Category Archives ⇒ Whimsy

Someone stole my Disney magnets!

· Lauren

When I went back to work on January 2nd I was excited to get back to my routine, but I was also a little bit nervous. I wasn’t sure how my body was going to handle the increased activity, even just working part-time. Fortunately my four hours went smoothly that day (I even remembered my computer password) and I left that afternoon feeling pretty good. On my way home I had to swing by the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions (I take so many now). As walked out of CVS I noticed that something was awry. Two of the magnets on the back of my car were missing. I stood there in shock for a minute because I had a hard time wrapping my brain around the situation. Someone had swiped my Disney Premier AP magnet, and also my special Halloween edition Disneyland AP magnet (see above photo). This was extremely upsetting. I wasn’t 100% sure if the theft happened while I was working or the during the few minutes I spent inside the pharmacy, but I find it unlikely that anyone at work was to blame. The most likely scenario is that the time my car was in the CVS parking lot allowed a thief to brazenly remove two magnets off my car. Luckily they didn’t want my Florida Gator magnet so that one remained in place. Small mercies. Fortunately I had a replacement for the Premier AP magnet at home , but I went through a lot of trouble to get that Halloween magnet in the fall!

I never got around to blogging about it (not yet, at least), but I went to the Disneyland Halloween Party with my BFF and her family on September 29th. Needless to say, we had an amazing time. The party was moved to California Adventure park in 2019 so a lot of things were different, but we still really enjoyed ourselves. The location change meant that I wasn’t able to hit the location inside Disneyland park where the limited edition Halloween AP magnets were being distributed. Luckily we had already planned to spend the night in Anaheim after the party (a Friday night) and go to Disneyland the next morning. My energy level was particularly low that Saturday, and I was pretty much ready for a nap after three hours at the park, but I was determined to get a magnet. From what I saw online it was a hot commodity amongst annual passholders. Shortly before I went home I swung by the Star Wars Launch Bay, stood in line, and acquired my very own Halloween AP magnet. Success! Since I’ve had that magnet proudly displayed on the back of my car. Well, until January 2nd, at least. I’m glad I have photographic evidence that I owned one of those babies, if only briefly. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but still mildly infuriating. I’m sure I could get another magnet one on eBay, but I don’t want to spend money on something so insignificant right now.

Funny enough, when I got home the evening of the magnet theft I wrote a Facebook post about the incident, and several of my local friends commented that this had happened to them as well. I had no idea there was such a rash of Disneyland AP magnet thefts in Southern California. I guess it is a ridiculously easy thing to steal, but I’m not quite sure why. False prestige? Anyway, I’ll be on the lookout for something new to replace the Halloween magnet this year. Or maybe I should just put it on my fridge instead? At least it would be safe there!

Virtual retail therapy

· Lauren

I wrote a number of blog posts about items I purchased as retail therapy in the first half of the year, but since then I’ve been trying to stop that trend. Not only is retail therapy expensive in the short term, but I have some longer term events and goals that I need to save for. However, I am still prone to bursts of emotionally-fueled web browsing, which leads to filling up my online shopping cart with all sorts of things on my favorite sites. However, when I get to the point in the process where I actually have to make a monetary transaction, cooler heads prevail. I remember that I don’t need any of the items I compulsively clicked on, I remember the reasons why I’m trying to save money in the first place, and I clean out my cart without spending a dime. This method has been pretty effective, but I haven’t been 100% successful, especially since I’m a sucker for a good sale at Old Navy or cosmetics recommended on Buzzfeed, but in general my spending is way down these days. Instead, my Amazon wish list has gotten to be about a mile long, and my folder of bookmarked webpages is growing by the day. I still have my moments of weakness, of course, so thank goodness for generous return policies! I’ve ordered articles of clothing that either don’t fit properly or look terrible on me so they’ve been sent back. No harm, no foul. On the other hand, some items (specifically dresses) have turned out to be beautiful and I giddily added them to my wardrobe. Oops. At least I’m going to be well dressed this fall! I’ve also splurged on some unnecessary (but ultimately wonderful) beauty products. I seem to keep finding extremely tempting things that way. (Maybe the solution to superfluous spending is taking a Buzzfeed break? Something to think about.) For example, a tube of retinol night cream that may or may not be making any difference on my nearly 40 year-old face. I’ll let you know when I finish using the whole thing. Same goes for some E.L.F. Vitamin C serum that I ordered. I use it everyday, but I have no idea if it’s doing anything. I’m a sucker for these beauty trends that might ultimately be placebo effects. Most recently, I bought a bottle of way too expensive magnolia and pear scented Crabtree & Evelyn body lotion that turned out to be so great that I stocked up when it went on sale a few weeks ago. At least that wasn’t money wasted! Still, I’m attempting to curtail all needless spending so that I can save the money for bigger things. More on that in a future post. Here’s hoping I can be stronger than my trigger finger when I’m inclined to buy something I don’t need.

P.S. But with all that being said, the one thing I’m not actively attempting to restrict is 2019 race registrations! There’s no way I’m going to deprive myself of the physical and mental benefits of running!

September 1st (Retail therapy #2 revisited)

· Lauren

I went to Target today because I was down to my last roll of toilet paper at home. So as a responsible adult I headed out to replenish my stock of bathroom essentials, but I was also hoping to browse the Halloween section of the store. This was a less “responsible adult” inclination, I admit. Unfortunately I was disappointed on that account. The back corner of the store that’s usually dedicated to selling products related to the next holiday on the calendar was sadly still decked out in back-to-school fashion. What a shame. I know some kids don’t start school again until after Labor Day, but it’s finally September, for crying out loud! Time for the holiday festivities to begin! But maybe that’s just my own impatience talking. I’ve been waiting eight whole months for this day! (One of my friends actually started decorating her front yard for Halloween today so I’m clearly not the only one who is excited for this time of year. And if my Halloween door hanging wasn’t tucked away so far in my closet I’d have started decorating today too.) However, I did find one holiday surprise in the bath products section of Target. Remember how last December I was obsessed with getting my hands on a bottle of Mrs. Meyer’s Apple Cider Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap? Here’s an excerpt from my retail therapy #2 blog post to refresh your memory.

“When I saw that Mrs. Meyer’s had a limited edition apple cider hand soap I just had to have some. Unfortunately I was late to the game because it was more of a fall scent, and therefore not readily accessible in stores. So I turned to Amazon, my usual tried-and-true source for everything under the Sun. Of course it was available from one seller, but it wasn’t cheap, as far as standard amounts of hand soap go. As you can imagine, in my holiday-fueled hysteria I wasn’t thinking clearly and purchased a bottle. It was silly, but it made me happy.”
2/24/18 webpage post

Well, as of today this previously coveted hand soap is available at my local Target at a reasonable price. Makes me feel silly for going to such great lengths last year! Not that I’ll be lining up to buy any this time around because I realized that I can experience the same scent profile from the Suave Kids 3-in-1 apple shampoo that I use at the gym! However, I did find Mrs. Meyer’s pumpkin hand soap, a variety I was previously unaware of, sitting on the same display shelf. I was intrigued. I bought so many bottles of holiday hand soap last December that I won’t even get close to finishing them by the end of 2018. So, thinking practically, there was absolutely no reason I needed to purchase pumpkin-scented soap today. In fact, my pledge to be more frugal for the rest of the year (I have two Disney World vacations coming up, and those aren’t cheap) is a prime reason that I shouldn’t have put any of the pumpkin hand soap in my shopping basket. But I did anyway. What can I say? My resolve weakens when I’m faced with special edition holiday stuff! Luckily hand soap is on the low end of the spectrum, price-wise. Let’s hope I have more willpower when it comes to other, more expensive and more compelling items. Like the gorgeous glass pumpkins at Pottery Barn. I must be strong!

Retail therapy #7

· Lauren

Item: Old Navy swing dresses
Purchased: February 24, 2018

A few weeks ago, before I started my clean-ish eating plan (I am trying to make it more of a lifestyle rather than a finite period of food restrictions), I was really unhappy with my body. It was outward proof that I hadn’t been taking care of myself and I desperately wanted to do better, feel better, and look better. But I knew that dramatic change wouldn’t happen overnight so I had to find a way to improve my self-image and my confidence in my appearance while I was still putting in the hard work with diet and exercise. This is one of the reasons I ordered a ton of new clothes as part of my retail therapy spending spree this spring (besides being sick at home and feeling depressed). I was tired of wearing the same pants and blouses at work, donning a similar boring outfit every day, so I decided to diversify my wardrobe with things I can wear now, when I’m still chubbier than I’d like to be. This is where Old Navy swing dresses came into my life. I already have a closet full of beautiful Ann Taylor dresses, but they are all at least one size too small for me at the moment. It’s frustrating! Luckily, until I get myself back into those size 2s I have Old Navy swing dresses in my life. Not only are they attractive (I bought several in different colors and patterns), but they are flattering, loose-fitting (i.e., figure-friendly), and super comfortable. And since I am a cardigan addict I can easily pair one of the dresses with any number of colorful sweaters and my favorite flats to make a perfectly appropriate work outfit. Plus, the economical nature of Old Navy clothing meant that I was able to purchase a number of items for a reasonable price. That provided me with lots of options while keeping my credit card bill from being astronomically high during this active period of retail therapy. I appreciated that! (More money for me to give to the Walt Disney Corporation. It’s inevitable, really.) I’m actually planning to wear one of the Old Navy swing dresses to work tomorrow so they are being put to good use on a weekly basis. They make me feel confident even though I know I’m not currently at my best. What could be better than that?

Retail therapy #6

· Lauren

Item: Brooks Boston Marathon Launch 5
Purchased: March 25, 2018

Who wouldn’t want running shoes with lobsters on them? I’m not from Boston, I don’t ever expect to run the Boston Marathon, and I don’t even eat seafood, but I still love them! But even with their whimsical nature, these shoes might be a bit too practical to fall into the retail therapy category. However, I’m still calling them a frivolous purchase since I didn’t really need them. I saw these shoes for the first time on Facebook and thought they were absolutely adorable, but they didn’t seem like a reasonable investment. The Brooks Launch style don’t have enough support for me to use them for running (I prefer Brooks Adrenaline), and I wasn’t in need of athletic shoes for anything else. But after several days of seeing them all over social media I bought a pair anyway because I decided I couldn’t live without them. They are just so fantastic! I figured I could wear them to the gym so they wouldn’t be a completely silly acquisition. Fortunately they have worked out great in that capacity. I’ve been going to boot camp classes with my running buddy consistently for about six weeks now and I feel great. In addition, lacing up these fun shoes three times a week makes getting ready to go to the gym even more fun. It’s amazing what a little exercise can do!

Retail therapy #6

· Lauren

Item: Brooks Boston Marathon Launch 5
Purchased: March 25, 2018

Who wouldn’t want running shoes with lobsters on them? I’m not from Boston, I don’t ever expect to run the Boston Marathon, and I don’t even eat seafood, but I still love them! But even with their whimsical nature, these shoes might be a bit too practical to fall into the retail therapy category. However, I’m still calling them a frivolous purchase since I didn’t really need them. I saw these shoes for the first time on Facebook and thought they were absolutely adorable, but they didn’t seem like a reasonable investment. The Brooks Launch style don’t have enough support for me to use them for running (I prefer Brooks Adrenaline), and I wasn’t in need of athletic shoes for anything else. But after several days of seeing them all over social media I bought a pair anyway because I decided I couldn’t live without them. They are just so fantastic! I figured I could wear them to the gym so they wouldn’t be a completely silly acquisition. Fortunately they have worked out great in that capacity. I’ve been going to boot camp classes with my running buddy consistently for about six weeks now and I feel great. In addition, lacing up these fun shoes three times a week makes getting ready to go to the gym even more fun. It’s amazing what a little exercise can do!

Retail therapy #5

· Lauren

Item: INKnBURN Denim Capris
Purchased: January 26, 2018

I think it’s fair to say that I’m obsessed with workout clothes. A long time ago I used to exercise in old t-shirts and shorts, but now I have a huge wardrobe of specialized gear. At some point in the last few years my running/gym items have taken over not only the largest drawer in my dresser, but also three full boxes under my bed. I only realized the extent of my collection just now as I was tallying that amount up in my head. I’ll admit that it’s beyond ridiculous. But even the reality that I’m rapidly running out of room for all of my fitness apparel doesn’t mean I stop shopping for more. Even when I wasn’t exercising much in January I was still browsing for workout clothes online. It was basically the epitome of retail therapy – boxes of shirts and pants that, given my situation, were the opposite of practical arrived at my door and that made me happy. Even if I wasn’t wearing them for their intended purpose! Luckily things have started to turn around in that department. For the last five weeks I have been going to boot camp classes with my running buddy three times a week fairly regularly (except the week I was on a whirlwind business trip – more on that in another post) so my new workout clothes have been getting more use. (And my poor muscle have also been getting more use. Ouch!) So far I’ve fooled two of the trainers at the gym on multiple occasions with the INKnBURN denim capris I ordered in January. They are fantastic! Super comfortable, stretchy, and made of fabric that’s designed to look exactly like jeans – back pockets, embellishments, belt loops, button fly, and all. Who says you can’t be stylish while exercising? And they have the added benefit of being respectable enough to wear running errands as well. So the INKnBURN pants were a choice well made. That’s certainly not true of all of my retail therapy purchases, but that’s a story for another day.

P.S. I bought these denim capris in two different sizes – one pair I can wear now, and a smaller pair for when I start meeting my fitness/weight loss goals! Something to look forward to.

Retail therapy #4

· Lauren

Item: Tsum Tsum Marvel Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar
Purchased: January 1, 2018

As I’ve previously described, on New Year’s Day I was sick with the flu. It was miserable. After my official diagnosis I spent most of the day on the computer, cancelling my highly anticipated Disney World vacation and feeling sorry for myself. An overabundance of time on the internet combined with my despair over the state of my health was arguably the catalyst for my glut of retail therapy. (Admittedly, some of it did happen in December, but I blame those particular purchases on the holidays.) At least it’s given me plenty to write about recently!

Speaking of the holidays, when we were growing up my brother and I had Advent calendars that had a piece of chocolate for December 1st through 24th. It was magical, given the fact that we were rarely allowed such treats. Now that I’m an adult and can buy chocolate whenever I want (much to the despair of my bathroom scale), a calendar full of sweets has lost its charm. But then last fall I was delighted to discover that Disney makes Tsum Tsum Advent calendars so I immediately bought one for myself! This is what adults do, right? The above photo includes all the characters I unboxed in December 2017. It was fantastic. On January 1st as I was browsing Amazon, feeling like crap and mourning the end of the holiday season, I saw something extraordinary – a MARVEL Tsum Tsum Advent calendar! My mind was blown. Of course I ordered one for 2018. Presents for yourself are the best kind. And let’s face it, most of these retail therapy purchases I’ve made lately are presents to myself. Granted, some of them are practical or utilitarian, like dress pants for work or household supplies, but a majority of them have been purely for amusement. Unlike all of the other items, this particular acquisition will have delayed gratification. The Advent calendar is something I’ll have to look forward to as end of the year approaches. Maybe I’ll even trim my Christmas tree this year. A girl can dream!

Retail therapy #3

· Lauren

Item #1: bareMinerals Prime Time Eyelid Primer
Item #2: Benefit Cosmetics Boi-ing Industrial Strength Concealer
Purchased: January 10, 2018

While I was home sick in January I spent a lot of time languishing on my couch listening to podcasts (usually as a break from all the terrible television I was watching). One of my favorites during that time was Forever35, a new podcast about self-care for women who are no longer in their 20s. As a woman who is barely holding on to her 30s I definitely need guidance in this area! The two women hosting the podcast discuss their daily habits, beauty routines, and a number of products, both reliable favorites and new acquisitions. A lot of it seems excessive and kind of ridiculous to me (the sheer number of products they use on their faces and bodies is staggering), but when I was stuck at home so long after having the flu I was susceptible to their glowing reviews of luxury items that no one really needs. So the day after my birthday, when my need for retail therapy overrode my common sense, I placed an order on the Sephora website. I’m very picky about my makeup and I tend to stay loyal to my favorite brands and products, but I thought the things I purchased in my state of cabin fever were practical enough to be worth the price and would fit in well with the rest of my beauty supplies.

Turns out, both the bareMinerals Prime Time Eyelid Primer and Benefit Cosmetics Boi-ing Industrial Strength Concealer are great products and I didn’t waste my money! I wear Olay SPF moisturizer under my makeup every day because my skin is very dry in the Los Angeles weather so I’ve had trouble with my eye shadow settling into the creases of my eyelids. Even with high-quality eye shadow (I am partial to Clinique and Urban Decay) it’s still a problem. Luckily the bareMinerals eyelid primer is the perfect remedy. It’s an extra step I’ve had to add to my morning routine, but a worthwhile one. Also, I’ve had a similar issue with concealer settling into the lines around my eyes (yes, I know I’m getting older), and the Benefit concealer not only covers imperfections very well, but stays put all day too. I am very fortunately that both of these makeup items have been very worthwhile purchases and I’m glad that I semi-impulsively bought both of them last month. I know it’s such a minor thing, but I’ll take any victory I can this year, no matter how small!

Retail therapy #2

· Lauren

Item: Mrs. Meyer’s Apple Cider Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap
Purchased: December 5, 2017

In November 2016 I complained that my stockpile of my favorite hand soap, Softsoap’s holiday edition cinnamon & clove, had finally run out. Obviously this is the epitome of First World problems, but I loved that soap and using it everyday was one way that I kept the holiday spirit alive throughout the year. Since then I’ve been searching for a suitable replacement. In December when the options were plentiful I was determined to purchase enough festive hand soap to carry me through 2018. Mostly I filled my shopping cart with an unreasonable amount of Method Frosted Fir Gel Hand Wash because it was inexpensive and smelled amazing, but I wanted to have some variety in my cupboard. When I saw that Mrs. Meyer’s had a limited edition apple cider hand soap I just had to have some. Unfortunately I was late to the game because it was more of a fall scent, and therefore not readily accessible in stores. So I turned to Amazon, my usual tried-and-true source for everything under the Sun. Of course it was available from one seller, but it wasn’t cheap, as far as standard amounts of hand soap go. As you can imagine, in my holiday-fueled hysteria I wasn’t thinking clearly and purchased a bottle. It was silly, but it made me happy. The first few times I used the coveted apple cider hand soap I loved the scent, but it reminded me of something else that I couldn’t quite place. I racked my brain to figure out where I had smelled something similar in the past. It took a while, but I finally figured it out. This semi-expensive, limited-edition hand soap that I was so obsessed with getting smells exactly like Suave Kids 3-in-1 Apple Shampoo! If you’re not familiar, it’s one of the cheapest items in the shampoo aisle at just about every store. Next time remind me to look for more practical substitutes before spending way too much money on ridiculous frivolities!