A youthful glow or greasy goop?

Some people use lips gloss on their lips, other's apparently use it on their legs! Check out Gwenyth Paltrow's overly shiney legs. It looks like she oiled them up to go sun bathing. Although it's helpful to look to celeb moms for style and beauty tips, this one is a fashion DON'T.


HOWEVER, it IS okay to dust your body with a shimmery body bronzer to add subtle sheen and definition, giving your legs, arms, shoulders and chest a more youthful glow. My favorite product for this is Bobbie Brown Beach shimmer body powder. I think it comes with a fluffy applicator. I have this myself, however, their Shimmer Brick for Body looks great too.
Visit the Bobbie Brown Website to learn how to create a beautiful, effortless looking Illuminating Bronze Look.

Fake Tan = Hot Mom

Everyone looks better with a tan. I forgot how much of a difference it can make! I pulled out a bottle of self tanner today that I must have bought 2 or 3 years ago because I really don't remember having ever taken the time and effort to apply self tanner since I became a mom 2 years ago. Well, my husband was on a road trip for work and I wanted to look extra good when he came home so I pulled out the tanning lotion. I had to do it during nap time and it was a big pain to have to stand around in my room in my birthday suit for 30-40 minutes careful to not touch anything for fear of staining anything or messing up the tan. I stood and read a book (The "Hug and a Kiss and a Kick in the Pants" book actually). Anyways, Finally it dried and I was very pleased with the results. It was maybe the best application I'd ever done...minus my right ankle and the white spot in the middle of my back that I couldn't reach.

Anyways, when I looked in the mirror with my new tan, I felt like a younger version of myself again. My hair looked lighter and my teeth looked whiter. When my husband got home, he instant commented on how great I looked and he was like, "what did you do? Something is different! Did you get your hair highlighted while I was gone? It looks lighter".

Later that evening we went out to the pool and my husband and daughter played in the water while I lounged. It was so exciting looking down at tan legs rather than being BLINDED BY THE LIGHT!

It was worth the trouble and the stupid looking spot on my ankle. However, I called my sister and apparently she was applying a fake tan at the exact same time that I was (we're in sync like that), however, it only took her 10 minutes and she didn't miss or mess up any spots. Next time I'm going to use what she uses, it's called Loreal Sublime Bronze Airbrush, a tanning spray. She says it dries almost instantly, has a great color and has no smell.

YAY for fake tans!

As for indoor tanning lotion tips, I came across some solutions after the fact:

*Rub lotion around ankles and tops of feet to blend with legs.

*Use a sponge paintbrush, available at any hardware store, to apply self tanner to your back. Look for one that is from two to three inches in size. Wash before use and let it air dry. The brushes with wooden handles are better, as the plastic handles can scratch skin.

Mom Jeans

Funny Mom Jeans Spoof Funny Video! This is a spoof on how some women start wearing those high waisted pants after they get to be a certain age. You know this is true because you see women wearing them all the time.

So how do you find the PERFECT pair of jeans for your body? Well, depends on your body type, however, the muffin top and the bend over to pick-up kid butt crack show seems to be a common problem for most moms as we try to avoid the awful high waisted jeans, but then it's hard to find jeans that aren't too low cut.

The most flattering style is probably a midrise bootcut jean. But with so many stores and so many brands, how do you find the right pair for you? Easy! Here is How To Find the Perfect Jeans for your Body.

Postpartum Thyroiditis

We've all heard of the Baby Blues and Post Partum Depression as well as fatigue, anemia and pain as problems new moms can face. When those symptoms don't clear up by around 3 months, however, one lesser known problem that could be keeping the mother from returning to normal health is called Postpartum Thryroiditis. It is due to inflamation of the thyroid gland cause by anitbodies which work against the thyroid. The antibodies seem to reach their highest concentration around 5-7 months postpartum and can take up to a year to level off. These are some of the symptoms a woman may face as a result:

Common Symptoms of Thyroid Disfunction

Hyperactive (overactive)

• Anxiousness
• Tremousness
• Rapid Heartbeat
• A feeling of warmth
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Muscle weakness
• Weight Loss

Hypoactive (underactive)

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Weight Gain
• Constipation
• Memory Impairment
• Sensitivity to Cold
• Muscle Cramps

After this happens, a woman can eventually level off and go back to normal with or without treatment depending on severity, or they may become permanently hypothyroid after this due to the damage on their thyroid.

Some women who experience fatique or depression 3-6 months after giving birth might really have a thyroid problem. This can improve with simple thyroid treatment, usually taking one pill a day of prescribed thyroid medication if you are hypothryroid. Your dr. can diagnose you through a blood test and physical examination.

Postpartum thyroiditis is a common dissorder which often goes unrecognized. Mainly because women assume these feelings are a normal part of the recovery from childbirth, or they assume they have postpartum depression, but do not report it to their Dr.
Treatment is painless and simple. If you are hypothyroid, even just temporarily after giving birth, you can safely take levothyroxine synthroid while breastfeeding.

If you have or suspect you have a thyroid problem, I would highly suggest (from personal experience) that you see a thyroid specialise. Many dr.'s are not informed about the details of Thyroid problems. If you feel you have anxiety or depression symptoms from it, they will give you an anti depressant, if you can concentrate, you might get ADD medication. A thyroid Dr will know that you need more Thyroid medicine and NOT a generic as they are NOT the same when it comes to Thyroid medicine.

If you didn't seem to bounce back from pregnancy the same as most women do, this may have been the reason. If you had a long slow recovery from your last childbirth and are planning on having more, go to an endocrinologist/Thyroid Dr during your pregnancy.

Just a quick note

I just wanted to make a note about this parenting book I'm reading. My daughter is 2 and all the sudden, my hubby and I had to really figure out how to properly discipline our daughter in a loving and effective way. Anyways, my mother-in-law was visiting and gave me this old book that she had called A Hug and a Kiss and a Kick in the Pants. I'm about 1/3 through it and I just think every parent should have a copy. This isn't my first book on the topic, but so far it's the best. Instead of having a hundred rules of don't this and don't that....you have 3 rules.
No hurting yourself
No hurting others
No hurting things
It also teaches about logical consequences rather than spanking or time out for every infraction. My favorite examples were about a 4-yr old who didn't clean his room in the allotted time. His mom couldn't think of a good consequence and she had warned him there would be a consequence if he didn't do what she asked, but she wasn't prepared to follow through. Then she had an idea, she said "bye, I'm going for ice cream". Her boy said "wait I'm coming with you!" Mom replies "no you're not, you didn't clean your room" so she left him home with dad and went for ice cream. She came home with a quadruple scoop ice cream and ate it in front of him. The next time she asked him to clean his room, he did it in 5 minutes. There were other funny stories too. This book actually makes me laugh a lot!

I've already found the info I've learned from this book so helpful in correcting my daughter's behavior. Honestly, since I started reading it and getting new ideas, I haven't really had any tantrums or issues with my daughter, I'm finding her to be a lot more compliant! And I haven't had turn into the "monster mommy".

Anyways, so this is just a shout out for that book! Look up the book "A Hug and a Kiss and a Kick in the Pants" by Kay Kuzma on Amazon to find a copy.

I have to tell you about one of my nearest and dearest friends. She is not yet a mom, but is a superwomen who I know will become one of those Super Moms. Anyways, aside from her day job (at an engineering firm) she is really an entrepreneur at heart. It must run in the Family as her grandparents run the oldest, most popular drive-in joint back in our high school town. Anyways, She spent quite a bit of time living in Mexico so she could become a fluent speaker. While there, she came in contact with the owner of the Vieri purse factory. The purses are sold in upscale stores in Cancun and Mexico City, not available in the US. However, she has started her own small business through her relationships with the Factory owners. She is the only supplier of these high quality designer bags in the United States. Here is a picture of me with one of her tote bags that doubles as a great alternative to the vinyl whinnie the pooh diaper bag!

I will post a link to her website soon. But if you are interested in finding out more, you can always contact me as I help her out a lot since I have time during the day while she is at the Engineering firm. You can also email moonmadnesspurses@yahoo.com for more info.

BONUS! I'm so excited, she also recently got in contact with the factory that makes BKE jeans that you find at The Buckle! One of my faveorites along with Citizens and Sevens. Those will be sold at a nice discount as well. It's crazy how much they are marked up!

Is your Thyroid Making you Fat?

Could you be suffering from Hypothyroidism? The symptoms are subtle and often mistaken for depression. If left untreated, it can cause anemia, low body temp and heart failure.

I was diagnosed while in high school. I was always cold and lethargic. I was dead tired no matter how much sleep I got and getting out of bed felt impossible at times. I often got detention for having so many tardies and would fall asleep in some of my classes that had teachers that didn't care. My mom was the one who finally suspected low thyroid. We then did the Basal body temp test for about 3 weeks and it was pretty obvious, with my average temperature some where around 96 whereas the average persons resting body temp should be around 98.

Hypothyroidism is a lot more common than people think and it often goes misdiagnosed. The basic blood testing might show someone on the low end, however, if it's within the normal range, most doctors will tell you that you are fine. However, even being on the low end can mean you need treatment.

To determine if you may be gaining weight or just feeling exhausted at all times due to a hypothyroidism, check out the symptoms here!
If you do come back positive for Hypothyroidism, never fear, there are certain things you can do to help you lose weight when you are hypothyroid. Learn more from my article How to Lose Weight when your are Hypothyroid.

And for those who are interested, you can see my article on treating hypothroidism naturally here!