Geesh. Remember when I said I suck at posting? I suck at posting. However, I am super excited to write this post today. A couple of months ago, I signed up for a website called Influenster. It is an awesome site where you can be selected for campaigns based on your interests and how active you are on social media. I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in the #ClearProof VoxBox campaign which is regarding Mary Kay's Clear Proof Acne System. Below is my honest review of Mary Kay's Clear Proof skin line. Even though I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes, all opinions of the products are my own.

#ClearProof VoxBox

The Clear Proof Acne System has four components to it: 1) Clarifying Cleansing Gel, 2) Blemish Control Toner, 3) Acne Treatment Gel, and 4) Oil-Free Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin. I will review each of these products one by one and then give my overall thoughts on the skin-care line.

Clarifying Cleansing Gel: I really enjoyed the formula of the cleansing gel. It was very smooth and foamed quite nicely. The smell seemed a little off to me, but in general, I was a big fan of the cleansing gel. I originally used the cleansing gel once a day in the evening because I was worried about abruptly changing my skin care routine and having it dry out my skin. Even though I was only using the cleansing gel once a day, my skin still had a somewhat negative reaction and became really dry.

Blemish Control Toner: Honestly, I absolutely LOVE this toner. I'm a big toner person in general, but I really like the effect this toner had on my face. It was very cooling and refreshing. Just like the cleansing gel, I only used the toner once a day in the evening because, despite my love for them, toners dry my face out if I use them more than once a day.

Acne Treatment Gel: This treatment gel is pretty darn amazing. Unlike the cleansing gel and the toner, I only used the treatment gel when I noticed zits emerging. I would simply put some gel on the zit and in a day or two it would be completely gone! Great product.

Oil-Free Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin: The moisturizer helped quite a bit with the dry skin that I was experiencing from the rest of the Clear Proof skin line, but it did not completely alleviate it. I did really like the formula of this moisturizer. It was smooth and lightweight. My skin didn't feel greasy after putting it on, which is a big deal for me.

Overall Review: I'm actually quite a big fan of the Clear Proof Acne System. I don't think I could ever switch solely to this product because of the fact that it was very drying on my skin, but using it in conjunction with my normal morning routine had great results. My skin is super clear. I couldn't be happier to have been introduced to this product!

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

So I'm currently in the second year of my Master's program in Educational Administration with a specialization in Student Affairs, and graduate school is finally wearing me down. I need a break. Between my classes and attempting to start work on my thesis (and that pesky little thing called IRB), I barely feel as though I have any time for myself. That's why I'm ridiculously excited for this weekend - I'm finally giving myself a much needed break and spending most of the weekend out of the house.

The movie Gone Girl comes out this weekend, and it is based on one of my favorite books ever. A group of friends and I are headed out for a matinee on Saturday afternoon, and I could not be more excited! Haven't heard of Gone Girl before (have you been living under a rock???) - watch this trailer:





Saturday night, a group of people in my program who work in the same building as me will be having our second CBA GA wine night. What could be better? Starting the day with a great movie with great people and ending it with great people and great wine. BEST WEEKEND EVER!

So I have a confession to make - I sometimes forget to blog. And by sometimes, I mean more often than not. It is challenging to balance being a wife and mother while also being a full-time graduate student and working approximately 30 hours a week between my assistantship and my practicum experience. I'm also supposed to be starting on my graduate thesis. Despite the massive amount of stuff I need to be doing, I feel as though I need something to keep my sanity, which is part of the reason I created this blog in the first place.

This blog was created to be a collection of my random musings. From things such as ramblings about graduate school and my thesis, to thoughts about parenting and marriage, to fashion and beauty, and even fitness and food. I hope to be more consistent in my posts in the future.

#65. go to the zoo.

A few weekends back, my family and I ventured to the Omaha Zoo to complete one of my goals from my 101 tasks in 1001 days and so Hayden could explore. Little man was SO excited to go. The weather had been kind of yucky in the morning. As we were driving to Omaha, the skies were dark and they just kept getting darker as we got closer. Once we actually got into the city, it was super foggy and began to rain. Hubby and I thought that we might have to head back home, but we wanted to make sure that we at least tried because Hayden was so excited. Luckily for us, the rain let up and it was actually a really nice day!

Looking at the monkeys with daddy.

Stingrays.

Hayden and hubby.

Little munchkin and myself.

Hayden in the butterfly chairs.

I love how his hands are clasped in this picture. A-freaking-dorable.

Hayden had been on the hunt for rhinos. He was psyched to find them!

Watch All The Best Picture Academy Award Winners: A Work in Progress

2013 - 12 Years A Slave - 5 out of 5 stars
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender
"In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery."

Academy Award winners are difficult movies for me to watch - mostly because I am never certain if they will live up to the hype that they have garnered. During the recent award cycle, this movie and the performances throughout it were all the rage. For all these reasons, I was a little skeptical of it. However, the plot of this movie was moving and the performances were great. The best part: hubby loved it too!

Watch 26 Movies: A Work in Progress

D - Dallas Buyers Club - 5 out of 5 stars
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, and Jared Leto
"In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is himself diagnosed with the disease."

Considering the fact that this film won three Oscars (Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role & Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role & Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling), it has been on my list "to-watch" list for a little while. While it is not a fast-paced movie, it kept my interest and the acting was AMAZING.

101 Tasks in 1001 Days

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specifically defined with no ambiguity in the wording. The results of these tasks must be either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching, meaning that the individual completing the challenge must actually work toward that goal.

Why 1001 Days:
As opposed to simply doing New Year's resolutions, I chose to participate in a challenge lasting 1001 days (approximately 2.75 years) because I feel as though it is a better period of time to complete a challenge. It allows me several seasons to complete the task, which is better for my organizational, Type A personality.

Start Date: June 11, 2014
End Date: March 8, 2017


INDULGE
1. Get a great new pair of glasses.
2. Buy a new laptop.
3. Buy a cashmere sweater.
4. Watch all of the Best Picture Winners from the Academy Awards (1927-2015).
5. Get a tattoo.
6. Buy a "big-girl" piece of furniture (i.e., a dining room table or bedroom furniture).
7. Buy luxurious bedding for the master bedroom.
8. Invest in good bras.
9. Spend the night in a luxurious hotel.
10. Have a "me" day with pampering.
11. Buy something from Etsy.
12. Get a tablet.
13. Have a romantic, candlelight dinner.
14. Have family pictures taken.

CREATE
15. Become published. (That pesky thesis is finally done! Read it here.)
16. Create a list of 100 things that make me happy.
17. Complete a 1,000 or more piece puzzle.
18. Make a t-shirt quit from the shirts I accumulated during my undergraduate degree.
19. Complete five DIY projects.
20. Knit or crochet five scarves.
21. Finish a coloring book.
22. Start a scrapbook of the first few years of Hayden's life.
23. Write a letter to hubby to be opened in 10 years.
24. Make a scrapbook of my teenage years.
25. Make hubby a gift.
26. Create a cookbook of my Pinterest recipes.
27. Bake something once a week for a month.
28. Take pictures in a photo booth.
29. Have dinner at the movies in a dine-in cinema.
30. Complete "A Mother's Legacy" for Hayden to read when he gets older.

HELP
31. Eliminate all clothes that do not fit or that I no longer wear and donate them.
32. Leave an inspirational note for someone to find.
33. Send at least 20 hand-written notes.
34. Send snail mail birthday cards to 10 friends or family members.
35. Send a care package to a friend.
36. Donate to a cause or charity.
37. Put change in 10 expired meters.
38. Send flowers to someone.
39. Leave a 100% tip.
40. Anonymously mail someone in need $100.

IMPROVE
41. Work out at least three days a week for three months.
42. Run in two 5K races.
43. Run a half-marathon. I'll blog about this soon!
44. Pay off 1/3 of hubby's student loan debt.
45. Clean weekly for six months.
46. Go one month without eating out.
47. Take a fitness class.
48. Drink at least 64 ounces of water daily for a month.
49. Try one new recipe each week for a month.
50. Use at least one coupon on each shopping trip for two months.
51. Sleep at least 7 hours a night for a month.
52. Take vitamins every day for three months.
53. Whiten my teeth.
54. Go without soda for a month.
55. Complete Farrell's Extreme Bodyshapping (FXB).
56. Eat paleo for a week.
57. Participate in a juice cleanse.
58. Eat breakfast every day for a month.
59. Attend church consistently for three months.
60. Take lunch to work five times a week for a month.
61. Clean the kitchen every night for a week.
62. Make my bed every day for a month.
63. Stick to a meal plan for a month.
64. Hang up the rest of the picture frames and artwork in our apartment.

EXPLORE
65. Go to the zoo.
66. Go on vacation.
67. Go to a concert.
68. Go to the Farmer's Market.
69. Go to a wine tasting. (and I got to celebrate one of my cohort members getting hitched at the same time!)
70. Visit five local restaurants and order something different than I normally would.
71. Go to a Huskers football game.
72. Go to a professional sports game.
73. Visit three states I have never been to before.
74. Go hiking.
75. Go to three museums.
76. Go ice skating.
77. Have a picnic.
78. Plan a mother/son day.

EXPAND
79. Read 50 books for fun.
80. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind.
81. Say "yes" to doing something when I would normally say "no".
82. Graduate from my Master's program with a 3.75 GPA or higher.
83. Get a full-time position within student affairs. I'll blog about this at some point!
84. Make a hair change.
85. Go see a live, local band.
86. Complete a logic puzzle or Sudoku book.
87. Go to a national conference.
88. Rent or buy a house.
89. Go one day without using any technology.
90. Get a passport.
91. Go an entire day without make-up and go out in public.
92. Put $2,500 in savings.
93. Buy a juicer.
94. Get a pet.
95. Write a living will and have it notarized.
96. Watch 26 movies I have never seen before starting with each letter of the alphabet.
97. Watch a television show I have never watched before from the beginning of the series to the end.
98. Read Hayden 101 books.
99. Complete a 30 for 30 challenge.
100. Host Thanksgiving dinner.
101. Have a real Christmas tree.