Selasa, 01 Maret 2011

Mama Said, V.5


Welcome the fifth edition of "Mama Said." Today I am pleased to present a couple of amazing ladies and more awesome advice and words of wisdom. The first mama this week is the wonderful Rachel Denbow. Rachel is one of my favorite people, and has always been such a kind and caring friend. She gave me lots of support throughout my pregnancy and has always been an inspiration to me. She's one of those seasoned Moms a lot of other Moms look to, and I am beyond excited that she agreed to share some of her wisdom here. The second fabulous mama this week is Erin, who is one of my dearest friends, and someone who has been in my life since the "old days" of college at NAU. Erin and I met back in the year 2000 and were instant friends, and ended up rushing the same sorority (Pi Beta Phi). Over the past eleven years we've gone on countless girls' trips together, been through all of life's milestones side by side, and even got pregnant just months apart. She's one of the best girls I know, and I'm so pleased to call her a lifetime friend and sister. Thanks to both of these pretty mothers for being a part of Mama Said this week! And now first up, Rachel!

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I'm Rachel from Smile and Wave and I'm so happy to have been invited to share a little bit of what I've learned from almost five years of motherhood over here on Sometimes Sweet! Our family currently includes one dashing husband that rides a Vespa and is working on his Masters in Counseling while serving in the R.O.T.C. and the Reserves, one high-energy four and a half year old boy named Sebastian, and a surprisingly fast one year old little girl named Ruby. We love spending time together taking family adventures, having Transformers wars, and making messes in general.  I'm a work at home mama that splits time between blogging about vintage finds, DIY projects, and life as a mama as well as writing e-courses, and designing and creating product for sale at RedVelvetArt.com.  We currently live in Springfield, MO which is known for it's fantastic flea markets and some sort of special take on Cashew Chicken!

There has been some great advice already offered up already that had me nodding my head in agreement.  Here are a few more little nuggets that have been learned from trenches. Pardon my terminology. ;)

1. The transition from pregnant to babe in arms with your first child is the most beautiful and most challenging kind. I remember after one month of sleep deprivation wishing I could just feel like my old self again, go out on a relaxing movie/dinner date night, and not have to schedule my life around nap times and feedings. Then after three months of sleep deprivation I remember feeling like I was finally figuring out the tricks to making it to a dr.'s appointment on time, how to enjoy movies at home instead, and a sense of confidence in who I was becoming as a mother. Having the responsibility of around the clock care for a needy little baby, regardless of how much help you have, can be the most overwhelming feeling at times but suddenly I had become this more giving, patient person. It's part of the gift of motherhood, I think.

Now, some of that wears off at around 18 months...haha, no really. This leads me to my second piece of advice.

2. You will feel like you've got it all finally figured out and then suddenly they pull a fast one on you. They move into another developmental stage and are no longer sleeping as well or start challenging your authority and it's all you can do to not want to throw in the towel, at least just for the night, in order to regain some sense of sanity. Being honest about your feelings with people that care about you and understand the wide range of emotions you will naturally feel can be so important to working through the more challenging times. Even if it's an online mama who's been there before, having some support can make all the difference and make you feel less crazy.

3. Lastly, making time for yourself to enjoy whatever you enjoyed before you were a mother will help you in a myriad of ways. Whether it's spending time with your favorite girlfriends, carving out time to create in your studio, or making sure you can still get through a book (or more) a month, you'll feel more grounded as your identity shifts a little into this new role.  It'll benefit everyone around you when you give yourself some time to be renewed.



Hello everyone :) My name is Erin and I recently had the privilege of becoming a mother at the beginning of September to a beautiful boy named Kyler. My husband and I will be married 5 years this coming March and are thoroughly enjoying all that being parents have to offer. It definitely is much harder than I anticipated but to balance it out, the rewards and love are deeper than one could imagine. Jeff is an amazing father and has truly embraced his role. There is nothing more amazing than watching your husband play and care for the baby. Our family began with our two dogs Riley and London. We are amazed how well they have adapted to everything and we like to say they welcomed the changes with open paws. :) London (being the baby of the family before Kyler came) especially surprised us. We anticipated her being upset and unsure with the baby, however she is quite the opposite. When Kyler was a newborn, London would wake up with me when I needed to nurse him several times a night. She would sit right next to me on the couch and then when Kyler was done eating, she would walk with me into his room and "help" me put him back to bed. London did this every 2-3 hours with me for weeks. It was incredibly sweet. These days she stays snuggled in her bed instead if I have to get up, but for those weeks, she was right there with me. I still find it to be pretty amazing. Riley is our other furry friend. She has remained the loyal and protective girl she always was and always has her eye on Kyler to make sure he is ok. It has been so much fun to watch the dogs react the Kylers laughs and squeals. The girls get so excited.

As for advice, there are so many things I would already do differently and also some thing I would keep exactly the same. It's such an incredible learning process.

1. Don't use the baby books as a "how-to," use them more so as a guide. I was one of these moms that read several books about how do all these things for your baby and would get so frustrated when Kylers mirroring what the books said. It made me feel like I didn't know what I was doing and that I was doing something wrong. What I learned was,  I was doing it wrong.... I was too fixated on what the books were saying that I was missing his cues. So, if you like to read and you are like me, do it but don't think that your doing something wrong if your baby isn't following your book of choice. To get Kyler on a schedule when he was ready, we took notes on his patterns for a couple weeks right before he was 3 months old and then implemented the schedule that he had started. This worked wonders and would highly recommend this.

2. Breastfeed if you can. This can be a difficult topic. Some woman want to do this so badly and it just doesn't work out for them and others are unsure about it. All is understandable. For me, it has been the best decision. The bond is truly incredible and what you are providing for the baby is even better. Plus you lose your baby weight so fast it is unreal! My advice is if you are struggling with breastfeeding, seek help. There are so many wonderful resources out there. Also,when my milk came in, I pumped every day in the morning to start my supply and then would feed Kyler after I pumped to help stimulate milk production. To this day he is almost 5 months old and I still have a great milk supply even with working. I also know I am very lucky, but pumping early seemed to help.

3. Plan ahead with pets. We had Jeff's parents bring home one of the blankets Kyler had been wrapped in and cut it in half so each dog had part of his blanket with his smell on it. This worked wonders. When we brought him home and introduced them, it was as if they were expecting him. During the prenancy, I would let them sniff my belly and sit with us in his room etc. We tried to make them a part of preparing for him. Seemed to help them adjust which was important to us.

Overall the best thing to remember is that you aren't perfect and you shouldn't expect yourself to be perfect. Believe in yourself as a mother and know in your heart that you know your baby and ultimately what is best for him/her. Cheers to motherhood!

Have you featured me/Sometimes Sweet?

feature

Hi all!

I am revamping a few of my pages, and I'd love to include a "featured" tab, that will link to any and all posts that have mentioned OR featured Sometimes Sweet! So, if you've ever had me guest post, interviewed me, featured or mentioned this blog, or anything of the sort, leave me a link below so I can get them all organized on a new page, so people can head over to your blog and check it out!

Thank you so much in advance!

xo
Danielle

New Promo Codes

Before I forget, let me direct your attention to the sidebar ------>

You'll notice that in addition to the OC Nail Art code, Trind and Pretty Indulgent have offered to run discount codes for my readers.

These may be especially useful for my Canadian buddies...

Trind, whose products I'm currently testing and will review soon, is a Dutch company and one of Europe's most respected nail care brands. They have some really nice nail care products for natural nails and a small line of nail colors. Trind.ca is the source for US and Canada to order Trind products and they're offering 20% off your order when you use code scrangie at checkout. This expires May 14, 2011. In addition to the code, you can get free shipping on orders over $47 (no code required).

Pretty Indulgent is a new Canadian e-tailer that carries a ton of my favorite brands- OPI, Zoya, Nubar, Orly, Color Club, China Glaze... And not just nail polish! They also carry Arcana, Villainess, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Sihaya Designs. Pretty Indulgent is giving you 15% off your order with code scrangie and this one expires March 15th, 2011.

I'm not affiliated with any of these stores and I don't make a commission; they're just discounts, plain and simple!

My Blue Gloss Collection

I have a bit of an obsession with lipgloss. That's no secret, especially if you've ever seen inside my purse. But, there's an obsession within the obsession, and that is the obsession with blue lipgloss. Most people I know go, "Ewww, blue lips? Freak!" but it's really not as funky as it sounds! Most blue glosses are rather sheer; instead of making you look cyanotic, they only add a cool hue to your lips and make your teeth look whiter.

Whenever I see a blue gloss or lipstick, I have to get it. I've missed out on a few that I wish I had (MAC Peacocky, waaah) but I'm always on the lookout for them.

Here's most of my blue gloss stash (I'm missing at least one Lancôme, maybe a few others):


Left to right: Milani 3D Glitzy Gloss in Movie Star, MAC Dazzleglass in Comet Blue, MAC Blue Memory, MAC Greenhouse, Lancôme Juicy Tubes in Dreamworld, Philosophy Snow Kiss, Maybelline Fruity Jelly in Blueberry Burst, Cover Girl Wet Slicks AmazeMint in Happy Hour, Too Faced Sparkler Glamour Gloss in Sapphire Spark, Simply Sweet Flavored Lipgloss blue/purple swirl (no name), Lancôme Juicy Tubes in Caribe, Victoria's Secret Sweet Talk in Blueberry Shimmer.

Most of the blue glosses follow the same theme. They're either duochrome/glass fleck/crazy iridescent sparkle or clear gloss with a blue tint and/or slight shimmer.

Milani Movie Star, MAC Comet Blue, MAC Blue Memory, MAC Greenhouse, Lancôme Dreamworld, Philosophy Snow.

Maybelline Blueberry Burst, Cover Girl Happy Hour, Too Faced Sapphire Spark, Simply Sweet no name, Lancôme Carïbe, Victoria's Secret Blueberry Shimmer and just for fun, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Rx Lip Tar. Really stands out, doesn't it?

I recommend enlarging those swatch pictures so you can see all the pretty sparkle. Some of these are just gorgeous beyond belief. A quick description of them, in case the pictures don't speak for themselves:

Milani 3D Glitzy Gloss in Movie Star is a sheer blue tinted base with tons of duochrome sparkle. It reflects gold, pink, blue, violet, and at some angles, even a little blue and orange. It has a brush applicator, a somewhat thin texture and a soft orange creme scent.

MAC Dazzleglass in Comet Blue is also a sheer blue base with tons of duochrome sparkle, but it's even sparklier and more duochromey than the Milani. The blue sparkle is very bright and shiny and the dominant reflect color is purple. It has a more smooth and uniform sparkle and it reflects every color of the rainbow. It has a thick, sticky texture, a brush applicator and MAC's amazing creamy vanilla scent.

MAC Blue Memory Lipglass is a pale frosted blue with a slight greenish tint. It's on the sheer side, but it does stand out on the lips. It has the signature MAC lipglass texture and scent and the standard doe foot applicator.

MAC Greenhouse Lipglass is more green than blue, but it's definitely a blue-green. It's similar in finish to Blue Memory and has all the same features as your standard MAC Lipglass.

Lancôme Juicy Tubes in Dreamworld is a sheer blue gloss with a subtle silvery shimmer plus a small amount of blue glitter particles. It has a thick texture, a strong sweet spearmint scent and a slanted tip applicator.

Philosophy Snow Kiss Lipshine is a clear gloss with fine glowy blue shimmer. It's extremely subtle, but when the light catches it just right, there's a bright blue reflection and sparkle on your lips. It has a smooth but sticky texture, a sweet cool citrus scent and flavor (pretty much identical to Philosophy Senorita Margarita) and a slanted tip applicator.

Maybelline Fruity Jelly in Blueberry Burst is a sheer blue gloss with sparse blue/green duochrome glitter particles. This is the most subtle of all of them, it provides the least blue tint and the least glitter. It has a sticky texture, a weird sharp chemical fruit scent and a rounded tip applicator.

Cover Girl Wet Slicks AmazeMint in Happy Hour is a sheer blue-green gloss with subtle silver shimmer and a violet flash. It has a thin, slick, oily texture and a doe-foot wand applicator. The scent is a horrible combination of plastic/gasoline/chemical, weird vanilla and toothpaste. To be quite blunt, this is the worst one. Cover Girl Wet Slicks are some of the worst gloss I've ever used, I can't believe I even bought this one. They smell rancid even when they're brand new and they slide off your lips like pure oil. Guh-rosssssss!

Too Faced Sparkler Glamour Gloss in Sapphire Spark might just be the best out of all of them. It is a sheer base packed with glass-fleck style duochrome shimmer. It's the most multichromatic and sparkly of all and the packaging is really interesting. It shimmer is predominantly light blue, but slight changes in angle cause it to reflect every color of the rainbow. It has a thinner, less sticky texture than MAC Lipglass, a subtle citrus scent and a really unique twist-up tube with a plastic slant-tip applicator. I highly recommend the entire Sparkler Glamour Gloss line if you're into amazing duochrome glittery things like I am.

The nameless Simply Sweet swirl gloss (it's from Dollar Tree), is a sheer cobalt blue shimmer swirled with a very sheer light purple shimmer. The shades mix together on the lips and provide a light blue tint and subtle shimmer. It has a thick, smooth balm-like petrolatum-heavy texture (which I do like despite the cheap ingredients), a chemical blueberry scent and a slant tip applicator.

The Lancôme Juicy Tubes in Carïbe is a sheer medium blue gloss base with opalescent glitter. The glitter flashes pastel shades of yellow, orange, blue, green and pink. There isn't a lot of glitter, but there's two or three times as much as in Dreamworld. It has a thick sticky texture, a sweet, fruity, artificial blueberry-ish scent and a slant tip applicator.

The Victoria's Secret Sweet Talk gloss is a sheer green-blue base with frosty silver shimmer. It can look a little murky. It has a thick, slick texture and a terrible acidic/sour chemical blueberry scent- reminds me of some type of bubblegum, the big square kind... Can't remember what it's called. This was part of a set that came with an awesome sheer green shimmer.

And Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Rx? The bluest of the blue. I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with this one. It has a thin, dense, dry texture- it's all pigment. No shimmer or shine once it's set. It has a rounded tip applicator and a dry peppermint scent and flavor. This can be worn alone, but you can also add it to other lip tars to make your own color or to tone down some warmer shades. Very versatile, and nothing beats Lip Tar in the pigmentation department. Still haven't finished my Lip Tar review... I need to just buckle down and deal with the swatch-stained arms for a day! Those things are so hardcore!

Tell me I'm not the only blue gloss lover out there! Any of you guys have a blue gloss stash? Recommend me some more blues and tell me about your favorites!

Tattoo Tuesday V.59


Name/blog name: Erin, http://erinnnnnnnnnn.tumblr.com/

Age: 21

Occupation: Admin assistant/ a graphic designer’s assistant

Age of first tattoo: 18

Favorite tattoo: The top half of my arm which are roses. It was my first big piece so finding someone who could convey exactly what i wanted was something i was looking for in an artist, and i found her! She did a wonderful job and continues to do great work on me.


Featured tattoo/location: Right thigh, Pin up girl who i call "lady luck".

Artist/shop/location of featured tattoo: Tiffany Thornton at Planet Ink in Ottawa, Ontario Canada.



1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story or special meaning? Why did you choose this particular piece of art?

Lady luck doesn't have a whole lot of meaning but I've always wanted a pin up girl, and I've always been told that "you've got luck on your side" so that's what made me think of the idea. I just went to Tiffany and said "Hey, here are a few ideas... run with it, do whatever you want". I let my artist do her thing, and I trust her with anything.


2) Do you have any other tattoos?

I do! I have:
pocket watch(right arm)
snake(right arm)
Dita von teese portrait( left thigh)
Anchor (right foot)
heart locket (right foot)
Dilligaf on the left side of my ribs
"Bring me your love" (inner left arm)
"Finish Strong" on the back of my neck



 
 

3) Do you plan on getting more? 

Absolutely! I have an idea already in the works!


4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them?

When I first started getting tattooed, I think what my family was worried about was that I may end up with bad work, but now they see the work being produced and are okay with my choices. I work in a pretty easy going environment and before my job now I worked in a kid's section of a book store, and they allowed me to wear short sleeves. So I've been pretty lucky with being able to be myself without having to cover anything up. Although, depending on where i go in town, i do get a bit of negativity, but mostly people are just interested and will ask questions.




5) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?

I say go for it and I'm not being biased either. You only live once, so if you want something, do your research and find an artist that fits for what you want.

Senin, 28 Februari 2011

a short film.

My friends Brittney and Marcella shared this on their respective blogs earlier today and I thought I would also post it here after it moved me to tears. Since becoming a Mom I've found that my respect for other parents has only grown, and the respect that I have for any single parent is just immeasurable. It's hard enough doing this job with two people, and I can only imagine the struggle it can be with one. I have a quite a few single mama friends, and quite simply, you are all amazing and inspire me every single day with your perseverance and strength. I thought this film was beautiful, and I wanted to share it here, with all of you.