Daughter to Daughter

When I was a young girl I remember playing make believe in my room for hours.  I would run errands in my mini-van bed holding a cigarette in my first two fingers and steering the imaginary wheel with the rest.  I would change my panda's diapers while skillfully holding an air cigarette to not burn the "baby".  Now I have never seen my mom smoke a cigarette in her life, but I did see her friend Pam do it all the time.  When you're little the only way to see how to act as an adult are by the people around you.  Thankfully, I have never smoked a cigarette in my life and I believe that comes down to my Mom.  Even though we never had a "talk" to not smoke, by seeing her life as my prime example it never seemed to fit in to my future.

Now expecting a child in a few months, I can't help to think about what I would be instilling on my girl without even knowing.  What are some of my habits that I might not be aware of telling her what's important in life.  I want my daughter to see me helping friends when they need a hand, not just when they're throwing a party.  I don't want her to see a cell phone glued to my hand, but my ear glued to others in front of me.  I want her to help others in need, and not spend our money in malls on ourselves.  I want her to see me get ready in the morning, without hours in front of a mirror.

I remember being little like it was yesterday.  I had the most amazing mom that I would compare to any living angel.  I definitely won't be comparable to her, but I'm hoping what she instilled in me is exactly what my daughter needs to see for her to become the woman she's suppose to be.  I can only pray and be intentional with my parenting everyday I'm granted.

No pressure.  ;)

FAVORITE DAILY THINGS

It's always awesome when you find things that can just brighten your day.  Don't get me wrong - I think we only need about 10% of the things we own; but it's fun finding new things that help you daily.

Here's what I've been sharing with my friends:

I use to have a dry scalp, especially in my front hair line when I blow-dried my hair.  I tried dozens of shampoos and never found one that helped ...until I tried Oribe.  I've been using their shampoo and conditioners for over a year now and I've never had the issue come up again.  I was reminded of this when my friend brought up the same problem.  I let her try some of the shampoo and it fixed the issue for her too!  

Now it's pretty dang pricey BUT the bottle lasts for a long time and you won't have to wonder if you're flaking all over the place again.  I've found the best selection to be at Blanc Salon in Uptown Dallas.  Neiman's can't even compare to their selection.

This little bad boy is a bad ass.  It's made by OXO and it has really durable nylon bristles.  I get weirded out by cleaning brushes, specifically for dishes.  I never think they're clean again after the first use.  I'm not scared to clean anything with this guy.  The bristles are almost clear so you can easily see if it was dirty.  I found him at Sur la Table and even bought another one for Costa Rica.   

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook then you know that I just did the 24 Day Challenge through Advocare.  I'm obsessed with the new amount of energy I have and how it helped me with my addiction to coffee and candy.  I've been helping my friends out with their Challenges now.  You can find everything you need on my Distributor page if you're interested - click here.  This sounds corny - but it's a real life changer!

I've also been looking into floor steamers.  Does anyone have one?  Our large concrete floors are killer to mop, but the Shark Steamers look like they would get dirty so fast.  There again is my weird mental problem with dirty cleaning tools.  Ha  

Does anyone have any suggestions on this?

Love, Sarah

Fighting Darkness

Three weeks ago I told my friend that there are ups and downs in life and at this moment I am having the time of my life and I couldn't be happier.  Fast forward to right now (20 days later) and I was just standing in a parking lot hugging both my parents and telling them that this might be the most challenging season of our lives yet.  If we stick together and lean on Him we'll get through this.  

The saying when it rains it pours came to my mind yesterday and today I heard a song about every storm cloud runs out of rain.  Instead of looking down during the darkness, I'm going to keep looking up so I'll be able to see the light when it comes.  

I wanted to share this for myself and to let you know that if you're having a hard time right now don't think you're unlucky - think about how strong you can become.  

Love, Sarah