Pro 31:22 "She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple."
I've been thinking this week a lot about life as a wife and mother.How much we change after we become these things.
8 years ago I was a different person. I had no children and no husband. I got up in the morning for work, I showered, put on lotion, perfume, brushed my teeth, did my hair, and put on a full face of make up. I took extra special care of my skin. I made sure I had no dry patches. I made sure if I had a pimple it was treated with a very rigorous skin regimen. My teeth were whitened daily, my clothes fresh and ironed. My nails and toes were perfectly matched colors and well manicured. I went running daily. I mean I really took my time and took amazing care of myself.
Now, you catch me on an off day, and I'm lucky to catch a shower, took about 10 minutes getting dressed, pulling my hair in a ponytail, brushing my teeth, throwing on blush, mascara, and eyeliner. I have one big toe with pink nail polish still on it from last summer, one hand with broken nails and the other with long. A pimple on my forehead, dryer fluffed clothes (no iron) and two different shoes on. Running, yes I run from ballet class to soccer practice and that's about all the running I have time for. Now tell me what is wrong with this picture!
Do you think if I looked this way 8 years ago I would have ever gotten a husband? Who knows maybe, maybe not. But either way something in there has changed drastically!!
When I first became a stay at home mom, I was determined to not let this happen to myself! My husband and I had a talk about why men lose attraction to their wives. One thing he said, and has always stuck with me was, "because when they get home after a long day at work, they want the beautiful made up wife that they had first married, and no one wants to come home to a wife who hasn't showered, or is still in her pajamas!" And I thought this was some really great advice! I took this advice to heart for about the first three years of motherhood. Every day, no matter how tired I was, I got up, took a shower and did my hair and put on my make up. Even if it was 10 minutes before he walked in the door! And let me tell you it worked!! Now once baby #4 came into the picture and now baby #5 is on the way...I feel more and more like it is hopeless to get to the shower some days.
HOWEVER, on the days I make that effort for my husband, it not only makes him happy, but it also makes me happy. I feel so much better about myself! I feel like I'm on top of the world! I feel like I look nicer, I feel like I have more energy, and just overall feel amazing!
Our verse this weeks says "she is clothed in fine linen and purple." The color purple was the color of royalty. We as women really need to take time out every day to pamper ourselves with a 5 minute shower, some make up, or change into a nicer outfit. Sometimes we just get so caught up in making sure everyone else is ready we loose time to get ourselves ready!
When it's time for us to go someplace as a family, my husband gets ready, I get all 4 girls dressed, do their hair, get their shoes on, get the bags together, then when it's time for me to get ready everyone is ready to walk out the door. So I resort to a ponytail and mascara! If I can start getting everyone ready 20 minutes earlier than normal, that should be enough time for me to grab a shower and at least feel clean and refreshed and good about myself.
So ladies your challenge for this week is to take time out each day to take your shower, wash off, put on some new clothes, paint your nails, do your hair, or just relax for 5 minutes. Whatever you need to do to feel more beautiful this week...make time to do it!!! When we feel good about ourselves it's easy to feel good about other things in life as well.
Head over the facebook page and let us know how you did this week and what makes you feel beautiful.
