Where do you write?

North Myrtle Beach in March

Sky, sea, and sand. What’s not to love? Grab a chair and write!

Me, I write wherever and whenever I can. Inside my van parked in the lot while waiting to pick up my daughters from school is a cramped but quiet spot. Propped up with pillows, sitting in a patch of morning light in my bed is a comfy place to write. I’ve written at airports, bookstores, and coffee shops. I’ve written while sitting at picnic tables, park benches, and desks. Since I initially write long hand and then type and edit on the computer, I don’t have to worry about screen glare or finding a power source when creating a first draft. So really anywhere is as good as any place else.

North Myrtle Beach in March

A good place to walk and clear your head.

However, my all time favorite place to write is at the beach. Sand, surf, and sunshine? I’m there as often as I possibly can manage. Just last month during my annual spring break I spent a week on my favorite beach: North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My only interruptions were the gulls checking out what I brought for lunch and wayward frisbee. If only I could live there year round, just think how productive I could be!

Where’s your favorite writing spot? Let me know in the comments below.

How to Sunblock Your Kids Without Poisoning Them with Sunblock

Sure, getting your kid to wear a hat is the first line of defense, but unless they’re wearing a sombrero, from their shoulders down will still be exposed. Like most people I see at the beach, I sprayed my kids down with waterproof sunblock from a can or slathered on some name brand SPF 1000–the higher the number the better right? Nope, the experts recommend no lower than SPF 30 and no higher than SPF 50.

Then I happened to read about the toxicity of the chemicals found in common sunscreens. BreastCancerFund.org tells me “octyl-methoxycinnamate, which is estrogenic and has thyroid hormone-disrupting effects, is found in over 800 sunscreens.” Great. Since my kids were babies I’ve been diligently disrupting their hormones…

Well, when I know better I try to do better, thank you Maya Angelou.

http://www.sunprecautions.com/product/84300

http://www.sunprecautions.com/ product/84300

But what would be an effective replacement? I could cover them in protective clothing, but then I’d never get them out of the house. Long sleeves at the beach? Maybe in fall and winter. But July?

“You want me to wear what? No thanks Mom, I’ll just stay in the air conditioning and play video games all day.”

So this summer I decided to get the kids involved in a little research test. We would try out a few of the “healthier alternative” sunblocks that we could actually afford and see which one(s) we liked.

Our criteria included: EWG rating, SPF, packaging, price, ease of application, feel of product on skin, color of skin after application, time before reapplication, water and sweat resistance, smell, and finally, did it prevent sunburn?

Our three test products:

Three sunblocks chosen for a summer-long comparison

Three sunblocks chosen for a summer-long comparison

When and Where we tried them out? Summer Camps, Sports, Swimming, Beach, Gardening, and Outdoor Fairs all summer long…

Our family gives Burnout 4.5 out of 5 stars

Our family gives Burnout 4.5 out of 5 stars

Our first Sunblock is BURNOUT OCEAN TESTED PHYSICAL SUNSCREEN

  1. EWG rating: 1 (the lower the better)
  2. SPF: 30
  3. Packaging: Easy to get the product out of the tube, fits in a purse, beach bag, back pocket
  4. Price: $13.99 for 3.4 OZ on Amazon
  5. Ease of application: Easy to put on and rub in
  6. Feel of product on skin: Doesn’t feel tacky or sticky, light, non-oily
  7. Color of skin after application: Pale gray at first, slight sheen later
  8. Time before reapplication: one hour
  9. Water and sweat resistance: water beaded up, sunblock ran into eyes when daughter played tennis, rubbed off on clothing very easily, washes off hands with soap and water
  10. Smell: no unpleasant smell, neutral
  11. Did it prevent sunburn: Yes!
  12. OVERALL RATING 4.5 out of 5 stars

Our second Sunblock is BARE BELLY ORGANICS MINERAL SUNSCREEN

Our family gives Bare Belly a 2.5 out of 5 stars

Our family gives Bare Belly a 2.5 out of 5 stars

  1. EWG rating: 1 (the lower the better)
  2. SPF: 30
  3. Packaging: Easy to get the product out of the tub, fits in a purse, beach bag, but not a back pocket
  4. Price: $17.95 for 4 OZ from Bare Belly Website
  5. Ease of application: Difficult to put on and rub in
  6. Feel of product on skin: Gritty, thick
  7. Color of skin after application: Chalky White, strong sheen later
  8. Time before reapplication: one hour
  9. Water and sweat resistance: water beaded up, sweat resistant, rubbed off on clothing, washes off hands with soap and water
  10. Smell: smells like lard
  11. Did it prevent sunburn: Yes! but my kids and I could not get past the consistency and smell of this stuff.
  12. OVERALL RATING 2.5 out of 5 stars
Our family gives Badger Kids a 3 out of 5 stars

Our family gives Badger Kids a 3 out of 5 stars

And finally BADGER KIDS SUNSCREEN CREAM

  1. EWG rating: 1 (the lower the better)
  2. SPF: 30
  3. Packaging: Easy to get the product out of the tube, fits in a purse, beach bag, and a back pocket
  4. Price: $13.50 for 2.9 OZ from Amazon
  5. Ease of application: Easy to put on and rub in
  6. Feel of product on skin: Doesn’t feel tacky or sticky, light, non-oily
  7. Color of skin after application: White at first, slight sheen later
  8. Time before reapplication: half hour
  9. Water and sweat resistance: water beaded up, sweated off after 30 minutes, rubbed off on clothing, washes off hands with soap and water
  10. Smell: Dreamsicles, you know the orange and vanilla popsicles? Smells just like them. I loved the smell, but so did every bug within a 30 ft radius.
  11. Did it prevent sunburn: Yes! but if your the type of person that naturally attracts bugs this will only enhance your attractiveness, so you better wear bug repellant too.
  12. OVERALL RATING 3 out of 5 stars

So this little non-scientific study was how I got my kids to wear sunblock all summer! Hands down BurnOut was the winner. Keep in mind these three sunblocks are all “barrier” types, so it’s best to compare them against each other and not against the chemical- based sunblocks most of us are used to. Also, these descriptions and ratings are from my family based on our own unique experience. We were not compensated in any way and I purchased the products myself.

Have you used a barrier sunblock before? Which ones do you like?

Summer Binge Watching

Also known as HOW I SPEND MY SUMMER VACATION

If you know me, you know I don’t get out much during the school year. 60-hour work weeks and a house full of kids and pets keeps me from indulging in extracurricular activities, including watching all the TV shows that everyone talks about.

So during the summer when I’m not chauffeuring the kids to camp, or cranking out my next novel, I binge watch. Come to find out, I actually prefer binging to the weekly sample size. Enjoying a season or two, or five, within a week is . . . fun! And since none of it moves into long-term memory, I can binge some of my favorite series more than once!

My Top Ten TV Series for Binge Watching

Firefly__Best_TV_Series_Ever

  1. Firefly, followed by the movie Serenity
  2. Game of Thrones
  3. The Walking Dead
  4. The West Wing
  5. Outlander
  6. The Good Wife
  7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  8. House of Cards
  9. Lost
  10. True Blood

 

 

For extra credit I like to binge watch Movie Series. Some of my favorites include:

IndianaJones_Best_Movie_Series_Ever

  • 4 Indiana Jones movies
  • 3 Lord of the Rings movies
  • 7 Harry Potter movies
  • 2 Kill Bill movies
  • 3 Dark Night movies
  • 3 Star Wars IV-VI movies
  • 8 Police Academy movies (don’t judge)
  • 4 Jurassic Park movies
  • 2 Bridget Jones’s Diary movies (with a 3rd on the way)
  • 3 Iron Man/ 2 Avenger movies
  • 4 Sharknado movies (come on, lighten up)Sharnado_You_Know_You_Love_It
  • 3 Godfather movies
  • 3 Matrix movies
  • 3 Toy Story movies
  • 13 Star Trek movies (best broken into sets by cast: 6/4/3)
  • 3 Back to the Future movies
  • 3 Spiderman movies (the ones with Tobey Maguire)
  • 4 Superman movies (the ones with Christopher Reeves)
  • 5 Alien/Prometheus movies (with a 6th on the way)
  • 7 Fast & Furious movies (with an 8th on the way)
  • Come_on_Its_JohnyDepp_playing_a_pirate5 Pirates of the Caribbean movies
  • 5 Terminator movies
  • 3 Naked Gun movies
  • 5 Die Hard movies
  • 4 Spy Kids movies (OK my kids love them and I love hanging with my kids, so, yeah, I watch these too)

Have I left off any of your favorites? Put them in the comments below!