Mamakaze! Attacking Life at Full Throttle

Mamakaze is always looking for new ways to keep our body from sliding into decrepitude and disrepair without spending much of our precious downtime on self-maintenance. As much as we enjoy pumicing, paraffining and lotioning our tired dogs at day’s end, what we’d enjoy even more is to be able to watch America’s Next Top Model while digging into a three-scoop bowl of Ben & Jerry’s Coffee Toffee Crunch. (Yes, we realize the irony, but we’re pregnant and we just dare you to raise that eyebrow.)

Geniuses that they are, the fine people at Bliss Spa realized that an awful lot of people — mamas in particular — just don’t have the time or inclination to spend hours self-pampering. So they invented some super-swell socks that do all the work for us.

Ladies, we are not kidding. It takes all of two second to slip into an effort-free pamper session for our feet, thanks to Bliss Softening Socks. Just 20 minutes after donning these special sockies (or the next morning, if you have seriously hard-done-by heels like Mamakaze), your feet have gone from parched to perfection!

It’s a lot like the classic Vaseline-and-old-socks trick, except less messy and time-consuming. When you slip into these superb stockings, your body heat activates a polymer gel that infuses your tired tootsies with intensive moisturizers such as Vitamin E, jojoba and olive oil. No muss, no fuss! When you’re done, your soles are silky soft. And best of all, the socks can be wiped clean with a wet sponge and reused up to 50 times.

For the world’s quickest and easiest pedicure, Bliss Softening Socks are available online for $48.

Papakaze will tell you that we are more beautiful than ever after giving birth to his children. However, Papakaze is also a notorious sweet talker (hence the children). Take it from Mamakaze — our beauty regimen has been severely curtailed by motherhood.

Once upon a time, we emerged from every shower silky and smooth, with freshly shaven legs. We haven’t stopped shaving entirely since becoming a mama, but when our get-ready time is limited to 30 minutes or less, with 20 of those already allotted to hair and makeup, certain things fall by the wayside. Shaving daily is one of them. After our wee one was born, we started to shave weekly, with a midweek touchup on lower legs only. It’s sad, but until such a time as Mamakaze could finagle a whole hour of “us time” for waxing, that’s how it had to be.

We’ve discovered, however, a huge chunk of “found time” in the middle of the day. This period occurs during Totakaze’s nap. In addition to using this time for toy-clearing and makeup reapplication, we can’t resist the opportunity to treat our legs to some much-needed TLC. That’s where the Conair Hair Removal System comes in.

This water-free shaver is nothing like a certain ubiquitous 1980s hair-removal contraption, with whom we had an unpleasant run-in in junior high and won’t mention by name. The Conair uses rotating exfoliating pads to gently remove hair (and dead skin — another thing we’ve been overlooking!). Smaller pads are included with the system for ankles and knees.

Now, regardless of what does (or doesn’t) get done during our lightning-fast morning routine, as soon as Totakaze is sleeping sweetly, we simply tiptoe into the bathroom and finish what we started (or didn’t).

Mamakaze found the Conair Hair Removal System at Wal-Mart for $29 (online only).

Babies are a miracle and a gift from above, just as people say they are. It’s true. But let’s not gloss over one very important issue: Having babies hurts. A lot.

All the breathing and visualization in the world didn’t change that fact when we brought Totakaze into the world after 9,632 hours of hard back labor. A massage helped at first, but after a certain point, a mama just doesn’t want to be touched. After that, we were on our own!

This time, we plan to have a few more tricks up our sleeve. Mamakaze recently discovered Lighten My Labor, already known and loved by the likes of celebrity mamas Gwyneth Paltrow and Heidi Klum. Their Phases of Labor Comfort Collection, an assortment of all-natural products formulated by an OB/GYN nurse practitioner, is designed to soothe discomforts during each stage of labor.

There’s a lavender-infused whipped massage gel for early labor, a mild room spray to dispel odors during the active phase, a cooling mist to be used during transition, and even a bath tea formulated to repair the damage postpartum. All are packaged attractively in delightful little aluminum bottles and canisters, and the collection comes in a whimsical bucket — perfect to pack as-is in a labor bag, or as a gift for another mama-to-be.

We are sure that labor will still hurt — and we can’t guarantee we won’t scream ourself hoarse during the ever-so-lovely part where we push out our giant, melon-headed child — but it can’t hurt to keep our skin cool and the room smelling pretty! It’s all about (relative) comfort, baby.

Wherein new mamas banish greasy locks and blotchy skin
Thursday, August 24, 2006

With all the excitement over our bun in the oven, a mama can’t help but want to peer in that oven windown once in awhile to see how it’s baking. Recently, Mamakaze looked through pictures from the last time we had a newborn and we suddenly remembered how grueling those first few months can be.

We must confess that when Totakaze was a wee thing, we not only missed out on quite a lot of sleep, but skipped more than just a few showers as well! But you would never know it to look at most of our pictures, where we look the very personification of glowing new mommyhood. This, of course, is not because we made a pact with the devil but because we are well-schooled in the fine art of camouflage.

What’s Mamakaze’s secret? If you read a lot of fashion magazines, you’ve probably heard of Cake’s Satin Sugar hair and body refreshing powder.

When we hadn’t had time to hit the shower and our in-laws were due to drop by in 20 minutes, we simply fluffed our hair with this oil-absorbing dust and, voila! Instant freshness! Of course the tantalizing lemon-cookie aroma left us even hungrier than we already were, but we sure looked fantabulous. We found our favorite miracle hair powder online at Makeup.com.

Caring for a baby (or even our toddler) full-time can leave a mommy’s poor, neglected skin looking less-than-glamorous, so Mamakaze makes sure we have a good concealer kit on hand to keep our dermis looking divine no matter how many hours we’ve (not) slept. We like something that can be mixed and applied quickly with our fingers, such as Philosophy’s new The Supernatural airbrushed color correctors, which we found online in the beauty department at Macy’s.

We may not feel so fresh for the first few months of baby’s life, but we find that quick fixes for hair and skin provide a big pick-me-up — especially when our relatives pull the cameras out!

Before we began our latest collaborative work with Papakaze, Mamakaze received a visit each and every month from a certain aunt. (We’re sure you know the aunt of whom we speak, so we won’t bother to name her.) During these visits, we are burdened with the responsibility of carrying about two million bajillion sanitary products in our trusty diaper bag.

Now whether one’s pool toys and Barbie beds are conveyed in a purse or diaper bag, there are always the nagging issues of: one, transporting said products into the bathroom; and two, keeping the daily detritus from contaminating or squashing these most personal items. With a diaper bag, there’s the added joy keeping our little one from retrieving a tampon and attempting to unwrap and devour it (we’re not sure why these items are so attractive to babies; they just are!). Luckily, Organize.com has a solution for just about everything these days.

We found an attractive pink tampon case for $2.99 at Organize.com ($3.99 for the longer variety). The minuscule case discreetly camouflages our personal-hygeine products during trips to the bathroom or discovery by Totakaze, and also prevents the contents of our very heavy diaper bag from crushing our little cotton friends.

If only everything else involving our monthly visit were so fun and easy!

We go to the gym quite regularly, but like many expectant mamas, Mamakaze has been known to find ourself “lapsing” periodically on our vow to make every calorie count. When we crave cake, we crave cake. And cake we shall have … because, dag-nab-it, we’re pregnant!

Thus, we are gaining our pregnancy weight not just in the belly, but also in our behind. And as much as Papakaze may not mind a little extra junk in our trunk, we are entering some unfamiliar weight territory as it is, and must admit there are days when we’re not feeling so confident about our badonkadonk. And when we wear our cute white maternity pants which are sooooo lovely for summer, Mamakaze’s mind sometimes wanders into that ugly “exactly how much cellulite is visible” zone?

Well, thank goodness for Spanx! We remember Spanx from when we had a busy year and managed to subsist solely on Chinese takeout and double cheeseburgers and consequently gained 15 pounds. Thanks to this magical hosiery, we were somehow able to maintain a svelte derriere despite flirting with back fat and jiggly arms. Luckily for pregnant women, we have Mama Spanx — hose that not only pull in that butt-fat we seem to accumulate so easily with just ~~three orders~~ the tiniest plate of tiramisu, but also (praise heaven!) offer support for our bulky bellies.

We’ve tried maternity belts but can’t say we’re really a fan, so Mamakaze was delighted to learn that Spanx are made for those with child. We have to say they are a lot comfier and don’t leave weird lines that show through our clothing, and we’ve never heard of a maternity belt that smooths cellulite or pulls in flabby thighs. Score three for Mama Spanx and zero for horrid elastic belts!

Mamakaze particularly likes Mama Spanx footless, which can be worn under pants and skirts with the leg band placed anywhere from high to low. With everything neatly sucked in and our baby bump riding in well-supported comfort, we no longer find ourself asking, “Does this baby make my butt look fat?”

We found our indispensable Mama Spanx online at figleaves.com

Mamakaze has two little girls who love their baths, but at a certain point during their sudsing sessions, our efforts to clean the kiddos are met with no small measure of resistance. That point for both girls is the inevitable washing of the hair.

With Kidakaze, it’s a subtle sigh and the question, “Can I just put Ariel to bed?” followed by an extremely long and drawn-out mermaid bedtime ritual and an extremely short shampoo. With Totakaze, it’s the much more obvious thrashing and screeches of “Nee-nee-nee, Mama!” But regardless of the sophistication level, we are pretty sure that shampoo time is not a happy time.

We may not be able to change the fact that Totakaze’s precious hair will get wet or that Kidakaze will have to cease playing for three minutes, but with a fun-looking, brightly-colored dispenser, we can at least pretend that we think shampoo is super duper cool. We love the Wizard Lizard soap and shampoo dispenser($16.99 from Organize.com).

The bottle sticks easily onto the wall of a tub or shower with four suction cups, and soap, shampoo, or whatever else a clever mommy might put in such a bottle comes squirting playfully out of the lizard’s mouth. An automatic stopper prevents leaks even when the bottle is head-down. For mamas who want to color-code lizards full of soap, shampoo and conditioner all in the same tub, the dispenser also comes in three different colors.

It may be a stretch, but just as soap became much more exciting once we got the kind that looks like fingerpaint, we’re willing to bet the kids will be more receptive to purple “lizard spit” than their regular shampoo-from-a-bottle routine.

Our morning workout can be daunting even when we’re not pregnant, but Mamakaze finds there are several special challenges that arise when we hit the gym with a baby on board. There’s always the question of how much exercise is safe, and what exactly we can do. There are the odd looks from the other regulars who notice that, while we are at the gym every day, we look like we seem to be getting chunkier around the midsection. And, after the first trimester, there is the problematic issue of what to wear to the gym.

While we can walk into our friendly local maternity shop and find an array of clothing in every conceivable style, one thing we have trouble shopping for is workout wear. First off, there’s not much of a selection. Last time we checked our favorite store, there were a few lonely pairs of track pants gathering dust in the back of the store with other less-popular items.

Secondly, what is available is often for the recreational gym-goer who spends 15 minutes doing light circuit work and then reads the latest copy of InStyle while absentmindedly pedaling a bit on the spinning bike. For those of us who get all sweaty and gross (which is easy enough in our delicate condition!), a regular cotton tank and a pair of sassy velour pants just aren’t going to cut it.

Our new best friend is www.fitmaternity.com, where we recently found all kinds of serious maternity workout wear from yoga to tennis to aerobics to running. The top at left, ($39.99, www.fitmaternity.com) utilizes Coolmax to manage moisture, something any pregnant woman — gym rat or no — can appreciate. The store offers a variety of garments complete with recommendations for different activities. Mamakaze found a wealth of workout tops and pants that offer serious support and wicking for the devoted athlete.

While there are still snooze-button issues and fears that we’re overdoing it, we have solved two of our exercise enigmas. We now have access to supportive, moisture-wicking gym clothes. And since we’re wearing maternity tops instead of squeezing into our old gym clothes, the odd glances we’d been getting have changed into looks of realization.

Now our most pressing concern is simply which track pants to pair with each adorable, high-tech workout top.

With the recent obsession with Hollywood baby bumps, we’re led to wonder — can there too much of a good thing? The answer to that, dear readers, is an emphatic yes!

There is such a thing as too much skin — on pregnant bellies just as there is on regular bellies. We’re all for wearing a bikini, but for goodness’ sakes, no matter how cute that belly is, it shouldn’t be flaunted in crop top at church. And while naked photos are all well and good for one’s private art collection, we would certainly think twice before posing au naturel (pregnant or not!) for the cover of a national publication. (On the other hand, we also don’t use public bathrooms sans footwear …)

But these woes pale in comparison to the problem which afflicts most of us in our third trimester — the belly-button pop. It’s the embarrassing pregnancy equivalent of “having our headlights on.” And until now, discreet though we may be, we’ve been powerless to stop it!

Let Mamakaze set the scene for you. We will be out and about, wearing the cutest clingy top and feeling like a rock star (but more along the lines of a Gwen Stefani than a Britney Spears), when all of a sudden we catch a glimpse ourself in a mirror. Horrors! Our new “outtie” navel has made an appearance, marring our lovely silhouette and detracting from the loveliness of our adorable top.

Instead of fretting and fussing and trying to poke our stubborn belly button back in, we love the clever solution offered by Miss Oops. Popper Stoppers are made of thin, flesh-tone material with an adhesive backing and, much like the Scratch-N-Sniff stickers over the headlights trick (except much, much classier), they put that stubborn navel right in its place.

We may not be able to stop certain people from letting it all hang out, so to speak, but with a pack of Popper Stoppers tucked in our bag, we can certainly prevent our own wardrobe malfunctions.

Wherein we slack on our beauty regimen and still look spiffy
Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Long before Mamakaze became a mama, we relied on BeneFit’s genius product, Benetint, to speed up our beauty routine when we were running late for work. Before that, it was invaluable on those days when we had an early-morning final (oh, for the days when 8 a.m. is early morning!).

Now that our once-elaborate cosmetics regimen has been scaled down to whatever can be done in five minutes or shorter, the lip and cheek stain is even more crucial to our routine. Oft forgotten by fashion magazines in all the fuss over the latest products, we think Benetint is still the best stain out there.

Mamakaze simply smooths it on with our fingertips after slicking on a tinted moisturizer, and we’re ready to go. We love the fresh-faced glow it gives us, and we’ve discovered the natural-looking color is quite pretty on just about any complection!

We’ve nowhere to be late to anymore most days, but that doesn’t mean we’ve got time to spend contouring our lips and cheeks. There are toddlers to retrieve from bed and kids to feed and groom and shuttle from place to place, and sometimes that can make our old life look positively relaxed! For those days when we have to do our lips on the go, Mamakaze loves the new Benetint Pocket Pal.