Here We Are...with Luci

A Bulletin From Staci...Calling All Busy Moms To Be On The Lookout For THE MOM SQUAD

Hi, I'm Staci,  the lead contributor for The "Mom" Squad section on Here We Are.  I am a mother of a 2-year-old girl, Elle, and we are expecting our second daughter in November.  Between work, home and raising Elle, I understand the daily work and the amount of energy it takes to keep it all running smoothly.  Some days, as you probably know, things can become completely hectic when you least expect it!  I continue to learn new things everyday to minimize those nerve-wrecking times and I am anxious to share them with you. 

I invite you to watch for my upcoming "Mom" Squad product reviews and sanity saving tips!  My goal is to save you time and money so you can enjoy more quality time with your kids. You can be confident that any reviews you read on Here We Are will be brutally honest; whether I am reporting on a new organic juice that Elle loves or Luci is testing a new mineral based cosmetic.  If we like it, we will tell you, if we hate it, we will warn you. 

So welcome aboard this journey because Here We Are altogether...Won't you join us?

If You Are In Need of a Mini-Escape, May I Suggest a Date with the “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”

With the stock market crashing (again), people losing their life savings and a contentious, never-ending Presidential campaign, this movie won’t solve your problems but it will make you smile.  It is a nice escape offering up all of the good old fashioned, live action elements we expect from a Disney movie.  The main storyline includes a canine heroine, a hero, an underdog (no pun intended), a villain, a troublemaker, and various “helpers” to move the story along.  The subplot focuses on the same characters only played by actors in human form. It is hard to act with kids and animals, but
Piper Perabo turns in a very likable performance. 

Now I may be partial because I liked the “talking” animal vehicle, and many of the kids in the theater seemed to as well. In this movie, the big dog, oops…I mean the little Chihuahua, Chloe, ends up caught in a classic fish out of water scenario.  Instead of a continuing her life as a pampered Beverly Hills pooch, she ends up in Mexico on an adventure that changes her and everyone she encounters for the better. 

No doubt it is far-fetched, a bit corny, and some might say slightly stereotypical, but overall, it is a clean, wholesome fun time.  It could have been a few minutes shorter to avoid some restlessness of the smaller kids, but as I walked out of the theater all of the adults were smiling.  So, if you are in need of a few happy, peppy moments with or without the kids this weekend…check your local listings and say adiós a sus preocupaciones por un 85 minutos.
 

“WOOD FOR GOOD” Is Good For Wood: A Better Way To Clean Green

I did not plan to do a product review for my first official entry on Here We Are.  But as we all know, sometimes we get a nice surprise that we want to share and this is one of those times.

Recently, I bought a new kitchen table with a beautiful dark wood top.  On the day it was delivered, I decided to clean it with my usual wood cleaner to make it even shinier.  Well…I tried to fix something that wasn’t broken and surprise, I took off most of the finish leaving the tabletop dull and uneven!  So, since the summertime, I have tried several of the more recognizable commercial products in hopes of restoring the shine and evenness to the wood.  None of those products did much of anything except stink up my kitchen, give me a headache, and leave a lot of waxy and/or oily residue behind…until this past weekend.

I am happy to report my discovery of Method's wood cleaner, WOOD FOR GOOD. While it did not completely even out the finish, it did help to make it more uniform and left behind a beautiful shine without any residue.  The smell is called “Almond” and while it is very pleasant, I am not sure I would necessarily have identified it as such.  The real bonus is the natural and identifiable ingredient list, and from what I can tell, it’s phthalate free.

When I stumbled upon the wood cleaner at the store, on the shelf next to it sat a box containing a reusable microfiber cleaning cloth.  I am always suspicious when a company recommends buying an additional item to  enhance or help boost the results of the main product, but in this case, I agree.  The cleansing cloth made for a better result than when I tested the wood surface cleaner using just a paper towel.  You can definitely use a paper towel, but the loops in the microfiber seem to distribute the product better and it is environmentally friendly because you can wash it and reuse it over and over.  After rinsing it in the sink, I threw it into the wash, then the dryer; it came out a little lighter in color but worked just fine. NOTE: As of 2011, it looks like the company has discontinued the microfiber cleaning cloth. As an alternative, I tried a finely looped cotton washcloth devoted to this task.

It is no wonder they named it WOOD FOR GOOD! This product does its job, is gentle on the environment, smells great and costs less than $10 for both the cleanser and the microfiber cloth combined…Not only is it good for wood, it is definitely a better way to clean and be green.

{Product Review Disclaimer: This is NOT a paid review. No consideration of any kind was offered to or received by Lucimac Productions, the parent company of HWA.}
 

Hello and Welcome to Here We Are

A Message from Luci...

I am so glad you stopped by to check out Here We Are because it was created with you in mind! This is the blog for women who juggle life, careers, and families while putting out fires on a daily basis.  Over the last few years I started to see a trend that all of the women I know shared -- a lack of free personal time. While we all run around “doing,” days turn into weeks, weeks into months and before you know it, you can’t remember the last time you read a magazine, tried a new cosmetic, or met a new friend. In an effort to expand our interests and explore life’s musings before it passes by, I created a place for women like us. At Here We Are, you will find ideas for your home, tips on style, product reviews, pop culture commentary, career advice, tasty recipes, and much more all chosen to make your life better, brighter, and easier! 

In the weeks and months to come, join me as Here We Are introduces a line up of talented women who will lend their expertise in our mission to help other women. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome…we’d love to hear from you.  We won’t share your email so please feel free to sign up to receive email updates whenever a new entry is posted.  Thanks for joining Here We Are and I look forward to our journey together!