Avoid Obsessing Over Post-Baby Body Image: Fake it.  Act Like You Have all the Confidence of a Super Model.

Don’t we really have two choices here? Either accept your beautifully aging body or change the parts that you can.  Obsessing and focusing on the negatives can put you into a never-ending spiral of body hatred or body pity.  I commonly hear, “Oh gross, I hate my saggy boobs and tummy,” or “my mid-section is way too large. I used to have a twenty-seven-inch waist, what has happened!”

Along with birthing our precious bundle of joys, age kicks in and makes a physical impact. But it does not have to make a negative mental impact.  Mind over matter, mama, mind over matter.

Making time for yourself and committing to better health both physically and spiritually are good things.  They should be a priority on your goals list.  But for the things that you know simply won’t change, here is my crazy but foolproof advice.  Fake it.  Fake what? I’m talking about confidence, ladies, get your mind out of the bedroom for a minute! There is something magical about faking it that begins to attach a genuine value to how you see yourself and the world.

Even when times get difficult due to economic or to unfortunate circumstances, try to accept and find peace with your life as you live it today. There is always time for change. Children learn invaluable lessons when they see their mother toughing it out and still being a cheerleader of life. Children inherit maternal strength and confidence. 

If you keep telling someone something with conviction, over and over again, he or she will eventually believe it.  It’s the concept of brainwashing, but for us I’ll call it brain pampering! Believe me, it works.  How do you think I get into a bikini each summer?  I had two c-sections for crying out loud.  To read the rest of this chapter hop on over to amazon.com and search for

Mommy Confidence: 8 Easy Steps to Reclaiming Balance, Motivation and Your Inner Diva.  It’s a super short read and the proceeds go to charity.  Watch the book trailer at www.mommyconfidence.com

Kimberley Clayton Blaine is a national parenting expert and a licensed Family and Child Therapist who specializes in working with children ages newborn to six years old. Kimberley is the founder and executive producer of a grassroots webshow, called www.TheGoToMom.TV. Kimberley is a national speaker and teaches Early Childhood Brain Development and Positive Discipline Strategies at UCLA Extension Education

Bahama Mama! Bahama Boy!  I took my seven-year-old to the Bahamas and left daddy and baby back in LA...

We all need summer vacations,especially those of us with kidlings, but every now
and then I find myself fantasizng about leaving them home and running off to Hawaii
with my hubby...

The reality is our little boy is too young to be left overnight with a nanny or babysitter, however,
our seven-year-old is the perfect age for a waterfront beach excursion. So a compromise had to be made.
We'll if you ask my hubby, maybe it wasn't truly a compromise.

Maybe it was more like, "pretty please, can we go and will you stay home with the baby?"

Daddies are great - and that is how I see my hub bub. If it brings joy to our eyes, he's always supportive.
So I packed my bags and took my 7 year old to swim with the dolphins in the Bahamas this week. We kissed daddy and baby good bye and then traveled 10 hours to the island of paradise.

The travel was tough but the rest was amazing. I rarely get to hang out for that period of time with my older boy and it was so much fun. It sure beats chasing after my 22 month old and wondering if he's jumped off the hotel balcony. It was so relaxing and refreshing. I actually got to build sand castles, swim in emerald green waters all while drinking a pina colada.

Thank you daddy for staying home with baby boy and not calling your friends and saying,

"I'm the nanny this week."

With love, your wife....aka The Go-To-The-Bahamas-Mama!

We all know the all-too-common freeze in our tracks that we do when we read that "Lice" notice in our parent box at our kid's school.  We look around and gasp, "Is it my kid?"  If so, what do I do?  I found a product that apparently is pesticide free.  LiceMD.

With this new product, treating lice doesn't have to be a struggle.

Now pesticide-free LiceMD® helps you eliminate head lice in three easy steps without pulling your, or your child's, hair out. So you can take control of an outbreak and restore your household to its normal balance.

LiceMD® is Effective

LiceMD® is pediatrician tested and clinically proven to effectively eliminate eggs, lice and nits. What's more, LiceMD® uses a synthetic lubricant which makes comb-out smooth and easy, even for long, thick or very curly hair.

LiceMD® is Safe

Dimethicone, the primary ingredient in LiceMD®, is used as a conditioning agent in many top selling shampoos and has a well-known safety profile. LiceMD® is clear, odorless, non-irritating to skin and hypoallergenic.

LiceMD® is Simple

3-step elimination process:

1. Apply LiceMD® to dry hair, then wait 10-minutes
2. With LiceMD® still in the hair, section and comb hair to remove lice, eggs and nits
3. Shampoo hair thoroughly with regular shampoo and warm water

Hints and Tips

• If the person being treated wears glasses or contacts, remove before starting.
• Provide young children with a book, video or other distraction that will help them relax and sit quietly while combing out hair.
• For longer hair, pin hair up and apply to nape of neck first. Then apply solution to the rest of the hair.
• LiceMD® is very slippery. Clean up spills immediately with hot water and soap.
• Place a towel on the floor for quick and easy clean up.

Guest  Blogger: Tracey Mallett

www.TraceyMallett.com

A fake tan is not only safer than the sun’s dangerous UV rays (which lead to deadly skin cancer, so don’t even think about laying out in the sun or on a tanning bed), but it gives you great color in no time flat and your legs will look hot. Plus, it hides cellulite pretty well. I swear I felt like I won the lottery the day I discovered that.

You can either give yourself a faux glow at home (see tips below) or go to a spa or salon that has a spray tan booth, where a pro spritzes your whole body with self-tanner.

It’s truly amazing what an instant tan does for your confidence. It’s safe, easy, and you’ll love the compliments you get. It’s a great way to get bathing-suit-ready for vacation, and covers up any jiggly stuff like cellulite. You have to love that!!

T I P S  F R O M  T H E  P R O S : P E R F E C T  Y O U R  F A U X  G L O W !

Get a flawless, natural looking fake tan with these tips from Anne Marie Cilmi, director of training at Bliss Spa.

“One of the biggest mistakes people make is using too much tanner,” says Cilmi. “It’s like seasoning chili. You can always add more, but you can’t take out the spice once it’s in.”

• Exfoliate skin in the shower with a body scrub or loofah. This preps the skin by getting rid of dry flakes so that the self-tanner goes on evenly, looks more natural, and lasts longer. (Avoid oil based scrubs because their residue prevents the tanner from absorbing.)

• Moisturize only your ankles, heels, kneecaps, and elbows; these areas tend to soak up more self-tanner than the rest of the body and look too dark. The moisturizer prevents excess absorption.

• Wear snug, disposable gloves (available at most drug stores) to avoid orange palms and wrists—a big fake-tan faux pas.

• After putting tanner in your hands, rub palms together so that the tanner spreads evenly.

• Apply tanner using long, full strokes. When the product begins to penetrate, blend it in circular motions.

• Start with your lower body and move up. First, apply tanner to the area between your ankles and knees, and then rub whatever tanner is left on your hands onto your feet, ankles, and knees. These areas have thick skin so they don’t need as much tanner to look dark. Next, apply tanner to your thighs and then your stomach. Keep working up the body.

• Wait eight hours after application to apply moisturizer, to shower, or to exercise.

Team Mallett is your network for fitness improvement, sexy lifestyle upgrades, and training ground for a new, healthier you. It's also a place where you can interact with others who, like you, are actively working and striving toward the same goals. Tracey Mallett author of "Sexy in 6" and mother of two young children knows exactly how hard it is to keep in shape and be healthy. She brings her 16 years of fitness expertise and professional experts ranging from parenting, nutrition, motivation to injury prevention all in one place to guide you to be the best that you can be!

Read Tracey's New Book -- Amazon.com is taking pre-orders now!