Making time for my girl

So the baby is finally here and.....It's a boy!!!!  Its been about a month since my last post as I have been quite busy with the  kids.  Anyway, I have learned a few tricks along these last few weeks which I will discuss in another post.  One of them has been learning how to squeeze in some much needed one on one time with my 21-month old daughter.  She is definitely in toddlerhood and although she loves her brother and is learning how to be patient, she needs her Mommy time.  So whenever I can, I try to give her my undivided attention.

Some days its impossible, and she makes do.  Today it was playing out in the backyard and a few days ago, we managed to make cookies.  The fun thing about toddlers is they enjoy doing pretty much anything.  So I do manage to get some chores done, although they take forever with my "Little Helper!"  And she loves, loves, loves going for walks.  Today, we played with her toys and then attempted to re-pot some plants.  She was scared of the earth, so I ended up repotting by myself. The gloves were a hit though!

It has definitely been more difficult to get acclimated to life with a new baby this time, but slowly, make that very slowly, we are getting there.

Do you have any tips to share?

Summer planning

It's that time of year again!  I like to sit down with my family and create a list of activities/trips we'd all like to do during the summer.  This year is slightly different because we'll have the new baby and aren't planning on taking a big trip, which has actually decreased some anxiety with having to plan and budget for it.  Also, because of this new baby and the fact that I have the entire summer off (yay...that has only happened once in my adult life!), funds are lower, so our plans can't be ostentatious!

I usually try to enroll him in day camp for a while, but he's at a weird age (too old for certain camps and too young for others), plus I will be at home so he can just hang with us.

I always check out the community paper for local events, "Like" local group pages on Facebook for great word of mouth info and check out online sites like Timeout and Uwishunu for ideas.  Also, join Living Social and Groupon for discounts.

Here's what we came up with this year.  It has pretty much the same things as last year, with a few things added in.

What summer plans do you have?

Daily Make Up

I love makeup as well as the natural look.  I have found as I've gotten older that achieving the natural look without any makeup doesn't look as great.  Here is my easy, daily makeup routine.

Prep:
Get your eyebrows manicured.  They frame you face and even if you just like to wear lip gloss, having them done makes you look more polished.   I prefer threading, but whatever floats your boat.

Wash your face with your daily cleanser and pat dry, but leave a little moisture on your face and neck.  I use Neutrogena Naturals facial wash daily and Jason apricot exfoliant twice weekly during the Winter and more often in the warmer months.

Moisturize your face and neck.  In the Winter, I use Jason Vitamin E 25, 000 units moisturizer.  In the warmer months I switch to something lighter.

Moisturize your lips.  I use Vaseline cocoa butter.  I am addicted.

If you do this everyday, or a similar routine, your skin will love you for it and will look great.

Make Up
First I apply concealer under my eyes and to my eyelids (it helps to keep your eye shadow on), then to the sides of the base of my nose and anywhere else I need concealing.  I use a make up sponge to apply it by gently dabbing it into my skin until its blended.

Next, using my kabuki brush I apply bronzer to my T zone.  I usually skip this in the summer because I have a tan and that area is highlighted already.

Then I apply a pink or coral (or whatever color would look fab on you) to the apples of my cheeks.

Lastly, I curl my lashes, which makes a huge difference and apply dark brown/black mascara to each eye.  Then I brush my eyebrows.

Some days I may add a little pizazz with a purple or turquoise eyeliner or some gold or taupe eye shadow.

I usually have this done in about 5 minutes and like the subtle difference.

Au Natural

Make Up

  What's your daily routine like?

New projects, New me

Reading all these other blogs has made me realize I need to start taking advantage of my time and take on some new projects.  Things I have been putting off learning how to do for a variety of reasons/excuses/laziness!  Things that are purely selfish....but in an indirect way will be enjoyed by everyone.

The first is sewing.  My mother and sister both know how to sew and my mom used to make her own clothing.  I am so jealous, I can't even hem a pair of pants.  It's really bad!  I was able to mend my son's pants and sew on some patches but I mean  really sewing with a machine and patterns (I think that's what they're called).  Luckily, for me, my sister gave me a sewing machine last year.  My girlfriend mentioned that Joanne's has a class and guess who's signing up?!  I will have to let you know how that goes.

Next up is photography.  I truly enjoy looking at images and took a photography class in high school.  It was so cool developing the film and learning how to get the shot that I wanted.  However, priorities changed and truthfully I didn't focus enough on it to be as good as I believe I can be.  So, thanks to my birthday present from my awesome hubby about 5 years ago, I will be getting lots of practice in with my Nikon D50.  Obviously, a class would be helpful but I don't have the time and I think just getting out and shooting will do wonders.

Lastly, and this is the biggest task is redesigning our home.  I am a late bloomer in the self-discovery area.  It has taken me a long time to be cool with myself and not be so concerned with what others think about what I am doing, or wearing or whom I'm hanging with.  I mention that because I think that your home should represent who you are as an individual and I don't feel that mine does.  Mostly, because I am still figuring out who I am, what I like, my interests and taking time to learn new crafts.  So, this project will be ongoing.  But, occasionally I will post little changes we make!

Do you have any new projects you are looking forward to starting?

Happy Mother's Day

Today is the day we celebrate everything that is, Mom!  I read once that parents have three stages of parenthood they must go through, being a teacher and disciplinarian, then a coach and finally a consultant.  I feel like my mother has seamlessly transitioned through those roles and continues to be someone I can learn from, aspire to be and call when I need to have a pity party!  To her and all the mom's out there  or not here anymore, I say, Thank you for all that you are and all that you've done.