All posts in 30 Days to a New You

#7 Get Involved

People complain every day about the leadership in this country. We don’t think twice about it. So today, get out and get involved and do something about it. Today is November 2nd. The first Tuesday in November. Mean anything to you? Today, in America, it’s Election Day. The day we and our ancestors have fought for for hundreds of years. If you’re a women, prior to 1920, you could not vote. That’s right ladies — we have held the right to vote for less than 100 years. So no matter what your politics, please get out there and vote. Your vote really does matter and it is an easy way to be involved.

There are so many other ways to get involved as well. If you haven’t noticed, I’m not your typical PTA mom so that’s not a way I choose to get involved. I do, however, teach my son about kids who have much less than we do and am teaching and showing by example how to get involved in charities. Leading by example is the best way to teach. My friend Jamie has a blog and wrote yesterday about how they do Christmas. I just love the way she thinks.

For our family we get our kids four gifts. They each get a pair of jammies on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas day they get three gifts: something you want, something you need and a surprise. My kids have no idea that they should be getting more by America’s standards and they have no idea that Santa didn’t come down their chimney and leave them anything!! By no means do we think this is how everyone should do it, but this is just how the Ivey family does it! Don’t hate and don’t brag …. we’re all on the same journey!

If you click on her link above you can see that each site she recommends is a charitable group so every purchase you make gives back to that group. I think that is an awesome idea. I tried to start something like that when my little guy was a littler guy but got some resistance from the ex and ex in-laws. Thank you, Jamie, for reminding me about that. It’s time to start up that tradition again.

So how can you get involved? Look around you. What is important to you? I’m sure that my friend Dawn, who blogs about her life with her autistic son, gets involved with charities having to do with Autism. The key is to get involved with something that is important to you so that you enjoy doing it and will stick with it.

Whatever it is, find it and do it. Being involved is cool and hip and hot.

Still Rockin’ It.
Scarlet Mom

#6 Tell Someone How Much They Mean to You

In the hubub of daily life, we get lost in the daily grind of not having enough time, enough money, and enough patience. Our kids test our patience and push their boundaries. We live in a time when more than half of us are divorced and most of us look at our exes and think, “What the fuck was I ever thinking?” People annoy us to no end on a daily basis and we waste no time telling them about it. Compliments?? Please!

But what if tomorrow didn’t come? What if that friend suddenly died? What if our spouse or partner had a heart attack during the night? What if the most horrifying of all nightmares came true and we lost a child? The Stiletto Mom just wrote a post about one of her closest friends losing her son in a car accident; he was 25. These things don’t happen everyday but what does happen is that we get wrapped up in the negativity of this world and forget just how much these people mean to us. And more importantly, we forget to tell them. We don’t hesitate to flip people off in traffic or tell the sales lady at the store that her service sucked, but when was the last time you waved “thank you” to someone in traffic or took an extra thirty seconds to tell the person who went out of her way to help you how much you appreciate her help? You would be amazed how much telling a stranger that can make their day. THAT is much more powerful than denigration.

And your family? Once again it’s time to take a time-out from electronics and connect. A simple hug, a kiss, an “I love you” or “I appreciate you” can mean the world, especially if it’s not being said on a regular basis. Think it doesn’t matter? Think again. Think I’m being high and mighty? Think again. The last time I saw my mother, I was 16 and we were arguing. I decided I was tired of saying “I’m sorry.” I never saw her again. To this day, I always hug my family, loved ones and my friends and tell them how much I love and care about them. I made that tragic mistake once; I’ll never make it again.

So empower yourself to be an amazing, beautiful person. Take someone by the hand, look them in the eye, and tell them how much they mean to you. It’s something you will never, ever regret.

Still Rockin’ It.
Scarlet Mom

#3 Get a Manicure, a Pedicure, and a New Do

Of course I’m going to tell you to spend some time getting pampered. This is what being a woman is all about. When is the last time you stepped into a spa? If you can afford it treat yourself to some true spa time. You deserve it!! Slip on that robe and slippers, let someone bring you water or, even better, a glass of wine. Sit in a big comfortable massage chair while one person works on your feet and another on your hands. Turn off your phone, sit back, and relax. Take some deep breaths and just breathe in the calm and relaxation. I’m more relaxed just writing this. Pick out a nail polish that you normally wouldn’t wear; something a little racy. Now flaunt it and rock it.

If you can’t afford the full spa treatment there are many salons and nail places that do a bang-up job. The place I go to is a basic nail place that has great prices and is sanitary (always make sure they properly sanitize everything). They even have massage chairs. I always go to the same place so they all know me. It’s like Norm walking into Cheers. It’s always a nice feeling and great customer service when you are remembered at an establishment that you frequent a lot.

For your new do, your hair, you can do a little or a lot. Seriously, it is not good for your hair to go two years in between hair cuts. Even if you wear your hair long you need to trim your ends and shape it up. But this post is about finding your inner MILF and to do that we need to dig deep. Have you been eyeing a celebrity’s hair? A friend’s? Ready to go short? What about your color? Ready to brighten up that red or add some highlights? GO FOR IT!! The great thing about a hair cut is that if you don’t love it, it will grow back. Be sure to find a good stylist so that even though you’re not diggin’ it, you still have a good cut. And the great thing about color is that you can change it back if you just absolutely hate it. But don’t be hasty. Give your new do a good week before deciding if you’re doing to keep it, and ask your friends…friends who will be honest with you. A new do can be shocking at first but given a few days you may start to really love it. The same goes for a great cut.

So take some time and add some beauty to that beautiful, hot rockin’ woman that is dying to get out. Just this little change can turn the most important head of all…yours.

Still Rockin’ It.
Scarlet Mom

#2 Perform a Self Breast Exam

That’s right – feel your boobies! Feel your own, feel a friend’s, or let someone feel yours. However it’s done, FEEL YOUR BOOBIES. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and everyone’s attention should be brought front and center to our breasts. Take a gander; cop a feel.

In all seriousness, nothing screams hot, sexy MILF like good health. No matter what your size you can still be healthy. First and foremost, perform that breast exam. If it has been over a year since your last well-woman exam then schedule one and go. You should also get a mammogram every year after you turn 40. Yes, getting one is unpleasant. But doesn’t is suck less than having cancer??

If you’re healthy, your body will scream good health to the world. Your face will radiate it. You will have a spring in your step and a smile on your face. That lazy, sloth-like feeling in the morning will disappear. Small changes at first can make a huge difference.

Did you know that only ten minutes of exercise can boost your metabolism? In Women’s Health this month, a short article titled, Squeeze in a Quickie, states:

Just 10 minutes of moderate exercise dials up your metabolism for an hour or longer, reports the journal Science Translational Medicine. Researchers found that levels of molecules involved in calorie burning changed significantly an hour after a 10-minute treadmill test – in some cases doubling among the fittest subjects. But no matter what shape you’re in, “even a short amount of exercise triggers metabolism benefits that last long after you stop moving,” says coauthor Gregory Lewis, M.D.

Another quick and easy way to improve your health is to start taking vitamins daily. I would recommend visiting a health food store and not purchasing from your local grocery store. Over-the-counter vitamins like Flinstones (made for healthy children) or Centrum do not have as many essential elements that you need. When choosing a multivitamin choose one with an antioxidant.

Antioxidants protect muscle proteins from free-radical damage that can lead to fatigue, says Angela Mastaloudis, PhD., an antioxidant specialist. You can [also] get your daily dose from just two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of veggies.

There are so many small changes that you can make today to make your inner and outer self scream confidence and beauty. I challenge you to make just one of those changes today.

Still Rockin’ It
Scarlet Mom