My most geriatric post ever...

I am not as old as I sound on this blog lately. I'm in my mid-40's but generally act and feel like I'm 29.  Lately I've been blogging and complaining and bitching and moaning about my foot injury.  Yesterday I went back to the Doctor. I told him that I was too young to be permanently impaired. I want to get healed. I have some sort of arthritis thing going on in the joint of the toe. I think it is an injury as it came on suddenly after a run on a treadmill. Prior to that, I would walk 100 New York City blocks without any foot pain. He disagrees and thinks it is a degenerative thing that we can control but can't heal. 

He is a board certified good doctor. He is actually friends with my family full of doctors and they go to him. He may be right but I'm not satisfied with the idea of taking anti-inflamatories forever to curb the pain. I am going to look into acupuncture and stretching and other new age-y things. In the mean time, he did inject it with cortisone. It feels great right now. He also reminded me to wear sensible shoes (boo...hiss) and to put orthotics into my shoes. He said that I could go to a podiatrist and order $400 ones but he suggested that I try the Dr. Scholl's Custom fit orthotics. He said that his patients have had good results with them and that they are only $50 or under. 


They have the Custom Fit machines at certain drug stores. The closest one to me was at Bed Bath & Beyond. The machine looks like this.

You have to take off your shoes in the middle of the store which is disgusting. You have to be barefoot for this to work.  Someone put a canister of lysol wipes and a little trash can from aisle 3 next to the machine at Bed Bath & Beyond so, of course, I used them but it was still gross and embarrassing to be having a foot exam in the middle of a store but I just went for it.

After a few little tests, it gave me the number of the orthotic that was for me (CF 320). All of the inserts were next to the machine.  They were $50 at Bed Bath & Beyond and like any good BBB shopper, I had a wad of coupons for 20% off so they were only $40.  In addition, when I googled before writing this blog, I found a mail in rebate for another $10  (rebate link) So for $30 I gave them a try. So far, so good.

So if you are like me 29 with 80 year old feet, you might want to try them.  Just bring the wipes! 

By the way, Bed Bath & Beyond Coupons are in magazines, sunday newspapers, etc. I always have a stash in my car. They have expiration dates but BBB takes them even if expired. You can also use one coupon per item so if you buy 10 things there, you can use 10 coupons.   They also accept coupons from Macy's and anyplace else that sells similar items. I am not a coupon user but always feel like a sucker if I buy anything at BBB without one! 

My left foot (The saga continues)

 I started doing this crazy cross training program last year. It was hard but I felt that "runner's high" afterwards. I felt stronger. I felt good. Then I got injured. My left foot started to throb after running on a treadmill. I rested. I iced. I elevated. I used anti-inflamatories. I googled. It did not get better

I went to doctors. I had an MRI. I complained. Despite my resistance, I bought sensible shoes. My doctor said that the cross training thing that I was doing was bad for my foot and my neck (a whole other story). I rested more. I ignored and tried to walk through the pain. I complained to my poor husband a lot.  It still hurts. 

I finally decided that I am going back to the orthopedist today and telling him that I am far too young and active to be permanently injured. I want to be able to exercise. I want to be able to walk for miles without pain. I'd like to wear high heels but that is negotiable.  I will do whatever it takes.  Wish me luck.

Trendwatching...

You may not be able to tell by looking at me, but I could get a job as a trend watcher. I have a keen ability to pick out what will be hot in a trend, what won't be and what trends are about to die.

I was very good at this when I owned my fashion jewelry business. I sold about 10,000  silly bands (those dumb rubber bands that were hot for a second a few years ago) 

I was an attendee at the New York Toy Fair right before the craziness broke out. I knew that these would be hot. I told the my colleagues with store  in other cities to get them. I could not keep them in stock.  By the time my colleagues started ordering them, the annoying critters were out of style.

I predicted buddha yoga styles of decorating, madonna style clothing in the 80's, wrap bracelets, ponytail ribbon wrist bands, foldable ballet flats, and many many more trends.  It is almost annoying because often I know what is going to be hot, but can't find it right away, (or find it at a discount anyway)

I've been right about many other trends throughout my life. Sometimes I am dead wrong (No one over the age of five would be caught wearing crocs in public right?) but mostly I am right. 

I should work for someone and make money on this superpower of mine but for now, I will provide my service for free.

The trend that I now announce as over is the Chevron Print....

Seriously, I love a Chevron print but when Groopdealz.com has an email with 10 deals advertising "Trendy" Chevron goods, the trend is done. 

So if you love your chevron, wear it now. I really think that it will look dated by this time next year. 

Why didn't I think of that (first post)

Maybe it's because I've been watching too much Shark Tank lately, but I'm sure that this won't be my "why didn't I think of that" post.

In my inbox today was an email from the website Fab.com.  Look at this cool beach tote.

It is by a company called Quirky.   This tote has a sifting mesh bottom and pockets. When you are ready to leave the beach, just unfasten the flaps and shake it. Supposedly any sand inside will escape. It is really cute too

The price is quite steep at  $90 but I'm pretty sure that you'll see knockoffs for less next summer in Targay, etc.

Brillant! 

Mojo Donuts...

When it is summer vacation and you have a child in humid hot/rainy South Florida with a non-waterproof cast on his leg, you will do anything to keep him entertained and happy so today, Sam (the one with the cast) and I headed out to Pembroke Pines to check out a new Donut Store called Mojo Donuts. 

Mojo Donuts is a gourmet donut shop. Supposedly, they are South Florida's first gourmet donut place.  They are in a non-descript shopping center in an area that we never venture to (it is about 30 minutes from our house).   Was it worth it to drive 30 minutes for donuts? I guess if you ask my weight watcher's leader or my doctor, "of course not". If you ask anyone else, including my teenage kids, "absolutely!"

When we walked in, we saw a counter full of amazing looking donuts. The clerked explained that they are open every day from 6 a.m. until they sell out. They make the donuts fresh each morning. They have different flavors every day.  I can't remember all of the flavors but some of them were
-red velvet
-key lime
-bacon maple
-bacon nutella
-snickers/potato sticks
- fruity pebbles
-raspberry glazed
-smores


You get the diabetic-causing picture. I let Sam pick out the flavors.

I tried the potato stick/snickers one. It was worth every calorie (or so I saw until tomorrow when the scale is sure to creep up)

Sam had some of the fruity pebbles and a brownie covered donut. Jake had the bacon nutella one. He said it was great! 

We saved a guava one for Dad who is at work. I'm sure it is good.

Mojo Donuts is located at 7906 Pines Blvd in Pembroke Pines. I don't think that they have a website but here is the link to their facebook page.

I'm very glad that this place is not closer to my house. 

I surrender...

This week, I tried to finish up a freelance law project and list a ton of fab stuff that a friend gave me to sell on eBay.  I had a lot of work to do and wanted to try to get back in the groove after the weeks of Bar Mitzvah chaos.  

First of all I had the cast debacle with my son. 
Then my computer started acting wonky and I spent hours on the phone with applecare getting it back up to speed
Then my iphone started acting wonky and I had to spend hours at the apple store getting it back up to speed.'
Then the flood came...

I realized that sometimes life gets in the way of life and hopefully my groove will return next week.

Oh yes, did I say flood?  We had a flash flood here in Aventura.  In the morning, the weather girl said to expect some light rain during the day due to the tail of tropical storm Andrea which was heading far away. 

The weather people in Miami are gorgeous but not very good at their jobs. I don't know why I even watch.  It started to rain. And rain. And rain. 

Our little city got 15" in one afternoon.  My place is usually fine in the rain but this was heavy and fast.  The entrance to my house is up three steps but I have a very large sunken living room which is on ground level.  During the 15 years that I have lived here, we have been through hurricanes and tropical storms, water has only seeped in under the sliding glass doors once. That was during a freak flash flood about five years ago during December. A little water leaked in, we sucked it up with a wet vac and forgot about it.

Yesterday I noticed a little water coming in around 2 p.m. I put down towels and some water absorbing things that look like giant sausages. By 3 p.m. more towels. By 4 p.m.  I was out of towels and I felt defeated, the water just started coming in. Luckily, most of my house is two feet higher than the living room.  I told my husband to leave work (He just started with a new company a week ago. I've already called once with a child headed to the emergency room and now with a flood! His new office must think we are a dramatic family!!!)  


It is a good thing that he left when he did. As it was, it took four times longer than usual. The closer he got to the house, the more cars were stalled out in the road. It took 45 minutes to go the last mile to my house! During the point that I wanted to take a shower but had no dry towels! I was glad that my living room had not been re-decorated lately and that I was not attached to anything in it other than photographs which had been moved to higher ground. Facebook friends from the area reported really long commutes as it got later. The rain finally let up and the water was sucked up. No permanent damage.

Here are the towels outside waiting to be washed. It may be time for new towels.

Here is the little lake in my front yard. Usually it looks so pretty. Floods are messy

I highly recommend that you own a canister style wet vac. We would never have been able to get a company to come out yesterday, everyone was flooded!!!

Summer is here....

As a mother of two boys who completed 9th and 7th grade yesterday, who hosted a Bar Mitzvah in the Bahamas two weeks ago, whose husband, after much deep consideration, just made a major career change , who now has to pack 4 camp trunks for sleep
away camp, who decided to undertake some freelance lawyer work which is more time-consumng than ever, who has been to 1 ER and two orthopedist offices in the past week, and is peri-menopausal,  I AM EXHAUSTED.

Usually when Summer Break arrives, I am enthusiastic. I am usually dancing in the carpool line. Not this year but I have resolved to fake it until it arrives.  In the words of one of my BFF, "respect the lull".  No homework. No 6:15 a.m. school bus to make.  No less nagging , bitching and yelling. 

Furthermore, soon the beasts will be heading off to the mountains for a month of good clean fun. This means, maybe 2 Publix Supermarket trips (the whole month!!!!) , way less laundry, way less driving and no nagging, bitching or yelling! Woo Hoo. Just typing that made me feel a little more summery.