My Skin Care Journey, Part 1

{Blogged while skimming Labor Day sales and HOW IS It ALREADY LABOR DAY?!} I am so excited to share this post, because I believe it will resonate with everyone, especially mamas. Today, I am going to talk to you about skin, and more specifically, YOUR skin. Beautiful, clear, blemish-free skin is something we all aspire to have. We know that to achieve this requires at least some work on our part- as much hydration as possible, the least amount of sunscreen-less exposure as possible, healthy eating, and plenty of sleep. It also needs the right skin care products and the right skin treatments. For me (and I have written about this before), the past two years since I started this law firm have passed in a blur. To say my 24 hour days are stretched to capacity is an understatement. I simply don’t have the time for skin care treatments- or so I thought. Last Friday, I finally did something for myself- I put the to-do list away, the out-of-office on, I carved out 90 minutes or so in the late afternoon and I went to Dr. Anzaldo’s office. When I walked in the door, I was immediately welcomed into an inviting Gray-Malin-photo covered oasis. The decor is fabulous, but the people are even better. This is not a place where you are hustled in and out as fast as possible. This is a place where you are listened to and heard. Like all of us, I have been to a ton of spas and doctor’s offices and I can honestly say that this place feels different. Dr. Anzaldo’s office is different. On my first visit, I felt like the people there were family, and wanted to help me achieve my skin care goals.

For me, I have always shied away from make-up (except for lipgloss and mascara) and instead, focused on good skin care. I try to use quality serums and treatments pretty much religiously. Even so, my face has those little patches of sun damage that even good skin care and sunscreen can’t reverse. Fortunately, Dr. Anzaldo’s office has the cure— an IPL laser (or Intense Pulsed Light). This is a light therapy procedure designed to reduce the look of sun damage and restore your skin’s lost radiance. IPL has been proven to provide a dramatic improvement in the appearance by lightening freckles, fading age spots, reducing areas of sun damage, and redness. Plus, it retextures your skin...WOW! I have never had one of these before (truthfully, I’ve only ever had facials) and I was a little (ok, a little more than a little) apprehensive but guess what? Its a breeze. The laser is performed in a 3 part process with each process utilizing a different laser attachment and getting progressively warmer. None of it actually hurts (and in full disclosure, I only left the numbing cream on for maybe 15 minutes because I cant stand to just sit still, but I bet if I left it on for the full 30 minutes I wouldn’t have felt a thing!)

I am seven days out and you cant even tell I’ve had it. The whole process from start to finish was around an hour and 45 minutes but that included a little numbing cream to start and a little shot of Dysport to end. I will do two more treatments spaced 30 days apart and voila- that’s it! I will come back and repeat it every 6 months or as needed.

I also left with new products from Skin Better, which I will review in my next post. All in all, my take away from my initial treatment was this:

• I don’t make the time that I should for myself and this was the perfect way to jump start my self-care;

• Investing in our skin is such a wise thing to do and this IPL Laser is amazing;

• Finding a place like Dr. Anzaldo’s office— a place that focuses on women’s well being, from the outside in— has been the biggest blessing.

I cant wait to take this journey with you! Thank you for following along! Sweetly, Michelle

PS- These photos are courtesy of @bleudogfotography

PSS- Give @dranzaldo a peek on Instagram. I promise you won’t regret it.

This is one of the cute treatment rooms!

See the cute art work and yes, indeed. You. Look. Good.

These are the Befores! Stay tuned for the Afters!

Let me give you some sage advice— listen to your aesthetician, especially if she is manning a laser. Leave the numbing cream on for the ENTIRE recommended time!!

Me, the numbing cream and some cute flamingos!

Dr. Anzaldo’s office is so thorough; carefully documenting each skin condition and concern, answering every question patiently and thoughtfully before we started. Also, these photos are courtesy of the wonderful Shawna Henrie @bleudogfotography

This was after one pass of the laser- you can see some red spots kind of jumping out but it really wasn’t bad at all.

Beautiful skin in progress…

Okay, this is me in the elevator, immediately after all 3 lasers, no makeup, no filter, and only aloe-vera on my face because it feels like a slight sunburn. I was pink but only slightly and within a few hours, the hotness on my face went away!!

County Fair Fabulousness

I had a few signs made that I distributed around the party on little easels...

{Blogged while trial prepping, and planning Hudson’s third birthday!} I had this post written within a few weeks of Hudson’s first birthday party and I cant even remember why I never pushed post on this. (This is a standard occurrence in my world. For every blog post that actually goes live, there are dozens that sit in draft as I hum and haw over them). Let me tell you a new mantra I’ve adopted- good enough is #goodenough. Whatever I wanted to tweak with this thing is staying as is. If a few more years of being a mom has impressed anything upon me, its that the extra time we need for whatever we think we need it for is never going to materialize. After this, I will post about his second birthday (cowboy giddy up!) and his party that I am holding near the end of August (choo choo trains). And remember- I love to party plan-its my (rare) creative release. But you don’t need anything besides a big hug to let the people in your life know what they mean to you I loved this party so much that I wanted to post about it, especially if it can inspire any other mamas who are party planning!!! So, without further ado, here we go!

A  very big deal occurred  in our little family...Hudson had his first birthday!  If you are a parent, you know how this milestone feels.  It's the culmination of a years worth of sleepless nights and worry and hope and pride and pure shining joy, all rolled up into one celebration!  I want my family and friends around me whenever I can and so for Huds party, I knew the guest list would be long.   I start thinking about parties around six-months in advance and since Huds is a summer baby (my daughter's birthday is in February, completely precluding outside parties) - I knew I wanted to take full advantage of our beautiful weather.  I wanted a BBQ type feeling and that led me to a County Fair theme.  Please know that I  KNOW I am a lunatic about birthday parties.  Does any child need all of this hoopla or over-the-top celebration? Of course not.  And my husband and I spend a lot of time as parents trying to teach humility and graciousness and gratitude all throughout the year. But dang it, if I can turn any event into a party, I sure as heck will and there is no better excuse than a first birthday, amiright?

 At the time I was planning this party, there were other REALLY big things going on in my life that took up  pretty much all of my time (i.e., I was opening my own law firm!)  and I knew I wouldn't be able to give this party my usual care and attention.  My mom is my party-planning side-kick and so she jumped in to help!  We also used an AMAZING party crafter who will basically listen to your ideas and help execute them.  I don't know why but party planning is really a passion of mine and it's fun!  For months, my mom and I work together on the details and then the day of the party, my (kind, super understanding, indulgent to my whim) friends and family come to help set it all up and it becomes just a really fun time.   When I am thinking about any kind of get together, I really want to create an amazing experience for our guests-- little details and treats and fun.  Hudson's first birthday was an absolute joy for us and I hope it was for everyone who attended!  

This dessert table was the focal point of the room and it was so cute! I had everything on there I could think of that that was fair-related-- mini apple pies, whoppee pies, donuts, soft-pretzels, sugar-cookies, cupcakes, candy, caramel apples, and the yummy cake!

Here we are with the birthday boy and my sweet mama!

These beautiful mamas are so wonderful!

Huds wanted to get down and play with the animals at the petting zoo ( I was afraid he would just eat the hay!) Also, matchy matchy foreevvaaaa!

Seriously, how cute are these cookies?? My go-to for all things dessert related is @societysweets.

I had big rubber stamps made and I used them on the bags and on the favor boxes- such an easy way to personalize and tie in the details.

Lots of good old fashioned games to play!

I LOVE baby horses!

Some of my very favorite faces in the whole world!

Let me tell you, he didn't just use his hands- this baby boy LUNGED for that sugar! Atta boy Huddy! Mama is so proud!

My beauties!!!!

Umm, tiny applie pies, glazed donuts and candy apples? Yesssss!

Our goodie bags were actually homemade apple pies that everyone took with them (in full disclosure, made in someone else’s home but still!) :)

This theme was just too cute!

These are pictures of Huds on little foam backers- such a cute idea!

Love all of our friends and neighbors who came to celebrate my sweet boy.

I mean…:)

My children are so lucky to have their GiGi!

Tips to Cope When Life Gets Crazy + What's on My Mind

{Blogged with hot tea, Kleenex and the flu}  Life is crazy for me right now, although I imagine this post could be written by any of us.  It is not just one part of my life either— its like everything is going bonkers all at once.  At home, poor Huddy has pneumonia, which is the most awful thing, but because this boy is an absolute angel, it is a lot easier than it could be. He doesn’t complain (EVER), he takes his medicine every time I ask him to and it looks like its going to be okay. You mamas know that there is nothing worse than having to stand helplessly by, knowing our children are sick, but I am hoping in the next week, he will be back to normal.  What won’t be back to normal in a week is my poor hubby.  In May 2017, he had spine surgery.  This surgery was the culmination of 5 intense weeks of extreme, debilitating pain for him, radiating down his neck and left arm, surgeons trying to schedule his procedure, us looking for any alternative to surgery…and unfortunately,  its back.  This time, its his lower back. We are hot on the trail for alternate treatments but  sometimes, when nerve pain is involved, the choices are limited.  On top of this, work is bananas.  I talk about this sometimes on Instagram but the past 15 months or so since leaving my old firm to start my own have been crazy. Like,  non-stop work and while the opportunities are exhilarating,  it is just a lot of dang work!  When life gets extra crazy for me (I also have in the mix Addison’s birthday party planning, family from Chicago coming into town later this week, and girl scout cookie sales. AND I have a cold!) here is what I do to keep sane (and I would love to hear your tips):

Try to grab silence whenever I can. I will forgo phone calls in the car on my way into the office for just blessed…silence.  Maybe I listen to a podcast, maybe just music but for 25 minutes I am wrapped in a solo cocoon and its nice.

Keep copious lists.  I go from old school hand-written lists to Wunderlist (my fave list app) and between them all, I keep everything in mind and it gets done. I think this will depend on your personality, but I tend to fill my plate to overflowing at times, and I don’t say no. I just acknowledge that it will be a rough week/month, whatever, and that realization seems to help. I know the super hard times won’t last forever,  and I just put my head down and push through.

Take baths.  Before kids, I took a bath every night; me, bubbles and a good book. Now, baths are somewhat of a luxury but when it’s crazy, I find even 10 quick minutes in a hot bath, with or without a book, helps. It’s warm, it’s quiet and it’s a stress reliever in some weird way.

I don’t think there is any magic answer for us when times are crazy but managing the crazy is key.  At the end of the day, we will get through it and as long as everyone is healthy and happy, life is just fine, right?! What are some things you do? I would love to hear from you!!

What’s on My Mind: Here are the things I’m currently obsessed with:

1. This book. I just finished it and I’m on the hunt for something new!

2. Anything that is true crime related. (Making a Murderer got us hooked!) We just finished this and this and they were SOOO good!  We are right in the middle of The Innocent Man.

3. Home design.  We want to move (I’ve been saying this forever- our neighbors and our street are just so wonderful that it makes us lazy house lookers.  When THE perfect house comes along, we’ll jump)  but until we do, I want to remodel certain parts of our home to make it appealing (to me and the future owner).  I am knee deep in house stuff and looking for a wall where I can paste this.

4. This mask. Its reasonably priced, and it gives me a rosy, fresh look without any makeup. I use a mask every time I shower and I love this one because its has some texture to exfoliate, too.

5. Blue light rays and standing desks.  I read someplace that sitting is the new smoking. Yikes! So, I ordered this for work and while I was at it, a pair of these too.  (They are from a women owned company, which is pretty awesome)!

6. Sunny destinations. We have our annual Maui trip in October and a few Palm Springs trips booked, but I want to add one more kind of close by, 3-day vacay, like maybe here.

   I remind myself that in the end, everything is going to be okay and you know why? Because it WILL! Thank you so much for stopping by- Sweetly, Michelle

January Check Up

{Blogged over Thin Mints. Because it’s that time} I figured this was a good opportunity to check in and see where we are with our resolutions/ goals/ intentions/ whatever they are called! I am feeling pretty good about 2018, month one (the rest of the year might turn into a disaster, so I’m not getting too gloaty here!) For a little refresher on my goals, go here.  So far I have:

-Tried an escape room (So so SO fun!!!) I went with me and my hubby for a date night but we have several others planned with friends.  My husband and I love any and all games and this was right up our alley. Totally addicting and challenging (and humbling!) Try one (and if you live in Orange County, message me and I will tell you all about the one we went to! They were wonderful!)

- Spent almost every weekend outside (thank you, CA weather!) at new parks. We’ve spent time at the Great Park (in Irvine), at two parks in San Juan and it’s been great.  Anyone with children knows that the best thing for them is to get outside. We’ve packed lunches and dinners and just let them run around on the grass, play on swings, night swim—and it’s been  wonderful.  We are not taking this fabulous weather for granted one bit!

-Traded out paper towels for cloth towels. I know, it’s not much but it’s a start for us.  Kids make everything super messy  and we can easily go through a paper towel roll (or two!) a day. Now, we are trying to be very good at  drying our hands, drying dishes, and wiping the counters with a cloth towel.   With all of the germs floating around lately,  I have been washing the towels non-stop but it is working out so far!   I hope to make one small change a month and by the years end, it will make a much bigger impact! Next month: cloth napkins for everyday!! 

-  Focusing on my kids when I get home. I have been diligent about putting my phone down and just concentrating on them for the short time I have before they go to sleep.  For me, my weekdays are a little bit of time with the kids in the morning over breakfast and then the absolute tornado of dinner/baths/bedtime at night.  Its not nearly enough, and it sometimes really gets to me, how fast life moves and how weeks turn into months.  It makes me sad to be away from them so much, but  I try not to dwell on it and just focus on the joy of the moment.    So far, its working! 

-Tried an at home work out video.  I have only done a few so far, and it’s been so-so. I am a runner at heart, but I’m struggling to find the time. For any kind of exercise.  I’ve started to do videos after the kids go to sleep, and I think if I stick with this, it will be because I find good ones! I will let you know what I find-- and I'd love to hear your favorites too!

How are you all doing with your resolutions?  I would love to hear from you and hang in there! Sweetly, Michelle