Large Family Management

Reality Based Structure and Systems (for the win!)

Freezer Cooking- 8 Crazy Simple Cheap Meals in 1 Day

With the school year starting up again, all of the activities for the children are starting up too, which means my schedule gets much busier. I figured it would be a good idea to feed my freezer with meals so that we don’t end up resorting to pizza or drive-thru, unless it’s planned.

I have nothing against eating out, but I hate having to do it out of desperation or poor planning. If I am going to eat out, I would much rather do it as a treat!

I’ve found that a freezer full of meals is one of the best ways to get a planned dinner on the table every night, without spending 30 minutes to an hour every evening in the kitchen.

I found this neat blog on Pinterest with a plan for 8 meals for $50, shopping at Aldi. I make an Aldi run every week, so I thought this would be a great way for me to change up our menu a little, get some major freezer cooking done, and not have to go to another store. Lazy planning for the win!

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11 of the Best Korean Skincare Before and Afters

If you’ve been thinking about trying out the hot new 10-step Korean Skincare Routine, but you’re wondering if it’s really worth all of that extra effort (not to mention all of the different products!), I’ve done my best to make your decision more simple.

I’ve gathered the best Korean skincare before and after posts that I could find all over the internet.

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How To Transform Your Home Like Magic With a Housekeeping Reset

The past few weeks have been super busy in my family. I’ve been driving different kids to different places, going out for appointments, and the usual grocery shopping.

All of this additional time outside of the home has really taken a toll on my normal housekeeping routine.

I’ve been feeling perpetually behind, and getting frustrated with my inability to get back on top of everything.

One of the main tenets of housekeeping for me is that if I’m out of my routine, it will be harder to maintain the status quo. In my home, when everything is humming along as it should, it’s easier for me to be a better mom and a happier wife.

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Look Amazing Throughout the Day Even During Outdoor Chores

One of my friends recently asked me how I deal with the issue of looking presentable always and daily style while still engaging in life…life that is sometimes messy and sweaty.

How do you reconcile keeping a capsule wardrobe with the needs of an active lifestyle? You’re not going to want to wear your nice, high-quality clothes outside doing yard work, or taking care of animals, or exercising.

But if you’re like me, you still want to look cute while you’re doing all of your messy, sweaty activities.

I have a few ways that I’ve made it all work.

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The Life-Changing Magic of Lipstick

I have a secret confession to make. I have *always* been a beauty queen wannabe.

If you ask any of my closest friends, they will tell you that I have an unhealthy obsession with the Miss Universe Crown (the diamond and pearl one!).

Why is this a problem? Well, I haven’t been a Miss in over 16 years, I’m 35 years awesome, I’m 5’5 with short legs, and I’ve had nine children. So that crown is completely out of reach!

I talk to so many moms of young children, and overwhelmingly, I hear the same problems over and over. You’re throwing yourself into your role as mother, sacrificing everything, and you’re tired, worn out, frazzled, and you feel like you’ve lost yourself.

If you are anything like me (which I bet your are, because you’re here!) you enjoy pretty things. Our style may not be the same, but I’m willing to bet that you have an idea in your head about what looks pretty to you.

And if you are worn-out, frazzled, and laying it all on the alter of motherhood, you may not feel like you have the energy for being pretty.

When I had five children under the age of 8, my life was busier than it has ever been (and probably will be again).

The sheer amount of work that went into just the basics of food, clothing, and keeping the children alive was absolutely overwhelming.

And let me assure you, I was totally overwhelmed. I was drowning.

 

But you know what? One day I woke up and I decided that I could not stand to look in the mirror and see a woman who looked like she had the life sucked out of her. That wasn’t who I was!

I was a beauty queen wanna-be!!! But I wasn’t acting like one.

So like the rational beauty queen wanna-be that I was, I took a shower, got out, and put on some lipstick. I didn’t feel like I had time for anything other than lipstick, so lipstick would have to be enough.

After I had my lipstick on, I changed my clothes into something a little more polished. Then, I realized, that if I hurried, I could get on a little bit of foundation, blush and mascara.

Five minutes later, I looked 500% better, and as a result, I had energy that I hadn’t experienced in probably over a year. More importantly, I felt happy when I looked in the mirror.

There was that pretty girl! I thought I had lost her forever. After that day, I slowly started pulling it all together, and little by little I climbed out of the pit of being overwhelmed.

I started implementing household systems, taking better care of myself, being a better mother in general because I had something to give…

And it all started with lipstick!

Up until just recently, I still hadn’t found a favorite lipstick. I had a favorite color (Mac’s Ruby Woo!), but I never was able to find a formula that I didn’t have to worry about:
1. Kissing off on my kids
2. Kissing off on my husband
3. Getting all over my chin when I tried to eat a sandwich
4. Getting smudged by the slightest movement
5. Touching up after an hour or so
Well, I’m happy to say, I’ve finally found it!

If you haven’t heard of LipSense yet, let me just tell you a few things. Yesterday, I:

1. Ate a sandwich
2. Drank two cups of coffee, 2 sparkling waters, and 4 glasses of plain water
3. Took a shower (with my LipSense on)
4. Kissed more kids than I can keep track of
5. Kissed my husband every time I could grab him
6. As an experiment, I also slept in it!

And ladies…my lipstick still looks flawless! Just as important, my lips don’t feel like they are about to peel off!

If you have ever felt like you couldn’t wear lipstick daily for any of the reasons that I mentioned, I’d love to introduce you to a fantastic product. It may be just what you need!

And don’t feel like you need to be a beauty queen wanna-be like me and wear red lipstick daily! LipSense has plenty of everyday colors that would look fantastic on any skin-tone.

If this sounds like a product you would be interested in, I would love to invite you to my LipSense Facebook Party.

Please take a quick second and click this link which will take you over to the Facebook group for the party. Go ahead and Like the page, and watch the videos.

There’s even a video up that I made talking about my experience. So, if you’ve ever wondered what I sound like, go check it out!

Click Here to get to the Party Page!

I would SO love it if you joined us! This will be the first time I have ever posted a video online, so I am nervous as all get-out. But this will be great practice for me, just in case I ever find a beauty pageant for middle-aged moms who still have a dream (Cue the song from Tangled)!

If you have any questions at all about the product or about the party, just leave a comment below.

Tell me which one of the lipsticks above would be your perfect everyday lipstick?

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