The Joys of Motherhood

Well, today was a day to put in the journal. It started out just like any other. I rushed the kids through breakfast because we had an insulation guy coming at 9 a.m.. So after I cleaned the kitchen, I left Afton to her crafts at the table and I ran up to get dressed and brush my teeth. I came down the stairs 5 minutes later to find Afton freaking out because she had hair all over her. At first I just assumed Grayson had pulled her hair out because I had heard some arguing. But when I got closer, I realized she had cut her hair!!! Of course I freaked out, trying hard not to let the tears come rolling down my cheeks. I grabbed her and assessed the damage. She had made herself bangs! And what can I do to fix the handy work of a 4 year old? Nothing. Just pin it back till it grows and hope no one notices the hole in her hair on the side of her head.

It's like one of those moments that you know will happen some time during your little girl's life but you are praying that you will get to skip it. Seeing that hair all over the floor is terrifying for a mother. I vividly remember cutting my mom's doll's hair when I was about 3. I am pretty sure I got into big trouble for that one. What is the temptation to cut hair all about?

So after the incident, and my appointment with insulation guy was over, and my sister left (paige was here for the weekend), I put myself in timeout in my room. It was only 11 a.m. and I was already spent for the day. We have this stupid inversion here in Utah, and it is super annoying because I guess that is what happens here when it is sunny for too long in the winter. So we either get an inversion where it's gray and smoggy or we get pounded with snow storms. Both are hard for me to get through without getting depressed. It's hard to be joyful when you can't see the blue sky.

Anyway, I've locked myself in my room and am filled with doom and gloom wondering if it is worth it to shower today. Then I hear my sweet kids laughing and having a good time. I was so glad they were entertaining each other. Then I got curious to see what they were up to. This is what I found:



They had made a "roller coaster" with their little chairs for all their animals and dolls. Such a mess, but it really put a smile on my face. They are so creative and sometimes you can't help but be proud of them for having such an amazing imagination. No matter what the weather is like outside, you can count on an eventful time at the Milne house.

Winter Woes

It's cold.  It's snowy.  It's windy.  It's cold.  Why does every winter seem like the worst one ever?  I know last winter was very snowy and bitter in Colorado but I can almost swear it's worse this year in Utah.  It could be that we live on a mountain where the wind never seems to quit.  It could be the alleged global warming.  Yeah, right.  All I know is that it is only the beginning of January and I only have visions of Summer.

Obviously, I am not a Winter person.  I don't enjoy any of the "wonderful" Winter activities.  I do have a few things that are getting me thru this season though.  The first one is (or was) our trip to sunny California.  It was so warm and delightful.  One day it was nearly 80 degrees.  Pure Heaven.   The memories of that trip have helped me get thru the last 3 snow storms we had this week.  

The second is one the best things that has happened to me this Winter.  Uggs.  I have always held off buying them because I thought they were just a trend.  But I have to tell you, they are the most wonderful thing to have during the winter.  I wear them at least 4 days a week.  They are so warm and cozy inside... kind of like giving your feet a hug.  And you don't even wear socks with them.  I really love the sparkly paisleys on the pair I got.

The third thing is an amazing gadget that we got for one of our 12 days of christmas that David's mom did for us.  It is a hot chocolate maker.  It is also a frother.  I think we have already used it about 10 times.  The kids and I love making a cup of hot chocolate after dinner for our little treat.  It's from Williams-Sonoma by Bialetti.  It you love making the good stuff (like the kind made actual chocolate flakes), I highly suggest you pick one up.

The fourth thing is a new bag I got for Christmas.  I love having a new beautiful bag to cart around town with me.  It's a Kate Spade and I really think her newer lines of bags and shoes are so adorable.  I take that back.  Desirable.

The last thing was a present from my parents. A collection of samplings from Estee Lauder. Every day I get to pick new eye shadow combinations. And having a new skin regimen has been really great too. Winter can be really harsh on your skin and having a great skin cream makes all the difference.

Well, as I close this post, I just peeked out my window. Can you guess what I found? You're are right, SNOW.

Lash Obsessed

Have you ever been presented with that hypothetical situation - If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only bring one cosmetic product what would it be?  My answer is Mascara.  To me, it is the ultimate beauty necessity.  I could have a ton of make-up on and no one would even notice till I had my mascara on.  During the summer, it's all I wear (besides sunscreen) on my face.  My lashes are so blonde, it makes a big difference.

I love trying new mascaras.  I have a new favorite every couple of months.  It always seems like I am happy with it at first but in about a month, I am over it.  My last Mascara was DiorShow.

It was voted the best mascara for 2008.  I really didn't think it was anything special, besides the fancy packaging.  Within 2 months, it got so clumpy that it was really doing my lashes a disservice.

I am now using Estee Lauder's MagnaScopic.  It came as a sample in a gift I got from my parents.  It is a pretty good mascara - really lengthens the lashes.  My only qualm is that lashes look really thin with it and if I don't wear a liner, it looks like I don't have anything on my lashes.

So, again, I am in search of a new mascara.  There are two I am very intrigued by.  Have you tried them?  Givenchy Phenomen Eyes and Lancome's Oscillation mascara.

I think the idea of a new round brush is really cool.  I wonder if it works.

A vibrating brush?! Who would have imagined? I am very interested to know if this works or is strictly a gimmic.

Do any of you have a favorite mascara you would suggest?  Have you tried any of these?  Do you have a make-up product you couldn't live without?

Beauty Supply

I don't know if any of you have heard about my hairbrush woes.  I bought a new chi brush about a year ago thinking I'll splurge and get a special brush and maybe it will last a while and make my hair shiny and voluminous.  Well, I now have 10 of the 100+ bristles left on it making it very hard to even remove a few of the ridiculous tangles in my hair.  My hair doesn't do well in the water.

So today, I finally bit the bullet and made my way to Ulta for a new hairbrush with Grayson in tow.  I picked  a new one and some shampoo and was ready to go.  I got up to the register and of course was bombarded by their promotional offer.  This time it was an "opportunity" to come back for a consultation next Saturday with Dermalogica.  Normally, I always refuse no matter what the offer is.  This time, I told them "No thank you, I'm not sure I'll be around and I'll call to make an appointment if things change."

Of course, they wouldn't take "no" for an answer.  The girl kept asking me in different ways and then I could feel her eyes staring at my skin and the giant pimple I had just formed on my chin.  She gave that look like "I really think it would be in your best interest to have our skin specialist take a look at you and get rid of that disgusting thing on your face".  After feeling like that, how could I say no?  I have had breakout after breakout lately.  

I left the store disgusted with myself.  How could I fall for that stupid marketing ploy?  All I wanted was to buy a hairbrush.  

Back to blogging

A new year.  A new attempt.  Blogging can be so daunting for me.  But this year, I will make a better effort.  First of all, I have been trying to fix my template.  However, it seems that I am html retarded and can't get my right side column to appear on the right.  Does anyone know how to fix this?  I tried to upload new templates and though, I was successful getting those up, I was unsuccessful and fixing my original problem.  It makes me feel old and incompetent.