Thoughts for Thursday: Physical Self-Maintenance

My TFT today is about physical self-maintenance....you know, upkeep.  I was thinking about different things that most women do to make themselves look and feel good.  You know.....  working out or dieting, getting manicures & pedicures, getting hair cut & colored, tanning, wearing makeup, new cloths, etc.

For me, I try to look good most of the time but I am far from high-maintenance! 

• I wear makeup everyday (even if I don't plan to leave the house)
• I get my hair cut & colored every 3 months or so. 
• I minimally style my hair 4-5 days a week.....never bother blow drying
•   I like my feet to look pretty, but I cannot justify spending $30-40 on a professional pedicure, so I do them myself. 
• My fingernails are kept short and I never wear polish.....I had acyrlic nails for several years back in high school and college, but I will never do that again. 
• I get very tan naturally in the summer and almost never tan in a booth....I do not want wrinkles or skin cancer! 
• I go through streaks with dieting and working out.....both are something I wish I prioritized more.  Being thin just isn't something I have ever worked hard enough to achieve.
• I do not spend a ton fo money on clothes.  I usually buy just a few things each season.

I know many of you who read this are mothers.  I have noticed that with some of my own friends, they tend to worry less and less about self-maintenance once they have kids.   Does having kids do that to you? Or is it a matter or personality or vanity?

So ladies, today I am asking you to divulge what your self-maintenance priorities are..... what do you do regularly to make yourself look and feel good?

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Other TFT posts today:

Michelle on nostalgia

Kim on dinner time rules with kids

Jessica on road rage

Jenny on what to do with old memorabilia, keepsakes, etc

Heather on cake!

Jenny on the good in people

Robyn on change and structure

Michann on stealing from work

Travis on smoking at the gas station

Comments

[jessica]

In my opinion, it's about personality. I have never been accused of being high maintenance... I get my hair done like once every five years :) The extent of my makeup is a bit of mascara. No fingernail maintenance, no pedicures, I paint them myself... I never tan, and I don't really need to diet for physical appearance... Nothing really changed with having kids, for me. I do about as much maintenance on myself as I did before having them. I do like to have some decent clothes, and that is one thing that changed a bit... I don't spend the money on myself anymore. I'd much rather buy cute, frilly dresses for the baby! So the moral of my ramblings... is that as long as I'm clean, I'm good :)

[Nicole]

I am a lot like Jessica - my nails have always been short, I paint my own toenails because of the cost and because I don't care to have other touch my feet, I watch what I eat and exercise when I am not pregnant, but I wouldn't ever call it dieting - I eat in moderation but still eat what I want. I do tend to put on make-up (at the very least mascara) everyday, and will often attempt to do something with my hair - which I used to get cut when I was desperate at the strip-mall salon . . . I am now making it a point to make an appointment with the same person every couple of months. I was never a fashion whore, and have always preferred to spend the money on other things - those things are now the kids! The one thing I would like to start doing but can't seem to coordinate with hubby's schedule is get my bikini line waxed on a regular basis - I have done it a couple times and loved the results.

[Hope]

I am pretty bad about getting my hair cut. My stylists always yell at me for not going in enough. I also dye my hair myself at home and I'm pretty bad about staying on top of that as well. I've got some nice long root action right now...

I wear makeup frequently, but not everyday. I find myself wearing it more often these days.

My one big indulgence is pedicures. I kill manicures, so I don't bother with them. But my best-friend and I get pedicures semi-regularly. I love having cute toes!

[Jessica]

Ryan always teases me that I take less time to get ready than he does...lol. Seriously, though...I've always been that way, even before kids. I can't wear make-up often or my skin gets awful, so I only bother with it on special occasions. I do my own toenails when it's flip flop weather, and my fingernails have always been naturally strong, so I do let them grow a little, and keep them looking nice...just no polish or any of that.
I never mess with my hair, and I'm lucky if I remember to get it cut once a year. Sometimes I think I should do more with it, but I'm really, really BAD at hair...lol.
I try to eat healthier, and stay somewhat in shape, but on the whole, I'm very "low-maintenance", I think.

[Kim]

for me it's a personality thing... i don't think i've changed since max was born. i still love clothes and makeup. i don't really do my hair that much, but that's because i suck at it. :) i like to look cute though (or at least FEEL like i'm looking cute :) because it makes me feel good. i wouldn't describe myself as high-maintenance though... i probably get my hair done like every 4-6 months, and only get a mani or pedi if i'm doing something special with my girlfriends. i NEVER tan... i wear sunscreen every day. i do get a massage every 4-6 weeks though, i've been doing it for a few years and now i'm addicted and can't stop. :)

[Julie]

I am like you, I wear make up everyday, even on the weekends when I have no plans to go anywhere. My complexion is horrible and I just don't feel comfortable unless I have make up on to even it out. I do get my hair trimmed ever 4-6 weeks but I'm not a big spender on coloring it. I love to have it colored but normally opt for home coloring (only when doing one color though). I'd love to have highlights and multiple colors but I am too cheap to keep up on it. I don't bother with manicures, I beat the hell out of my nails. My toes do need to be painted in the summer though, which I do myself. Can't handle people touching my feet...it tickles too bad. lol

[amy]

I think I am the same as I was before having kids in my mindset, that is. I get my hair cut every 4 weeks. This is important to me. As far as manis and pedis go, I love pedis. In the summer I go every few weeks - they make me feel wonderful and I usually save all my gift certificates for flip-flop weather.

I stay at home with my boys, and I try to look good so that I feel good. I just don't want to get frumy. As far as clothes go, I don't spend a lot of money on them, but I get a few things every season.

As far as exercise goes, its very important to me. Its not just a physical thing, but a mental thing as well. When I exercise I feel good.

[michelle]

Hmm, well I've definitely let myself go now that I've had kids, I'm not proud of it though. I have been making a conscious effort to look good every day, I dress nicely, put makeup on and do my hair. I feel much better about myself and people notice and comment on how I look nice and it feels good. Maybe that's vain of me, but oh well. I wish I could spend more time/money on my hair/nails, etc, but I can't.

[Nicole Barczak]

I wouldn't say I'm high maintenance, per se, but definitely not low maintenance.

Hair: I normally get it trimmed/cut every 8-10 weeks, but lately its been longer inbetween which drives me nuts. I color my hair at home. I style it nearly everyday, except sometimes on the weekend if I'm home all day I'll just leave it ("grunge" days... no makeup, no shower, etc...). But, as far as styling, I HAVE to blow dry it. And then style it.

Makeup: I probably wear makeup 95% of the time. I would never dream of going to work without it. Sometimes I'll throw on a little mascara and go to the store, but for the most part if I shower, I put on makeup (and do my hair).

Nails: I can't stand long nails. I have to keep them short. I never paint my fingernails, but I keep my toenails painted in the summer. I've never had acrylic nails.

Tanning: If we go on vacation I do tan a little before we leave, just to get a bit of a base tan so I don't fry. Other than that, in the summer I'm like you... just get a natural tan from being out in the sun. If we go to the lake or somewhere that I'll be in the sun a long time I do put on sunscreen.

Dieting: I don't diet, per se, (other than after having a baby to drop the baby weight) but I do try to watch what I eat when I'm not pregnant... kind of a "maintenance" thing. After I had Porter I did Weight Watchers, and once I got to my goal weight I'd go on and off WW occasionally to drop a few pounds.

Clothes: I do love buying clothes... I'm not into expensive clothes, I shop Target or the sale rack at Gap, Old Navy etc. I can't wait to get back to a normal size and go shopping again! I don't do a huge "shop session" for each season... I just pick up new items throughout the season when I find things I like.

[Robyn]

I haven't changed much since PB was born, I think if anything I and more maintenance since. I feel I should be an example. Which is why I'm on a quest to lose weight, which has allowed me to wear more stylish clothes. I always wear at least mascara, I blow dry my hair everyday, that is how I style it. I shower everyday, I paint my nails when I have some where to go, I don't like wearing pretty polish to work. I get my haircut and eyebrows wax when needed. I do color my hair myself, and would do pedicures and such if I had more cash.

[jenny]

here we go:

hair - i get it cut about every 3 or 4 months. i like to keep it short. i also like to highlight/lowlight it up. i am horrible at making it look cute, so if it's short - i have a basic style that works for me.

makeup - i wear it most of the time. on weekends i might just put mascara on, but otherwise it's powder/eye shadow/mascara and lip balm. simple enough.

nails - i like them short and neat. i paint my own nails and will give myself a french manicure when i really want to get crazy. i would love to get a pedicure every month!

tanning - in the summer i tan really easily, so once in a while in the winter i will tan just so i don't feel so icky. i don't do it alot. i always wear sunscreen on my face.

clothes - when i was a little lighter i liked going shopping more. i'm not a huge shopping fan. i like shopping online at vs. i also am a huge fan of maurices!

dieting - i am working hard to eat better and workout more. so far i'm doing well. i've did ww before and it worked for me, so i'm trying to follow their plan. i just want to be healthy!

[zoe]

i used to be fairly high maintenance. now i am much less so-mostly for $$$ reasons. i do try and get my hair done on a regular basis. i never tan and really try to take good care of my skin. i do fairly regular microderms. i would say skin and hair care is wear i spend the most of my money. because of my job i don't wear polish (chipped nail polish can harbor bacteria). i am in desperate need of new clothes!

[adrienne]

Good one!!! I have always loved to dress and look nice. Once I had kids I had to MAKE time for those things. I hated going out looking frumpy. I work out three times a week, but I go the spa every sunday with my mom. It's my treat!! I wear gel on my nails to help keep them strong but no polish on my hands. I do get a pedicure every couple of weeks because I love to be pampered lol.