The Importance Of Being Beautiful

Being 33 weeks pregnant with another girl, I have come to the realization that there will be a lot of mirror time is my house. Once the wee lass’ reach their teen years, I honestly don’t think the poor man boy will ever see the bathroom again…

A friend of mine posted this article to Facebook: when your mother says she’s fat  It really got me thinking about the importance of self-image. As mothers, how we see ourselves can very well effect how our daughters view their own reflections.

When I was a little girl, I remember thinking my mom was the most beautiful women in the world. With her dark flowing curls, soft perfect skin, classy clicking “lady shoes” and the delicate scent of her Oscar de la Renta perfume, there was never a doubt in my mind. I had the prettiest mom. Not only was she gorgeous! She was smart and funny! She was charismatic, classy and elegant! I wanted to be just like her. I remember putting on her shoes and clacking around the house pretending I was a classy lady too. You can imagine my surprise when, as I got older, I realized my stunning Mother didn’t appreciate her beauty like I did. She would get compliments and brush them off with a wave of her hand and roll of her eyes. I remember the first time I heard the word fat leave her lips. I was terribly confused. My mom wasn’t fat? As the years went by and my ideas and opinions of self-image changed. I still thought my mom was beautiful. She did not. I started reading teen magazines and was exposed to tons of images of long-legged, long-haired, thin and smiling girls and like many other girls my age, thought that was what I was supposed to look like. I wasn’t fat by any means but I thought I was. When did it happen? I don’t know to be perfectly honest. I just remember flipping through pages and pages, watching my favorite shows, staring wide-eyed at movies with pretty girls in pretty clothes and I wanted to look just like them. I look back at pictures of myself and shake my head in disgust. What the hell was I so worried about? Why wasn’t I just out having fun instead of pining over some boy and wondering if I was “his type.” HIS TYPE!! That’s a problem right there! There are so many young girls out there concerned about being who other people want them to be that they forget to be themselves! Somewhere, somehow I figured this out…

Beauty is not defined by what we see in a mirror. Sure we all want to be physically appealing, but that is NOT what real beauty is! Beauty is how we feel, inside. It’s how we carry ourselves, how we treat others, how we SEE others! Beauty is in what we create. A painting, a cake, a sculpture, a life. It’s in our daily lives and it shines through our eyes or a smile or a laugh. It doesn’t mean we have a perfect little nose placed in the perfect location on our perfect face. If we were all perfect…wouldn’t life be boring? If we were all the same…would we want to be different…

Sure there are things about me I wish I could change, are they really that big of a deal? No. Yeah I have a bigger nose, but I have big eyes and lips too so it all balances out. No I’m not “thin.” Do I care? Not really. If I was really dissatisfied with my weight I could always go to the gym and sculpt myself into a more desirable shape. But desirable to who? I like my hips! My thighs may touch at the top and we’re told that’s not attractive but I like em that way! I have a butt, I have boobs! Good god do I ever….My hair is frustratingly neither curly or straight but that just means it can be easily styled both ways 😉 The point I’m trying to make is that there isn’t nearly enough self loving women out there. We need step outside of the box and look at the bigger picture. We are who we are, we can’t change that and why should we want to? We are all beautiful in our own way, not the same way. Embrace different! And while you’re at it, don’t put some much value in looks alone! Sure I tell my daughter how gorgeous she is, but I also tell her that she’s smart and kind and funny. That I love her bravery and her carefree belly laugh.

I’m not sure if there was a hard point to this post. I’m not even sure it makes a whole lot of sense or sends a message or whatever! This is where my mind wandered to today so this is what you get 😛

Ladies, be kind to yourselves. Not only will it do you a world of good, but you never know who’s watching 😉

Miss K ❤

some of the most beautiful gals I know 😉

Girl Date and Dying Hair With Tea?

What to do on a crappy day with a bored toddler in a boring town? Have a day dedicated to the two of you! Every time the Man Boy goes away for work, me and my girl do marvelously girly things. Things like shopping, mani/pedi’s, get dressed up and go out for lunch, lounge in seriously bubbly bubble baths….I love having a girl!

Today was coldish and cloudy. Huge change from the beautiful summer esq weather we’ve been having lately. We didn’t want to sit in the house and twiddle our thumbs and besides, the girl agrees, daytime TV sucks! So out we went, lunch, coffee, ( and chocolate milk) and shopping! Well, not actual shopping this time…We just picked up a few new bottles of polish, carefully selected by the rug monkey herself 😉 Her choices were fuchsia-rama and starry silver glitter. Fun stuff!

 

Nails painted and sparkled, I tossed her into a bubble filled tub, scrubbed her clean and slathered her already soft skin with moisturizer. She really loves my almost butter by kiss my face. Awesome stuff and makes you smell oh so delicious!

We finished our evening off with a cuddle and a classic film. (Toy Story) Then it was off to bed to sing a bazillion songs and a very excited recap of our day. Sigh….MY TURN!!!

Relaxing in a sea of vanilla shea butter scented bubbles is an awesome way to end  long day. Granted it would be better with a glass of wine but, pregnant sucks so that’s out…ARG! Anyway! I figured with My boy coming home tomorrow, a little extra pampering would be a welcome treat for both of us. I scrubbed my feet until they were baby soft, (not easy with a growing belly!) then massaged my person with a yummy smelling sugar scrub. Mmmmmm….I could eat me right now….I too slathered myself in almost butter then plopped my delectable smelling behind on the couch and started browsing pinterest. This is where I discovered you can naturally dye your hair with tea. What?! Totally had to try it….Supposedly one would use chamomile for blonde hair, rooibos for red and black tea for brunettes. I wasn’t sure what category I fell under, sort of  all three. I figured, I like red, lets bring out my ginja side!

http://www.holistic-chick.com/2013/03/tricks-of-trade-3-hair-care-featuring.html?m=1 (link to the tea dying info)

So I boiled some water, added a few tea bags and waited for it to cool a bit. Pouring scalding hot tea on my head might not be the smartest idea…

I didn’t notice a difference but I think my hair was just too wet so I piled it on top of my head and went to bed. The next day I saw the teeniest tiniest difference. Nothing to write home about. I did read that with a few more rinse’s I should get better results so I’m going to try again and see what happens. So verdict is, it’s more of a stain then a dye, (kinda figured that tho) one application doesn’t do much. I’ll update once I’ve given it another go. Maybe if I brew the tea stronger and dunk my hair in a bowl of the stuff I’ll get more bang for my…uh…tea.

The results, scuse the terrible picture. Gah!

I wonder what other beauty experiments can I try…

Miss K ❤

Bub Duds

Bub duds? Wtf is that?!

Bub duds are what I like to call the pregnancy wardrobe. I don’t believe in shopping at overpriced maternity stores. It’s expensive, unnecessary and impractical. (personal opinion, don’t send out a hit just yet) My frugal self just can’t get into buying a whole new, belly fitting wardrobe that, let’s be honest, no one’s going to wear post pregnancy! With the exception of those unforgiving droopy months following Jr’s arrival, it’s just not happening.

So how do you get around this seasons favorites that simply will NOT fit around a rapidly expanding middle? With a sharp eye and some creative thinking, it’s easier than you think! Tip number one. Think long. Long tanks will be your best friend no matter what season. So do yourself a favor and stay away from anything that doesn’t at least come to about your hips. As cute as that tummy may be, no one wants to look like a busted can of biscuits with their stuff hanging out all over the place. ( Hello “people of Walmart” Never heard of it? google it, you can thank me later)

Tip two, jersey dresses worn as tops. These little gems are a godsend. They cover all the bits and because of their length, they do that cute little ruching thing we all love 😉

Tip number three, my favorite thing in the world, the maxi dress. No explanation needed, just buy one…Or 20. No joke. Another helpful hint, if you’re like me and feel like a roly poly blob half the time Seek out cover ups or shrugs, whatever you want to call them. I have a ton of these and I’m always buying more. They’re just so cheap and come in every colour, sleeve length and material you could imagine.

That being said, there are a few things a blossoming gal can only buy at a maternity store. Jeans for one. They have that incredibly sexy, stretchy waist thing going on that’s supposed to magically hold up your pants…They totally don’t. Half the time I end up doing this but tucked in, wiggle dance to get them back up to their proper resting place. Not attractive. Speaking of unattractive! Did you know they have these fancy little suspender things that clip to your bra/pants to keep them put?! How else can we make pregnant women feel hot and totally not awkward…Back to jeans! Get yourself one or two pairs, ( or more depending on the season) but don’t go overboard! Leggings are cheap, everywhere and oh so comfy….
I also did the whole hair tie through the button-hole thing so my fave skinny’s could stay with me a little longer 😉

Another good investment if you’re on a tight budget and want your everyday shirts to carry you farther, are belly bands. (Prevents the busted can O’ biscuits look) These can also be made easily with some cheap jersey material and a sewing machine. That is if you know how to use one…I don’t, so I hit up my sew-savvy friend for all my stitching needs 😉

 

Miss K ❤