Boredom....What To Do????

I swear this is how my toddler feels right now. I don't know what to do. He is bored out of his mind with our normal activities and since I am not the most creative person/mommy in the world, I'm having a hard time coming up with alternative activities.

Its hot. I mean REALLY hot, so hanging outside at the pool or at the zoo is out of the question since my 5 month old can't be in the sun during peak temperatures. We usually go to the pool after my hubby gets home from work. By this time, the temperature is like 90 degrees instead of 100, ha ha!

I'm running out of activities to do with my oldest boy. I want to do something fun where we both can get out of our same old routine everyday. Our normal routine of flash cards, books and play time with toys is better when its done 3 days out of the 5-day work week. Now, I need something new to fulfill the other 2 days.

Any ideas???? What kinds of activities do you do with your little one(s) everyday?

My Natural Hair Journey

Here are some pictures that outline the progress I have made in my natural hair growth journey.

Straightened Hair

My relaxed hair: Last relaxer was February 2009.

 

Post Big Chop - I freaked and got it straightened ASAP.

December 2010

May 2011 - a bit uneven but I'm not due for a trim yet.

I'm in love with the bob haircut, but I'm ready for long and luscious hair. When chemically relaxed, my hair never reached past my collarbone.Currently, I consider it to be arm pit length.




'Wet' Hair

Post Big Chop - Wash 'n go: March 2010

Wash 'n go: May 2011 - still wet.

Wash 'n go: May 2011 - fully dry w/ shrinkage.

Only Herbal Essences Hello Hydration was used immediately after my Big Chop in the first  wash 'n go picture. Coconut oil and Eco-Styler gel were used in the last two wash 'n go pictures with no leave-in conditioner. What has really helped me with retaining length has been moisture-drenching, deep conditioning and very little direct heat usage.

I had a small setback in December 2010, where I trimmed off 2" all because what I thought were shabby ends were actually my coils that were flattened by the flat iron instead of straightened. Then I learned about the comb-chase method. My hair would be 2" longer than it is now if I'd have known about how to trim properly. Oh well, you live and learn.

Marble Slab Ice Cream & Red Lips

The guilty pleasure that I will be indulging in this weekend is none other than, some form of chocolate!!!! tee hee hee. I hadn't heard of Marble Slab 'til we moved to Texas. This place puts Cold Stone and Sheridan's to shame! Even Baskin Robbins is getting the side-eye from me!

Best ice cream made fresh daily!

Okay, by now you can tell that I am addicted to chocolate. But pre-baby, I had some standards, i.e. no Chips Ahoy, but anywho my favorite at Marble Slab is the Amaretto flavored ice cream with Heath bar mix-ins. The flavor special that they are running right now is Chocolate Coconut Rum!!!!! Hmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!! Perfect when outside in this HEAT!
Enjoy the weekend, stay cool and indulge in something sweet!

 

Mommy's getting her groove back with Sephora Red!

Plain jane...

Then pow! Red hawt!

Headed to the pool!

What's your favorite dessert to cool down with in this HEAT? What's your favorite ice cream [flavor] place? 

How are did you get your groove back this week or this weekend?!?

Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies are Evil

Seriously....its really not fair. Every time I see you, I can't help myself. You're definitely no good for me. Hell, before my second baby, I didn't even like you! I don't even know if I liked you when I was pregnant. So, why is it that I can't seem to escape your hold over me! Sigh.....I thought I could blame post-postpartum hormones, but that was about 3 months ago. Who/what can I blame this on now? You're preventing me from losing this pooch! Oh well, now that I've had the last of this batch, I promise I won't get another bag.......just as long as I never set foot in a grocery store for a month. Looks like the hubby will have to do all of the shopping. Between you and the healthy bananas on the counter, I can't help but open your resealable pouch....

These used to be my hubby's favorite cookies and then once our second boy was born, I found myself eating all of his cookies. See, that's what pregnancy does, it causes you to like food your husband/kid(s) dad likes even if you never liked it pre-pregnancy! 

Hair and Lipstick fun:

I've gotten rather plain post-college, but ESPECIALLY post-babies, but I plan to get my fabulousness back one step at a time. 

This was $12!

I originally bought the $20 one by Make up Forever and my friend made fun of me saying the Sephora brand was just as good. Well, she was absolutely right because I ended up liking this one much better color-wise anyway!

Henna & Clutches

My Clutch Crush

While getting some items at Target last Friday, I came across a couple cute knick knacks and one included my new little clutch. I saw several clutches that I liked and will be going back for. I'm really into clutches now because when carrying two diaper bags around (or in the stroller), I just don't have the patience or desire to carry around my former cute fashionable purses. So for now, they're on hold and I'm turning up my love for clutches. The one I bought was $9.99, big enough for my wallet, keys, lip gloss, gum, cell phone and compact mirror....without making it bulky. What really got me though, is the silver circle that acts as a handle. I can slip my forearm through and carry it, while still holding my boys, their bags or even grocery bags without dealing with it sliding off of my shoulder. Don't you just hate when your purse slides off your shoulder while your carrying something heavy?!? I hate that!

Texture Manipulation???  

I hate to say this but....I think I will be henna'ing more often, solely for the purpose of [slightly] loosening up the texture in the middle of my head. I've tried all kinds of methods suggested for avoiding tangles and knots and I just don't know how to handle the tighter coils of my crown. The front of my head is so loose in texture, that its wavy and the crown/back is so extra tight. I hate snipping random knots out. I may be hopeful to the extent of naive, but I'm hoping a little loosening of the texture will help me minimize, and.......dare I say it, prevent these little knots from continuing to form. My only dilemma is how the heck do I continue my curl loosening when I have new growth without the previously loosened part ending up curl-less? Sigh.....I give up. Back to the drawing board? No....I'm definitely going to try this henna thing.

Henna is an ALL NATURAL great conditioning/strengthening treatment for ALL hair types and is a nice red rinse (color effect) that can really only be seen in the sunlight, if your hair is naturally black.....any other colors like blond or gray then your head is turning coppery-red. And I love the color red. :-) To see how henna changes the color of a natural blond, go here. For women with ethnic hair, the color change isn't as vibrant, but if you're coloring gray you end up with copper highlights in black hair which is totally cute. My mom loves it now!

I have tried henna once as an overnight and another time as a gloss - meaning mixed with a conditioner and left on for only 3-4 hours. Both times, it was right after I had cut off my relaxed ends. I've only done it twice in the past year, mainly because I didn't want it to loosen my coils (not because of the crazy need to prove ethnic hair is beautiful and blah blah blah, only because I liked my coily texture). I know my change of heart is crazy, right? Not to mention, I just don't have that kind of time to devote to my hair since I'm a mommy of two adorably demanding boys! I really like my curls (but have seen henna's curl loosening powers when used on a very regular basis), but as it gets longer, its becomes more difficult to keep these knots at bay! I plan to place my order and hopefully receive the henna next week. My plan and challenge is to do a henna gloss once a month, starting next week or so. I may have to push this start date back to the beginning of July. I will be ordering my BAQ, body art quality - foil pouch only henna from here. Its on sale for $5.50 from $6.99, so I'll be ordering today!

Right after my BC, I did a henna gloss and check out the curls I had popping and bouncing everywhere! My tighter coily curls afre the diameter of a Bic pen.

Picture taken immediately upon rinsing.

Facebook 'Enemies' as Friends???

Do you have friends on facebook that you wish you never would have friended? If so, what did you do? Un-friend them or keep them? I have several facebook friends that I wish I could delete but I don't have the courage to. With my normally fiesty exterior, this seems like a no-brainer but I'm having a little turmoil with this issue. I really want to un-friend my ex-boyrfriend and some of his female friends (that were once mine but turned on me once I got with my current husband). This all happened a little over 10 years ago by the way. Does it sound like I'm holding onto any anger, lol? Ok, really I'm not.....let me explain.

I'm from a town where "everybody knows your name," okay not everybody, but at least 50+ former high school classmates, older and younger that were in the 'popular' crowd knows your name and try to continue high school social drama for 10 years off and on. I'm currently trying to escape this instead of my usual "act like its not happening, and still be friendly" attitude. After pushing out my second boy, I have taken on the role of Jim Carrey in that movie, "Liar Liar," and I now have a hard time lying, i.e. being nice to those who were once mean and/or gossipy to and about me. Of course, these mean ones want to become your 'friend' again once you have kids. Ummmm.......no?!? Okay, well I also forgot to mention that these girls are wives and friends to a couple of my hubby's close friends. To me, it used to say a lot about his friends' character, but after awhile I started to notice that they were the type of men who ignored their loud and obnoxious wives as well as ignored how their wives treated people. That's all fine and dandy.....but I live in what you call the real world and that type of behavior is not acceptable or forgivable. Its just gross.....and I'm not that desperate for friends.

I want to get rid of my ex-boyfriend on there because.....well, why not. We're not friends or even friendly. He's friendly with my husband, but that's because most men are not petty like some women can be. Anywho, we don't really converse on there at all, soooooo..........why is he my friend? He added me (just like those 30-yr old female fake bullies mentioned above) and I accepted/confirmed them just to keep 'peace.' Peace being not giving them something to talk about, but now I'm realizing people are going to do that regardless. I also accepted their friendships because I didn't want it to seem like I had any negative feelings or past angers still unresolved. I'm happily married, trust me and I couldn't care less about my ex.................well, actually a friend and sorority sister of mine said it best in her status the other day, "I saw my ex and he's gained weight....its the little things!" I love it and no harm done, just a little extra weight to shrinken their ginormous, "I'm the man" ego.I would just rather have a lot of facebook 'friends' that I have fun with and/or have no ill will/feelings toward me (even if I don't know them very well), than have 'friends' I've known for years and have gossiped about me for just under a decade. I don't want to stir drama, I just want to live reality, and in reality we do not see each other and smile, so why make nice on facebook?

Now I just have to find some courage, although I could totally be opening a can of worms for myself. I'm off to watch the Wizard Of Oz......


What do you think I should do? Delete them or continue to ignore their presence in my friends list?

Happy Father's Day!!!!

"It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father."

~Pope John XXIII