Men's Shaving Tips

I am personally not a fan of facial hair. I am not sure why that is. It just bugs me when it comes to a guy I am dating. If you knew my ex, you know he had a beard and a mustache, funny, I know. Facial hair doesn’t look good on every guy, rarely does it look good in my opinion. I prefer a guy who is clean shaven. I don’t like stubble. My skin is very sensitive and honestly it hurts. It can be hard to shave when you factor in things like having a steady hand or being left handed. I am left handed and I obviously don’t shave my face but I tend to nick my legs shaving. It can be really discouraging when you are shaving whatever and you see blood. Razor burn hurts so badly. I once had it in both armpits. It was all over. I think I slept with my arms up in the air that day.

Here is a great infograph from advdermatology.com to help guys with some shaving hacks so they don’t hack their faces while shaving. It contains some really interesting tips that I have never thought of.  It tells you when to shave and how to shave. I am going to save these tips for Noah when he’s old enough to shave many years from now. I am not looking forward to him being at the shaving age. 

Be sure to share this with any guy who shaves.  I am sure they will thank you.  What do you think of these tips? Did you learn anything new? Do you have any other tips to add?

Ten things you should never do on an online dating site

Since everyone is online and in social networking, some people look for love online. For whatever reason you decide to join whether it's because you are new to the area or work a lot there are things you should know not to do. This is geared more to my male readers, but good tips for anyone to know that isn't ok. These are in no particular order.

10. Most people are not ready to meet someone within just moments of a first message. Don't ask them out right away. Get to know someone first.  Slow and steady wins the race.

9. Don't rely on physical appearance. Don't just choose someone because they look pretty or handsome. That is kind of superficial. Personality is the most important thing.

8. Don't ask someone if they think you are attractive. It looks like you are just looking for compliments or validation. Everyone wants to be loved but you need to love yourself. Don't rely on someone else's opinion to base your self worth.

7. Don't ask for someone's number to text or talk on the phone right away. I understand that texts are instant and logging in to the site can be annoying, but at the same time it helps control when and who you talk to. Sometimes you don't feel the same way about someone you talk to and they will text you a million times. Sometimes you are called names so better to make sure this is a controlled environment. 

6. Everyone likes compliments, but be mindful of how you compliment them. Being told that you are attractive, smart, funny or have a great personality is awesome. Stay away from commenting on their body or certain parts. It is rude and inappropriate. Make respectful compliments.

  5. Don't ask for naked pictures. Don't send them of yourself. If you wouldn't send the picture to your mom or grandma, don't send it to some stranger on a dating site. Don't use graphic language.

4.  Don't message someone over and over asking where they went if they don't respond instantly. People get busy with life and log out and it may take a few days to respond to you. Be patient.

3. Don't assume every person is the one. Become friends first, not everyone is going to be a love connection. There is a reason why Chuck Woolry had three dates on Love Connection. Even then not every time there was a match.

2. Don't be boring. Put thought in to what you write. Even if that means you take a while to respond. Read it, take a while to formulate your response and don't be too personal. Don't ask them to ask you questions.

1. No means no. Don't pressure someone or nag them to do something they don't want to do or don't feel comfortable with.

I know most of this is common sense but I thought that I would make this list. These are very common things I have noticed being on dating sites.

What tips would you add to not do on a dating site?

Faith and Relationships

I am kind of nervous writing this post.  I am not too sure how it will be received.

I asked on Twitter one day, if it was wrong that I want to have a relationship with a man who has the same faith I do? I mean we don’t have to be exactly on the same page about absolutely everything, but I would want someone who has the same fundamental beliefs I do.  I hope that doesn’t seem judgmental or anything but God is a huge part of my life and I want to be able to share it with my someday husband.   I want to be able to pray with him, read the Bible together, have discussions, and worship together. I personally believe that people with different beliefs in a relationship can strain the relationship.   I think a solid relationship is based on a foundation and you have to have similar belief systems.  When I think about this subject two things come to mind.  The first one is a bible verse.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken, if you are both wrapped around God your relationship is stronger.  Three is stronger than two strings that are just wrapped around each other.  This could be whatever you believe but for me it is God.

 The other thing I think of is an episode of Trading Spouses.  I think it is the only one I have ever watched and I have seen it twice.  The families are a Christian family and the other family is Orthodox Jewish, which means they are completely Kosher, they are very strict about dress and very old school with their beliefs.  When the Jewish mom is having dinner with the other family, she says it is important that her children marry someone who is also Orthodox Jewish. One of the family members said something along the lines of that’s judgmental.  The mother of the family agreed with the new mom and said it is important to have the same beliefs.   I have noticed people struggling with their relationships because they want to talk about their faith and the other person is not interested or even disrespectful about it.  It is ok that they don’t believe the same thing but I think that it is important to have that support system.

I have dated guys that don’t believe in God. I had some be rude about it and insult my faith. I never sat them down and tried to get them to believe in him. I respected their beliefs. I think it is easier when you have someone holding your hand and encouraging you to believe in your faith of choice and nurture it.  You definitely notice it more when you’re struggling in your faith without that support system.  It is in my opinion easier to get off the path you are on and be led astray.  I guess it is an accountability thing,  someone to keep you on track.

 Someone on Twitter responded it is important especially if you want kids down the road.  I totally agree. I am teaching Noah about God and Jesus.  His first DVD was God made Christmas. I love the God Made series. They are really cute DVDS.  I am not cramming it down his throat, he can make the choice when he is old enough to do so, but I want him to know about God.  We talk about God  together, pray together, he calls them God Blesses. It is important to me that he does. I want all my children to know about God.  I don’t want my future husband to derail my family’s beliefs.  I don’t want my children to hear that God isn’t real because he is.  I think that it becomes confusing for a child when they have parents that believe totally different things.  It becomes a struggle for the family and the child.  Things come together better when you are all together in faith and are able to grow in God (or whatever you believe in) as a family.

Simple and Stylish Sandals for Men

When it comes to sandals for men, The All Terrain Lite Strap Sandals by Ecco are available in a woodsy, dark brown. The shoes are imported and have a simple style. There have flexible black rubber soles. The shoes are light and are able to bend with the motion of the foot. The soles are thick with traction underneath.

 

The shoes' traction allow movement and flexibility while walking or running. The shoe has decorative slits on them that form a simple design. There is stitching detail on the straps in tan threading which contrasts with the brown and black of the rest of the shoe. The upper strap has additional decoration in the form of three tiny black circles.

 

The design does not overpower the shoe and the shoe is still woodsy brown with tiny accents. Typical of sandals for men, the leather strap comes with adjustable Velcro for closure. Unlike other sandals, both leather straps on the sandal are adjustable. The upper leather strap bears the red Ecco logo in small red stitching. There is a rubber sole and leather straps. Both materials are durable and water resistant. The footbed is cushioned and black. There is cushion in the heel strap.

I Call Him Red

For as long as I can remember, I have always been attracted to guys with red hair. Not orange hair but dark red. Not famous men with red hair.  I like my famous men with gray hair (Mark Harmon and George Clooney).  It has to be natural red hair too. I don’t really think that fake red hair is attractive. I guess it must be the Irish in me.  I have dated a few guys with red hair. I am not sure what it is so alluring about it. My ex doesn’t have red hair. I guess I am a hair girl. I am mostly an eye girl. I like those eyes that you can get lost in and see the depths of the person’s soul. 

Of course appearance is not everything and personality wins over every time.  A good personality is the most important thing because that is what truly makes up a person. As the brilliant Judge Judy says…. Beauty fades…Stupid is forever.  You never know what the future will bring. I know that a lot of people focus what is on the outside but your outer beauty could be taken from you in an instant. Your inner beauty is forever. Nothing can take that from you as long as your heart is good and you remain true to yourself.  I am sure my dream guy is out there somewhere with red hair and a heart of gold.

So, as a lame attempt to meet a guy… If you have red hair or know of a guy who is single and nice let me know!

Let's Talk Facial Hair Ladies

Honestly, I am not a huge fan of facial hair on a man. I don’t know why that is. I don’t mind a well groomed goatee or a beard that lines the jaw but I can’t stand moustaches personally. I also don’t like the really scraggly beards that look like the man is part wolf man. I prefer a man to be either clean shaven or a guy that owns a beard trimmer and actually uses it. I don’t mind a little bit of stubble with the 5 o’clock shadow that is fine too. My ex had a moustache and a beard and I couldn’t stand it. I would ask him to shave it off but it never happened. He could have had warts or something under his moustache, I am sure he didn’t but, I would hate when food would get stuck in it. It was pretty gross. His moustache really gave me the creeps.

The next man I date will be given the gift of a beard trimmer. I hope he understands that if he chooses to have facial hair and to date me, he will not look like a wolf man. I understand that some men don’t like to shave but the occasional shave is important to me. I get bored really easily so I was looking at beard trimmers last night and I really like the Babyliss I Stubble. I think it would be a great gift for a husband, a father, a brother to receive. It would also be a great gift for a teenage son. If you give them one, they wouldn’t have a reason not to use it. It doesn’t have to be like a Christmas or a birthday present, it could just be a little present just because. If you think it would offend them, because men are weird and can be sensitive, you could just purchase one and put it in the bathroom, so his feelings aren’t hurt.

What are your opinions of facial hair? Does your husband have a beard trimmer? I look forward to your thoughts.

Here's What Happened

This is the continued post of What happened to me? If you haven’t check it out.

I guess it all started in high school. There was this guy named Matt. I can still see his face in my mind. Looking back it was like seriously, what was I thinking. Let me tell you about Matt. He was 18 and a bad boy. Of course he was attractive but he was bad guy like he had gotten kicked out of his parents house and was a nomad, his residence was under a bridge. I am not making that up. He was what you would call a hippi. I thought it was cool, but I was only 17 and very naïve and gutsy.

Well we started dated and I found out he was cheating on me. The nerve, the sadness. I was heartbroken. Now I am sure you are thinking that I wouldn’t possibly be broken over a guy from 12 years ago. That is where it all started. I mean I had my share of problems growing up of course, I just think this is where it all went downhill. I was still outgoing and gutsy. Maybe a little too gutsy if you ask me. Then you have my ex-husband which was just a real “gem”. I guess guys are part of my problems with really good reason. If you are told something over and over again you will start to believe it sooner or later. I was verbally and emotionally abused daily by my ex. My miscarriage left me dead inside. Then finding out my ex prayed for it killed me even more.

I have this complex that I call the “jerk” complex, it really doesn’t make real sense but it does to me. It is I guess a safety net. I am really trying to cut the strings of that net. It is silly. If I keep pushing people away of course they are gonna run for the hills. No one wants to be where they are unwanted. I know that all too well. I am getting better, I think. I mean I think I am. I am trying really hard not to push him away. It is weird. Maybe that I has something to do with the “choice” of men I have been attracted to. I find myself being attracted to jerks because they are jerks and if it is a guy who is not a jerk I have to be a jerk to make them a jerk. Yes you read that right. Clear as mud? I know it doesn’t make any sense. I guess it is a way to justify it if a relationship fails. The bottom line is I push people away. I know why I do it but it is personal way too much for my blog. Only a few people know why.

Another thing that broke me was when my grandma had Alzheimer’s Disease. I couldn’t deal with it. My grandma and I were so close and I didn’t really have any experience with it except when they would talk about it on a TV show. I tried to understand and I never really did. I missed my grandma when she was still alive. It was like her soul had gone up to heaven and her shell was still there. It was really hard. She remembered me most of the time but other times she was not my grandma. She was not her lovable self like a complete stranger. I don’t blame her because she had no control over it. It is definitely something that is hard for everyone involved. I never changed how I feel about her and love her with all my heart.

I had many toxic friends as well. I have removed all of them from my life. It is hard to remove toxic things from your life. I don’t know why all the toxic people were drawn to me. I am not toxic and I guess it is because my heart is really big and I forgive easily and love unconditionally. I had friends that would say really mean things to me and talk about me behind my back. One who even wrote a hateful letter to me and had a bunch of other people write mean things about me. What did I do? I forgave her. Even now I wish I wouldn’t of because that caused many more years of hurt and pain to me. She is gone now, which is a great thing.

Toxicity breeds Toxicity and it feeds off of you until you have nothing left, many toxic experiences and friends have broken me. Just like anything that is broken it can be fixed. I want to fix it. I am sick of feeling like this. It really sucks. You would think that all of these things would make me quit feeling, quit being so loving and sweet but they don't. My heart is too big and I just can't quit caring and turn totally bitter. It would be too much for me. I always say I am too sweet for my own good. My big heart is a blessing and a curse.

Stay tuned for part 3.

Let's talk about Sexual Harassment.

I want to talk to you about sexual harassment and how it not acceptable in any situation. It can happen to anyone anywhere. I thought I would share my story where I was sexually harassed by a car salesman. I was out with my old best friend one day like any other day, on this day we decided to go look at cars because she wanted to get a new one. I can’t remember the reason why now. We walked in to the local Acura car dealership and was greeted by a man named Bob. He was older and was in his late sixties. We found a car that she liked and we decided to take it out for a test drive. No big deal right? My old best friend ended up falling in love with the car and buying it.

Shortly after, I am talking a couple days after the phone calls started from Bob. The first call was about how she liked the car which we thought was normal. Then he would call everyday and he kept talking about taking us out to lunch. We didn’t think anything of it. We thought he was just trying to be nice after he obviously got a hefty commission from her new car. He would say things like I wanna take you girls out and show you a good time. We grew up in a very safe community together; the worst thing that had happened that we knew of was a triple murder when we were in sixth grade and at that time nothing like that had happened again. I guess we were naive and sheltered safe behind the city limits of where we grew up.

My old best friend decided she wanted to get a spoiler on her car. At the time she had started to develop really bad migraines. We went to the local Acura dealership again to get the spoiler put on and there was Bob. We tried to avoid him since he had been harassing us calling us on a frequent basis. I was living with her at the time so I knew when and how often he would call. The calls got weirder and weirder and it got to the point that the calls were sent to voicemail. I can still hear his creepy voice in my head almost 5 years later.

Well, he ended up being in the service area when we arrived. We were polite to him of course. He asked us how we were doing. I said I was fine or good or something along those lines. My old best friend mentioned her migraines to him because they were really bad. He responded by telling his about his problems with his male part in detail like we were his doctor or a good friend. It was and still is disturbing.

I really don’t want to know about some strangers penile problems. The other people that worked at Acura that overheard it didn’t say anything like that is inappropriate. Normal people don’t sit there and talk about their privates with a complete stranger or a customer. The calls continued until we got in to the car accident and the car was totaled. Every time I see the Acura dealership I think of Bob and get the chills. I wonder how many others are victims of Bob’s Sexual Harassment and obsessive phone calls.

Sexual harassment is not acceptable at all. You have the right to be out in public without someone making lewd comments or gestures at you. Some people think they have the right to say or do whatever they want without thinking about how it will affect others. Have you ever been a victim? We need to make a stand and use our voices and speak out against Sexual Harassment.