The Power of Lipstick

Welcome to a new week! Let me start with a few verses on today's topic...

"The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for He is your Lord...all glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold. In embroidered garments she is led to the King..." Psalm 45:11, 13-14

"...She is clothed in fine linen and purple." Proverbs 31:22

"Your cheeks (we're going to go with ears!) are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels. We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver." Song of Songs 1:10-11 (insert added)

I have a confession, my friends. I have succumbed to a lifestyle in which I never thought I would embrace. I swore to never be one of "those moms." I vowed to my husband that, though I stopped working outside the home, this one area would remain unchanged. But yet, over the past year, it slowly crept up on me so that I not only fell into its trenches, I actually started to love it. What is it, you ask??? 

The love of yoga pants, wet hair, minimal make-up, and flip-flops...duh, duh, duh!

Oh, mommy friends, I have been so in love with this lifestyle that I considered naming my blog: Rockin' the Yoga Pants. No joke! Whenever I would go shop, I would go directly to the clearance work-out racks...and I certainly wasn't working out enough to warrant new wardrobe pieces. I assumed that if I put on cute earrings with a stretchy pant outfit, it made it totally okay. I actually convinced myself that my husband loved the "sporty sexy" look. I could be comfy and the super-hot wife all at once! At the root of it, my puffy c-section pooch didn't fit nicely into my non-elastic pants, so I slowly slipped into a lifestyle of sloppy mommy-wear...a place I never wanted to go.

Then, something really neat happened. I got back down to my pre-baby weight a couple of weeks ago and I started going to a small group at church focusing on empowering yourself as a beautiful woman of God (the first verse above came from that group). Our first class discussed dressing nicely, showing our confidence, and coming out of the shadows. It sure did wake me up! I came home and tried on every piece in my closet. If it was a size 6 that I would never fit into again (or at least by the time I have my breasts done and my tummy tuck, it would be out of style!), then it went to the Goodwill. Everything else got organized by style and color, and I decided to actually wear an outfit (with cute shoes!) each day, or most days. I even dug out some lipstick from the abyss of my cosmetic drawer!

Well that night, when my husband got home from work, you would have thought I was all-out dressed in my wedding day attire. He noticed my blown-dry (and straightened) hair, my outfit, my shoes, and my lipstick. He wondered what the occasion could be, and I simply told him that I wanted to start dressing nicely. I teased that it was time to retire the yoga pants to which he replied, "Yea, you wear those almost everyday." Ouch! But true...

As Christian women, there are many quoted verses about dressing modestly, refusing vanity, and fleeting beauty being unimportant. This is all completely true, since it comes from His Word. If your perfect look becomes your obsession, then there is a problem. But, God created women to be the beautiful creatures that He intended. Look again at the verses above. This is how He talks about women in His Word! 

We know our husbands respond well when we pay attention to taking care of ourselves. We also know that we feel much better about ourselves when we put in some effort in the morning. And, we know how great it feels to receive compliments on our outfits, our hair, or our make-up. So, why aren't we doing this everyday??? I'll tell you why. I've lived it!

• Pregnancy made us fat (we aren't sugar-coating here...)
• Our babies produced lots of fluids
• If we nursed, we constantly stretched out every shirt that we owned
• We rarely left the house
• We were lucky to get a shower every other day
• We constantly had a small creature attached to us

Need I say more? If you do something long enough, it becomes a habit. As new mommies, we were in the habit of always taking care of everyone else first, and then we would rest instead of taking care of ourselves. I still feel like this is totally fine and acceptable...at first! Truthfully, I can't wait to revive the yoga pants post the eventual baby #2! But, sweet mommies, we have to pull ourselves out of the cycle. The power of lipstick, in a sense, shows reverence to the Lord, our husbands, our children, and ourselves. If He created us, then He obviously wants us to care for His creation.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

He speaks about women as His beautiful creation, our husbands love to see us dressed nicely and taking pride in our bodies (even if they aren't back to where we would like), our children need to see us caring for ourselves, and there's nothing like a cute new top from the Target clearance rack to put a bounce in our step. 

Just my thoughts! I hope you can find a blessing out of my musings today. This day and everyday, be blessed in your mommyhood :-)

MMSM #51

Don't be so quick to throw your grocery store receipts away! Check the back of your King Soopers, Safeway, etc. receipt after you check out and find a bunch of local coupons ranging in great restaurant deals, to cheap oil changes, to half-off haircuts. Love it when you get coupons for free!

Tip #38

I always keep plastic grocery bags in the car for stinky diapers, clothes, etc. Until recently, they would float around the trunk and fall out when I open the hatchback. Then, I had an idea from my own brain :-) We buy our wipes at Costco and each new box comes with new wipes holders. I've been trying to think of a creative way to use them (they will eventually be art supply holders), but for now, they will be bag holders! Pull the bags out just like wipes, and they will stay tidy and organized in their little compartment! 

Our Man's Need for Playdates

Happy funny Saturday (sorry that I missed Friday!)! Two things make me giggle about this picture. First of all, I can't remember the last time my husband was happily washing dishes while I was chatting on the phone. Second, I will just assume this is after dinner. If your child is like my child, post-dinner to bed-time is his least happiest time of the day. If only he would sit and joyfully play with blocks. Usually, Caleb is trying to crawl up the leg of the closest parent while holding this shrill whining pitch for what seems like an endless amount of time. But, I will let you know when the above scene is played out next at the McNamee home! Here's to hoping :-)

The thing that does not strike me as funny about this picture is the honesty. The honesty that our husbands absolutely need "play dates," and the honesty that sometimes we are the ones who have to set them up. I know my husband works extremely hard to provide a life which allows me to stay at home with our son. I am so grateful for his sacrifice. One may argue that "well, my husband doesn't have to do his job 24/7, so he needs to help with the children when he is at home." No, he doesn't do his job 24/7, but honestly, neither do we. The good Lord created a baby's need for lots of sleep to grow and heavenly afternoon naps for a reason! We must allow and insist on play time for our husbands. Male friendships and alone time are crucial for our husbands to rejuvenate, refresh, miss us, and hear from the Lord.

It is a sacrifice. My husband travels nearly 75% of the time. The last thing I want to do is send him out the door when he's home...mainly because I miss him, but also because I feel like I should be the one who gets the break. But, the change that happens in his attitude and behavior towards us is remarkable when he has had a few hours to wind down. While it may make the present time more difficult, a happy husband after three hours of mountain biking makes for a much more enjoyable evening! While I have a mile-long honey-do list for the weekend, a church retreat with his Christian brothers is much more beneficial to his soul than blowing out the sprinkler system.

This has not always been our habit, and since I have decided to make a conscious effort to gift my husband is alone/man-friend time, his love towards me has multiplied. I don't mean to say that we should do this so he'll push us out the door towards a movie and dinner with our friends (it has happened!), but when your husband sees that you desire for him to relax and play, my experience is that he understands the deeper meaning. You love him, you appreciate all he does to provide for your family, and you want to give him a sacrificial blessing. Try this. The next evening he arrives home from work, tell him his bike is ready to go in the garage, you and your mommy friends have arranged a beer-tasting evening for him and the other husbands, or you are taking the children to the library so he can have a few hours to unwind by himself at home. Watch what happens! This isn't rocket science, mommies...as precious as our men are, they really aren't that complicated. Give them respect, give them love, and give them room to be by themselves or with friends. It will build up your marriage and, in the long run, be a beautiful blessing for us as wives and mothers.

Let me know how your experiment goes!

I hope your "30 Days of Play" is going well. Mine is actually kind of fun! Feel free to posts comments on our challenge. Also, I issued another challenge a few days ago of being sure we have evidence of US, the mommy, in our children's precious first months/years. I shared the story I have had over the past ten months with my face, and while it is not completely healed, my son deserves some pictures with his mom. Here is my tribute to that post.

I will continue posting MMSM and OT as they come to me. Could I finally be out of ways we attempt to be organized cheap-os?!? I don't think so. As I discover more, I will share them directly with you. Today and everyday, be blessed :-)

Mini-Devo...Philippians 1:12

"Now I want you to know, sisters, that was has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel." Philippians 1:12 (NIV)

And another version...

"I want you to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered." Philippians 1:12 (The Message)

Isn't our God good? Even when Satan throws his best arrows at us...heartbreak, death of a loved one, disease, trials of any sort or tragedies of any kind, God can always turn those events around into ones that glorify Him and His love for us. The Enemy would like nothing more than to "squelch the Message" of love from our Lord. Often times, we feel like we can't be a good example of Christ while we deal with our current trial or frustration in life. The opposite is actually true! When those sufferings come, and they will, that is just the time we need to ask for His strength to keep sharing His Message with others. People who don't know Christ need to see that no matter what happens in our lives as Christians, we still trust Him, we still love Him, and we know He has the power to turn the worst of situations into a blessing for others. Today, I pray that each of us will get even better at this in order to set an example of Christ for others and, especially, for our children. Imagine if one day, our children will say, "No matter what happened to my mommy, she still loved Jesus." That is definitely something to work for. Today and everyday, be blessed :-)

Great Article, My Honest Reaction

Welcome back! So, how is our mandatory thirty-minute playtime going, mommies? Honestly, ours is going quite well! We have played blocks, and I learned that my son can stack them...didn't know that! We've played "put the blocks back in the basket," and I learned that my son is somewhat learning how to clean up! I've pushed the riding fire truck around the house over and over, and I've learned that now my son would much rather be pushed than make himself go. Oh well :-) The point of the exercise is to get us to interact intentionally with our children, something that goes to the wayside so easily when the myriad of other tasks pile up throughout the day for SAHM. Keep at it, though, and watch the blessings happen over the next month.

Last night, I came across a fantastic article posted by my friend, Jayme, on Facebook. Click below to read it:

The Mom Stays in the Picture

How often is this the situation at your house? I would bet you have hundreds of pictures of your children, and even lots with your children and your husband. But other than a professional shoot, how frequently do you put yourself in the picture? It may seem like a small thing that will go unnoticed in years to come, but just like the mom in the article, I love looking back at pictures of my mommy when I was growing up. I want my son to have the same opportunity. He certainly won't have it I keep up my current practice of capturing his precious self with my phone and purposefully leaving myself out of it. And, no excuses, my phone can do the flip-around thing allowing me to get both of us in one picture.

This article came to me at a great time. Today, at my check-up, I was told that I am officially back to my pre-baby weight! Pretty cool! More than pretty cool. I've struggled hard with this over the past fourteen months, and while I will forever have a scar on my stretchmarked belly, I can feel good about the fact that I'm back where I started. If I keep it up, I could reasonably lose fifteen more to be at my ideal weight...love that!  Fourteen months ago, that number seemed completely unattainable. Now, not so much! Caleb fluff is no longer a reason to stay out of his pictures!

Weight hasn't been my only desire to stay out of his pictures for the last year...it's actually not my main one. Those of you who know me personally have seen me struggle with an odd health issue over the past ten months. For those of you who don't know me personally, I have been reluctant to share this oddity for a variety of reasons. Last December, over the course of two days, the right side of my face slowly stopped working. Eventually, I had no movement. I couldn't blink with my right eye, I couldn't smile with the right side of my lips, I could hardly kiss my husband or our son, and I was totally mortified. I looked awful. It was totally a vanity issue (other than the vertigo that went with the syndrome), but it was horribly embarrassing to do my normal life while looking the way I did and sometimes drooling out of the right side of my mouth! A variety of doctors have all had a different opinion ranging from Bell's Palsy to Ramsey Hunt Syndrome (we've agreed that this is the winner) to Multiple Sclerosis. It has been a rough year with scary tests checking for strokes and brain tumors, difficult physical therapy to encourage movement in my face, and the realization that my face will probably never recover 100%. It is far better than it was, nearly a year later, but you can still tell something isn't quite right. The syndrome which caused these odd symptoms of paralysis, intense vertigo, and blisters was actually a strain of the chicken pox virus that took root in my nerve controlling my inner ear and face. No one knows why it happened, and I just pray it doesn't happen again! Tomorrow, we visit one more neurologist to, hopefully, totally rule out Multiple Sclerosis. There is still some question as to whether or not that may be developing in me, but we are praying specifically against that diagnosis and any other debilitating disease. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength, but we are also commanded to pray without ceasing, and He will give us the desires of our hearts!

I say all of this to be honest with each of you, and to hopefully encourage you to keep doing what you love for the Lord even as you go through scary trials in life. They will come, but that doesn't mean we should stop loving our life given to us by the Creator of all life. On the flip side, I am learning that it is important for our children to not just see pictures and memories of us on our best days. During the first year of my first son's life, half of my face didn't work. Okay...he should be able to remember that! I'm his momma. No matter what I look like (Caleb fluff, funny face, or even a little drool!), he needs to know that I loved taking our pictures together, and I was still loving our life. I'm so grateful to this woman for sharing her story. It was a fantastic inspiration to me, and I hope it can be to you. Today and everyday, be blessed! And if you run out of blessings to give thanks for, thank Him that your face works :-)

MMSM #50

Start visiting Walmart on Tuesdays between now and Christmas. They started a promotion this week called "Toyland Tuesday" featuring great deals on popular toys each Tuesday from the beginning of October through December 25. Toys for our babies are so much more fun to give when they were purchased at a great price! Happy shopping!

Tip #37

You know those things that have to sit out, but they are just really ugly? I'm thinking of tampons, dryer sheets, keys, K-cups, etc. I've found a new way to make me smile! Get cute wicker baskets at thrift stores or garage sales and use the baskets to store those less than lovely items. My laundry room looks cute, the bathroom looks better, and our kitchen counter is more organized. It's the little things that perk up any house!

Choosing to Play

Welcome to a new month...October! This happens to be my favorite month of them all, and I'd like to say it's because of pumpkin candles, autumn decorations, hot apple cider, and anticipation for the holidays. In real honesty, I love it because it's my birthday month! Yes, that's right, I claim a whole month. My parents (really, my mom) showed me that your birthday is a day to love and to celebrate...and by celebrate I mean to use as many balloons, streamers, glittery decorations, lipstick notes on the mirrors, surprises at schools, outrageously wonderful parties, and gifts you could only imagine in dreams to mark the big day. Has this put an enormously impossible standard onto the shoulders of my husband? Indeed. But, he loves me so very much and can show that love to me on my birthday in his own ways (and I still get a box of birthday surprises from my mommy!). Now, I'm just grateful to have my own child to lavish birthday magic onto. I do have to be careful, though...only a certain amount of glitter is appropriate for a boy :-)

This October is especially significant. I am turning, duh duh duh...30! While many are depressed about this milestone birthday, I'm thrilled. I made a lot of mistakes in my twenties, but I also learned a lot. It took me thirty years, it seems, to become comfortable in the woman God made me to be. I am closer to God this year than I have ever been in my life. And, I am blessed beyond words with a fantastic husband and beautiful son. My friends, I'd say 30 is looking pretty incredible. I can't wait to see what the next decade holds!

In honor of this being my 30th birthday month, I want to share a challenge that I found a few months ago. Look at this link:

30 for 30 Challenge 

Switching gears to mommyhood, I first came across this challenge of playing with your child for thirty minutes per day for thirty days and quickly dismissed it as something helpful for mommies who work outside the home. Then, I read it. I was convicted by it. I wanted to do it. Yes, I have the sweet privilege of staying at home with our son and loving it. But! How much of my day is filled with precious, uninterrupted, fully-devoted time of play with Caleb? Times where I'm focused on him and not blogging (truly, I do it before he wakes!), doing housework (a big distraction), playing on my phone (no excuses here, it's my mindless way to unwind), talking on the phone, cooking dinner, running errands, etc. Yes, he is a wonderful boy who goes with the flow most of the time, but don't we all just want our mother's attention at the end of the day (or for a glittery princess birthday party!)?

So, as my fellow blogger put this challenge out, I challenge each of you to do this with me. Today is October 1, so let's start by having at least thirty minutes of uninterrupted play with our children. Because it's October, we get a bonus day. At first, it may feel like a chore. That's okay. Like me, a lot of SAHM were teachers or worked in childcare prior to their current profession. We are in the habit of creating fantastic play spaces for children to learn and explore on their own. That's great when you have thirty children to teach. But now, mommies, we only have one or a few children to teach. Instead of facilitating a learning environment, let's experience it with them. My guess is that our chore will turn into a discipline that we are committed to accomplishing, and that will turn into a blessing which we look forward to daily. Ultimately, that is my prayer for you, and for me.

Look at these verses that describe children as a blessing from Him:

 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." Genesis 1:28

"Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth. Blessed is the woman whose quiver is full of them..." Psalm 127:3-5 (man changed to woman)

Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. "Who are these with you?" he asked. Jacob answered, "These are the children God has graciously given your servant. Genesis 33:5

"He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord!" Psalm 113:9 

"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me by the One who sent me." Mark 9:37 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

For the month of October, let's all focus on how blessed we are by are good and perfect gifts from heaven. Let's focus on playing with them in pure joy. I would love to do this adventure with you. Please comment below and tell me how it's going! Today and everyday, be blessed, while playing Legos, Barbies, or pots and pans :-)