Mom. Wife. Busy Life.

Category: Family

Ways to Take Care of Your Skin

The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to take care of my skin. I’m definitely not getting any younger. Over the last few years, I’ve noticed a few new lines appear on my face as well as sun spots. I know that my time spent in the sun when I was young girl is finally catching up to me and I’m ready to take better care of my skin as an adult.

When I was a teenager, I had a lot of trouble with oily skin and acne. I still struggle with occasional acne and acne at my age can be frustrating. As a busy mom, I don’t always pay enough attention to my skin as I should!

To combat a combination of dry and oily skin and to keep my skin looking it’s best, I follow a daily regimen and use quality skincare products and have noticed an improvement! The following tips help to keep my face looking clean and clear.

Ways to Take Care of Your Skin

Drink water.

I recently cut my caffeine and soda intake and replaced these beverages with water. Water helps to keep me hydrated during the day and helps to minimize any facial puffiness!

Take a daily vitamin.

I do not get all of the vitamins I need on a daily basis, even though I’m working to improve this. That’s why I take a multi-vitamin every day to give my body the vitamins I’m missing out on!

Use quality skincare products.

Using quality skin care products is very important to me. I’m picky about the products I use and only choose the best out there. I know that by choosing the right skincare products, I can help fight aging and combat my oily/dry skin.

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize!

I can’t live without my moisturizer. My face feels very dry after I get out of the shower and I immediately apply moisturizer to combat the dryness. I put on moisturizer in the morning before applying my make up and at night before going to bed.

Avoid the sun and use sunscreen daily.

I lived in the sun when I was little and now I’m paying for it with a few aging spots. As I age, I find that wearing sunscreen daily is important. Keep a little tube of sunscreen in your purse in case you forget to use it at home. I like to use make up products that already have sunscreen included to give me extra protection during the day.

If your skin needs a little attention and TLC, try the tips mentioned above and hopefully you’ll be on your way to having clean, clear, and smooth skin!

How do you take care of your skin? Share your tips below!

September 24, 2015
How to Sleep Better as a Mom

How to Sleep Better as a Mom

The school year started last week for my girls and we are slowly getting back into a routine. It’s been a bit difficult getting back into our routine. During the summer, I stayed up late each night and caught up on work, watched television, read books, or listened to podcasts. Things have changed though, and I need to get used to going to bed early. We set our alarms for 6:15 a.m. in the morning and I have to make sure we are all ready to leave the house by 7:30 a.m. each morning. This means that I have to get adequate sleep so that I can get everyone up and dressed in the morning for a successful school day and so that I can have a successful work day as well.

Sleep is important and I’ll be heading to bed earlier this school year. The first few nights have been rough for me. I’ve been tossing and turning at bedtime and every now and then I’ll glance at the clock to see what time it is. I get really frustrated when I see that it’s past 1 a.m. and I’m still awake. I know that I don’t do well on just a few hours of sleep.

I’m working on getting a full 8 hours of sleep each night, but there’s a lot I need to work on before this happens. Here’s a few of my personal tips that I’m trying this back-to-school season!

Set a specific bed time and stick to it each night.

When I tell myself when I need to go to bed, the chances of me getting to bed on time are higher than when I just decide each night what my bedtime will be. Kids thrive on bedtime routines and we should, too. I set a goal this school year to be in bed by 10:00 p.m. each night. No more late nights trying to catch up on work and other tasks and feeling sluggish in the morning!

Avoid using electronics an hour before bed.

I’m guilty of using my phone before bed or watching television to help me fall asleep. However, the light and the glare from my devices could actually be delaying my sleep. This is going to be a hard tip to follow, but I know it’s best for me. I need to turn off these devices well in advance and try to use that hour for calming my mind instead.

Turn off all lights and shut the blinds.

Turn off all lights, shut the blinds, and cover any display light from cable boxes, alarm clocks, etc. I have a cable box in my room that gives off a bright blue light that bugs the mess out of me when I’m trying to sleep. I’ve been putting something in front of the box to block the light and that seems to be helping quite a bit! I also turn my alarm clock down on its face so that the green light isn’t glaring at me right next to my bed.

Take a warm bath at night.

I love a nice warm bath in the evenings when I know I need to get to sleep fast. I use a calming lavender body wash in my bath to help me to relax. It’s never a bad idea to play calming music during your bath as well!

Add white noise.

I can’t sleep without white noise in my room. I have a box fan that I use in my bedroom on medium setting to give the right amount of noise to help me fall and stay asleep. Just be sure that the noise isn’t too high or loud if you have little children that sometimes wake up in the middle of the night. You’ll want to make sure you can still hear them!

Use a Sleep Aid.

Still having a tough time getting to sleep even after following the tips above? Consider using a sleep aid! Be sure to talk to your doctor first to find a sleep aid that is right for you.

If you are struggling with getting sleep, the following tips above may help!

What tips do you have for getting better sleep at night?

Why Sleep is Important as a Mom

September 8, 2015
How to Build an Indoor Fort for Movie Night

I’ll be the first to admit that my schedule can get so crazy busy that I’m too tired to devote time and attention to my family, especially my kids. I’m still working on making changes this year because this is something I want to change. I want to add more family friendly activities into our schedule this year including family outings, vacations, and simple activities like family movie nights and game nights. My girls love spending time together with my husband and I and we love taking time out of our busy days to make sure we spend quality time with them.

How to Build an Indoor Fort for Movie Night
One way we like to enjoy time with each other is to allow our children to get creative by creating a fun fort in the living room for movie night! We like to have movie nights on Friday or Saturday nights. The girls love to find anything they can to make their forts interesting and they usually differ each time they create one. This weekend, we decided to get creative and build a fun fort with blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, a bean bag, and other accessories. My toddler thought it would be a good idea to bring her special items including her play phone, lip gloss, and other small toys into the fort. You can't have a successful fort without one important snack - popcorn. We prefer popping a bag of popcorn to enjoy during movie nights! We can stay home and enjoy movie nights without having to pay a lot for a movie or popcorn at a theater. My girls created their fort and crawled inside while munching on popcorn. My oldest asked me if she could sleep in her fort! If you are looking for a fun and creative way to enjoy a movie night at home, create your own indoor fort. Need movie ideas? Go here.

January 26, 2015