A Few of My Favorite Things

I'm no Oprah, though I aspire to be as financially free as she is. I did see her show once when I was in graduate school in Chicago. I saw Madeline Albright. Pretty f'in cool. The favorite things show was soon after the one I went to. I've never been a lucky girl.

I'm no Maria either. I sure could use her Super Nanny skills and patience once in a while. Why do the Brits have all the good nannies?

In light of the economy and the southward way it's following the blue jays of summer, I am tightening the ol' belt, proverbially, that is. My real belt is plenty tight, thank you. Chalk it up to all those bittycakes I stuff into my mouth every time I sashay through the kitchen. Mac Daddy and I are prioritizing and adjusting our must-have lists. So far nothing has budged. Come on, I cannot live without Esmerelda and DVR, my cleaning lady and TV crack, respectively. Organic milk and nitrite-free lunch meat are also not budging. It looks like my fall wardrobe is the line item to drop. No new suede boots for me.

Here are five of my favorite things that I cannot live without. In no particular order:

Lip Balm - Burts Bees is my fave, but the Trader Joe's stuff also rocks with just the perfect glint of shine. I used to be a big fan of Wyeth's ubiquitous Chapstick, but the company is too uber conservative for me, and I don't want my $1.99 contributing to Republican coffers. Alas, alternatives abound.

Lash Exact mascara - As god as my witness, I will never buy department store beauty counter mascara again! The funky rubbery bristles hold the perfect amount of mascara, and the formula gives those long, lovely lashes a whole new definition to ooh la la.

Applegate Farms Uncured Pepperoni - Made from cows and pigs that don't OD on drugs and other antibiotics. Cured naturally with no nitrites. Healthy, as far as pepperoni goes. Perfect for Bird's lunch box with some string cheese, crackers, and an apple. Perfect on homemade pizza with a whole wheat crust (what we had for dinner last night), and perfect chopped into some scrambled eggs with onions and mozzarella. Delish.

Stonyfield Farm yogurt - No other yogurt brand will do. All the other brands have a chemically, saccharin taste. This is the real deal. I serve it with fresh fruit, chopped walnuts, and a tiny squeeze of honey and call it a breakfast sundae. My kids eat it up. They particularly love it when we eat them on Sunday. We love homonyms around here.

Wine - I'm not picky. Wine is the lifeblood that pulses through the veins of this sometimes shaky, sometimes wacky, always loud family of mine. White in the summer, red in the winter. Nothing sweet or fruity. Pink is not my color. No white zinfandel allowed through my front door. I've grown to prefer the screw off top. I generally buy wine by the price and label. The fall weather makes me want to cozy up to a good Malbec. A proper red wine glass is a must.


So tell me, what five things make your must-have list?