Five Favorites: Super Low-Maintenance Mom Beauty Edition

Let me let you in on a little secret: I am super low maintenance. As a mom of almost 4, a beachbody coach who works out in the mornings, and someone who is all-around terrible at being female, I've learned that I just do not have what it takes to be thoroughly girly, nor do I have the time or energy to learn. Don't get me wrong, I've looked up my share of youtube and pinterest eyeliner tutorials but somehow I can just never seem to stick with it, and I don't think I even own a blow dryer. But even though I'm not one of those super put-together gals, I try to look somewhat presentable most of the time (at least when I leave the house), even when I just finished working out and I'm super sweaty and already running late to get Stenni to the bus. I use these 5 things (plus one bonus tool) to pull myself together in under 5 minutes flat because really, who has any longer than that?
Remember, I'm not getting paid to endorse any of this stuff. I just really like it a lot.

So here are my five favorites, Super Low-Maintenance Mom Beauty Edition:

1. Aquaphor. Just plain Aquaphor. I use it on everything. It's a great lip balm. It keeps my eyebrows from looking as crazy and German and angry as they really are. And it tames my eczema, sometimes. Also works on kids' booboos and baby butts. Who could ask for anything more?
2. Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Tapioca Dry Shampoo. It smells like vanilla and woodsmoke (Cua says it made the bathroom smell like marshmallows this morning) and it helps me look like I've showered on mornings when I haven't. It is reasonably priced at my local Ulta and it is a Godsend.
3. Garnier Matte BB Cream. I don't ever wear a full face of makeup, except to weddings and other occasions where people might take close-up pictures of my face for some reason (so any other time, joke's on them). But this stuff really does it for me. There's SPF, a bit of tint, some moisturizer, and it's all in one product so I'm set. Note: In summer I switch to Coola brand BB cream because it's actually a sunscreen and I need all the SPF I can get.
4. Aveeno Positively Radiant Makeup Remover Towlettes. Because I never remember to actually wash my face. I used to have a whole cabinet full of Lush products for specific skin and face washing stuff but now that I have neither time nor money, this is it my friends. These towlettes smell good and get the makeup and dirt off so I'm good to go.
5. Cheap navy or purple eyeliner. It makes you look less tired than black does. Trust me on this one. If you have white, do waterlines in white if you're really tired. You can fake an extra hour of sleep.

*Honorable mention: My trusty Remington Wet 2 Straight Straightener. I'm not sure if they even make this thing anymore, as I've had mine about 13 years or so and it hasn't crapped out yet. Again, it's because when I get out of the shower (when I have the time to shower), I don't have the time or patience to dry my hair before I straighten it and besides, I never straighten anything but my bangs anyway (again, unless I'm going to a wedding. Why are they the only occasions I dress up for? No clue).

So those 5 products, plus my straightener, take me from the sweaty post-workout pic on the left to the almost presentable pic on the right in less than 5 minutes (that was this morning, btw). If I have a few extra seconds, sometimes I  add some light eyeshadow to the mix and if I'm feeling generous, I may even spritz on some body spray so I don't scare people away with my stink. Oh, I also change out of my workout clothes and slap on some deodorant because I am a decent human being and I don't want to scare you away that badly (or do I?). Any other low-maintenance gals out there who use even less than I do? I'd love to hear about it!

Before

After

Five Favorites: Pregnancy/Babies of the Internets

 

So, this baby is pretty close to getting here. How close? Well, my "sprinkle" is this weekend (don't think a sprinkle is a real thing because of how gross it sounds? Well it is. Proof at MODG, with pictures of her sprinkle. It's a little baby shower, and also something that happens when you are way too pregnant), which, yeah, is a little late, but I still might have time to get myself together before the little man makes his appearance. But like, that's my last actual go-out-in-public event that I have scheduled until at least Thanksgiving. The rest of this pregnancy is going to be spent "nesting" (by which I mean eating the middles out of Oreos), napping, and groaning about having to get out of my pajamas to do simple stuff like drop my daughter off at preschool. Because my whole family will be in town, I'm even going pumpkin picking on Saturday but guess what? No hayride for me. Cuz, you know, the bumps and being super-far from civilization and all. My mom decided that that really means I'm not actually pumpkin picking, in her opinion, but I say bah. Way to ruin Halloween, Ma.
BUT in the spirit of baby-nearness, I wanted to share with you the websites I've been visiting regularly to make sure I'm still at least somewhat competent at this new baby mothering thing (SURPRISE! not so much). Here are this week's five favorites. I hope you can make as much use of them as I have! (PS I'm linking up today for the weekly Five Favorites at MoxieWife.com. Check it out!)

1. The Pregnant Chicken blog. Funny and informative. Useful and silly. Tells me about products I didn't even know existed. Reminds me that pregnancy doesn't have to always be happiness and fairies and ice cream, and that I'm not the only one who thinks so. Also, pictures of cats sometimes, which is always a plus.
2. The Expecting Better: Pregnancy by the Numbers blog on Slate. So, it ended, there are not new posts, but it's a good resource anyway.  By the author of Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong, and What You Really Need to Know, which thankfully
   attempts to remove the panic that's become associated with modern pregnancy. This is a short series that looks at the statistics behind all of those awful things that "What to Expect" warns you could (and by their count, probably will) happen to you and your unborn child, in order to remove some terror. 
3. Lucie's List is really a registry checklist, but it's also a fabulous guide for soon-to-be and new moms. The postpartum page is especially useful because it outlines all of the fun things that happen in the hospital which you may have forgotten about between babies (like how they "massage" the fundus until you want to pass out, and how sometimes they "forget" to take your IV out like, forever). The author, Meg Collins, tries to make sure that other new moms avoid the issues that come along with not knowing what they need (and not knowing what they are getting themselves into). Good stuff!
4. The Keeper of the Home blog. Not specifically about childbirth/pregnancy/babies, but there is a section just about mothering, and an ongoing series that chronicles days in the life of different mothers in different situations (like, moms with a zillion kids, work-at-home moms, all kinds of ladies doing it better than me!). Lots of posts about natural and organic family living and lots of recipes, with emphasis on health of the whole family.
5. Cute Baby Animals tumblr. What, you honestly thought I only meant baby humans? Come on, you should know me better than that by now. I'm pretty sure that when I'm once again staring at a baby human all day every day (not to mention all night every night), just the sight of cuddly, adorable, not screaming baby animals will calm me down a little bit and make everything just that much easier. PS-there's a feature here that lets you pick the baby animal you want to look at, so if you want to see just kittens or just goats or whatever, you totally can.

How about you? Any super-useful sites for new (or second-time) moms, or resources you wish you found earlier? Tell me about them in the comments!

Five Favorites: For Fall

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I totally love fall, as in am actively having a love affair with it. I love the 45 degree mornings and the fog in the valley. I love boots and big cozy sweaters and the fact that both of those things still at least kind of fit me in my super-pregnant state. I love apples (and apple picking) and pumpkins (and pumpkin picking) and baking and decorating with them both. Fall makes me go nuts with happiness, before my SAD makes me go nuts with bummed-out-ness all winter. This year will be a little different: before the fall is over, our family will add a new member. That makes me want to both fit everything in like mad, and slow up a little bit to savor the moment with just Hubs and Stenni, since we will no longer be a three-piece. Anyway before I get myself all teary-eyed, here area few of my favorite things for the season (PS, I'm linking up at Moxie Wife today!):

1. My Bearpaw Siren boots. My mom got them for me for Christmas last year, and they are warm and cuddly and lace up the back and I wear them even when it's not really appropriate. But now it is, so I don't have to feel odd being the only one around in fur-lined snow boots.
2. Caramel Apple Lattes. 'Tis the season, kiddos. I used to be like a once-a-year Starbucks patron (when the Gingerbread Lattes came out) but now I've upped it to two or three times a year. Yeah I know, I'm living on the edge.
3. That it's cool enough to bake in my house without blasting the A/C or the heat. I've been stalking Pinterest and all of my old cookbooks for awesome fall recipes.
4. Since the devastating fire last week in Seaside Heights and Seaside Park, I've been doing a little research. See, my family spent summers there as long as I can remember, and more recently, I've spent the occasional New Year's Eve and Palm Sunday there too. It feels like the place is my home, and when the fire started, I couldn't tear myself away from the news. Actually, my husband has had to put a moratorium on NJ news watching so I don't get myself super-upset. Instead I've been looking up pictures to remind me of what the place looked like as a kid, before a hurricane, a fire, and the cast of Jersey Shore came along to destroy it. I tried desperately to find a picture of the old  Log Flume, but there aren't too many to be had. What I did find was this: A collection of old Seaside Heights and Seaside Park postcards. Oh, and then there's this: From a little before my time, but still gorgeous to look at. It makes me smile at least. 
5. These Kirkland Signature (aka Costco brand) Cashew/Almond/Pumpkin Seed Clusters. OMG, they are terrific, and I can convince myself that they are healthy and that it's ok to eat half of the (2 lb.) bag.