As I was hanging up my jeans after doing laundry tonight I was flooded with memories of my butt and the way we were.

I don’t think I ever cared about name brands or what I was wearing until I hit 6th grade and then suddenly for some odd reason it mattered. Nevermind the fact that my classmates and I had already been through 6 years of elementary school together. That year something just clicked (or maybe is it “cliqued”?) and it mattered.

The most coveted article of clothing through my junior high years was jeans. And no, not just any pair of jeans. They had to be Guess jeans, bonus points if they had a button fly and zipped at the ankle. That little upside down triangle in red, black, and white sporting the Guess logo was the epitome of coolness. And if you completed that outfit with a pair of Reebok hi-tops (in a rainbow of colors) and some gaudy geometric patterned top or sweater? You ruled.

I suckered my parents into buying me a few pairs of Guess jeans at a whopping $60-75 a pop, which was big money back then. Heck, it’s still big money to me. I don’t know if they really thought they were worth it or just didn’t want their daughter to be the only one without them, but they graced my butt with the style that was so desperately required of me during those angst-ridden pre-teen years.

(Insert eyeroll here)

I had to laugh at myself tonight as I hung up my Old Navy jeans that most certainly didn’t cost over $20 nor do they flatter my butt. What happened to that 13 year old girl who was a slave to fashion? Did she ever think she’d be caught dead in mom jeans? My God, doesn’t she care anymore?

I’ve noticed that today’s “it jeans” are a bargain (*choke*) at $200. I see them on high school aged children. You know, the ones carrying the $400 purses, talking on their iPhones and looking way older than their age.

I’m thinking it’s a good thing I’m not a teenager now. My parents would have never been able to afford me.

And Georges Marciano, I just want you to know you made a pretty penny off the teenaged girls in my small town way back when. I’m glad we could help you retire so well.

Work, work, work all weekend.

Tired, tired, tired.

It’s graduation time and we have been super busy at work making bows using the local school colors to use when we giftwrap. It’s a never-ending process because as soon as we make up a bunch they are all used up at the end of the day. Sort of like laundry…there really never is a point where you are finished forever. However, I will say that giftwrapping is probably one of the more fun aspects of my job.

What is HE high-efficiency detergent and when is it used? Can just any detergent be used in front-load washers? Washer manufacturers recommend ‘he’ detergents be used in their front-load and high-efficiency washers. Is this necessary?

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Congratulations to Susan1215!

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I was sent a bottle of Wisk HE to try out and I love how fresh my clothes smelled afterwards. The scent wasn’t overpowering and since I am sensitive to laundry detergents this was an added bonus to the great cleaning power.

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GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

I’d like to introduce you to Jimmy. He’s the orange one and he belongs to our next door neighbor. Jimmy has recently been set free from being an indoors only cat and has made friends with Bonnie and Clyde, which is a miracle in itself because Clyde usually does not tolerate any strange outside critters on our property.

Bonnie is not so enthused, because apparently Jimmy has ulterior motives. However, Jimmy is smart and he has done the first thing that any guy with common sense does when he’s interested in a girl. He makes friends with the brother.

We’re on to you, Jimmy.

I think every mother would agree that the best Mother’s Day gifts are made with little hands.

I’m hosting a giveaway for one of my lucky readers to win Wet Ones products for the school of their choice. Please click here to enter at my review blog.

You know how parents can use these weird mind-trick ways to get a kid to actually do something? My dad had one he used on me all the time when I was growing up. He’d ask me every afternoon once I was old enough to go out to the driveway and get the daily paper for him. He couldn’t do it because he had a bone in his leg.

And I completely fell for it every single time. Dad worked in a plant, standing on his feet all day long and the least I could do for him would be to get the paper, because by God, he had a bone in his leg!

I never gave it a second thought until one day when I was about 15 or 16. I suddenly had that Aha! moment and realized….we ALL have a bone in our leg. Then it became a running joke between us, but I still got the paper for him.

So after stepping over Thomas trains and track in our living room for the better part of the week, last night I told E.B. to pick it up. He innocently replied that he couldn’t.

Because? His bones in his legs hurt.

He’s been learning at the master’s feet. Too bad his mama ain’t buying.