Inner Beauty, Outer Beauty & Taking Time for Me...

Last week as I was getting my hair done,

I was chatting with the stylist about random things.

I mentioned that I hadn’t gotten my hair done in months.

It was frizzy, full of split ends, and had strands of gray...

It hasn’t been a priority.

I feel like I have so many other things to do during the day,

and spending time on my hair isn’t one of them.

If someone were to unexpectedly catch me at home,

They’d find me in comfy, stretchy clothes,

with my hair in a bun, sans makeup.

That’s how I live as a stay at home mom.



A few years back, was a different story.

I worked outside of the home,

and so I spent a little more time on me.

My hair and makeup were always done, 

and I wore something other than tennis shoes.


Now as a SAHM,

 I have a hard time justifying the reasons to spend time on me.

And sometimes,

I even feel a little guilty when I spend time and money on my hair, my makeup,

and clothes.



I-fight-that-feeling,

because when I do make time for myself,

before running errands or spending a day out,

I feel great!



The strange thing is that when I have a more natural look,

little to no makeup and casual clothes, my hubby compliments me more.

Proof that the extra time I spend on my appearance

is really something that want to do for ME!


I love dressing up. I love feeling feminine. I love being a woman.



As we talked about this,

My stylist mentioned a program she saw a while back,

letting me know that I was not alone,

women, Christian mothers in particular,

feel guilty about taking care of themselves.



It’s so true, as parents and care givers

it is in our nature to put others first.

When I drop my girls off to school in the morning,

they are bouncing along to their classroom looking fresh and cute,



and me?

I am hiding behind my hat and sunglasses!



She went on to say that the speaker mentioned that

women shouldn’t feel bad about spending time on themselves,

Because if we feel beautiful inside,

it's only natural to want to reflect that beauty on the outside.



I loved that!



Not that a woman has to be dressed up to be beautiful,

but I know that personally,

when I spend a little more time on my outward appearance,

I feel better and that confidence shows.


And when I am happy,

I really want to share my happiness...in all ways possible.

With my smile,

in my writing,

through conversation,

through gratitude in prayer

and even with what I wear,

because I do feel like we can express ourselves through our appearance.


What I am feeling internally, is usually reflected externally.


One way I do this is with color.

We know that the world does use colors to represent moods and attitudes...


Black= authority, power, darkness, depression,
White= innocence, purity,
Red= Love, vibrancy, appeal
Pink= romance, tranquility
Blue= calming, cool, sadness, strength
Green= conservative, easy going
Yellow = cheerful, optimism, newness, refreshed, energy inducing
Purple= feminine, wealthy
Brown= comfort, natural


I have a pair of hot pink exercise pants that I wear on occasion,

and they are so loud,

which is strange, because my shy, quiet personality is so not...

but I call them my happy pants.

I wear them when I feel great,

and at the same time,

I feel like they add a little more color to my day.

The day feels brighter, somehow!


Although, with that being said,

when it comes to taking time for me,

the most important thing I consider is if I have found that perfect balance.

It's about making sure that my house, my chores, my kids, my husband,

and my writing gets taken care of,

while still finding time for me.

I know I can be the kind of woman who makes the time to spend some time

on myself, with out feeling guilty about it,

because being beautiful on the inside doesn't necessarily mean

that we have to neglect the woman on the outside!




“It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.”    Maya Angelou


 Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic.
Rosalind Russell



You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
Buddha




23: 3 gifts found in Christ - forgiveness, wholeness, peace

24: 3 things blue - our truck, the sky, my baby brother's eyes

25: a grace found, a grace borrowed, a grace inherited - a bible for my daughter, a friend's time, my mom's ability to always find some good 

26: a gift before 9am, a gift before noon, a gift before dark - songs/poem ideas that popped into my head, a clean house, dinner with my family 

27: - getting my hair done :), watching a chic flick and doing my nails with my daughter, an evening walk with my hubby

28: 3 graces found in your friends - wonderful with my kids, they always remember to include me even though I rarely attend, their willingness to overlook each other's/my own faults

29:  a song heard, a soft word, where you saw the light - Happy Birthday to Issac on his 17th Birthday, my daughter whisper when she didn't feel good, a beautiful sunset my husband pointed out to me

Melt me. Mold me. Fill me . Use me.

So glad it's the weekend.

Not that my days are very different, but my kids and hubby are

at home a little more.

So that's the BIG perk!

Awesome.

I'm got my hair done yesterday!

Finally!

It has been months...

but I'm so excited,

because now that I get to chop of these dead ends

& that means

maybe I'll feel like styling my hair a little more often.

Ya know,

good-byeeeeeee

frumpy housewife. ;)

Awesome.

 

I thought I'd get a little more writing in today too.

I hand-wrote a few ideas yesterday and so I have some typing to do today.

I don't have a case for my ipad yet,

and was glad to see that it fits perfectly in my Bible bag!

Awesome.

I also took my walk yesterday morning,

and listened to Chuck Swindoll

speak of the Holy Spirit,

his prayer was

you guessed it-

awesome!

Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me.

Lord,

When it comes to relationships lord melt me.

When it comes to objectives and the pursuit of life mold me.

As the day gets long, and the journey gets painful,

fill me with power and perserverence.

And as I face the circumstances, transform me

and be in control of these circumstances

and use me.

Amen.

Happy Saturday friends!

Kisses between Phone Calls

Seven years ago, when I had my daughter, Jocelyn, I wanted to be at home with her. I did not want to put her in daycare or leave her with my mom. I was sure she would have been fine, but I did not want to miss any moments. Those moments that were important to me. I have wanted to be a Mommy for as long as I could remember and it was essential that I be there each time she woke up, each time she needed to be changed, and each time she wanted to be held. I understand that some mothers love working outside of the home and enjoy their careers. I applaud them for doing what they love, however, my heart's desire was to be at home raising and starting a family.

I soon found out that while it is great to set goals for our life and make plans, it is also imperative that we remain flexible. Life has a way of showing us that we are not in control. I was home with Jocelyn for the first 3 months of her life, because I was healing from a cesarean. My (then) husband was going to school full-time and working part-time so we needed the supplemental income. I quit my job as a Preschool Teacher and went to work for my family's business. This allowed me the privilege of earning a living, while spending my days with my child.  I was able to have her with me each day at the office and I did not miss a single moment!

When I look back at those 5 years I spent with her before she started Kindergarten, I remember how busy, chaotic and unpredictable my days were. I also remember how they were blessed. I could sneak hugs and kisses in between phone calls. I answered the door with a baby on my hip, made phone calls with a baby in my lap and typed up documents with a baby on my breast. I was there for her first words and her first steps. I got to rock her to sleep and I took breaks to sing her lullabies and read her stories.

As she grew, the swing, playpen and baby toys were eventually replaced by a desk, a Dora sofa and shelves that held books, toys and art supplies. I printed out worksheets to prepare her for Kindergarten. We had calendar time, we practiced the names and sounds of the alphabet and hung up miscellaneous art projects all around the room. Somedays, we ate lunch at McDonalds while she played on the equipment.

There were stressful moments. I breastfed until she was about 11 months old, so there were many times that I would have to pull the car over on my way to work, while running errands or on my way home to feed a hungry, screaming baby. There were days when I was the only one in the office and I had to soothe a crying baby fast enough to answer the phone or help an applicant out with his new hire paperwork. I couldn't put her on a schedule, because our days were filled with last minute errands. There were times when she was sick, fussy or just wanted to be held, but I struggled to give her the attention she needed, because I was on a deadline at work.

I made dinner and packed diaper bags by night, earned a living and cared for my baby by day and washed clothes and cleaned house on the weekends. It was the not the June Cleaver life I had planned, but it was close! I knew that I was lucky.

I am amazed at how fast those 5 years that we spent together at the office went by. When I watch my little girl get dressed in the morning, help with chores around the house or hear the conversations she has with her siblings, I cannot help but to smile. That little curly headed office baby has grown into a beautiful, bright, independent 2^nd grade girl who has her own ideas, dreams and plans.

If she is like her Mommy, as she grows she will look back at the last five, 10 or even 15 years and she will know how fortunate she was. Though the details of her life may not always work out exactly the way she planned, she will continue to dream and to set goals for her future,

 because, while her life may be full of challenges and uncertainty, it is also filled with blessings and possibility, and life, always has a way of working out.  

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I am linking this post to 

 

The last picture is of Jocelyn and I at the office. Her arms are wrapped around me so tightly and her expression says it all. I am in love with my baby, and lucky for me, she loves me back!

P.S. The video below is an old favorite from the office as well. :)