Small Things Are Big Things

September 8, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

I got botox at CosmetiCare… and liked it!

I tried botox at CosmetiCare …and I liked it!

I always said I would NEVER do any kind of plastic surgery or beauty-type procedure. Even non-invasive ones. Mind you, I said that when I was in my mid-twenty with no wrinkles, and when I thought I was fat… but was 40 pounds lighter than I am today.

Do you ever want to go back in time and punch yourself in the face?
Me too.

Moving on…
You may have seen on instagram, I was chosen to be a CosmetiCare Mom! I get to test some of their most popular treatments, then give my opinion.
I tried the HydraFacial first and it was amazing!! I noticed my deepest wrinkles looked more shallow for about 2 months. But I wanted to try something a little more daring.

Botox? Well, that’s daring. Let’s do it!

I arrived for my appointment terrified.
Like heart-pounding-out-of-my-chest terrified!!!
They have coffee in their waiting room and that helped.
Even though it is a “medical” spa, the waiting room is cozy, it could use some magazines though. I’ve never had to wait very long so they probably don’t really need them that bad.

I was so nervous when I was called into the procedure room, but my medspa provider, Suzanne Rogers, was so comforting and encouraging. Each staff member at CosmetiCare is so friendly! She has been doing this for 15 years (yes folks, that was my first question) and talked me through everything.

Suzanne warned me the botox shots would hurt a bit. But they were fast and didn’t hurt me at all. It felt a little like acupuncture, and only took a few minutes.

Now that I’m almost a month out from my CosmetiCare medspa experience I have no idea why I was so worried or why there is such a stigma on this kind of thing. Seriously. I have friends who started saving for their boob jobs as soon as they found out they were pregnant with their first child. A huge majority of women don’t bat an eye about going under anesthesia, getting cut apart, then adding implants. It might be an Orange County thing (and if it is, then it’s coming to your town in a few years), but sometimes it’s hard to spot a woman in her 40s without implants. And I mean, how many people are seeing your boobs? Padding would do the same thing. But, botox? Something you can do in minutes. Never! And a gazillion people see your face every day!
That doesn’t make any sense.

I also should be clear that I liked the way I looked before the botox. I don’t even care if that sounds vain. I know I’m not a super model (and I don’t want to look like one… I like food too much… but I would like to travel like a super model). I don’t think I needed botox or any kind of treatments, but it sure was fun!!

I’ll lay out my pros and cons for my botox CosmetiCare treatments of below:

Botox ($400):
Cons –
-I got poked and injected with a drug.
-My forehead felt numb for the evening.
-I can’t make my forehead wrinkle anymore. (Is that really a con?)

Pros –
-The pokes didn’t hurt at all.
-It took minutes. (Less than a hour if you count waiting and drive time.)
-I can’t make my forehead wrinkle anymore! And because I can’t make my forehead wrinkle the lines on my forehead aren’t getting deeper and deeper every year.
-No injection marks or downtime.
-Lasts 4 months. (But I’ve heard it can last 6ish on some people.)
-It really works! Although it costs $$, since it works, it’s well worth it. More than the expensive wrinkle creams which don’t yield quick or effective results.

Final thoughts on botox –
I loved it. I’m considering making it part of my “don’t-let-yourself-go” routine. It lasts 4ish months, but I feel like if I do it every year it won’t break the bank and will keep my wrinkles from etching deeper into my forehead as I get older. A preventative measure.

I can’t stress enough with both the botox and Juvederm, that it actually works! You know how you go to the gym to get skinny. You shell out a monthly membership and childcare, work your behind off hours a week, and eat organic kale, all in the hope that you’ll look better in your jeans… in 6 months. With these CosmetiCare treatments you shell out some money and in one hour you have your results. It’s the best. Ever.

With that being said (typed), if you go to some random place you might get a botched job, or have a bad experience. I highly recommend CosmetiCare in Newport Beach. Dr. Michael Niccole has run this family owned business for 33 years. They know what they are doing and you really feel like you are part of the family when you are there for your appointments.

Below are some before and after pictures of my botox-ed forehead. They were both casual and I’m making the same facial expression so you can easily see the difference. I’m so expressive with my forehead that make-up was starting to build up in the creases by the end of the day.

discovery-cube

And I can still look surprised… just a younger surprised.

Here is us on the Tower of Terror at Disneyland.
Though I think the people behind us, not my botox, really steal the show!

Tower-of-Terror

Read about my Juvederm treatment at CosmetiCare too!

September 3, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Getting the Perfect Car with the Help of #ECCUAuto

This is a sponsored post, but all the opinions are my own… especially the one about a teen’s first car!

We are officially the parents of a teen driver!

What?
You didn’t know we had a teenager??
It’s time I came clean… I have a secret love-child.
J/K
I’m talking about our foreign exchange student, James.
But we really do think of him as part of the family!
The kids had to do an “All About Me Poster” for school and included him in the picture.
Adorbs.

This year will be his third year as our host son and he is a great kid!
I have to say, it is pretty cool to practice the teen years on someone else’s kid.
Seriously.
Teenagers are weird… I can’t believe everyone on earth went through the teen phase.
Have you ever thought about that? No one can seem to handle teenagers, even though we all know exactly what it was like to be one.
I can’t even imagine what kind of chaos will happen when all 4 of mine will be hormone-ing at the same time!
Gross.
Anyhoo! We have a teen and he’s great!
See…

He just got his license last week and we are a lot more worried about him than I thought we would be. He drives a fast car. And when I say fast, I mean REALLY FAST!

Probably not the first car we would picked for a 17 year old boy.

(But he’s not our teen and obviously we didn’t buy that car! $$$$$$)

I think a bulky slow truck is a good choice for a teen boy.
No backseat. (wink)
And then you can make him move heavy things for all your friends.
I just may have to tell James’ mom about the Galpin Motors Labor Day Sale.
If you are in the market for a new car you might want to check it out this weekend too!

Galpin Motors Event Information:

When: Saturday, September 5^th from 9:00am-6:00pm
Where: Galpin Ford 15505 Roscoe Blvd., North Hills, CA
What: Shop over 5,000 new and used vehicles. Take advantage of current factory incentives and great Labor Day offers. Plus:
- ECCU members (current and new) receive oil & filter changes for the life of their loan.
  - Not a member yet? Sign up before or at the event to receive all member offers.
- They will also be able to shop early. The sale and oil & filter change offer runs from Friday, August 28 – Monday, September 7.
- Galpin Motors dealerships has loads of brands: Ford, Lincoln, Mazda, Honda, Subaru, Jaguar, and Volkswagon

Find more about ECCU on twitter, Facebook, youtube or on their blog and of course the ECCU website!
You can follow their hashtag #ECCUAuto on all their platforms!

We’ve always saved (and saved and saved) to pay cash for our used cars, but if we ever have to finance, we’ll use ECCU. Take a look at the rates…

And I’ll close with a picture of our teen the day he passed his drivers test.
I’m not going to say he’s a bad driver… but stay away from a white porshe when are out and about.
How excited is he in this picture!?!?!
Love it!

September 2, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Sherlock Holmes Exhibit at The Cube After Dark {free lunch note printables!}

The rumors are true.

I love going on unique dates with my sweetie.
I mean, we do enjoy a good movie from time to time, but more often we like going to live events… you know, so you can interact with each other.

The Discovery Cube had the first (of many, we hope) “after dark” events for their Sherlock Holmes exhibit. It was awesome.

Like so awesome!!!

The Sherlock Holmes exhibit runs till September 7th. Try to go if you can!

I would say this exhibit is for older kids (Middle School – adult), or your budding CSI investigator.
Guests start with a passport-like booklet in the exhibit entry. As you learn basic crime solving skills you get to punch strategic holes in your passport and it reveals a secret message!
(I love this kind of stuff!!)
Then you are sent to Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes’ apartment. At Cube After Dark, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson were actually there.
Epic.
The Cube had a bunch of Sherlockians (it’s a thing) there all dressed up in Sherlock era clothing and completely in character.
Also epic.

Then you get to observe a Sherlock-esque crime scene.
(Maybe it’s actually from one of the books… not sure on that one… it was all new to me.)
The rest of the exhibit you test different theories and make your guess about different aspects of the the crime and record them in your passport book.
You can walk back to the crime scene anytime to compare the data you learn in the experiments.

I never solved the crime because I ended up chatting with my friends more… but I can now recognize whether a bust statue was broken by a gunshot or by falling off a pedestal. I’m not saying that information is useful… but I am saying I can do it.
Like a boss.

Since this was a Cube After Dark they did the science of making cocktails – Mixology.
Yes folks, there is some science when you are mixing cocktails… you are making a solution!
And just to be clear, I don’t mean cocktails are a solution to your problems… strictly talking chemistry.
The Mixologists made two signature cocktails.
One was sweet and one was strong. That’s all I remember.

After ~~hanging with your honey~~ ~~talking with your friends~~ solving the crime, you get to see all sorts of Sherlock Holmes stuff – from the movies and the show.

Sherlock Holmes at The Cube

Brad and I had the best time! Even though you don’t get to go to The Cube After Dark (it sold out!), the Sherlock Holmes exhibit is worth a trip.
If you can get there before the 7th, tickets are only $5! (On top of the general admission price. Details here.) And just for funnies The Cube is giving away an Apple iPad Mini every 14 days through 9/7/2015. Find more about that here.

Be on the lookout for more After Dark events! We really do love The Cube, so it was awesome to try all the regular exhibits without my kids. I mean, I love my kids but sometimes Mommy and Daddy want have a turn making smokestacks and going in the wind tunnel.
It was so cool to walk around The Cube and watch adults experience all the hands-on exhibits!

And in case you are wondering… Yes, Brad and I did make out in the giant cube. (wink)

Do you have a Sherlockian in your life??
How about some amazing Sherlock Holmes quotes you can slip in their lunch bag? These are great to let your older child know you care without embarrassing them… I mean, what high schooler wouldn’t love a little Sherlock Holmes quote tucked in their lunch sack. Ha ha ha ha!
Well, I would have thought it was cool. #NerdAlert
Click here or on the image below to download the pdf.
It was tough to pick my favorite Sherlock Holmes quotes because he has quite a few zingers.
But it was easy to pick my favorite! (It’s the last quote in the yellow box.)
I wholeheartedly agree with you Mr Holmes!

P.S.
Can you believe I finally figured out how to blog on my mac!?!? Yay! One thing though: If you are reading this on your phone some of the pictures are sideways. This is very flustering and I’m looking for a solution that isn’t super time consuming. Hang tight!

August 31, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Forest Home Family Camp {why & free printable camping banner}

“The days are long. The years are short.”

A woman told me that years ago as we were waiting in line at Costco. I was doing my best to keep my 4 little ones entertained, and I’m sure I looked frazzled… perhaps there was even the smell of a ripe diaper in the air.

When I go out with my brood we can be quite the spectacle and we hear lots of phrases like:

“You have your hands full!” Yes, I do, but my heart is full too.

“Are they all yours.” Yep… we’re fertile.

“You know how that happens, right?” Yep, and we like doing that thing… a lot. (wink)

“Are you done yet?” None of your business!!!

But most of all… and usually from a kind face with greying hair… we hear, “Enjoy this time. It goes so fast!”

Does it?
(I would think.)
Because I was up 4 times last night to nurse my sick newborn, and then had to get up at 6am to feed the older three and now I’m on my 3rd drop-off of the day and if I don’t get naps for the two littles before afternoon pick-ups, our evening family plans will be shot and it’s only 11am!

Now, my oldest is almost 9-years-old. He’s a man-child and I can barely recognize him next to pictures of his pudgy baby face.

My heart aches, I want time to stand still, and for my sweet kids to be just the way they are today, forever.

But do I really?

Nope. I love the people they are becoming. Strong, independent, funny, inquisitive, unique, and so much more.

I don’t want time to stand still. But I do want to savor every small moment we spend together.
Even the difficult ones.
Even the ones that stretch me as a human being.
I want to watch them grow into the plans God has laid for them since the beginning of time.

Just two weeks ago, it felt like time stood still.
We spent 6 days at Forest Home Family Camp.
It was magical.
We created small moments, my family will remember forever.

(Seriously though, Tess in that picture!?!?!!!)

I had been to Forest Home as a student and I remember it being rad (it was the 80s), but I never knew there was a Family Camp. I say “camp,” loosely. There should really be the word “resort” in there somewhere.

I mean, look at this pool? Is that what you think of when you hear the word camp??
P.S.
There is a huge splash pad just out of view on the left. And it’s sectioned off from the pool.
Read: You can read your vacation books and not worry about your child drowning.

I’m going to share our experience in separate posts from each family member’s perspective because the experience was so different for each of us!
Sneak peek…

But for more information now you can find Forest Home on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

To get your camping vibes flowing here is a free printable of a camping banner.. just because.
Click on the images below or here to download for free!

Use a hole punch on the top ends, lace twine through and hang. Easy peasy. Maybe we’ll do a camping theme back to school feast this year! (See 2011 and 2012… I never blogged 2013 or 2014… I must fix that!)

August 24, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Bulletproof Coffee {Feeling Weak & Tired}

Do you ever feel like your tank is half full?
I do.
I’m tired.
I used to chalk it up to having kids in diapers and sleepless nights, but we are out of that phase.
(Try not to cry, self).
Coffee helps, but I was adding so much cream I was feeling like the diary was bringing me down.
Then I discovered the bulletproof coffee craze.
The original recipe is to replace your breakfast with 2 cups of coffee, at least 2 tablespoons of grass-fed butter, and 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil. I tried that and liked it OK but I felt like it was sooooo much butter and the coffee was replacing a normally nutritious meal with a less nutritious meal.
So I have a modified version and I love it!
Now, when I put cream in my coffee it tastes gross and heavy.

Kara Noel’s not-so-unhealthy-Bulletproof-Coffee-recipe:

2 cups of coffee
1 tablespoon organic coconut oil
Blend the hell out of it in a Ninja (magic bullet or vitamex)
Enjoy a dairy free frothy creamy coffee without the typical coffee jitters

You’re welcome.

And if you are still feeling half-full, weak, or tired, hang this free printable I made just for you.
Click on the image below or here to download.

P.S.
Things that make me laugh… when I pull back from a close cropped photo I shot for my blog.
Kids wild in the background and a half eaten breakfast sausage pancake dog on the counter.
Yay for real life!

See that delish coffee below? No dairy at all!! And you can blend it longer to get more of that wonderful froth. I drink out of my blender cup because I can’t stand getting another dish dirty.

(I’m a crazy person… but I already have sooooo many dishes to wash.)
It would look way more pinnable in a cute mug, but then I wouldn’t be real.
And I’m all about being real… except for my fake lashes… and the botox.
But that’s a story for another post!

August 9, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Summer is winding down down down…

I got a mac.
(Crazy deal from a friend.)
I get beyond flustered when I have to learn new technology.
(Which is ironic considering I exclusively work on the internet.)
It feels difficult for me to write blog posts on the mac. So I haven’t been doing it.
(First world problems.)

Any hoo. I’m insane, what else is new?

Our Summer has looked like this:

Pajamas all day every day…
(I have snapchat follow me there if you wanna see exciting PJ pictures like the one below and my children taking ridiculous selfies throughout your day!)

…pool time with the family…

…fried everything at the OC fair…
(Our teenager son will be a senior this year. Eeep! This will be our third year as his host family. Foreign exchange rules!)

…and I turned 35!
My license expired this year, so I have to go to the DMV.
Happy Birthday to me!
I’ve never minded getting older but this year is a little rough. I’ve never been fatter (don’t be fooled, the picture below is strategically staged), and I feel like time is just flying away.
Really, I just want to move to some land and start a chicken farm.
True Story.

Despite my semi-mid-life-crisis, we are closing out our summer vay-cay with a bang!

Tomorrow afternoon we are heading to Family Camp at Forest Home!

I was so excited this morning, I created two amazing printables for you.
Both are inspired by this year’s Forest Home Family Camp verse Isaiah 40:28.
I guess they really aren’t so much inspired by this year’s family camp verse… they literally are just this year’s family camp verse. Ha!

How cute did they turn out? Click on the images below to download the pdfs.
Or click here and here.

Keep posted on my instagram this week as I’m sure I will be posting extensively about Family Camp.
Beautiful forest photo ops… yes please!

And now that I have one post under my belt on my new mac… expect many more soon!

June 15, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

The Cube Beats Summer Brain Drain {#newatthecube}

Has your summer started yet?
Ours has, and we are already clicking through our Summer Bucket List!
{Some of the new things we added this year: eat at every restaurant in our small city and build a backyard fire pit!}
One of the biggies every year is a visit to The Discovery Cube.
This year’s visit was full of surprises… like The Cube has 7 new exhibits AND has doubled in size.
I’ve kinda taken The Cube for granted in the past. It’s been here since I was in high school and it’s just part of life here in Orange County. But now that I have kids I get to discover the whole thing all over again through their eyes.
Parenting is the best!

I got to interview Dan, one of The Cube’s spokespeople and here is what I discovered…
{Also a BIG giveaway for locals at the bottom of the post!}

My opinion of the new exhibits along with some pictures and such…

Sherlock Holmes – This is AMAZING! For older kids or adults. Brad and I are going back next week on a date night to enjoy this one at it’s fullest.
Helicopter Tour – You fly around OC inside a virtual helicopter. Great for all ages. I really wish there was a list you could pick up about each of the stops so we can actually visit them in real life. Wowza! Do we live in a beautiful place!
Inspector Training Course – Kids get to find and eliminate invading vectors with their own touch-screen tablet. Kids need to be able to read or have an adult walking them through the activities.
Petersonville Healthy Kitchen – The Cube is the first to have their own interactive kitchen! Keep posted on their site for cooking classes you can do with your kids. I hate strongly dislike cooking but doing something like this as a child could have helped.
Maybe.
Water Gallery – We are in an epic drought here in CA. And you know how I feel about that! My kids loved learning things hands-on with this exhibit.
Eat Well. Play Well. Sleep Well. – This one doesn’t open until later in 2015 but it’s all about keeping healthy with through nutrition, play and sleep. May I suggest a room that brainwashes kids to sleep in past 6am? (Tell me I’m not the only one with early rising kids!?!?)
New Launch Pad Science Store – The store has tripled in size and there are some really cute things for sale (read succulents) and great science activities!
The Rocket Lab – I’m actually not sure if this is new, but it has been totally redone since last year! The kids loved making their own satellite then watching it orbit on a giant screen.
Bean Sprouts – Yummy!! And I met one of the founders and she is super sweet! I’m lucky to get out the door with all my kids wearing shoes, so not having to pack a lunch is like music to my ears!

You can’t forget about the tried and true activities at The Cube…

A lot of people don’t know you can actually go inside the cube. Yes, that giant cube from the freeway has a platform and a few fun science activities that are worth checking out. My kids think it’s so cool… and I do too! When you are inside the cube you get to feel just how big it actually is. When you look up it kinda makes your tummy turn. The cube is enormous.

The interactive exhibits… my kids were at the one below for 15 minutes. There is a rocket lab upstairs, but air blowing up handkerchiefs kept them captivated just as long. Hahahahaha… (They loved the Lab too!)

And Dino Quest. Tess thinks this dinosaur is real, because it blinks and moves it’s tail every so often. And if anyone every tells her otherwise, they might just get a punch in the face. Seriously. (Does anyone else overindulge the baby of the family?)

We love The Cube and we’ll be using our annual passes to go every week this summer to help prevent Summer Brain Drain. Wanna join us?
Good!
Then enter the giveaway in the box below.
{If you don’t win, then consider getting the family pass! It’s only $99 for a family of 6 (two adults and 4 kids… yay for non-big-family discrimination! #4KidsIsTheNew2), no blackout days and discounts inside The Cube as well. I’m not sure if you get discounts on the extra exhibits or not. But if my family were to go to The Cube once without an annual pass it would be $87.70… so spending the extra $11.30 was a no brainer for us. For smaller families… just go twice!}

Good luck from my Cube loving family to yours! (Tess’ face above… I can’t even!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And just in case you missed the front page of the OC Register on Thursday… Eli and I were both quoted at the press preview of The Cube. Read the full article here. (Also did you know, you no longer have to pay to read the OC Register online! Whew!)
The kids think we are famous now. Which is pretty hilarious.

May 5, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf {They Love Teachers!}

This post is a public service announcement for all my teacher friends!

In celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Day (Tuesday, May 5, 2015), The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, teachers and faculty members can whip out their school ID and get any regular (16 oz.) beverage for only $2!
Two Bucks!!!
Just to honor the work teachers do for their communities.
That’s wonderful!
So is coffee.

I had no idea that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is the oldest and largest privately-held coffee and tea retailer in the United States. Why do I love family owned companies so much?

To find the closest participating The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf location click here.

I took Tessa on a little mommy date to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, (that’s how I saw the teacher appreciation sign) and of course little Miss had to go potty.
Seriously.
Why do my kiddos have to go every time we are out and about!
So I took a bathroom selfie.
Mostly because I liked my outfit and it was a good hair day.

Seriously you guys… this girl!!!

Thank you to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® for sponsoring this conversation.

The End.
(Keep being awesome teacher friends!)

April 30, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Galileo Camps {Rubberband Helicopters Science Experiment}

As a new homeschooling family, I really can’t believe how much my littles can learn!
I know all you teachers out there are like, “duh.”
But, kids are amazing!
And kids are capable of so much more than we think.
Kids are innovators. At least that’s what I think.
And that’s how I came across Galileo camps, their big thing is making innovators.

They say, “We think the world needs innovators. We also think kids who learn to explore and fail without fear—the essence of innovation—are happier, more creative and more confident when faced with life’s challenges. They don’t always get this incredible boost in other settings, but thousands of them have been getting it at Galileo since 2002.”

I love that!
Kids need to fail without fear. So many people today don’t let their kids fail, they pick up the pieces and make things happen for their kids. Or they treat failure with punishment, instead of one step closer to a success.

We had lots of failures and success with this Galileo Camps inspired activity: Rubberband Helicopters, I can only imagine how much educational fun they pack into a week of camp! They have 45 locations in California and have programs for preK – 8th grade! The camps are sure to keep those little brains from turning to mush over the Summer. And can give us homeschool moms a Summer break of our own!

You can do this experiment too!
You’ll need: 6” hook nose propellers (find them here only $.49 each), craft sticks, paperclips, rubberbands, cardstock, tape, scissors.

The kids made their guesses about what kind of helicopter would fly the longest and I let them experiment… probably similar to how Galileo camps lets their kids try and fail.

This was Cora Jane’s first try… a teeny tiny start!

It killed me not to tell her this was a horrible helicopter. (Am I a horrible person for that?)
But she learned after she tried flying it. And she probably will remember better because she learned by doing! Or as Galileo would say, “I recognize setbacks as opportunities to learn.”

I even got in on the action!
Mine was the best.
But the kids got better the more they tested!
Ha!

If you are looking for some pretty amazing Summer Camps, check out Galileo Camps!

If you live in the Los Angeles area click here.
Enter promotional code 2015GALILEOCAMPSLA for $50 off!

If you live in the San Francisco area click here.
Enter promotional code 2015GALILEOCAMPSF for $30 off!

See all their prices here.

And for this amazing free printable click here.
Why this quote?
Well, it’s one of my favorites and I think Lincoln embodies determination.

Be determined!
Thank you Galileo camps for the rad day of determination and getting our science done for homeschool!

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