Rose and Bee

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to this great mama owned company (you know we support our mamas) called Rose and Bee Organics.  I met them and bought a few of their products at the Pinterest Conference here in Arizona. These handcrafted products manifesto is Organic Crap Free Skincare by Two Moms Who Give A Crap. and I am so down for that! 

I recently bought the Peppermint body butter and it is divine.  Think of Land O Lakes whipped butter consistency with a hint of Peppermint. Just a little dollop of the body butter and it effortlessly glides and melts into your skin. This super moisturizing product is great for the winter or us desert living folk in dry climates. 

One of my favorite perks about this product is the subtle peppermint scent. Sometimes I don’t wear traditional perfume because the body butter does the trick and I get so many compliments from it. I also rub some on my shoulders, neck and decolletage area before bed because the mister says it’s my new signature scent and he loves that aroma as he goes to sleep. 

In addition to skin care items, Rose and Bee also make these beautiful wood and floral wall decor peices that adds a quaint charm to any space. All of their products would make for great gifts this holiday season. So go check these mamas out and show them what the Code Name: Mama community is all about!

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Guilty

My favorite way to relax hands down is by getting my toes and nails done. I stick my head phones in and don’t talk to A N Y O N E. I have been going to the same salon for about four years, so they totally know I’m the client who only wants to be bothered when its absolutely necessary. I’m also a creature of habit so I get the same thing done when I go thus I am fully aware of the drill like when its time to wash my hands. When my nails are being attended, I read magazines and toe time is for sleeping or more magazines. Its seriously a nice hour and a half of Utopia. But on the drive home the guilt sets in. I don’t want to get caught…. by….. my sitter.

First of all my sitter is an ANGEL. This woman was literally sent from God to our family. She is the sweetest and my littles love her. Which makes me feel totally ashamed when I show up with the classic pedicure flip flops on. **To my other best friend who watched our middle child for close to a year, you are an angel and the sweetest too and a godsend as well. I know you’re reading this**. I’ve actually been blessed with pretty great sitters throughout this little kid time in my life and I felt this guilt with all of them (except the one who was terrible) because in my head I feel like they’re thinking “I wish I didn’t have to watch your snotty nosed kids and could get a mani/pedi. But no I had to stay here and sit for your kids who literally think they’re in a rock band.” Just a heads up, my kids noses are wiped often and very rarely snotty. The rock band part is true though.

I get my mani/pedi’s (when money allows) biweekly either while I’m on lunch (I have no problem showing back up at work with fresh nails) or if I have the time, leave a little early and get to the salon before I head home. My job is what we in our small town call “in town”. The drive is about 25 minutes, if there’s no traffic, with nothing but wild horses in between. Its a totally planned out thing, I try to make sure I have flip flops in my car to change into and on the car ride home, I put the car AC blower on my feet for faster drying. I never have time to sit and wait for my toes to dry at the salon because I am always on the go. I try not to show up with the flimsy salon sandals because I want my sitter to know that she is totally cherished and I am not taking advantage of her. Its just super convenient to take care of myself while the kids are already taken care of.

I feel like that is the working-outside-of-the-home mom’s dilemma though. Being plagued by the pull of making sure that our kids aren’t spending too much time with someone else but also needing to fit in taking care of ourselves. Most of us are doing the right thing by taking that extra hour for ourselves or choosing to pick the kids up early. Doing what’s right for our well being is the biggest goal that sometimes feels the least attainable. So at the end of this post I have no inspirational thought or a we can do it mantra… All I have is this 1. to encourage each of you to make sure you do what works for you whether there is guilt involved or not and 2. that I’m going to get my sitter a gift certificate for a mani/ pedi for Christmas.

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Inspiration

As a writer I am constantly looking for new things to write about. Always searching for inspiration from my surroundings. Generally I have a lot of ideas formulating in my brain, but remembering them and putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) is a different story. That’s why I am so excited about these little gems I scooped up from Target today. One of them is a book called Listography and its exactly what is sounds like, a book that you write down your favorite things in list form based on different prompts. I love this idea so much because its just so light, fun, and a great way to remember that restaurant you went to that one time three years ago on vacation. The second book is 300 Writing Prompts and again the title is very self explanatory, you just write the your thoughts on whatever topic asked in a short paragraph. And what a unique way to shake up your me time! Quick fun things that I can glean from to better my writing, get to know myself and keep me off of social media I am totally down for. Plus, they are cute little items to leave to my kids and grandchildren for them to really know what mommy thought about things in life I didn’t always share. Excited to start writing in these with a trustee glass of pinot grigio by side.

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Winner winner

Congratulations to Ashley Bengs on winning Code Name: Mama’s first giveaway!!! We’ll be sending Ashley’s at home spa kit right away!!! Because all women need a little pampering.

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Goody Box

I started subscribing to Birchbox after my second child was born. I needed something more than the baby and the house to pour my time into that was just for me. One of my best friends suggested I look into the beauty subscription box. I’ve subscribed for about two years now and it is still such a nice treat that I don’t have to share with anyone in my house! I get to be a little selfish for about 30 minutes when my small package arrives each month. The hubster entertains the kiddos while I go and pour over what goodies I’ve just received. Now another good friend of mine and I get excited to talk about what we’ve received and swap out products that we think the other might like better.

It’s a pretty simple set up process. You complete a beauty profile and subscribe. Each month you receive a cute little box with five random samples based off of your profile. Sometimes they’ll include a full size product for free. You can keep all the samples a surprise or you can pick one from a couple of products that you specifically want to try and the other four will be curated. In addition, with every dollar you spend you earn points off of your next purchase.  If you are looking for a little fun and cheap me time (Birchbox is $10 monthly) I would definitely recommend give this a whirl. You can also click here to subscribe and get 50% off your first box.

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Practical Marriage

Everyone loves gifts. Especially gifts from their spouse. Nothing is better than a non holiday or birthday “I was just thinking about you” present. At the beginning of our relationship one gift I enjoyed receiving from my husband was lingerie. At first I wasn’t really into picking these lacy intimates out for myself. I mean there is soooo much more I can buy for the price of some bra and panty sets. But once my husband started bringing lingerie home,  I welcomed them because I saw how he wanted me to feel beautiful even underneath my clothes.

Now flash forward eight years, three children and numerous pets later, I can’t remember the last time I’ve received lingerie…… Or even thought about it for that matter. So imagine my surprise when the hubs announces he has something special for me laying on our bed. Bolting upstairs, I find several sets of panties and socks in various colors sprawled out just for me. I am so giddy! But these aren’t just any kind of panties, no these are Hanes performance cool panties. According to the package they’re ultra lite and ultra breathable. Accompanying these cute little darlings are a few colors worth of Dr. Scholl’s dreamwalk spa socks. Jackpot!

Why are these freaking amazing? Because they’re exactly what I needed! Ladies it’s hot as lava this summer and I need to stay cool and comfortable in all areas of my body. Especially as a huge jeans wearer. And despite the heat, I get super cold at night and love wearing socks around the house.

Today made me realize that just because our marriages are different from where they first began, doesn’t mean we always need to wish for the old days.  We can find sexiness and beauty in all forms of gifts. Sometimes we get caught up in trying to figure out why our relationships aren’t as spicy as they used to be. But we’ve changed and are in a different season of life now. My gift from my main squeeze is the embodiment of how marriage evolves over time. The presentation and message of the new version of undergarments was the exact same as the frillier version. Except these Hanes are much more practical. And you know what, I feel super sexy (and dry) in them. So that’s a double win.

Now maybe we’ll go out for dinner with the money saved! Just kidding I’ve already thawed the beef for dinner tonight.

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