Those who know me know that I’m a girlie girl. While I don’t wear bows in my hair (never have, I promise!!), I do like my fake nails, my colored medium length hair (yes, with a little hairspray), a little more makeup, my jewelry…. I also LOVE shoes and purses and have a fashion sense of my own (may not always work, but I definitely have an idea in my head). I’m obsessed, yes obsessed, with the scales and my weight - my cross to bear unfortunately. Basically, shallow as it may be, my appearance matters to me.

When I was a single girl, I never went anywhere without makeup. I’d even sweat it out at the pool after taking a shower and fixing my hair and makeup. I’d go to an early morning women’s workout at the gym AFTER applying a little makeup. I think the Bible calls that vanity! Once married, nothing changed except that I did let Rowland see me in my purest form. BUT….I always fixed my hair and makeup (after straightening the house to perfection) before he came home from work.

When Carson started preschool, I got up early enough to shower and fix my hair and makeup before driving him to school - and that was for the drop-off line! I remember being amazed at my friends who could take their children to school in their PJs. What? Drive to school in your PJs? What if someone saw you? Ugh!!! I also remember the one time that I got pulled over in the small town we lived in at the time. I was only blocks from our house, was running late (yes, I had that problem then, too), had not showered, and yielded at a stop sign in the neighborhood. I was SO embarrassed that I had to talk to the policeman in such a state. Fortunately, he probably mistook my frustration for that of getting pulled over instead of my being mortified by my appearance and didn’t give me a ticket. That was the last time I drove my son to school without makeup. That is, until……

Fast forward four kids later…. I began to run the kids up to school a few blocks from our house - sans makeup! After all, it was only a few blocks, and I didn’t have to walk them into the building. As time passed, I became more comfortable with my new self and would even drive them in my pajamas with a sweatshirt pulled over the top. In California, I always drove the entire hour loop to all three schools in my pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt and no makeup. Often, I’d stop in the church to say “hi” to Rowland and my friends in my less-than-attractive state!

Now, the kids ride the bus to school. Since my little one goes, and my middle one is having a tough time with going to school this year, I often walk them to the bus stop - in my pajamas without even running a brush through my hair. Basically, the neighborhood probably knows me as “that mom who runs around the streets in her pajamas.” I’d like to say that the only time anyone sees me like that is when I’m taking the kids to the bus stop, but actually I check the mail in my jammies, take out the trash in my jammies, stand around outside visiting with my neighbors in my jammies…. Don’t worry, though, you’ll not find a picture of me on my own blog in my jammies!! After all, I do have a reputation to TRY to maintain!!