The Curtain and Pen

Nebraska Copywriting Services for Small Business

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A Small Fiasco

It seriously doesn’t get more glamorous than this.

You don’t have to be a mom to get so busy that you forget to take a shower. Sometimes I go so long without taking one that I can’t remember what day it was the last time I bathed . . . so you can imagine my excitement a few days ago when Lucy fell asleep while Paul and Charlie were out playing at the park. I quietly laid her down in the bouncy chair and tip-toed into the bathroom for a rare, totally-quiet-except-for-the-patter-of-water, relaxing shower with my way-too-expensive shampoo and conditioner that I got because I had a gift card.

You see, I don’t even like our shower. The water pressure is terrible, and it’s got a badly-sealed window with a poofy plastic curtain right in the middle of it.

That didn’t matter, though. After the water was on and I got my orange-ginger shampoo all lathered up in my hair, I actually said a little prayer of thanks for the hot water, the sunlight filtering into the bathroom, and my family.

You guys know what an air horn sounds like, right?

The day before said shower, a maintenance guy noticed one of our smoke detector batteries had been disconnected and slid the battery back into place. I was grateful, because I hadn’t realized that it wasn’t working.

I had forgotten in my gratefulness the small fact that shower steam would always trigger the alarm. Hence the previously disconnected battery.

Anyway, this particular detector is the old kind. The kind that, rather than a high-pitched beep, emits a blaring tiny horn-type sound that vaguely sounds like someone screaming“NUTS TO YOUR SHOWER, LADY! AHAHAHAHA!”

Soon, this sound was mingled with the blood-curdling screams of a 4 and ½ month old baby.

Decision Time.

Do I quickly finish up the shower amidst the din of screaming and air horn taunting? Or do shut the shower off and DRIP EVERYWHERE while I try to salvage my tiny moment of Me Time?

Option B, please.

Option B, however, does not come without downsides. Option B means that I get to drip shampooey water everywhere while my naked post-second-baby-body flaps a towel at the smoke detector, frantically trying to disperse the steam. Option B would also require me to stand next to a bouncy chair, desperately pushing on one of the bouncy legs while the freezing-Nebraska-May-air dries the soapy water on my not-shaved-since-April legs.

Miraculously, Lucy fell back to sleep. And, after a weird (I’m assuming there was still some juice left from the battery?), short blast of the tiny bastard horn and a few more minutes of bare-assed bouncing, I actually got to finish my shower. And it was great.

Small victories, right?

 

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The Local Awesome: The Unique Skincare Boutique

Have you ever had someone rub your face?

No, I’m serious. I’ve had two facials in my life, and both of them were the most relaxingexperiences. Dare I say, even more relaxing than a full-body massage?

I recently had the pleasure of getting a facial from Bri Nejad atThe Unique Skincare Boutique, and I just can’t keep my mouth (or fingers, I should say) quiet about it.

It’s one thing to go to a salon for your pampering, but visiting Bri’s boutique isn’t your normal salon experience. When you walk into the Unique Skincare Boutique, you can simply tell from the second you step in that you’re visiting a labor of love. You see, the boutique is an in-home business, and Bri has done a fantastic job of helping you feel at home without feeling awkward about actually being at someone’s home. The entrance is separate from the rest of the (gorgeous) house, and greets you with a quaint little waiting room complete with cookies and cucumber water.

Bri offers a bunch of facials, and I chose to go with the Glacial Facial. I had just finished all the seasons of Northern Exposure, and was feeling a little bit like all of my Alaskan friends had left me sad and alone, so this was perfect. Bri herself has actually lived most of her life in Alaska, and she has created a facial meant to take you on a mini-vacation to the Land of the Midnight Sun. All of the products smelled and felt wonderful, and Bri simply has magic hands. The environment is serene, and the music she has chosen is peppered with the sound of Alaskan wildlife, and (if you’ll allow me to totally geek out here) sounds like the music from Build Mode in the original Sims game. If you’ve played this, you will understand that it is the most relaxing music ever. Also, I frolicked happily home with a package of homemade “Alaskan Bark,” complete with chocolate, dried cranberries, and dried blueberries. Getting a facial and walking out of it with chocolate in hand? That’s a win all around.

One of the most awesome things about Bri, however, is that this lady is knowledgeable.It’s nice to be relaxed, sure, but it’s even more relaxing to know that the person massaging your face knows and cares about the products she’s using. Bri’s been in the skincare business since 2006, and her knowledge is totally apparent. I asked her what it is about skincare that she loves so much:

Bri: It was a huge struggle to find my “career path”, but when I found skincare, it was true love. It’s my ideal career. I help people feel beautiful and I get to be creative, educated, and professional while still finding joy when I work. I leave work truly happy.
Skincare is based in culture, tradition, science, communication and the healing power of touch. All things I love. IMO, it’s the best job on earth.

The other thing she’s got plenty of? Passion.

Bri: So often is this profession flooded with people who are just looking for a “job” and often right out of high school. They burn out quickly, realizing the complexity and maturity of what it takes to do well as a skin therapist. I feel this is where I excel- I love to learn and grow. But I also really love the intrinsic value of helping others.
And I get to be a full time mom- something that can’t mean any more to me than it does. Best gift on earth for both him and I.

Finally, I asked Bri which of her custom-created facials is her favorite:

Bri: I love them all!! I created them all myself based on all my experience over the last 7 years with thousands of clients. I finally get to do the facials I’ve always wanted.
But if I have to pick I would choose the Alaska Glacial facial (second runner up the seasons facials- spring and summer particularly). I love the products, the result, and the fact that it’s a full sensory experience. A unique facial you could honestly not find anywhere else. (I dare you!)

Bri also offers pretty much anything to meet your waxing needs… It may not feel like it right now, but I swear summer is coming, and we all know how important it is for your eyebrows to look good when you’re wearing a swimsuit!

Basically, Bri and her business are awesome, and booking an appointment with her is something you’ll ending up thanking yourself for. The product line she uses is all-natural, and she’s offering a special $10 off your first facial. Check out her website to see what she offers, as well as a cheerfully informative blog to keep you updated on her business and the business of skincare in general. And don’t forget to like her page on Facebook to get in on special deals and giveaways!

Nothing makes me happier than finding a local business with an owner who’s genuinely in love with what they do, and finding one run by a stay at home mom makes this Local Awesome even closer to my heart.

Now, go forth and book a facial!

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Another Letter to that Same Former Lover

Dear Theatre,

I’m feeling a bit left in the dust.

I remember college. I remember spending at least four hours of my day – every day – working on a huge, creative, collaborative project. I remember walking around campus in between class and play rehearsal, feeling important . . . feeling productive. Sometimes I’d even say I was feeling alive and on fire.
I don’t know why I can’t come to terms with you. I felt strongly enough about you in college to dedicate 5 years of my education to you . . . to spend endless hours on you. I used to be able to talk to people about why you’re so important to society and life and the human race in general.

Now, I find myself rolling my eyes at you half of the time. I look up from my spit-up covered shirt and think, “Wow, must be nice to have four hours a night to frolic about on the stage dressed up and playing pretend with a bunch of people.”

And that’s just not okay. I hate that I have those thoughts, because the Me From College would look at Me In the Now with a dropped jaw and a look of horror on her face. Then she’d probably hand me a Victorian novel and offer to rub my feet, because I would hope that Past Me and Now Me would at least want to help each other, despite the fact that we couldn’t understand one another.

I know that you are much, much more than just “playing pretend.” I know that you used to fill my heart up and make my adrenaline pump and that I couldn’t get enough of you. I used to know that you were made up of so many things and so many people.

I used to see people onstage . . . now all I see are egos. I see bodies trampling over one another to be the one person closest to the limelight.

Ugh. That makes me feel like crap, too, because I know those people, and I know that they are more than egos. Some of them are brilliant, and some of them are selfless and giving and truly in love with creating art. If I’m going to be completely honest, I have to say that my ego was plenty well-fed back then . . . and that didn’t make my love for you any less genuine.

I know that I just need to wait. I need to wait until I’m able to be in a play again. To be immersed in you is to love you, and eventually I’ll have the time to go buy me some swimming pants.

So, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of the eye rolls and snarky thoughts. It’s not you, it’s me. I think? Maybe it’s you. Either way, we’ll figure it out.

Wait for me?

Your estranged friend,
Lauren

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From the Beautiful Sludge

All of the sudden, I feel like I’ve popped my head out of the sludgy water of a giant swamp. Not my whole head, mind you, just enough to get my nose out of the liquid. I feel like I can breathe. Like I can breathe and can finally see a way out of the swamp.

I have to be honest. The past three months have felt like I’ve been treading water in a pond of sludge. It’s hard for me to say that, because the sludge has been the most beautiful sludge I could ever hope to swim in.

Having two kids is hard . . . at least at first. I can’t speak for the future, as I haven’t been there yet. Now, there might be some people shaking their heads out there, thinking, “Child, please. Try having 8.” Well, it’s been hard for me, and that makes me feel guilty. I’m a woman, right? I should just naturally have the ability to nurture a growing three year old with my right hand, clean the house with my left hand, take care of the bills and shopping with my left toes, tend to my husband with my right toes, and do all of this while having an infant hanging from my chest, right? Right?

I don’t know, but that seems like a lot to deal with. And, yet, I know that there are ladies out there who do this with seeming ease and flair. Their houses are spotless, their kids can write out the alphabet in calligraphy, and they never get snappy with their spouses.

At least that’s what it looks like to me, anyway.

Finally, though, things are starting to look a little easier. I can see the end of this semester for Paul, and it’s getting closer. I know that means that finals week is coming, which is definitely not easier, but then it will be over for the summer. He still has a lot of work to do before graduating at the end of this year, so I know the summer won’t consist solely of family frolicking, but there will way more frolicking going on than there was this winter. I’m crazy-excited to get to spend more time with my handsome husband.

Again, I can’t speak for the future, but right now, my house is kind of clean. I woke up this morning (before everyone else) to a clean house and a coffee pot that I had set to brew at 6:00. I actually got to sit here and work on a blog post while drinking a cup of coffee. I consider that a huge win.

I’m not naïve enough to think that I’ve left this beautiful sludge forever. Life is like one of those little red and white fishing bobbers, right? You’ve got to bob down a few times to catch the good stuff . . . and I think this beautiful swamp is the only place in which I want to be bobbing.

Also, would life be just a little more awesome if it were appropriate to end sentences with prepositions?

Ah, well.