Mommin' It Up!

March 28, 2014March 28, 2014

Your Skin Care Questions Answered! #RoCAcademy

I’m being compensated for this campaign with RoC® skin care and the Motherhood. All opinions are my own!

A couple of weeks ago I told you about a new skin care regime I’m trying with RoC® skin care’s anti-aging products. It’s been a full three weeks since I started using the products and I LOVE the way my skin is looking! The RoC® products are really helping the wrinkles on my forehead disappear. I like what these products are doing so, so much, and I’m excited about the way my skin looks! So much so, that, gulp, I am going to show you my skin with NO MAKEUP! This photo I took last night and it’s completely untouched-up. You can see I have some dark spots on my forehead from acne scars – but I think the RoC® products are really helping to fade those and I’m pleased!

no makeup — Wow, should really get some Windex for the bathroom mirror. Note to self(ie).

I got some behind-the-scenes info about how our skin ages and how RoC®’s products, and their main anti-aging ingredient retinol work, and earlier this week I got some “girl time” with four of my best girlfriends to tell them a little bit about what I’ve learned. We are all in our thirties and are looking TOTALLY FABULOUS but we want to keep it that way!

cortriss — I should stop hanging out with such pretty people.

Oh, and I was there too, see?

tessjenny — This is my really, really, really EXCITED face!

I learned a lot about RoC® products from my little insider crash course, and a couple of things really stood out: our skin can start showing signs of aging as early as our 20s, for one. Eek! Also, retinol, the #1 dermatologist-recommended anti-aging substance, was first put into stable, useful form my scientists working for RoC® in 1995! How cool is that? Here’s some more interesting and useful skin care information I picked up!

I have been very consistent in my RoC® skin care routine and I’m loving the results! I was happy to give away a prize pack of all the great products I’ve been using to our reader Cheryl, too! She says she’s in her 50s and looking for some great anti-aging products. Congrats, Cheryl! Now I am going to answer some skin care questions from that post that some other readers asked.

My pal JessieLeigh said: “what product would you most recommend for fine lines on the forehead? Now that I’m hanging in those mid (okay, mid to late) thirties, I notice little horizontal lines, not all the the time, but enough to annoy the tar out of me. Other than bangs (which are not all that flattering on my short forehead), do you have any recs?”

Since this is my EXACT problem, I definitely have an answer for you, JessieLeigh! I recommend exfoliation. It is great for minimizing those fine lines. Either use a cleanser that provides exfoliation every day, like this one by RoC® which I ADORE:

Or if you don’t want to exfoliate every day, then you could use these RoC® exfoliating discs (which I am going to try ASAP because I am intrigued by them) 2-3 times a week. Or, if you want to go the natural route you can make yourself a sugar scrub with some white or brown sugar and olive or coconut oil (2 parts sugar to 1 part oil) for a DIY exfoliator. I would do this 2-3 times a week as well. Of course, if you want to really attack those fine lines, you can use RoC®’s Retinol Correxion line which I’ve been using and I LOVE. They even have products for sensitive skin!

Next, I’ll answer a question from Missy which several of you echoed: “I have very dry skin and whenever I use liquid foundation (after putting moisturizer on first) it still looks cakey and all the little dry skin flakes come to the surface again looking awful. Any recommendations?”

Missy, the answer to this question is also: exfoliation!! You need to buff those dry skin flakes off of your face, but since exfoliation takes a lot of moisture out of your skin as well, you also need to use a great moisturizer. I would definitely recommend the cleanser I have pictured above, and for a moisturizer, I’d recommend coconut oil or Argan oil during the day, and a fabulous restorative night cream at night. You’ve got to nourish that dry skin at night! I’ve not tried it since I don’t have a dry skin issue, but this RoC® restoring night cream is probably one I’d try if I were you.

A lot of you had questions about cleansers, and the cleanser I pictured above I would recommend to anyone but those with super-sensitive skin. I LOVE it. And for uneven skin tone, retinol is actually a great solution, so I can recommend the RoC® serum, day cream, and night cream I’ve been using for that as well.

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions! If I didn’t answer yours, feel free to email me directly and I’d be happy to, or leave a comment below and I promise to go through and answer them all. I hope I’ve inspired all of you to TAKE CARE OF YOUR FACE!! It’s the only one you’re gonna get!

Thanks RoC®, for the great skin care education and products!

So, did you learn anything about skin care today? What products do you want to try?

March 27, 2014March 27, 2014

5 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Having Kids

Becoming a mom was always something I wanted, but nothing I could have adequately prepared for. My best preparation for HAVING a child was BEING a child who was loved by two parents who were there for me always. So I am very lucky in that regard. But otherwise? Despite lots of babysitting, I had no idea what the heck I was in for. Contrary to my beliefs, knowing how to change a diaper was NOT enough! So after 10 years of parenting and a whole lot of thought, here are 5 things I wish I’d known before having kids.

1) You will become a servant.

Surprise! Children and babies are helpless balls of need for the first few years. You will do EVERYTHING for them and will occasionally get rewarded by being pooped or barfed on (and ok, after a couple months, with smiles and coos.) So get out your sexy maid’s costume, I mean, your sweatpants and old tee, and prepare to be at this kid’s beck and call Downton Abbey-style.

2) Your memory will cease to function.

I don’t know about you dudes, but having kids gave me adult ADD and permanent MOMNESIA. By the time I get from the living room to the kitchen, I have no idea why I’ve gone there. Before the kids talk well enough to remind you, this can be a real problem.

3) You will become a human jungle gym.

Really, I would’ve pumped more iron if I knew I was going to be an indoor climbing center.

4) You will be obsessed with bowel movements.

I cannot WAIT until the day when I only have ONE SET of bowels to worry about. Sadly, that is my new definition of PARADISE.

5) You will become a stealth ninja.

Anything to eat a Hershey bar without sharing and take a pee without being touched. ANYTHING. Again, had I known this, I would have honed this skills YEARS in advance.

Of course, I did know ONE thing before having kids: that I’d never regret it. And in that, my friends, I was right on the money!

What do you wish YOU would’ve known before plunging into parenthood?

March 26, 2014March 25, 2014

In Which I Eat ALL THE THINGS

udis gluten free 1 — I participated in this program on behalf of Udi’s and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

As you may know, I’ve been eating gluten free since November of 2012, when I developed an allergy to wheat. I don’t have celiac disease, so it’s not specifically gluten that causes me a problem, but wheat – and where there’s wheat, there’s gluten, so I avoid wheat by eating gluten free (wheat makes me itch and feel like I have THINGS crawling all over me. It’s terrible!) It’s been a fantastic lifestyle change for me, and we’ve had Jonah off gluten since January 2013 because he has an intolerance that manifested itself in anger – fits and tantrums that ceased almost immediately after we took him off gluten and have never returned.

Going gluten free has it’s challenges, and there were definitely certain foods I missed a LOT. But happily, now that more and more people are going gluten free for health reasons (whether medically diagnosed or not), there are now a lot of food options to help us feel “NORMAL” – which is very important! One of the first gluten free brands I ever tried was Udi’s – when craving a cheeseburger, I was finally able to have one again at a cookout thank to an Udi’s bun! And over the past 14 months I’ve also become fans of their breads and cookies, too! Jonah eats a piece of their cinnamon raisin bread every day – he loves it. And I love their Ancient Grain Millet-Chia bread. It makes a terrific grilled cheese sandwich!

Recently I got to participate in a webinar with Udi’s and some other great bloggers and learned a lot more about Udi’s and their mission to help gluten free folk like me and Jonah feel normal. It was great to hear about their history and their dedication to making new products for us g-free peeps to love! And lucky, lucky me, I also got not one but TWO boxes of some fabulous Udi’s products to try!

The granola bars, vanilla crunch muffins, and salted caramel cashew cookies are amaaaaazing!! But the piece de resistance, my friends, are these:

{cue angels singing!}

These things are so amazingly good, that after I stuffed half a bag into my face in one sitting, I checked the label to make sure they did not contain something highly addictive like say um…crack cocaine. JUST KIDDING Udi’s, I know you don’t put illegal addictive drugs in your chips, but OH MY GOSH they are ridiculously delicious! And the “Sea Salt Crisps” flavor is also outstanding!! You have gotsta get yourself some of these, gluten free or not. My gluten-eating husband also LOVED them. And may I say, it truly shows my love for him that I shared these with him. Because I’m probably not going to share them with you if I’m not legally bound for better or for worse.

One of the other things I learned about Udi’s is that they have a great commitment to being a part of the gluten free community. They have 250 brand ambassadors in North America, attend 500+ celiac disease events every year, and are actively conducting consumer research and product testing to make their products better and better for those of us who cannot eat gluten.

I’m awfully thankful for these products for me and for my little guy and I’ve loved having the chance to expand my Udi’s knowledge.

Have you ever tried any Udi’s products? What are your favorites?