Anyone Looking for a House (or 3) in the NY Area?

My family's official migration to the South is almost complete. And I couldn't be happier! I started my migration away from the icy, snowy, freezing winters of New York in 2001 when I started college in Southern Pennsylvania. But it was still snowy there and still cold. So after college I moved to Washington DC for a short time. Lo and behold, it was still freezing : ) So as luck would have it I fell in love with a Southern boy and moved down to Atlanta in 2005. And I've been here ever since - happy as a clam. And as I built my life here over the last 6+ years, I longed for my family to be closer. And this summer my dream came true - my sister and her family moved to Atlanta!! My Grandma is also here now. And soon my Mom and Step Dad will be here as well. YAHOOOO! Which leads me back to the title of my blog post: Anyone looking for a house (or 3) in the NY area?? Yup - that's right. All three houses are still for sale at this moment in time. BOO : (  So I figured that out of 25,000 readers (can you believe there are that many of you following Sweet Leigh Mama? YAY!) a few of you may reside in the Hudson Valley area of New York state, or may know someone who is looking for a house in the area. So in an effort to make the official New York to Atlanta migration complete, here are MLS postings for all three houses up for sale. It's kind of like a real life HGTV House Hunters. Enjoy! : )

House #1:  Port Jervis, NY (12771)
$149,900
3 bedrooms / 2 bathroom

Click Here to view Property 

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION - Located on an oversized lot on a quiet residential street this three bedroom home is a great investment. This charming two story home features three spacious bedrooms, large living room, formal dining room, spacious eat in kitchen and two full bathrooms and laundry room. Home also features hardwood flooring throughout and a partially finished basement. Exterior of home will sport a new fresh coat of paint and also features a large yard with patio. This is a solid home located in a great area of Port Jervis and is priced aggressively to sell. Invest in your future and stop paying rent while the interest rates are at their lowest in history.



House #2: Montgomery, NY (12549)
$169,900
3 bedrooms/ 1 bathroom

Click Here to view Property 

Impeccable Village of Montgomery Ranch. This home features a beautiful kitchen w/stainless steel appliances spacious living room new thermo windows hot water heater interior doors and trim water conditioner new bathroom central air conditioning huge deck overlooking very lush landscaped backyard. Very large basement that can be easily finished. This home needs nothing just move in. Come see!



House #3: Slate Hill, NY (10973)
$279,900
4 bedrooms / 2 bathrooms

Click Here to view Property 

Absolutely stunning gorgeous sprawling ranch - Award Winning Minisink Schools - This beauty features large formal living room w/lot's of natural sunlight formal dining room beautiful gourmet kitchen w/granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Huge bedrooms w/oversized closets. Master Bedroom and Master Bathroom Suite. Both bathrooms feature granite tops and imported tile floors. Massive family room. 4th bedroom. 2 car oversized garage. Central air conditioning. Party Deck. All situated on over 1.1 acres of lush landscaping. Rocking chair front porch. All blacktop driveway. Don't miss this home. One of the nicest homes you will ever see!

Falling In Love With My Skin

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://moms.dailybuzz.com/channel/style.

A few weeks ago I wrote about my new semi-obsession with my skin (Click here for a refresher: Do I Have Time To Worry About Wrinkles?) So since then the seasons have officially changed and any semblance of a tan has faded back into the paleness that consumes my skin 8 months out of the year. And now in addition to worrying about potential wrinkles, I'm face to face with dark circles under my eyes from stress, brown spots on my right cheek that appeared when I was pregnant with Miss Paige and some lovely red splotches on my forehead and chin that I'm still a little perplexed by. So when Walgreens asked me to discuss the ways I'm "falling" in love with my skin this autumn, I realized I was going to have to dig pretty deep to muster some positivity about my appearance. One glance in the mirror and I knew I needed to give my daily beauty and skin care routine a serious 180. And what a better time to do it than fall - the unofficial "new year".

Besides my obsession with preventing wrinkles, my summer beauty routine has been non-existant. Which is sad since I moonlight as a freelance make-up artist (from which I am taking a brief hiatus until after Lil D's surgery and recovery). But I'm inspired to step it up a little (especially now that I know my make-up won't melt off the second I step out the door). However - the last thing I want to do is look like I'm about to hit the clubs in Midtown when I'm really just heading to the grocery store in the burbs. So I have to keep it simple. Here is what I'm thinking....

1. My to-die-for anti-wrinkle toner (yes, I am still obsessed)

2. A smidge of moisturizer (too much and I'll break out) to take care of the red spots

3. A super light foundation to cover the spots, freckles, etc that have accumulated over the last three years of pregnancies (I've always been a fan of Loreal's Visible Lift because it has the most natural pigments in my opinion)

4. A quick brush of powder to smooth everything out
5. Bronzer. Can't forget the bronzer.

6. Mascara - a thickening and extending one that adds definition (BTW - at some point over the last year my eyelashes turned blonde. Muy disturbing and random, I know.)

7. A neutral (just a shade darker than my actual lips) lipstick.

Oh - and I know this doesn't have anything to do with make-up or my skin - but I've just got to do something about my ridiculously gray hair. So a trip to the salon to get some nice low lights is definitely a must over the next week or so.

And there you have it.: my official plan to step it up in the appearance department this fall. I figure if I can pull it off 4 out of 7 days in a week, I'll be in good shape. At least when I leave the house. Although I'll still be in sweatpants - maybe I'll work on sprucing up that part of my life next spring : )

 

Thank you to Walgreens for sponsoring this blog post. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

Mommy & Me Gluten-Free Book Signing

About a year and a half ago I stepped into a local health food store for the first time. To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement. Flax seed and whey protein and organics - OH MY! I don't remember anything else about that experience (probably blocked it out over a bag of Cheetos) except that I met a very nice woman who happened to be in the store at the same time. I think she sensed my anxiousness as I stared wide-eyed at the vast selection of products and took pity on me. After a brief conversation she told me that she was actually an author and had developed a recipe book with her son after struggling to find foods that wouldn't set off his severe food allergies. The book she spoke of was "Mommy and Me Gluten-Free!" (I remember her telling me how her son came up with the title - too cute!) and the woman was Sharon Feskanin - Gluten-free mama extraordinaire : )

Flash forward to today and I find out that my absolute FAVORITE shop in Historic Roswell - The Elegant Attic - (a must-visit destination outside Atlanta for anyone who isn't local) is hosting a book signing and presentation with none other than Sharon Feskanin this Thursday evening - October 13 - from 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Ever thought about going Gluten-free? Or is your child struggling with health issues that may benefit from a Gluten-free diet? Stop by The Elegant Attic to meet this super mama who took charge of her son's health - and check out her cookbook Mommy and Me Gluten-Free.

Book signing and presentation!

Mommy and Me Gluten-Free by Sharon Feskanin

at 

The Elegant Attic
1105 Canton Street
Roswell, GA
(Parking in rear)
678-261-7988

Are You OK With Average?

This morning I told my husband something I had been thinking about for the last few weeks. Nothing outrageous or scandalous - but just an observation I made. Of course he thought I was crazy (nothing new there), but after letting it sink in for a little bit, he kind of agreed with me.

So this is what I said: "I don't think Deacon is going to be the sharpest knife in the drawer." GASP! Am I a parent who is actually admitting that their child may not be "gifted and talented" and on the early admission list for Mensa? Yes. Yes I am. And I am perfectly ok with that.

At only 3 months of age, I know it's a little premature to make such a sweeping assessment of my son. And to be honest, I can't really tell you exactly why I feel this way. But I can just tell. Call it mother's intuition - but I just feel like my son is going to be of average intelligence. Not necessarily slow or having a learning disability or anything like that - I think he's going to just be a normal, average kid.

On the other hand, I think Miss Paige is one smart cookie. Not a genius or anything that extreme, but I think she's pretty bright. And maybe that is why I'm able to identify the differences between Paige and Deacon - Lil D doesn't seem as aware as Paige was at this age. It's ok - you can gasp again : ) Every parenting book says you shouldn't compare your children, but the truth is the truth.

And I'm actually 100% ok with the idea of being average. I've always been a major over-achiever. Not a perfectionist, but I would challenge myself with being better, faster, smarter than the last time I did something. It was an internal competition - could I do this? Could I get an A on that test without studying? Can I write this 5 page paper in just an hour or two? And I could - so I did. But other than the feeling of satisfaction with myself, I didn't really care about some of the other stuff that came along with being bright. Honors classes were TERRIBLE! Not because they were difficult, but they put a huge amount of unnecessary pressure on kids (in my opinion). They also created an invisible wall between the "smart kids" and the "regular kids". And to be honest, taking honors courses got me a whole lot of nothing when it came time to go to college (except the desire to just be "normal"). So because of my experiences, I've always hoped my children would just be normal... I feel like there is a lot less pressure to be perfect and a lot more room for self-exploration. They have opportunities to make mistakes without feeling like they let the entire universe down. They can get a B and not beat themselves up.

Now - that's not to say I'm going to let me kids not give everything their best effort. They better bust their little butts to succeed. But the definition of success doesn't have to be outrageous - it can just be normal : )

PS: Deacon - if you are reading this 20 years from now, don't be mad! You could become a rocket scientist or be inspired by your surgery and become a pediatric neurosurgeon for all I know. But if you aren't - and you are just a normal guy going to a normal college and like doing normal, average things - know that I am super proud of you - just for being YOU! XOXOXOX! Mommy : )