adam Driver is great!
Harriet-Cynthia Erivo is always amazing. Movie was poorly done though. Good to watch at home.


LOVE ALWAYS MOM-Amazon. This was a life changing documentary for me. Very difficult to watch. Tricia Gonnella Russo, whose family lived around the corner from us in Short Hills, documents her journey of trying to become a mom while dealing with the tragic diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer. She is such an incredible young woman who navigates her life in an inspiring and heroic way. Totally worth viewing.
Do not miss this!


Until the next time-
Wishing you and your families a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Peace Out-OneB