Mommin' It Up!

February 7, 2011

Things that make me go “Waaah”!

Setbacks. Setbacks, people, that’s what I’m dealing with. Last week, the ice storm, kids with no school, and not one single second to myself (and when I say “to myself” I mean “alone with just me and the baby”.)

And then the Blissful Virus of Death got me too, and I was sick all week. And now Sophie’s got it, and she’s home from school today, and it pains me when she misses school, because she loves it SO much, that it pains her too! And she only went ONE DAY last week because of aforementioned #$%! ice!

And then there’s my postpartum setback. My incision not playing nice and re-opening. I still can’t exercise. Still have 18 pounds to lose. Still feel not great about myself.

Oh, and remember how I said I was the worst at being pregnant? Well, I FORGOT (how could I forget!?) that I am also the worst postpartum person ever! After I had Joshua, I had a very painful thumb injury that is weird and rare and yet a “postpartum” thing – it’s called DeQuervain’s Syndrome. (Here, check it out on Wikipedia, it’s a rockin’ good read!) It was so bad after Joshua that I had to have physical therapy on it. It was so, so painful. I had to wear a brace for a long time too. After I had Sophie, I only had to wear the brace for a couple weeks, when I felt it coming on. Well my thumb has been hurting for a couple of days now, and this morning I can’t deny it – it’s back. So I am about to go ransack my bedroom after I write this and pray that I still have that brace somewhere (it was pricey!) But I don’t know if I still have it or not. Let me just say, when you have to shove three car seats in the back of a sedan, there is NO ROOM for you to have a hand injury. UGH. Also I have NO TIME to attend physical therapy. I am a stay-at-home mom who is NEVER at home because my kids have so many appointments and things!

So, anyways, I’m just complaining this morning. Sweating the small stuff, and wishing I could fast-forward a few months to warm weather, size 8 jeans, and a hand that works right.

February 6, 2011

Makeup & Skin Care Bliss

(photo by the amazing Mishelle Lane Photography)

Last year at Blissdom, Emily and I were proud to wear Mary Kay makeup on our bright little faces, and this year we wanted to have the same great makeup to carry us through the conference (especially since this time we took a little tiny baby with us and our faces were likely to look a little more tired than usual). Happily, the wonderful folks who rep Mary Kay at Coyne PR came through for us again, and this time, even helped with an extra project.

You see, despite the fact that I’ve been harping on the benefits of skin care for over three years now, Emily wasn’t LISTENING to me (shocker) and didn’t really have a skin care routine. Then, a couple weeks before BlissDom she told me that she wasn’t feeling too great about the way her skin looked, and she really wanted it to look better before we hit the road. So, our Mary Kay team came through for us again and hooked Emily up with my skin care recommendations. These included the TimeWise Miracle Set and Microdermabrasion Set.

These are some amazing products that will help your skin look AMAZING! The Miracle Set has your cleanser, moisturizer, day and night solutions o use every day and the Microdermabrasion Set has the fabulous, addictive, fine-line-erasing Microderm step 1 and restoring step 2. I used these about three times a week, in the shower. Easy as can be, and it helps keep my skin looking fresh!

So, don’t you think Emily looks great in the picture? She told me she thought her skin was looking better after just three or four days, and was really pleased with how it was looking by the time Blissdom rolled around. (You’re WELCOME, and I TOLD YOU SO.)

So, now that we had skin care covered, we needed some great color on our faces to go with our fab Lands’ End clothes! We started with great basics, Mary Kay Mineral Powder foundation. I have been using this for two years and I adore the coverage and how easy and fast it is to apply! We also tried out some great new products that I am really excited about. The first was this Liquid Illuminator.

This is a really light, sheer liquid that adds a glow to your skin. I wore it under my foundation but you can wear it alone, mix it with foundation, or even mix it with your moisturizer for a really subtle glow. It gave me some extra sparkle and I loved it!

Our other favorite new product was Mary Kay’s new cream eye shadow:

This stuff makes eye shadow so quick and easy to apply! You can use the brush with it or swipe it on with your fingertips. It stays on forever and it helps the rest of your eye shadow stay on, too. I loved it!

Emily and I felt great in our Mary Kay at BlissDom. And it is still the only thing that touches my face! If you want to try any of these great skin care or makeup products, contact your Mary Kay lady. If you don’t have one, try mine, she rocks!

Thanks, Mary Kay for hooking us up with such great makeup looks for BlissDom!

February 4, 2011

Done Like Dinner

A couple of weeks ago I was talking with my college roomie (hi Kelly!) who is in that state that I was recently, pregnant with her third child. (Pretty sure she planned hers, though. SHOW-OFF!) She and I also have c-sections in common, so I asked her if she was gonna make it official like moi, and get those ol’ tubes tied while they were in there.

“I don’t know,” she said, “it just seems so final.”

“Then you’re not ready” I said. “Because when I think about having my tubes tied I want to do the dance of joy that I did it! And that’s the way I felt when I was pregnant, too.”

And now, 7 weeks postpartum, that’s still the way I’m feeling. It’s not because I don’t want more kids. (Although I’m VERY happy with the way our family is right now.) If it didn’t cost 9 gazillion dollars to adopt, we might go for another one that way in a couple years. But my body, my BODY, is done having kids. And I’m so glad. I’m just not the best baby machine.

Tuesday morning, after the ice storm caused me to cancel my 6-week postpartum check-up, I discovered my c-section incision had come OPEN a little bit. Um, panic attack much!? I had to wait til Thursday to get into the dr. and get checked out (Fortunately it will close and I will live. But I got antibiotics juuuuust in case.) I am having all kinds of post-partum joint and nerve pain (also had it with Joshua), and while I know it will go away sooner or later, it’s making my life with three kids even more complicated and difficult! (As is shoving three car seats in the back of my sedan. Who wants to send me a mini-van? Toyota? You’re my first choice! Call me.)

But anyhoo. I’m so done. And SO BLESSED with my three amazing babies! The jacked-up body I’m left with is totally worth it but it’s ready for a permanent baby-makin’ vacation!

So let’s all start pressuring Emily to have another kid, k? She pops ’em out like nobody’s business!