Southwest Missouri Moms website

Beauty & Fashion: De-Zombifying your mommy look

January 8, 2015 By: admin

By Andi Douglas, beauty editor

Thanks to a bad head cold and a persistent cough, I had to spend 3 nights last week sleeping upright in a chair. Of course, you can imagine, it was not the best rest I ever had and then I had to spend my days dealing with hyperactive kids who had cabin fever.

By the time Saturday came around and we had to attend a birthday party my appearance was a little more frightening than a Tim Burton movie.

I only had to appear life-like for a couple of hours so I turned to my make-up bag for a little camo.

Bronzer was my best friend as I put some color back into my sickly pallor. The trick to making bronzer a natural glow and not an orange mask is to apply it on the same places you get sun kissed during the summer. For me, that is my forehead, cheeks and a little across my nose. Since I needed a little extra help, I used a big powder brush to dust all over, under my chin and down my neck and collarbone, so I wouldn’t have an obvious makeup line.

Unfortunately, my exhausted eyes required me to wear my glasses, which I rarely wear out of the house. My eyes always look really small behind my super thick lenses, so as tempting as it is, I can’t skip eye makeup. To help minimize the redness of my eyes, I used navy blue eyeliner and a brown shadow, and, of course, a little concealer under my eyes to cover the dark circles. I skipped my mascara for two reasons: I am prone to eye infections, especially when sick and a mascara tube is a like a bacteria incubator and when I wear mascara and my eyes water, my lashes hit my glasses and leave annoying smudges.

If you can’t go without and glasses aren’t an issue, try using a small sample tube of mascara that you won’t mind throwing away when you feel better.

Finally, because I had blown my nose nonstop for a week, my lips and nose were red and chapped. Extra moisturizer and a little more concealer around my nose solved that problem, but my lips still looked unnaturally puffy, so I took the time to line them before using my favorite moisturizing lipstick from Origins and then a little bit of chapstick on top instead of gloss.

I made it through the party with an excellent performance as a non-zombie, mostly motivated by cupcakes, before going home and crawling into bed. I assume my husband let the kids watch non-stop cartoons to keep them quiet while I rested, but I didn’t bother to ask. Thank goodness for Nick Jr. and a hubbie that would rather watch the kids than listen to me gripe!

Andi Douglas is a mama of three and is beauty-products obsessed. She tries it out, then tells us about it here.

Devotion: When Bad Things Happen to Good People

January 4, 2015 By: admin

18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: “We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” 1 Chronicles 12:18 (NKJV)

By Bro. John L. Cash

I’m starting a series today. As a country preacher, people often ask me questions they want me to answer. As you might imagine, there are a number of questions brought to my attention time and time again — since as humans, we pretty much share a universal set of problems. A question we all struggle with is this: “Why do bad things happen to good people in God’s world, and how are we to react to and understand these things?”

I don’t pretend to have all the answers to these questions, but I do have some thoughts. It will take me several Sunday columns to tell you what I’m thinking—but I hope you don’t mind me sharing.

Are your children ever upset by things that they see on the evening news? My sons were little boys in grade school on 9/11. Even though Seth was in kindergarten and Spencer was in 4th grade, they both still remember that day. I was frightened at that day’s events as an adult, so I can only imagine how little children felt.

What should you tell your children when they see films of a terrible situation on the news? The best answer I have ever found is in a quote by the late Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers Neighborhood:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.” – Fred Rogers

That quote brings me comfort and strength because it’s the absolute truth. Whenever you see tragedy, or suffering, or pain, there are always helpers there. Teach your babies to look for the helpers.

And we should extend that lesson a little further. Not only should we look for the helpers, we should strive to BE one of the helpers. It is for this reason that God has made us, and He sent Jesus to set the example of service for us. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). My prayer for you today comes from the Scripture lesson (at the top): “Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” Have a blessed week.

Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He has spent the last 29 years being a country preacher. (On week days has a desk-job at a public school, where he used to teach Latin on closed-circuit-television.) He and his lovely wife, Susan, live in the parsonage next door to the country church. Their kids include Spencer (age 23), his wife Madeline (age 23), and Seth (age 20).

Viral Videos: “I’m so pregnant.”

January 2, 2015 By: admin

If you haven’t already seen this hilarious parody of “I’m So Fancy,” here’s your chance. Share it with all your pregnant mama friends.

Beauty & Fashion: Top 5 beauty mistakes

January 1, 2015 By: admin

Dear Andi,

What’s your top five list of beauty “don’ts”?

Don’t skip sunscreen. Everyone says it; everyone agrees; few of us actually follow the rule. If you’ve ever seen me without my foundation and seen how many freckles I really have, you know that I am one of the worst offenders. If you find yourself thinking cheap and not wanting to spend the extra dough on the lotion with an SPF included, just think of the money you will save on wrinkle cream later! Make-up that includes sun protection, although not a bad idea, is not enough for any real protection, so lay it on thick up front.

Don’t get stuck with a product you hate. We’ve all done it…you love the color in the store and then when you see pictures from a big night out, realize you looked more Tammy Faye than Tina Fey. Don’t be afraid to take it back just because it’s been used.

Remember that companies make money by encouraging brand loyalty and return customers. They want you to be happy and coming back for more. Even if you bought it at a drug store or market, check out their return policy or research the brand’s web site for options.

Don’t let your bathroom drawers look like an episode of Hoarders. Until recently, if my family had staged an on-air intervention, I would have been completely mortified. But, in a nesting frenzy during my last pregnancy, I decided to purge my beauty stockpile of anything that had not been used in 6 months, and I honestly have not missed anything that got tossed.

If you have make-up or hair products that never get used (probably because you had not yet heard my helpful “don’t” about returns) try passing it on to a friend or sister that has different coloring or taste than you. Eye make-up, unfortunately, needs to find it’s way to the trash bin, because it is a nesting ground for bacteria. One quick tip: I bought three cheap bins that fit under my cabinet and designated each one for hair, body, and face. That way I know exactly where to look and when I have a bottle avalanche, everything still stays organized and doesn’t end up all over the bathroom floor.

Don’t spend your mortgage on “miracle” skin products. Products that claim to transform you over-night are usually making claims that cannot be backed up. The key to youthful skin is hydration (Drink that water, ladies) and the right combination of products for your skin type. Save that money for some Spanx…now those are miracle workers!

Don’t fight nature. If you have thin lips, don’t draw lip liner outside of your natural line to “fake it”. Full eyebrows? Clean them up, but embrace the drama they bring to your eyes. Please, please, please, don’t bleach your freckles. There is nothing wrong with enhancing your natural beauty (and yes, we all have it) but stay true to yourself. Where would Cindy Crawford be without her aptly placed mole? Well, she’d still be gorgeous…okay, not my best example, but you get the idea.

Andi Douglas is a mama of three and loves to play with her hair and makeup on a regular basis. She shares her secrets and tips with us here.

Celeb Scoop: Roundup of news from 2014

January 1, 2015 By: admin

Yes, we do love a little celebrity gossip but we also know it’s not cool to do something we teach our kids NOT to do. It’s never okay to indulge in stuff meant to humiliate or hurt another person. That’s why our celebrity scoop is delivered to you minus any mean stuff. Have as much as you want because this “dish” is all guilt-free.

The latest issue of People magazine has a page devoted to some of the best celebrity quotes of 2014, and here are two of our favorites. When asked about his fiance (who is now his wife), George Clooney said, “I’m marrying up.” And we love this quote from new mom Olivia Wilde who tweeted these words shortly after the birth of her son with Jason Sudeikis: “Ladies and gentlemen, Otis Alexander Sudeikis has LEFT the building! (I’m the building.)”

It has also been a busy year for celebrity weddings. Some of the famous names who tied the knot during 2014 include Jessica Simpson, Brad Pitt, Jenny McCarthy, Katie Couric, Adam Levine, George Clooney, Gabrielle Union, Neil Patrick Harris, Ashlee Simpson and Solange Knowles. Congrats to all the newlyweds.

Some of the famous names who welcomed new babies during 2014 include Kelly Clarkson, Emily Blunt, Chelsea Clinton, Gwen Stefani, Drew Barrymore and Simon Cowell. Congrats to all the new parents!

Actress Amanda Peet, 42, gave birth to her third child, a son named Henry Peet Friedman, on Dec. 7th. She is married to David Benioff, who is the co-creator of Game of Thrones.

No worries! News anchor Anderson Cooper was back on the job at his CNN news desk only one day after having an emergency appendectomy earlier this month.

Some of the celebs named to People Magazine’s “25 Most Intriguing People of 2014” include Chris Pratt, Reese Witherspoon, Angelina Jolie, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyongo, Jennifer Lawrence, Shonda Rhimes, Jimmy Fallon, Neil Patrick Harris, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lena Dunham, Chris Hemsworth, President Barack Obama, Taylor Swift, and “The Duggar Brides” (Michelle Duggar, Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald.)

Source: People magazine, Dec. 22, 2014 issue