“There is no influence so powerful as that of the mother.” —Sara Josepha Hale

Just in case you’ve missed the pink-hued reminders at the grocery stores and the ramp-up of social media advertisements from your local florist and fancy chocolatiers, Mother’s Day is just around the corner. We love our moms every day, but this Sunday, May 8, is a special celebration time.

If you’re a last-minute shopper, don’t panic! I’ve created a list of products your mom is guaranteed to love. From beauty products to home goods, these gifts will pamper mom and make her life easier. (Think of it as a bit of penance for the teenage years!)

The love you have for your mom is priceless, but your budget may not reflect that endless love. If that’s the case, my Mother’s Day round-up includes gifts for every price point. Watch this segment, and then start shopping!

OLAY REGENERIST VITAMIN C+ PEPTIDE 24 HYDRATING MOISURIZER

Add to mom’s skin care routine OLAY Regenerist Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Hydrating Moisturizer. It is formulated with Olay’s proprietary technology to brighten dull skin instantly, leaving you with two times brighter skin vs. a basic moisturizer. The perfect blend of ingredients corrects the look of hyperpigmentation and uneven tone without clogging pores.

Includes dermatologist recommended ingredients:

Vitamin C: Protects against free radical damage, brightens skin and protects skin from visible damageVitamin B3 (Niacinamide): Boosts surface cell turnover and has been shown to even skin tone and tackle visible discolorationAHA Lactic Acid: Exfoliates and tackles hyperpigmentation to reduce the appearance of dark spots.

Available on Olay.com, or check out your local retailer for curbside pickup.

BEAUTIFECT BOX

Mom will be ready to slay with this luxury portable table. The game-changing Beautifect Box is a genius system that allows you to get ready in half the time with half the effort and look twice as good, it will improve your daily makeup routine and is the perfect treat for yourself or Mother’s Day. Created by dental surgeon turned entrepreneur (and a mother herself), Dr. Tara Lalvani, the Beautifect Box features the best lighting in the industry with a total of 5 lighting environments, a distortion-free glass mirror and a smart storage system for your essential daily makeup.

The advanced lighting ensures you see true-to life colors so you can see how you really look AND avoid makeup mishaps. Superbly engineered, it’s rechargeable & cordless with 1 charge lasting up to a whole month. Also including a 5x magnification mirror; every detail has been beautifully thought out to give you the best experience possible including a magic hinge allowing you to tilt the mirror to any angle so you can always sit comfortably. Think of this as your new luxury portable dressing table, easily apply your makeup in comfort anywhere you are: at home, in the office, in your hotel suite and even in the back of your Uber!

Beautifect is the leading go-to brand for the best in beauty tools and offers FREE SHIPPING throughout the US on beautifect.com

Use Code ABC20 and is available site-wide on all products

LEVOIT VORTEXIQ™ 40 Cordless STICK VACUUM

The Levoit VortexIQ 40 Cordless Stick Vacuum is great for moms, pet owners, parents, allergy sufferers, and features an auto-mode and infrared sensor that adjusts the power settings depending on the amount of debris and surface type (such as carpet, hardwood floors, and furniture).

This new smart vacuum offers a multi-functional and lightweight design, LED lights, easy-to-use technology, and innovative features (Auto mode & HEPA filtration with sealed system). 
It’s easy to store, has a long Runtime (Max: 40 mins | Auto mode: 25 – 33 mins), 5 power levels, and it comes with a charging doc and accessories holder.

Available on Levoit.com for $207.99 with 20% discount code, MOM22, until 5/8 11:59 PM PST (Original price: $259.99)

COSORI DUAL BLAZE AIR FRYER

Make Mother’s Day special by preparing a home cooked meal in a Cosori Dual Blaze Air Fryer. It features:

360 ThermoIQ Technology: Dual heating elements plus automatic temperature control cook both sides of your food evenly without needing to shake or flip.10 Customizable Functions: Chicken, Steak, Seafood, Veggies, Fries, Frozen, Air Fry, Reheat, Broil, Roast, Bake, and Keep Warm.Plenty of Space: The crisper plate provides even more surface space compared to traditional air fryer baskets – to fit more food in a 6.8-quart capacity.Smart Control: Control your air fryer remotely, monitor cooking progress, and activate voice control with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant through the free VeSync app on your mobile device.

Save 25% OFF the COSORI Dual Blaze Smart Air Fryer with promo code: LOVEMOM25
Valid now until: 5/8/22 at 11:59 PDT. Applicable only to the COSORI website

Fifty years ago, Graham Nash was writing songs about relationships, politics and wars. Those songs that were so relevant to our lives in the early 1970s haven’t lost their relevance in the early 2020s. From Joni, Nixon and Vietnam to his new wife, Trump and Ukraine, only the names have changed.

Yesterday, Nash released his latest album, “Graham Nash Live.” It’s live versions of “Songs for Beginners” and “Wild Tales”, his first two solo albums.

It’s amazing that someone who turned eighty…that’s right…80…in February is still on the road. Nash has been touring this year after sitting out the last couple of years due to the pandemic. He’s been playing small venues, such as Space, in Chicago suburban Evanston, which has a capacity of only two hundred fifty seats. It’s a long way from the olden days when he was playing to packed stadiums as part of Crosby, Stills and Nash. But, smaller actually makes it better.

IF what you hear on the album is what you’ll see on this tour, it’s well worth the money you’ll spend to see the concert. Yes, Nash’s voice isn’t quite as strong as it was in his peak, that’s to be expected at age eighty, but it’s still more than strong enough to carry the album.

The songs are still great. They’ll bring you back to a time that was just as volatile as now. “Graham Nash Live” is well worth your time and money.

Related Post: Graham Nash’s 1971 album “Song for Beginners” could have been made in 2021

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It was a rainy Friday afternoon and due to a work commitment, I couldn’t take the dogs out for a walk earlier in the day. By the time I got home, they were raring to go out – even if only for a ride on a wet, cold day.

SYDNEY has been with me since she was a baby less than 18 inches in length. SYD is now 8 years old and weighs about 80 pounds.

SAGE is a dog I rescued from the West Suburban Humane Society, a wonderful organization that is celebrating 50 years of taking care of dogs, cats, puppies, and kitties looking for a FOREVER HOME.

As we exited my car in the parking lot of Patriot’s Park, both dogs jumped from their seats to take a walk, rain or no rain. SAGE’s leash literally snapped and I went after her but I still wanted to keep an eye on SYD who I was sure would just wait by the car till I caught up with SAGE. In the time it took for me to look back at SYD and turn, SAGE was gone. I last saw her heading east but still in the park and far from the pond that sits in the middle of the park.

But then, it was as if she vanished.

I lost my dog.

Now, what do I do?

First, I got SYD into the car and we took off in the car heading east. We covered numerous blocks when I realized I needed to reassess my approach to the mysterious disappearance of my SAGE. I pulled to the side, googled to double-check that the Saint of lost causes is St. Anthony – and said a prayer. I then called the local police, described the dog, and left a number. I then used my smartphone to put SAGE’s photo along with her missing status with a plea for help on nine Facebook pages in my village and Nextdoor.com.

SYD and I then drove to my home, just on the chance that SAGE might return only to find she wasn’t there. We headed back to the park with the hope that SAGE might return to the parking lot. That’s when my phone beeped with a notification from Nextdoor.com that SAGE had been found by the Heininger family. Jackie who sent me a message noted that her son Patrick had the pup and provided me with his cell number.

It was pure RELIEF when Patrick informed me that he was at Fairmount and 55th rounding the corner with SAGE. I thought he was in a car. Instead, he was walking with SAGE on a leash accompanied by a young girl who looked like a sibling. Patrick told me that he had seen SAGE in the middle of 55th – scared and anxious due to the traffic. Patrick literally saved SAGE – brought her home and showed her off to the family convinced that since she was dressed in a brown coat, had tags, and on a leash, albeit one that was ripped – the cute Scottish Schnauzer was probably from a good home.

To the Heininger Family, I say, THANK YOU for your kindness in coming to SAGE’s aid, caring for her, and then getting her back to me. It was clear to me that SAGE had won the hearts of Jackie, Patrick, and the young lady who walked in the rain to deliver to me a sweet, sweet dog who literally follows me everywhere – but for some reason today decided to go on an adventure.

To St. Anthony, I also thank you – you never fail.

And to the good people of Downers Grove, thanks for your concern and your good wishes that a lost little lamb has been found.

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There are tons of things to buy and find as you explore Cathedral, and no lack of treasure. You can also buy and find upgrades to your armor weapons and health as well as buy upgrades and helpful items in the town shop. When you die you lose 10% of whatever you found which sucks, however you could go to the town store and put money into the bank to save it. You can only save so much in the bank but you can also buy bank upgrades to save more.

Cathedral starts out easy and gets harder as it goes (darn you flying skeleton heads!) which is good for people who like to have a challenge. You also pretty much have unlimited lives, you just lose money every time you die. One cool thing is every time you die a little icon is put onto the map to remind you where it was in case you need to go back there. There are also checkpoints all around the game but only one checkpoint could be activated at a time and when you die you end up right back at that checkpoint so be careful and make sure you activate ones that are close to you at all times!

I must say I loved Elden Pixel’s Cathedral. It was challenging but not too much, lots of upgrades, lots of different places to explore, and Soul is so cute! I loved the old pixel feel and the classic 8-bit music the game gives as well. I give it 5 outta 5 baby dragons!

Cathedral is available on Steam, GOG, Switch, and now PS4 for $14.99. For more information check out their website https://decemberborn.com. Good luck out there!