Lipstick and Legos

If you live in Utah, and you are a female, you know someone who sells Maskcara makeup.  I am pretty sure I can throw a rock and hit like three reps.  I give major props to anyone who does MLM sales.  I think I could be successful in sales, but I do not think I could be successful in that type of sales. I've been offered makeovers and facials from countless friends involved in Maskcara products, and I always turned them down.  I'm committed to my drugstore cosmetics, thank you very much, and I like having my face two shades darker than my hands because there isn't an exact match for foundation.  A few years ago I graduated from my Walmart make up to NYX at Ulta--thanks Katlin for holding my hand on that one-and felt like such a grown up.  Look at me in the big girl beauty store! The only downside? All the cashiers are terrifying.  Tone down the judgement, Janet, I'm a contour virgin ok? Give me a minute.  And while we are at it, what the crap is ...

Yesterday Dewy and I celebrated our engagement anniversary, so for Friday favorites this week we are talking dates.  Dewy and I go on dates every week.  We guard that night with our lives, and truth be told our boys love it as much as we do.  They beg for babysitters.  It can't possibly be because I'm anything less than a joy 24-7, right?  Whatever. This week's favorites are going to be my favorite dates that Dewy and I have gone on.  We are pretty predictable most weeks, but there have been some really fun things we've done. 1. Paddle boarding and dinner on the dam. We are lucky enough to live right by Weber State University, and their recreation department rents out all kinds of equipment.  One Friday night, we joined our besties and rented four adult size paddle boards.  $40 got us the boards for 24 hours.  We grabbed Cafe Rio and hit Pine View dam.  After a quick picnic on the beach, we got in the water.  We had a blast f...

It's not a secret that I started my bow tie business, Lipstick and Legos, because I was sick and tired of going to all these fun places and seeing cute stuff for girls and garbage for boys.  Why can't dressing boys be as fun as dressing girls? Guess what... I think it's more fun.  And like ridiculously easier.  I can get three boys ready in the same amount of time it takes a mom to get one girl dressed.  Tights, shoes, skirt, top, cardigan, bow, jewelry... KNOCK. IT. OFF.  Since I know as much about make up and such as a third grader, I'll take dressing boys. Once I figured out where to find cute boy clothes--you know... the kind that wasn't covered in characters, skulls, cartoon sports gear, or camo--I fell in love with dressing my boys.  I've decided to compile a list of all my favorite places to locate cute boy clothes, and a few tricks of the trade. 1. Old Navy Let's get real here... 80% of the clothing in my house comes from Old Navy.  The qu...

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I have the privilege of serving the young women in my area between the ages of 14-15.  Part of that calling allows me to teach them lessons on Sunday.  This Sunday was one of those opportunities. I chose to give a lesson on adversity today, and I was a little taken aback by how it all went.  I spent the week pondering ideas for the lesson that would best serve the girls in my class.  They are all so different, and handling different life situations.  What could I teach them to help them each work through those things as individuals? I believe that I will be held accountable for the girls that I have stewardship over, so I take my lessons seriously, and want to make sure that my girls are being prepared for anything the future might hold for them.   As I pondered the idea of adversity, I thought a lot about the Savior.  No other person on earth has suffered the amount of...

I never really had a serious boyfriend in high school.  I went on dates, and to a few dances, but most of my weekends were spent making music videos to Michael Jackson's greatest hits with the girls, screaming in the stands at the game, and eating an alarming amount of fast food.  I hear how pathetic that sounds.  After high school, though, I upped my dating game, and landed like three serious boyfriends--two of which my mom was ready to run down with her car.  I still went on plenty of other dates, and basically what I'm trying to tell you is that I was never the one doing the dumping, but rather, the one getting dumped.  I know... you're shocked.  With these good looks and winning personality...what were they thinking?! Just kidding.  We all know that I'm a lot to handle. I could tell you plenty of stories about my dating years.  Like how I met one guy I dated when he opened up the gym door abruptly smashing me in the head and knocking me out....

I'm not sure if you've heard or not, but I'm a teacher.  If you're new here, welcome! and buckle up because I talk about my job A LOT.  I feel very passionate about education, and have some strong opinions about pedagogy, testing, homework, and more. I'm also a strong advocate for teachers.  My poor boys are so screwed.  I'd like to think I'll always have their backs when it comes to dealing with issues at school, but if they are being bone heads to their teachers... beware the wrath of this mom-teacher.  I have a feeling I'll be taking the side of the teacher. Whatever.  My oldest son is in second grade and participating in a dual immersion program at school.  This means that half of his day is learning language arts and reading in English, and half of his day is spent learning science and math in Spanish.  I'm talking no English speaking is allowed.  I have great things to say about this program, and some negative things, but overall it...

 You guys sure are suckers for a good home tour.  Today I will introduce you to my favorite spot in the house--obviously the master suite.  When we designed the home, I knew I wanted one level living, but I also wanted some space from my kids... you know...for serenity purposes.  And so I couldn't hear them if they were coughing at night.  I am mother of the year.  Our bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from my kids, and I. AM. THRILLED about it. First off, let's discuss a seemingly small detail here.  The entrance.  My bedroom is right off the kitchen, which happens to be a pretty busy hub at the Hodges' house.  I didn't want everyone to be able to see straight into my bedroom while they sat at the kitchen island, so we designed the entrance to conceal the bedroom.  Mother. Freaking. Genius.  It seems like a minor detail that wasn't intentional, but trust me, it was. You all thought this post was for your viewing ple...