Saturday, April 30, 2011

UNMOTIVATED

It's kind of ironic that I'm finally motivated to write a post about how unmotivated I've been. I've been really uncomfortable this pregnancy, especially these past few weeks, and I still have 7 weeks to go! Blah! Is it possible for the post partum depression to start now???
It's honestly a struggle some days to just get through the day and accomplish basic tasks like cooking (oh, don't get me started on how much I've come to dread making dinner!), laundry (I HATE my washer!!!!!), and bathing my daughter (getting more and more difficult to lean over the tub and get up from the floor). I also have difficulty balancing and managing my time. I feel guilty if I'm cleaning and doing household chores because I feel like I'm neglecting my daughter. Then, if I'm interacting with her I feel like I'm neglecting the house. I know there is a proper balance, I just have to get over it in my head and just do it.

I have a husband who works his butt off at his job in order to provide for us and so that I can stay home with Emma. He's also a really great, interactive father who is genuinely concerned with the development of our daughter. But, he's not the neatest of people and that makes for a lot of extra work for me. It's been difficult to get him to pitch in a little more since basic things, like doing dishes (darn belly gets in the way of everything) are getting harder and harder to accomplish. It was really nice of him to take her to the Children's Museum this morning so that I could have "a break", but the huge mess left in the kitchen makes it hard for me to relax.

There are so many things I could complain about but that wouldn't be very fun to read, so instead, I'll TRY to write about some positive things.

There has been some progress in getting the baby's (who now has name, Owen) room together. Of course there's still more to do, there always is, but it's nice to be able to walk in there and have space to sit down and sort through clothes and toys.

I won a totally cute, custom made diaper from Doodle Dypes (review coming soon), and the owner, Sandy was nice enough to throw in an extra, newborn diaper for Owen. Awesome! These diapers are so cute and I can't wait until I can put the matching diapers on Emma and Owen.

I have a mentor through a group at church and she's been really great at challenging me to think critically about faith issues. This is something that I've needed for a long time! I really look forward to meeting with her (and not just because I get to go to Starbucks for adult-only time) because she is so kind, caring and knows the Bible better than I do! I think everyone needs a Biblically more mature mentor on their side!

I finally made an appointment with a therapist who specialized in traumatic birth and pre and post natal counselling. Hopefully, now, I can work through the negative feelings I still have from Emma's birth process and find some confidence so I can have a successful VBAC this time. Oh how I want that more than anything IN THE WORLD!!!!

All that being said: I really do have to thank God for a roof over my head, food on the table, a great family and healthy pregnancy and all the other extra things I have that a lot of people don't.

Oh, and I do have a few giveaways coming up. I just have to get up the motivation to get them done, let's hope this is the start of a roll.
 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Skin MD Review and Giveaway



I was so thrilled when Skin MD Natural contacted me and asked me to do a review of their skin care items. You'd be hard pressed to find a negative review of this stuff! I had never had a problem with eczema before last winter and it hit hard. It was all over my hands and forearms, so itchy and irritating. Nothing I tried was working to make it better, until I found Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion. This stuff truly is amazing!!



[From the manufacturers website]
A shielding lotion does the real work to prevent dry skin in two ways.

First, it assists the inner layers of skin to absorb moisture. The humectant (an ingredient that attracts moisture) used in Skin MD Natural is unique to it and has been laboratory tested to be 6 times more effective than any other you will find in common creams.

Second, a shielding lotion enhances the power of the top layer of the skin to resist environmental irritants while protecting the inner natural moisture.

This can be a big benefit for those who cook, wash dishes and garden because Skin MD Natural helps skin retain its natural moisture and oils in the face of all those irritating soaps and chemicals.



 www.skinmdnatural.com has hundreds of dermatologist and user reviews including many addressing severe dry skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis. People with sensitive skin -- and those of us who like to live as naturally as possible -- will appreciate that Skin MD Natural is hypoallergenic, free of fragrances, parabens and colorants. It is made with more than 90% natural ingredients and 100% food-grade ingredients that are on the FDA's "most safe" list.

I'm not having as much of a problem with eczema this year (my midwife swears it's due to the fish oil supplement that I'm taking), but HOLY COW, do I have dry skin!!! I'm sure most of you mothers can relate to washing your hands a million times/day as I do. I really love that Skin MD is a natural product that works by strengthening your skin's own defenses and not just coating you with greasy film. It's super soft and silky. And, the best part is, it works!

I did notice a weird little red patch on the back of my daughter's knee and thought I would try the Skin MD on it. I think it might be psoriasis, but I'm not sure, anyway, here are the results:

before


after

You can see that it's much less red, splotchy and angry looking. And this is only after a couple applications of Skin MD. I'm confident that with regular use, it'll totally clear up. I'm picky about the type of skincare products that I use on my daughter and I love that there are no artificial or weird chemical ingredients in Skin MD, I wouldn't even think twice about putting it on my daughter! Oh, one more thing to LOVE: Skin MD Natural is made in the US, using 100% solar power, without animal ingredients and it is not tested on animals. How many skincare products can claim that?

You can buy Skin MD natural from their website or select retailers.

OR

Skin MD Natural is generously offering one of my readers a full size bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding lotion!

How to enter:
Each action counts as one entry unless otherwise stated. Leave a separate comment for each entry and please include your email address. You must complete the mandatory entry before you are eligible for any other entries.

**Mandatory Entry**
Visit the Skin MD website and tell me something else about their amazing products not mentioned here. There is lots of information!

Extra Entries:
*like Skin MD on Facebook
*like Skin MD on Twitter
*sign up for the Skin MD mailing list
*Follow me publicly through google friend connect-counts as 3 entries! Leave 3 separate comments.
*Subscribe to my blog by email, through feedburner-counts as 3 entries!
*Grab my button and tell me where it is posted
*Blog about this giveaway, link back to my site and leave me the URL of your blog
*NEW!!! Like my brand new Facebook page- counts as 5 entries!!!!

The fine print:
This giveaway is open worldwide and will end April 26, 2011 at 9PM pacific time.
Winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted by e-mail, then must respond within 48 hours or else a new winner will be chosen.
I was not paid for this review, and received no compensation. I was provided samples of the product mentioned for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own and completely truthful.