Friday, February 22, 2013

all about how materialistic I am (jk!)

I'll be honest here...since I had Charlotte I have taken very little time out for myself. This includes everything from shopping to girls nights to sometimes forgetting to brush my teeth. I've started to take a good look at myself in the mirror and realize how frumpy I've become. While I don't regret spending all the time and attention on my children, I do think its about time that I started feeling like a woman again- a girly, pretty, woman :)

before you say it- I know that outer beauty isn't everything. I feel pretty confident in the things that make me inwardly beautiful, but this post happens to be about outer beauty because it is what I'm seriously lacking right now :]

So here are some things I'm trying out...and even though the hubs has a job now we are still on a tight budget, so these are all fairly simple concepts.

1. Honey face wash. My friend Jill told me about how she washed her face with honey and it made her skin all soft and evened out. So I've been doing it for the last couple of weeks and boy what a difference! I love how my skin just soaks in the honey and after I get out of the shower it is soooo soft. Even Jonathan told me one night as we were reading in bed that my complexion looked "glowy". And its not because I'm pregnant. Awesome!

2. Out of my comfort zone clothes. I realize that wearing jeans and t-shirt is far from galmorous, but it's what I usually wear because it's "safe". I'm turning it up a notch and wearing colored leggings now. Wowza. At first it felt weird but now I love my colored pants, and I feel semi-fashionable when we go out. With the clothes I currently have that fit me in an awkward way- I'm working on re-purposing some of them to make them cuter.

3. Hair & Nails. first, my hair. It's pretty long right now because I haven't cut it short in about a year. Right now I'm debating whether or not to cut it really cute & short again or keep finding new ways to love it long. Regardless, the fact is that I am finally DOING my hair! baby steps ;)
and nails. I have short, stubby, chewed on nails. But I have this clear nail polish from Sally's that grows them really long really fast (I just always end up biting them down again because of stress) I'm really going to try and NOT bite them. I know, it's a gross habit. When they do get long, I'm going to soak them in a hydrogen peroxide-baking soda mixture that makes them all pretty. Can't wait!

4. Bold jewelery. When I wear a pretty set of earrings or necklace, I feel pretty. I haven't worn jewelery for a LONG time because we all know that babies love to pull on it and put it in their mouth. I have this one necklace with plastic beads that C loves to chew on, and it entertains her for the entire Sacrament hour. It doesn't bother me because I know she can't hurt her mouth on the beads, so I've decided to start wearing baby-friendly jewelery (mostly necklaces) to dress up my outfits. Best thing is- plastic jewelery is wayyy cheaper!

5. Getting sweaty again. I hate exercising. Whenever I start to be the least bit active my joints get really sore. So I'm focusing now on things that will be easy on my joints but still do the job. And I accept the fact that 10-15 minutes is about the best I can do for myself. That will change someday when the kids get older.

So that's the plan. Ideally I would be able to go the spa every week and pamper myself endlessy on mud-masks and french manicures--but that's not at all realistic! If I can take a few minutes each day to do something for myself then I feel like I can take on the kids and whatever chaos they create.


5 comments:

Westensee Family said...

You seem to know exactly what to blog about. And we seem to connect the same way in do many ways. I think I am working on about every single thing you are!! Now I need take pictures as proof and make someone hold me accountable. Love your post!

Matt and Jen McEvoy said...

Good for you! I actually read a blog post recently about getting dressed and trying to look nice even when you are staying home all day. The girl's point was that you want to show your kids and husband that you care about yourself and you care about looking good for them as much as you do for everyone else. That's been one of my goals but it hasn't happened much, it just feels pointless, haha! But I am trying! And feeling beautiful on the outside is important. Make sure you post some pictures of your hair if you cut it!

Kelly and Tyler said...

I love this post. Maybe I will copy and do something like this!

The Garlands said...

I have had some of the same problems not getting dressed up as much. Just tonight we were out at Old Navy and I wanted to get new clothes because I so want to feel more fashionable. I've been stuck in the t-shirt and jeans stage for so long, maybe on day. I also want to start exercising again but am waiting until Tim's home more so I can do it for longer without Kenneth interrupting me. :)

A.S.K. said...

Such a great idea! I need to start focusing more on myself, too. I'm always so busy cleaning the house or running after a toddler. I think I will try that honey face wash! Do I just use honey from the bottle and apply it right onto my face?