Real Life: A Kink(o's) in the Morning Routine

For the past two years as morning traffic reporter, I've been committed to getting people to work on time. Getting up the middle of the night - no problem. Over turned tractor trailer - I'm on it. Interstate shut down - I'll find you a faster option before you're even out of bed. In it to win it attitude, total commitment.  I loved it and lived it. Life was good... until my husband told me he had accepted his dream job in Ohio.  Of course, I had mixed emotions. Soon after that, I traded in my traffic badge for the morning mom badge. 

The truth is I was scared as hell to get Chance off to school every morning.  After all, my husband had horror stories to tell from his first year of getting Chance to the bus stop on time. Thank goodness, his new school started 2 hours later, so at least something was working in my favor.  Before I knew it, I was rocking a perfect morning routine and even managed to carve in coffee-in-bed time!  Life was good... until I heard a loud shrill from the other room. 'Mommmmmmm, my homework is due today, not Friday!  I can't go to school without my reading picture!" Apparently my initial reaction to this sudden outburst wasn't good enough because the shrill evolved into a full-fledged fit in under 60 seconds. This was worse than a 10-car pile-up in the middle of I-77 at the height of rush hour... and I had no alternate routes! Seriously?! I was lost. I was never going to get him out the door in twenty minutes. I knew this child was not leaving the house without his homework finished. (Maybe if I would have had his work ethic, I wouldn't have been held back in 2nd grade).  So now I needed a picture of him reading (laminated, no less!), with an accompanying Chance-authored story to boot. Really? 

The next thing I know, I'm driving to Kinkos, in the rain, in my pajamas, with my tank on E. Talk about a perfect storm of HOT MESS! Thankfully, no one in Columbus knows me or I would really be embarrassed.  As I took a couple of deep breaths and fought the traffic, I could hear sniffles in the background and see big blue watery eyes staring at me. Ah, I couldn't even fight this one. It was partly my fault anyway. So as Chance reminded me to text his teacher every 30 seconds, i agreed and like Nemo, I kept swimming.

Amongst this chaos, the project still got written and laminated, and we coasted to school on fumes.  However, the big Mom-payoff was when Chance told me how much he loved me and his paper. And as I watched him walk down the hall (albeit late, but thanks to Chance, his teacher had been informed via text), so very proud of his homework, what more could I ask for?!  After all, we raise our children to go after whatever it is in life they want regardless of what stands in their way. And that afternoon, when Chance came home and told me that they couldn't hang his picture up because it was laminated, I had to laugh. What made it even sweeter was that his teacher sent me an email telling me what a great child he was, caring and sweet, and that he always gives his best! 

So maybe I didn't get Chance to school on time, and maybe my "perfect" morning routine was shattered less than a month into the school year; I wouldn't have it any other way. Because in life, plan A rarely works, and in our house, we celebrate the moments when we surprise ourselves with a kickass plan B or plan C (or maybe even a plan K!) 

Cheers to the journey,
Brittany 

Beauty: Lost & Found...Taking the LOST out of FOUNDation

In my early twenties, my philosophy for finding foundation was similar to my philosophy for finding a man. (Although, I should use the term "man" loosely, since what I really ending up finding during that time period were pigs……but that's probably  a topic for another blog segment.) I've always been a sucker for marketing; a beautiful display case and a free gift gets me every time.  What can I say - I spent most of my early twenties broke, broken hearted and single.

Fast forward a few years, throw in a husband and a messy first grader, and I'm happy to say that I've figured out SOME things.  Things like:  a beauty product isn't going to move me up a full point on the hot or not scale, my husband will still love me with or without foundation, and what makes a product great is the product itself, not the beautiful model selling it.  And yes, sadly I now know that even if I buy a full case of the product…I'm never EVER going to look the model. And I'm finally ok with that. 

So, if you've ever felt Lost in the foundation aisle, let me save you some time and heartache. The next time you're on the hunt for foundation, I've found an awesome matte foundation from the drugstore, checked out one that one of the #RHOOC uses, and gave into watching an infomercial and bought their airbrush foundation. 

#1 Drugstore

NAME: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse 

COST: Drugstore $7.99-9.99

Pros: Great full coverage foundation and the fact that it's from a drugstore makes it even better! Not only will it hide a multitude of sin, but it won't break the bank. Low on face powder? Dream Matte Mousse has you covered. Work in TV? If your station isn't in HD, you'll love the smooth finish you'll have on camera. 

Cons: It's messy! I love the product BUT I hate the mess. 

( Yes, a part of me wanted have full force makeup on for the pictures...but I wanted it to be about the foundation only. Bring on the duck face selfies)

#2 Department Store

NAME MAC Studio Fix Fluid

COST:$26.00

PROS: Tamra Barney from the #RHOOC tweeted out that she uses MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation with MAC Mineralize powder, so of course I had to try it! I What I love about this foundation is the full coverage look without a full coverage fill. You'll love the healthy glow it gives you!   

CONS: if I could, I would use this foundation everyday but at 26 a pop, a full bottle wouldn't last me 5 weeks. 

Before & After

#3 Airbrush

NAME:Dynair

COST: $150.00 plus product $12-26

PROS:This product is expensive but it really works! From the self tanner to foundation, I haven't been disappointed in the product. It actually gives you a flawless look that pops of camera.  Dark circles, breakouts and even tattoos don't stand a chance with this product! Need a suntan? They have you covered too! 

CONS: Cost. Once you invest $150 in the machine, you pay anywhere from 12-26 for a bottle. I  can go through a bottle in less than a month, so I had to put myself on a Dynair budget. I've tried the off brands airbrush foundation but it just didn't cut it!  When I would use this product on TV, our viewers noticed! Sensitive skin? Make sure to wash your face right after, otherwise you'll break out!   

Before & After

Foundation is a lot like men, they come in many packages, some look great but bring out the worst in you, while others you thought you would hate,actually made you feel like a Queen!

Cheers to the journey,

Brittany Begley 

www.BrittanyBegley.com

Questions? Tweet me @BrittanyBegley

Love and the toilet paper roll -Brittany Begley

My husband and I have been through it all when it comes to our marriage but there was one thing we just couldn’t come to terms with….chores.

When we first got married, we had nothing.  I remember we spent our honeymoon on a road trip listening to a mixed CD, eating fried chicken and fantasizing about what we expected out of marriage. Sure, we knew it would be hard, but we were in our early twenties, and at that age you think you have the whole world figured out.

Fast forward five years later, throw in a dog, a preschooler, two careers and a house that always needs something cleaned, and you can say that our idea of marriage has completely changed.  In fact, a few months ago, I found myself in the bathroom seriously contemplating the state of our marriage…all because the toilet paper roll was not on the holder. I mean, it’s such a simple thing to do! 

Even though I was mad about the toilet paper, it was clear I was upset about something bigger, and that changes were necessary.

Maintaining a household is hard work.  Maintaining a household with a personal schedule virtually opposite from your spouse is even harder work.  Add in the stresses from bills, college loans and the like, and it’s easy to forget why you fell in love in the first place. 

I honestly believe this is what happened with my husband and me, until the fateful toilet roll day.  Our household was operating in shifts – I wake up super early to get to the station, my husband wakes up at a “normal” time, gets our son up and ready for preschool, drops him off and heads to his work.  I pick up our son from preschool, spend time with him, feed him dinner, at which time  my husband typically gets home.  I then head to bed early and my husband spends time with our son until it is his bedtime. 

In these “shifts” we run, we were “supposed” to do the household chores.  I felt like he never held up his end of the bargain in that department, and I’m sure in his view, he held a similar opinion about me.  Unfortunately, until recently, we never voiced our frustration with the other… just kept running our “shifts”.  Over time, our young love turned to resentment, and finally to outright anger.

So, as I stood in the bathroom staring at the toilet paper roll sitting on top of the toilet, I remember thinking I was tired of feeling like an unappreciated maid.  I resented the fact that I was spending my days off cleaning. It never seemed like it got anywhere… why was there ALWAYS something to clean?!  Wasn’t he supposed to help too? 

To me, I had more in common with the toilet paper roll than I did my husband; empty on the inside, unraveling on the outside and in this particular case, not attached to anything!  I clearly had enough.  I stormed towards the living room, smoke billowing from my ears, prepared to let him (and quite possibly our neighbors) know exactly how mad I was…

After fifteen or so minutes of shouting and playing the “blame game”, I found myself quite surprised that my husband felt the same way I did – unappreciated.  He brought up that fact that every time he would do a chore I would complain about the quality of work, even if I wasn’t willing to do the work myself at the time. 

He had a valid point; I DO complain when he does certain chores. I can’t stand it when my husband throws work clothes in the laundry with towels!  Ah, seriously, could you imagine if I were to report the traffic in a dress filled with lint and bleach spots! My husband, the Tyler Florence wanna be, would always find something wrong with my cooking.

So, we decided to split up the chores according to our “likes” and agreed  not to complain, unless the chore itself didn’t get done!

On that note, who wants to come home to an unhappy spouse complaining about the chores? I know I don’t. Plus, nothing kills the mood like the “chore list” conversation! So, we started using upsees.com. It’s a great way to keep track of the chores, plus,upsees.com does all the hard work for you by sending out reminder notes. Did I mention it’s free.!?

I’m not sure if my husband and I will ever figure “it” out but I take comfort in knowing that we are a team! In fact, my husband even proofed this article…..so, if there is a problem with the grammar…blame him!

LOL-Brittany 

Weight Loss: Brittany Begley's Skinny Smoothie

Brittany Begley's Skinny Smoothie: 

Enough with the dieting madness! STOP the never ending battle and START  drinking this healthy skinny smoothie! Not only does this smoothie taste great; it's a complete breakfast as well!  I promise, if you have this for breakfast, eat sensibly throughout the day, and start walking after dinner, you'll see progress in no time!




1 Cup of spinach
1 Cup of Greek yogurt
1 Cup of frozen berries
1 banana
Splash of OJ

So how are you ladies staying fit for the hot weather? 

Tweet me @BrittanyBegley