34 things I have learned

Today I turn 34. Strange thing about aging is that you never think of yourself as old. (as long as there are people older than you! haha!) I remember when I was younger thinking that 25 was so old, and that was when you were a "real adult". Today, I'm still waiting to feel like a "real adult". 

so today as I reflect I thought I would share 34 things I have learned through the years. 

1. Love multiplies when you give it away

2. You will never regret doing the right thing

3. People can change, no matter how long they (or you) have been that way

4. Forgiveness is a process, not a one time deal

5. It's never too late to try something new

6. It takes a lot more energy to be a grumpy pants than just get over it

7. I should have started flossing sooner

8. Everyone has something contribute. EVERYONE.

9. Hurt people, hurt people

10. It's impossible for a mom to finish a cup of coffee on the first round

11. Every woman just wants to feel beautiful

12. Good friends are hard to come by, so treat the ones you have well.

13. No mom has it together.

14. There are good men out there

15. Kids need boundaries

16. Taking care of yourself helps you take care of others better

17. If you are wrong, apologize. even if they are 4 years old

18. Everyone wants to be loved...no matter how hardcore they are

19. God's plans are always better than mine

20. Surround yourself with dreamers and doers

21. Be happy when others succeed

22. Chocolate is gooooood

23. Love is a choice. You can't always trust your feelings.

24. Being a gracious receiver, blesses the giver

25. A clean house is overrated

26. It's ok to try on 15 outfits before you walk out the door. If you feel good, you'll feel confident all day. If you don't, you'll feel like frump master flex all day.

27. Don't compare yourself to others...you'll never win. accept and love who you are

28. Every doctor has their own opinion. 

29. Allow people to make mistakes. You're not perfect either

30. Sometimes, all you need is a hug

31. If you have poopie attitude, flush it. Don't spread it. (wise words from my 4 year old)

32. Think the best of people. 

33. Be teachable, correctable and humble.

34. Remember that you, along with everyone else, are a work in progress.

Hope you all have a beautiful day!

Fabkids.com Holiday Picks!

fabkids is a monthly subscription for kids 2-12 years old. Every month for $39.95 you get a new outfit with 3 items you choose!

These are the outfits I picked for my holiday outfits. I just love the quality and that I can get outfits that "match" each other without being exactly the same! love them!

Holiday Print Dress 

Shining Holiday Outfit

Square Dot Pop Outfit

(excuse the no shoes. I am eternally searching for this boys shoes. I find them, turn around and they've mysteriously flown off of his feet!)

I absolutely love every outfit! The quality is amazing and am so pleased at the fit of each outfit as well.

love my fabkids!

Fingertip Friday

I decided to share my nails of the week on Fridays now for "fingertip friday"! 

Orly: Luxe

Sally Hansen Triple Shine: Oyster Bar

Sally Hansen Triple Shine: Flame On

Bright Red Hair in One Step!

 A lot of people want to dye their hair bright red, but don't quite know how to achieve it without bleaching it first. I discovered this hair dye a couple of years back and totally love it. 

No pre-lightening required!

I purchased these at Sally's (you can use vol 20,30, or 40...I just had 40 on hand)

This hair dye is made for dark hair, so I am not sure how it would work on blonde.

1. mix dye and developer

2.start at the ends of your hair (the hair by the roots will dye much faster and lighter so I do it last)

3. move your way up to the roots

4. cover in cling wrap

wait and watch it progress. once it is the color you want, rinse!

Everyone's hair dyes different, so I usually watch and rinse when it is the color I want. Red fades very quickly so you may have to re-apply quite frequently. When I had my hair red, after I achieved the lightness and brightness I wanted I would add manic panic every 2 weeks to brighten up the red without lifting more. If your hair grows quickly, you will have to re-dye your roots more frequently.

I would recommend washing hair less frequently and using a sulfate free shampoo :)

Yummy Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli

I made this beef and broccoli yesterday and the kids just ate it up! anything that I like and the kids like is a big win-win for me!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of beef chuck roast sliced thin (the kind packaged for marinating or carne asada is perfect)

1 cup beef broth

1/2 oyster sauce (look in the asian food aisle)

1 lb of fresh broccoli florets

2 tbs cornstarch

Steamed rice ( I like jasmine because it smells so good cooking!)

1. cut up beef into strips or bite size for your little ones

2. pour oyster sauce and beef broth over the beef, toss beef around to make sure all the sauce is covering it

4. cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours

5. steam broccoli florets, if you do not have a steamer you can put in the microwave in a bowl with 1/4 cup of water for 4-5 minutes

6. scoop out the juices from crockpot ( broth/oystersauce and meat)into a bowl and add 2 tbs of cornstarch and stir

7. pour back into the crockpot

8. add broccoli and continue cooking on High uncovered for 15 minutes

serve with rice and enjoy!

Dressember: A dress a day to stop human trafficking

Wear a dress a day in december and share it with #dressember2013 and for me #alittleaboutalot

100% of the proceeds go to International Justice Mission:

"Today, over 27 million men, women, and children are trapped in slavery. That's more people than the entire course of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The mission of Dressember is to put a stop to one of the greatest social injustices of our time. Dressember participants wear dresses every day during the month of December to celebrate the freedom of beauty and femininity that they're allowed, and to raise awareness and funds on behalf of those who aren't free to live vibrant, autonomous lives. One hundred percent of the funds raised during Dressember will go directly to International Justice Mission, a human rights organization that has worked tirelessly for over 15 years to bring rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and violent oppression. Together, we can make a lasting global impact."

I would love to see as many of you get involved with this as possible. Whether you wear a dress, donate, sponsor or spread the word!

to donate:

http://www.ijmfreedommaker.org/account/6625/Jeannie-alittleaboutalot

follow me on Instagram to see my dresses in December! >> button on the right!

Memebox: the first Korean beauty box in the U.S!

ooooh girl! 2 things I love. beauty boxes and Korean beauty products...all wrapped into one!

This is an exclusive sneak peak into the new memebox that is now available in the U.S!

This is not a monthly subscription box. You purchase it when you want it... When you sign up on their website, once a box is available they will notify you of availability. 

The beauty box retails for $21 and are now available on their website. That is an awesome price to try some new beauty products you normally wouldn't be aware of here in the U.S!

If you aren't interested in the beauty box, but like korean cosmetics there is a full online beauty store where you can buy stuff like normal.

In this beauty box 5 out of the 7 products were full size products!

wahoo!!

To see a full review and what's inside, watch the video below. If you like what you see head on over to their website and order one now!

memeboxusa.com

November Ipsy Bag

Ipsy is a monthly beauty bag that come with sample and full size beauty products every month for just $10! wahoo! It's a little present I send myself. haha!

To subscribe: >>> ipsy.com <<<

Today's Tidbit: Take a deep breath!!

This morning my 4 year old son said "when someone gives you a poopie attitude, don't give your poopie attitude to someone else. FLUSH IT!"

what a wise little man.

FabKids November Picks for Ages 6, 4, 2

aaahhhh! So the rest of the outfits arrived today and I could not wait to get them on and take some pictures. If anything I love that these cute outfits give me an excuse to take pictures of my kiddos!

These are my November picks for my kids. If you didn't see the previous post, FabKids is a monthly subscription box where you receive one outfit (3 pieces) a month for $39.95

You fill out a style questionnaire but you can pick the outfit you want for the month.

There are different categories and style so you can definitely find something that suits your taste. My problem was picking... They are all so cute!

For sizing:

My oldest daughter usually wears a 6 Long or 7 she is super tall and skinny. I ordered her outfit in a L.

My son usually wears a 5/6 and I ordered his outfit in a M. I may go a size smaller next month.

My little girl just started wearing a 2t/24m and this outfit is in a XXS

When you sign up you will receive that month's outfits to pick from on the 1st of the month. You have 10 days to pick or skip that month if you don't find something  you like (which I personally think would be impossible!) 

www.fabkids.com

I cannot say enough. Love every outfit!

*These amazing outfits were graciously provided by FabKids

FabKids November: London Calling/Wild Hearts

aaahhh!! Hi everyone! I'm so excited about this post! have you heard of fabkids?

Fabkids is a monthly clothing subscription box for ages/sizes 2-12 years old. 

New outfit selections are e-mailed to you and are available

on the first of every month. You have 10 days to either select an outfit or skip that month if you don't see anything you like and you can cancel any time.

It is $39.95/month for one outfit (3 pieces)

or 8 Pieces for $99.95

Each month their are different categories for boys and girls. For November the categories were:

Perfectly Prep. Girly Grunge. London Calling. Rock On.

The outfit I chose was from the London Calling Line

Wild Hearts Outfit

Isn't it adorable? Very Gwen Stefani-ish. I just love it. It also came with a pair of striped navy and white  legging/pants. The hardest part is trying to pick an outfit! There are seriously so many cute choices and styles!

Join now and get $20 off your first outfit!

www.fabkids.com

Sally Hansen Triple Shine Polishes

Hello gorgeous! Pictures do not do these polishes justice. If you haven't seen these in purpose, next time you're at the drugstore, Target or Ulta look for them. Droooool.

There are 3 types of colors and 29 shades, yes 29!! (happens to be my favorite number!)

There are solid color shades: super opaque bold colors 

shiny/lustre shades: that remind me of an oil slick because they change color by angle 

glitter shades: some are super sparkly metallic while others are more chunky glitter (remind me of the glitter that comes with the revlon polishes with glitter on one end)

The polish applies super smooth and the applicator is flat and rounded like the Complete Salon Manicure polishes. So they go on smooth and luxurious!

The finish is like a gel polish. Super shiny. Dries surprisingly fast too!!

These retail for about $5.00 and have already become some of my favorite polishes!

NYX Wonder Pencils

NYX Wonder Pencils in Light, Medium, and Dark.

You can use them as spot concealer, eye brightener or a reverse lipliner to keep your lipstick from bleeding! I love the creamy formula, easy to blend and apply.

I am an NC 30 and the medium works perfect as a concealer and I use the light in my lower waterline to brighten my eyes and under my eyebrows as a highlight!

Too Blessed to be Stressed

I am by nature a high-stress, anxiety stricken, over thinking, hypersensitive, emotional woman.

It's something that I have always struggled with, since childhood. Needless to say it presents itself every day in every situation. I always thought it was just something that  was a part of who I was...and I, along with anyone who was near me, just simply had to deal with. 

I had an enlightening moment not that long ago. As long as I accept that it was a part of me and I couldn't break up with it... it was going to ruin family vacations, fun events, birthday parties, moments with my children and communication with my husband. Then I thought, I can't live like this. I have to change. 

Me and stress, we need to break up.

It's hard to re-wire yourself to think in a way you've never thought before and to go against what seems normal and natural.  I started noticing people around me who didn't seem to get so uptight, high strung and worked up over things. They had a lot in common. They laughed a lot, they let things roll off their shoulders... really, they didn't make anything a big deal. what?! to me EVERYTHING was a big deal. From socks left on the ground, to garbage not taken out... everything was infuriating to me. Why didn't everyone see the urgency and importance of everything I did? I noticed throughout the day all these little things built up and built up. I could feel my blood pressure rising. 

when I had this "enlightened" moment I realized, all those things, they don't matter. People matter. My relationship with my kids matter. The state of my marriage matters. Those "things" don't matter. 

What is the point of having a perfectly packed suitcase with nothing missing if I'm chewing out my husband or snapping at my kids in the process. Ruins the point of a nice family getaway doesn't it?

So now when I wake up in the morning I try to take a moment. An extra moment if I wake up grouchy, and I breathe. Deep breaths. Close my eyes and Thank God for all He has given me. I tell myself, nothing is a big deal. Choose happiness. Choose joy. Choose love. Nothing is a big deal. Relax. 

I tell myself this repeatedly throughout the day. Relax. It's not a big deal. Don't hurt your kids heart or your husband's feelings simply because YOU are stressed. Laundry can wait, dishes can be dirty... you can be late... THEY matter.

Do I still feel stress? yes. Do I feel the anxiety creeping in and the frustration build? yes. But I'm aware of it now. As long as I'm aware of it, I have a better chance of fighting it. 

Light a scented candle. Play some uplifting music. Dance for a second with your kids. STOP what you're doing, listen to what your kids are telling you. Give your husband a hug. smile. laugh...nothing is THAT big of a deal.

I am blessed. I am thankful. I choose joy.

China Glaze Holiday Polishes

I love everything about the holidays, and nails are no exception!

I love that they included some purples and blues (instead of just traditional green and red for Christmas)

From left to right:

Just Be-Claws: a gorgeous red shimmer

Mingle with Kringle: Beautiful champagne/gold shimmer

 I know its an oxymoron, but the next two are a matte glitter. 

Put a Bow on It: Amythest matte dense glitter

All Wrapped Up: Royal/navy blue matte dense glitter

Be Merry Be Bright: Royal blue & Fuschia Glitter with different sized glitter

There's Snow One like You: Textured white, looks like snow!