My Skin Secret...shhhhh!

Ok Ladies, I'm talking to those of you who have sensitive skin, redness, blemishes (seriously, how unfair!) and are looking for new products to try.  Just FYI, I get nothing from these companies,  this is truly because I have struggled for years to find the perfect "blend" of products, spent thousands and thousands of dollars.  Now, for under $100 I've found my magic formula and I thought you might like to try it!
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OMG...YOU HAVE WHAT?

What is your worst nightmare?  Ok, maybe not your worst...let me rephrase it, What is your worst nightmare your child can bring home from school?  If you've answered lice then you've hit the nail on the head (sorry, couldn't resist the pun.)

I may be writing this story from experience, and maybe not (can't divulge due to ruining the social lives of my kids, or so they would think!)  But, I wanted to share with you a sure fire way to get RID of these disgusting things once and for all and it's totally easy and you do not have to use chemicals or products made for the removal of all things, lice.

Cetaphil, which is a wonderful product for cleansing and moisturizing is also the solution to rid your kids of lice, one application and treatment and they're gone.  

THE MAGIC SOLUTION? 

 


     All you need is a bottle of Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, a medium size plastic bottle with a point, bottles used for eye drop solution is best

1.  Squeeze Cetaphil into the Bottle, fill to the top.
2.  Use the tip of the bottle to make a part in your child's hair, starting from the base of their neck.  Work in a zig zag pattern up the entire head and squeeze the Cetaphil into the part. 
3. USE THE ENTIRE BOTTLE OF CETAPHIL, even if you repeat in the same areas of the head.
4.  Once solution is gone, massage the child's head until the Cetaphil is completely covering every bit of the hair.
5.  Use a hairdryer to completely dry your child's hair. This process seems like it will never end because the Cetaphil is heavy, you need patience but your child's hair WILL DRY.
6. Style your child's hair like normal. 

The Cetaphil suffocates the lice and kills them and the eggs, preventing further outbreaks.    You should do this treatment on the entire family JUST IN CASE. 

You should also wash all your bedding, clothing worn, towels with hot water and dry thoroughly.  I have shared this trick with so many Mom's and they all tell me it worked in one application! 

Good luck friends, I feel your pain.


  

SMALL VICTORY!

One small step for Jack...one big step for Me!  I know this may not seem like a big victory for most, but for those of you (and you know who you are) you will totally understand.

For months I've been trying to get my 9 year old to do things for himself, and yes, I only have myself to blame.  I''ve got that mother martyr syndrome that gives up waiting for my kids to do what I've asked of them, and I end up doing them myself.


 -We could be sitting together on the couch and he asks me to get him ice cream, I get Jack ice cream.
 - I ask him to get dressed, he asks me to pick out his clothes. I pick out his clothes.
 - He wants to play with a friend, I call the friends mother to ask.
 -I wake him up and get him breakfast, regardless if I'm running late.

Today started off like any other day, I woke Jack up, told him I was jumping in the shower and wanted him up by the time I was done...When I got out of the shower, I walked into his room and was ready to begin my ritual of nudging him awake, blaming his sleepiness on getting to bed too late...but instead I was greeted with an empty bed. 

I went downstairs fully ready to find him snuggled under the blanket watching the Disney Channel, waiting for me to make him breakfast, but instead,  there he was, eating the breakfast he had made himself!  VICTORY.

DON'T DO THIS FOR 3 WEEKS!

What can I possibly be talking about?  I'm talking about your credit card(s).  I'm serious.  I want you to try a challenge with me and I know, together we can do this.

I've done it, and I want to share with you how liberating it is and how it can be for you to.  If you don't have credit card debt, then we hate you...I'm just kidding, we actually admire you, and maybe we're kind of jealous.  Being a single mom with 3 children bills rack up.  It's so easy to reach for the credit card and "pay it now" and deal with paying it back later.  But that's where the problems start. 

Whether you have $5000 or $30,000+ in credit card debt it doesn't matter.  

How to Start:  

I'm not asking you to cut up your credit cards, but just put them away, far away, leave them at home, wherever you put them just don't have them on you.  Trust me, it won't work if you carry them around in your wallet, YOU WILL USE THEM.

Once you pay your bills; mortgage, utilities, medical (basically whatever is set each month) calculate what you have left, whether it's $300 for the week or $200 or whatever the amount, use only that in cash.

The Plan:

Ok, so you get your paycheck this week and it's say,  $1500 , you pay what bills are due and you're down to $500 and you aren't getting paid for another 2 weeks!  OMG, panic.  You start asking yourself, can I truly live on $500 until the next pay check?  YES YOU CAN.   Even as a parent with children, you can.  It takes extreme discipline.

It all starts with FOOD.

I'm sure your pantry isn't empty.  You have food so be creative.  As I say to my kids, we're "eating the pantry" this week.  That means whatever is in there it's getting eaten.  Even if it means pasta for 5 nights then 

so what.  Open that freezer and open that bottom drawer, ahhhh!  Well look at that, we have waffles I didn't even know we had!  Or frozen ground beef, a couple of frozen chicken breasts, sausages...you get my point. You've got food, don't waste it.

Live Like a European

In Europe a lot of people buy food daily.  I know this means more trips to the grocery store but this does prevent those Sunday trips to the grocery store where you drop half your mortgage payment and end up with food that you find buried in your freezer months later.  Instead, on Sunday go and buy your milk, orange juice, eggs, whatever perishables you need for the week and dinner for Sunday-Thursday.  Your bill should not be more than $65.    Don't go crazy for dinner.  Whatever I buy for Sunday dinner I make enough for Monday.  If your kids don't like leftovers, tell them to get a job and contribute to the family.  

Take Control

  School lunches are out of control, so as the parent, take control.   I can pretty much guarantee that your pantry is stuffed on Sunday with snacks for the week, and expensive deli items.  While it's nice to make your kids a ham and cheese sandwich it adds up, and DON'T buy pre-made chicken salad, not only is it extremely expensive but it's also loaded with salt and fat.  Buy a whole chicken, cook it on Sunday and then use the meat to make homemade chicken salad and the rest for chicken soup.  I do this every other week and it is so easy!  Now you have enough chicken salad for school lunches AND homemade soup for Monday night dinner, add fresh Italian bread and you're done.

Quick and easy dinners on a credit card free budget

grilled cheese and bacon,  spaghetti and salad, breakfast for dinner (kids love this and it's inexpensive, we do pancakes and eggs) steak sandwich's (a great way to use up veggies that are not fit for a salad) 

Give your Kids an Allowance

Believe it or not I have been saving money by giving my kids an allowance.  Chances are they're not spending it everyday so it adds up.  When they want to go to the movies make them dip into their allowance, if they don't have enough, guess what, say no.

JUST SAY NO

Not just to your kids, but to that stupid voice in your head telling you to buy something you don't need. 

SUCCESS!

After 3 weeks of no credit card use I quickly realized I CAN DO THIS.  I had to literally walk out of stores when I realized I didn't have my credit card.    Even the things I absolutely thought I needed, I didn't.  We were out of bread, so guess what?  In my freezer I had hotdog rolls from the summer.  Kids loved their peanut butter and jelly's on a roll!    I got into line at Starbucks and didn't have cash and drove away.  I got to work and poured a free cup of coffee. My daughter needed money for her dance, she went to her wallet and paid for it herself.  It's not easy, it's humbling in fact.  But when you realize how often we whip out that credit card for things we really don't need, you quickly realize just how much you can live without.

I'M STILL NOT USING MY CREDIT CARD!

MOM ON A ROLL

Most things I let roll off my shoulders...but seriously?  How difficult is it to take the 10 seconds to put the toilet paper on the roll?  Yes, it is 10 seconds, I timed myself to prove it!

So after I replaced the roll, because let's face it, us Mom's are martyrs, I went around my home to find other infractions...oh, there were a lot!


A chore half done.  Yes, you emptied the basket but will it kill you to bring it back upstairs to the bathroom? 

 

This is just yucky.  Dishes left in the sink, again, how difficult is it to follow through?

How many of you find empty boxes in the pantry?  You take the last one you throw away the box.

No trash bag in the basket?  What? You couldn't find one to replace it?  What's that roll behind the basket?

This morning I got out of the shower and there weren't any towels in the linen closet...well that explains where they all went to. I have a towel hoarder.

  As parents we always find ourselves saying, 'pick your battles.'  Trust me, I do.  But at the same time if we don't teach them how to take responsibility for the "little" things, when it comes to more important responsibilities what's the incentive to follow through on those if there's no consequences?

MEGGINGS...WHAAT?

Ladies...would you let your man wear... meggings? 
Although meggings leave little to the imagination, is that necessarily a bad thing?   Men have been wearing skinny jeans for years, so why not step it up a notch?  And that's exactly what the fashion creators of "meggings" are saying. 

"We're glad you found us. Meggings Man Clothing is based in Chicago, USA and manufactures high quality alternative apparel options for men. While our primary focus is currently on meggings, the form-fitted pant that has been functionally and aesthetically tailored to the male physique, we plan to bring you so much more in 2014"   We can't wait Meggings men!

But here's the thing, just like with women, please please please cover up your "stuff."  Nothing is more unattractive than seeing women (and now apparently men) who wear short tops with leggings,  meggings.  We want to imagine what's under there without actually seeing it...just sayin.

CAN SHORT HAIR BE SEXY?

I, like many of you girls, have that burning desire to have long, lucious hair.   But sometimes we're just not blessed with thick hair or a face that can carry it.  This is NOT about age.  I am a firm believer in, if it looks good on you then go for it!

Short bobs are in, but are they sexy?  Let's face it, when you have long hair you feel sexy.   But when you have short hair you kind of feel frumpy and well, less sexy, or at least that's how I felt.  But is it all in your head (or on your head for that matter)?  YES.

Some examples?

  Of course when you're a movie/tv star with money to splurge on hair products and stylists you can make anything look good.  But what about for the rest of us?  Just because we don't have a bank account stock full of cash doesn't mean we can't get a cute, sassy bob that works.  It's all about how you wear it, and I don't mean literally, I mean how you "work" it.    

Two things that I do to make my bob feel more sassy and less frumpy...

Hair Straigtener
Big Barrel Curling Iron....

Two totally different looks:

Hair Straigtener                                                               Big Barrel Curling Iron