Pencil Thin

For the last several months I have justified not working out because my treadmill and exercise bike were in storage. Now that they are sitting in our finished basement I still can’t get myself motivated to start working out again. I really need to because it always makes me feel good. I just can’t seem to reconcile what my head knows and what my body wants to do which is sit. I kind of think my body is still getting over the stress of the last couple of years and adjusting to life sans chaos. What I need is a reunion or a fancy party to put on my social calender that requires me to feel like I need to look health and fit!

My kids are already starting to think about the toys they want or hope to receive for Christmas. It is so funny because they have no concept of where presents come from or how much things cost. The nice thing is they are pretty low key in what makes them happy. I feel very fortunate not to have children who need the most expensive and popular things on the market. Ask my son what he wants and it is a pretty short list – Legos and books. That makes for one easy shopping trip for this mom.

Our backyard is much bigger than at our old house which is going to be wonderful this winter. At our last home my kids hardly have room enough to walk in a circle let alone really play. This year we are going really play and I can’t wait. For some reason I am finding myself looking especially forward to winter. We are going to sled and build snow men. I just went out and bought both kids some snow pants and gloves. I myself and going to need a few things such as boots since I don’t really have any worthy of outdoor play. I would love some UGG Australia style boots but don’t know if I will find them around here. Maybe I will look online. Hopefully, I will find some soon because we already had our first inch of snow this morning.

Isn’t there a point in life when you shouldn’t need acne cream anymore? I would think that 37 would be somewhere in this age range but I seem destined to have a least one or two nasty little pimple all the time. The only time my skin is really clear is when I am pregnant and that is never going to happen again. This seems to mean that my face is always going to look like a 13 year old girl which really irks me to no end. I probably should give up wearing make-up and the problem would go away but I just can’t stand how my skin looks without it. This a case of “darned if you do” and “darned if you don’t” in my opinion.

We met this week with an insurance agent to discuss some different options for our needs. During the entire meeting I was wildly distracted by the diamond rings on almost all of this woman’s hands. What was more distracting was how incredibly long her finger nails were and the wild polish and jewels she wore on them. I can barely manage to get anything done when my nails get even slightly long. I am quite sure by the way she carried herself that she isn’t into rock climbing or anything but how does one put in contacts or wash dishes with claws?

It seems like every week I am getting an invitation so some type of home sales party. One week it is makeup and another week it is Tupperware or stamping products. Usually I graciously decline because for the most part I think these products just not something I need to spend a great deal of money on. Finally after receiving endless invitations to different parties hosted by the same friend I relented and attended a jewelry party. On looking at the different products offered I could not believe the prices being charged. For the price of just one or two of these costume jewelry items I could have purchased an entire wholesale fashion jewelry lot online. The items were certainly pretty and seemed to be well crafted but there are only so many places a work at home mom is going to wear this type of product. I just couldn’t justify spending that much money on a pair of earrings or a necklace that no one was going to see but me. I would much rather buy online and save a ton of money and the aggravation of attending one of these silly parties.

My skin has always been sensitive and prone to breaking out quite easily. For about 20 years I have used just one type of make-up because everything else I tried turned my face into a disaster zone. Recently, I decided to venture out into the world of makeup and purchased some mineral makeup. Several of my friends have tried this type of make-up and couldn’t say enough good things about it. I was skeptical but decided to give it a try. I have to say that I really like these types of products. The products really last and so far my skin is not breaking out like it does with other products. Applying it took a little practice but now that I have the hang of it I really like how natural it looks.

My husband laughs because I put on makeup to go virtually everywhere including the gym. This isn’t to say that I go all out with that night on the town look but I do apply some makeup. I am just not one of those women who has crystal clear and beautiful skin that looks good all on its own. I just feel better about myself when I help nature out even just a little. I don’t think it is all that funny to wear makeup to the gym. It isn’t like I am putting on an evening gown or cufflinks. There are some people who come to the gym looking more like they are headed to an awards banquet than to hit the treadmill. What is a little lipstick and blush in the big scheme of things?

Do you use this type of makeup? If you do use it or have tried it please share what you think of it. I have started to notice just about every makeup company out there now has a product line. My skin is pretty sensitive and I would hate to spend the money on yet another product I can’t use. The ads I see for this stuff look pretty impressive but then again what advertisement doesn’t?

If you are dreaming about loosing weight be sure to account for it in your monthly budget. This may come as a surprise but getting healthier and thinner costs money. Not only will you need to make changes in your monthly food budget but in other areas as well. Until I lost weight I never realized how many areas of my life would be impacted. I am seriously considering getting budgeting software to better plan my expenses. Loosing weight means being more active which costs money. Being a smaller size means needing new clothes and eating better costs money as well. Unless you work out at home there will be gym or fitness class fee to plan for. I do feel that no matter what the cost getting healthier is worth the expense but don’t be surprised if that new figure trims your wallet.

So I got my hair cut much shorter because I am just sick of spending hours drying and straightening it every day. Of course the first words my husband says are “I liked it long”. Yeah, I know that and I like it when put the toilet seat down. I figure it will grow out just in time to put it up in the summer which is really all I care about. Until then I am going to enjoy not looking at myself all morning long.

Each morning when I go for a walk there are several other people out for their morning exercise that I routinely pass. After a while you get to notice interesting characteristics about people. In my case I am sure people think I must just roll out bed which is entirely the case. There is a couple I pass each morning who walk dressed as if they were headed to work or church. I have to giggle just a little bit because the woman is decked out in dress shoes and costume jewelry at 5:30 in the morning. They get this dressed up even on weekends which just strikes me as odd given how far they walk. It isn’t like they are taking a short stroll around the block. I guess to each his own and it is the exercise that is important rather than the attire.

For the last couple of years we jokingly referred to track pants and a t-shirt as my “uniform”. The truth of the matter was that I simply couldn’t bare to try to shove myself into my regular clothes. Being either pregnant or post baby I tried to convince myself that I was too tired to get dressed. The reality was that nothing fit. If you looked in my closet or dresser drawers you might think I simply went to a wholesale clothing outlet and bought a dozen of the exact same thing. Now that I have made real strives to improve my health and loose weight I no longer look at my “uniforms” the same way. There is a real difference in getting dressed when your clothes fit you and you feel great about yourself. Maybe it isn’t so much a uniform I need as a fresh new style?

Last night I was rifling through my desk and stumbled across a gift certificate that I completely forgot I had been given. Some dear friends gave me a very nice gift certificate to a local salon when our littlest man was born some 10 months ago! This is going to sound crazy but I think the last time my hair was professionally done was 3 years ago. Now don’t get some crazy vision in your head about what I look like because I actually get compliments on my hair frequently and requests for the name of my stylist LOL. I started cutting my own hair when I was a tween and have just continued on since then. Once in a blue moon I will break down and go in for a trim. It has gotten to the point that I actually feel anxious about letting someone else touch my hair. Between that and how much I hate making small talk with stylists it sets the stage for awkwardness on my part once I arrive. This is not to say I am not excited to be able to go and thankful for the gracious gift my friends so thoughtfully gave, I just wish I weren’t such a salon phobic. My husband was shocked to hear I had scheduled an appointment for this evening! I feel like I am going on a blind date instead of getting my hair done