Beauty Treatment

I am sitting here with egg on my face. No, seriously, I am really sitting here with egg on my face. I found a homemade recipe for a facial. You take an egg white (1 will do) and add a few squirts of fresh lemon juice and beat with a fork for a few seconds and you take the yucky mixture and spread it on your face. Let it sit for 20 minutes until it really dries and makes your face feel tight and firm, and rinse off with warm water. It really does work. I have also found out the last few days that if you put a little honey on a Q-Tip and dab it on pimples, it makes them go away quicker too.

You may be asking yourself why am I into giving myself a homemade facial? Well, my darling children (aka my beauty consultants) have had a lot to say about my appearance lately. And my 5 year old, who never says anything but "I love you Mommy," also has made a few comments about my overall look. A few weeks into school, he tells me that he told his classroom aide that she "is really skinny" and that he likes "really skinny people"...and that "mommy is not skinny, just a little bit fat." He tells me this in bits and pieces over a few days (because he forgot!). So I ask him about fat & skinny people. He tells me that they are the same and he still likes them, they just look a little bit different (ok, well at least he is not judging people based on their outside appearance - what a relief!). He goes on to tell me that he still loves me, whether I am "a lot fat, a little bit fat, or really skinny like his aide." I gently remind him that telling people that they are too fat or skinny is not nice and to not say those things to anyone because it may hurt their feelings and make them sad. He catches on quick and asks me if I feel sad when he tells me that I am a "little bit fat," and when I tell him "yes," he says, "well you only have certain parts that are a little bit fat, the other parts are ok." My 5 year old really knows how to make me feel better!! And yes, I am laughing. My little guy is just so darn cute!

So, my 8 year old daughter tells me the other day that she will "always look younger and better than me" and that "it is just a fact of life." She then asks me if I am "planning on doing something about my pimples on my face because they don't make me look very good." And that I need to do something about my clothes - although my shoes are ok. Nice. Is she having secret conversations with my mother lately?? My mother makes it a point almost every time I see her to point out my gray hair (which is getting worse), the periodic pimples that show up on my face (normally around a a certain time of the month), and my weight (specifically in a certain area of my body). You would think that I look like an Ogre or something. But I do try to take care of myself. Granted, I stopped coloring my hair about 2 years ago because it wasn't doing a thing to cover up the stubborn grays, and I should take better care of my skin every day, not just when I get a hormone surge. I should try to do something different about my weight issues, but the issues my mother has is about a certain area that needs a reduction (and I am NOT having surgery). She actually understands why I am having such a difficult time losing weight around my other areas and it is not for a lack of trying (I just walked 3 miles in less than 50 minutes today).

For people who do not know me, I do try to take care of myself, I really do. I wear makeup every day, keep my hair clean and styled, and up until a few weeks ago, I had my nails done all the time. I do not dress like a slob and most of the time I only wear sneakers when I walk. Most of the time, I am put together. So with all the comments lately, I am feeling like I need a refresher course in beauty. And with the kids in school all day, I have the time for it. I think part of me has been in denial that I am now in my mid 30's, so I have only been doing the things I did 10 years ago. Obviously, doing the same things as I did 10 years ago is not working - I need more pampering & care. I am finding out that as we age, our face & body suffers the most. 10 years ago, walking 3-4 miles everyday kept me trim & fit. I didn't worry about acne, gray hair, or how my clothes looked. I didn't think I would get fat, gray, or saggy until I got old...

God, does this mean I am old?