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!
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