Guys, Cora's preschool is a little over-the-top for a 3rd child. They are constantly sending home communication and expecting me to help her participate in something new about a color, shape, number, or letter EVERY TIME SHE GOES! No, man. Just no. This is not why I send her to preschool! I don't want to *do* the preschool stuff! Please, please, please. Just do all that fun stuff with her at school, don't ask me to send along something that starts with the letter "P" on Monday? Please?? And then every time I do remember and send something with her, it has to be something that I don't need back in my possession ever again, because who would trust a 3-year-old to return objects from school, right?
Ugh. Preschool. No. I chose this preschool because it is exactly 6 minutes from our home. That is the #1 reason. Local people seemed to like it too, so that was nice, but let's be clear what my priorities are for my 3rd child and preschool: I need her out of the house at least 3x a week, at regular times, so that I can focus on serious book work with my older kids then. TRUTH. THAT is what I want from my preschool for #3.
And they keep wanting me to show up 30 minute early to participate in stuff, too! I only had to do that 2x a year at the preschool Layla and Finn went to, but that one is 15 minutes away, so it didn't make my "making life easier" driving cut this year. So, Monday is Pajama Day at preschool, and I have to decide if I show up 30 minutes early (read: cut down on valuable teaching time for the older kids) to participate in stuff at the preschool. The bonus to Jonas being unemployed still is that maybe he'll let me send him to stuff like this??? :)
2. Getting old.
I'm pretty sure I have always felt this way, so maybe I've talked at length about this before, and if so you may be bored with my thoughts on this already...so please feel free to skip this one. I'm not trying to be snotty here at all...it's pregnancy brain. I just can't remember stuff, that's all. Did I rant on this before? Did I not? These are questions I am never able to answer when pregnant.
So, getting old. I'm 95% a big fan of it, guys. BIG fan. I'm so massively glad I'm not in my 20's anymore, and I'm really looking forward to being in my 40's too. Each new year, and then new decade, brings more wisdom (not trying to say I'm super wise...just that I'm much wiser than I was at age 27, and I'm so thankful for THAT for sure) and a wider perspective on life and faith on the big levels, and then the small details of daily living and doing family on the macro levels.
I'm really liking this. I'm liking being older than I was. I don't miss anything about my life 10 years ago. I was way skinnier, but I'm almost over that obsession as well...and that feels so healthy. :) (Again, let me clarify...be healthy and love your body well. Not saying I love being overweight, but I am well acquainted with the seasons of life by now, and the ebb and flow of the seasons of life on a mother's body are evident to me, and I'm pretty confident about how things will shake out in my 40's. Just wait, guys. 40's are going to be awesome). And that's about it. All 10 years ago has is a thinner body. Nothing more than that. HARD PASS on a skinnier body for what I've gained in the past 10 years. Easy.
The reason I've been thinking about this lately is that a friend, who is 32, posted on FB on Monday asking for anyone over age 30 to give their skin care routines and recommendations, because she felt like her skin changed after she turned 30. She got loads of responses, and reading through them my heart just warmed with all the grown-up fuzzies I have in me. Guys, women over age 35 are making me so proud! They're OVER IT. They are not buying the beauty-for-sale crap anymore! Here were their recommendations for good skin:
Sleep enough. More than you likely are.
Eat healthy foods.
Drink lots and lots of water.
Use minimal to no makeup.
Wash your face with water. Stop drying it out with soap.
Moisturize your face with something very natural.
Use sunscreen or minimize time in the sun.
Then end.
I had to laugh at the one 22-year-old girl who chimed in saying she wasn't over 30 yet, but she had ALL these things she did in order to prevent wrinkles and damage to her older skin, and then listed all the things she shelled out her money on. At age 22! Because I'm sure she has loads of money to spend on face products while she's in college, right? Gah.
But seriously now. Isn't that list the best? Aren't your proud of these women? They know what's what. They are not buying what our culture is selling (evidently) young women anymore. They've lived long enough to no longer buy the expensive lies. They are confident, and they are over it.
LOVE. IT!!! :)
And they are saving SO MUCH MONEY in the process too, haha!
So that's it, really. My thoughts don't go much deeper than being proud of the well-over-30 crowd and their collective rejection of the beauty market that is being sold to women. You go, girls. I'm right there with you.
What is my skin care routine, you ask? But of course. I wash my face only with water and a washcloth. No soap ever. I moisturize once a day (if I wash my face daily...often I do not, like when I am pregnant...cough) with a moisturizer from a local, natural MN company called Purple Prairie Botanicals. I only use 2 things for make-up: loose powder from Bare Minerals, and mascara. My mascara probably has too many chemicals in it to make anyone proud of using it, BUT it's not expensive, and it come off with just water...so no "makeup remover" needed. And it never flakes into my eyes, so there is never any irritation. So there you have it. That's all I do. I love it. GETTING OLDER for the win!!
Editing to add #3:
3. Pregnancy complaint:
Okay, so, I know there are women out there who love being pregnant. They feel healthy, alive, vibrant when pregnant. Sweet Lord, I am not one of those women. My body falls apart when pregnant. Now, it's a limited time, so I can usually muscle through with the annoyances, pain, and indignities...but this time around I've got a brand new complaint.
It's my armpits, guys. It's SO LAME.
I try to use fairly natural deodorants, and never any antiperspirants because of the chemicals in those. For the last year I have been using Primal Pit Paste Lemongrass scent, and I really like it. I especially love the scent as I stopped wearing chemical perfumes 8 years ago, so it's a fresh scent that is super pleasant yet not all "girly flowers" and such.
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| Let me admit right now that the name Primal Pit Paste is awful. And anything associated with the Paleo obsession is annoying to me...haha. But this worked for a time, and smelled lovely, so I stuck with it. Sigh. |
Anyway, turns out that my body needed to add something new to the mix for my sixth pregnancy. My armpits had never been part of the issue before, so unfortunately they were sacrificed this time around. I now have what looks like chemical burns on my armpits! And it can only be from using this deodorant, which I have used for a year with no problems. It's amazing how your body changes in pregnancy.
So now I can't use my deodorant anymore. But worse, I can't use ANY deodorant, because if I put anything on my armpits now they ITCH like crazy. Obviously this skin needs time to heal, but it's not such great timing because pregnancy hormones cause me to smell. UGH. I can't stand SMELLING MYSELF right now!!! I normally never have bad B.O., other than maybe a few times a year when I'm highly stressed or wearing clothing made of bad fabric (usual culprit often ends up being Old Navy, haha), but pregnancy sure kicks up B.O. to the next level.
How rude, right? Itchy armpits and the inability to stop yourself from smelling?? For the love. Come on, now. Pregnancy #6 is going after my human decency and pride.
