Is that you, sleep? It's me, Sarah. My top 5 tricks for teething.

Oh, Lordy. My daughter was really a champion sleeper since about 6 weeks old. I could get a solid 6 hours of sleep a night and, though its really not enough to really recharge, it was a dream compared to lately. Between teething and growth spurts, my rest situation has really left something to be desired. I've never been able to nap during the day when she slept so that's not an option for me. A few weeks ago it seemed that she reverted back to a newborn eating schedule. Every two hours, even at night. As I mentioned in a previous post, my fiancé works away most of the time so I don't have the other set of hands during the difficult times with Emily. She has since slowed down on her feedings but has been unbelievably cranky lately. It really breaks my heart when I know the reason she is crying is because she is in pain and probably scared. We all have our own little tricks to soothe our little ones, these are mine.
Comfort her. I know this one is a little obvious but I still wanted to add it to the list. Pick her up. Hold her. Being a baby must be scary. Everything is brand new and that has to be a little terrifying. Sometimes they just need a little extra love. Obviously we can't just hold our babies all day long nonstop. Our hands are occasionally needed for other tasks.
Distract her. This has to be my most helpful trick in my teething tool belt. I'll sing Emily a goofy song while I dance with her around the house. I'll shake her hard plastic teething ring so that it makes a loud rattle. I'll make crazy noises and silly faces. Just anything to get her attention so that I can offer her something that will actually soothe her.
Wet cloth. I'll put one of her CLEAN, wet cloths in the fridge for awhile and then give it to her to play with and chew on. This was especially perfect when she was younger and couldn't grab on to more solid toys. It still is one of my go to solutions.
Liquid-filled teething rings. I keep a couple of these bad boys in my fridge at all times. That way I always have a cold one ready for her when she gets fussy. Emily has a bit of a short attention span so I have a few different colors, sizes and shapes of these. These are a recent purchase and so far they've been hit and miss. Some days she loves them and some days she couldn't care less.
Last but not least: unconventional "toys". This kind of goes into the distraction category but I thought it deserved its own mention. Babies (well at least mine anyway) eventually get bored of the toys they play with everyday. We can't all afford, or even want, to go out and buy new ones each week so I like to substitute. They love new textures and shapes so ill give her things I have around the house to play with. Don't worry it's all safe and it's only when I'm right there to supervise. I'm not bat-sh*t crazy. I'll put her little wool sweater on her lap when she's in her swing. I'll give her one of her shoes to play with. When I'm changing her and she doesn't want to cooperate, I'll hand her a clean diaper to shake around. Just always make sure it's something SAFE and CLEAN for a baby and that it's not too small because she will put it in her mouth.

I have a few honorable mentions that may not be as generally helpful. Emily has a favorite song. Colder weather by Zac Brown Band. It almost always makes her stop crying instantaneously. And if she's overtired and needs a little tiny metaphorical push to fall asleep. This almost always does it. It's honestly been a godsend.
Sometimes she's just bored and has a bunch of extra energy so I'll put her in her jolly jumper and let her bounce around. It gives her a bit of exercise as she's not crawling yet and can't move around on her own. I have a feeling she's gonna be a handful once she does tho considering the amount of energy she has now.

What's your go-to trick to helping your fussy baby?

September Glossybox!

This is my second month subscribing to glossybox. I thought I'd do a monthly blog showing you what I got in this months glossybox and giving my first impressions AND I'd be able to really use and give my thought/review on the products I received in the previous month. Great idea, right?
In case you haven't heard about glossybox before, it's a monthly subscription beauty box where you pay a flat 15 bucks a month and you get samples (and often full sized products) of cosmetics, hair care and skin care products. They're usually high end products and I really love the fact that they are often from companies I've never heard of or tried before. They include a little card in each box that explains what each product is and how much it costs. Additionally, I've received coupons for some products in both boxes and you can go on the glossybox website to find out how to get your hands on them.
Lets get started on what I got in my September box!

Wella Professional mirror polish shine spray. "The card reads: illuminate your style with an exquisite shimmer." It retails for 12.99 for 40ml. Woohoo! Full size! I sprayed this on my hair today. I dyed my hair dark yesterday and I love the shine it gave my hair. It didn't make it feel greasy.

B. Kamins lip balm SPF 20
"A soothing anti-aging lip balm with Bio-Maple compound and UVA/UVB sunscreens that repairs and protects. CANADIAN BRAND!" This sucker retails for 21 smackers for 15g (I think they may have meant ml but who knows) My sample was 4ml. With winter fast approaching, I am super happy about this product. We shell out tons of cash for creams and serums for wrinkles around our eyes and anti-aging for our faces but we often neglect the lips. Personally, I think lips are one of the biggest things that give away the fact that we are aging. Spending a little extra to keep my pout extra pouty is something I can live with. I've only used it a few times but so far I am loving it. After summer, everyone wants to pack up and forget about the SPF products until next spring but the winter sun can be so damaging and drying on our lips so hurrah for SPF 20 in this baby!

B. Kamins maple body lotion
"A luxurious anti-aging lotion infused with honey, vitamins A+E and Bio-Maple compound for ultimate hydration. CANADIAN BRAND!" You can order a 180ml bottle of this from their website for *yikes* 41 bucks. I got 12ml. I actually haven't tried this one at all yet so I can't comment on if its $41 worth of hydration. If its similar to the lip balm tho I may have to go with a yes.

Dove Cleartone
"Dove Cleartone is specifically created to help reduce underarm discoloration caused by dry skin from shaving" you can grab this little bad-boy from pretty well any drugstore or wal-mart-like place for 4-5 dollars for 45g. My sample was 17g. Oh, hello affordable! I didn't think I'd be seeing you today! Okay, okay. I know what you're thinking. WTH, plain ol' deodorant? But hey, if you're anything like me (sweat factory. Gross, I know) and you're tired of spending money trying to find something to block off those geysers you call armpits. Or you've found something that works for you and you're not about to go pick up a new brand to try out, this is kinda nice. I don't think anybody really goes and peruses the deodorant aisle to find out what's new in the world of armpit products. I'm not too worried about funky coloured armpit skin but it will be nice to try something new. It smells fresh which is good but it's nothing to write home about.

Okay, this is like the freakin' motherload here. So, so, so excited about this next product.
NYX cosmetics: The Crimson Amulet Collection. Limited Edition!
"The Crimson Amulet Collection enriches your beauty by adding glamour to your red carpet splendor. Full Size! Limited Edition!" Oh, wow. This is fantastic. Basically it's a NYX palette that looks like a book with 24 eye shadows and then, turn the page, you've got a shadow primer, an eyeliner, a highlighter, 5 blushes and 4 lip glosses! AND it's all inspired by the movie Dark Shadows! The shadows and blushes are incredibly pigmented. I tried one blush on my cheeks and I just swatched the eyeshadows but I'm so excited to play around with these. I've heard so much about NYX on YouTube and beauty blogs but it isn't sold here so I haven't been able to test it out. Stay tuned for all my thoughts and full reviews next month!

Okay in the future glossybox blogs I won't be going into as much detail about each product, as it will have already been explained in the previous months post, but seeing as this is the first post of this kind and you don't know anything about my August box, I will.

Okay the first thing I got was a Kryolan for glossybox lipstick. It's exclusive to this subscription and can't be bought in stores. It is the absolutely most perfect pinky nude for my lips. I loved it until about an hour later when I looked in the mirror and saw that it dried into a bright pink stain. Now I have nothing against bright lipsticks but if that's what I'm going for I'll put on a bright pink lipstick. I was so excited about it but it left me a bit disappointed.
Next, I got a 5 pack of samples from BeFine Fine Food skin care. The full sized products range from 50-150ml and 24-30 bucks each. They are made with all natural ingredients, which I like. I really was so impressed by these. The pack included the exfoliating cleanser, the gentle cleanser, the night cream, the pore refining scrub treatment and the warming clay mask. I seriously can not say enough good things about each one of these products. I used the warming clay mask first. My skin was literally glowing for days after. One night I used the exfoliating cleanser followed by the night cream. After the cleanser my skin felt so fresh. I was a little apprehensive at first because the night cream seemed really watery and runny but it soaked into my skin so quickly and my face felt like a baby butt for a week. I've got kinda rough feeling skin around my cheeks and jaw and I don't think it's ever felt that soft. Those were my three favorite out of the bunch and I definitely think I'm gonna take the 20% off coupon included and order them.
My next sample was 50ml of the Sebastian potion 9 lite. It's normally $20.95 for 150ml. To be honest I actually haven't used this enough to give a full review on it. It was in a drawer until just now when I decided to sit down and write this post. I used it twice before I cut my hair and it did seem to tame the frizz and my normally unruly hair had a nice wave to it. I am going to use it for blow drying and see how I like it.
Next on the docket: Layla eyeliner. I got the full sized 6ml tube that retails for $12.99. It's an almost-black liquid eyeliner with gold sparkles in it. This is the most disappointing thing I've received. The applicator is too flimsy and long to really apply it properly and when it dries you can really feel it on your eyes, like paint or something. It's soooo hard to remove. I used my makeup remover but it left residual black on my lash line and it took a couple days to really disappear. I had gold sparkles on my face and IN MY EYES for about a week. Yeah, not keeping that.
The next item came in handy-ish after the liner fiasco. Biore makeup removing towelettes. The 10 pack I got sells for $3.99. I'm a cleanser girl bit I always wanted to try out these wipes. I'm glad I did. They're really great for those nights when it's late and you finally got your kid to sleep and you're just too tired (or too scared to run the tap because my baby's room is right next to the bathroom) to go through a full cleansing routine. In saying that, I still probably wouldn't end up purchasing these. I don't have sensitive skin but these left my face feeling really tight and a little red and irritated. I have one or two left and I will finish up the pack but I don't think it's worth it, personally, to buy more.
The last sample probably excited me more than it should. Elastoplast SOS blister. Who gets excited about band aids? It's kinda the same as I said about the deodorant earlier, again I don't check out the first aid for the latest in bandaid technology. But, as fate would have it, a few days after I got my glossybox my fiancé and I attended the Canadian Country Music Awards and I decided to wear brand new, not-broken-in heels for the first time in over a year and I got a huge mother of a blister on my heel. Let me tell you, this little guy was a godsend. I'll definitely be picking up a box.
Oh, I also got a $5 gift card to trend trunk. It's a website where you can go buy or sell new and used clothing and accessories.
Phew! My apologies for the length of this post but I really felt it was important to give you my true thoughts and opinions of each product. Next time will be more bearable and I can't wait to do this again! If you made it to the end congratulations! You've won the chance to click on these links to some stuff I've mentioned!

GlossyBox

B. Kamins

BeFine Fine Foods Skin Care

Trend Trunk

Ooomigosh!!!! Marylin Monroe + MAC?!?

Okay, for starters, there's something you need to know about me. I love, love, LOVE the whole classic, freakin' gorgeous 50's old Hollywood glam look. It's just.. well.. gorgeous! Women looked so flawless and still effortlessly beautiful. I've worn pin up inspired, thick black eyeliner with dramatic black mascara for years. Currently I've been loving MAC's fluidline in blacktrack and Benefit's badgal lash mascara. And actually, until recently, the only lipstick I owned was one very red maybelline something-or-other. But annnnyyywaaays, back to my point. I love glam, eyeliner, yada-yada-yada.... Soooo, you could imagine my excitement when I find out that MAC's next collection is going to be Marylin Monroe!!!! Because I just started loving, collecting and learning about proper makeup, I've missed so many totally awesome collections. MAC is so creative. Even just because of the packaging I would love to own so much of the previous collections. Specifically, the venomous villains and Wonder Woman sets were so cool! So I am counting down the days until, in just a few weeks time, the Marilyn collection will be launching! It includes some fabulous red (and even a nude) lipsticks, neutral eye shadows, a gorgeous highlighter, blushes, dazzleglass', nail lacquers and an awesome set of lashes, all limited edition.

The packaging is so freakin' perfect! I'm loving it and obviously so damn excited for October! The nearest MAC counter to my home is in a city an hour and a half away from me so my only hope is that it doesn't sell out before I can get my hands on some of this awesomeness. It's not too easy to just pack up baby and drive a couple hours for a lippy or two so cross your fingers for me to get there in time!

What was your favorite collection?

Lots of love to you and yours!

Oh, wow! I love sales!

My fiancé and I decided we want to have a really small and intimate wedding with just family and a few friends. I've already booked the photographer (who is my amazingly talented cousin. Dani VanSteelandt check her out, seriously.), venue, found caterer, ordered my dress and shoes, and I've kinda sorta figured out a bunch of other details. That was a few months ago and for the last while I've become pretty lazy about the whole planning process. It's not until next July and its a pretty minimal affair so I'd like to save some of the planning to stretch out until spring.
As I mentioned in a previous post (if you haven't read it click here), we're having it at a lake we love that's basically in the middle of nowhere. Sort of a hillbilly destination wedding, if you will. The people attending the wedding will have to rent cabins (they're pretty rustic and about the cost of a standard hotel room) and the camp books up pretty fast so the reservations will have to be made in the next couple of months. So, to end this seemingly pointless rant with its actual point, I'm going to need to send out invitations ASAP. I headed to my local Michael's to collect some materials for DIY invitations and RSVP's. I went to the wedding invitation section to gather some inspiration and *cue angels singing* I found a box of invites in the PERFECT colour for only 10 bucks! It includes invite cards, directions cards, RSVP's with envelopes, pretty pocket thingers to put it all in, ribbon to tie that with AND stickers to hold the ribbon closed. All blank so that I can personalize it! I couldn't have bought supplies to make them myself for less than that! I'm so happy with them and I'll definitely post a picture of the finished product. I can't wait to make them!



My winning sales streak didn't end there. I went to the store to pick up some formula for my little ninja and decided to peruse the beauty department. I found L'oreal Elnett satin hairspray, which is normally 15.99, on sale for 6 bucks.

Then I found Revlon super lustrous lipstick in gentlemen prefer pink, normally about 9 dollars, on sale for 3.69!

I was feeling pretty happy with my dealio's so I headed on over to the baby section to pick up the formula. It is normally 35 dollars and it was on sale too! Only 28 bucks! Feelin pretty lucky, I stopped on the way home and picked up a lotto ticket too. How could I not? Cross your fingers for me! ;)

Teeth and Tears

Just when you think your sweet little one is settling into a nice sleep schedule and you can finally catch up on MONTHS of lost zzz's, it happens. Teething. I bet you never thought that such teeny tiny little things could disrupt your life so much. Well, they can and they will. Suddenly, your darling little giggle monster has turned into a drooly crabby pants. Her poor little gums hurt and sometimes she'll get ear infections and diaper rash from the "loose" poo's teething can cause. My poor Emily has trouble falling asleep for naps and then becomes so overtired and irritated its literally impossible to get her to go down.
I've found that giving her a cold wash cloth to play with and suck on helps alleviate the soreness a bit and sometimes I'll even offer the cloth with my (freshly washed) finger to chomp on a bit. I don't like the idea of putting orajel in her mouth because the doc told me it can actually numb their throats too and cause them to choke. Also, before I feed her I'll pop her spoon in the freezer for a bit so it cools as she eats.
I feel Emily's gums everyday when I'm cleaning her mouth with a soft cloth and I think I can feel a little ridge where *fingers crossed* one of the chompers is finally coming through. Ahhh, the light at the end of the tunnel. I know it won't be long until I'm surrounded by the dark of the next one but knowing my little ninja will have even just a short period of relief makes me happy. I know we all hate seeing our sweet ones in pain and unhappy AND we all just need some proper shut eye. *sigh* Every day I find a new appreciation for my own mother and the things she had to while raising me, my brother and sister.

My momma with Emily

Whats your trick for a teething baby?

Somebody went to Sephora and MAC!! Haul time!

When I was in BC I went to the mall while my grandma was having a nap. If you've read my previous posts you know I'm a noob when it comes to the beauty world and my pockets aren't deep by any means so I always do a ton of research when I'm buying a new product. I search YouTube and beauty blogs to decide my next purchase. I'd love to be able to share my personal thoughts on products I'm using so that I can possibly help others that are just starting out. So, without further adieu, here's what I picked up!

NARS bronzer in laguna (what else, right?)

NARS blush in Deep Throat

Urban Decay DeSlick makeup setting spray

MAC mineralize skinfinish natural in medium plus

MAC eyeshadows in Naked Lunch and Sable



Here are my thoughts so far. I already knew that I loved MAC eyeshadows but these colours are amazing! I am going to get so much use out of both of these. Naked Lunch ( a shimmery creamy colour) is such a versatile colour and Sable ( a plummy brown) is a gorgeous crease colour for fall. The mineralize skinfinish is okay so far. I'm not totally sold on it yet. I was loving the MAC select sheer pressed powder I had before but it was in NC-30 and my tan is quickly disappearing so I needed a new one.
I have a very oily t-zone and was looking for something to help my makeup stay on. In comes the De Slick spray. I havent really used it enough to give my total seal of approval but I'll keep you posted. As for the NARS blush and bronzer, its no shock that I am loving them so far. The colour payoff is phenomenal but it also blends quite easily so I'm sure they're going to be my go-to products.
My apologies for the terrible pictures but the sun has long since gone to bed and I have no natural light. These were taking in the harsh light of my bathroom and the colours aren't true to life.
Untill next time!

Saying goodbye

Earlier this summer my family got some heartbreaking news. My grandmother had a fall and was taken to the hospital where they found cancer in her brain. This past Wednesday she asked our whole family to come down for a visit (she lives two provinces away) for the weekend to have one last good visit with her and to say our goodbyes while she was still able to.
I tried to prepare myself as best I could for the situation. My grandma has always been a very lively and active woman. She did a ton of traveling and I always loved going to visit her in BC. Seeing her in this state was incredibly hard. She couldn't walk anymore and only had use of one arm. She had trouble making sense of sentences when she was talking and forgot names. My auntie visits her ever day and she said she hadn't seen her this happy since before she went into the hospital. We had such a great visit this weekend. It was all very light and upbeat considering the situation. It just felt like any other family get together. It was perfect. We had to leave this morning at 11:00 and saying goodbye was so hard. It was the the second time I've ever seen her cry. The only other time was when my dad passed away. She was my dads mother. I wish her a peaceful passing. I hope she has no pain. I love her so much.
I took my daughter with me. I was so stressed out about taking her on a plane for the first time. In total, there and back, we had 4 flights. Emily did amazingly. If looks could kill I would have dropped dead right then and there when I boarded each flight. I had literally 20 rows of icy glares when I walked onto the plane with my baby. I fed her each time we took off and then she was super hyper for most of the flights. She squealed and squawked at other passengers and had a nap here and there. She only really cried once. I was so proud of her! At the end of each flight she was finally greeted with smiles from the other passengers. They all raved about how well she did for being such a small baby. It was really such a help for me and my family. It was great to have something be easy this weekend.
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family. My daughter is such an easy going baby. My mother is the most helpful and supportive woman I know. I have the best brother and sister in the world and my grandmother will always be one of the most important and inspirational women in my life. I love you grandma.

How I got from nuptials to naked.

My fiancé is not your average Prince Charming. He likes fishing and hunting and romance isn't his strong suit. He has his own version of romance and I love it.

The birth of our daughter was a mess. He was a 12 hour drive away at work. He literally made it there 10 minutes before she was born. That evening, after all the visitors left our hospital room, we were sitting in silence, admiring our girl and he says to me "so, you still wanna marry me?" I just kinda laughed at him but then he pulls out the ring. I was stunned. The best good-kind-of-crazy day.

 

We decided to have a small wedding at the lake we like to go fishing at next year on July 27th. I'm over-the-moon excited! So, I go crazy trying to plan everything. Dress shopping, venue, food, photographer..... Hair and makeup??!?? The venue is basically in the middle of nowhere. The closest place to get hair and makeup done is 5 hours away.
Shit.
I have a baby only a few months old, her dad works away and I haven't even entertained the thought of putting on makeup in weeks. I mean, I know how to...sort of. I know how to do my every day kinda makeup. But... Wedding day makeup? Have to see pictures of it every day of my life makeup? Uhmmm... K... No.
Where does anyone turn to to find the answers to life's great questions? Oh hey, YouTube! I watch pretty well every Kandee Johnson video ever. She's amazing.
Now I've always been a drugstore makeup kind of lady but now I'm scouring YouTube for makeup tutorial videos and it's all MAC this and Chanel that. This high end stuff can't really be that much better than my good ol' Covergirl, can it? I set out to find out for myself.
After a trip to Sephora, the MAC counter and a couple of online purchases (seriously, my bank account still hurts) I figured I had enough to start my experiment.

I seriously can't stress enough how much I love EVERYTHING that I bought. It just makes makeup easier to do. I swear if they ever discontinue the naked palette by Urban Decay I'll be lost. I know I'm basically the last person on earth to discover it but wow, just wow. I love, love, love neutral colored eyeshadow with dramatic black eyeliner so that paired with MAC gel liner in blacktrack is my perfect match. I'm head over heels for my Sigma brushes and the urban decay primer potion is the best invention ever. I'm still loving my Revlon colorstay foundation but setting it with my MAC powder just makes it 100x better.

This makeup thing is looking up for me. My next mission? Blush and bronzer. I hope it's as much of a bullseye as everything has been so far.

Elephant shoe!

Babies, Babies, Babies!

They're everywhere. You see them smiling back at you from the covers of every magazine in the arms of their glamorous celebrity parents. You see them snuggled into their slings and strollers in front of you at the supermarket. They're on the big screen, they're on your tv. They are everywhere.
Maybe I hadn't noticed this crazy baby fever that's swept the world until my little ninja came into my life. And you know what? I totally love it! I feel like I've joined some elite club or sisterhood. You're in public with your little one, other parents always want to come up to compare stories and ask questions. I know I am definitely guilty of this, too. I really never thought I'd be having conversations with complete strangers about my nipples or getting stitches on your hoo-hoo. It's like you've suddenly become best friends for a brief minute all because in your head you're all like "girrrrl, I know where you've been". Just today while waiting for my tire rotation I had a conversation with another woman waiting about breastfeeding, teething and her copy of 50 shades.
While I love the closeness and understanding of most women in this sisterhood, it has to come with the negatives. Because we all feel like we can poke our noses into the lives of other mothers because we've all earned (yes, earned.) a few stretch marks, sometimes people see that as license to judge and critique our parenting techniques. I would never want someone to feel like less of a mother because their child takes a bottle or a pacifier. My plan was to breastfeeding exclusively for the first year. For whatever reason my milk production basically just stopped. I drank my weight in water and fenugreek tea. I tried pumping in between feedings to stimulate production. Any little old wives tale in the book was put to the test. I just couldn't do it. I felt like a failure as a mother. It certainly didn't help when complete strangers (and every nurse I saw) told me I just wasn't trying hard enough. I've finally just come to the conclusion that my baby is my baby. It is my choice how MY child gets fed. Emily is a perfect, beautiful and healthy little girl. Every child is different and so is every parent. We're all going to do this differently and as long as we are not bringing danger into our baby's lives I say we can throw the book out the freakin' window when it comes to raising our children.
Well after that mini rant I will end on a positive note. I love all the little tips and tricks Ive learned from my new club members. I love hearing the hilarious and sometimes just strange stories from these men and women. And I definitely LOVE seeing all these cute little babies everywhere!

What's the strangest or funniest conversation (or most helpful tip) you've ever had during one of these mother-to-mother interactions?