Oil of Olay

Ever since I was a sophmore in high school, I have been using the same face products. So far so good, as they seem to be doing the job ok. I am starting to develop some fine lines around the eyes, laugh lines around the mouth..and what is that, ...oh ya, frown lines right between my eyes;) I tend to be a bit of a boring person, using the same stuff for years and years, but I say, if it's not broken...you get the idea.

So, today I thought I would highlight was has been working for me, and guess what? It's cheap!

As soon as you are able, you should start some kind of daily face washing/lotioning routine for the morning and evening. Never, I repeat NEVER sleep with your make-up on. It will clog your
pores, cause acne, and leave your skin looking dull.



First, I use Oil of Olay Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin. There is also an option for regular skin, but I am a bit on the pale side, and I tend to be pretty sensitive when it comes to cleansers. After I use this product, my skin always feels clean and fresh but never tight. I really dislike that tight, what I call "starchy" feeling that some cleansers do to my skin. This product sells for $3.97 at WalMart, now..you can't beat that price for the quality of the product

Next, I use Olay Complete moisture cream for sensitive skin with a SPF of 15. It is very important that any face lotion you decide to use has sunscreen incorporated into it. Protecting your skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun will help prevent skin cancer, plus, it helps to keep your face from burning. This is especially important if you are fair skinned like myself. Believe me, I have had my share of facial sunburns, and let me tell you, it is not fun! When I use this product, I can go out all day long with my boys on a very sunny day, and my face will barely feel like it has been exposed to the sun at all. Also, while it is a bit on the thicker side, as it is a cream, it does not feel heavy on my face, nor does it make my face feel greasy. It dries fast, which is a plus especially if you apply make-up right after applying face lotion. This face lotion retails for $6.97 at WalMart

Then, about once or twice a week, I use Olay Dual Action Exfoliator. I would suggest to only use this once a week if your skin is extrememly senstive. This cleanser has tiny scrubbing beads that gently smooths away dead skin that a normal cleaner might leave behind. After using this, my face feels smoother, and I have noticed that my make-up goes on easier! This is a relatively new Oil of Olay product, so I do not have the past relationship with it as I do with the above mentioned products. Though, so far, I am loving it! You can get this for $6.27 at WalMart, and I do suggest you buy it in-store, as it is almost a whole dollor more on Walmart.com.

Overall, I really love my Oil of Olay products! I have tried many other store brand face cleansers and lotions, and for a short time many years ago, I paid for some extremely over-priced Clinque face products. In my opinion, Clinque wasn't any better than my trusty Oil of Olay, plus it was too much money to pay out every month especially as a mom with four boys! I need to be practical when it comes to the products I put my money into, because let's face it, having kids is expensive!

Last thing, more importantly than what product you decide to use, begin a daily/nightly face cleansing/lotioning routine now, if you haven't already! With the stress of taking care of your family, it's sometimes easy to forget to give yourself a little extra time two times a day, but in the end, it will pay off! Just think, some day, your kids' friends might come over and confuse you for an older sister;)

Why Having Kids Close Together Is Good For Them But Not For You!

Some might think that having children back to back is silly or crazy, but in reality, for my family, it turned out to be a very surprising blessing! Jeff and I did not set out to have our kids so close together, we got a surprise when Blaine was 6 months old and Jacob was on his way! They are about 14 months apart, and they are the very best of friends.


So when we decided to go for #3, I knew I didn't want to wait too long because the bond is just incredible the closer they are. Ok, so fast forward, Quinn is born, we have three little guys, we feel as if our family is complete, and we decide to wrap up the baby making. A month goes by, I'm exhausted caring for all three of the boys, but I'm hanging in there because I know the light is around the corner..just a couple more months and Quinn would be sleeping better, be on a better schedule, etc. Then comes month two, and I feel a twinge in my breast. Yes, a twinge...I do believe it was in the left, if you're really interested. I freaked out! I just knew ....and boy was I right, I was pregnant AGAIN! Right after I got the flaming positive, I raced to my computer, plugged the dates into my favorite baby website to give me a due date. July 09. Wait, I just had a baby in Aug 08...I knew everyone was going to have a great ole time with this one..not only was I going to be having another baby, but I was going to be having another baby before my newest baby would turn 1. Ha! So, the age differences between my little guys are, Blaine: March 05-he is 5, Jacob: May 06-he is 3.5, Quinn: Aug 08-he is 19 months, and rounding out foursom, Noah: July 09-8 months! I know, impressive right. I was literally pregnant for like 5 years!

Ok, now the reason I believe, in the end, having my boys so close is wonderful deals with the simple fact that they are all built-in bestfriends. They will experience their lives together in such close proximity! They play together, they talk with each other, they help each other, they use each other as punching bags, and they are never alone, there is always something to do and they will have that forever! Now, you could be thinking that any family with more than one child has those qualities, but if you watch siblings that are very close in age, you can tell they have a special bond. My boys will never know a time without each other because they were too young! Blaine and Jacob do not like to be separated, and when they are, they ask for each other. When the two older boys are in preschool a couple of mornings a week, Quinn is completely lost and roams the house because he's looking for his brothers! I can already tell that Noah is catching onto the action, as he can now crawl and follows the older three wherever they go in the house! It is a sweet sight to see them all playing together. I am so glad that God knew better than me and gave me my precious boys so close together because I do feel that their bonds are stronger and will remain such for their whole lives.

Ok, flipside: Being pregnant so many times in such a short amount of time is hard on a woman's body! Hormones are constantly raging, and they never have a chance to calm down. For example, I have had patches of my hair actually fall out from the root after I've delivered every one of my children. And, of course, it's always right in the front of my head, right at my hairline. These hairs then grow back from the root, sticking straight up, and they are uncontrollable. Ok, so that's one negative. Physically, being pregnant and taking care of little ones is very taxing on the body! Giving my three older boys a bath when I was pregnant with Noah put me in tears because it hurt my back so much. Then, with each pregnancy, you are more uncomfortable than the one before. I got to the point with each one where I felt trapped! You are stuck walking around with this big watermelon sticking out in the front of you, ..you can't bend over, you can barely lift your children, heck, walking is a challange! I had trouble getting comfortable, I couldn't sleep, I was sore, stretched, grouchy, hot (two late summer pregnancies in a row will do that to a girl), ..my bladder was crushed every second of the day, my lungs were pushed up into my throat, which made breathing difficult...but, the show must go on as I still had to take care of my other children! Also, in my case, with each child, I went into labor sooner than the one before. Blaine lasted until 39wks 1 day, Jacob came 39wks exactly, Quinn came 2 weeks early, and Noah came exactly 3 weeks early and was born when I was just barely 37wks along. When it comes to pre-term labor, things can get scary for mom and baby. It is a bit traumatizing to have a fast labor and deliver (that's a whole other story for another time). Not to mention, the earlier the baby comes, the more complications arise.

Me, May'09 Pregnant with my fourth son, Noah. He came July 2, '09. I had to endure two more months of that basketball killing my back..ya, safe to say, I was pretty miserable at that point.

Overall, if you are thinking about having children close together, weigh the pros and cons. Is having a close knit bunch of children more important to you than the extra discomfort you might feel by having pregnancies so close together? For me, the answer is yes. Though, I do caution you to take extremely good care of yourself, as you will need the extra stregnth to make it through..not only physically, but mentally and emotionally too!