your face.

perhaps it's an early midlife crisis...or the fact that my ten year reunion is in less than two months but i've been freaking out about my skin lately. yes. seriously.

i'm trying to be prepared for further skin issues while attempting to maintain a youthful appearance to my skin. i'm also trying to learn the things that i can do and teach my girls early on so they'll know...and in a way i kinda feel like i'm cheating my girls since my mom was very sick and died when i was pretty young. i've had to do a lot of googling and a lot of asking other women in my life, like my grandmother(who passed away almost 6yrs ago), my aunts, my mother in law, skin care pro's etc. i want to be able to show my girls things and share in those mother moments with them that i wish i would have had with my mom but never got the chance.

so! in my effort to figure out how to best treat my skin...i've learned and am learning a lot of things that i can and should be doing with them. i've gotten some face wipes for the girls so that in the mornings when we are brushing our teeth together, they can get into the habit of washing their faces as well...which has been pretty fun because now they want to do face masks once a week with me too :). they've even enjoyed to sugar scrub in the shower to exfoliate the skin on their feet, hands, knees, and elbows - it smells like chocolate, what girl wouldn't love that?! i'm learning new things and trying to share them with my girls...they are so silly! they really enjoy the pampering of getting all lotioned up after bath time with a pretty smelling girly lotion. it's been fun and it seems to be a little of a stress reliever because instead of trying to get into what i'm doing, they have their own things that they can use and do what mommy is doing :).

and now to share with you what others have shared with me about some skin care products, remedies, etc - everyone's skin and body is different so what may work for you may not work for someone else, so before you give up, try a few different things...and you don't have to break the bank to do so:

under eye bags:

SLEEP
proper/balanced diet
hyrdration(drinking lots of water)
preparation h(no i'm not kidding) - rub a little under your eyes, my girlfriends swear by it!
tea bags(wet ones) - just rest them on your eyes for about 10-15 minutes at night before your nightly skin care regimen
spoons(yes weird i know) - stick them in the freezer 1-2 minutes and apply to eyes 10-15minutes
compress(hot and/or cold)
cold cucumbers - rest them on your eyes for about ten minutes, lying flat on your back
cold eye cream - keep your eye cream in the fridge
peppermint tea - put the dry tea bags on your eyes

clear/radiant skin:

SLEEP
proper/balanced diet
hydration(lots and lots of water)
good ole' soap and water
Mary Kay Timewise
Avon's version of ProActive
Cerave(dermatologists recommended)
Clinique
ProActive
Acutane
Neutrogena Oil Free Cleanser
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
AcneFree
Noxema
Clearasil
Arbonne
Beauticontrol
Aubrey Organics Sea Buckthorn bar soap(Dr Oz recommended)
Shakelee
Philosophy
Dermatologica

now I realize this is QUITE a list just for a daily skin care regimen for your face but like I said above, no two people have the exact same skin so what may work for you, may not work for someone else...this is a just a list compiled of some of my friends and their recommendations...some things i have used and some i have not...right now though, i am planning on giving several of these products a go and see what i like best and what works best for me and i will definitely report back to you on that one :) and if you are like me, you want to get in the habit of taking the best care possible of your skin!

detoxifying.

detoxification - beginning of week 1

i've given a lot of thought to doing a full system cleanse with my diet because i have lost almost 35lbs so far and seem to be at a stand still. so. i looked at several detox kits, etc...and i realized that i needed to detox myself in more than just one way...i need/ed a full system overhaul! and you get to come along with me for ride...this is the beginning of week 1! and all these are things that i want to implement with my daughters and so far they are having so much fun with it...they like being girly and getting pampered :)

stage 1- diet & exercise
*cutting out all fried food, all junk food, sodas
*only drinking water, milk and natural juices
*only eating fresh foods(when possible)
*1hr of cardio a day with weight/resistance training as well

stage 2 - skin care
*exfoliating & moisturizing daily
*weekly detox/cleansing/microdermabrasion treatment
*increase water intake

stage 3 - home
*household/housework schedule
*time with family

stage 4 - mental & emotional
*me time...and expressing the importance of me time to my girls...much reading will occur during this time i'm sure

stage 5 - relational
*being intentional with my friendships and all relationships in my life, family, friends, acquaintances, etc

stage 6 - learning
*to learn something new everyday...and to further explore all my interests be it learning a new song, a new cake to make, a new way to decorate something, a new fact about my camera/photography, etc

stage 7 - spiritual
*get in the Word...consistently because everyone needs their cup filled and this is the most important thing that we can pass on to our children...how to have a relationship with our Father
*increase living water intake

ps- today was a splurge day as i did indulge in lots of heavenly edible goodness at a bridal show with my dear friend Katie followed by the goodness that is known as Moe's...there is never a shortage of interesting things that happen when she and I are together for some reason and today was no exception! lol! but we def ended the day with a yummy splurge! so on to hitting it all hard core tomorrow morning!! won't you join me??

projects.

projects...i have several i am working on right now, so i thought i'd share a little with you...hope you enjoy!

i've been wanting for sometime now to paint my bedroom a very soft color... here are two that i'm deciding between...though i'm having quite a hard time determining which one i like better and which color will better serve it's purpose:

this kinda grey color...maybe a little paler grey than this, we'll see...

or something like this kinda pale aqua/turquoise color:

i'm also currently switching around my youngest daughter's bedroom to transition her from the crib to the big girl bed! this is the bedding she has...and i ADORE it! my *plan* is to paint her room a pale pink or green and paint the headboard and footboard pink...i think it will be LOVELY!! oh...and here are a few finds i've been meaning to do something with for some time now...and just for those of you who think you can't find anything good at goodwill...think again! the two mirrors($5 total) on the left and the chandelier($5) were all thrift store finds, as was the large piece of furniture($45!!! Seriously!!) and then the mirror on the far right was also a piece that i've had for a while, that i found on craigslist($15) and then the bottles($5 total), I found various places(antique stores, my sister's neighborhood, etc) - i've decided that these items have waited long enough and if i don't do something with them now, i will have no choice but to part with them...so i'm doing something with them! can't wait to share the progress of these projects with you!!

oh! and if you get bored...i *am* a full time photographer, and i'd love to take care of you!...so stop on by and check out my photography blog: ashleybrawnerphotography.blogspot.com and my side project, cake blog: simplychiccakes.blogspot.com

ashley moments.

ashley moments/pulling an ashley.

a term lovingly given by many of my family members for my foot-in-mouth moments.

aside from the fact that i *really* need to laugh at myself right now...

i've decided that maybe...just maybe...i'm not alone in my foot-in-mouth moments...so! i'm going to share some of the favorites and hope you'll share some of yours with me! i'd love to know that i'm not alone! soo...read! and enjoy! and don't forget to leave me some of your best foot-in-mouth moments!

*know what something means BEFORE yelling it around families at DISNEY*
so, we were on the boat for Tom Sawyer Island at Disney with my in-laws and it was very crowded...so i thought i'd be funny and said "don't drop the soap" followed by the weirdest looks i had seen all day, given to me, along with my father in law telling me to "shhhhhhhsh" - see i've always thought that meant that it was too crowded to lean down and pick up something if you dropped it...needless to say i was wrong and i quickly learned that!

*always check maps*
on a family trip to Kentucky, my in-laws told me there was a spot on the river that you could see across to other states, namely Missouri, well...I was convinced they were trying to pull one over on me(as the often do) and I explained to them that they were WAY wrong because Missouri was one of those square states up near Montana that you have to drive to PA to get too...I was *a little* wrong...In my defense though I was *very* pregnant!! and geography isn't my strongest subject

*check before sending*
i've been married for 8yrs and am very flirty and affectionate with my hubby...in an effort to be a little flirty I sent my hubby a private message to his cell phone from my phone (i had also been messaging with my mother in law). about ten minutes later i get a message from my mother in law "I don't think you really want to see that"...yeah...turns out i had given my MIL a VERY good laugh when she opened a message from me that said "be naked when i get home" - she posted this on facebook...yeah...she loves me...

*marines & nicknames*
i get pretty confident when i think i'm right about something...especially nicknames...and my father in law is a marine(not former, not ex...once a marine ALWAYS a marine, another lesson i had to learn)...marines are affectionately known as jarheads...yeah...apparently i misunderstood and in a conversation with my father in law, i, very matter-of-factly, called him a jughead...yeah, thats a comic, not a term for marines.

there are MANY more...but i'll leave those to the imagination for now ;)...i'd love to HEAR some of your "Ashley moments"

my kids are the best.

My kids have been making me laugh and smile a lot today...And I've needed it! So, I thought I would share a few of the things that they do that put a smile on my face and maybe it will bring a smile to your face too. I think that the stages that children go through are, in many ways, a gift from God. I know that even on my worst days, something is going to happen, with my kids, that is going to crack me up!!

A, my youngest love to dance, bounce around and clap to the theme from Hannah Montana and The Office. She will stop what she is doing and get to where she can dance, I kid you not, I plan to post a video of this soon.

K, my middle girl loves to sit on my lap and tell me how pretty I am.

M, my oldest loves to make things for me and create things.

A loves to climb all over me and lick my face.

K loves to cuddle right up against me as close as she can.

M loves for me to come outside and run with her.

A climbs up on me with a books and says "reee mee" (which is "read to me" in baby speak).

K says she wants to marry her best friend because she loves him and he's her best friend.

M thinks she is an expert at everything, drawing, applying make up, etc.

A is hungry ALL the time! She *loves* chocolate and goes to the pantry saying "eeeeat eat. eeeat eat."

K is soo sassy! She dances around and always goes to put dresses on and wants to wear heels a lot.

M used to go and ask for candy by pointing and saying "shimmeee shimmeeee"

A has started talking and using her own versions of words and I absolutely ADORE how she talks about things and talks to us...She even calls her daddy by his first name.

K has asked people to start calling her "Princess" instead of her birth name because she is a princess! She also quotes Anjelica Johnson's skit "beautiful nail" and "bon qui qui" - look them up if you don't know them... you won't be sorry.

M is so smart! She amazes me on a daily basis with the things that she knows how to do and take care of. She helps out with her little sisters so much and on Valentines Day, she made me breakfast in bed, toast and all!

What are some of your favorite things that your kids, nieces/nephews, etc do? I'd love to hear about them!!

age appropriate chores and chore charts.

So yesterday and today we have been discussing chores with our three children(8yr, 5yr, and almost 2yr). They decided they wanted to choose their own chores, which is fine with me, but in choosing their own chores they seem to be a little over eager. My 8yr old wants to cook dinner and lunch and breakfast and take out all the trash and my 5yr old wants to do some of the same stuff. Now, while I know that my 2yr old is incapable of doing the above mentioned things, I started wondering about what they should be doing at their respective ages...I don't want to be the parent that has her kids acting like adults. I want my girls to have fun, be responsible but still be able to enjoy being a kid.

I started thinking to myself, what are some things that they should be doing at their ages, above and beyond their homework, etc. AND in my efforts to not reinvent the wheel, I did a lot of googling...And I was in luck! I found some great sites that have age ranges and age appropriate chores, so I thought I would share these with you.
http://housekeeping.about.com/od/chorechart1/a/ageapprchores.htm
http://www.workingmom.com/age-guidelines.htm

I thought those two were great sites! And don't be afraid to use them either! My youngest, who will turn 2yrs old in September of this year, understands soo much at her age. We ask her to take stuff to the trash, bring us a diaper, wipes, her shoes, socks, etc and she knows exactly what we are talking about and does exactly what we ask. AND anytime she does this she gets super excited and claps saying "yay" each time...and I just think that's one of the cutest things ever! And they are never to young to instill good values and habits or to use positive reinforcement for a job well done!

What are some of your favorite ways to incorporate chores into your kids' daily life? How do you make it fun for them? How do you encourage them in their chores? What chores do you have your children of different ages doing?

snow day! yeah!!!

snow days in our town are VERY rare! so when it happens we tend to take lots of pictures...and this snow day happened to fall on my middle girls birthday(I can't believe she is already turning 5, time flies by WAY too fast!!) so she was excited because "God gave me the best birthday present ever, mommy" and that he did! school was canceled and it is 9:30pm and it's still snowing! we have made snow cream, soup, apple cider, oatmeal cookies, etc and have thoroughly enjoyed the day! my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces all were here to play and enjoy the day too! here are some of our photos from the day...hope you enjoy them!

snow angels and snow ball fights!

my house...covered in snow w/more snow falling as it gets darker

my sister Heather and I

Heather and I and our oldest girls

my birthday girl!!! she's five today!!

my precious niece!

my oldest daughter :)

the three musketeers :)