Smart Kids Rock

Whilest cleaning my house (avoiding sure death by drowning in piles of laundry) I found stacks of school paperwork. The last couple of weeks have wrecked havoc on the MO Wilmoths' routine so we are now getting back on track.

So, back to the stacks. The stacks included permission slips for trips already past, undone homework (complete with orange juice stains) and bragging rights.

Among these bragging rights was the Boyd Elementary School Newsletter which listed each classrooms' Citizen of the Month. *Allana's teacher is Mrs. Nottle - 1st grade*

In addition to the Newsletter, I found grades on Jamie's school work like this:

I see Allana suck her thumb and I sigh in frustration. I cringe as Jamie responds to my requests with, "UUUUH WHY??!!" instead of a sweet, "sure!" like he use to provide. But then there are moments like these.

These moments allow me to sit back and serenely smile.

I am proud, satisfied, and content. I am a mom of 2 beautiful, bright, AND boisterous Boyd Elementary kids. And I love them.

Your FACE!

So I was getting ready for bed last night and what happened in my bathroom led me to yell, "I'm going to the mall tomorrow for a new face!" To which, Josh replied, "But I like this one!"

My face is the definition of, "combination skin". My forehead, nose, chin and the apples of my cheeks are oily and prone to acne breakouts. My cheeks and the corners of my nose are dry 90% of the time. Lastly, I struggle with Rosacea which is defined as a skin disease that is, "marked by redness (erythema) of the face, flushing of the skin, and the presence of hard pimples (papules) or pus-filled pimples (pustules), and small visible spider-like veins called telangiectasias."

(a collective, "eww" is appropriate and expected)

SO all of this adds up to one single word...frustration.

Today, I went to Macy's in search of a facial and a new skin care regime that would attack my issues without attacking my comfort. The flare-ups I deal with after using many acne treatments rival birthing pains and deep moisturizing treatments immediately comfort but only for the night. By morning, an army of white-heads wait just beneath the surface of my supple epidermis. What's a thrifty gal to do?

I found myself enticed by a sandwich board by the Origins shop just inside Macy's entrance.

The chalkboard read, "free mini-facials!" to which, I replied, "yes, please!"

Origins has always been a favorite of mine but they do fall in the, "pricey" category IMHO. They are all-natural, all pure, and all-amazawondermous. (that last word is not supported by their website, nor is it part of their marketing campaign, but it should be)

The sole Origins sales lady was just finishing with her last customer and my timing was perfecto! She gave me the spa treatment I never knew I always wanted. My face felt refreshed, clean, supple, healthy, and beautiful...and all before a drop of make-up!

I took a gander in the mirror and saw exactly what I felt. My previously fevered skin was calmer, smoother,and free of blotchiness/redness.

The make-up was beautiful and who doesn't love to be pampered like that?! I also have to add, it's great to hear someone tell me how beautiful my eyelashes are. I've been told that since childhood and I never tire of it. (No worries, you will have your chance to compliment me in the comments below)

Here are the results of my Origins experience:

I am happy with the results and I look forward to washing my face tonight. I mean, how wonderful is that?

Below is what I purchased (all the following were from the Dr. Andrew Weil collection):

1. Face Wash: Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief face cleanser (washes off the grime without irritation)

2. Serum: Mega-Mushroom Advanced Face Serum (relief from redness, sensitivity, and reactivity especially for those suffering from Rosacea)

3. Lotion: Pantidote Mega-Mushroom Face Cream (optimizes skin's defenses)

For my patronage, I received everything in the box below for FREE! This included a Night Health bedtime spray, a Night Health bedtime face cream, a double lipgloss AND a ton of crinkled slices of brown paper.

Here is my whole collection and it costed approximately the same as a trip to the dermatologist. I'm pretty sure I feel more relaxed after taking this route.

I'll let you know more as the days go by...

Fix 'er up!

I decided this week that I am never going to love this shabby 900 square foot house if I don't put any of my heart in it to love! My idea is to fall in love with my home, project-by-project, and my first project was transforming these stained, mismatched pillows into whimsical, fun ones that my family loves!

Today, I am headed to the store and my mission is to buy sanding supplies and paint for my mismatched (but very functional) kitchen chairs. I'm inspired by Monica's kitchen chairs on "Friends".

I think the kids and I can do all

four chairs today and I'll buy a table cloth for the poor table. Pictures surely will follow our hard work!

And after this project is completed, I have so many more ideas to pursue! Starting with making "curtains" for our lower cabinets (which are

slowly falling apart before our eyes) and my inspiration is birthed from photos like these...

I also want to paint the kids' rooms (something I've wanted to do since we moved here 3 years ago!), repaint the kitchen (to match my "new" table, chairs, and cupboards) and somehow decorate my mudroom/laundry room/catch-all area. There has to be a inexpensive way to make the area as pretty as it is functional.

Ideas? Thoughts? Am I on the right track?

First Day of School

Back to school, back to school!

I'm pretty stoked about this year! I have a good feeling that the kids are going to have a fun and very productive 1st and 3rd grade.

I look at this picture and I'm in awe. Do you see what I see? Do you see that over 4' tall young man standing there with his sling-backpack and Avatar teeshirt? What about that little darling with the long, golden hair and the prettiest little smile you ever did see? You see that too? Oh man, am I ever going to have trouble with these two in a few years...

Speaking of that, this young

man is officially over 1/2 way through elementary school! In under 3 years, he will be a 6th grader/middle-schooler/pre-teen and all that those terms entail.

Don't I get a say in this?!

And what about this angel? She is no longer a frightened Kindergardener crying for Mommy on her first day of school. Today she lept from the vehicle and skipped her way down the sidewalk, shouting to all her friends (a.k.a. every child within a 2 block radius). She is vibrant and lovely and working on becoming the best 1st grader Boyd Elementary has ever had!

These two kids came home this afternoon with stories about friends with names like Imogen and De'Shawn and shared horror stories about homework assignments awaiting them in their backpacks. They giggled over jokes told by their new teachers and debated over who had recess first. Josh and I were held as a captive audience while these precious children grew up right before our eyes. How can it be that these children who can read and write, who have so many friends and are able to spend a whole day on their own facing spelling tests and gym class are the same children we held in our arms moments ago?

Time has taught me something valuable...don't take it for granted.

Internet Job Hunting For Dummies

I'm not going to pretend that I'm a job-hunting guru, but I have been a bit obsessed with finding the right job lately. Now that it appears I have the job(s) that I need/want, I would hate to think that my new-found internet-job-searching-agility would just go to waste! So here are some of my hints, tips and tricks for job hunting in the new millenium.

#1 Pump it up! (oh yes, you read that 80's reference alright) You think it's just a piece of paper, but it's really a florescent-lit marquee that displays, "Jane Doe, the next best thing for your company!" or screams, "delete this email and call that girl that emailed the pumped-up resume!"

#2 Surf the web. Don't stress about finding the perfect job right away, just take some time to familiarize yourself with the way that employers search for employees. Look up examples of good resumes, cover letters, and emails. Use this time to get a good handle on the job-hunting situation where you live and in your career field.

#3 Pick your top 3 websites. Or top 4. Just have a few that you are a comfortable using. Figure out how to make the best of all the tools the site(s) provide (including posting your resume, filling out education/skills forms, and setting up your email for job alerts). You will learn how to search using many different criteria (or maybe none at all) which can help you find that perfect job that you never knew you always wanted. Once familiarized with these top sites, you will be more confident and relaxed while job hunting. It will become a part of your daily life that you might even miss once you find your dream job...or not.

#4 Don't apply for everything. I know all the books and articles tell you to apply for it all because it takes 1,329,839 applications to get an interview...blah, blah, blah. Although I agree that it takes hundreds of applications to get a few interviews, I advocate NOT applying for everything. Even jobs that have the right pay and job description might be a no-no until you research them further. This is the world wide web, and with that comes an all-access pass to your personal information. When you are on a job-finder site, click on "All Jobs" or "All Postings" and scan through the listings. Do you see XYZ Company listed 456 times in a row for different jobs, everything from ChildCare to CEO? That's a scam, or at the very least, a bad idea. Make sure the company you are applying for is legit.

That being said, many legit companies don't post information for the same reason we don't want to send it out...so my next piece of advice is the most important of all...

#5 Trust your instinct. You're not a dummy (I know, because you are reading my blog), so use those God-given nudges for good.

So those are my top five pieces of advice for job searching 2010. If you have some tid-bits of wisdom, please share it so we can all benefit! I will post my favorite job hunting sites below in case you are interested.

Job finding sites:

#1 Craigslist

#2 Career Builder

#3 Monster

My little cheerleader

Allana is well aware that how we humans live our lives directly affects our physical body. She watches a trim, healthy, young women jogging on TV and immediately calls out, "Mom, when can we go jawggin'?" To which I usually reply, "Soon, honey. But not now."
This scene repeated itself, almost verbatim, for weeks before I decided to begin my exercise routine about 3 weeks ago. Sometimes Allana goes around the block with me so she can "jawg" too...but most of the time it's just me and my headphones. I return to the house, hot and sweaty, and Allana always asks, "How was your run, Mommy? Do you feel good?" To which, I happily reply, "yes!"
Monday, I prepared to run and Allana begged to go with me. I told her, instead of running, she could be my little helper and hold my water bottle on the porch...and when I run by, she could hand it to me. I also added an "out" for her...if I took too long, she could just leave the bottle by the road and I would find it there.
As I ran, I took the longer route around the neighborhood so I could push myself a little further. I approached the house and immediately saw that Allana was no longer waiting on the porch. I'm not proud of this, but I thought, "crap. She went inside and now I'm going to have to stop my workout and find my water bottle..."
One picture stopped me in my new Nike's tracks. My water bottle was waiting for me, sweating beads of perspiration in the hot, humid July air. It was right where I usually keep it, safely placed at the edge of our driveway. In the blue screw-top lid, I found 2 purple wildflowers weaved into the latch.
My little cheerleader believes in me...and I love her for not only helping her mommy get off the couch and into her skinny jeans but doing it with all that's within her. She is encouraging beyond her 6 years and I'm amazed by her devotion and love of all beautiful things.

'atta girl

I ran today. I've been sticking to my exercise goal very tightly for 3 weeks now and it's paying off. My clothes fit better and multiple friends have complimented my physical appearance.
But, when I run/walk/do a workout video, I feel miserable the whole time I'm doing it. I don't stop because I know that it will pay off and after I'm finished working out (4-5 times a week), I am drained. I mean, crawl-on-my-knees-collapsing-on-the-floor-DRAINED. I was not blessed with the "runner's high" I hear some people experience after pushing themselves to the limit...and for that, I'm a bit bitter. Wouldn't it be grand to work up a sweat and feel GREAT for doing it? Instead, I drag myself to the shower and pep-talk myself into blow-drying my hair (hey, styling hair is WORK, people!). I usually end up taking a 5-hr-energy (AKA Optimism in a bottle) and try to make it through my normal day.
In addition to this exhausting process, I am dealing with some serious health issues. If you don't know already, I'll tell ya...
I had gallbladder surgery about 3 months ago. It was for the best as I had over 30 stones in that inflamed organ. BUT since then, I have had digestive issues that were expected to subside as time went by...and they didn't. They have become so overwhelming and I'm at my whit's end. I can't sleep, eat normally, work well, concentrate, or worst of all, be happy. I have a 24/7/365 stomach bug with all the symptoms that may imply.
So, after trying many treatments and other life-changes (including my exercise routine), I have to have a procedure that I like to refer to "It Who Must Not Be Named" (hint: it rhymes w/ swollenoscopy) and I'm terrified. Not of the procedure (I know it's very safe and relatively pain-free) but of this road I seem to be barreling down.
Do you ever feel like, despite your efforts to live a life you imagine is right and normal, life pushes...no shoves you down another path full of events that cause you to stop in horror? I look at this life I am living and I think, "This HAS to be an out-of-body thing" b/c I would never, ever let myself be on 8 prescribed medications and having preventative health issues that most 78-yr-old women can identify with but most 29 (almost 20-10) year-olds have no clue about. I truly feel like if I were in better shape, eating healthier, and working a less-stressful job, I would not be dealing with these health issues.
Now the issue is, "How do I make a U-turn?" I'm pretty sure I've passed the point of not going to the Dr. b/c my health requires that I continue going to the Dr. and taking the medications prescribed...but a life-change will require MANY changes in habits, life-styles, and expectations on my part. I'm just not sure how to go about that other than slowly (as I am doing now). I'm making small goals in ALL areas of my life that I've been meeting and doing very well in. But I feel the pressure for more drastic measures.
Is this pressure good? Or am I setting myself up for failure by expecting too much change all at once?
I really do want to hear your thoughts. If you would like more information on my situation, just message me and I would love to talk.
I am not too proud to admit that I need encouragement too. If you think I AM on the right track w/ my life goals, please feel free to send me an "'atta girl" cuz I could use it!
Thanks!