By Shannon Magsam, married 10 years to the same sweet guy

Lingerie? Check. Presents centered around his ‘10 favorite things’? Check. The I’m-so-ready-for-a-weekend-alone-with-my-husband good mood? Check.

I thought I had everything I needed for our 10th anniversary weekend until I started getting ready for dinner that first night. Extra clothes? Uncheck. Darnit! I almost got bent out of shape, but then I realized that A) The Mt. Magazine Lodge restaurant isn’t black-tie only or anything, and B) The lack of choices just fit right in with the simplicity theme of our weekend plans.

So I just threw on some red lipstick and a red scarf for “pretty” and called it good. And it was.

We had so much fun. Not in the on-our-honeymoon-in-the-Bahamas way, or the viva-Las-Vegas way, but in a holding-hands-while-taking-long-walks, eat-chocolate-in-the-bed-together-while-watching-movies getting reconnected kind of way.

We both love to read and it was simply decadent to snuggle up next to each other in comfy chairs overlooking Blue Mountain Lake while indulging our inner bookworms. My pick was non-fiction essays and his was a book on chivalry that I’d given him as one of his ‘10 favorite things’.  (Here’s an aerial view of the lodge and cabins from the Mt. Magazine website. Gorgeous.)

Speaking of his ‘10 Favorite Things’ — in honor of our 10th anniversary, of course — I highly recommend trying it for your next big-number anniversary. It was super fun going around town to picking out the presents. I doled out the goodies all weekend. They ranged from small things like his favorite candy to a nice new backpack for weekend trips.

Since he’s a lover of words, too, I also wrote him a letter sharing my “Top 10 favorite things about you”.

On Saturday we broke from our romantic mountain pursuits to drive into Paris, the little town about 20 miles from Mt. Magazine. Now we can forever tell each other in corny voices, “We’ll always have Paris.”

Getting back to reality after our 10th anniversary weekend has proved difficult. I still like to close my eyes and imagine we’re back on the “island in the sky”. Time on a mountaintop can help any marriage weather those potential “valleys”.

Shannon Magsam is mom to 8-year-old Ladybug, married to Ladybug’s aforementioned awesome dad, John, and co-creator of nwaMotherlode.com. To read previously published installments of Life With Ladybug, click here. Leave a comment if the mood strikes. 

Dear Rhonda,

What’s the general rule of thumb on hair color as you age? Go lighter as you get older, or go darker? Or does it all depend on your skin tone?

Dear Color Question,

Well, since no one really wants to talk about those “platinum” hairs coming in, this subject has to be treated with love and respect. I think it’s best to decide up front if you want to go “natural” or hide it. My mother has beautiful snow white hair that I would love to have one day — if my hair would cooperate and turn that beautiful white shade like hers. Instead, I got stuck fighting the ugly gray hair, so I cover it up with color and highlights often.

I recently had a client in my chair who wanted to cover her gray. She sill had quite a bit of her natural color mixed in with the gray hair. We talked about her lifestyle, and she made it clear that she’s a “low maintenance” kind of gal. Normally, you would color the hair and possibly highlight or low-light as needed. But since I knew she had a busy lifestyle and not a lot of time for maintenance, I suggested we foil in highlights and low-lights. (I call it a “push-pull.” Not sure when or why I started calling it that, but it works.)

I placed the highlights and low-lights and used her natural hair between the foils, taking fine sections, so that the maintenance would be super easy for her. Also, for the low-lights, I used a semi-permanent color so, as her hair grows out, the darker colors will fade away. She won’t see that tell-tale line of demarcation as it grows. When we were done, the results looked very natural and it really was a beautiful overall color on her. She was happy, and so was I.

As far as going lighter or darker as you age, it truly is a personal choice. Our hair naturally lightens as we get older anyway, so I tend to lean more towards going a little lighter than your natural color. The gray is also hidden well with highlights. 

Again, it comes down to what type of look you’re going for. Skin tone definitely has a strong bearing on the tone of color you should use. You would never want to see someone with very pale, white skin with dark black hair. Color should always accentuate your features and skin tone.

Getting older is hard enough, mamas. We shouldn’t have to worry about our hairstyle or hair color making us look even one day older than we really are. They say “You’re only as old as you feel.” But with the wrong hair color, you can feel ancient well before your time.

Rhonda Moulder, pictured right, is a mama to two beautiful daughters and is also a stylist in Bentonville at Estella Studio. E-mail her a hair question at mamas@nwaMotherlode.com or call for an appointment at 479-586-5100. Have a happy hair day.

Trust me, you do NOT want to miss out on the chance to win these tickets. Because if you score tickets to “Storytime Live!” at the Walton Arts Center, your little one is going to squeal and dance and light up like a star from Dora the Explorer’s backpack. This show is bringing four of the top-rated preschool cartoons to the stage, and it’s Nickelodeon’s biggest, newest, most exciting show ever. Characters from the following four shows will be in the production:

• Dora the Explorer

• Ni-hao Kai-lan

• The Backyardigans

• The Wonder Pets

Tickets for this show range in price from $18.50 to $32.50, depending on where you sit. We’ve got a family pack of FOUR TICKETS to give away to one lucky mom for the show on Tuesday, March 23rd at 6:30 p.m. Plus, this ticket package includes a “meet-and-greet” with the show characters! AND we’re going to send the winner and her kiddos to lunch or dinner at nearby Flying Burrito. Yum!

Click here for more info about the show and a listing of show times.You can also call the Walton Arts Center box office at 479-443-5600.

HOW TO ENTER: To throw your name into the hat for this drawing, click the big orange comment button below and tell us two things: Name your favorite cartoon as a kid, and then tell us what your kids’ favorite cartoon is. Easy, huh? You can also e-mail your entry to us at giveaways@nwaMotherlode.com.

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR ODDS: As always, you can increase your odds of winning the tickets and the Flying Burrito gift certificate by telling your mama friends about the giveaway. Just send them an e-mail about it and be sure to put giveaways@nwaMotherlode.com on the CC line of your note so we can give you proper credit.

Good luck in the giveaway! We’ll notify the winner by e-mail, so watch your inbox for a possible note from us with good news!