On my recent trip to Indiana to visit my parents I rediscovered some oldies but goodies that I had nearly forgotten even existed.
As I sat lounging on my parents couch enjoying the fact that Mimi and Papa had taken over full baby duty for me, the door bell rang. No joke, on the other side of the screen I came face to face with the Avon lady. She was dropping off my Mom’s recent order and the newest weekly Avon brochure. As I found myself with some extra time on my hands, I perused the catalog only to be completely floored by the product line. Inside I found old favorites from childhood like Dew Kiss moisturizing lip balm, still only 99 cents, and new products like Anew Clinical Advanced Wrinkle Corrector, $26.99, which earned itself a spot on Allure magazine’s Best of Beauty top 50 products listing.
Surprisingly enough, Avon had at least five of their products on Allure’s best of list. Not bad for a line many of my friends and I would consider our Grandma’s makeup line.
Another great find came in the kids section. I have struggled with my niece’s obsession with Hannah Montana and finding age-appropriate Hannah gear. So I really liked that Avon also sells a line of lip balm and scented shampoo and shower gels with Hannah Montana on them starting at 99 cents. Now that’s what I call good clean fun!
Finding these hidden treasures doesn’t require a ding-dong at the door; you can order them online at Avon.com for only a $3 shipping fee, or if you prefer the old school method, just plug in your ZIP code and find your nearest Avon representative who will be happy to visit you each week with a new brochure and gladly drop off your goodies for free.
Now not to be too much of a cliché, but I have found my pregnant self craving all things salty including, pickles. This craving led me to another great, long-forgotten find, Tupperware. My mom keeps her pickles in the same Tupperware pickle dispenser she has had since I was a kid. As I looked around I found tons of Tupperware that my mom still uses from my childhood that is in perfect shape, this is something I could not say of my stained and peeling Target plastic containers.
A home party gal I am not, but Tupperware has gone high tech with online ordering and even ‘virtual’ online parties. Whew, I can keep my Jello mold and trifle dish stored away (seemingly mandatory home party fare), and still get my hands on some storage containers with a lifetime warranty and in far hipper colors than my mom’s avocado green and mustard yellow.
A quick search online and I had found some of the items that took me back to childhood, like the Pick-A-Deli Round Container, $13, which perfectly serves and stores your pickles with a lift-out strainer that allows you to eat your pickles without all the juice and jar digging in a cool updated color called tropical water.
But the best stuff I found was all new and totally ingenious, like the Forget Me Not Set. These airtight containers allow you to store that half-eaten tomato, orange or onion from a hinged bowl that hangs from your refrigerator shelf so as not to be, well, forgotten! A set sells for $17.50 and includes one round bowl and one square bowl. I love this idea!
Not hosting a party does come with a price, you must pay for shipping and an additional 10 percent of your total purchase. Ouch. But with a lifetime warranty on these products, this seems a small price to pay for lifetime peace of mind, or you could just grab the ladies and throw a party. Either way you can find out more at Tupperware.com.
