As a teenager, I was the girl who would spend her Saturdays hanging out at the MAC counter at Nordstrom, or buying eyeshadows at Urban Decay. I would NEVER have ventured into the land of drug-store make-up.

Now that I'm a little bit older and a little bit poorer, I have had to find a way to pay less for make up that is just as good.

Believe me when I tell you that I have tried a LOT of different products. And to be honest, a lot of the "cheaper" brands really are cheap (aka you get what you pay for). But through lots of trial and error, I have found some stuff that is very inexpensive and still does the job. Here are my favorite make up picks that compare to some of the highest end brands around (at a fraction of the price):

Sometimes we have a baby and buy a house in the same week, and then we remodel the house for the next 5 months.

That leaves me with 23970698357 ideas to blog about and I end up always blogging about my baby. But here goes anyway...

I check on my baby several times at night after he has gone to bed. Yes, I'm THAT mom.

Tonight, while checking on him, I placed my hand on his chest and immediately felt his little heart beating beneath my hand. For some reason, I haven't felt his little heart beat before.

As a sat there for a second I immediately thought of just a few months ago when he and I shared the same crowded space, and every week or two, I anticipated hearing that sweet little thump thump through my giant belly.  I would heave a sigh of relief every time knowing all was well.

And for the VERY first time, I remembered the sweetness of being pregnant with my little Scotty. I knew his name before he was even "a twinkle in my eye". From the day I found out I was pregnant with him I wondered each day what he would look like, if he would have his daddy's laugh or my stubborn nature.

It's insane how just a few months ago I didn't know these things about my baby and now, I can pick out his little voice in a room full of babies and I couldn't forget that sweet face in a million years.

I know his heartbeat like it is my own, and he knows mine too.

So we are going through the 4 month sleep regression/teething/growth spurt over here in the Pendleton castle of chaos which means we are up every hour at night with little man lately. By some amazing act of God, Jer and I got ready and made it to church on time today but my BFF Scotty was not too happy about it so I was seriously considering leaving after Sacrament Meeting.

I'm really glad I didn't.

Jer took little man to Young Men's with him so I could enjoy RS. We had a great lesson by Jamie on Elder Uchtdorf''s talk, "You Can Do It Now" from October's General Conference. The lesson was really good for me and got me thinking a lot. (If you are reading this Jamie, thank you! I loved your lesson :o))

There are a lot of things in life that make us feel like failures, AKA our weaknesses. Sometimes we feel like we just can't recover from some of them. For example, I will be the first to admit that I am not the best housekeeper. My house is almost never as clean as I would like it to be, and sometimes I just think, "why bother?"

We talked a little bit today in church about focusing on the things we ARE good at, and the positive things we do each day. If you know me, you know I'm an eternal pessimist. I have to work really hard to focus on the positives in life, especially since having a baby and I am often much more limited in what I am able to accomplish in a day.

I decided to list a few things I'm pretty proud of that I have recently accomplished. This may seem funny or sarcastic but I really am proud of the little things. :o)

-I get myself ready every day except Saturday. Teaching at BYU has really made this possible since I teach every day and am required to dress in business casual clothes.

-I have learned to say NO to things that are just too much for me to handle and YES to help when I need it. It is unbelievable how hard this has been for me. As a typical woman I often think I can handle everything on my own. False. I am so grateful for friends and family who have been so helpful to me through this house remodel and new baby process.

-Sometimes I make dinner. Seriously though.

-Sometimes I make it to the gym.

-I did half of my Visiting Teaching this month.

-After 3 WEEKS of waiting and no sprouting I was sure I was a failure at gardening, this happened:

-I finally finished this project:



-I spend lots of quality time with my sweet boy Scotty and really feel like I'm savoring each moment of his development and growth. Parenthood is hard but SO worth it and so worth the piles of dishes in the sink, the dust on the shelves and the unmade bed.

*And let's get real, I can't blame new parenthood on not getting everything done that I would like to. I feel like I was just as busy and just as bad of a housekeeper before I had Scotty as I am now. Just a different kind of busy and maybe a better excuse for not cleaning ;o).

So, if you haven't done the dishes in a week, or you haven't gotten out of your PJ's or showered yet today, that's OK! You can still do it now! My MIL told me something last weekend that really helped me: "Save the guilt for sin." If you didn't do something previously, get over it. Don't feel guilty, it isn't like you are sinning. You still have a chance to accomplish many things! You can do it now!

As a dancer of almost 20 years, rhythm is in my bones. Whenever I hear a catchy tune, I can't help but move my feet, snap my fingers or sway my body. As a teacher, it is really hard to explain that innate sense of rhythm in my body because it is just that: innate.


I have been thinking about this a lot since I had my baby. At one of my baby showers, my guests each wrote down some advice for me. One card in particular has stuck with me:

So, since having my wee one, I have struggled to find a way to get back in shape without getting a babysitter. I'm not all that excited about leaving him in childcare at the gym, not to mention he can't even go until he's 6 months old.

A few weeks ago I got invited to attend a pilot session for a "Moms and Infants" exercise class with a new company, Cahoots Fitness in Orem.