I am not a morning person. I never have been, and a full-time job (for which I leave quite early) and two small children have done nothing to change that. All that those factors have done is force me to become more creative with my morning routine so I get the MAXIMUM POSSIBLE NUMBER OF EXTRA MINUTES blissfully nestled in my so-comfortable-it-should-be-illegal-or-at-least-heavily-regulated bed.

According to Wikipedia habits are "automatic routines of behavior that are repeated regularly, without thinking. They are learned, not instinctive, human behaviors that occur automatically, without the explicit contemporaneous intention of the person."

I love to try products, and I love to talk about them - but I thought I'd share two of my favorite beauty items that don't come in a bottle...and will work for everyone.

I grew up as a blonde. I was naturally blonde as a child, and when I reached high school, I started getting highlights, and when I finally decided in college that I no longer wanted to be blonde, I made the mistake of purchasing a permanent brunette dye at the drugstore (I'm sure the cashier was laughing on the inside as I paid).

I'm not going to tell you how long I've been coloring my hair - it's been a very long time. I used to color my hair because I thought "mousey brown" didn't particularly suit me, but, early in my 30's I started to go gray.  I don't mean strands here and there, I mean all-over, salt and pepper hair, which really didn't suit me at 35. Over the course of these hair-dying years I've used countless brands of henna, paid large and small sums for professionals to do the job and bought dozens of boxes of drugstore brand hair color.

Usually, by this point in the summer, my hair is a small nest of dried fuzz, my lips are cracked and dry and, though I try to be responsible with the sun block, I've had to deal with the after effects of at least one sunburn. But this year I've been luckier, thanks to this great, totally natural line of sun care products.

I have made a thrilling discovery. I, too, can have wavy hair.That might not seem like a very big deal to you, but let me explain. My entire life, my hair has been straight as a pin. I've had my fair share of perms -- I did grow up in the 80's, after all -- but when not permed, my locks were straight and pretty limp.Now that I'm older, I've played around with different haircuts that give my hair more body, and keeping it fairly short and layered makes that happen. But, still, it's STRAIGHT.Or is it?

Summer can do a number on your hair; heat, humidity, chlorine, salt, sweat -- all can leave you with tresses that are less than lovely. But with a little care, and the right products, your hair can be summer lovely on even the worst days.

I don't even want to tell you how much money I spend on my hair color. I go to the salon about once a month, and I get the whole shooting match: base color, highlights, lowlights, and a glaze. As a friend of mine says, "it costs a lot of money to look this natural."I don't begrudge the money I spend--even though my children are going to have to give up their dreams of a college education. But hey! I have my priorities, people.