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On Being Present

Yesterday I read this aphorism on a post by OhAmanda and I can’t get it out of my head.

Wherever you are, be all there.

I struggle with plenty of things regarding all the balls I have in the air, but this sums up the thing I wrestle with most. And what I should strive to do to fix it.

I have an odd ability to tune out sights and sounds surrounding me. I can stare at a television set without any concept of what’s taking place on screen. I can concentrate on a book in the car with the radio on the front speakers and the DVD player on in the back. I find myself saying “oh really?” and “wow” to my kids when I really have no idea what they’ve just told me.

Why? Because I’m not present. I don’t live in the moment. I’m mentally composing blog posts or to-do lists or obsessing over things of little consequence – or worse, I’m reading emails or checking facebook or tweeting – as life goes on around me.

My life, as I’m sure yours does, consists of so many pieces and parts. Family. Household. Work. School (not that I’m currently making any progress on that, but I spend plenty of time berating myself about that fact). Blog. And yes, Facebook and Twitter. Really, that’s ok. That’s how life is – we’re all pulled in so many directions. But I think being all there, wherever that is, might not only produce better results on the task at hand, but just might make the life I experience more meaningful. It might make me more meaningful to those around me.

Wherever you are, be all there.

I’m going to give it a shot.

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Things that make me go “Waaah”!

Setbacks. Setbacks, people, that’s what I’m dealing with.  Last week, the ice storm, kids with no school, and not one single second to myself (and when I say “to myself” I mean “alone with just me and the baby”.)

And then the Blissful Virus of Death got me too, and I was sick all week.  And now Sophie’s got it, and she’s home from school today, and it pains me when she misses school, because she loves it SO much, that it pains her too!  And she only went ONE DAY last week because of aforementioned #$%! ice!

And then there’s my postpartum setback.  My incision not playing nice and re-opening.  I still can’t exercise.  Still have 18 pounds to lose.  Still feel not great about myself.

Oh, and remember how I said I was the worst at being pregnant?  Well, I FORGOT (how could I forget!?) that I am also the worst postpartum person ever!  After I had Joshua, I had a very painful thumb injury that is weird and rare and yet  a “postpartum” thing – it’s called DeQuervain’s Syndrome.  (Here, check it out on Wikipedia, it’s a rockin’ good read!)  It was so bad after Joshua that I had to have physical therapy on it.  It was so, so painful.  I had to wear a brace for a long time too.  After I had Sophie, I only had to wear the brace for a couple weeks, when I felt it coming on.  Well my thumb has been hurting for a couple of days now, and this morning I can’t deny it – it’s back.  So I am about to go ransack my bedroom after I write this and pray that I still have that brace somewhere (it was pricey!)  But I don’t know if I still have it or not. Let me just say, when you have to shove three car seats in the back of a sedan, there is NO ROOM for you to have a hand injury. UGH.  Also I have NO TIME to attend physical therapy. I am a stay-at-home mom who is NEVER at home because my kids have so many appointments and things!

So, anyways, I’m just complaining this morning.  Sweating the small stuff, and wishing I could fast-forward a few months to warm weather, size 8 jeans, and a hand that works right.

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Makeup & Skin Care Bliss


(photo by the amazing Mishelle Lane Photography)

Last year at Blissdom, Emily and I were proud to wear Mary Kay makeup on our bright little faces, and this year we wanted to have the same great makeup to carry us through the conference (especially since this time we took a little tiny baby with us and our faces were likely to look a little more tired than usual).  Happily, the wonderful folks who rep Mary Kay at Coyne PR came through for us again, and this time, even helped with an extra project.

You see, despite the fact that I’ve been harping on the benefits of skin care for over three years now, Emily wasn’t LISTENING to me (shocker) and didn’t really have a skin care routine.  Then, a couple weeks before BlissDom she told me that she wasn’t feeling too great about the way her skin looked, and she really wanted it to look better before we hit the road.  So, our Mary Kay team came through for us again and hooked Emily up with my skin care recommendations. These included the TimeWise Miracle Set and Microdermabrasion Set.

These are some amazing products that will help your skin look AMAZING!  The Miracle Set has your cleanser, moisturizer, day and night solutions o use every day and the Microdermabrasion Set has the fabulous, addictive, fine-line-erasing Microderm step 1 and restoring step 2.  I used these about three times a week, in the shower.  Easy as can be, and it helps keep my skin looking fresh!

So, don’t you think Emily looks great in the picture?  She told me she thought her skin was looking better after just three or four days, and was really pleased with how it was looking by the time Blissdom rolled around. (You’re WELCOME, and I TOLD YOU SO.)

So, now that we had skin care covered, we needed some great color on our faces to go with our fab Lands’ End clothes!  We started with great basics, Mary Kay Mineral Powder foundation.  I have been using this for two years and I adore the coverage and how easy and fast it is to apply!  We also tried out some great new products that I am really excited about. The first was this Liquid Illuminator.

This is a really light, sheer liquid that adds a glow to your skin.  I wore it under my foundation but you can wear it alone, mix it with foundation, or even mix it with your moisturizer for a really subtle glow.  It gave me some  extra sparkle and I loved it!

Our other favorite new product was Mary Kay’s new cream eye shadow:

This stuff makes eye shadow so quick and easy to apply!  You can use the brush with it or swipe it on with your fingertips.  It stays on forever and it helps the rest of your eye shadow stay on, too.  I loved it!

Emily and I felt great in our Mary Kay at BlissDom.  And it is still the only thing that touches my face! If you want to try any of these great skin care or makeup products, contact your Mary Kay lady.  If you don’t have one, try mine, she rocks!

Thanks, Mary Kay for hooking us up with such great makeup looks for BlissDom!

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