Refresh.....

I have to admit I have completely abused, abandoned and neglected my body and more importantly my skin this summer. As many of you know for years I have been a huge advocate for treating the problem externally and internally. This past month I decided to take a leap of faith with dear and long time friend Laran (you can find the link to her page at the end of this post.

Day one technically started five-days ago but there has not been a ton of progress. My face seems to be rejecting everything I am putting into my body. So starting TODAY I am taking it back to the basics. Naturally I am sticking to the new routine I made the commitment to try. The investment is made and I am going to see this all the way through. Over the past few days my pores became very clogged. This resulted in the wort break-out I have had in years. We will name this reset day. You can see my skin has lost some of its glow and it clearly is not flawless anymore. I only have myself to blame. In order to be fair I did a round of micro-dermebrassion two weeks ago. This time I feel like it brought my summer of skin scandal all the way to the surface. Back to refresh day.....

Step 1- I cleansed my skin with my typical CerVe face wash I have used for years.
Step 2- I used a charcoal exfoliating cleanser.
Step 3- 20 min charcoal mask.

Once this was complete I wanted my pores really open so I could soften the debris in my pores and lose them up to be "pulled out". I used a combination of castor oil and almond oil and massaged into my skin. I did this to ensure that not only was I softening my debris I was moisturizing my skin so I don't over tax it or potentially burn my skin chemically. Upon completion of the massage I re-cleansed with warm water (CerVe).

Step 4'sh- I used an equal part water to apple cider vinegar to wipe my face off. Please see benefits of apple cider vinegar as a toner (http://www.naturallivingideas.com/5-reasons-to-wash-your-face-with-apple-cider-vinegar/).

Step 5- R&F Redefined Cleansing Mask.
Step 6-
Step 7- AM moisturizer mixed with toner. I did this to light the weight of the moisturizer.
Step 8- Eyelash boost.
Step 9- Eye cream.

My skin feels clean for the fresh start. Every two days I will make adjustments to this as my pores cleanse themselves and the R&F products have a chance to build a relationship with my skin.

As for treating my not so great skin problem internally as many of you know I am firm believer in Acne Face Mapping. If we only treat our bodies from the outside we are not actually treating the root cause of the issues.

I am back to taking a liver cleanser, salmon oil, probiotics, dandelion root and probiotics. I am committing to a two liter a day water intake. My largest commitment is I am back to health food and not easy food. I will post status at the end of the weekend. 

Meet Laran. Her contact information is below if you like my results or become interested in taking to her about your skin! 

https://www.facebook.com/laranbrandt

I'm a single mom!

This blog started three years ago. It began as a way to document a very special moment in my life. The pregnancy of my third daughter, Baby O. I loved filling each of you in and interacting with everyone as she grew within my belly. It evolved into something to document my life and the things I learned as I was a stay at home mom maneuvering such a new endeavor. It was a place that I was able to testify to finding my way as a Latter Day Saint. 

On that note here is a good one.... I recently encountered the most interesting things about being a "single mom" over the past two months. Rewind a couple months, I was offered a wonderful position in a wonderful company. At a company Christmas party when my three little ladies walked in behind me ready to mingle (there are days I think I should print them their own business cards). They were troopers. They sat through dinner, they socialized with adults, some forty years their senior. I was eventually approached and asked how I could ever do my job and be a mom? I have to admit I was taken aback a little. I have never had someone be so direct or forward about my "single" status. I was recently engaged in a conversation while helping serve in a case I care deeply for and an oder woman touched on single parents. In her defense she had no idea I was a mother much less a single one. She talked about what a tragedy it is to be a single parent. How sorry she feels for these children. At one point she did eventually asked if I had a family. She was shocked I said I had three daughters. I suspect she felt no need to ask my relationship, she just assumed based on my appearance and title there was no possible way I was a single mother. Well my sweet sweet lady, I AM A SINGLE MOTHER! It is a travesty? I don't think so, it was a choice I made for the better good of my family. It was a choice I made for the sake of my own daughters future relationships.

On that note this sweet woman, lets call her Ms. Jones was right. Being a single mom is hard but, so is being a married mom. Being a mom is hard. Just because its hard does not mean it is not without its reward. The accomplishments big or small are worth the occasional slammed door (I have a preteen). The hugs and kisses are worth cereal being spill every single morning! The "I love you game" is my favorite part of the day. It is worth waking up at 4am if I want to take a shower that includes not only getting to wash my hair but, have the luxury of blow drying it too. Its worth spilled cereal and guessing what I stepped on after they have a SMALL SNACK. Totally worth the mass amounts of lip gloss my three year old manages to swipe and hoard from me. She sure does look glamours most of the time.

So here are some recent stories that married or single will make you laugh....

1. Olivia decided that she was going to be a red unicorn today while I was in the shower (see what happens when you try to shower while they are awake). What I mean by red unicorn is that she colored her entire left arm and both feet red before her sister caught her..... Oh and I mean every inch. She gets points for not missing a single spot in the five min. she had to work on her new skin color. My shower was extended to include her being scrubbed for a second time and explaining to her she can be red. By the way red is my least favorite color.

2. Madalyn is a child of fact (Lord help me)! If she wants to have a conversation and has a case to prove she comes with evidence and facts. I finally had to admit today that Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, etc. are not real. You can't lie to someone who has evidence.... Jokes on her, she lost a tooth tonight and wanted cash. I got to say you tried leaving without brushing your teeth this morning. This Tooth Fairy doesn't pay for dirty teeth! Ha!!!

3. Julia my sweet little Julia. She is such a stereotypical girl. So much so she has now mastered the art of wearing a dress to school when the high is 29 degrees. Yes, you read that right she wore a dress in 29 degree weather today. I said, "you can't wear that its to cold." She came back with leggings and a sweater layered. She looked like something you would pin on Pinerest. When she walked in the door she stripped her layers off and turned up the heater. Why? Well I didn't tell her that she couldn't wear it inside. She just made sure inside was warm enough...

I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I do watching them and writing about them!

Love - N