Do you ever wonder other moms secrets? Like actual real beautiful day to day hard working moms? So often I see a darling one at the park and think wow, she looks so great! I wonder what she is doing so well. With that in mind I thought I’d begin a new series on A Life From Scratch: Everyday Moms. These are moms I know, moms who have been recommended to me, moms who inspire and are beautiful inside and out. Let’s peek into their lives just a bit, shall we?
Meet Julia!
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Job: Senior Content Specialist, UnityPoint Health and Staff Writer, The Everygirl
Kid(s): Ezra (almost 7 months)
You’re in your closet – what do you reach for first? This is so boring, but a gray JCrew t-shirt. It is the easiest transitional item for work, play and home – I wear one almost every day.
Hands down the one beauty product you can’t live without. Only one! Um, let’s be real. Eye cream. Arbonne is my favorite but I also like Kiehl’s Avocado.
Your daily moisturizer. Are you happy with it? This year, I made myself finish all the random bottles of moisturizer in my bathroom drawer (I had 10, it was ridiculous), so I just bought a new one and it made me so happy. My current favorite is the true cream aqua bomb by Belif. It smells good, feels lightweight and hydrates my skin fast.
Your nightly moisturizer. Are you happy with it? Yes. I use a tiny bit of Josie Maran’s argan oil before bed, which feels very luxurious. I was hesitant to dive into the oils world for a long time for fear of clogged pores but this one always makes my skin soft and helps reduce lines and dark marks.
Something in your shopping cart online right now that you want to buy – budget is no limit. All the boots. I’ve been specifically dreaming about a pair of Stuart Weitzman over-the-knee suede boots with a low block heel. Anna Wisniewski of the See Anna Jane blog wore a pair with baby no. 2 on the way, which made me think that cool moms can totally pull them off.
How do you feel your beauty routine changed when you became a mom? I usually have about 5 minutes to get ready, ha! I definitely care less about looking “good” according to anyone’s standards, and I’ve learned that lots of water plus a good night’s sleep makes me look much better than any product. I do try to focus more on skincare to feel confident. I also rely heavily on dry shampoo (thank God), Glossier’s boy brow (amazing) and rose salve on my lips and cheeks for a pop of color.
Biggest indulgence you allow yourself. Traveling. Seeing different parts of the world reminds me to keep my mind, heart and spirit open to new experiences and ways of living. It is expensive, but I would rather buy a plane ticket than anything else. My husband and I love to travel and can’t wait to take our son along in the future.
Tell us about your kid(s). Ezra is the sweetest, cutest little boy in the world—and no, I’m not biased at all. He smiles at literally everyone and is very easy-going. Lately he is into grabbing everything, laughing at the dog and giving big, open-mouth kisses (all of which make me want a million more babies).
What is your biggest struggle as a mom day to day. For me, the title of “mom” was a challenging adjustment. I feared becoming the type of mother who lost herself in her kids and had no identity outside of parenting. I miss being selfish and doing whatever I want, when I want. For example, I love writing and yoga, and I want to do so many things in terms of my career, and I want to be a really good friend and so on. But Ezra and my family come first. Period. Even though I often know the right thing to do in terms of how I spend my attention, time and energy, I get stressed and frustrated about missing out or I start to feel resentful of what I “don’t get to do.” To cope, I stay focused on all the beautiful, wonderful things I do get to do. I cultivate gratitude for the little pockets of freedom that allow me to still make time for things I love. And I remember that I wouldn’t trade any of it for the experience of mothering and parenting.
What is your biggest happiness as a mom day to day. Watching Ezra learn new things. To him, his entire world—everything he sees, touches, hears, feels—is magical and worthy of his undivided attention. Taking care of him brings me joy, even during the challenging moments. (I just teared up writing that answer, which is such a mom thing to do!)
Snap your fingers – you could have a magic fairy help you with one thing around the home every day. What is it? Cleaning 100%. I love a clean home, but I hate the process and would happily never do it again.
Because you are oh so pretty, tell us about your favorite feature! My smile. I love that it is big and takes up my whole face when I’m happy.
Thank you, Julia. And yes your smile – wow! Thank you so much for spending time with A Life From Scratch!
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Courtney
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Oh wow, Courtney! Julia is drop dead gorgeous! Thank you for her introduction! I love that her last photo features her with that killer smile looking at the camera. So often I see mom’s always looking down at their babes, but while that’s totally acceptable too, it’s photos like these that scream “I am still worthy and my own person!” I just love this.
Tia G. recently posted…I am not defined by Infertility
Love that Tia – you are so right, I always tend to look away. You rock Julia!
Twitter: jul_marie
says:
Tia, you are too kind! Thank you <3 And what a great point — I didn't even think about that, but you're absolutely right. I had to admit that was a day we were all dolled up for a vacation dinner, so it was a little easier to be on camera 😉 But I do try to avoid the whole "ugh, don't take a picture of me, focus on him, I don't look great today" vibe. When I look at pictures of myself as a kid with my mom and sisters, I only see her vibrant smile full of love, anyway!