boogies on the wall... literally

It's been a LONG time since I've written a post, but for some reason this particular incident with Babe put me in a mood that got me thinking a few things... I miss writing (typing?!), sharing and VENTING!! Yes, unfortunately this post was inspired by me needing to vent. 

I should probably start by saying that lately my 6 year old feels like a 16 year old, which has me SUPER worried about the day he actually is 16. 

I was talking to my husband the other day on the phone and I said "I love babe SO much", which in my head means "I love him so much, I don't want him to grow up. I want him to stay little and always want to come to me first. I want him to know how much I love him and that I would do anything for him".

That SAME day my husband was looking for the remote that had been missing since the previous day (which BTW will show up at the end of this post). As he was looking behind the couch he said "man, I don't know what this is but It looks like boogers on the wall. It might be from a bug or something because it's a lot and looks really weird". I immediately  go over (already furious), look at the wall and say "there is NO way that is from a bug. It had to be Babe!". (because it's where he always sits!) I ask him to come over to look at the wall and he freezes as he glares at me with stare that could kill (if it could, seriously.) We begin this back and forth of me trying to remain calm as I ask if he did it .... no answer, trying to negotiate that I will not get mad if he did it .... no answer, asking if he didn't do it, then who did? .... no answer. I get mad and carry him to his room and tell him he will not come out until he tells me WHY he did it. He then asks "do you know it was me?"... and I ask "was it?!"... no answer!! 

I go back to the living room and can NOT get it out of my head that he would do something like that and NOT just say it was him!! So I let 15 minutes pass and head back into his room. 

As I lay next to him, face to face, I tell him this " babe, I wish you would tell me if you put boogies on the wall. I will not get mad if it was you but I want you to understand that It is really gross, and so unfair to me and daddy that we have to clean that up (which, btw, daddy cleaned it, not me. Thanks!) that's what tissue is for. Every day I get up and work really hard to pay for this house that we have, and it makes me really sad that you would make it ugly with boogies on the wall"....tears are rolling down my face (yes, tears!)... and still.... no answer. 

I leave him and take a shower and when I come out, I hear him crying. So I go in and ask what happened? He said he hurt his back. As I hugged him and asked if he was ok, he said "I think it was me", so I ask "why?" ... he said because my nose is always stuffy and I can't breath". 

After that I really stressed the importance of using a tissue (and some other small talk took place) and we headed back into the living room to watch a movie and he said "oh, I think I know where the remote is. Kins put it under my beanbag yesterday". 

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little sweet KINS etsy shop... now OPEN!!

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have heard that I was working on an etsy shop... well, today I officially opened little sweet KINS! If you have a baby or smaller kids, know someone with a baby or smaller kids, I hope you will check out little sweet KINS and spread the word!

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summer beauty favorites - skin care

A couple of weeks ago I shared my "summer beauty favorites - makeup" , today I'm finally sharing my favorite skin care (for face). I didn't want to let this one slip away because I am REALLY loving these current products... and one of them is only $1! what!

when it comes to my face, day and night, the routine goes something like this:

wash // tone // eye cream //(wait about 5 minutes) // moisturize

twice a week I use a scrub, after washing (at night)

and every other night I use a mask, after washing (at night)

now let's move on to the products!

Key West Aloe Gentle Aloe Face Cleanser - I received a sample of this in my Birchbox a few months ago and completely fell in love with it. It really leaves my skin feeling fresh and smooth. I also find it a great alternative to the Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser, to use with my Clarisonic Mia.

Origins United State Balancing Toner - I LOVE the feel of Toner on my face, the freshness, the tightness, the tingles... is that weird?! This one is great because I get all of the above mentioned without it feeling sticky and stiff. Another great toner (for more sensitive skin, and a "not so" tight feeling) is Burts Bees Rosewater Toner. 

Origins GinZing refreshing eye cream - eye creams for me are tricky. I think "why the heck do I need an eye cream, i'm just going to use my face moisturizer", Eye Creams tend to OVER promise all these crazy things having to do with wrinkles, puffiness, dark circles... blah blah blah. And I'm no sucker... BUT as i'm getting older I have decided that I should really make an effort to use "something" on the most sensitive part of my face, even if it doesn't make miracles. It has taken me a while to find one I really like but recently I started using this little sample (which I got MONTHS ago when I purchased the Toner... which is now almost empty) that has quickly become my favorite. It's a pretty peachy beige color with a sort of "illuminating" effect to it. It blends nicely and overall just feels right. I don't think this eye cream promises much but I definitely see some improvements when I have it on.

Olay Total Effects - I have been using this moisturizer since I was in my early 20's. I have tried other's but ALWAYS go back to this one. I know one day I will have to switch it up, but why.... why ruin a good thing.

ready for the $1 product:
Nicel Night Repair - Like eye cream, I just don't see the point in a Night Cream. I mean, who likes putting lotion on their face before laying on a pillow! I haven't tried a night cream that I have even half liked and I don't know why on earth I decided to buy this one when I saw it at the .99 cent only store. But I did, and I am really surprised at how great of a product it is. Again, no major promises here, but it does "moisturize", which is all I care about.

Nuance Walnut Facial Scrub - I love products with Walnut and so I just HAD to try this scrub. It's a Gentle exfoliation that you use once or twice a week, it almost feels like a microdermabrasion at a decent price.

Lush The Sacred Truth - Packed full of essential ingredients for aging skin this fresh face mask is really nice to use as often as you want. It really makes the skin feel clean and SO soft. I actually just finished this one and already bought Brazened Honey.

Mask Tip:
Being that we are currently in a severe drought I find that the best way to take off a mask is to wet a washcloth and rub it off, rinsing the cloth when necessary and then giving your face a quick rinse afterwards. Otherwise you will be running water for a good 4 minutes trying to get the mask completely off (that's a LOT of water).

What are some of your favorite skin care products?

  

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life lately...

...is amazing. Yes, I still feel stressed and overly tired about 110% of the time but there is so much good stuff that I try not to let that stress get to me. Work is crazy busy and home is a disastrous mess but there are so many little great things as well.

Some of my favorites...

Kins' 1st Birthday!!

Legoland

Vegas trips

Morning Runs

Shock Top 

and amazing dinners that my husband cooks ;)

It's all the little things that surpass the big headaches.

Also, by the look on her face, I don't think Kins likes the concept of a selfie.

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summer beauty favorites - makeup

Every now and then we all come across a few products that we love so much, they become part of our everyday (or everyday that I decide to put makeup on) routine. I thought I'd share some of my favorites that I have been using the past few weeks and will continue using all through the summer. 

Wet n Wild eye shadow in Nutty - I love this brown/taupe color. It's the perfect shade to wear, literally everyday. It has a shimmer to it, but it's not an annoying glitter shimmer, it's a tolerable shimmer that makes the color really pop. I also love that a little goes a LONG way.

Wet n Wild eye liner in Graphite - It wasn't easy finding this color, they always seem to be out OR there is that one left over that someone opened. I love this color as an alternate to black, especially during hot summer days. 

And the best thing about these Wet n Wild products.... super cheap!

Benefit Majorette - A cream to powder blush that is a GORGEOUS subtle peach and even has a slight peach scent. I LOVE this blush. It's so soft and just so perfect. I'm pretty sure I will be using this for a VERY long time. 

Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain - I got this in my Birchbox in April, and at first swipe I really hated it. Then my SIL told me how pink hers was when she tried it so I decided to give it a second shot. And I'm glad I did because otherwise it would be sitting in my drawer unused. The color deepens the more you swipe it on your lips (btw, I have not tried it on my cheeks), and the color lasts through my whole work day, seriously, even through meals!

Butter London Disco Biscuit - technically I have only worn this color once this year, but it's such a pretty, fun, bright jelly polish that I look forward to wearing it again and again. 

Next week I'll be sharing some of my favorite current skin care products.

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Dear Babe

Today was the last day of Kinder and in just 2 months you will begin your elementary journey as a big kid. It seems like just yesterday that daddy and I took you to Pre-K for the first time and we (you and me) both cried. For the first few days you didn't want to go, and now you love school and miss it, and your friends, when you are on break. When I asked you how your last day was you were excited to tell me you had a pizza party. You ate pizza, ice cream, a cookie and just HAD to try the lollipop that the teacher gave you as well. You said you had a tummy ache but it was SO good. We went out to Chipotle for dinner because you like the little bag of chips that come with the kids meal. 

I'm so proud of the things you have learned this past year. Math, writing sentences, and even reading! I almost cried yesterday when you were reading Curious George. We have some really fun stuff planned for the summer and I hope you enjoy every day of it. Kins is going to love having you around all day to play with. 

I love you so much Babe!

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diy reusable cotton face pads

This past earth month I made a new discovery... reusable cotton face pads! I love the idea considering I use at least 2 a day for toner, and sometimes 3 a day if I use it for make-up remover. But at $22 for 8... um, sorry earth! So what's the next best thing... diy cotton face pads!

supplies needed:

super soft baby flannel

pinking shears 

pins (optional)

sewing machine (optional)

1. cut a piece of fabric that is at least 5" wide, and as long as you want (depending on how many you want, each pad will be approximately 2.5"x2")

2. fold the fabric, wrong sides together (so that the 5" becomes 2.5") 

3. using your pinking shears, begin making rectangles every 2"

At this point you could just have a 5"x2" strip of fabric that you fold in half when using with your toner or makeup remover, or you can continue with an extra step (or 2)

4. with my fabric still folded, I added a pin near each fold and then added a stitch back and forth with my sewing machine.

I have been using these everyday for almost 2 weeks and love that I am saving so much cotton from being thrown away. Now if only I could get on board with reusable cotton "pads"... anyone?!

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