Ok ladies- let's talk about things we do to make ourselves feel better. As moms, we put everyone first. And that's not necessarily a bad thing-- we are, after all, supposed to the "the heart of the home". But after spending 9 months in a really hard pregnancy (my third), 3 months on bedrest, a c-section that went wrong, and a subsequent hospital stay...by time I was finally healed enough to function, I really needed to spruce myself up! I think we all have this desire after childbirth.
So, first things first. I got clearance from the OB/GYN to start running again! Boy, that first post-pregnancy run was hard, but surprisingly not as hard as my very first run a year ago. I had stopped running in January, at about 6 or 7 weeks pregnant because I was just so sick and exhausted. I missed running. Don't get me wrong-- the actual act of running sucks. Your legs swear at you, your lungs scream, and the critic in your head goes ballistic. But after the run...that's when you feel like a super woman. You feel like you can do anything! That's a big reason why I do it. The other reason is that it's 30 minutes where I don't have to think. It's hard to turn off my brain. So, I play obnoxious music REALLY loud (yes, I know it's not good for my hearing). If I listen to it loud enough, I drown out my thoughts. Then my body just takes over. It's a great strategy for reducing stress, and I think it makes me nicer to my whole family. :)
And on a whim, I registered for the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon which takes place in February. Totally crazy, as I've only run a couple of 5Ks at this point. But I'm doing it. It's going to be hard, but it will be a great time. I'm following Jeff Galloway's training plan for it. Two 30-minute runs during the week and a longer run on the weekends. Totally doable! Yes, I will still walk a good bit of the course, but that's ok. I'm making progress and that's all I care about. Really. I'm not competitive at all, and I'm a really S-L-O-W runner. But who cares? I'm moving, and that's the most important aspect. Besides, I doubt anyone really runs the Princess 1/2 for time. There are too many fun things going on throughout the course that you just have to stop and take some photos!
Next up- hair. I haven't had my hair cut since December 2010 when I donated 12 inches to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program in honor of a friend's sister who passed away earlier that year. As much as I was happy to do that, I'm not quite ready to have a short hairstyle again. While it was super cute and modern, it meant that I actually had to DO something with my hair each day, and I've been a wash-and-go girl for as long as I can remember. So, I just wanted a trim right now, until I settle on a hairstyle. Plus, a trim could be done at Super Cuts for a mere $16, instead of a more costly trip to a local salon.
After I had 2 inches trimmed all around...time for color! I had some visible gray hairs-- 5 to be exact-- and they have been driving me crazy for months! I opted to color my hair at home, again to save a little money. I went with L'Oreal Couleur Experte since I could get all-over color and some highlights. I did an OK job-- enough to get me through until my next salon visit in a few months. And I don't have to look at those 5 gray hairs in the mirror, which was the major motivating factor in coloring my hair anyway.
Finally- make up! I haven't updated my make up in years. In fact, since getting pregnant I've hardly worn any at all. It just seemed like too much effort. But now? Now I need to feel as if I look 1/2 way decent. Only, I've been using the same makeup for several years now, and probably the same makeup techniques that I read in Seventeen magazine back in the 90's. So it's definitely time to upgrade and update. But where to start???
Thanks to Pinterest, I found Cara at www.maskcara.com and she has some great information there, plus tutorials! One of her posts details a "basic makeup kit" and boy let me tell you-- I went out and got nearly everything on her list! I'm just waiting on some extra cash so I can spend $42 on the Lorac palette that Cara uses in her videos. I spent an afternoon (sans kids!) at ULTA, browsing and trying different things. I decided to give the Tarte foundation a try. It's clay-based and does a nice job of covering but not be too heavy feeling. I got new makeup brushes too--thanks to Cara's videos, I finally know what to do with those various eye shadow brushes! And, since it was my birthday month, I got to enjoy a free brow waxing at the Benefit Bar. This was no ordinary salon waxing, that's for sure. I don't think I ever had anyone care for my eyebrows the way Kristin did. Seriously, it's like a salon for your eyebrows.
So, there you have it. Mommy matters-- fitness, hair and makeup. Three little things that can make you feel so much better about your post-baby self!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Back from the Dead
I'm finally getting around to updating everyone! Despite my Type-A, control-freak personality, I had no say over Pickle's arrival. Without going into all the horrible details, Pickle arrived August 17 at 8:43 pm via c-section. So, I made it 38 weeks-- more than with my other two. And I can definitely say that this is the last! Unless, of course, my eggs figure out how to teleport into my uterus.
Figuring out how to manage three kids has been a challenge to say the least. A daughter in second grade with homework, soccer, karate and speech class; a very energetic 2-year-old who still doesn't sleep through the night; and a demanding infant---a formula for exhaustion if there ever was one! It's slowly coming together though. We'll see how crazy it gets once I'm back to work later this month!
Figuring out how to manage three kids has been a challenge to say the least. A daughter in second grade with homework, soccer, karate and speech class; a very energetic 2-year-old who still doesn't sleep through the night; and a demanding infant---a formula for exhaustion if there ever was one! It's slowly coming together though. We'll see how crazy it gets once I'm back to work later this month!
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