40 The clock is ticking

2010-10-20T18:21:00.000-05:00

No, not that clock...the real one, and boy is it loud! I usually begin thinking about my birthday plans three months in advance. That would mean that October 18th was the day. October 18th passed and now, just two short days later I realize that OMG it's only three months.

I have no desire to plan anything but how to avoid my next birthday. I'm just not ready and now it is all too real in my head. Breathe....

To Dye For

2010-05-28T00:30:00.003-05:00

I was in 8th grade sitting in my junior high auditorium waiting for the presentation to begin when the student behind me, a classmate I knew, tapped me in the shoulder. I turned and she pulled at my hair and asked, "Did you know you have gray hair?" I had to admit that yes, I did know.

I started graying at the age of 13. It was only a strand here and there and only noticeable close-up, but I guess that's how it starts with everyone. Basically acne and gray hair attacked me the same year. It wasn't fair but with two parents who also had both, it wasn't a big surprise.

I am now 100% gray under a thick head of black hair and have to color my roots every 1 1/2 weeks. It is one of the most annoying thing in my beauty routine and I wait until the absolute last moment to do it. For this reason I've been thinking of just letting it go gray but I'm wondering am I ready? Is it worth it for convenience's sake? You tell me, what do you think?

I Try Products So You Don't Have To

2010-05-24T10:53:00.000-05:00

I am, what some would call, a product whore. Every time I see an infomercial or an ad for a new product that will make me prettier or skinnier I want to own it and try it. Luckily for those of you who also want to, but don't want to spend the money, I usually do. Bad for my wallet, good for yours!

I have been neglectful in my product review so today I give you a 2-for-1, two product reviews, one post!

One of my new favorite products is the Goody Spin Pin. The promise of the spin pin is that you can make a messy bun with the use of only a few spin pins. Having a lot of thick hair that is almost impossible to keep in place without the use of an entire packet of regular hair pins, I was intrigued. The Goody site offers the pins in a special deal with other new hairstyling products. If the other product look at all interesting to you I would suggest going the online route as the pins were difficult to find in stores. After a few weeks had passed since seeing the original commercial and having forgotten all about the product, I finally found them at Walgreen's. They come in blonde and brunette. Thinking of the thickness of my hair, I bought two packages. I got home and immediately put my hair in a loose bun. I did have to use four pins but the results were great. I had a loose bun for the rest of the day and there was no ouch or falling out factor. I highly recommend them!

My next product is not new and not new to me. I've been using Skincerity Nightly Breathable Mask since December and it's a product that was heaven sent. My adult acne was at an all time low and so in desperation I got a facial. After the esthetician left my face like I had been in a fight, she recommended Skincerity to me. The price (at that time) was $125, which made me a little hesitant but I thought I'll try it once. Within a week my face was clearer and softer than I had seen it in years. Five months later and I've had to discontinue the facials due to finances but I've continued to use the product and all who have known me in the before and after cannot believe the difference. Even my pre-menstrual breakouts have subsided. The cost of the product has gone down considerably but because it's not available in stores the price ranges per distributor. Learn more by watching the video...

I believe in the product so much that I am becoming a distributor or you may visit the website at www.nucerity.net.

Cougars and their Prey

2010-05-15T00:05:00.001-05:00

In the last ten years I have dated two men that are older than me. One was older by two months, the other by about a year. I don't know why but older men and men my age rarely show an interest in me. When I was 34 I dated a 22 year old. Yet with all of that history I do not consider myself a cougar and in fact, despise the term.

I think it's insulting to give women of a certain age a moniker whose real meaning is "a capable stalk-and-ambush, the cougar pursues a wide variety of prey" implying that the younger men we date are prey and not necessarily willing participants in the game.

But as I research this subject so I can stand on my soapbox shouting to the world about the ridiculousness of the term, I find this video and can't help but think that maybe we've done this to ourselves.

Girlfriends

2010-05-02T14:41:00.001-05:00

When we were young our friendships were based on geography. Our circle of friends usually consisted of other girls (maybe even boys) that we saw on a regular basis. We may not have necessarily had anything in common besides the fact that they lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same school, worshiped at the same church, etc... Basically they began as relationships of convenience.

As we grew up, that changed. We didn't just look at proximity when befriending someone, we began to look at personal qualities and also maybe selfishly, what they they can do for us.

Then as adults we either maintained our childhood friendships or they went to one of two categories; those we keep in touch with via the annual holiday card and those who we never hear from again. They were left in our past to make room for what I, and am sure many others, like to call our Girlfriends.

Girlfriends aren't just friends who are female, they are your *Girls*. They are the women you count on each and every day. They are the women you tell your secrets to knowing you won't be judged. They are the ones who you can always count on for the truth yet will lie to you until you're ready to hear it. They are the women who have seen you cry and either helped wipe your tears or told you to suck it up. The ones you can always agree to disagree with.

Our Girlfriends aren't just made up of women who are geographically convenient, they are now made up solely of those women who we want to allow into our lives, those who we relate to, understand and feel a bond with. Those who are born out of the moment when as C.S. Lewis said about friendship. "... one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one."

(Almost) Freebie Friday

2010-04-29T22:27:00.000-05:00

$20 Rebate on Olay Products valid thru May 9, 2010

Clarins One-to-One Facial Treatment

Free 10-day Supply of Bare Escentuals bareMinerals plus a baby kabuki brush

20% off one item valid thru May 16, 2010

What a Difference a Decade Makes

2010-04-24T22:01:00.001-05:00

I've been a magazine addict ever since the days I lived the teenage version of the high-life on the money I made on my babysitting gigs. I wasn't a subscriber *oh no* my addiction is a visual one and I was and still am a stand-in-front-of-the-magazine-stand-for-hours kind of addict.

It was during one of these hour-long perusal of magazines that I first saw the magazine MORE, a magazine that 'celebrates women over 40'. I was in my late 20's and I distinctly remember thinking how I couldn't imagine the day when anything in that magazine would be of interest to me. Forty just seemed so old to me at the time.

My how things have changed. Now I'm writing a blog about turning 40 and I'm looking to MORE magazine for ideas. As I read through the content of its website, I am impressed and have found a lot of good information.

This makes me wonder, ten years from now, will I be fanning myself, complaining about hot flashes and reminiscing about the days when sweating was something I only did during a workout?

What's Next? Rogaine?

2010-04-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

I have become persona non grata in my household. Well, not so much me as my hair. Not the hair on my head, but more specifically the hair that used to be on my head. I am shedding uncontrollably and my hair somehow appears EVERYWHERE. Needless to say, this is not appreciated by my family and they have gone so far as to jokingly (I think) suggest that wear a hair net around the house.

Thankfully, for now, I have a head full of thick hair that could really be enough for two people so I haven't worried about going bald. But because trying to keep my hair off the floor, table, sink, etc... is becoming a full time job, I decided to do some research and find out if this is normal and what I can do to stop it.

I was surprised to learn that it is normal to lose up to 100 hair strands per day. Finding this out made the obsessive person in me want to count for a few days, but lets be honest the woman with the attention span of a gnat will win and I'll lose interest in the project within the hour. So I am trusting 'eyeing it' to give me an idea and I do believe that I am over the ~~legal~~ normal limit.

Possible causes of excessive hair loss range from vitamin/mineral deficiencies to serious illness so I won't list them here. A few that made sense in my life were iron and zinc deficiency, lack of sufficient water, regular use of hair dye, excessive touching/pulling of hair (I twirl my hair) and wait for it....wait for it... AGE...

:::defeated sigh:::

I Try Products So You Don't Have To

2010-04-13T20:13:00.004-05:00

I have puny lashes and have been on a search for the perfect mascara ever since I started wearing make-up. In my desperation to elongate my lashes I naively believed the promises of each new mascara and my wallet has suffered the consequences. That is until I found the mascara of my dreams. It's honest, hard working and best of all reliable. Maybelline Pulse Perfection Mascara is the one for me and I believe we'll have a long lasting relationship. See for yourself!

40 is the new...ummm... 40!

2010-04-09T09:49:00.007-05:00

As I continue on this journey towards 40 I am more and more bothered when I hear that 40 is the new 30. While I sometimes want to deny that I am getting older, I DO NOT want to repeat the past decade.

The journey that I am on is not one of regression but one of preparation. I want to be the best 40 I can be. I believe that in wanting to remain in our youth we deny the experiences that life has given us.

I may fear the passing of time because it brings with it questions regarding my future but I also celebrate it because I am wiser, stronger and prepared to face that unknown due to the experiences I have had. When the moment comes, I will march bravely into a new day and with my head held high I will turn and blow a kiss goodbye to 10 years of a life well-lived.

Contradiction?

2010-04-07T19:40:00.002-05:00

Is there a contradiction between not expecting as much from yourself and knowing you can handle anything? I wonder, because I've come to the conclusion that I am mastering both.

I am no longer the girl who is afraid to put herself out there for fear of failure or rejection. The girl who preferred not try at all rather than risk either of those outcomes.

I have become the woman who knows that perfection is just an illusion and life is all about the risk because these days the only thing that is not an option is regret.

All the Single Ladies....Now Put Your Hands Up

2010-03-28T22:17:00.001-05:00

Who of us has not jumped to the dance floor with our girlfriends when that Beyonce song is played? It's a celebration of being a woman and being single, second only to Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive. We are the women of today, we're strong, independent and we are just fine without you, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Well, I have a confession to make, speaking only for myself of course, but often it's just a facade. Not the strong woman part, but the wanting nothing more than to be single part. While single life can definitely have its up, I don't want to be single forever.

Unfortunately, as a woman I am not allowed to say "I want a relationship" out loud to any one but my closest friends for fear of being seen as desperate. I think it's interesting that while we women are made to feel desperate when we let the world know that we want to be loved; men are praised for this admission. Theirs is a need to finally settle down, while ours is just plain neediness. The funny thing is that need is the operative word. While unlike air and water, we will not die without love, it is still a need that we all have as humans.

Inspired by Ricky Martin's (oh so obvious to everyone) revelation, I have decided to come out of a different type of closet and admit that I am 39, single, childless and openly seeking a relationship.

Wow, what a relief to put that out there and lo and behold it didn't lessen my strength.

I Try Products So You Don't Have To

2010-03-27T16:45:00.001-05:00

I am, what some would call, a product whore. Every time I see an infomercial or an ad for a new product that will make me prettier or skinnier I want to own it and try it. Luckily for those of you who also want to, but don't want to spend the money, I usually do. Bad for my wallet, good for yours!

Reebok EasyTone

I have both the Reinspire shoes and the flip-flops and I ♥ them! They are not a super-intense workout on their own but they do add a little something to my everyday just walking around life. I have wide feet and they fit great, are comfortable for all-day wear and have definitely been a part of my newly-lifted booty!

Perfect? Not me!

2010-03-26T23:36:00.000-05:00

While turning 40 is something that I still fear, there are many things that I appreciate about aging. One of these things is the acceptance that there is no such thing as perfection. Sure, I still want to strive to be the best I can be but I can also forgive myself for not always being up to the task. It is freeing to to know that.

Not having to be perfect frees me to be me. It frees me to be the quirky, silly, clumsy, procrastinating person that I am, while simultaneously freeing my time from the wastefulness of worry to work on being a better me.

Here's to a little freedom!

Mirrors

2010-03-23T14:44:00.000-05:00

It's so hot and I'm home trying not to wither. To that means, the hair is up in a messy pony tail and I'm wearing shorts that are now fitting loose and a tank with no bra. I pass by a mirror, catch a glimpse of myself and do a double take. I'm a little embarrassed at my first thought (I hesitate to share it but it's meaningful so I will), "My 39 year-old breasts look great braless!"

I stand in the mirror staring for a few more minutes. I turn to check out my profile, first right side, then the left and yes, it's confirmed, they are perky. This is not the magical part of the moment though. My breast have not changed from yesterday. The magic of the moment is that I'm staring in the mirror and I'm appreciating what I see; a drastic change from the me who normally either avoids mirrors or only uses them to pick apart flaws.

I realize that this journey isn't just about losing weight and getting healthy physically. It's about a change in perspective. I see me in a different way and that helps to continue to strive for more.

A Little Late to the Party

2010-03-22T14:45:00.000-05:00

When I turned 39 about two months ago I vowed that I would spend the next 365 days ensuring that I was fit and fabulous by my 40th birthday. In the last two months I've lost 12 lbs and I've set some pretty hefty goals for myself and I am on my way.

So today I was thinking, there are probably many women just like me who are single, childless and preparing themselves for the milestone of 40. I will share my journey with all it entails, the fears, the tears and of course the many good times in hopes that others will share theirs with me.

Join me...

Fabulously yours,