Healthy Happy 30!

Last weekend, we decided to take the family to an indoor water park. We stayed in a very nice hotel room, ate pizza, played arcade games, and swam ALOT! (And the hubby and I even had a couple cocktails!) It was a great adventure for us, and broke up the blah-ness of the winter months quite nicely.

At age 31, I was going down the water slides, playing tag with the kids in the pool, and proudly wearing a bikini. At one point, I was looking around the water park and noticed something quite interesting. I was definitely in the minority of parents that were partaking in these activities with their children. I was also, oddly enough, probably one of the youngest mom's in the place. I took a moment to count my blessings that I am young enough, healthy enough, and still have the energy to keep up with my daughter. I felt proud to be a 30-something parent! 

Being a mom in my 30's, I possess the ability to be a mature adult when I need to be, yet I can still act like a big kid and get away with it. I love the fact that I can "hang" with my 8-year-old. My daughter still thinks I'm cool, she still wants me to play with her, and I still have the ability to do so without having a stroke. Not to mention, it's really fun being that hot mom in a bikini! (it was an age appropriate bikini of course-no thong! haha) 


So here's to being healthy, happy, and 30!!! Now let's go have fun with our kids, shall we?

Hooker vs. Hillary

"Ding Ding Ding!"

In this corner we have the hooker...

She's wearing low-cut skinny jeans with her g-string hanging out.
A spaghetti strap tank top with her lace bra exposed and belly button ring showing.
5" clear plastic heels.



In this corner we have Hillary...

She's wearing tapered ankle polyester pants with a plastic button digging into her upper abdomen.
A silk dress shirt tucked in tightly, with pearl buttons down the front.
Navy blue penny loafer flats, with a real penny in them (ewww).



And then there's me...

I don't fit into either corner. I hang out somewhere in the middle.
I look for trendy, comfortable and classy clothing.
I like to wear clothes that hug my curves appropriately, without making me look like I'm trying too hard.
I want work clothes and sophisticated clothing that doesn't age me 20 years.

Problem is, there aren't a lot of options for those of us who are in the middle when it comes to fashion. Shopping can be a frustrating experience for the 30-something year old woman. It's a constant battle between dressing like Miley Cyrus (she'll probably be a hooker before we know it) or a wannabe presidential candidate.

I've noticed over the years that I have only two options when shopping for clothes--the juniors section or the women's section. The juniors section caters to the teenagers (which I'm far from), and the women's section caters to the middle aged women (which I refuse to age into). While both sections appeal to me in some ways, neither section has an abundance of options for my age group or style. I either walk out of the dressing room in the juniors section feeling like a street walker, or walk out of the women's side dressing room looking like a frumpy grandma. Neither of which, I'm comfortable with portraying.

I've come to find a few stores that I feel cater to the 30-something age group. Here are my favorites:

1. The Limited (This is where I purchase a lot of my work clothes, and some street clothes too!)
2. Vanity (Awesome jeans and street clothing!)
3. New York & Company (I only purchase work clothes and accessories here...they are really lacking in street-wear)
4.Macy's (One of the only department stores that "get it"...plus they carry Silver Jeans which make any female's ass look fabulous! ...I promise!)

And here are my least favorite stores for 30-something clothing:

1. Kohls
2. JCPenney
3. Express (primarily based on quality vs. cost)
4. Aeropostale, Abercrombie or any of those

(Disclaimer: I must admit I made a leap of faith and purchased a pair of skinny jeans recently from American Eagle. I love them! And yes contrary to popular belief, 30-year-olds can wear skinny jeans with the right shoes.... Like a pair of tall boots or a sling-back heel! And no, you can't wear skinny jeans with your kids' Vans tennis shoes when you're our age...that would be considered trying way too hard!)

Maybe someday I will open a 30-something clothing store. That's a big maybe, but wouldn't that be fun? I would LOVE to read any suggestions for other stores that cater to the 30-somethings, or read your stories about shopping treasures or disasters! I'm always on the hunt for trendy and age-appropriate clothing... Shopping is yet another passion of mine...yeah go figure!

Introducing you to my skincare obsession...

Those of you (my zero followers...haha) that know me, probably have heard me talk endlessly about my skin. I'm overly obsessed with it. It's actually on the forefront of my mind all the time. I'm not your typical 30-something year old whose main concern is anti-aging. Although anti-aging is important to me, my primary skincare concern is my acne issues. YES, I am a 31 year old who battles with acne. I'm not talking about a few small red spots at "that time of the month." I'm talking about huge, red, burning cysts that have their own heartbeat!!! I'm telling ya...when you have 5 or 6 of those bad boys on your face, you don't exactly feel like doing the "beauty queen smile and wave routine" in the middle of Target. (Lub dub, ouch, lub dub, ouch, lub dub, smile...) 

The reason why I'm discussing this topic now is because I intend to blog a lot about this in the future. I would call myself a self-proclaimed expert on the topic of skincare and acne treatments. After all, not many people have tried as many topical products, pills, and invasive treatments as I have. I'm primarily going to focus on adult acne and adult skincare topics. Mainly because that's what I'm passionate about, there isn't a lot of information about it, and even less products available to treat it. 

Skincare is my obsession for sure! (Sometimes I think I get pimples from stressing about pimples!) I've put in endless hours of research for myself, and I've personally tried hundreds (if not thousands) of skincare products over the years. I've tried drugstore brands, mail order products, professional creams and topicals, oral medications, laser treatments, chemical peels, ultraviolet light treatments, injections in my face, herbal supplements, diet changes, hormonal medications, and other treatments I'm probably forgetting about. I've invested a lot of money into getting my acne under control. Some things have worked and some things have not. The things that have worked usually only work for a short period of time. And the things that don't work usually make the problem worse.

If I were to add up every penny I've spent on this crap, I would guesstimate it would roughly total into the tens of thousands of dollars. And unfortunately my over-sized pores are still sucking up my money. Currently, I am beginning my 4th month of Accutane, which some say is a last resort SUPER CURE!!! (Yeah, we'll see about that--sounds like a future blog to me!) Accutane is a strong medication that isn't very good for the body. I have to get my liver enzymes checked every month to make sure it's not damaging my liver. My skin is extremely dry and fragile. And not to mention, I'm still breaking out! Accutane isn't cheap either. Without insurance, this stuff costs about $600 for a 30-day supply. (Thank God for insurance! I pay about $100). I have 2 months left...

I do have some favorite products that I've tried over the years. The first one that comes to mind is the Patricia Wexler line sold at Bath and Body Works. This product line is geared for adult skin. They even have an adult acne line!! Yeah, I know...unbelievable!! I used it for years, and would probably still be using it if I weren't on my new "miracle drug." Her line of anti-aging products are amazing too. Another product I highly recommend is Neosporin...(yes I did mean to say Neosporin.) It's perfect to put on chapped lips (I put a little on my lips under vasaline before bed), or heal a pimple on your face that has recently exploded.

...You know I have more fav's, but I can't share all my secrets quite yet!

Just in case anyone cares besides me...Right now I'm currently not using any other acne treatment other than Accutane. I wash my face morning and night using Aveeno Ultra Calming foaming wash. The dermatologist has prescribed Biafine Cream (primarily used to treat severe burns) as a moisturizer which I use morning and night. And I'm now using BareEscentuals mineral makeup, which I LOVE! I can see how the BareEscentuals product line will become my next addiction (and yet another future blog post I'm sure).

...Well off to wash my face now! Feel free to comment and happy blogging to all my millions of followers! (wink wink)

Smile and Wave!

So here I am! A thirty-something, first time blogger!

I guess I decided to embark on this journey for a couple reasons. First of all, I always have a lot to say. I have been called a "chatter-box" just a FEW times in my life. Secondly, I have a whole lot of creativity and inspiration bottled up inside of me, along with some great stories to share. Blogging caters to both my love for writing and my (yes I'm gonna say it) addiction to the internet. C'mon, doesn't everyone these days have some form of internet addiction? The first step to getting over any addiction is admitting it, so don't worry I'm on the right path.

Even more so, I guess you could say I'm bored with the mundane routine tasks that are taking over my life. I'm your typical 31-year-old woman. I'm married, a full time working mother, college graduate, homemaker, taxi driver, wound kisser, etc. I desperately need a creative outlet. I need a hobby. I need to vent even when nobody is listening. I need to relate to other people in my same situation.

Just like many other 30ish-year-olds, I'm hanging onto my 20-year-old mind with an extremely tight grip. After all, 30 is the new 20...at least that's what I keep telling myself! Now that I've lived in "thirtyhood" for just over a year, I've noticed some things that I feel are worth mentioning. So what better time than now to share my thoughts with the world.

The most noticeable aspect of turning 30 is that people instantly treated me differently. From the moment I tell someone that I reached the monumental "BIG 3-0," I'm either treated as if I'm old as dirt, or treated as if I'm still wearing Pampers. Why is this? It doesn't matter if the other person is just a few years older or younger either. The younger people look at me like I'm an uncool, repulsive, mom jean-wearing freak of nature. (Side note: I do not, and will not, own a pair of mom jeans. EVER!). On the other hand, the not-so-much-older folks (I'm not talking about the elderly here), treat me as if I just learned my ABC's yesterday! These are the people that want to share their life lessons with me in one conversation as if I seriously have no clue. This can be amusing at times I must admit.

Another thing I've noticed about being in the land of the 30-somethings, is that things are expected of me now. Almost like I was supposed to make ALL my mistakes in my 20's, and now that I'm 30...Bam! I'm perfect! Well guess what? I'm soooo not perfect!! I'm supposed to be the perfect mom, the perfect wife, the perfect employee, the perfect homemaker, etc. Well obviously nobody is perfect, so I must resort to faking it. Faking perfection can be extremely exhausting. I often refer to this as the "beauty queen smile and wave routine." This is when you are out in public and you look like you have it all put together. You are smiling and waving and oh so happy!... but inside you feel like you're ready to run for the hills at any moment and only save yourself! What's funny is that I can see this routine being played out from a mile away. Most 30-something women know exactly what I'm talking about.

Don't get me wrong, so far my adventure into "thirtyhood" has been pretty amazing. I was recently told I don't look a day over 21 (I totally blushed!). Being 30 has it's perks too. I finally feel like I can do what I want, when I want, and how I want. If I want to travel, I'm going to travel. If I want to change careers, I certainly will. If I want to embark on a new blogging adventure, I'm going to do it...TODAY! No more hesitation, no more waiting, and mostly no more approval needed from anyone but myself! With turning 30 comes independence, inspiration, and new perspectives. Sometimes these new found outlooks on life can be quite confusing and frustrating, but I'm ready to hash this stuff out. I sometimes feel like a kid trapped in an adults body, which is maybe why some people treat me like an old fart while others treat me like a child. Hmmm...

Well I guess this brings me to the end of my first blog. Does this mean that my blog-cherry has been popped!?! For those of you who are reading this...thanks for being my first... I hope it was as good for you as it was for me!!! Till next time...