Dark Circles Be Gone!

Almost any wommy will tell you that coffee and under eye concealer are absolute necessities when trying to navigate early morning meetings, without much sleep.  I have tried countless brands of concealer and have finally found a favorite, along with a few other wommy drugstore must-haves.  As for coffee, as long as it's hot and has caffeine, I'll drink it.

• Amazing Cosmetics concealer is literally amazing.  A small tube for $28 will last you months.  The trick is to only use a teeny tiny amount.  A little goes a long way with this stuff.  I guarantee your dark circles will go deep undercover.
• TRESemme fresh start dry shampoo is a life saver for those days you don't have time to wash your hair.  A few sprays, a brush through and your hair will look and smell freshly washed. 
• Clinique Almost Lipstick in blackhoney looks dark in the tube, but goes on sheer and compliments virtually every skin tone.
• Maybelline Lash Stiletto waterproof mascara will make your eyes appear more awake and your lashes look long and glossy.  It works better than the more expensive brands I've tried. 

I am a self proclaimed beauty product junkie and will basically try anything that claims to be anti-aging, skin brightening or glossy.  But I've found that the best way to perk myself up doesn't cost a penny.  As cheesy as it sounds, a smile and a good laugh are easy ways to brighten your face and lift your mood.   Give it a try.  I promise it will work.

Give That Girl a Set of Wings

Piper makes friends everywhere she goes and our trip to Scottsdale to visit Nina and Papa Jimbo was no exception.  This was Piper's first flight and I had visions of her having a meltdown capped off by an explosive poonami moments after take-off.  What happened instead taught me a very valuable lesson - never underestimate my daughter.  She turned out to be an all around traveling super star.

Piper sat on my lap playing quietly throughout the entire flight to Scottsdale.  She charmed our neighbors on the plane and other passengers greeted her by name at the baggage claim.  I figured we got lucky on the flight to Arizona, but was still edgy about the flight home.  Once again, Piper came through with flying colors.  She even helped a flight attendant hand out drinks, while clapping and smiling at other passengers. Come on, who can resist a happy baby.  

Besides getting showered with attention from Nina and Papa, Piper hit quite a few milestones during our trip.  She turned nine months, got her first haircut, went swimming in an outdoor pool and pulled herself up to standing for the first time.  Talk about packing a lot into a short period of time.  Why is it that the work week always seems to drag, but a week of vacation seems to fly by at warp speed!?  

Babies and children are much more adaptable than we give them credit for.  Sometimes I think we are the ones who put the pressure on ourselves and them. 

Make Me a Bird

Tomorrow, we're embarking on our first trip with an infant.  Yep - nine-month-old Piper will be flying the friendly skies...or at least I hope they're friendly.

Pre-baby, I used to be a frequent business traveler.  I would cringe if I got stuck behind a family with children going through airport security.  It usually took them forever to get through with their kids, strollers and gear.  Ugh!  Even worse was seeing someone with a baby about to board the same flight as me.  I would pray that they sat nowhere near me.

Ironically, I am now going to be one of those people struggling with a stroller, diaper bag and squirmy baby.  I've gotten tons of great tips from other wommies like making sure Piper is eating at take off and landing, so that her ears don't hurt, or packing lots of snacks and toys to keep her occupied.  Frankly, my biggest fear is that we will experience an infamous Piper poonami minutes into our four-hour flight.  How lovely will that be for everyone in an enclosed aircraft!?

Luckily Piper is a happy and laid back baby, so chances are everything will go smoothly.  Just in case, I am going to make sure she is dressed super duper cute.  At least that way she will charm everyone before the meltdown occurs and she can get by on her cuteness.  Don't judge me for playing the cute baby card.  Desperate times call for desperate measures :-)

Stay tuned to hear how it al goes...

A Good Bra and Good Friends

What do a good bra and good friends have in common?  They are supportive wommy essentials.  Becoming a mom and a wommy makes you appreciate these supportive friendships even more than ever...and it forges friendships you might never have imagined before.

I have have been blessed with a wonderful network of friends, spread out across the country.   These circles of friends hail from grade school, high school, college, internships and various jobs.  In fact, one of the tightest groups of friends is made up of former girlfriends of my husband's friends.  Did you catch that?  When I started dating Ryan, I became good friends with the girlfriends of his roommates and friends.  In the coming years, all of the couples broke up (except Ryan and me), but the girls all stayed close.  

My company has a "Mother's Room" for those who are nursing and pumping.  Who would have guessed that this small room would lead to strongly bonded friendships.  In the room, there is a notebook where wommies can share milestones, challenges, funny stories, advice etc.  It's kind of like a shared journal.  It makes you realize that you are not alone and that what your are going through is absolutely normal.  Keep in mind that most of us have never met in person.  We only know each other through the notebook.

We decided to schedule a monthly wommy luncheon so that we could get together in person.  The other wommies from the Mother's Room are from departments across the company that I typical would never have the chance to interact.  We don't live near each other.  None of us went to the same schools.   We don't work in the same departments.  Heck, I don't know if most of us would ever even pass each other in the hall before.  Nonetheless, these ladies have now become some of my closest wommy friends.

An acquaintance of mine once said that she had enough friends and wasn't interested in making more.   Can you ever truly have enough friends?  The answer is no...at least in my book.

The Blizzard of 2011 and Groundhog Day

Snow angels and groundhogs.  Who would have thunked it?  The great blizzard of 2011 paralyzed the Chicagoland area last night and today.  While most people were excited about the unexpected snow day, I was excited to have the day off to celebrate Piper's first Groundhog Day.  Yes, I said Groundhog Day and I know it's strange.

Years ago my dad and I started making a big deal out of celebrating Groundhog Day simplify because it is such a silly holiday.  It was a special quirky thing that we shared.  We'd call each other first thing in the morning on February 2, follow Puxatawney Phil online and send each other funny e-cards leading up to the big day.  All of our friends and family would make fun of us, but they couldn't resist the craziness and eventually joined in on the silly celebrations.

I'll never forget the first Groundhog Day I celebrated without my dad.  It was February 2, 2008, almost two months since we lost my dad to cancer.  That day was harder for me than his birthday or the anniversary of his passing.  I was dialing his number first thing in the morning when it hit me that he wasn't there to share our annual Groundhog Day chat.  My stomach dropped.

To be honest, it's still a bittersweet day, but it's definitely leaning more towards the sweet side of things with Piper around.  Although my husband thinks I'm crazy, Groundhog Day will always be a big holiday celebrated in the McGrath household.  Partly because I still think it's fun and silly, but partly because it will be a way for Piper to remember the grandfather she never met.  I have no doubt he is smiling down on her all of the time, but today, I am sure he is getting a chuckle about her Groundhog Day onesie.  He would be thrilled to know that we are carrying on the tradition.

Rude is a Learned Behavior

I work at the headquarters of a Fortune 50 company with thousands of other people and it literally takes me eight to 10 minutes to walk from my car to my office.  Every morning on my walk in I do a little social experiment.  I smile and say "good morning" to every single person I pass, whether I know them or not.

It absolutely shocks me how many people walk through the halls looking down at the floor and don't respond at all to my greeting.  Have we really gotten to the point where basic manners have gone out of style!?  News flash - if someone smiles at you, smile back.  I promise it will immediately put you in a better mood.

As Piper grows up, I will teach her the Golden Rule - always treat others as you would like to be treated.  Here are some of the other simple, common sense manners I will teach her.

1.   Hold the door for people who are walking behind you.  If someone holds the door for you, remember to say "thank you."
2.   If someone lets you into packed traffic, acknowledge their kindness with a wave.
3.   Do not be rude to waiters/waitresses.
4.   When someone compliments you, accept the compliment with grace and say "thank you."
5.   If someone thinks enough of you to give you a gift or goes out of their way to do something nice for you, send a handwritten thank you note, not just an e-mail or text.

I don't buy it when there is a rude person and people make excuses for him/her by saying, "oh, that's just the way he/she is."  Unacceptable!  Rudeness is a learned behavior that people continue because no one calls them on it.  However, if rudeness is a learned behavior, that means it can also be unlearned.  I say we start a trend of kindness instead of rudeness.   Who's with me?

Sick of Being Sick

Piper has already learned the fine art of sharing...germs, that is.  If anyone ever sneezed directly in my face or grabbed at me with gooey germy hands, I would probably freak out.  But when Piper does it repeatedly, there’s not much I can do.

One of the bad things about being a working parent with a child at daycare for the first time, is that Piper will pick up a boatload of colds, flu, chicken pox or a myriad of other things.  The good thing is she will build up a fantastic immunity and not get sick much down the line.  However, in the meantime, I seem to pick up the adult-sized version of every illness too!

I was warned that my first year as a new parent would be the sickest year of my life.  Since I rarely get sick, I thought this rule wouldn’t apply to me.  Boy was I wrong.   I’ve had more colds, sinus infections and flu-like symptoms in the past few months than I have had over the past few years.  It hasn't been easy struggling through a full slate of meetings and projects with a pounding headache, sore throat and runny nose.  More hot Tazo Passion Fruit tea and Halls, please.

All in all, dealing with colds and such is a small price to pay for cuddle time and showers of sloppy kisses from the Pipernator.  The little nugget is pretty hard to resist.