Sugar Waxing: A Lesson in Self Control

Let me preface this by saying, there is going to be some inappropriate talk about hair in private places, also I’ve never gone to a salon and had any part of my body waxed, so I truly have nothing to compare this experience to. I tried using Nair wax strips once when I was 20, to do my bikini line and it ended with me showering, praying that the strip would release because I just couldn’t do it.

About a month ago, I started thinking about trying waxing as a means to cut back on shaving (pits, legs, bikini). In true 2021 fashion, I started getting targeted instagram ads for Sugar Waxing. The one that always caught my eye was a cute and witty commercial for Sugar Me Smooth and hooked me in. I was successfully influenced & knew I had to try it. I went back and forth about what kit I should get, but I ended up getting the bikini, because that’s the most annoying area especially in the summer.

It started easy enough. Watched the video, did a test on my leg, got the hang of it, and so I went for it. Let me say, it’s not pleasant. Not even a little bit. You know the scene from 40 Year Old Virgin? There were definitely moments I wanted to scream out “KELLY CLARKSON!” I tried to make mine a more enjoyable experience, so I put on a good tv show, poured myself an alcoholic beverage, and took my time.

I started with doing only the bikini line, sides, maybe a little off the top, but it soon turned into a topiary lesson. The more I did, the stranger it looked, so I just kept going… and at the moment I wanted to quit I looked in the mirror and I knew I had to finish. It would be like shaving your head and facial hair, but leaving a sideburn. ONE SIDEBURN. Granted, people see your head/face, and nobody but my husband will see this hack job… but I just knew we wouldn’t be able to stop laughing if I left it. So. I put on a meditation, took the last swig off my drink, said a few Hail Mary’s and muscled through.

On a scale of one to child birth… It’s about a 7 or 8. I’ve been told that the more you do it, the easier it gets, and the less and less it hurts. So. fingers crossed for that. Anyway, not having anything else to compare this to, I’m happy with the product I chose to get! It’s the bikini kit from Sugar Me Smooth. Apparently sugar wax is supposed to be less abrasive than regular waxing, and you won’t get burned, because you don’t need to heat this up. Apply it to your hair, going against the flow of the hair, then remove it with a flicking motion with the grain of the hair. This is supposed to make it less painful, but what you need to know is, its going to hurt and possibly bleed. You’re removing the hair follicle, and for some of these hairs, they’ve never been pulled out before. Ouch. There is a reason why people pay other people to do this, because it’s unnatural to PURPOSEFULLY inflict that kind of pain on yourself, and to keep doing it, over and over and over until you’re done.

ANYWAY, I hope you got a good laugh at my expense. I’m sore, slightly embarrassed, but hopeful that next time won’t be so traumatic. (Meaning, I’ll do it again). And if you don’t plan on joining the ranks of the Brazilian people, I’d say, overall, this isn’t that bad!

My Favorite Chocolate Chip cookies {Gluten & Dairy Free}

I read something recently about an idea for a book about a food blogger who admits to murders she had committed in the text of her recipe blog posts. She got away with them all because NO ONE reads that part of the post. They mainly jump to the recipe and call it a day. That being said. I’ll spare you all the details about why I opted to make this recipe gluten and dairy free.

I will share the gluten and dairy free products that I used and liked though! Because they made these taste soo yummy!

Please remember, if you’re doing a side by side taste test, you will be able to taste the difference between the original cookie and the gf/df one, but when you are craving something sweet that won’t hurt your stomach…this is the recipe for you!! Enjoy!!

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Magnolia Chocolate Chip Cookies {Gluten & Dairy Free}

Yield: 30 cookies

Author: Jordanne Marie

Cook time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten free baking flour 
• 1 heaping tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 Stick of Country Crock Plant butter (I used the Olive oil one) at room temperature
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 Large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
• 1-2 cups of Nestle allergen-free chocolate chips 

Instructions

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Place baking mat on baking pan.
2. 2. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. (Flour, salt, baking soda).
3. 3. Using a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar until light & fluffy (2-3 min). Add the eggs & vanilla and beat until blended.
4. 4. Turn off mixer, and slowly add the dry ingredient mixture, until the dough all comes together. Add the chocolate chips.
5. 5. Scoop into large TBSP size balls, and place on baking mat. Cook for 9.5-10 min then let sit on the pan for about a minute before removing and placing on a cooling sheet. 

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New Habits, New Routines...

So, I read a whole book, actually two whole books since January 1st. But I read a whole book in 8 days. I know for a lot of people this isn’t a big accomplishment, but I’ve learned to celebrate my wins, regardless of how big or small.

At the start of 2021, without much thought at all, I set a couple goals for myself in the new year. I already established a daily workout routine, and told myself I would get back to my “normal diet” of eating less or no Gluten & Dairy… so when I told myself, One book, per month, for a total of 12 books total, Ryan looked at me like I had grown a second head. No booklist, no one to hold me accountable and no plan on how I was going to accomplish this, just a dream.

Little back story on me… I hate reading. Yup. Not a fan. I could probably count on two hands the number of books that I’ve sat down and read in their entirety. {Most of which being the Harry Potter series.} I have a half-read graveyard in my office of all the books I started but didn’t have the attention span to actually finish.

I started trying to read a chapter here and there, but it wasn’t a consistent habit, so I would lost interest. But in my daily consumption of podcasts, I listened to one about how to train yourself to be a “morning person”. Spoiler, there is not magic solution, JUST TO DO IT. Get up. Set an alarm and force yourself out of bed. Find something to look forward to, and do it. Around Christmas time, I bought an echo dot alarm clock, with a hope to be better at waking up, so now I just tell Alexa to wake me up to Norah Jones Radio, which is surprisingly a very pleasant way to wake up. That first morning was surprisingly easy… I didn’t focus on all the quality cozy time I was missing out on, or focusing on how comfortable my bed is, instead I looked forward to 30-45 min of childfree quiet time that I could enjoy, while I sip my coffee and start my day off in peace. This past year I’ve learned that I’m a fairly weird person… I mean, I’ve ALWAYS known I was weird, but in terms of motivation, I’m weird. When it comes to creating habits, I either need to do them EVERY DAY, or not at all, because if I don’t do it every day, I get lazy and tell myself it’s okay to “take a day off”. And just like that my routine is shot.

I listened to the podcast on February 12th, that night I set my alarm, and within two weeks I had finished the book I started in January & then I read an entire book in 8 days. EIGHT. DAYS. Couldn’t tell you the last time I did that, actually, I couldn’t tell you if I’ve EVERY done that, but now, being a mom of three, this is not something I made time for in the past. Now I’m mapping out my next book for the month of March, because this weird sense of accomplishment is slightly addicting.

“The instruction manual for deep change is the same every single day. Show up. Show up. Show up. ”

— Hannah Brencher -Fighting Forward

It can be hard to look at yourself and figure out what habits are good and which habits you should drop, or :gasp: where you can add new healthy habits. I don’t know how to get you in that mental headspace, because everyone is different. You have to want it for yourself & you have to find something to look forward to. For me, the quiet time was a HUGE motivator, and a hot cup of coffee, the nuggets of wisdom from the books is just bonus!

Books I’ve read so far: The Joy of Missing Out by Tonya Dalton
Fighting Forward by Hannah Brencher

My Current Podcast Line-up

Within the past two years, I’ve been falling more and more in love with Podcasts. There is seriously something for everyone, and I adore that. The common trend with women of my age, are crime junkie podcasts, but I’m going to be real with you… letting that type of evil into my brain is not good for me on so many levels. I notice how depressive it can be for my spirit, so I try to avoid anything that is going to exacerbate my anxiety and stress levels. That being said, most of the podcasts I listen to tend to deal with “self help” or my faith as a Catholic Christian, but there are a couple that are just because I have a weird sense of humor and like the Office.

Minimalism & Clutter Control:

My First & maybe my favorite podcast that I BINGE when I need a real kick in the pants to get to cleaning and decluttering my house, is A SLOB COMES CLEAN with Dana K. White. She is an author and mom, who gives your realistic goals for cleaning for people who really hate cleaning. Some of her concepts were already things I was doing on a weekly basis, but listening to her podcasts really gave me a lot of Lightbulb moments when I realized that you can’t organize anything until you CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER, otherwise you are just “Stuff shifting” and that doesn’t solve anything. Hello! Her voice is so soothing, and its easily something I can listen to while I make dinner or :gasp: clean and organize my house.

Next up. THE COZY MINIMALIST, MINIMALIST MOM’S PODCAST, WITH INTENTION & WANNABE MINIMALIST. These four are great, but I’m not as quick to click on them because I have so many new podcasts that I’ve been listening to lately, and not a ton of time. But they are good and have a lot of great content. I started focusing on Minimalism a couple years ago when I realized that living with less was a really good idea as we were fighting hard to pay down debts and manage the stuff that was already in our house.

The Cozy Minimalist is great if you don’t have a lot of time and just want short bursts of inspiration. (Her earlier episodes are better) Recently, it feels like she is having trouble distinguishing herself and letting the negative comments get her down.

Minimalist Moms Podcast is great because she talks to a lot of other moms who are dealing with the day to day life of managing kids and a house in addition to working, etc. You get to hear what works and doesn’t work for them. I love to weed through and see what things I can try to implement in my own life, and then go from there.

With Intention Podcast, recently changed to this name, but she focuses on living with intention and will talk about a lot of minimalist ideals. Lots of great ideas to slow down and enjoy the inbetween.

Wannabe Minimalist is also great because it just hammers home this idea of getting away from the consumer mindset and how to look at your house with fresh eyes to pair down on things you don’t use or need.

Life & Self Help

The Chalene Show is my current favorite podcast. She talks all about living with ADD & ADHD and all the ways you can uplevel your life, break bad habits, start new routines, etc. She’s so smart and funny and gets right to the point. A lot of her content is science based, and I’m currently working through her Decluttering series from the beginning of this year. SO MUCH GOOD INFO.

Fresh Exchange is by a Michigan mama, who lives very simply and talks about enjoy the season she is in. She is also talking ALL about gardening and her process behind how she plants and learns in nature. It’s a breath of fresh air from the constant RUSH RUSH RUSH mindset of so many, and I adore seeing the beauty of Michigan through her eyes.

The Mary Marantz Show is solid gold. All of her episodes are amazing and will make you feel like you can take on anything you set your mind to. Mary is an AMAZING interviewer and doesn’t ask superficial questions, but really digs deep and gets to the nitty gritty stuff. And Mary is a wonderful human being in real life as well.

Modern Manners for Moms & Dads is a new one for me that I’ve been really digging through. I heard these ladies on another podcast and was so intrigued by their stance on parenting. It has really made me take a step back and reevaluate myself and my approach to how I react to situations as a mom.

The Purpose Show with Allie Casazza is great for moms who feel like they are stuck in the trap of “Suffering through motherhood”. It helps you realize that in order for us to be our best version of ourselves, as women and mothers, we need to take better care of our mental and physical health first. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

Spiritual Health

Being a Catholic Christian is a big part of my life. It shapes not just how I spend my weekend, but also how I view the world and all aspects of my life. My three favorite podcasts are ironically by the same person.

UMD Newman Catholic Campus- Father Mike Schmitz. He is a priest/campus chaplain at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and before the pandemic, I would listen to his weekly homily on his podcast because it would always dive SO MUCH deeper into the readings than what my own local priest would do during mass. When all the churches closed in March 2020, he took to Youtube and offered weekly mass for his “virtual front pew” as he called us.

The Bible in a Year- In addition to his homilies, he also has a new one that started on January 1st, 2021 and it comes out every morning and Fr. Mike is reading through the entire Bible. There is a whole reading plan based on Jeff Cavin’s study of the Great Adventure Timeline, that addressed the story of Salvation and how we fit into that story. It’s amazing and I have listened every single morning since Jan 1. I make sure that my brain is fully listening and comprehending what I’m hearing, so I do it while I get ready in the morning alone in the bathroom.

Fr. Mike Schmitz is basically the audio from his youtube channel for Ask Father Mike. Where he will address questions or subjects that people ask him about from a Catholic perspective.

Comic Relief/ Favorite TV Shows

Fake Doctors, Real Friends is a hilarious podcast that is basically Zach Braff & Donald Faison shooting the ish, talking about current events, and occasionally they talk about their old Tv Show SCRUBS. (Which I loved that show in high school/college and owned all the seasons on DVD) yeah, i’m old(er). They are definitely vulgar and talk about a lot of really bizarre things, but I listen when I just need to take my mind off of the crazy and have a good laugh.

The Office Deep Dive with Brian Baumgartner is a new one, but it’s the actor who played Kevin from the Office, talking to all his old castmates about their time on The Office. It’s just fun and mindless to listen to, and I’m enjoying so far.

Office Ladies with Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey is great and they really break down every episode. It’s so fun to hear these ladies talk about the show and what was going on behind the scenes as they filmed all of this. Talking about what was improvised and who wrote what lines. No Joke, The Office is my ALL TIME FAVORITE show, and before Netflix took it off, Ryan and I would watch it almost every night.

Okay Folks, That’s it. That’s my current lineup on podcasts. If you have any that you think I might like, leave me a comment below, because I’m always looking for new things to listen to!! Thanks friends and I hope this was helpful!