A Beauty Must Have

I have to share with the world another beauty secret:

Kinerase.  It all started back in November when I went to Sephora to get my beloved mascara.  Then I get home and open my bag and see a few free samples.  Mind you, I have been a devoted Dermalogica connoisseur for almost 3 years.  But that night I tried something new.  It was the Kinerase Extreme Face Lift.  I don’t really believe I need a face lift just yet but thought I’d try it anyways.

It remarkably smoothed my skin within seconds!  I used it for the next week and only wore it on days I wore makeup to make the makeup look super smooth.

So, a couple days before Thanksgiving I went to the mall to go buy this wonderful serum and I find out its $150.  I was bummed.   But the Kinerase “specialist” at Sephora showed me the kit that comes with the extreme lift, a cleanser, cream and eye cream for $130. 

                                                    
But I wasn’t about to spend $130 on me right before Christmas so . . . I went home and told Frank to buy this for me for Christmas!   

 

Christmas morning comes around and YAY he bought it for me.  Here’s the thing though:  the extreme face lift that came in the kit is the same size as the free sample I had before!!! 

But, I have been using the cleanser, cream and the lift ever since Christmas and I am in love with it.  My skin looks healthier.  It never looks dry anymore.  I only have 2 problems with it.  The smell isn’t really that great.  It smells like butter.  Second, the kit didn’t come with an SPF cream.  So naturally, now I need the SPF cream, the extreme lift cream and I want their Ultimate night moisturizer.  I tried it and I fell in love with that too.

So I think I’ll head to the mall today.  Hmmm, better yet I’ll have Frank get it for me for Valentine’s Day! 

  

Nothing Feels Better Than Family

2008 was a hard year for millions of people.  Many of us probably are still struggling with finances and wondering if our jobs are safe.

What better time is it to reconnect with our families?  Spend more time at home playing games with your kids or just go for a walk with them.   Read books, go outside or just ’hang out’ with them?  What would your children say to you if you were 100% there for them with no distractions? 

The next time they go to their room, go with them and just be there for them.  Just sit there with them and do nothing but watch them until they start interacting with you. 

Depending on their age they might hand you a toy (2-3 year olds), they might want you to play ‘make believe’ with them (4-5 year olds), or they might just say something so astoundingly astute to you such as ”our democracy is a great thing, except for the part about letting anyone vote” (6-7 year olds).  And yes,  my 7 1/2 year old daughter really said that.  It was last October during election season!  We laughed so hard.

Anywho, what do you think your children would say to you if they noticed you sitting there for 5 minutes just totally focused on them?

Remember when our children were babies and we would just sit on the floor with them and watch them explore?  Remember their sincere delight when they noticed you were sitting there just for them?  Our children still need that closeness. 

Something that I found that works really well to break the ice is right after dinner go around the table and start with the youngest and play the ‘high/low’ game.  Their high is what made them smile the most that day, and their low is what made them sad or unhappy that day.  I wish I could take credit for this idea but I can’t.  It came from the movie “Story of Us” with Michelle Pheifer and Bruce Willis.  Love that movie and I still cry every time I watch it!

Also, don’t neglect your spouse.  They need one on one time as well.  Get the kids to bed a little earlier tonight and make a separate dinner under candle light for just the 2 of you.

I’m feeling a little mushy tonight because today we had a family photo shoot with the photographer who’s going to shoot our wedding.  It was supposed to be an engagement session but we already got that done so we wanted to include the kids.

We met Jennifer from O’Grace Photography at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

                                                            

and she took some really great photos.  She’s big on candid shots and so am I so I can’t wait to see all the images.  I’ll post some once I get them.

Have a great week everyone!                                                  

The Power of a Shared Laugh

Happy Saturday!

So last night, in all attempts to redeem ourselves from last week, we decided laughter would be the best medicine.  Yesterday morning I was listening to the radio (the Johnjay and Rich morning show to be exact) and every Friday they let the headlining comedian of the Tempe Improv give a little shameless plug for their show that weekend.   Normally, it gets a little chuckle out of me.

But yesterday morning I get in the car to go get my Starbucks and as soon as I get in the car the comedian starts saying “wouldn’t it be nice if we could order a spouse the same way we order our Starbucks – Yes, I’d like a tall, only half bi-polar and . . . nonfat”!   I started laughing out loud in my car!  So I called my friend and asked if her and her hudband wanted to join us for dinner and the show.  She thought it sounded like a great idea. 

Then I called Frank with our plan for date night. 

Turns out – it was a great idea.  It was very funny.  Christopher Titus is superb.  We sat right up front and all 4 of us loved every minute of it. 

                                                       

It was fantastic.  I have a new favorite comedian!    There were some moments that hit home a little too much like his divorce, and trying to raise kids with joint custody.  But that only added to his likeability.  I found myself trying to hold back tears and a split second later I’m laughing again. He said a few times that his routine would either make your current relationship stronger or break you up.  Then he would say “either way – you’re welcome!’

Frickin Hilarious!  I would encourage everyone to go see him or buy his DVD.  I know this seems like a nice little advertisement for him but I don’t mind!  Just givin’ a little love!

My friend said she had a very stressful week at work and this week for Frank and I was also a bit stress-filled but when the 4 of us left last night we were all smiling.

Never underestimate the power of a shared laugh.  It rejuvenates the soul. 

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.  ~Victor Borge

A Secret for Weight Loss that Men Don’t Possess

BOOBS!  That’s right.  You always hear that men have an advantage to losing weight.  Well not if we’re nursing.  Nursing burns 500 calories just by itself.  Then add good nutrition and a little exercise and you’re well on your way to a leaner you!

Here’s a picture of my secret right here.

  Frankie turned 1 in December and about a week later we stopped nursing.   But 2 months before he stopped I started eating low carb again.  In those 2 months I lost almost 10 pounds.  I think the combination of eating low carb and nursing really did the trick (not to mention chasing after a 1 year old).

But before I got pregnant I would combine low carb with running and that gave me some pretty fast results too.  But nothing like this.  I am amazed.  I wish I would’ve connected the two together before so I could’ve kept pumping!

I know a lot of people question the low carb lifestyle and say its not healthy.  But for me, it’s the only thing that works well.  I was afraid to start low carb when the baby was still young because everything I read said it would diminish the milk supply and could also taste differently to the baby so I did the Body for Life  diet which made me lose about 5 pounds.  But the last couple months that I did low carb he still nursed and we didn’t have any problems.

That brings us to now.  I try to run every day and do a little circuit training every other day.  Plus, sometimes after I run I rollerblade for another 15-20 minutes just to change it up.  I get bored really easy.  Sometimes I’ll even take a spin class at the gym because I get bored of the treadmill.

 The circuit training is more effective when I do it right after cardio.  The thought on this seems to be split 50/50 in terms of people saying weight training should be done before or after cardio.  But cardio gets my heart and strength ready and then I’m burning more calories and being more effective with every rep. 

Others say to do your strength training before cardio so you have the energy to complete each set efficiently.

I’ve heard both opinions but mine makes more sense to me.  Just do what works for you.  I’m a firm believer that just one way doesn’t work for everyone.

What a Beautiful Day

Congratulations President Barack Obama! 

Today was a moment in history.  Never before have I cared to follow the journey of a President Elect, or for that matter, watch the inaugural celebrations.   But today I did.  And today I felt inspired by a person I had never heard of up until a few years ago.  Today I fought back tears to the most amazing speech I’ve heard from a President.  And today – I got chills hearing President Obama say that change is here and “we must change with it”.

I am proud of this country.  I am proud to be an American and I am proud that we have finally embraced all of humanity together, as a nation.  When our children look back they will be proud of their parents for being the generation to decidedly . . . make a change.

To You Mr. President, We Salute You!  You have made us proud.  You have inspired us to become a better people. 

“What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility –a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.”                                                                                        ~  Barack H. Obama

A Road Trip

So yesterday we decided to go on a road trip just Kaitlyn, Britney, the baby and me.

We went up The Apache Trail.  It was beautiful.    

It was full of winding roads, steep cliffs and gorgeous sights.  We left at 1:30 and we didn’t get back home until 5:30.  But we talked, sang songs and got out to walk around and breathe the fresh air.  It was fun.  We all had a good time.

There is a sign that warns that the next 22 miles is a dirt road, however, it takes an hour and 30 minutes to get through it.   But the scenery made it all worth it.

I definitely recommend this day trip to anyone.  You can see so much just from the comfort of your own car. 

We did get out and get an ice cream cone at Tortilla Flat. 

There was a band playing and then after the girls finished their ice cream we wallked down to a little waterfall where they hopped on all the rocks.

 

The best memories that were created on this trip were the memories of laughter and singing along to Grease with the girls.  Not to mention the different things we talked about.  We saw a woman with tattoos on her arms and both the girls promised me they would never get a tattoo because they thought it looked awful! 

Yes!  

Army of Women

Do you know someone who is affected by breast cancer?   Most of us know someone who has or who is going through this.

Now there is something for each and every one of us to do that can help us get closer to a cure.  Researchers need healthy women who do not have the disease in order to find the cure.

 I have been registered since October and all they do is send out emails asking you to help if you live in the area that the researchers are in.  I haven’t been able to do anything yet but I’m hoping I will at some point.

Go to www.armyofwomen.org to register and help. 

“Tuscany” in Phoenix Not So Tuscan

Happy Saturday Everyone!

So first before I go into my latest critique let me first explain that the only times I leave the house without the baby these days is for “Date Night” which is every Friday.  So needless to say, every week I look forward to it passionately.  Usually, we just go out to dinner and go see a movie.  (I would much rather go dancing but I’ll save that for a different post.) 

So last night Frank and I went to Tuscany at the JW Marriott at Desert Ridge.  We’ve wanted to go check this place out for a while and we finally got around to it.

Hmmm . . . it was ok.  Nothing to write home about.  Although by the price of things they really must think the food is superb.  It is not.  First, it took us forever to decide what to order.   Typically we get an expensive entree for dinner when we go out.  But none of the entrees sounded appealing except for the filet but we didn’t want to order the filet at a “Tuscan” restaurant. 

So we ordered the Rigatoni Bolognese with italian sausage.   When we got it there was no italian sausage!  It was stew beef with diced up rigatoni.  Not what we had expected.  I’m sure the folks in Northern Italy are not enamored with stew beef and chopped up pasta!

Urgh!  Disappointing.   Mind you, Frank is Italian and is also from New York.  So he is very hard on italian restaurants but last night I was right there with him.  Then we tried the zeppoles for dessert.  Also disappointing!  They were filled with mascarpone cheese.  Which to someone who didn’t know any better would probably be pretty good.  But not what we’re used to.

Anywho, enough about them.  Next time we spend that kind of money we’ll just go back to Mastro’s, The Chart House or Elements!

For Now

I have always wanted to write a book and I have started many.  The problem is I can’t decide where I want it to go.  What would the purpose be?  Who would be my target audience?

I have gone through an emotionally heartwrenching custody battle and thought about writing a “how to”, if you will, or a “what not to do”.  But then I think maybe I should write a fiction novel and get lost in my ideas of the perfect life while simultaneously making millions of women eager to turn every page and come back for more and more. 

Just kidding!  Not a romance novel.  More like Sex and the City. 

But currently, I am a Mom of a 7, 6 and a 1 year old.  They take up so much of my time.  And by the time I get to have a moment to myself (10pm) I am so completely exhausted. 

So I thought why not write about being a Mom?  So, here I am blogging. 

About Me

The most important things to me in life are love, laughter, peace, my family, and other people.

 

Notice my most important things aren’t things at all.

 

I am optimistic, patient, caring, I love the finer things in life, and I’m always able to see the best in other people.

 

I consider time to be the most precious asset. 

 

As a little girl, I was outgoing, imaginative and creative.

 

My parents divorced when I was 12 and from there I was raised primarily by my father. 

 

My father was strict but also kind.  He taught me to always be fair.  He taught me to always take care of yourself first because if you don’t have your health, you have nothing.

 

We lived thirty miles from his work so that I didn’t have to change schools. 

 

He didn’t move until after I graduated high school. 

 

I hate public speaking.

 

I love event planning.

 

I don’t need to be in charge but my opinion needs to count.

 

I don’t get easily offended and I rarely cry. 

 

I always give more than is required of me in any job or on any project.

 

I see the good in every situation.

 

I am analytical.

 

I think outside the box.  All the best ideas are there.

 

I believe the glass could be half-full or half-empty.  It depends on what’s in the glass.

 

In high school, I wasn’t exclusive to the popular crowd.  I hung out with everybody.

 

My first boyfriend was when I was 16 and he was 20.  He was the first and last to break my heart and I didn’t have another boyfriend til I was out of high school.

 

In college I majored in journalism because two of my most favorite things to do are writing and photography.

 

I met my daughters’ father a year after I graduated high school at my job.  This was my first serious relationship.

 

My oldest daughter Kaitlyn was born 3 years later when I was 21.

 

My second daughter Britney was born 16 months later.

 

This was an exhausting period in my life but it also made me realize how strong I am.

 

Needless to say, I never went back to college but I did go back to work.  It killed me to return back to work but financially I had no other choice.

 

When Britney was 15 months old I realized that I was the only contributor (in every sense of the word) to the marriage and decided since I had been doing everything on my own I mine as well be on my own. 

 

And I left.

 

The girls and I moved in with my father and stayed for 3 months so I could save money and get back to making a life for me and also for my 2 young children.

 

I decided to become a loan officer to make more money.

 

I went for a job interview and I met my fiance, Frank.

 

He was there also interviewing for the same job.

 

We both got it.

 

Frank and I connected very early. 

 

He is the love I had never felt before.

 

The laughter I was missing.

 

The friend and companion I always knew I wanted but didn’t think existed.

 

We make each other laugh, encourage each other to always improve and most importantly – we communicate.

 

We are close.  We are connected. We are committed.

 

We both worked as loan officers and he was also a very successful real estate agent.

 

We enjoyed some very lucrative real estate times together.

 

We had a wonderfully romantic trip to Cabo San Lucas and it was there that we decided to move in together once we got back home.

 

Not very traditional, I know.  But I figured I hadn’t been very traditional up to this point.

 

We moved in the day before Thanksgiving.

 

How fitting.

 

A year later Kaitlyn was starting school so I went back to court to obtain even more custody.

 

I was advised to quit working and be a stay at home Mom temporarily to win custody.

 

Frank was so supportive of me and took it upon himself to put my girl’s best interest at heart.  I sincerely appreciate and respect him for all that he has done.

 

It worked.

 

I won.

 

I got Monday through Fridays.  It was the best thing that could’ve happened.

 

Frank proposed in the most romantic way I could’ve ever imagined. 

 

We had many conversations about having children together.

 

He didn’t think he was able to and I would be happy either way.

 

He got tested and was told basically that we would have a better chance getting hit by lightning.

 

Ok.  At least now we thought we were safe until we were ready. 

 

We knew we wanted to be married first.

 

Then . . . I got pregnant.

 

We found out for sure on Father’s Day. I was already 4 months along.

 

This was special.

 

We soon found out we were having a boy. 

 

Being pregnant and giving birth to my children were some of the best times of my life.

 

My hobbies pre-baby were scrapbooking, writing, reading, traveling, and hanging out with Frank.

 

My hobbies post-baby are exercising, reading and spending meaningful, quality time with my family.

 

I still like the pre-baby hobbies, but my time is now crunched.

 

I currently work full-time.  Around the clock . . .  Being a Mom never stops.

 

Someday I hope to run a marathon.

 

Someday I hope to write a book.

 

. . . and publish it.

 

I love learning new things. 

 

The thrill of learning is the possibility of growing, getting up after being knocked down and the questions about yourself that your mind must answer along the way.

 

After all the kids are older and in school I want to take classes in photography and hopefully begin to profit from my skill.

 

I am eager to travel the world and marvel at all its wonder and beauty. 

 

I prefer e-mails and text messaging to phone calls.  The phone never rings when it’s convenient for me.

 

I believe in love but have/had a hard time believing in marriage.

 

I try to put other people before myself.

 

I wish all children could be born into love and peace.

 

I think gratitude is important.  I am grateful for all that I have every day.

 

I have no allergies and I very rarely take medication of any kind.

 

I haven’t been sick in two and a half years.  Not even a cold.  I’m grateful for that.

 

I am content, but I’m always dreaming.

 

If I had more time, I would volunteer at a shelter for women and children and teach them how to get back on their feet from whatever crisis they have endured.

 

Someday I want to live in a sustainable community where I can walk to the grocery store, a park, and a little café where I can sip my coffee at 11am, eat a croissant and watch all the passers by. 

 

If I were rich, I would first hire a maid.

 

Then a personal shopper to do the grocery shopping.  I wouldn’t need her to do my own personal clothing shopping because I believe I will always enjoy that. 

 

I’d hire a professional photographer at least four times a year to follow my family around for the day and take candid shots. 

 

I would do this now but I find it hard to take the picture and yet, also be in it.

 

Other than that, I’d pretty much live life the same way.

 

Except I’d travel anywhere I haven’t already been and go to the places I loved, one more time each.

 

I love to dance.

 

I love wearing skirts and heels.

 

I love watching romantic comedies that have happy endings.

 

I love songs about love.

 

I wouldn’t want to live in any other generation.

 

I love computers, the internet, digital cameras and technology.

 

I have a list of goals. Long term and short term because I love to look back and realize my dreams have come true.

 

I believe in God and He is good to me.

 

I am in awe of the wonders in my life.