A few days ago, my son got up early in the morning and climbed into our bed. I hugged him and asked him if he slept okay while he poked his index finger at the freckles on my arm. After he had “counted” every one of them, he took his hand and ran it down my forearm. Surprised, he said, “Look mom! When I rub my hand on your arm, your skin moves so much it looks like a wave!”

Awkward.

Look, I know I don’t have the firm…well, anything…of a 20-something anymore and my years of sun-loving have left my skin a bit wrinkled and loose, but a wave? It’s not quite that bad. Yet.

Still, it was enough to traumatize me a bit, so I took to a new product that Dove sent me. I’ve been a big fan of their body wash for a while now, so their VisibleCare toning crème body wash with NutriumMoisture was a logical step in the right direction.

This product is designed to help promote skin’s elasticity and strength and, clearly, I needed some of that. The toning crème is scented with ylang ylang (which is just plain fun to say) and delicate wood fragrance, so it smells especially fresh. It’s not sweet or too masculine smelling; it’s subtle and clean. It also has a thick lather and is gentle on my sun-loved skin.

Not to mention that it also has the highest concentration of NutriumMoisture (with added vitamin E) of any of Dove’s body washes. Combined with a daily regimen of sunscreen and moisturizer, I feel like I’m giving my skin the TLC it deserves. After just a few days, my skin feels softer and smoother. With continued use, I hope to turn my waves into mere ripples!

I know it isn’t possible to completely fight off aging, but I can give it my best shot and Dove is one of my weapons of choice. Sure, it comes in a green bottle and smells like delightful essential oils, but that’s just a bonus; what I really like is that it packs a mean punch.

Speaking of essential oils; have you ever had a Swedish massage? See below for info on how to enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!

Visit Dove^® VisibleCare^® to get a coupon for $1 off!

Enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age

18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/18/2012 – 8/22/2012

Be sure to visit the Dove^® VisibleCare™ Crème Body Wash brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

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I don’t care who you are, or if your kid is just having minor surgery, this moment right here? Never gets any easier.

Tube surgery 7/17. He’s fine. We were at the hospital because of his congenital heart disease and oxygen saturations which hover around the “I don’t know if he’s turning blue or if he just ate a snow-cone” level.

This shout out goes to all of the kids who had surgery yesterday and didn’t get to come home and sleep in their own bed.

Do me a favor, hug your kids.

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The other day was not a good one.

It started with the upstairs shower leaking into our kitchen; a deep pool of water on the counter kicked off the day. After that I found a container of watermelon that had been left out all night *shudder*; then we received a giant bill from my son’s cardiologist and rounded out the day with sewage coming up the drain of our basement utility sink.

Oh, joy.

After all of that, let me tell you what I didn’t want to do: MAKE DINNER.

What I wanted to do was run away from my house of horrors and go get a drink! And that’s exactly what I did.

Lucky for me, there is an Applebee’s within walking distance of my house. I called a few people, told them to meet me there, and by the time the three of them arrived appetizers had already been delivered to the table!

Lots of appetizers. And, we ate every bit of them.

To compensate for the indulgence of tortilla chips, I ordered the Skinny Bee Margarita (YUM).

Though there weren’t a lot of vegan options on the menu, the waitress was more than accommodating and the manager brought me a list of foods that were meat and dairy free. There were also handy lists for food allergies.

I ended up with this spicy and delicious Sizzling Asian Shrimp and Broccoli (minus the shrimp).

You may also notice there is a beer there. It was spicy. I had to! Plus, the margarita was part of the appetizer.

Some people don’t have to worry about eating meat though. Color me jealous. I’m not going to lie. I stole some of those fries.

Then everyone else ordered this for dessert. This is a picture from Applebee‘s website, because I didn’t have time to take a picture before they started tearing into it.

By the time I got my phone out to snap a picture, it looked like this. Notice how they left one bite of cookie on the plate:

All in all, we had a few drinks, a lot of food and a ton of fun. I love living in a neighborhood where there is a restaurant that I can take my family to or meet a few girlfriends for happy hour. It was the perfect way to end my day on a high note.

Applebee’s knows the value of meeting friends at the end of a stressful day. After all, they like to say: “Life is Better Shared.” They also know sometimes friends can’t meet face-to-face, and they want you to be a part of their online circle of friends. Find them on Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube or Tumblr!

Applebee‘s and BlogHer want you to end your day on a high note too, because they’re giving one lucky reader a $150 Applebee‘s gift card! To be entered for a chance to win, just leave a comment on this post and answer the question, “When’s the last time you had a girl’s night out?

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Can someone please tell me how this happened?

Team USA To Be Decked Out in Uniforms Made in China

I read that headline on the ABC News website and wondered if Friday the 13th had suddenly become April 1st. If I were the boss of the USOC, someone’s head would roll. Like a ball. Probably made in China.

AP Photo

And, really, Ralph Lauren? What’s with the jaunty beret? Don’t you know what everyone thinks of when they see a beret? Hint: It’s not the United States. Pourquoi, Ralph? Pourquoi?

America is not about a double-breasted jacket either unless, of course, it’s 1985. America is rugged, scrappy and enterprising. We do not need to borrow style from the French, nor should we have our manufacturing for a quintessentially patriotic event shipped to another country.

We haven’t even seen the opening ceremony and Team USA has already lost the first round of competition. This does not bode well for our gold medal count.

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