The summer has not been kind to my already fine (and I don't mean hot or pretty) hair. We put a pool in so my hair has been doused with chemicals almost daily. At my latest stop at the salon last week, my stylist immediately put on Bed Head's newest leave-in conditioner. She recommended using it every day for normal styling and also putting some in before I got in the pool to protect my hair from absorbing the pool chemicals. This stuff has been great. This is the newest hair product at the top of my list. It makes my hair soft and shiny without leaving it greasy in the least. It's easy as pie to spray in and in full Bed Head product fashion, it smells great!

I'm sort of getting tired of saying how much I love chocolate...you too? Hopefully not too much. But oreos certainly fall under the I love chocolate category so when I saw the newest Strawberry Milkshake edition, I of course couldn't resist. Limited editions of classic foods are quite questionable but this doesn't disappoint. The taste actually comes close to strawberries and chocolate without be overwhelming. The amount of cream is sufficient, somewhere between regular oreos and double-stuff. What I love most is when you eat it, it still tastes close enough to the original oreo, but distinct enough to be a special edition. Definitely worth picking up before they're off the shelves!

Imagine spray painting something with Color Wonder paint. Great concept for kids, not so much for the tanning process. The part that you spray right looks great but there are runs where the paint was gloppy and the missed spots are obvious. It irritatingly asks you to rub the application in after sprayed on which to me defeats the whole purpose of spray. In any case, it comes out clear from the bottle and dries in 60 seconds so after spraying you have right about 23 seconds to rub it in to make sure the coverage is ok, still not really knowing if you are getting it right.
The good news is it isn't streaky, it actually does start showing up in about an hour as the packaging promises and it lasts about a week. The tan is nice when it is applied just right but that's easier said than done. I can't wholeheartedly recommend Sally Hansen's - Airbrush Tan ($10) since it's not foolproof but if I don't find another product that leaves a tan as quickly and as well, I may just have to make the extra effort with the application process.

Bucky Covington’s album came out today and I got to listen to the whole thing through clearchannelmusic.com. I was shocked and amazed. He sounded REALLY good on there. Not all the songs were great songs but he has a fantastic recording voice. His voice reminded me of a George Strait, maybe Tim McGraw-ish shound but it’s very distinct. It has this raw, authentic country sound that I think country fans will appreciate. He may not have proven to be the best performer/dancer on American Idol but I think he should get some good radio hits out of this one. Really impressed. Maybe because my expectations weren’t high, I’m not sure, but it’s worth checking out.

I tend to be a pretty loyal person. When I find something I like, I usually stick to it. Especially when it comes to food at restaurants. My family can usually order for me without me saying a word just because it's pretty predictable. But there is one menu item I'm almost psychotic about...ok maybe psychotic is a strong word...but I do not ever order anything but Flo's Filet at Longhorn Steakhouse. Juicy, tender and plenty of peppered taste cooked to perfection. Add in the salad, fries and bread and it's worthy of a last meal for me. You'd be crazy not to try it at least once. Well, unless of course you don't eat beef I guess you're excused. Otherwise, get you some Flo's Filet!

Summer is coming upon us and that means my lack of a tan is becoming more apparent as the days go by. My last attempt at a sunless tan was Neutrogena's MicroMist Sunless Tanning Spray. A couple good things...it was extremely easy to apply, even on your back. The results were not streaky and even. It dried quickly. That's about it for the good stuff. My complaints start at the application. In the past I have used sunless tanners that have a bronzer included and it was so nice to have an instant tan so I could walk out the door with results and also tell where I had applied it. The spray was completely clear and besides your skin looking "wet", there was no other way to make sure you had good coverage. But my biggest disappointment was the lack of tan! I am very pale and bought the Deep shade hoping for good results and the next day I honestly couldn't tell if I had applied it or not. And even after I applied it two days in a row, I still saw very little results on the 3rd day. Unfortunately, this one didn't make the cut.

OK, so I'm "Movin On" in my reviews of former American Idol contestants albums. Which, if you've checked out Elliott's new CD, "Movin' On" is his first song. Very catchy, pop tune that I happen to like. Another faster tempo song on this CD I love is "Alright". Probably my favorite on there. It has this addictive, make-you-want-to-move beat that works out great while sweating away on the elliptical. The other ballads that are easy to listen to although a bit repetitive in the lyrics and full of Elliott's sometimes excessive vibrato are "Wait For You", "One Word", "You Are the One", "I'm the Man", "Train Wreck", "Take My Breath Away". Other songs I haven't listed unfortunately I simply skip. They're just not good songs to me and I'm disappointed in those. As a whole, I would say this is a soulful, pop/smooth R&B type sound that is nice to listen to. Although there are some songs I can't recommend I think the good outweighs the bad and it's worth checking out.

Bewiseaboutbeauty.org is a site designed to give information about plastic and cosmetic surgery to those considering surgery and dispel popular myths associated with each. Upon entering Bewiseaboutbeauty.org, the site is streamlined and appealing. The navigation is simple and straightforward, making it easy and clear to figure out what is located where. Information on the site includes general information about types of surgeries, a quiz to determine if a candidate is qualified for surgery, myth/fact list, current news and statistics related to surgery and also help on finding a surgeon. The information is presented in a concise, easy to understand format and I actually did learn some things while visiting the site. I found the information on each specific surgery a little generic. If I were really considering a breast lift or augmentation (that is not a confession), they mention different techniques but don't get into much detail about what they are. Another site or more information would be required to actually understand the details of each technique and becoming well-informed before making a visit to the doctor. Overall the site was appealing, concise, easy to navigate and informational. I would doubt it would be a site I would revisit often but serves more of a one-time brochure to introduce you to the world of surgery. That being the case, it does an excellent job with its purpose.

"Come try this!" That's the first thing I said after taking a bite of this spinach dip. It tastes good cool or warm. It's great with tortilla chips or even bread. Only bad thing is it's quite addictive. But it has spinach in it so I think that counts for my veggie of the day!

Magic Eraser. I thought everyone used these but I've run into a couple people lately that haven't. So. I'm going to sing my praises of this product so everyone (well, at least everyone that reads this) knows about it. Magic Eraser is nothing short of magic in my household. Crayons are the enemy and Magic Eraser is my knight in shining armor. My walls, dressers, headboard, cabinets, floors, doors, doorjams, toys, etc. get written on by my children on a pretty consistent basis. Yes, I know an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure but how can I refuse my two year old crayons for goodness sakes? Anyway, the Magic Eraser looks like a sponge but has some sort of magical chemical or something that magically erases the crayon off of most surfaces. The only places I have found that it does not do well on is wood that has not been painted or stained, textured plastic (it works but you have to scrub hard) and of course places like my fabric covered foot stool. Um, yeah. But what I discovered is it can clean many more things including pencil marks, grime around door handles from use, dirt stuck in scratches in my linoleum and I think my sister even uses one version of it for her tub. The bad thing is it dissolves quickly. I keep at least a box of 4 at a time around the house and even last night it took almost 2 of them to completely remove all the red crayon down my hallway. But whatever the price or no matter how many I have to use, saving my hallways from 10 coats of paint and furniture that looks like Harold and the Purple Crayon had created them, it's worth it. Find a four pack for about $3 at any local drugstore or grocery store.

I got my hotmail email account with everyone else back in the 90s and only in the past 3 years or so moved over to Gmail, Google's email service. I'm not sure how much good stuff I can say about this.

There are more features which I haven't even tapped into like Gmail mobile and Gmail for your domain. The good news is the product is constantly changing and it's not just fluff of making the screen look prettier, it is genuine user friendly features that make email a fast, reliable and sometimes even fun service. And as of this month, registration does not require an invitation from anyone, so have at it!

Our vacuum cleaner finally gave up this weekend after 8 years and on my parents recommendation, went out to buy the Dyson which was on sale at Target. And from what I hear, that doesn't happen often. So we got the basic model DC07. Things I like about it. The first thing I noticed that I really liked was the cord length. Way longer than our older model and I only had to plug it in one place in the center of our house and it could reach everywhere. Not saying TOO much for our little ranch but it made me happy. I also liked the fact that I could actually see all the crud I was vacuumming up. Felt like I was actually working. The vacuum was so light it felt like it could hardly be doing anything. So obviously a good thing is it seems to vacuum well. My rug in my living room looked extremely clean after I was done. And emptying the canister could not have been easier. No more nasty bags to change. But I do have a few complaints. The vacuum is pretty tall. We store the vacuum in our hall closet and while it of course fits, it's just not going to be as easy to manuever in the closet when it's in there like the other one. I think that sounds weird, but you'd just have to see our closet. I also didn't like that when you vacuumed, it left 4 smaller "stripes" within the larger "stripe" so instead of pretty vacuum lines, you have like a ton of vacuum lines in your carpet after you are done. Maybe there is some setting I can change on it so it doesn't do that, I don't know. And my last complaint is it is really difficult to configure the thing to use the attachments. My parents were at my house last night and they said it is different than their older Dyson and much harder to do than theirs. Which I thought was odd since my is newer. And it is definitely not as easy as my old one. The up side to it is the wand and hose for the attachment is long and I don't have to drag the vacuum along to use it. So all in all, I think we made the right decision and I'll definitely be recommending it.

Thanks to a coworker, I was able to listen to Kellie Pickler's new CD free online at CMT. I am an avid American Idol fan. I've watched almost every single episode since Season 1 and I once considered myself an avid country music fan. So it made good sense that I would possibly buy Kellie's CD. At first listen, I was impressed with Kellie's voice. She really sounded good. Authentically country and none of that flat, sharp, off-pitch stuff Randy complains about. So I was familiar already with the first track "Red High Heels" which I think deserves to be on the radio. I got to number 3 and thought "Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind" could really be popular on country music radio. One of those catchy, surface level songs you could laugh at. Sort of like Lonestar's Mr. Mom. But as I listened to the rest of the album, I got a little tired of the lyrics continually talking about her now well-known family history and memories of her Southern town. I should have been warned from the album's title, but this record may be a little too country for some folks. I mean, the words Wal-Mart and Nascar both are included. Trust me, I'm on no high horse, I watch Nascar every week and visit Wal-Mart weekly but the record seemed, I don't know, a little like a first record, you know? So I doubt I'll be buying the entire record. I think she'll have some hits on this one, no doubt. She does sound good and there are a couple good songs, but I am really looking forward to her next one.

Honestly, I was scared I wasn't going to like this album. Chris made it a point to everyone that he was going to put a rock album out. And I'm not a huge fan of rock. He stayed true to his word, put out a rock album and guess what? I like it. Really like it. I know I'm probably biased, one of those that claim to like him since seeing his first American Idol tryout. But I think this is legitmately a good album. The group Slash is featured on the song What I Want and I'm sorry to say I like this song the least. Very rock and just not catchy. Chris impressively pulls out some falsetto on Breakdown, one of my favorites--yes, I have several. A lot of the lyrics were written or cowritten by Chris and are full of heartbreak, lost love and struggles in relationships. A little sappy but liking the lyrics balances the rock sound for me. It's an album where you can listen to the whole thing without having to skip anything and every once in awhile replaying a few of them. I don't think a majority of the songs will make it to the radio but I'd be surprised if he doesn't have a couple hits from this one.

My husband has a need to buy everything low-fat, no fat, light, low sugar, etc. Most of what he buys I can handle but I revolt when it comes to anything but regular ice cream--please see previous post on my family's devotion to ice cream. However. One time he came back with 2 half-gallons of light ice cream. One of which was Breyer's Double Churned, Extra Creamy, Light Chocolate Mocha Silk ice cream. The words creamy, chocolate and mocha were enough to make me try it. I was very impressed. If I had not read the label, my experienced taste buds would not have known the difference. I have also tried the Butter Pecan and although it wasn’t quite as good and creamy as regular Butter Pecan, it was definite a good substitute when you’re counting calories and fat--even if it's not by choice.

You must remember what I am and what I am not. I am a mother of two small children who never stop moving. I am not a photographer on any professional or even amateur level. But I do take lots of photographs of those two fast-moving children. And my Kodak Easyshare was just not cutting it. I almost broke several ten commandments when I borrowed my uncle's Canon EOS Digital Rebel 8.0 SLR. I had to have one! I finally was able to afford the $900 price tag after a rebate offer at Best Buy. I have to admit it was a little harder than I thought to make the transition. Things weren't quite as easy as my point and shoot Kodak but when I got it right, it was worth it. Those funny faces my kids make and the silly things they do actually got frozen in time in a clear, high quality 8MP picture. And hey, being able to slap on my dad's (yes he HAD to have one too) telescopic lens was fantastic for taking great pictures of certain bald men at certain American Idol concerts I might have attended.

As a twenty-something American female, shaving is an unfortunate daily chore and unless you have found some Nair product that actually works (please let me know) or have resorted to laser hair removal on your entire legs, you are always searching for a great razor blade. On my last trip to find such razor blade, the Venus Vibrance razor blade caught my eye. With it's pretty hot pink wrapper and promising name, I bought a pack. I could tell it was not good on it's first try. After two sessions, I changed the blade to another refill in the pack hoping something was wrong. It was the same. What I now know as the "exfoliating feature" felt like sandpaper on my legs. It may have done its job of "exfoliating" and actually shaving, but it was not a good experience. You can find a pack at CVS for $11.39 but I would recommend continuing your search for that perfect blade with another product.