Tag / youth

by Kelly Mattei

Best IT Cosmetics Deals on Amazon This Holiday

IT Cosmetics Deals on Amazon NOW!

***Sponsored ad***

Whether you need beauty products for yourself or plan to gift some, It Cosmetics has some great deals on Amazon right now that you need to take advantage of! I have been using It Cosmetics products for years! My friends can tell you I always recommend the products I have listed below, and now, you can take advantage of these deals!

  • IT Cosmetics Celebrate Glow Face and Eye Makeup Palette. I love a good palette, and this one is fantastic, because it contains everything to make your face glow…and I need that glow during the holidays! It’s on sale for $27 (reg $45), so grab this deal here.
  • Celebrate Effortless Glow Makeup 3-Piece Gift Set. This great set from IT Cosmetics features full-size lip gloss, eyeshadow, and mascara. It’s a bargain at just $30 (reg $50). I use all three of the products in this set and love them! Get the set here.
  • Celebrate Dramatic Eyes 3-piece Gift Set. This set contains three great no-tug eyeshadows. Love them! Use them all the time! Get them here!
  • Your Skin But Better CC+ Color Correcting Cream. This full coverage foundation glides on easily and covers the discolorations in my skin without looking heavy. I have been using it for years. It’s formulated with hyraluronic acid and other minerals to improve the quality of your skin, and it contains sunscreen! It’s great stuff, no doubt! Get it while it’s on sale for $32.90 instead of the regular price of $47! I have never seen it on sale before! Get it here.
  • Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream Illumination. This one adds a little illumination to skin, and I love it too! I mostly use it when I go out at night, to brighten my complexion. It’s also on sale right now for $32.90 instead of the usual $47! Get it here.
  • Your Skin But Better Nude Glow. Oh my gosh! I love this stuff! I use it on days when I’m going for the “no makeup” look. I also, occasionally, use it as a base layer underneath my other foundation, for extra moisture. Also on sale. Get it here.
  • Celebrate Youthful Hydration Anti-Aging Skincare Set. This set would make a great gift for any woman/girl on your list! Get six outstanding skincare products for just $45 (regularly $75) as a set. It comes in an easy-to-wrap box! I would love to receive this gift. Get it here.
  • Confidence in a Cream. This Anti-Aging face moisturizer is a true cream that I try to use daily…especially in winter, when the dry air can really cause skin damage. I just put a light layer underneath my makeup. Just like all the other products I have listed, I have never seen it on sale, but it is now $35.40 instead of the regular price of $59! This would make a great gift too, because it’s a universal moisturizer! Take advantage of the sale here.
  • Confidence in your Beauty Sleep. This night cream is 40% off now…unheard of! It’s great stuff, and again, this one is universal and makes a great gift…maybe pair this in a package with Confidence in a Cream…day and night! Get it here.
  • Bye Bye Under Eye Bags. I have a friend who introduced me to this product just yesterday. I tried it this morning, because I had an early appointment, and wow! It definitely “depuffed” my eyes! Get one for yourself and every woman on your list here.
  • Superhero Waterproof Mascara. I often use waterproof mascara if I’m going to be outside (especially if it’s cold), because as I age, my eyes tend to tear up in windy weather, and I don’t need mascara smudges down my face. This stuff is glorious. Get it for 40% off here.

#itcosmetics #holidaylooks #greatgifts #holidaygifts

by Kelly Mattei

IT Cosmetics Deals on Amazon

IT Cosmetics Deals on Amazon NOW! ***Sponsored ad***

***I receive commission on products purchased through my Amazon Links.***

Whether you need beauty products for yourself or plan to gift some, It Cosmetics has some great deals on Amazon right now that you need to take advantage of! I have been using It Cosmetics products for years! My friends can tell you I always recommend the products I have listed below, and now, you can take advantage of these deals!

  • IT Cosmetics Celebrate Glow Face and Eye Makeup Palette. I love a good palette, and this one is fantastic, because it contains everything to make your face glow…and I need that glow during the holidays! It’s on sale for $27 (reg $45), so grab this deal here.
  • Celebrate Effortless Glow Makeup 3-Piece Gift Set. This great set from IT Cosmetics features full-size lip gloss, eyeshadow, and mascara. It’s a bargain at just $30 (reg $50). I use all three of the products in this set and love them! Get the set here.
  • Celebrate Dramatic Eyes 3-piece Gift Set. This set contains three great no-tug eyeshadows. Love them! Use them all the time! Get them here!
  • Your Skin But Better CC+ Color Correcting Cream. This full coverage foundation glides on easily and covers the discolorations in my skin without looking heavy. I have been using it for years. It’s formulated with hyraluronic acid and other minerals to improve the quality of your skin, and it contains sunscreen! It’s great stuff, no doubt! Get it while it’s on sale for $32.90 instead of the regular price of $47! I have never seen it on sale before! Get it here.
  • Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream Illumination. This one adds a little illumination to skin, and I love it too! I mostly use it when I go out at night, to brighten my complexion. It’s also on sale right now for $32.90 instead of the usual $47! Get it here.
  • Your Skin But Better Nude Glow. Oh my gosh! I love this stuff! I use it on days when I’m going for the “no makeup” look. I also, occasionally, use it as a base layer underneath my other foundation, for extra moisture. Also on sale. Get it here.
  • Celebrate Youthful Hydration Anti-Aging Skincare Set. This set would make a great gift for any woman/girl on your list! Get six outstanding skincare products for just $45 (regularly $75) as a set. It comes in an easy-to-wrap box! I would love to receive this gift. Get it here.
  • Confidence in a Cream. This Anti-Aging face moisturizer is a true cream that I try to use daily…especially in winter, when the dry air can really cause skin damage. I just put a light layer underneath my makeup. Just like all the other products I have listed, I have never seen it on sale, but it is now $35.40 instead of the regular price of $59! This would make a great gift too, because it’s a universal moisturizer! Take advantage of the sale here.
  • Confidence in your Beauty Sleep. This night cream is 40% off now…unheard of! It’s great stuff, and again, this one is universal and makes a great gift…maybe pair this in a package with Confidence in a Cream…day and night! Get it here.
  • Bye Bye Under Eye Bags. I have a friend who introduced me to this product just yesterday. I tried it this morning, because I had an early appointment, and wow! It definitely “depuffed” my eyes! Get one for yourself and every woman on your list here.
  • Superhero Waterproof Mascara. I often use waterproof mascara if I’m going to be outside (especially if it’s cold), because as I age, my eyes tend to tear up in windy weather, and I don’t need mascara smudges down my face. This stuff is glorious. Get it for 40% off here.

#itcosmetics #holidaylooks #greatgifts #holidaygifts

by Kelly Mattei

Youngest in the Grade

Youngest in the grade.

My daughter just turned 20 a few days ago. She’s a sophomore in college, living her best life. My husband and I traveled to her university to celebrate her, and a good time was had by all! In fact, we are still enjoying our time with her and her friends! It did, however, make me think about how fortunate she is that she will turn 21 at the beginning of her junior year in college. She is definitely not the youngest in her class, and believe me when I say I tried to design it that way.

I was one of the youngest in my grade growing up. I wasn’t the youngest, but with a late May birthday, I definitely wasn’t one of the older ones. Add in the fact that I was short with a round little face, so I looked even younger. I was among the last in my grade to get my driver’s license, and then, in college, I was one of the last of my friends to turn 21…after the end of my junior year of college!

Some of you who didn’t experience that might not think it matters. Maybe it didn’t matter at all to some of you when you were growing up. It mattered to me. I hated that I was among the last in my grade to get my driver’s license, and in college, I especially hated that I was among the last of my friends to turn 21. It mattered…a lot. It mattered so much to me, in fact, that I literally had a countdown from my 20th birthday to my 21st. I could tell you exactly how many days, hours, and minutes it was until my birthday. Yes, I would actually say things to my friends like, “I will be 21 in exactly 163 days, 7 hours, and 22 minutes.” Annoying? I’m sure. Weird? Probably. But I wanted to be 21.

It makes me wonder about the kids who skip grades. I’m not condemning that concept, so don’t come at me. I will fight back, you know. Personally, for me, it would have been a terrible thing to be the youngest among my “peers,” especially if I were a year younger! Lots of people in college don’t want to be the one who can’t go to the bar when everyone else can. I have a friend whose daughter is the youngest in her friend group, and when Taylor Swift was in Nashville, the daughter was one week shy of her 21st birthday. All her friends were in Nashville and able to go out to bars, but she couldn’t go to all of them. She could go to the 18+ or 19+ bars, but not the real bars. She felt left out of the fun.

When I was a little girl, in first and second grade, it was recommended that I skip a grade. My mother, in her wisdom, refused. She would point out how small I was. And she would also say, “She does not need to be behind the curve socially. No, she’s staying where she is.” She was wise. No, I’m not saying you are unwise if you let your kid skip a grade. You do you. I am saying I definitely would not have been socially ready for college a year earlier. I will say I see a lot of great athletes who are young in their grade at school and could have been even greater athletes if they’d had another year to grow. My child was eligible to go to kindergarten in North Carolina in 2008, but I wanted her to do a year of transitional kindergarten. I didn’t want her to be the youngest in the grade. I wanted her to have the most athletic opportunities she could have, if she wanted them (she did). I wanted her to be among the first to get her driver’s license, and among the first to turn 21 in college.

By giving my girl an October birthday, I ensured that she will be among the first to turn 21 in her class in college. She has thanked me many times for it. My husband and I were thrilled that she was among the first to turn 16, because it meant she would be responsible for driving herself, instead of being dependent on other teens. We trusted her driving, because we taught her, and we made her have double the number of practice driving hours required by the state of North Carolina to get her license. With 120 practice hours, she was a fairly experienced driver for a 16-yr-old.

So now I’m wishing a belated Happy Birthday to our 20-yr-old! That sounds weird to say. She will be 21 in 350-something days.

***I’m not an educator. I’m not a psychologist. I’m not qualified in any way to say whose kid should start school when. I’m a mom and a person who turned 16 and 21 after all her friends. I’m not offering parenting advice or educational advice in any way, shape, or fashion.***

by Kelly Mattei

Trying Something New

In high school, I was a cheerleader. Back in the 80s, it was great fun. We had big hair and cute uniforms, and we cheered at football and basketball games. I loved everything about it.

Our daughter has always loved sports. She played soccer for years before switching to lacrosse and field hockey. In seventh and eighth grades, she played basketball too. This year, as a freshman in high school, she opted not to try out for a basketball team, so she’s cheerleading.

Isn’t it scary to try something new?

Her school hasn’t had cheerleaders in years. I’m not sure why. She has been at school there since transitional kindergarten, in 2008, and there haven’t been cheerleaders since she has been there. We have a fabulous dance team. Those girls have crazy talent! But we haven’t had cheerleaders.

Lots of the girls at our daughter’s school participate in other sports, so I guess, cheerleading just wasn’t on their radar.

This year, though, some of the high school girls came together and decided to start cheerleading. My daughter came home and told me she had been to the informational meeting. I was surprised, to say the least. They started practicing before the holidays. I have to be honest in saying I thought she was probably doing it just so she could know I would take her to all the basketball games, but I’m wrong. That’s not why she’s doing it! The cute uniform might have a little something to do with it, but she is thoroughly enjoying her adventure in cheerleading!

The faculty member who is coaching them knows what she is doing. She has gotten the girls excited, and she has gotten them prepared. According to my daughter, she has made the practices fun! They cheered at a game for the first time a little over a week ago, and they looked good! I was shocked at how “together” they seemed! I should have known their coach wasn’t going to let them go out there and look bad. She is a person who has it all together. She made sure they made their debut in the perfect way: at a JV boys’ game…sort of “easing into it” instead of throwing them out there in front of a big crowd at a varsity game.

Our daughter was out of town this past Friday, so she missed a game, but she will be cheering again later this week, and I can hardly wait to watch this group perform again.

It makes me smile to know these girls are out there trying something new. We all know trying something new can be intimidating and nerve-wracking. And my daughter has never been much of a “performer.” She is athletic and competitive, but when she’s on the field, she’s not thinking about the people who are watching her. She’s thinking about the job she has to do. This is different. Sure, she has a “job” with this too, but it’s performing. And that’s what makes me happiest. She is facing a crowd and performing…and smiling through it!

Personally, I think she is learning a lot. Most of all, she is learning it can be fun to try something new, and I am proud of her and thrilled for her. Hopefully, she will translate some of what she’s learning into some life skills. I’m grateful to their coach for making it fun, but I’m especially grateful to her for giving them the opportunity to try something new. And they’ve discovered they like it!

This Friday, I’ll be there watching them again…and cheering them on!

 

by Kelly Mattei

We Survived Homecoming

After all the dress shopping, shoe shopping, and planning, Homecoming 2018 is officially over at our daughter’s school.

My mom friends have been posting photos on social media since the big night, and I love that every girl has her own style. I also love that the students go in groups.

At our school, the Friday of the Homecoming football game, there is a pep rally at the end of the school day, followed by the game that night. The Homecoming Dance is Saturday night. I can’t speak for everyone else, but before the dance, our daughter’s group went to dinner…26 kids total…at the home of one of the boys. It was fabulous! I know, because all the parents went over to take photos, and the hostess even had a lovely spread for us!

Now, here’s the skinny for parents of young daughters who will be going to a Homecoming Dance one day in the near future: that dress you had altered? You know, the one that had to be hemmed and taken in at the waist? You know, the dress that cost less than the alterations? She might not wear it. She might decide two hours before the dance that she wants to wear a different dress that you didn’t take for alterations, so she will need to be pinned into it. If you are lucky, like I was, she will get dressed at the home of one of her friends, and the friend’s mother will graciously do the pinning. I wasn’t there for it, but I’m hoping my daughter didn’t make it difficult, like she would have done for me! Here’s the great thing, though…she also wore some shoes she already had, so I get to return the new shoes she didn’t wear…money back in my pocket!

Girls wore all kinds of different dresses, each expressing her own personality…all colors, all silhouettes, and all lengths. It would be interesting to add up the total number of hours it takes to outfit a girl for the dance. We probably spent four hours shopping online. She then had to try on dresses…another three hours. Online shoe shopping plus in-store shoe shopping…three hours. Getting hair and makeup done and getting pinned into dress…2.5 hours. Add another hour for the time I spent getting two dresses altered that she didn’t wear. Grand total? It comes to 13.5 hours of my time, but probably more of hers, because I feel sure she tried on dresses in her room repeatedly…I’ll say 15 total hours. That’s a lot.chuttersnap-514371-unsplash

Parents of boys have it a lot easier with attire…khaki pants, collared shirt, tie (bowtie or regular), blazer, and shoes. It’s like the man uniform. I noticed while we were taking photos, though, that the mothers were all writing their sons’ names on pieces of paper and having them put them in their blazer pockets. Since the blazers all look alike, that’s a good way to make sure the they go home with the right person. So if your son hasn’t gone to the dance yet this year, go ahead and put his name in his coat pocket.

But for Homecoming, the boys who take dates have to make the plans. They figure out dinner arrangements, and they assemble the group. That’s not easy, but the boys, with the help of some hardworking mothers, pull it off.

Here’s another great thing: some kids go with dates, and some don’t…and it doesn’t matter. Most of them do, however, find a group, large or small, to go to the dance with. There is no right or wrong way to go to the dance…just go! And have fun!

After the dance, some moms very graciously took our group to iHop. It takes a lot of people to pull off all this fun for kids, and our kids are very fortunate to have parents who are willing and able to do it.

My daughter had a lovely time with her date, who is a great friend and perfect gentleman (I’ve always thought he’s a wonderful person). Together, they had fun with each other and their classmates.

Now we can start planning for the Sadie Hawkins Dance in February, when the girls invite boys! Ugh…what will she wear?!?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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by Kelly Mattei

Learning to Drive

As our daughter’s 15th birthday approaches, so does the excitement about the driver’s learner permit. Yes, it’s exciting, but it’s nerve-wracking at the same time.

It’s a lot more difficult to get a driver’s license now than it was when I was a teenager. Our daughter doesn’t even have her permit yet, and we’ve already had to jump through some hoops.

In North Carolina, there are lots of moving parts to getting a learner’s permit. If no one tells you the different steps, it can be rather confusing. I’ve had to ask multiple people a million questions throughout the process, so hopefully, this will help some of you. This has been our process:

  • Register for Driver’s Education at age 14 1/2, if it isn’t offered in your school. (see bottom of page for contact info for three companies)
  • Send in payment for course.
  • Attend course and pass written driver’s ed test.
  • Go to the DMV for the eye test (if the company doesn’t offer it)
  • Schedule the driving portion of Driver’s Ed.
  • Complete the practice driving (six hours) with instructor.
  • Obtain proof of enrollment form from school.
  • Go to DMV on or after 15th birthday for written test and permit…take birth certificate, form from school, completed Driver’s Ed form, and Social Security card.

If I didn’t have friends who reminded me of things to do throughout the process, my poor daughter probably wouldn’t be on her way to getting her permit in a couple of weeks.

She completed the classroom/written test portion of Driver’s Ed the first week of June, getting it out of the way. She had to be 14 1/2 to enroll in the course. We then had to wait till about a month before her birthday to schedule the driving portion of the course. She had the first of two three-hour sessions this past Saturday, and she said everything went smoothly.

Anyone who has ridden with a new driver knows it can be nerve-wracking, but the only way to learn is through practice.

When the instructor arrived at our house, she told me that she usually stays in the neighborhood for the first two hours, and she never takes anyone on the highway in their first session. I wasn’t worried. I knew our daughter was in good hands, so I was very relaxed while they were gone. Plus, my daughter has practiced driving me around on private roads for months.I knew she would do well driving the instructor in the neighborhood.

When my daughter got home three hours later, she said she thought she had done very well, and she did go on the highway. She said that after they drove around the neighborhood a couple of times, the instructor said she was ready to get out on the open road. First, they practiced some parking skills at a nearby parking lot, and then they got in the interstate! Yikes! I love interstate driving, but some people hate it. I asked my daughter what she thought of it, and she said she liked it. Near the end of the lesson, they drove to pick up the next student driver and came home. She has her next session this weekend.

I’m excited for her, and nervous for us. I remember when I was learning to drive. It was exciting thinking about the freedom that was coming my way! I’m sure she feels the same way, but first, we have to make sure she knows what she’s doing. We have a year to help her practice to get her prepared.

It was a lot easier when I as a teenager. We took Driver’s Ed at school, and then when we turned 15, we could test for our learner’s permit. That was it. I don’t even think we had to show any proof that we had taken Driver’s Ed. But Driver’s Ed at school was fun. We had driving simulators. They were nothing like real driving, but they were fun!

Drivers-Ed-simulator-2

LEAD Technologies Inc. V1.01

I remember some of the driving mistakes I made early on when I was learning to drive. My poor Daddy. Our house was at the top of a hill, so if you backed out of our driveway in one direction, you were backing a little downhill on the road. One day, with my daddy in the car, I forgot to put the car into Drive after backing out, and I stepped on the gas pedal, sending us speeding down the hill backward! Somehow, Daddy stayed calm, and I got things under control. He probably never wanted to drive with me again, but he did. Another time, I stepped on the gas instead of the brake as we turned into a street. And somehow, we survived it.

I’m sure when Daddy was teaching my brother to drive, it was much less stressful for him. My parents had caught my brother driving a friend’s car when he was just 14, so there’s no telling how much driving experience he really had when he got his permit. It wasn’t funny at the time, but Daddy laughed about it years later.

Later, after I had my license, he taught me to drive a manual transmission on a Jeep we had…another adventure, but not one my daughter is likely to have, since so few manual transmission cars are made now.

So our adventure in driving is about to begin. It’s difficult to believe. I remember when our daughter first started walking, and we said she didn’t have walking around sense. Will we feel the same way about her driving?

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DRIVING SCHOOLS IN CHARLOTTE (I’m only listing companies my friends have used):

Helms Driving School…Website:   http://www.helmsdrivingschool.com/Services.html

Jordan Driving School…Website:   http://www.jordandrivingschoolcharlotte.com

Faulkner Driving School…Website:   http://faulknersdrivingschool.com/about-us.aspx

 

 

 

 

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