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.

❤

Pinners Unite!

My sister and I went to the Pinterest Conference. She attended the one in Texas, while I attended in Arizona. Can I just say that it was so epic! Seriously a sight to behold and an event to look forward to each year. Its like the state fair but for women. Below are our pointers/ramblings if you are planning on attending next year.

1. This is an event you can really go to alone or with girlfriends. There is soooooo much to see and do. Whether you are talking to vendors or doing the classes you can talk to someone new the entire time you’re there. Obviously its fun to go with friends, but make sure you guys are on the same page on how you want the experience to be. If you are wanting to take every class and your friend just wants to walk around and peruse, then its probably best to drive desperately and meet up for lunch (food vendors there are great).
2. BRING MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While the entree tickets are quite cheap ($8) and parking is going to depend on the venue, for example, Carmen’s was $20 but mine was $5, you will still need to save those coins for once you walk through those red curtains. Why you might ask? A. You are going to want to buy E V E R Y T H I N G. Most vendors are small business owners and most whose companies are still out of their homes. Therefore they can do some serious discounts. Plus there is such diverse array of products and you can get side tracked easily. B. While the classes are free, the materials are not. Carmen and I both wanted to make this farmhouse candle project (it was a craft at each separate events) but the materials were $35!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Um I could have bought one fully made at Home Goods or Hobby Lobby for the same amount. Now obviously since we’re attending the DIY holy grail I understand the concept of spending more money just to say that I made it rather than buy it. But I just wasn’t planning on dropping that kind of cash on top of trying to shop. Most classes materials ranged between the $20 – $40 range.
3.  Ok so I just told you about the classes with expensive ass materials, but I wanted to let you know that they also have some classes that are free and still worth your while to sit in on. I went to a make up class, which was really more about how to keep your skin clear while wearing make-up. It was great and I learned some new techniques. The other one I went to was this lady who was talking about how to declutter your life….. I just need her to follow me around all day. Or at least make a monthly home visit. I also sat in on a couple of the craft workshops as they were finishing up. The speakers are super enthusiastic and know their stuff. I kinda wanted to walk up to a couple of them and ask for their hand in friendship.
4. THE FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since Pinterest is all about making the ordinary unique, you can bet your bottom dollar that the food vendors are just as unique. And so good! Y’all I had a duck burger……….. it changed my life.
5. Try your hardest not to bring your kiddos. While the event is free for children under the age of 12 and they do their best to make it mom friendly (posh private nursing areas and $5 kid crafts) its tough to sit in on a workshop with a 3 year old on your lap. Also it can get kind of congested at peak times, so just like we try our darnedest not to bring them to the mall…. the same applies here.
6. This one won’t be long. Don’t bring your husbands. They won’t have fun and you won’t either. They do have a cash bar there, if you bring the mister one or both of you will end up spending your entire time at the bar.
7. GIRL POWER!! Its so fun and empowering to be around all of these women entrepreneurs who are not only making a name for themselves, but also sharing their creativity with the rest of us. And while yes Pinterest is technically gender neutral we can all admit that the site caters mostly to women. Thus their conference does the same. A great number of the vendors are local to your area, so purchasing from them is not only supporting a female owned businesses but also your local community. One day Code Name: Mama will have a booth!

All in all go! Make the time, its a two day gig. You can spend on day shopping and another day crafting. It was such a fun me day and I can’t wait for next year.

❤

Pretty Woman

I’m sure most of you have all seen this meme floating around social media by now. I had to grab this off of the good ol internet and talk about it. This meme is pretty self explanatory, you add up all the points next to each description to see how high maintenance you are.  When this was sent to me it was posed more as a meter for before you had children and after. My before score was 65. Somewhere between the “Really High Maintenance” and “You’re freaking Queen of Your Castle”. I’ll call it “Very Well Maintained”. However, my after children score is 12. That’s right……………… 1 2……. a full 53 point drop. Wait can I add only 5 points from the massages question? I mean I got 2 massages this year! Ehhh probably not, i’ll just stick with my 12.

So most of time we think that as moms we loose this sense of self because we are devoting our entire being to this amazing little cherubs so we have zero time to take care of ourselves. I mean how could we, we’ve got their sports schedules, the PTA, conference calls, budget meetings, play dates, bake sales, birthday parties and soooo much more. That may be the case for some but for me me it really boils down to one thing. M O N E Y. I would absolutely have a 100 point score if I could (actually only 86 because I don’t spray tan and I think permanent make up is weird) but my children don’t suck the life out of me, they suck the money. My daughter’s shoes that were bought in June are already too small, picture day just happened, I’ve got to get 3 Halloween costumes and I have to pay for my car registration. So a trip to Sephora is not in my future. And that’s how I feel like it goes more often than not. I just wanted those of us who desired to be higher on this list to be represented appropriately. I totally care about my presentation, but its an expensive one that I can’t afford right now. Old Navy is my life line at this point.

❤