Oh my aching car!

I was talking to Cricket this morning and we were both agonizing about how much our bodies hurt. Our shoulders were tight, our lower backs were stiff and we didn't have a good night sleep. I realized I had not done any kind of real physical activity in a week other than picking up and putting down Jameson.

I decided when I put her down for her nap, I would take 30 minutes and do a yoga tape. Five minutes into it, I can feel myself breathing deeply. It hurt to breath and it hurt to move. Ten minutes later, my body becomes limber and my shoulders are loosening up. Fifteen minutes into the tape, I am contorting my body in different directions and starting to push myself. Twenty minutes, I am in the zone really feeling good about working out and how I need to do this more often.

As the class is winding down and I am supposed to be resting my mind(impossible), I realize that my body is like a car. (By the way, I would like to be a a sleek and slender looking jaguar). If we don't get a tune-up or maintenance once in while, we are going to breakdown. We need to replace parts, rotate things and keep things clean and in good condition. Men have no problem maintaining their cars. They take them fishing, hunting, golfing, to a sports events, to the gym or to a guys night. They don't think twice about it. They just do it. (Before checking with us first of course). So why is it that women have such a hard time taking care of their cars. If your car isn't working properly, you never know when it will strand you on the side of the road.

So basically maintenance is key.
If you need a workout, go!
If you need to get your hair colored, do it!
If you have a toothache and you have been putting off the dentist. Don't!
If you stopped taking your prenatals because your not pregnant anymore. Don't!
If you need to lock yourself in a room and take 10 deep breaths, do it!
If you need to go back to bed after you put your child down, do it!

Remember no one is going to take care of your car except you.

It's Sale Time!

With everyone watching their wallets right now, it's always nice to get a good deal on spring clothes. More retailers are putting merchandise on sale early this year because of our fluctuating economy. Here are a few places to shop for spring styles on sale.

Nordstrom started their Half Yearly Sale 2 weeks early this year. They are taking 40% off merchandise women and children's clothing and will probably mark down to 60% off in 2 weeks or so.

Neiman Marcus is having a Men's Sale already with 25% off. Wait a week or two and you will probably find more off for a father's day gift.

Bloomingdales is having their Big Brown Sale taking 40% off already reduced merchandise.

Saks is having a Women and Men's Sale with 30-40% off.

Summer merchandise will probably go on sale at the end of June early July to start making room for the fall clothes.

Happy Shopping!

Are you allowed to be happy?

I am cooking dinner, having a glass of wine and realizing what a long day it's been. Jameson barely slept today with 45 minutes here and 45 minutes there. She wasn't fussy though. She is was happy almost every time she got up. But it's been a long day.

Then I look at the monitor and realize how much I miss her. It's 8:35pm and I've been up since 5:45am and I actually miss her. At that moment, I realized I am the happiest I have been in a long time. I have always been so career driven, trying to get promoted, working too many hours, missing holidays and putting family and friends aside. Having a baby puts your marriage, your life and your purpose in perspective. I did take motherhood for granted during the first 3 months she was alive due to exhaustion. But now that I am seeing her develop as a person, it's pretty amazing.

So I thought about what my husband said to me on Sunday. We had Jameson baptized. She was so great in the church. You know talking up a storm being the loudest baby. Then photographs, relatives and the heat. She handled it all so well. At the end of the day, he leaned over to me and said, "are we allowed to be this happy?". I thought about the day I got our negative IVF results back. I remembered how we sat on the patio with two Coronas and cried about how unfair it was. To see your husband cry, it can literally break your heart. So I looked at him and said "Yes, we are allowed to be happy."

Fashion Forward?

I recently saw a picture of Angie Jolie and her girls all dressed in black. They looked so cute. Am I crazy to think that? Should I not want to dress my precious daughter in a little black sundress? Well according to my multiple on line searches for a little black dress size 12 months, I am crazy! Society, or at least the children's clothing industry says that all little girls should be in bubble gum pink. Uggg, I am tired of pink! It is not my signature color any more. Where oh where is that little, and I mean little, black dress?

I found a gas buddy.

I just heard about a website that tells you what the gas prices are in your area. GasBuddy.com is great. I just check my state, county and city and found the cheapest gas in town.

With gas almost $4.00 for Memorial Day weekend, I am sure this will help evryone save a few etxra cents.

Playgroups are good for the mind and soul.

Being a mom is a difficult job. Your home office doesn't employee other mom's where you can meet in the conference room and talk about ideas. That's why I think playgroups or mommy groups are really important. You need that sense of belonging whether you are a stay at-home mom or a working mom. Having a support group is beneficial to your mommy mind and soul.

It's a time to be with other moms and vent, laugh, cry or just watch how your child interacts with other kids. You can create your own group or if you want to join one here are a few places to try
1. South Florida Moms
2. South Florida Moms Groups/Parentzone

Blackheads, pimples and zits oh my!

Having a baby does a number on your body. After 6 months, I realize I have what they call "love handles". My boobs have shrunk to an A-cup and for years I was actually a B-cup. My hair was once luxurious, full and shiny like a Pantene commercial. And my skin, what happened to my skin. Between the red splotches to the clusters of pimples, I have tried everything to clear up my skin. Until now....ladies I have found an amazing product Jason's Red Elements™ Antioxidant Skin Care.

I stumbled upon it at Whole Foods. I first bought the Red Clay Masque for all skin types. It made my skin look clean and gave it a glow. I went back and bought the Hydrating Lotion Cleanser. It's not too expensive and I saw my skin clear up immediately. What a relief?

I had spent about $300 on Cauldelie skin care at this great boutique in town. But the line just didn't work for me. Worked for my mom though. I ended up spending about $50 on the Jason products.

Sometimes you don't have to spend a fortune to look good.

4 hours to myself

So I went to the spa and had an amazing afternoon. In the middle of my pedicure, I realized this was the first time in 6 months that I had 4 hours exclusively to myself. No errands to run, no laundry to fold, no baby, no one asking what's for dinner. It was a strange feeling. I realized how tired I was. Between the painful pregnancy, to the 25 hours of labor ending in a c-section, to a baby. It's been an a wild ride.

I saw on the news the other night that if mother's were paid a salary they would be worth $117,000. I think that's fair. Too bad it can't really happen. Maybe someday. Oh and for mother's who work they would be worth about $68,000 plus their salary.

I could use a day off.

I cannot believe I have been a mom for 6 months. Where does the time go? You have your mom friends that tell you having a baby will change your life. And when your 6 months pregnant you cannot even comprehend because you are too busy wondering what your eating for breakfast lunch and dinner and it's 3am.
But it's true. You not only have to feed and change a baby, but you also have to help them grow as a person. No pressure.
But with Mother's Day approaching, I have realized that we are pretty amazing people. It's a 24 hour job that never stops and you basically run your own company called Family Inc.

My husband had the day off the other day and I found myself snapping at him. More like managing him. I told him that he was in my office (my house) and we have a schedule to maintain like feedings, naps and errands. I have to keep my company running. But like any job, you have to take a day off. We do or at least I do have a tendency to become the martyr. No one will do it as good as I will. But you can burn out.

So this Mother's Day, I am going to the spa. And I am going to enjoy it. I think you should go to. So I have listed some of my personal favorites and some Word of Mouth Favorites.
1. Boca Raton Resort and Spa
2. Eleven Day Spa
3. PGA National Resort and Spa
4. Mandarin Oriental
5. spa finder

Happy Mother's Day and a job well done.