DATE ARCHIVES : July 2013

The Strangest & Most Annoying Thing

As a mom, I always dream of having my free time. I mean really, what mom doesn’t? After hours of puzzles, coloring, and Barbies, I just want time to myself to do what I want without hearing “mommy”. Read, write, watch TV, nap (yeah right)…whatever it is, I want to be able to just do what I want. So why do I sometimes feel lost when I actually get it? Let me tell you, it is the strangest and most annoying thing.

Recently, I hit the “mommy lottery”. My oldest daughter decided she wanted to sleepover her grandmother’s house “just because” and my younger daughter fell asleep uncharacteristically early. My husband was still at work.OMG, hours of free time! You would think I would have been doing my happy dance. I was…for a few minutes. Then, the strangest and most annoying thing happened…I didn’t know what to do with myself. Although I had a list of things on my “to do list”, I couldn’t figure out what I should be doing. In fact, I actually felt like the house was too quiet! How odd is that? I often pray for peace and quiet. Here it was staring me in the face and I still wasn’t happy.

There are plenty of times when I either leave the kids with grandma or drop them off and go do things and I am fine with that. I just think the tranquility of the house got to me because this wasn’t how it was supposed to be. The norm is noise, laughing, screaming…chaos. As much as I complain about it, it’s the way it’s supposed to be with two kids. It’s the way I’ve gotten used to things. So any interruption in the routine kinda weirds me out, I guess.

Eventually, I got some writing done that night and put some laundry away. I have to admit, the night felt so much longer with so much quietness. I was actually looking forward to the morning when my little one would be awake and her sister would be home.

Maybe it’s a case of “be careful what you wish for” or “motherhood changes everything”. Whatever it was, it really was the strangest and most annoying thing.

Sister See, Sister Do

Seeing that I am an only child, my view on siblings is pretty much limited to what I saw on “Growing Pains” and all those other 80’s shows that I absolutely loved to watch growing up. Now, as the mother of two little girls, I get a front row seat of siblinghood, 24/7…unfiltered. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s ugly, sometimes it’s annoying, but it’s always a case of “sister see, sister do.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not comparing my kids to monkeys with that analogy…okay, well, maybe sometimes. But, it really is amazing to see how much my younger daughter imitates her older sister. If big sis is done with her breakfast, so is little sis, even if she still has more than half a bowl of cereal left. If big sis grabs a Barbie to play with, little sis drops whatever she has and grabs a Barbie too. Even when big sis goes poop, little sis follows and keeps her company. Awww…how sweet! No, honestly, it’s just gross. Who wants to sit with someone while they poop? Anyone? That’s what I thought, but, I digress.

It’s also funny to see how my younger daughter reacts when her sister has a friend over to play. I can tell you that someone turns a little green with envy. While she plays along at times, she will also take toys from her sister’s playmate and point to her sister and say “mine”. It’s kinda cute, I guess!

While all the cutesy pooh stuff is great times two, the bad behavior is not. I also get a double scoop of couch jumping, ottoman standing, and goldfish crunching on my rug…just to name a few of the Olympic events that go on in my house.This stuff “times two” sucks twice as much in case you were wondering.

Since I never had a sibling I have no idea what the future holds as these girls get older. I can imagine there are going to be plenty of cat fights and plenty of slammed doors. I’m sure there will be plenty of “growing pains” too as our little games of “sister see, sister do” mature with age. I just hope they will remain “besties” and realize how lucky they are to have each other.

Dermagist Product Review & Giveaway

As a mom, I love to hit the spa. Maybe you didn’t hear me…I LOVE to hit the spa. But, with two little ones around my ankles, it’s not always easy to just get up and go find some Zen amidst the Barbies and teddy bears. So, I look for it anywhere I can get it. I tend to look for products that are quick and easy but can still get the job done. It may sound like something easy to find, but let me tell you, it’s not.

So, in my quest to find some tranquility in my life, I tried out the Dermagist Hydrating Spa System. It comes with hydropeutic body lotion, hydro-renewal hand cream, as well as foot and hand revitalizing cream (my fave by the way!). The hydropeutic body lotion is great for after the shower, especially during these summer months when skin tends to dry out due to sun exposure. The lotion glides on so easily and isn’t thick and nasty like some other over the counter stuff. It also has that “spa” smell, if you know what I mean. It’s that refreshing smell that just says relaxation. After using it for a month, I can honestly say I can feel a difference in my skin. It isn’t dry and yucky, not even in this summer weather. Bonus!

As far as the other products in the system go, the hand cream worked well too. I have to admit my hands were never dry or really in need of extra TLC, so I didn’t really see that much of a difference. But, it still smelled great and was also easy to apply.

Saving the best for last…the foot and hand revitalizing cream. Let’s focus on the feet, shall we? This cream was absolutely awesome for tired feet that have been flipping and flopping all day long in sandals. It really was a little slice of heaven to put it on at night while finally putting my feet up and catching up on my DVR. Once again, the smell brought on a feeling of relaxation. In the morning, I could notice a definite difference in how my feet felt. They felt rejuvenated. It really brought a smile to this momma’s face!

All in all, I would recommend using these products if you are looking for a light moisturizer that smells great and makes you feel like you are at the spa, without making your wallet feel like it is there too. They smell great and work great, so you can ask for much more.

Wouldn’t it be great to try these products out for free too? I thought you would say yes. So here’s how you can…

1. Go and like Dermagist on Facebook
2. Follow Dermagist on Pinterest

A couple of rules:
If you have previously won a Dermagist giveaway, you are not eligible for this one
This is open to U.S. & Canada residents only
Giveaway winner will be chosen on 7/15/13
Good Luck!

Put Down the Phone

Okay, so I am the first person to admit I love my phone. I love checking Facebook and Twitter a few times a day as well as my email. I love to text and google random stuff that comes to my head. Do I do it in front of my kids? Yes, although I try to keep it to a minimum. But, do I do it during story time with my kids or while I’m supposed to be watching them do an activity? No.

As a I grab my step stool to get up on my soap box for a few minutes I would like to thank the parents who inspired this blog post. Thank you to the moms who text and do whatever else on their phones at the library instead of watching their kids during story time. A big shout out to the moms who are sharing photos with each other during story time at Barnes & Noble. Sometimes they get  so chatty I can’t even pay attention to the story. I can just imagine how the kids do it. I don’t want to forget the parents at the beach who are too busy talking on their phones to realize their kids are going a little too close to the water’s edge.

Okay, so now that I’m comfy on my soap box I can tell you why all this stuff bothers me. I know I shouldn’t care, but I feel bad for the kids who are being ignored at the hands of technology. When I was growing up (oh God, I sound like my mom!) I didn’t have to compete with a phone for my parents’ attention. I feel like our kids have to do that sometimes. That makes me sad. Kids get excited over the littlest things. Every letter they learn and every leaf they pick up off the ground is a BIG deal. It’s too bad so many parents are so buried in their phones to even notice.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I catch myself doing the same thing. Then I tell myself to put the phone away and just focus on my kids and the “now”. The “later” will be for the phone and all that other junk that takes up too much time already.

Okay, so I think you all get my point here. I wish they had an app to teach some parents how to pay closer attention to their kids! For the time being, let’s just put down the phone peeps…at least for our kids’!