Trim Your Babies Nails Without Fuss

I remember the first time I attempted to cut my son’s fingernails. He was born with long sharp nails, and thankfully I had to cut them in the hospital. Unfortunately, I did a horrible job and ended up making them even sharper! Thankfully, some moms at Parenting.com have come up with some suggestions on how to make nail trimming easy:

File with an emery board instead of cutting if the nail isn’t very long, or if it’s more sharp than long.

Use a nail clipper designed for babies. The regular ones are harder to manage (and actually do look big enough to take off a baby’s finger).

Babies fingers also tend to peel better than adult nails, and many times can just be pulled off the nail is already broken.

Look Less Tired

There isn’t a Mom in the world who gets the kind of sleep she needs or deserves, but it doesn’t have to appear that way! Leave your house looking fresh-faced and full of beauty sleep every day with these simple tips.

1. As soon as you wake up, splash cold water on your face for several minutes.

2. Wrap an ice-filled sandwich bag with a cloth and place it on your eyes for about five minutes. Moisturize your face with an SPF-containing cream.

3. Drink a large glass of water with breakfast to stave off dehydration for the day.

4. Continue drinking water throughout the day to avoid retaining water which can cause a puffy, tired appearance. Drink about 64 ounces per day if possible.

5. Dot concealer under your eyes and tap into dark circles.

6. Sweep petroleum jelly across your brow bones directly underneath your eyebrows and across the top of your cheekbones. Exclude powder from your make-up routine which can accentuate creases and wrinkles.

7. Brush your hair and make sure your clothing is clean and pressed to give you a more polished look.

8. Avoid salty foods and caffeine, both of which can make you look bloated.

9. Put some pep in your step. If you’re healthy enough to exercise, fifteen to thirty minutes can energize you and get your blood flowing giving you a healthy glow.

10. Clean your face and moisturize before bed and sleep on a satin pillowcase. Avoid sleeping on your side or stomach, but rather try to rest on your back.

Even if you only practice a few of these tips, you should look brighter and refreshed!

Don’t Pay For What You Can Do Yourself

A lot of people needlessly pay “professionals” to do things they could do themselves for free. In today’s shaky economy, wasting money in this way is foolish and impractical. When you come across a situation in life that you think you need to call someone to “fix” for you, do a little research to see if it’s something you would feel comfortable doing yourself. Examples of things you can do yourself at no cost are haircuts and color, housecleaning, oil changes, yard work and landscaping, pest extermination, minor home repairs and improvements, and home decorating. You can also commit to learn valuable skills that can help you cut costs like sewing, light carpentry, cooking, baking, auto care, and computer repair. If you don’t have these skills and have no desire or time to learn them, ask around to see if any of your friends or family members do possess them. Offer to do a favor for him or her in exchange for them helping you out. While it’s great to trust yourself to do some things on your own, there are certain situations where a professional should be contacted. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, medical problems, etc are all best left to the experts.

Save Money On Haircuts

Professional haircuts can get expensive…especially if you have a large family. There are many ways to save money on haircuts. You can go to the inexpensive ubiquitous chain salons that are on every corner. Often, they offer coupons or “frequent-flier” cards making your trips there even more affordable. Another idea is to go to a beauty school. Look up local schools in your area and contact them to see if they offer their services to the public. Often the prices are a fraction of what they would be at a professional salon for the same services. If you feel really brave, consider cutting your family’s hair yourself. Buy a pair of clippers and hair scissors at the store and do a little research online to learn how to cut a few basic styles. Men and boys can easily sport a classic buzzcut and girls can wear long hair with cute bangs. Now, if you can just get everyone to sit still enough and trust you to go to work! If you don’t think you have the skills to be your family’s personal stylist, take them to the salon, but try to space out the time you go for as long as possible until your kids look like ragamuffins and your husband resembles a lumberjack. As for yourself? You’ll probably need to go to a salon for cuts, but boxed hair color can look just as good as the expensive salon service if you do a little research first to make sure you buy the right stuff. It’s probably better to leave highlighting to a professional. Look your best on a budget!

Quick Mommy-Makeover

It’s hard not to suffer from a case of the “frumpies” when you are a Mom. Kids make it hard to take time to do your hair and make-up and are famous for encrusting Mom’s clothes with any variety of “stuff” from their sticky, little fingers. You don’t have to become invisible just because you’ve procreated; get yourself back into the beauty game! With little time and expense you can be that gorgeous woman you once were before you embarked on Motherhood.

1. Check your hair for grays and if there are too many for your taste, pick up a box of semi-permanent color. You can match your natural color or get wild and experiment with something a tone or two in either direction. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, see a professional. While you’re there, get an updated hair style and when you get home stop sticking your hair up in that unattractive ”suburb-bun”!

2. Put on a little make-up. It doesn’t have to be much, but unless you’re a rare natural beauty, everyone can use a little help to look polished.

3. Buy a few new outfits. They don’t have to be fancy lest you’d be reluctant to wear them around the kids. Try to buy something black or at least in a very dark color in case the kids do smear grape jelly across your shirt.

4. Give yourself a manicure and a pedicure. Again, nothing fancy, just make sure there isn’t a week’s worth of peanut butter caked under your nails. Feet can get really gross really fast so be sure not to neglect them either.

5. Finally, keep your skin moisturized, drink plenty of water, and get as much sleep and exercise as you can.

Moms always put everyone else first, but that doesn’t mean you have to put yourself last!

Save Time And Money on Make-up

A lot of Moms skip a daily make-up routine because they have no time or desire to engage in one. It doesn’t have to take long to look your best every day and a little pampering can even lift your spirits! At a bare minimum, wash your face and moisturize with an SPF-containing facial lotion. Dab concealer on trouble spots and under eyes to mask dark circles. Skip powder which can age you, but rather add a touch of petroleum jelly across the top of your cheekbones to give you a fresh, dewy appearance. Use a cream blush and blend well. Curl your eyelashes and sweep black mascara on the top lashes only. Finish your look off with a tinted lip balm.

If you think you can fit this routine into your schedule but you’re worried about the expense of the make-up involved, fear not, you don’t have to blow your budget to look great. When one of your favorite products goes on sale simply stock up and store it until it’s needed. Some of the cheaper brands offer products that are just as good, if not better, than the high-end ones. Experiment a little to find what works the best for you and stick with it. You deserve to look and feel beautiful!

Wear Your Clothes the Right Way

Have you ever walked into a store, seen a fabulous outfit on a manequin, purchase it in just your size, only to take it home and have it fit horribly? Well it’s time to stop blaming those incidents on the clothing or certain aspects of your figure. BlissfullyDomestic has a collection of tips on how to buy and wear properly fitting clothing. Here are some selections for tops:

Long sleeved garments should hit just below the wrist bone with just a little ease (shouldn’t be too tight or loose)

Shoulders of any jacket, blouse or tee should be AT the shoulder – right where your arm is attached…NOT below the shoulder.

Put your arms down to the side, and look at the armpit area of the garment. There should not be excess fabric there. This is a very common fit error many ladies make – they buy jackets too big, then they have all this extra fabric in the armpit – that extends to the chest. Honestly, sometimes it looks like four boobs! Don’t make this mistake, two boobs are enough!

The back of any top shouldn’t show any ripples or ridges. If you have a little ‘extra’ in your back, then wear a camisole under tops. If there is visible pull between your shoulder blades, then you will need to go up a size.

A button-front blouse should never gap open at the bust line. If the blouse seems to fit otherwise, you can add a hidden button to close the gap.

Length – if you have been blessed with height – then you generally don’t have to worry about how long a jacket is. However, for the vast majority of ladies out there – the length is going to be something you will need to look at. If you try on a jacket, and like it, but ‘something’ isn’t right – it’s probably the length.

DIY Highlights

Here’s yet another use for lemons from the Funnyaboutmoney.com blog:

For blonde highlights:

Do this on a sunny day. If your hair is dishwater blonde or a lighter shade of brown, you can create blonde highlights by treating your hair with lemon juice. Either bottled juice or fresh will work. Wash your hair with your favorite shampoo. Then pour about 1/2 cup of bottled juice or the juice of one or two lemons over your hair. Comb it through to distribute well.

Apply sunblock generously to your skin and go outside. After an hour of sunbathing or puttering in the garden with your hair exposed to the sun, shampoo again and apply conditioner.

Lemon accelerates the effect of sunbleaching. While it doesn’t seem to cause damage, it brightens your hair and leaves you with subtle blond highlights.

Who says you need to have extra cash to do a little something with your hair? Blonde not your color? Be sure to check out some of their other color suggestions.

Create Your Own Self-Tanning Lotion

Being beautiful doesn’t have to cost a fortune. WiseBread.com stays true to it’s motto of “Living Large on a Small Budget” with these summer beauty tips. (I know it’s just the beginning of winter… but I can’t help missing the warm months!)

DIY Self-Tanning Lotion Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon white unscented lotion
• 1 tablespoon pure cocoa powder

“Mix the lotion and cocoa powder together until very smooth and creamy, and apply with a sponge or makeup wedge. Your tan will last until your next shower.”

Have a Spa Day at Home

Going to the spa may seem like it’s only for the rich, but not anymore! You can have your own day at the spa without ever leaving the comfort of your home. There are so many great products out there now specifically designed to relax you and make you feel like you are really at the spa. Here are some ideas for how to create a spa day at your own home:

Drop your kids off at grandma’s or do it while they’re away at school. You will be much more relaxed if you don’t have to watch over your kids and the whole point of the day is to be alone or with friends and to relax. You won’t be able to do that if your kids are running around the house.

Follow the rest of the tips over at Surf Net Parents to recreate the ultimate spa experience!