by jenbshaw on July 28, 2010
“No he isn’t walking quite yet…I think he could, he’s just not interested”
“He sleeps pretty good…he only wakes up a few times”
“Well he eats sometimes…he’s just a little picky…so he survives on chicken nuggets, what of it”
“He says mama…to everything…sometimes he wave bu-bye”
Lately I feel like these statements have been on constant repeat for me. It feels like people are constantly asking about Chase’s developmental progress, and while I know they aren’t, I feel judged. I see raised eyebrows or hear something in the tone of their reply and I feel judged. Worse than that, I feel like my baby is being judged.
I know that kids hit milestones at different times, I know it’s different for everyone. Developmental time-lines are only an average, but does that mean my toddler is…below average?
I keep telling myself that I have an extremely happy and healthy 14 month old and that’s what counts right? RIGHT? Maybe I should be working on a few of these things with him more but where do I start?
I know I’m not alone in this fear so why is it so hard to talk about?
by jenbshaw on July 7, 2010
A few months ago my best friend allowed me a rare peek at her personal bathroom. I was horrified at the state of her make-up drawer. I would show you a picture of it but I’m pretty sure after the verbal lashing I gave her, that I’m never allowed in there again, let alone would I be allowed to get photographic evidence of the drawer of horrors. I guess I could be exaggerating it just a little bit but amongst her make-up was hair ties, little girl hair bows, brushes, and random medicine cabinet type stuff. I can totally understand how it takes her over an hour to get ready each morning.
Here are a few of my best tips for keeping your make-up organized:
1. Don’t live out of a bag. I know this isn’t an option for some but I know a lot of girls who choose this route and for the life of me I can’t understand why. To me drawers just make it so much easier to grab just what you are looking for. If you don’t have an actual drawer I would suggest investing in a cheap rubbermaid type set of drawers to sit on the counter or under the sink.
2. Keep a simple collection of make-up for everyday use. I am NOT telling you to get rid of all your fancy make-up (Heather), but do you really need access to ALL your make-up every day? Keep the special occasion or rarely used stuff packed away in a closet or under the sink.
3. Use drawer dividers. You don’t have to spend $50 on fancy make-up dividers from a high end store, I use plastic trays from wal-mart. The cost anywhere from $1-$3 a piece depending on the size and sturdy-ness.
4. Have a travel set. If you travel a lot like I do then I highly suggest having a duplicate set used only for travel. My best advice for starting this travel set is to not wait until you are out something to replace it but buying the replacement when your current item is half used and putting the half used item in the travel set. For items with an expiration date, such as mascara, I wait to buy my “fancy” make-up until the counter is having a free-gift sale and I use the travel sizes for the travel set.
5. Speaking of expiration dates, I keep a mini sharpie in my bathroom drawer to label any make-up that might go bad before I use it all. Whenever I buy a new tube of mascara or get a new compact I jot the month/year I purchased it on the bottom.
Fun Finds:
1. Countertop drawer from sterilite available at walmart (I love that you can store brushes in the open section on top! If you get drawers without an open top, then I suggest a pencil cup for brushes)
2. Pencil Bag from sewaudrey Etsy shop (use these in your travel kits to hold your brushes, mascara and lipsticks)
3. Plastic drawer organizers from Container Store
