Well, it's time to come clean.  I'm a big, fat cheater.  The moment came that I'd been dreading as soon as I decided to try the 14 day no-makeup challenge; I got a giant, red, awful zit. Actually, I got three of them!  They weren't those little ones that only you see.  Oh no.  I woke up yesterday morning, and the first thing out of my son's mouth was, "Mommy, what's on your chin?" Ugh. The honesty of children in even their questions.

Knowing I was going to be enjoying lunch out as well as running a bunch of errands, I struggled back and forth with whether or not I would cheat and put a dab of concealer on.  I kid you not, I wrestled with this question for a good half hour! Finally I caved.  It is not a moment I'm proud of.  I should have one of those signs people use when dog shaming, but I was too kind to myself.  Instead, I'm coming clean and confessing.  Your forgiveness is always appreciated...and very much hoped for.

What that leaves me with is, why?  I'd been doing so well!  Why did I give in to my safety blanket?  I thought about this as I sat in bed last night, writhing with guilt.  People have been so supportive!  I've even had women tell me they decided to go without makeup for the day.  My answer is simple.  Acne is the one thing I've never been able to fully control.  For those who know me, I enjoy a high level of control.  Not only can I not control it, but acne has been my biggest insecurity since I was 10.  22 years is a tough trend to break in 14 days.  So, I saddled up again today, zits and all.  I didn't cover them when I left the house.  It didn't physically hurt, but almost.  I survived!  I have to say that today has now been my proudest day of the whole series.  I let those three red, terrible zits fly free for all to see.

Here are the pictures from the last 7 days.  In the one where I have a black tank on, well, that's where my shaming sign should be.  The hat picture with braids is my one from today.

Other than my shame, this post I'm including my recent workouts.  Please know that this has not been a normal week.  One, it's summer, so I have more time.  Two, I'm training for a half marathon, so I have more mileage for my runs.  They say that working out and sweating are great for your skin.  Good news for me as I sweat profusely.  People try to tell me that women glow when they sweat.  I do not.  I pour massive amounts of disgusting sweat.  Fortunately, Steve holds back exactly how much this disgusts him.

Here is my last week of workouts!
July 3 - 3.28 mile run
July 4 - cleaning (yes this is a workout!)
July 5 - 10.01 mile run
July 6 - swimming with my son
July 7 - 12.5 mile hike (see the picture below)
July 8 - 5 mile run
July 9 - I took the day off...kind of.  I moved my classroom from one room to another

Like I said, this is not normal during the school year.  I'm hoping I can keep my momentum going, but I will NOT be doing 10+ mile runs if I don't have to!

I'll leave you with a picture from my beautiful hike with an amazing friend.  My next post will be the last of this series!  I'm already planning the next, so stay tuned!!!

Hiding behind displays of Coke is frowned upon, at least that's what I'm assuming.  That didn't stop me from almost doing just that a couple of times.  I had to laugh at myself during days one and two of my no-makeup challenge because I went NOWHERE!  I hid in my house while feeling great about having no makeup on.  Not quite what the challenge is all about.

Day three roles around.  I'd already made plans to see my friend Anne and get my hair done with Kassi...queue dramatic music... I'd actually have to go into public without makeup on! Not only that, but Windsor is a fairly small town.  In the time I dropped Gabe off, went to the grocery store, saw Anne, and had my hair done, I'd seen no less that 10-15 people that I knew.  This would be where I considered hiding behind the extremely patriotic (Happy 4th of July!) Coke display.

Who, you ask, did I want to hide from?  Attractive movie stars visiting our bustling town? Supermodels promoting that amazing Coke display?  Nope, MY STUDENTS!  There I stood, almost praying they wouldn't realize it was me as I contemplated a Mission Impossible-style dive behind the boxes.  I am not, however, graceful enough to pull that off.  So when I heard, "Hey Mrs. Syring!" I put on my best smile and turned to face them.

They didn't run screaming out of the store!  Honestly, they didn't react any differently to me than they did all school year.  What did I realize from this?  I was still the same person to them with or without makeup.  That's actually a pretty big realization despite its simplicity.  Beyond my student encounter, I was overwhelmed as I saw various friends out and about who not only talked about reading the blog but also commented on how beautiful I looked!  You guys are rock stars and sure know how to make a girl feel like a star!  So thank you for supporting me by reading and just being kind, wonderful people!  Here is what they saw on days one through four...

Side note: I only took one shot today!  So either I'm getting better at selfies, or I may just be starting to get more comfortable with this!

With that said, I wanted to share some of the other pieces of my challenge.  The first is what I'm putting on my face.  Maranda from Grin and Bare it hooked my up.  The set she gave me is pictured below.  I've always been a face-product junkie, the kind with about 50 bottles of half-used lotions and potions under my sink.  So far I'm loving using an actual system!  It's amazing what happens when we follow directions!  You'd be surprised how little adults follow directions, especially teachers.  We like to follow just enough to get away with it but not the full deal.

 

 

I've also been eating foods that are known to be great for the skin.  My friend Esther, a dietitian, is probably shaking her head because they're foods she's been telling me to eat for a while.  See!  Terrible at following directions!

 

I included what my Thrive looks like in the morning.  It's my "breakfast" picture.  It's a 3-step nutritional system that I LOVE.  Ask me about it, I'll tell ya!  The snack is awesome!  It's rosemary and olive oil crackers with feta cheese, avocado, and tomato.  YUM!  Lunch is a strawberry, spinach, pecan, and goat cheese salad with a dressing I made here at home.  Gabe liked helping me mix it.  The "dinner" picture was my greatest discovery because both Steve and Gabe liked it too!  It's a sweet potato and spinach quesadilla with pickled onions!  Seriously good eating!

 

 

So, onto day five tomorrow.  The real fun will be the 4th of July (day six).  I mean, really, who plans to go without makeup on the one holiday where the whole town shows up at the lake?  This girl!  Here's to hoping I see some more students!