Art.Beauty.Homemaking.Motherhood.

As a sahm and especially a homeschool mom, I know for me personally, there are times I don't feel beautiful anymore.  I think of women who have to get ready for their professional career and polish up everyday or women my age who are not yet mothers and take great care of themselves with great shoes, clothes, regularly maintained and colored hair and the best makeup and nail polish!  Or especially other mothers who seem to do it ALL while looking fantastic.  Then I look down and there is pretty much ALWAYS something on my shirt, chipped uneven nails, just a little but of nail polish left on my big toes that's been wearing off for over a month, a year of highlights grown out, tired dull skin and eyes, and pretty much just feeling plain jane.  When your day starts with caring for a baby, toddler, sick or scared child who kept you up all night, rather than jump out of bed and get beautified for work and friends, it's a zombie walk to the kitchen for coffee first!  Then more kids appear, need breakfast, help, attention, direction...pets also start meowing or whimpering for a need as well.  Your day gets going and before you know it, it's well into the day, you finally catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror when you managed to get a bathroom break and it can be startling to see the tired, disheveled, unkempt, starting to age, worn out person in the mirror and feel like all traces of whatever former beauty have been lost.

I can also feel this way about creativity and art.  I wanted to be a couple things when I was in my youth...number one...I always wanted to be a mom but other dreams included being a fine artist, spending time in Italy as an apprentice to gain and polish professional skills, compose music for movie soundtracks and maybe a few other grand dreams.  When I glance in the mirror on those days and see an uglier version of myself, I sometimes feel that way about my creative and artistic abilities...lost in the wash...probably gone to the same place of no return that all those socks go to....which is why my kids wear mismatched socks a lot of the time!

BUT...as depressing and pitiful as that all sounds, thankfully those days are a small minority of the time because I am reminded that BEAUTY isn't merely a state of being and neither is art.  Both are an expression.  Both can be expressed and enjoyed in many non-tangible, non-capturable ways, all throughout our day...every day!

Motherhood and homemaking are sources of insurmountable joy and satisfaction yet at the same time very exhaustive, stressful and humbling.  Motherhood BREAKS you.  But, if approached with intention, unselfishness, humbleness, a willingness to learn from our children and pray over everything and seek out the Holy Spirit's inspiration as our main go to parenting resource that we can tap into anytime....from or brokenness, a new beautiful creature arises from within.  TRUE BEAUTY.  Expressed in our love for our children, how we teach them, treat them and give our unconditional enduring love, being teacher and students of our children.  Learning who they are, embracing who they are, cultivating their personality traits to work for their good so they can serve as strengths more than weakness...which is ultimately done through constant prayer and seeking of guidance.  This new beautiful strong creature is shed of some of her former self...and usually a lot for the better...shed of shallowness, selfishness, impatience and pride just to name a few.  

Art and creativity are also expressed in child raising and homemaking on a daily basis.  Living simply, unhurried and connected with our surroundings, creating quality time, being up to enjoy and go with the flow to enjoy the spontaneous and the planned moments together, exploring and discovering the world together, creating things together, creating an environment to cultivate their little hearts, minds and spirits....there is just so much that happens everyday that is an expression of art and creativity.  

My family and home are my canvas and God is the medium-blended into every color, coated on every brush and layered onto every part of the canvas that I work on everyday.  It all goes on smoother, blends better and has a better overall finish when He is a part of it.

Often when thoughts of not fulfilling or cultivating my gifts and passions, I'm reminded that right now, in this season, my family and my home are my canvas and my various paintbrushes are prayer, unscheduled time, nature, living books, beautiful homeschool resources, nature journaling, character development, devotional/hymn/poetry study, teachable moments, the right extra curricular activities for us, a handful of sweet friends, extended family, Holy Spirit inspiration and God is the paint medium, blended into every color, coated on every brush and layered onto every part of the canvas that I am working everyday.  It all goes on smoother, blends better and has a better finish when He is a part of it.  

Aside from drawing in our nature notebooks or doing art with my kids, using my rusty art skills, I am OK...no actually I am MORE than OK to wait until a season when more tangible art projects will be a part if my life...but for now...living art is what it is and finding the beauty and joy in the messy and mundane moments.  (Have you ever walked into an painting studio?  It's messy and simple and bare...but then, in the midst of the unglamorous setting, stands a beautiful work of art in progress with someone spending hours upon hours, diligently working on it....that is just like life!)

Taking in the simple yet complex beauty of the world as we discover it again in new and profound ways alongside our children, our beauty is expressed through our simple joy and contentment, love of nature, love for each other and ultimately love of our creator.  

My personal beauty is not exactly expressed as it was in more youthful years through youthful glowing skin, flat ironed-still naturally blond hair, push up bras and citizen jeans that fit just so...but it IS expressed through creating a peaceful, loving home and a sanctuary for my children and husband to come home to. I cannot do that so well on my own strength alone-but through Adonai-a loving, understanding and creative Father and Savior who knows me and loves me just the way I am.  

This is the season I'm in and it is full of art and beauty and when I look at it this way I am in no hurry for this season to end, sometimes I with it would never have to end. I am content.  

New Year New Hair

Bit the Bullet and Dyed my Hair (at home)!

BEFORE

 3 weeks prior

 AFTER

So I've been thinking about dying my hair on and off since Jordan was born but always chicken out so the other night I finally bit the bullet and tried it.  I checked around on the internet and Tyler called his aunt who is a hairdresser and the general consensus was to use clairol nice n easy #10 lightest blonde.  I was so nervous and totally freaking out but I knew I could go get it done professionally if I didn't like it.

It didn't turn lightest blonde, but it turned all my darkest dirty blonde areas of hair to strawberry blonde.  I guess people will stop asking where Bronson got his hair color :)  My hair feels much nicer after using the dye, highlights always dry out my hair and now it feels so silky I'm not used to it!  Now I can actually get the straightner to go smoothly through an entire length of hair, before, trying to curl my hair with the straightener was difficult, it would always get caught or stick as I got towards the bottom of each section of hair (yes even when brushing the sections well before straightening).  So when I curled my hair with the flat iron the other day, I couldn't believe how much easier it was!   PLUS it only took 10 minutes to process once I got my hair covered...going to the salon always takes half the day, my highlights always take forever to process.  Although I did almost throw up when I finished washing the dye out...it looked bright orange at first but it didn't stay like that, it toned down and when I dried it looked like it does in the after pictures.  And below is with the flash.

Anyways here it is.  :)  Honestly, it looks a lot different to us, but only a couple of people have noticed the difference, not even Jordan has said anything and she doesn't miss a thing so yeah, maybe I'm making a big deal about dying my hair, but it really wasn't a big change, just the first time doing all over color (besides my embarassing hair days (which I shared on wannabebalanced recently to win the personal microdermabrasion system, thanks everyone who voted!) when I had Karen Kane hair in 8th grade and dyed it maroon, then bleached it and got a firey orange...which was cool because that was the same time as the movie the Fifth Element of course! LOL! I still looked like a "shim" though....apparently.  


Anyways....I don't know what my deal is, I'm just a DIY junkie, I like to try doing things myself.  I also did my own trim a couple months ago after giving B his first haircut, looking at my ends in the picture above...I think it's time for another one!


Did I mention it cost $10? That is less then what I tip when I get my hair done!

Tropical Traditions

I'm excited!  I used up the rest of my Mary Kay TimeWise Face Moisturizer (I liked it, especially in combo with the microdermabrasion set) but now I'm switching back to my old but good "friend" Tropical Traditions!
I discovered Tropical Traditions a few years ago during college and loved it!  I don't know what happened, but over time I just ended up with other products and have missed it so much!  Well, my new shipment has arrived! I love ordering through them, my shipments have always arrived sooner than expected.

Not only are their Coconut based products awesome, I used to actually used the Virgin Coconut Oil on my face at night.  After washing, I would apply the oil to my face and let it soak in.  Looking back over the past 7 years, before and after when I used the coconut oil, that was the best my skin ever looked!  I had a soft, bright, clear complexion.  I've often used Olay face cream in the past and this is around the same price...but Tropical traditions cream is actually a bigger container.  A SUPERB natural alternative that doesn't cost more (and may even cost a lot less) than your current moisturizers.  If you go through the tropical traditions website, you have to make a minimum $16 purchase, so buy through amazon if you just want to give it a try and buy one product.  However...I am positive you will enjoy their products and it's worth it to just buy more at once, pay for shipping once and stock up. I've tried Citrus, Lavender and Baby Silk....all wonderful!  I've thought about making my own cosmetics before and have dabbled in the past making a few things with my mom, but sometimes it's just easier and more affordable to buy something you know is just pure goodness.

Learn more about why you should consider natural personal care products.

ps- is it weird that I felt my eyes well up and wanted to cry when I realized it's September?  I feel the same way when I see fall and christmas decor on display at the store.  What happened to the summer?  Farewell summer, it was wonderful and I didn't want it to end!