A Little Spring Organizing

In case you missed it, the calendar says it's spring! Too bad Mother Nature hasn't agreed!  Despite the temperature slowly creeping up the thermometer, it's definitely time for some spring cleaning and organizing.  A few weeks ago (maybe months), Stacy told me about how the clutter in her closet was getting to her, but she felt incredibly overwhelmed about where and how to start the project of cleaning and organizing her closet.  I promptly offered my help. (I'm a master organizer, if you didn't know!)  It just took us a little while to coordinate our schedules. This week, I finally went over to Stacy's to rescue her from the disaster that has been her closet.  Stacy is great at a lot of things, but well, organizing is not one of them! (Love you!!!)

Upon arrival to her house I found this:

Before: you could barely walk in her walk in closet!!

Let me just say... Oy. Vey.

Stacy and I spent the next hour and a half (the time flew by, which is why I love organizing with people!!) putting everything in it's rightful place.  The boots/shoes that were sprawled all over the floor were tucked neatly under the clothes.  Many may be wondering: "How do you decide what clothes should go where?"  That's really a personal decision.  I can only say that once you make that decision, stick by it. It will make it easier when getting dressed if all pants, dresses, shirts, blazers, skirts are in separate areas of your closet.  Even the smallest of closets (and trust me, mine is not nearly as big as Stacy's) deserves organization for all your stuff!  I go so far in my closet as to color coordinate my shirts (Stacy does that with her pants!).

Here is the final result of our efforts:

After:  Everything in it's rightful place!! 

I'm of the firm believer that if you don't wear something within a year, donate it.  Get rid of the clutter in your closet, it makes it easier to find the clothes you love and wear!  She and I went through her boots/shoes and she decided to give a bag full away.  Also, she had certain clothes that she planned on giving away, so they went in bags, which she can drop off at a donation spot this week.

All told, we had 6 bags of garbage; one bag of shoes/boots to donate; and three bags of clothing, including suits, and formal dresses to donate as well! Formal dresses can go to schools for their students who need dresses for proms.  Suits can be donated to organizations that help woman (or men) find suits for job interviews.  Other clothing you can donate to your favorite charity!  You will feel great giving your clothes to those who need it and it will give you room to get new clothing! That's a win-win in my book.

I hope eversone is ready for spring in their own way and is most definitely tackling some spring cleaning/organizing!! Good luck to you and I hope you have someone to help you with your project!!

Love,

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at theaccessorizedlife@gmail.com

Ask the Expert #1: Hair Care

Lately, I've been getting the most outrageous knots in my hair. They get so bad that I like to call them "dread-knots." (Like dreadlocks...get it?) I'm one of those people who doesn't believe in washing my hair every day--I feel that it gets too dried out, and, to be honest, it takes me far too long to blow dry my very long, very thick hair. Now, the dread knots would typically come around after the 2nd or 3rd day of not washing my hair...but, when I don't wash it, I keep it straight, and very often, I end up pulling it back.

The knots would get so bad that I was literally tearing my hair out...to unknot it, I had to rip at it. I was at my wits end.

So, I contacted my favorite hair care professional...the amazing stylist who cuts both my hair and Lauren's hair...Carla!

I asked her what she would recommend to fix my predicament. She told me that she likes to keep haircare simple--she's not a fan of using a ton of product. That being said, she recommended some items to help moisturize, which should help eliminate my dread-knots. At her recommendation, I purchased a new shampoo, conditioner, hair brush, and a shine spray. She also recommended a spray that protects your hair from heat and helps to speed up blow drying--but I had been using this one for a few years, as she had recommended it to me before. (Product links at bottom of post.)

So...I used them. The first time around, I followed the directions on the conditioner and left it in for 3 minutes before rinsing. It made my hair feel like it was heavy--almost like I hadn't washed all of the product out. But, other than that, I was dread-knot free. Day 1...still frizzy, but better. Admittedly, I didn't use the flatiron on day 1. Days 2 & 3 (flatiron now used), no dread-knots. Awesome!

Round 2...I didn't leave the conditioner in for as long...mostly because I zoned out in the shower and forgot. But, my hair didn't feel like it still had product in it. Bonus! I used the flatiron from day 1 this time. By day 3, the dread-knot returned.

Round 3...again, no knots. I also used the flatiron on the second day. Maybe that's the key?

Honestly, I just think I'm in dire need of a haircut. (My ends are so split...probably from ripping out all of my dread-knots.) But, I'm hoping to donate my hair (I did it in June 2012), so I'm looking to avoid getting a haircut.

All in all, I love the shampoo & conditioner. They smell good, they seem to work well, and my hair is soft. The brush is good--it doesn't hurt when I brush it out like it did with my old paddle brush. It's a keeper. I like the heat protecting spray, but I always feel like that it makes my hair more frizzy. But, I use it anyway, as it helps to decrease drying time...and with hair like mine (I swear, it's like a horse's tail it's so thick!) any little help is appreciated! And, the shine spray...well, it makes my hair shiny. What's not to like?

Products:
Nexxus Therappe Shampoo
Nexxus Humectress Conditioner
The Wet Brush
KMS California Free Shape Quick Blowdry Spray
TIGI Bed Head Headrush Shine Spray

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at theaccessorizedlife@gmail.com

Remember When I Was Beautiful?

I wake up every morning and expect to see me in the mirror...you know, the me that has radiant, youthful skin. The me that has shiny, healthy hair. The me that has a tight 20-something body (who didn't appreciate it when I was 20-something and thought that even then my body was far from ideal), who looks great in all of my clothes. The me that doesn't have dark circles under my eyes and a perfect pedicure.

But, that's not what I see. I see me...the 35 year old mom of twins me. The me whose hair, even when flatironed, still looks vaguely frizzy. The me who always looks tired. The me who would be embarrassed to wear open-toed shoes because my pedicure is so very grown out. The me whose body is unrecognizable, who still looks 3 months pregnant most days...but hasn't been pregnant in over 14 months. The me who has to put on 2-3 outfits in the morning before I find one that makes me look like the me in my head...at least a little bit.

Honestly, I look at myself in the mirror and I get sad. If you were to look at me, I'm sure you wouldn't see what I see. You probably would think that I really don't look that much different than I did before I became a mom, and you probably would tell me that I'm lucky that I look the way I do for being a mom of twins. Rationally, I get that.

But, emotionally? Not so much. I look in the mirror and I literally think to myself, "Remember when I used to be beautiful?" I have voiced these words to my husband before--and, typically, he just looks at me like I'm crazy when I say this.

I think this is the problem with our society...or maybe just with me. Our standard of beauty is impossible to meet. Unless I quit my job, hired a full-time personal trainer, and didn't eat anything remotely sinful, I will never look like my 20-something self again. And, again, rationally, I know that. But, I can't wrap my head around it.

I'm a big proponent of aging gracefully--and I don't mind being 35. I certainly wouldn't want to be in my teens again, and I'm only vaguely wistful for my 20s, and only when I'm really missing my friends or sleeping late. The few grey hairs I have are badges of honor (unless my husband gets to them, and then he pulls them out of my head and they become garbage)--reminders that I have lived a full life so far, a life worth living. I love my little imperfections--like my strawberry birthmark on my stomach, or the mole on my chin--they are what make me unique. I don't have wrinkles, and I think I still look good for my age...I just don't feel like I look like me.

I love my c-section scar. That incision made me a mom. I wouldn't trade that for the world. But, I hate what my body looks like now. I used to have a waist...now I have a vague idea of where my waist used to be. I never had a muffin top before. Now, I could run a bakery with the amount of muffin top I have.  I have a hard time recognizing that maybe I need to buy a different size pants.

I don't write this for sympathy. I don't write this because I want you to say "You look great!" I write this because I want all of you out there who look in the mirror and think "Remember when I was beautiful?" to know you're not alone. I want to be reminded (and remember) that I'm still beautiful--I'm just not in my 20s anymore, and that's ok. Like I said, I like being in my 30s. I write this because I need to remember that my body looks the way it does because I grew two miracles--who make me laugh every day and who I wouldn't trade for anything. It's an honor to look the way I do--I earned this body through months of hard work growing two amazing little people.

I write this because I needed to. I hope that by getting these words down I can look in the mirror and think "I'm still beautiful"...and truly mean it.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at theaccessorizedlife@gmail.com