Fiesta Vox Box via Influenster

Earlier this month. Or was it last month? I forget. I received a wonderful box from Influenster (Fiesta Vox Box.) I was selected to try products and give them my real honest opinion. Not hard since a lot of the items were items I was already familiar with.

The first item was a make-up item. This brightened up my day to see it in the box. I already owned this product and I can tell you that I love it! It's really affordable and just a holy grail for many make-up enthused people. It's the New York Color Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny 720. It's the perfect shade to contour and to add a little color. A small tip, after you contour, add this in your eyelid crease to add instant shadow. It looks amazing on everyone. It's well under $5.00 and aside from being great to your wallet, it's also quite comparable dupe (Dupe = duplication) for Benefit's Hula which around $28.00. See what i mean?

Body lotion was my second item in the Fiesta VoxBox. Who doesn't love lotion? Who doesn't want soft skin? I know I don't and was glad that I was able to try out Suave's Smoothing with Cocoa Butter & Shea Body Lotion. The scent was light, which I loved, and it did help with the dryness that this "It's cold in the morning and hot by the afternoon" kind of weather we have been experiencing. So it fit great in our little family.

A couple of food items were in the Fiesta Box too. Which I didn't get to enjoy. Let me tell you why. The first one was a protein bar that my kid decided it was for him and said he loved it. I'll take his word for it. It was the Premier Protein Bar in Chocolate Chunk. Yep, that was gone before I even realized it. The other two were coupons to redeem at my local grocery store for Orowheat Whole Grain (my husband's favorite, so he was excited to try a type of bread through their line) and Daisy the Sour Cream (I'm lactose intolerant, so I couldn't really do a feedback on this one.)

The last two items I wasn't quite a fan of. One item was a set of Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Shampoo and Conditioner samples. It wasn't a good fit for my hair. I tried it and during the lathering portion of my shower routine, I had to rewash it with my own shampoo. The second item was the Boots No.7 Dry skin night time cream. I couldn't try this since my skin is quite sensitive. I had to leave that one alone. #sorrynotsorry.

Well, those are my honest reviews on the Fiesta Vox Box.

Disclaimer: These opinions are my own. Influenster has not paid me for my opinions.

I woke up with long hair, I swear!

I'm stuck. Not so much in a rut, just stuck. I have a ton of stuff going on these past months that is what is keeping me from actually putting a post together. I really want to keep this blog alive, and I'm trying so hard to do so, but lately it's just been kind of crazy around here. I don't want to put this little blog aside, I want to keep it. It's just hard trying to find WHAT to put on here. Well, why don't I just write what has been going on? A lot of it is just sad family stuff (grandparents passing, family health issues, etc.) that I don't want a sad blog. I want a good happy blog and although I am well aware that life isn't all rainbows and unicorns, putting content that is sad time after time can just get heavy. Know what I mean?

I'm not gone. I'm still around. Mainly on FB and on Instagram. Although FB is my personal account, you are more than welcomed to see me via Instagram @ Lily_in_the_sky if you like. I also just recently downloaded Periscope. I've only had one session on there and I may do more. We will see how that goes.

I'm thinking of switching things up around here. I figure switching things up from being a mommy type of blog and just making it be more of a ME blog. More of "A day in the life...." type. I need a space where I can just post about me, include my family if and when I want to, and vent a little. Sort of like a journal. Free therapy, right? Along with a new blog venture, maybe a design more fitting of ME. But I'm pretty sure a new design won't happen until later on.

Speaking of new. Something dreadful happened. I needed a change I was in charge of. I needed something. A hair cut. I'd been itching for a shorter do' for some while and it was driving me nuts. My husband insisted that I would regret it and that I would complain after a few weeks. Mind you, I'm side eyeing that sentence here. So I finally go and take the plunge. I walk into this new salon that someone I know had been raging about. I tell the stylist what I wanted. She snips off some hair. Then some more hair. I woke up this morning with hair to just below the middle of my back. I'd been getting compliments for months on how healthy I had kept it. How I had a ton of hair and how envious people must have been. Back to the stylist, she gave me that new "Lob"/"Blogger Bob" that is instyle right now, but then she started to add layers. This is where everything changed. I kid you, this is what nightmares are made of. After she "added layers" she finished off with the blow dry and curled my hair. After checking the length, I thought the curls she gave me perhaps made my hair look shorter. I paid the girl and went on my way home. I showered and tried to do my hair like she did it. After blow drying straight, I saw it. My hair was not layered, it was hacked!! I'm serious!!I had one front layer at my chin and the other at my ear. They were lopsided, and that's trying to be modest. I cried. I cried so hard. I knew I should have gone back but by that time, my kid was napping and it was late (6pm.)

My husband came home and he just gave me the most "WTF?!" look I had ever seen. He stille says he didn't say it, but he didn't have to with that look. We looked around everywhere for a salon that was still open. We went into Great Clips and although they are a chain store, they saved me. They seriously saved me. They let me cry and they treated me as if they were my BFF's and we both vented about the hack job. The only thing missing was a mimosa or wine. So just like my title, "I woke up with long hair, I swear!" It's been in a pony tail since and some days I feel brave enough to actually wear it "flowing."

Top Chef Sacramento

I work for a local grooming shop here in our town. The past year, my job has collaborated with a local rescue by grooming rescued animals for adoption. We love helping any way. This past weekend, we were invited to join Recycled Pets of NorCal (our affiliate) at their benefit--an annual event called Sacramento's Top Chef. The event has participants from local restaurants competing to be the year's Top Chef.... just like the tv show.

Let me just say...the food was delicious! The secret ingredient? Hot Cheetos!!

Thats hot cheeto crust!

Buffet!!

The hubster and I

Our view....
-----

And because I love my job....

Different, not less.

Hi. My name is Lily and my child has Autism.

I never thought it would be hard to write a sentence that was so simple, yet complex at the same time. That up there is what has been going on for the past several months. That up there is why I haven't been back on this little ole blogger of mine. That up there is what has changed many things for us. So let me start from the beginning, shall I?

Back in October, right before Halloween, I ran into Michael's speech therapist. She had just finished one of the sessions with him in his class. She asked me, "Has anyone ever mention the possibility of Michael being on the spectrum?" My world paused. You know, sort of like when Zack Morris on Saved By The Bell did it time and time again. Yep, just like that. Only this time it wasn't a pause for some funny commentary but this time everything was silent only for the sound of my heart falling into pieces and echoing as they hit the floor. My child on the spectrum? No. I know he was delayed with speech, but to place him there too? I snapped back and I asked her many questions. She answered them the best way she could and said that I would be getting a phone call for another assessment but this time not for speech. I nodded and said "Thank you" without looking too shakey from just receiving the news. How do I mention to my husband about the conversation I just had? How do I even process this? How do I....? (We did have the conservation btw.)

After many IEP meetings, assessments, and evaluations with the school district, it was determined that my little boy, my perfect little boy, does indeed fall in the spectrum. He seems to fall under the "high functioning" category which seems to describe him extremely well. We are in the process of getting him diagnosed medically (in fact, he has an appointment today) to see what our options are and what we can do to help him.

We are still learning what it means to have Autism and what we can do as parents to help him develop a normal functioning life. Our families know and have been the most supportive they have ever been. They too want to help in any way possible. They love him oh so very much, and that is all we ask from them--acceptance.

So, again...

My name is Lily and my child is Autistic. He is different, not less.