Love/Hate Relationships

I am a consumer.

I buy things almost everyday. Call me superficial if you must, but I have needs.

And, by needs I mean daily use things like toothpaste, facial soap, food, and handbags.

From time to time I get products I LOVE. And, occasionally I get stuck with some bull crap I can't stand.

As it's the beginning of summer, the dudes and I are doing a lot of consuming (purchasing summer products); some of them are great, some of them, not so much.

Why, don't I share?

Oh, I thought you'd never ask!

Summery Things I (currently) Love:

1. all laundry detergent. On the occasions that I am so inclined to do laundry (which, regrettably is at an all time high during summer months) I use ONLY all. I don't have a great deal of laundry related knowledge, but I do know a few things about this stuff. One, they sell it at Costco, which means you can get a whole crap load of it, for am unbelievably low price. And, I need a crap load of it, 'cause when I do finally get around to washing, these kids seriously dirty a TON of clothes. It's borderline embarrassing. Two, it smells delicious. All fresh and clean and pleasant like. It expertly masks that boy scent that I can't seem to wash out of their skin or their hair for the life of me. I'm desperately frightened of puberty. I'm pretty sure I don't enjoy the smell of testosterone laced teen spirit. Three, no one is allergic to it, which if you could see #1's sunscreen induced facial rash right now, you'd know how important this point is. I use the Small and Mighty version and even it, in its highly concentrated state, is free and clear of perfumes and dyes that would irritate sensitive skin. Do you really need more than 3 reasons? How about first person to comment and send me an email with their address gets a coupon for a free full sized bottle of it?

2. Suave. Yes, I am obsessed with personal hygiene at the moment. Summer does that to me because I have a SERIOUS problem with sweating. I used to think it was because of my weight, now, since I've lost some, I'm pretty sure that it's some nasty little hormonal issue. Regardless, I like to be cleanly, and Suave is doing it for me right now. I like the Apricot Exfoliating body wash the best. I'm a fan of body washes that have what my dudes like to call "sand" in them to scrub all the dead and dirty off. Plus, this one smells SO good. Best part: it's inexpensive! Suave also has some pretty impressive moisturizers, and I'm an expert on this because I am waging a constant battle against ashy knees and elbows. They are like the bane of my existence, particularly during the summer. And, you might want to check out Suave's Shower Yourself Beautiful campaign page where you can enjoy cool tips about staying beautiful and enter to win some REALLY cool prizes.

3. Spray on sun screen. I know I said #1 has a wicked little rash creeping all over his face, but that is because I (foolishly) switched from the generic Target brand to the fancy, schmansy Banana Boat Baby million SPF brand; my bad. So, back to the Target-works-fine-costs-less-no-creepy-rash-causing brand for #1. Thankfully, the rash doesn't bother him at all, but looking at it bothers me.

And, now for the good part.

Summery Things I (currently) Love to Hate:

1. Banana Boat Baby SPF 50 continuous spray sunscreen. See above.

2. Deer. Yes, I did just through out some seemingly harmless wild animal hate, but in my defense, these huge bastards creatures have almost been the death of my 3 times this week. It's only because I actually love animals (and my car) that they are such a problem. I'd hate to actually hit one. So, when I come around a curve (possibly driving slightly too fast for that particular curve, but I tend to think speed limits are open for interpretation), and one of those monsters is standing smack dab in the middle of the road (why, I'm not sure b/c don't they eat grass, not pavement) I swerve to avoid them. Dangerous, right?! And, it's not just in my car that they cause me trouble. Lately, they have been all over my neighborhood (please don't explain to me why, I get it, humans are overtaking their territory; got it). Came home the other day and there was one standing in. My. Driveway. I'm pretty sure it rolled it's cooky looking bubble eyes at me before sauntering (bold, 'cause I could easily be a gun toting hunter) out of the way so I could pull in. I used to enjoy their furry, docile, cuteness. But, up close and personal, they ain't all that cute. They have flies swarming all over them, and their crap is all over the yard. Not cute. Plus, tons of my neighbors have been diagnosed with Lyme disease because of those sick mongrels. Disgusting. Now I'm all paranoid about going outside too.

3. iTunes. I know this one is not summer related per se, but I do tend to up my music downloading in summer because I start working out more (yes, I'm a wuss when it comes to cold weather), which means I need some tunes. So, here's my beef with iTunes. If, I'm going to spend my hard earned 99 cents (or $1.29 which I am categorically opposed to) on a music download when I easily could have gotten a "friend" to "acquire" it for me without cost (don't ask), then it better not have that obnoxious radio voice in the background explaining to me how lucky I am to get hit in the head with the worldwide exclusive. Yes, I downloaded a song for my listening pleasure, and it sounds as effed up as any stolen copy you could have gotten from one of those nefarious file sharing sites. Oh, and I know it's a Cash Money Production (feel free to question my taste in music, even I do at times), so I don't need to hear a cash register ringing me up every 15 seconds throughout the ENTIRE song. I will be constructing a letter of complaint forthwith.

I'll stop for today. But, I consider this list of things I love to hate a pretty fluid summary that changes daily, often hourly, so be prepared for a continuation.

P.S. Sorry if you were looking for a Bachelorette recap today. I live in the DC Metro area and due to the recent tragedy, the show was preempted. But, you can check out Mamakat, maybe she can help you out:)!