SPRING BREAK!

I'm baaaaaack! I knew I wouldn't get the chance to blog much over Spring Break and I sure didn't get to once. It was a very busy break. 


Lent Challenge
I am still reading my Bible passages daily as part of what I am adding in to my Lent time. I also continue to read my first5 passages daily as well. I really love daily devotional time and feel very connected to God.

I am also still on my social media detox. I don't use Facebook or Instagram right now. Some things I have done in place of wasting that time: cooked, spent more time with Landry, gone outside more, worked out, read a book over the break, spent time with my husband, watched several movies.....just had more time where I am not distracted by other people's lives and I actually get to live mine. I honestly don't miss it. It isn't as hard as I thought. I know I won't completely stay off of it forever, but I do know my time with it will change drastically after the Lent season is over. I am still determining what that will look like, but I will be talking about it soon.


A couple of topics that I will be writing about this week:

• The book I read and movies I watched over spring break
• Time with Landry before baby #2 comes
• Nursery for Lydia
• Baby favorites

My side gig has a great deal going on right now if any of you readers are interested! 

This deal is only good until the end of the month- order a regimen and you will get the complexion quickie ($115 set) FREE! I love it all. 

www.everskin.com/with/melissaanderson

Feel free to email me with questions! 

OHHHHH I almost forgot! The husband and I celebrated 4 years of marriage this week! We went to the Houston Rodeo and saw Kings of Leon. It was a great time. Funny thing, we forgot it was our actual anniversary a few days later- LOL! I guess you can say that we are in a "busy" season of life. We are blessed with a great marriage and truly feel we are married to our best friend. We don't do gifts or anything. Instead we try to share time and experiences with each other around that time. What do you and your spouse do for anniversaries?

I look forward to a great week of blogging! :) 

My side gig

I believe in this and can tell you that it's true. I haven't found one negative thing to having a side gig! Let me tell you a little about it.

The OB-GYN that took care of me during my first pregnancy introduced me to this product. She was nearly 50 at the time and did not look it! I remember being in labor and my mom and mother-in-law asking her about her skin routine. Priorities- haha! She said she sold and used Ever skincare and told us a little about it. I was curious, but amidst being a new mom and all I didn't really look into it until much later. When I started researching it, I was a little taken aback by the price. I thought- I can't afford that. I would browse the website and then put it off. I would do it again and again. Finally in early 2018, a teacher friend of mine, Katherine, had joined the team and I decided I was going to do it! I wanted healthier looking skin, I wanted products that I could use without worry nursing and being pregnant, I just wanted more. Up until this point, I had tried so many products. From Neutrogena and other store shelf brands to Rodan and Fields (PS- the VP for R&F just left them to join us! hmmmmm) and everything in between. I have a box in my closet of products I tried that did nothing for my skin. Some smelled awful, some burned, some felt sticky and gross. Enough was enough. I was going to try Ever. Upon researching, I decided that I would like to try selling it. What could 1 year of trying something hurt? I signed up and the rest is history. 

Does your skincare look this pretty sitting on your counter?

We also have a whole makeup line from concealer to blush/eyeshadow palettes to longwear lipgloss, brushes, mascara that makes it look like you are wearing falsies and so much more! Best part about all that is it is a FAST morning routine! 

Here are some of the many reasons I LOVE Ever and I love my side gig:

We abide by European standards, which are far stricter than US standards for skincare and topical products.

Our products are botanically based. They have a NEVER EVER List

The products work! They give you real results! 

Here are some of my personal results:

That was just a month in! I need to take some new pics as I am approaching almost a YEAR with Ever.

I have earned extra income for my family with Ever. This past year, I earned $3,000. Not much at all, but it made a difference to us. It paid for my skincare, paid for a vacation, paid for things that broke unexpectedly around the house. 

Overall, my experience with Ever has been amazing! As far as the price- my initial concern- it's no longer a concern. the products do last a while, so I would say on average I spend about $50 a month with skincare products and makeup. For some people that is one meal out or one week of Starbucks. My skin is more important to me. I want to make sure I am taking care of myself. SELF CARE is so important. I also want to know that the products that I am putting on my skin are good for me, because they enter your bloodstream within 10 seconds- did you know that? 

I encourage everyone to do research. Look at the products on your counter and see what is in them. Are they giving you the results that you want and need? We have products for every skin type and every skin concern. I am going to link our product catalog below. Check it out! I will also put the link to my personal Ever page. If you have any questions about a routine or about starting a side gig please contact me at msenseney05@aol.com

Catalog: https://issuu.com/everskin/docs/ever_product_guide?e=15378534/11207162 

My webpage: 

www.everskin.com/with/melissaanderson

Let's talk routine!

Routine- a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program. (other words used to describe it- procedure, practice, pattern, regimen)

It sounds kinda scary doesn't it? Or it sounds more like HARD work than anything. Until it's not. It took me a long time to realize that establishing a routine, making a permanent part of what you do, and learning to love that routine makes it NOT hard and NOT scary. In all honesty, I crave routine. I enjoy routine. Even when it's not fun stuff that I have to do- like laundry or dishes. At the end of the day, it makes me feel so much more calm and relaxed when things are done. It also is its own accountability system. You can easily tell if someone is off routine. It may be they look a hot mess, their house is a hot mess, they are late, they forget something....the list goes on. Now, I am not trying to say that every day will be perfect. IMPOSSIBLE. BUT, I am saying that a little routine can go a long way to making life better and easier. 

Here's a rundown of my working mom routine on a regular school day:

6:00- Wake up- I might hit snooze once, but I am definitely up by 6:10.

6:10-6:30- Hair, makeup, dressed for day. My Ever skincare and makeup routine make it super easy to do this quickly! See our beautiful palette, mascara, and lip gloss below! I make it a routine to have clothes picked out for the week so that I am not searching for an outfit. In face, I iron everything that my husband and I will wear to work for the week on Sundays. Takes 30 minutes, makes life easier!

6:30-7:00- I usually pop some oatmeal in the microwave to cook while I am unloading the dishwasher, packing lunches, and just straightening up the living room and kitchen. I might take something out for dinner or put something in the crock pot. I always meal plan. I us ClickList from Kroger and grocery shop once every 3-4 weeks. I freeze a lot of stuff- bread, cheese, whatever so that I am not constantly at the store. I make one run a week to get fresh fruit and maybe milk or something small I have forgotten. ClickList is a GAME CHANGER. No more browsing the aisles and getting unneeded stuff. No searching the stores for what you need. They do it for you, you pull up and they load up ALL your groceries! Done deal!

A little after 7:00, I am out the door and off to work! 7:30-3:30 is my work schedule. Sometimes we have meetings or other obligations, but for the most part I am off and home by 4:00 every day. 

When I get home, I usually visit with my son, have a snack with him and then get changed into work clothes. I am currently doing Beachbody on Demand. Occasionally I will get in a workout on my lunch break, but sometimes it is at home and I never spend more than 30 minutes on it. By 5:00-515 I am done and ready to get dinner going or finished. We eat around 6:00. After dinner and cleaning up, it is play time and then bath time. I aim for 7:30 to be relaxing as a family. bedtime is between 9:00-10:00. Then it is time to do it all again.

Other things I do around the house that are routine:

I clean, like really DEEP clean, every 2 weeks. Otherwise, I keep things picked up, the floors cleaned, and bathrooms cleaned weekly.

I do laundry twice during the week usually and then finish on the weekend.

I pay bills when we get paid twice a month, usually on that day so that I don't forget or let things slip away from me.

We have old people medicine containers LOL! I fill those up on Sundays so that we have all our meds and vitamins set out for the week and we aren't fumbling with bottles.

We hire someone to mow our grass- game changer, time saver.

We usually make runs once a month to get haircuts, household items, car washed (we pay for that too), and run errands. 

I use Amazon Prime for EVERYTHING else we need in between. Stuff for home or work- I order it and in 2 days it is on my porch.

I have subscribe orders for things like diapers and wipes, coffee, dog food. It comes and I don't even have to think about it. 

We regularly clean out and purge clothes and items we don't use around the house. That alone has become a routine and makes us all feel better when we have less clutter hanging around. 

Organization and routine are key for me as a working mom. It makes me feel more sane on the crazy days. It helps me to enjoy those things like working out, cooking dinner, washing clothes....because it is not stressful. 

What are your daily routines? What do you do to make life easier? How can you incorporate any of these things into your routine to try and live a healthier life, get some exercise, get some rest?