Mirror, Mirror

I can't believe I'm about to say this. It's only taken me 30+ years.

I think I prefer myself with less makeup.

It could be that I take way too long applying it. Or that today my skin is especially dry and flaky, though the natural oiliness is bound to appear in 5 minutes and fix that anyway. Or that I just finished the book 7 last night and can't stop thinking about all the excess in my life.

Regardless, I've turned a corner.

I have a hard time doing things halfway, generally. I'm a perfectionist, so if it's not done perfectly and completely, forget it. This has changed somewhat since having a child, but it is still my natural tendency. So I either want to do full makeup, or wear none at all.

But I have found an in between.* 

And who am I trying to impress anyway? Why do I care so much about my makeup being perfect? Of course, I want to be presentable. And in the appropriate situation, appear professional. But when I'm putting on full makeup (taking the full amount of time that it takes my husband to clean out - I'm talking a deep clean - both of our cars) to meet a close friend at Target for coffee and a little browsing, it's a little over the top, if I do say so myself. This friend has seen me makeup-less and doesn't care. But she always seems so put together. Dressed very nicely, with her own makeup looking good. And I'm a stay-at-home mom maybe trying to prove a little too hard that I still can look nice and it's my one evening out this whole week and everyone is judging anyway.

Really? Where is my value? Is my identity in my perfectly applied primer, concealer, foundation, bronzer, blush, eye shadow, liner, mascara, and lip gloss? I'm annoying myself just typing this out. I am deciding no.

It's exhausting putting on this show. 

*My in between regimen includes a "luminizing" moisture tint, cheek stain, and mascara. Oh, and the most amazing lip balm (Dior Lip Glow) my sister gave me. Also, the full makeup will come out on occasion. While my husband prefers my face au natural, even he thinks smoky eyes are hot. And even though I'm a stay-at-home mom, we still go on dates, thankyouverymuch.

Baby Hipster, Manamana, and Taxes

I went to MOPS yesterday morning at a local church. It was a coffee house theme and was fun and everything, but one thing specifically will stay with me. I met the coolest baby.  I nearly asked to take a photo of him to show Michael, but I refrained. I don't want to be forever categorized as the crazy lady by my new friend and his mom. And, let's be honest, there's a 100% chance that I would agonize about wanting to post the photo on this blog, and that's not cool when you're talking about another person's child.


So, what is so cool about this little boy? Let's start with his attire, which is what first caught my attention...specifically, his cardigan. What? Yes, cardigan. On a male. A very small male. It was white and blue striped. Well, more like cream and a blue shade between teal and navy. Beautiful, I tell ya. And to top it off, it had elbow patches. ELBOW PATCHES. Just as I thought elbow patches couldn't get any cooler, I see a 10-month old pulling them off. 


He also had on a grayish pair of jeans that appeared to be of the skinny variety.


After taking in all this cuteness, I observed what sat atop his head. Cute, blonde baby hair. Short. And styled into the sweetest baby faux-hawk. His mother told me that she has styled his hair like this so frequently, that she doesn't even need to use product in it. Just brushes it up after his bath and voila. Instant cuteness.


While I don't think I can mold Asher's hair into that amazing style that is the faux-hawk (his hair is too long and I'm doubtful he would cooperate), I can attempt to make him cooler through his clothing. This will be somewhat of a challenge due to my current intake of the book Seven (and my subsequent - and likely temporary - boycott(ish) of clothes shopping), but we can work with layers, right? 


* 


Asher and I didn't get along so well today. My hidden stash of chocolate chips and Nutella (don't tell Michael) helped to get me through it. But the silver lining was really tonight after I put Asher to bed. I prayed with him, and we played a little. I had his teddy bear and tiger popping up around the crib singing "Manamana" (courtesy of The Muppet Babies). Asher loved it. When I walked by his bedroom later, I heard his little voice utter "manamana" (also his same word for "banana") periodically, in a distinctly different, gravelly voice. How cute is that?! 


*


Also, friends, I finished our taxes today. Sweet relief.

Shoes and Seeds

It's annoying to me that while I'm doing anything other than sitting at a computer, and without the option of stopping and getting to a computer, I think of dozens of topics to blog about. Yet when I sit to actually write something, I come up blank. This is generally why a hodge-podge of ideas end up spewing out randomly. So here we go again.

I've begun week 2 of Couch to 5k, and I have to say, today's run/walk went very well. I think this is due to several factors.

#1 I slept incredibly well last night. And when I awoke (by myself, not to an alarm, I might add), the sun was streaming in the partly open window with cool air flowing around. How could I not have a great day with that start?

#2 I ordered new running shoes! We stopped by a sporting goods store this morning, and I got fitted for shoes. They were VERY expensive at that store, so I looked at roadrunnersports.com when I got home and found them for 30% less! Oh, and I used shopathome.com to get an extra 10% back. (Please tell me you use shopathome.com or ebates.com for every online purchase you make!) Anyway, my excitement about having ordered the shoes carried over to my run/walk.

#3 I thought there were more than two reasons, but I can't come up with a third now.

Also, I ordered vegetable seeds last night finally! From seedsnow.com. 

Very excited for them to arrive. I ended up getting:

• Leaf lettuce
• Arugula
• Spinach
• Red and White onions
• Snap peas
• Brandywine tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes

I also picked up various containers today. And a few tools. Now I just need some potting soil, which I plan to get this week from a local nursery. I sure hope I enjoy gardening.

One more thing, how cute is this kid?!

Springtime

I love it. Didn't know just how much until this week. We've gone to the park three times already, and my container gardening is going to get its start in the very near future. Our thermostat is set for 62 degrees, but the temperature has stayed between 68 and 72 all week. We have windows open, and the house smells like spring. 

Yesterday, Asher and I walked to the track to pick up Michael after his run, after which we'd head over to the playground to play. As we were coming up on the park, Asher got sooooo excited when he saw the playground, saying over and over "Peas! Peas! Peas!" (please! please! please!). He could hardly bear to pass it and pick up "Da-ee" (daddy) first. He played hard yesterday. Wish I had gotten a picture of the dirt under his fingernails and on his face. It was so sweet. He loves going down the slides all by himself, especially when daddy goes down the slide next to him at the same time. He doesn't love the swing as much, but will tolerate it for a couple minutes. It's always difficult to say goodbye to the park, but Asher gets a ride on daddy's shoulders (and goldfish and juice) all the way home, so he's not too disappointed.

Books

Two days of Couch to 5k: down. I'm way more sore than I should be. The time on the treadmill is nice, though; especially during the early days of this running program. I'm walking more than I'm running, which allows some time to read a book. Okay, so maybe my walking portion isn't as strenuous as it could be, but I don't care. It provides the quiet, alone time I require to read.

My book of choice these days? 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker.  (yes, I did just google "how to write a book title". I totally was about to put the title in quotes.) I want everyone to read this book, and I'm only on page 77. It is coming through loud and clear to me. I read this today, which really hit me over the head:

"We cannot carry the gospel to the poor and lowly while emulating the practices of the rich and powerful."

I'm now reading the chapter on Possessions, and it's making me want to throw up. In a good way?

Also, I recently finished the book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. Awesome. I want to re-read it yesterday.

I'm On a Roll

Asher and I have been getting into the groove of me being home full-time. It has definitely been an adjustment. The first month or so was a lot of me being lazy. It was awesome. Asher and I would lounge around in our jammies until lunchtime. He'd eat, then go down for a nap. And then it was my time to myself to do whatever I wanted. It was MARVELOUS.

Finally, during my second month I got my butt in gear. Our mornings now consist of a walk (usually - when the weather cooperates) and some "learning" time, or I'd like to think so, at least. We work on puzzles or coloring. Maybe talking about shapes or colors. Some days Asher watches a Baby Einstein video. Right now he's watching a Veggie Tales movie. After lunch, while he's napping, I clean 4 days a week. I hate it, but it's wonderful to always have a "clean" house. I do about an hour a day. It's awesome not to be stressed about it building up for a Saturday morning, or to worry about having company.

And during Asher's nap today, I will also (re-)begin the Couch to 5k running program. I hate running as much as I hate cleaning, but if I can suck it up and clean, I can make myself run. Also, I need to lose a little weight. When we went home for christmas, I gained 5 pounds, which I didn't lose. Then when we went home for Callie's wedding, I gained another 5. Oops. That's 10 pounds! I want to get fitted for running shoes, and hope to do that within the next couple weeks. But for now I'll use my old sneakers just so I can get going.

***Update: I not only did my scheduled cleaning today, I (re-)began running AND have decided what to grow in my garden and what I need to get started. I'm on a roll.