Author: Big Mama

  • Beauty is skin deep – Personal Home Microderm Abrasion giveaway

    I think it was sometime a few years ago when I looked in a super-magnifying mirror for the first time in a long time. And I didn’t like what I saw.

    Where did those wrinkles come from? What were all those dark, splotchy places on my face? Why was I an idiot who spent my high school summers teaching swim lessons and neglected to wear sunscreen because I wanted a nice, tan face?

    The sun damage piper had come calling, and it was time to pay. Or time to find some products with a sufficient amount of retinol. It was also time to buy a large sunhat, SPF 150, and sunglasses that covered my entire face.

    I can’t even talk about the summer after I had Caroline when hormones caused me to develop what appeared to be a mustache on my upper lip but was really just a series of dark patches from the sun. It was a dark time. Literally. A kid at the pool concession stand might have called me “Sir”.

    Anyway, ever since those days I have been slightly obsessed with discovering the magic elixir of skin youth. I’m a sucker for anything that promises a glowing complexion and the ability to turn back the hands of time. Even though, let’s be honest, even Cher couldn’t figure out how to do that. I’ve tried the organic oil cleansing method. I’ve tried retinol. I’ve tried every brand you can imagine. I’ve tried petroleum jelly.

    I’ve finally come to love the combination of facial cleanser with electric face brush and some retinol. It’s removed a lot of the dark places on my skin and helps it have more of a glow. But I was so excited when Best Buy sent me the PMD- Home Microderm Abrasion Device. This microdermabrasion device features body and facial caps for wide-ranging use, suction that promotes blood flow to help renewal, and recovery creams (not included) that penetrate your skin. I’ve always wanted to try microdermabrasion but didn’t know if it would be worth the money, and so I couldn’t wait to try this. Unfortunately I had to wait a few days because you can’t use it within 48 hours of using retinol or alpha-hydroxy on your face. I use a lot of both of those things.

    I tried it last week and loved it. My face felt so smooth and soft, and it easily absorbed the face cream I put on afterwards. I’m not sure what improvements I will see over time, but it looks promising based on my first use. I’ll let you know.

    The good news is you can win one for yourself. All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win is leave a comment on this post letting me know what skin care products you love the most and whether or not you’ve ever tried microdermabrasion. Here are the rules.

    Rules:

    No duplicate comments.

    You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

    a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

    b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

    c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

    d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

    This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

    Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

    You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

    The Official Rules are available here.

    This sweepstakes runs from 2/1 – 2/7.

    Also be sure to visit the Inspiration to Fitness page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews, get great fitness tips and find more chances to win! You can also roll over the Best Buy image at the top of my blog to view a calendar of all the Inspiration to Fitness content. Good luck!

    Best Buy does not sponsor, endorse, approve, or have any responsibility for this promotion.

    _____________________________________

    Today the LifeWay Women are doing a special webcast with Kelly Minter at 11:00 a.m. (central time) to celebrate her new Bible study on Nehemiah. You can click here for the link. Rumor has it there will be special guests, music, cooking, prizes, and more.

  • Inspiration to Fitness – Week 4

    So last week I mentioned that my playlist is what’s getting me through my workouts.

    But I didn’t know that Caroline was going to be sick last week and miss three days of school. So those days turned out to be completely unproductive. And I think that’s one of the hardest things about working out. It seems like something always comes up that changes up your schedule. I’m sure more disciplined people press on through, but I’ve never pretended to be one of those people.

    The good thing is I’m motivated to get right back on the horse or the pavement or whatever this week. It just goes back to how much better I feel after a good workout. I can tell a difference in my mood and outlook. And hopefully I’ll eventually feel a difference in my jeans.

    Here are the songs that are getting me through right now:

    1. Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift

    2. Stronger by Mandisa

    3. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson

    4. Gunpowder and Lead by Miranda Lambert

    5. Tokyo by Imagine Dragons

    6. All My Fountains by Chris Tomlin

    7. Breathe by Michelle Branch

    8. P.Y.T. by Michael Jackson

    9. Love on Top by Beyonce

    10. Walk this Way by Run D.M.C.

    So those are my songs. Some of them are old standbys that I’ve had on various workout playlists over the years and some of them are new additions that I might hate in the next month.

    But, for now, they keep me moving. And, in the words of Martha Stewart, that’s a good thing.

    What about y’all? Any good workout songs you’re loving right now?

    I’ve also decided I need some better running socks. I’m thinking about getting these from Lululemon.

    Or does anyone have a better sock suggestion?

    Socks and music. This is what my life has become.

    Have you entered my Perfect Portions Scale giveaway yet?

  • I see blue people

    I’m sitting on the couch next to P while he watches Avatar. We’ve never seen it before. He probably hasn’t seen it because he never goes to the movies. I haven’t seen it because I don’t enjoy movies with blue alien people that take place in fake worlds.

    I prefer dramas about British aristocracy with women wearing beautiful dresses and singing songs by the piano to soldiers. But I’ll have to wait until P goes to bed to enjoy Downton Abbey. That is my cross to bear.

    I’m also sad to report that the non-picking of my shellac nails hasn’t gone so well. They started to drive me crazy on Saturday because they were separating from my nail so bad, but then I spent most of Sunday cleaning out cabinets and closets and I guess it just fed my general OCD and I couldn’t stand my nails ONE MORE MINUTE. And so I have picked at the majority of them. I KNOW. It’s TERRIBLE for my nails. But I had bad nails to begin with so I’m not really concerned.

    Anyway, I wish I had something exciting to share from the weekend but that would require that something exciting happened around here. And I assure you that was not the case.

    Caroline’s friend Gabi came home from school with her on Friday and spent the night with us. I took the girls to one of those yogurt places where you make your own concoction and then weigh it to determine how much you owe. Apparently I was in the mood to throw money in the toilet on Friday because that’s what happens every time I take Caroline there. She spoons all that stuff into her cup and then takes about four bites before declaring “I’M THE FULLEST I’VE EVER BEEN” and I’m left with a cup of inedible yogurt because only a very discerning palate enjoys a mix of lemon pie with chocolate grooms’ cake topped with gummy worms, sprinkles and butterfingers.

    On Saturday morning the girls were awake by 6:15. P and I woke up to the sound of them squealing loudly in the living room and I threw on my robe and did my best impression of the wicked witch of the west by 6:30 a.m. I’m almost positive they made fun of me the minute I left the room because I threw out a lecture about the absurdity of being awake before dark on a Saturday and threatened to put them in separate rooms if they didn’t PIPE DOWN and play quietly.

    I climbed back in bed and attempted to go back to sleep, but P got up about thirty minutes after my wicked witch warning and discovered they’d helped themselves to a nutritious breakfast of IBC Cream Soda, Frosted Flakes and a banana.

    I’m so proud.

    Later that morning P took Caroline to a soccer fun day thing that was going on and I took that time to sit on the couch and enjoy the quiet. I also caught up on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills because I was dying to see Pandora’s wedding and it didn’t disappoint.

    They made it back to the house around noon and then we headed to Caroline’s basketball game at 2:00. She had a great game and even made two baskets and got a few rebounds. She’s not the tallest girl out there but she’s a little scrappy.

    Their coach told them he’d treat them to Sonic if they won so we spent the rest of Saturday afternoon sitting outside at Sonic while the girls on the team tried their best to sustain a major injury on the old-fashioned merry go round. You know what I’m talking about? One of those kind they used to have on playgrounds where one poor kid would run next to it trying to get it to go super fast while praying she didn’t get sucked under or trip and fall?

    It would appear our Sonic isn’t concerned about lawsuits and liability because that thing seems like a big spinning death trap to me. But the girls loved it and I guess we just live in an age of being completely paranoid because I spent plenty of hours on those things and lived to tell the tale.

    As for the rest of Saturday, I felt like I was coming down with Caroline’s cold. My throat was scratchy and I just felt blah. But I slept in on Sunday and felt much better after a good night’s sleep. I even cleaned out my bathroom cabinet and threw away all manner of expired medicines.

    (This is just fascinating, isn’t it?)

    Now I’m sitting here watching a blue man fight off a giant bird-like creature and wondering if Anna and Mr. Bates are going to ever get to be together and live happily ever after and sit on their couch not watching movies about blue people because television hasn’t been invented yet.

    And that’s our weekend in a 830 word nutshell.

  • Fashion Friday: Edition I’ve been a shut in all week

    I wanted to give y’all a brief update on the shellac manicure.  Because I know you’ve all been losing sleep wondering about it.

    Here’s the deal.  The polish still looks shiny.  And it hasn’t chipped at all.  Which is amazing considering that I have done nothing to protect my nails at all.

    BUT I have noticed that the polish has kind of started to separate from where my cuticles meet the nail.  Does that make sense?  I really notice it whenever I’m doing anything that involves running my fingers through my hair.  It kind of creates some kind of icky sensation that is the hand equivalent of how I feel when I accidentally bite into a water chestnut.

    So I don’t know if that’s an application error or just a side effect of the shellac manicure.  I will tell you that it has taken everything in me not to pick at it and peel it off.  But I have shown a resolve of steel and resisted.  It’s so uncharacteristic of me.

    Anyway, on a fashion note, I wish I could tell you that I had all kinds of cute things to show you.  But you know what I’ve done this week?  Sat on the couch with a sick child.  The only fashion I know about right now involves a pair of yoga pants and my cleanest dirty shirt.

    I will tell you that this is a great time to find boots on sale if you’re in the market for boots.  I’d go with a brown pair because they go with everything.  Even black.  Also, this is the last week to take advantage of the 30% discount at Francescas when you use the code MAMA at checkout.

    Lastly, I decided to only link to five things today.  And then I found five cute outfit ideas on Pinterest.  So it’s a mixed bag.

    (I wanted to include pics but it just didn’t happen.  Sorry.)

    1. marina port pocket coat

    I love the neutral tones and the stripes in this jacket. It’s a great transition piece for warmer weather and would look so cute with even just a simple white tank under it, a pair of rolled up jeans and a some sandals.

    2. terry sweatshirt

    I bought a similar sweatshirt to this a while back and I essentially live in it. There’s something about the terry that makes it irresistible.

    3. on the wharf striped top

    The whole navy-striped thing is so in for spring and I love the sleeves on this top. They transcend an ordinary t-shirt.

    What am I talking about? Transcend? It’s a shirt.

    4. cairo embroidered top

    I love this top because I’m a little infatuated with orange right now. I love the idea of it paired with turquoise and cowboy boots. Plus, it’s on sale.

    There’s a beautiful orange shirt at Sundance right now that Gulley and I both love but, like I told her, it’s RARE that things at Sundance ever go on sale. I think she thought I was being a little harsh, but I was just trying to speak the truth in love.

    5. mohair cardigan in leopard

    I wasn’t sure how I felt about this, but then I saw the cute outfit I featured below on Pinterest and loved the animal-print cardigan. And this one is on sale.

    But if animal print isn’t for you, then you could go with the jackie cardigan. It comes in an array of colors. AN ARRAY.

    You can also find cute cardigans at Old Navy for just tens of dollars.

    And now here are some outfit ideas that I found while obsessively spending time on Pinterest this week.

    Source: polyvore.com via Melanie on Pinterest

    Source: farmerstrophywife.com via Melanie on Pinterest

    Source: longislandprep.tumblr.com via Anna on Pinterest

    Source: polyvore.com via Susan on Pinterest

    Source: polyvore.com via Susan on Pinterest

    That’s it for today.

    Y’all have a great Friday.

  • Hair is what we’ve been up to

    Well this week hasn’t really gone as planned.

    I kept Caroline home from school on Monday because she seemed tired and congested and just wasn’t acting like herself. Which is to say that she was content to just lay in bed and do absolutely nothing. And then Tuesday morning she woke up and announced that her throat still felt “googly” and “scritchy” and so she stayed home again.

    On Wednesday morning she was still complaining of a sore throat but didn’t have fever and I was a little suspicious that she might just be enjoying her ill-health and repeated viewings of Mr. Popper’s Penguins while I waited on her hand and foot and fetched her additional ice cubes because “this orange juice isn’t quite as cold as I like it, Mama”. So I sent her to school but told her she could go to the nurse if she didn’t feel good.

    Which is why my phone rang at 9:24. It was the school nurse. And so I went and picked Caroline up from school and immediately called the pediatrician to make an appointment to find out if she had strep.

    The strep test came back negative but she was diagnosed with a sinus infection and we left with a prescription for an antibiotic.

    And so that’s what we’ve been doing for the last three days.

    In fact, I’ll go ahead and admit that I hadn’t worn anything but pajama pants until I had to go to school and pick her up yesterday. Three days in pajama pants might be some kind of record. But if you combine the fact that I’m trying to meet a book deadline with a sick child and rainy weather? Well, that’s just a pure laziness trifecta.

    P ended up being home most of the day Tuesday because the weather was wet and rainy. (It’s so odd how rain is wet. Wet and rainy? Lamest description ever. I blame too many viewings of Mr. Popper’s Penguins.) We spent some of the day reading a few chapters of Harry Potter and ate a lot of soup.

    (We could talk or not talk for hours and we both enjoy soup.)

    (So many bowls of soup have been consumed at our house over the last three days that I went to serve chili tonight and discovered we’d completely run out of clean bowls.)

    (I ate my chili in a plastic Tony the Tiger bowl.)

    (None of that is important. I don’t know why I’m talking about our bowl shortage.)

    Anyway, we were all slightly stir crazy by late afternoon and sitting in the kitchen when P called to reschedule an appointment he had to get his hair cut.

    He hung up the phone and lamented changing the appointment and said he couldn’t stand one more day with his hair so long. (He’s been growing it out since early December at Caroline’s request. It was a mass of gray cowlicks.) I jokingly said, “I’ll cut it for you.” And Caroline piped in and said, “Me too! Let me cut it, Daddy!”.

    And he said, “Okay”.

    Really?

    You’re going to let our eight year old cut your hair?

    Yes. Yes he was.

    And so Caroline began to cut his hair while she occasionally said things like, “OOOH! HERE’S A BIG PIECE RIGHT HERE, DADDY! I’M GOING TO CHOP IT!” with just a little too much enthusiasm in her voice.

    His reasoning in allowing her to do it was that you can’t really screw up his hair.

    But he was wrong.

    It seems that the person who was supposed to be supervising the haircut got caught up in the new Boden spring catalog and might have forgotten to pay attention to the child with the scissors.

    The good news is it looked pretty good from the front. Good being a relative term. And assuming you’re nearsighted.

    The best news is he got it cut by a professional yesterday. And she managed to even the whole thing up. Although he said there were a few times she would remark, “Oh, you’re kind of missing a chunk right here.”

    Of course the lesson I’ve learned from all this is I have two people in my house who should never be left alone with scissors when they’re bored.

    Or maybe the lesson is the Boden catalog can wait until after your daughter finishes cutting your husband’s hair.

  • An ounce of prevention – Perfect Portions Scale giveaway

    So here’s the hardest thing about trying to eat healthy. Well, not the hardest thing because that would be all the not eating of the cookies and the chips and the bowls of queso and fresh flour tortillas that are an inch thick, but it’s all relative these days.

    My biggest issue has always been all these recipe sites or Weight Watcher guidelines that tell you to eat 4 oz of lunch meat or a 6 oz chicken breast. How am I supposed to know that? Am I some sort of food mathematician? Am I supposed to have some kind of unagi that helps me sense the weight of four slices of ham?

    Because I don’t have that.

    That’s why I was thrilled to get the Perfect Portions – Food Scale with Nutritional Calculator from Best Buy. It instantly adjusts your food’s nutritional facts to your portion size with its food scale and nutritional calculator in one. A touch of a button shows you how many calories are in food and also tracks the sugar content.

    See? It does all the hard work for you. Then all you have to do is enjoy those three delicious and totally filling slices of turkey breast with a side of four carrots and an apple.

    Maybe for fun I’ll make a big bowl of queso and put that on it or a cheeseburger from Whataburger. It might cause the thing to blow a fuse, but I wouldn’t really do that because I am committed to healthy eating.

    The Perfect Portions Scale has helped me so much because it gives me an accurate count of the calories I’m consuming and the nutritional content of all my meals. For someone like me†who doesn’t like to think about those things or use some kind of old-fashioned weighted scale, it is SOLID GOLD. †If you’re trying to make some healthy lifestyle changes, this scale may be just the thing for you.

    While you’re at it, take the pledge!

    The good news is that you have a chance to win†a Perfect Portions – Food Scale with Nutritional Calculator†for yourself.

    To be entered for a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post letting me know how much thought you put into portion size and what you eat during the day. Do you measure? Do you obsess? Or do you eat an entire sleeve of cookies and call it a serving size? Not that I’ve ever done that.

    Anyway, here are the rules:

    No duplicate comments.

    You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
    b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
    c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
    d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
    The sweepstakes runs from 1/25 – 1/31.
    This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
    The Official Rules are available here.†

    Also be sure to visit the Inspiration to Fitness page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews, get great fitness tips and find more chances to win!† You can also click on the Best Buy image at the top of my blog to view a calendar of all the Inspiration to Fitness content. Good luck!

    Best Buy does not sponsor, endorse, approve, or have any responsibility for this promotion.

    _________________________________

    On a different note, I wrote a post about some of my favorite quotes from books over on Pioneer Woman’s Entertainment section. You can check it out here if you want to.