Shaving Lessons, Chocolate Faces, and Unsightly Chin Hairs

Yesterday my Love, Michael, taught our oldest son, Zach, how to shave his upper lip. (See his fresh whiskers here.) Ever since then, Zach has been touching his after-five-shadow and asking me to feel its prickliness, as well. He has great hopes of his facial hair growing in thicker and eventually growing chin hairs.

This evening he asked me if women ever shave their faces. I told him that although not real common, some women do have facial hair, due to hormone imbalances, and have to shave. I relayed the fact that I used to alert (tease) my mom over her three unsightly chin hairs. But to my fate, I now have about 10 annoying chin hairs I need to keep tabs on. (Please discreetly inform me, if you ever see their insurgence.)

Zach said he really didn't need to know that. (And you probably didn't want to know that either!)

At least I still have one soft-faced boy in the house. I just informed Hudson (after he got out of the shower) to wipe off the chocolate still on his face.

How did this happen? It seems we were just exploring rollie pollies and worms in the backyard and now I have one son shaving and the other is taking showers instead of baths full of toys. But no matter what stage they're in, I know that "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him," Psalm 127:3. And I'm honored to watch and help them grow into the men God intends them to be, whiskers, chocolate faces, and chin hairs along the way.

P.S. Coincidentally and quite comically, I'm giving away a First Wax FREE from the new European Wax Center in Copperfield (www.waxcenter.com). Please leave a comment for a drawing on Thursday, if you'd like to win it!

Whimsical Wednesday

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

(Jack Johnson style)

My son's 5th gr. Valentine Party is tomorrow and I wanted to give the teachers a little something with my "elle H" cookies (yes, I've named them). But I'm continually looking for a whimsical gift receptacle.

My "love" and I used to frequent a coffee/tea room that sadly went out of business and we saved their loose leaf tea cans for something "someday."

Well today I found that "someday" and covered them with scrap paper, ribbon, stickers, and filled them with my "elle H" cookies.

You gotta reduce, reuse, recycle, enjoying some "elle H" cookies along the way!

Figure Friendly Fridays

A Half Cup of Joy

If you know me well, you know that I love mint chocolate chip ice cream or just about any ice cream with chocolate slivers in it. Just imagine it: rich, velvety chocolate melting in your mouth mixed with smooth, minty goodness. Yummmm.

STOP! I know it's not very figure friendly!

Well, to compromise on cutting the fat I usually buy the Weight Watchers little mini cups of mint chocolate chip ice cream. It satisfies my taste buds and it's already measured in half cup sizes because, you know f the measuring is up to me, I would make it a generous third or even a full cup of ice cream.

But lately, I haven't been able to find my mini half cups of mint chocolate chip joy!

I stopped by Walmart this week to purchase some nonperishables before I went to the YMCA and found myself wandering down the ice cream isle. They were also out of my half cup of joy. So I immediately found every mint chocolate chip container and compared fats, sugars, cholesterol and settled on the Dryers Light SlowChurned Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie ice cream (that's a mouth full).

As I put it in my cart and walked away the thought occurred to me that I was on my way to the YMCA which meant if I had ice cream I'd have to go home first to drop it off and even have a little taste test. I knew very well if I went home, I may not go back out again to work out.

So I slowly and humbly took the ice cream back to the freezer section, checked out with my nonperishables, and went to the YMCA which saved me from my half cup of joy but also added calories and regret.

Figure Friendly Friday on Monday

Just Walk Out the Door!

I know every excuse in the book but God designed our bodies to move.

The first step is walking out the door to whatever your exercise of choice.

I haven't wanted to move lately. Call it mid-fourty hormones but honestly it takes all I have to walk out the door!

Today I found the energy to attend a late morning Reformer Pilates class. That's all I was going to do but once I finished the class, I decided to do 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical. All it took was just walking out the door.

Once I started, I went further than I intended to. I usually works that way.

So that's my Figure Friendly Friday tip on Monday. Move it!