Taking Care of Yourself: A Jamberry Nails Review (and a giveaway)

Sometimes, I'm so busy taking care of my kids that I forget to take care of myself. Suddenly, I realize that I'm thirsty or I need to pee or my legs are dry and in desperate need of lotion. Do you do this? As a parent, it's important to take a time out to exercise, rest, and do something nice for yourself. Little things like doing my nails can make me feel pampered.

This is why I was so glad to be given some Jamberry nails to try in the Floral Oasis pattern.  

*** I received the Jamberry nails for free in exchange for an honest review. I wouldn't recommend a product if I didn't believe in it.

What are Jamberry nails? They are non-toxic, vinyl based nail designs that allow you to give yourself a beautiful manicure or pedicure. Unlike nail polish, they aren't wet so you don't have to sit around and wait for your nails to dry. With a toddler running around the house, I don't have ten minutes to wait for my nails to dry. Also, Jamberry nails don't chip or have a chemical smell.

So, how did I like them?

I think Jamberry nails are amazing. My favorite part is all of the different designs. I love polka dots, flowers and stripes on my nails. However, it can be hard to make intricate designs on your own nails and when you mess up, you have to take off the polish and start all over again. Who has time for that?

With these nail wraps, the pattern is already on the 'heat-activated nail wraps.' They have so many options for the holidays too and there are Jamberry Juniors made for smaller hands. Jamberry wraps come on sheets so they don't take up a lot of room either.

Here is a You Tube video to show you how easy these nails are to apply and remove:




It's important to follow the directions so that you get the most "life" out of your Jamberry manicure or pedicure. I used a hair dryer to heat my nails for a few seconds (be careful).

After five days of doing dishes and cleaning up tons of messes, my nails still look great!

If you're interested in learning more about Jamberry nails you can check out Katie's Jamberry shop. She's an independent consultant for the company. If you like Jamberry, you might want to take advantage of their Buy 3, Get One Free Promotion. Katie also hosts Jamberry Facebook parties. If you host a party, you can earn free wraps. Check out her Facebook page here.

Katie was nice enough to give me another variety of wraps, in Etched Leaf, so I could host a giveaway.

Enter below for a chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer:  Contest is open to residents in the US.  Must be 18 or older to participant.  Only one entry per household, per address.  The winner will be chosen at random and will have 48 hours to claim the prize or another winner will be selected.  Void where prohibited by law. This contest is not affiliated with or sponsored by Twitter, Facebook or Google Plus.  No purchase is necessary to enter.  Contest ends on November 23 at 12:00 am.

My Happy Place

When the sink is full with dishes, your toddler is throwing a tantrum, and you’re surviving on only a few hours sleep, it’s nice to have a happy place to visit.  Awesome mom blogger Mama by Fire wrote about some things that make her happy and then asked me to participate.  So here it goes….

My Happy Place is…..

Disneyland because, well, it is the Happiest Place on Earth.

Sibling love because it makes me happy when they get along, hold hands, and give spontaneous hugs.

The beach! I can't get enough of the weather, the salty breeze, and the beauty of the sun setting over the water.

My partner in crime!  We've been married for 11 years. 

Cupcakes!  As a mom, I have plenty of cupcake-worthy moments. 

So, there you have it!  Now, I'm asking Alana from Healthy Family Simple Budget, Tarissa from Introverted Mama and Sue from For the Love of Family, Fitness and Food to tell me about their Happy Place!

The Sting of Parenthood

“All the honey a bee gathers during its lifetime doesn't sweeten its sting”- Italian Proverb

Last week, as the dismissal bell rang, I shaded my eyes and looked for my daughter, S, coming out of the gate.  Suddenly, my toddler, M, started crying and grabbed at his eye.  

It was windy so, at first, I thought something had gotten in his eye.

But no!

A bee had stung him.  A parent sitting next to me saw the bee on my shirt and I quickly flicked it off.

Then, I saw the stinger.  It was about a centimeter from M’s eye and I quickly plucked it from his face (You’re supposed to scrape it off but, at the time, I wasn’t thinking).  

Naturally, I worried.  This was the first time he had been stung and I had no idea if his face was going to swell up, or even worse, if he would have a serious allergic reaction.

And, where was my daughter?   

In case he did have a reaction, I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.  I got some ice from the nurse, grabbed my daughter’s hand, and hurried off campus.

As we approached the car, my worries subsided a little.  M’s face was red and slightly swollen, but mostly from crying.   Fortunately, he didn’t end up having have a serious reaction. Still….

How did I not notice a bee on my son’s face?

He was sitting right on my lap and I was unable to protect him.  

And, that’s what really stings…..that I didn’t stop it from happening.

There have been times as a parent when I have felt powerless because something bad was happening to my children and I felt like I couldn’t fix it.  

For instance,  there was the time when my daughter’s heart beat started slowing during delivery, because  the cord was wrapped around her neck.  I felt powerless as the doctors discussed emergency c-sections and assisted deliveries.  As I listened to the thump thump sound on the monitor become slower and fainter,  I wondered if she was going to make it.  At that moment, I felt terrified.  When I heard my daughter’s first cries, that terror quickly turned to joy, but the memory is still fresh.

There are many moments in life when we will be unable to protect our children, even if we take preventative measures. 

It might be when your toddler takes a nasty tumble on the playground and even though you were right there, you couldn’t stop it.

Or when your child is upended during a soccer game while you are standing on the sidelines.  

Or when someone says something mean and hurtful to your child at school, at the park, or anywhere. 

Then, there’s the sting of rejection, of failure, of loss. 

These experiences are painful.  They make our hearts hurt and our minds swell with ‘if I had only’ thoughts.

If I had only put a guard on that corner, the baby wouldn’t have hit his or her head.

If I had only helped ____study more, he/she would have gotten a better grade.

But the truth is there are only so many preventative measures we can take because sooner or later, our children will get hurt, physically or emotionally and it will sting and the venom may fester under the surface.  

Although I was pretty sure M was okay, I took him to the pediatrician.  Interestingly, the doctor told me that even though M didn’t have a bad reaction, he could with a second sting.  After all, allergic reactions can intensify with each sting.   

I’ll do my best to prevent my kids from provoking or stepping on bees.  However, I can’t promise M won’t ever get stung again because pain is part of life.  Unfortunately, often times, it is people, not bees, that inflict the most pain…..the type of pain that leave scars both inside and out.   

I’m already on the lookout for these types of people, the ones who sting on purpose.  Yet, they seem to be everywhere.  

Yet, the good news is we can lessen the pain.   Love, faith, laughter, and conversation are all powerful remedies.  

For me, knowing that God is there cradling my babies, through it all, is a relief.  And, I remember,  Psalm 147:3: He heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds.

And, suddenly, I no longer feel powerless. 

Have there been moments in your life where you felt powerless?

10 Signs You've Been Sucked into the Mom-petition

The mom-petition……..I try to stay out of it.  However, sometimes, I feel it sucking me in.  To combat it, I try to hang out with other parents who aren’t trying to one-up me.  We can talk about our kids. We can talk about breastfeeding, potty training and school. However, no one tries to make their child out to be better than the others. I'm glad. Frankly, some moms scare me because they are constantly making veiled put downs, bragging about their kids and asking passive aggressive questions. According to the urbandictionary.com, the mompetition is "the one-up rivalry that moms play making their child seem better, smarter, and/ or more advanced than yours." Here are 10 signs you have been sucked into the MOMpetition.

1. After school, you make sure to flash your daughter's 100% Math Test at all the other parents.

2. When Timmy starts singing the ABC song at playgroup, you prompt your child to sing the same song in Spanish.

3. You frequently encourage the kids to race because you know your child is the fastest.

4. You complain to your mommy friends, "It's so exhausting trying to find something to challenge _____."

5. You share your child's test scores and batting average on Facebook, frequently.

6. When running into acquaintances, you make sure to let each person know your son just finished his MBA program (or M.A. or Ph.D).

7. Your response to a mom with a sick child: "I'm so lucky. ________ never gets sick. I breastfed him/her for two years."

8. When your child is offered some crackers the park, you say (rather than simply replying no thank you), "No, those are loaded with sodium and preservatives." Then, you pull out your own homemade, gluten-free, organic crackers.

9. When Sally is having a hard time taking a nap, you say, "Oh, so you never taught your child how to self-soothe." 10. You frequently tell stories about how your child walked by nine months, potty trained by age two, swam by age three and so on.

I think it's normal to be proud of your child's accomplishments. I think we all want to be recognized as good mothers. However, at some point, you have to ask yourself if you are trying to compete with other moms. If you are, find some new friends or just stop trying to "win" the mom-petition.

Changing Lanes: Staying on the Right Path During Times of Uncertainty

A local road in my neighborhood has been undergoing major construction.  An awkward merge has been temporarily inserted on the side of the road.  The street itself is narrower.  Workers, heavy machinery, and new traffic signs have caused the area to be a little more hectic. Yet, the hardest part is the lack of defined lines along the street. Faded chalk marks and a couple of reflective tabs have replaced the bold white lines.  Without clearly marked lanes, I feel somewhat lost and nervous when driving through this part of town.  While I know the end result will be a bigger street with a nice walkway on the edges, I’m not too fond of this temporary construction.   Four months ago, one of the writing sites I had written for shut down, suddenly and permanently.  For almost five years, I had written articles for this company and when I was notified of its impending closure, I felt a sense of loss, as if the Titanic was sinking.  At the same time, I knew I needed a little nudge to step out of my comfort zone, to try my hand at blogging and different writing projects.  The change has caused me to work a little harder, stay up a little later, and try out some new styles of writing.   You see change can be good.  Still, I like to have a defined path…..to know where I am going.  For awhile I felt like my life was under construction.  When my steady income was gone, I felt like I wasn’t contributing to our household.  Suddenly, my path didn’t feel very clear.  I was floundering in a sea of html/blogger/ghostwriting jargon that was unfamiliar. Yet, then my husband reminded me that even if I weren't making money, I was always contributing to our family.  Taking care of the kids and the house was an important job.  In our society, our jobs and salaries often define us.  While degrees, promotions, and awards are great accomplishments, the behind the scenes action is important too. For instance, no one will ever pay me for doing crafts with my children or cutting my daughter’s sandwich into the shape of a heart.   I won’t be recognized for tucking my kids in at night or reading them Goodnight Moon for the 1000th time. Yet, those little things matter, at least to my kids. Some days, my path may be out of focus.  And sometimes, I may be forced to change lanes.  I may succeed.  I may fail.  I may make more money one month and less the next. But luckily, I have my family to remind me about what is important.  I also know that God is there to help keep me on the right path.  These things help keep my path defined so that I am able to stay focused on the road I’m supposed to be on. Psalm 119: 1: You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.

How do you stay focused when faced with changes?  What are some of the little things that your family appreciates about you?