Lately

Lots going on in our normally overly routine life. First of all, we had a wonderful weekend being spoiled by Nana. Food, shopping, new books, laughs, it was great. And we are excited to welcome more company tomorrow. The kids are in heaven with all of these people around to wake up early.

While Nana was here, we gave Jude his first haircut. It was nice to have a third person around. One person to hold him, one to cut, and one to take photos (obviously) and watch the girls. 

I know you all thought the tree hugger in me would just let his hair grow and be but, well, it was getting so long that I couldn't comb it in the 20 seconds he gives me and he was starting to look a bit on the wild side. So after much agonizing (me convincing George), we went for it.

It looks awesome and he looks like such a big kid with his new haircut. I am telling you, if you can, try to have kids with curly hair. It makes for the easiest home haircuts. All of the mistakes just curl up. 

Elsa surprised me the other day (as she always does). I asked her to go sign Grampa's birthday card and when I caught back up with her, this is what I found. 

Her first "E"! I am so proud. And this is what I heard her saying from the back seat while I was driving today, "Twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty nine, twenty ten, thirty." Love the logic behind that.

Keeping watch, making sure Daddy doesn't miss a spot.

And that's about it. We are just enjoying life, the weather, and family until George starts school again. The madness all starts next week. 

Happy Halloween!

My Hair Education

So here is how the 'ol hair routine is going around here lately. Elsa and Nyah have drastically different hair types (if you haven't already noticed). Nyah has silky corkscrew curls and Elsa has zigzag curls that love to entangle themselves. But, in my eyes, both hair types are equally amazing. 

The 'ol go to detangler method I have been using to fix Ny's hair just wasn't doing the trick one Elsa's. And please let this serve as an instruction manual for Elsa's hair care in case I am ever not capable of caring for her hair.

We wash Elsa's hair on Sunday, and just stop right there. She bathes daily but her hair gets washed just once a week. By mid week her hair is a tangled mess and aside from leaving it up or braided all the time, nothing seemed to be working to tame her mane, and George loves her hair big and beautiful and free. Her hair has also been breaking off around the front of her hairline adding to the frizzy mess. 


I knew I was doing something wrong in caring for her hair. So I went on a mad Google and YouTube search to educate myself on her hair type so I could in turn teach her and hope that she will always love her hair and never turn to chemicals to straighten it. Not that chemicals are bad, I just happen to think her curls are super special. And little did I know that there is a whole natural hair revolution out there. 


My go to website has become UrbanBushBabes. One of the co writers happens to have Elsa's exact hair type so I have learned so much from this woman.


So here is Elsa's routine on wash days.

• Finger comb through her hair to remove any major mess.
• Wet hair and add clarifying shampoo- no sulfates! Distribute shampoo to create lather by pulling straight down on hair to avoid more tangles. (We use Queen Helene Stay Clean Shampoo- Whole Foods.)
• Add deep conditioner or leave in conditioner and let sit while she plays, pours, splashes, and bickers with her sister.
• Rinse.
• Lightly dry hair with towel but not too much, water makes combing easier.
• Add Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl and Style Milk (Target), give her her blankey and comb through hair with wide tooth comb. Never use a brush. Work in sections and be gentle. Though her hair looks big and bad, it is actually pretty fragile.
• Apply flax seed gel and comb through (recipe below).
• Seal the deal with an oil mixture.
• Kiss her cheek and send her on her way.

Flax seed gel is by far the coolest product I have discovered from my search. I picked up some whole dark flaxseeds (linseed) at Whole Foods. You can find the entire flax seed gel recipe here. 


It was so fun to make this product and I had no clue the potential of flax seed. But if you mix flax seed + H20+ heat, a perfect gel is released that holds curls without the crunch or product build up feeling. Here is a photo as I strain the gel from the flax seed after heating the mixture. Pretty thick.

I also added tea tree oil, lavender oil for smell, and aloe vera gel. It makes all the difference in Elsie's hair. No more frizz! I will most definitely be using this on my hair for curly days.

Life in the hair department is so much easier for Elsa now that I know what I am doing. Combing is less painful and it is so much easier to mix up her style mid week now since the tangles aren't as bad.


Finally, I tried to tie their hair with silk scarves last night to avoid tangle buildup during the night but the novelty wore off and the scarves came off.  I will be picking up some silk or satin pillow cases to avoid tangles or breakage of hair at night.

And there you go. Elsa's new hair routine and evidence that I give her hair more attention than I have ever given my hair, but she is totally worth it. 

Our Many Roles

Somedays I feel I would be a better mother if I only had a background in teaching or art, medicine, cooking, diplomacy, sewing and the list goes on.

But, luckily for mothers and fathers of today, YouTube exists where one can become an instant expert in anything. 


My skill of choice on this day? Hair stylist. And after just a few short videos I felt confident enough to give long layers a go on Nyah's precious curls. And I am just realizing that maybe this is why my bangs were always so crooked as a kid. My poor mom had nothing to go off of as she stepped into hairdresser role. God Bless YouTube. And forgiving curls.

Bath Time

What kind of record of Jude's sweet life would this be without the inevitable bath time photos. I can't believe this is the first bath photo we've taken of him but it seems I usually give him his bath when it is just the two of us. So he was safe. Until now.

The days of sink bathes are almost over for this guy. He is getting way too big for our tiny sink and he splashes like maniac. I am sure the sisters would be overjoyed if he were to make an appearance in the bath tub but I don't think he's up for that madness quite yet.

And I would love to include a photo of his hair spiked up or combed over like an old guy here but his hair just won't be styled. The curls rule and take over immediately after the comb leaves his head, lucky for him.

Homemade Beauty Products

I have been on a homemade beauty regimen kick lately. And it might not be a kick at all because I am quickly falling in love with these products. Not only because they are natural and cheap, but because they are easy to make and don't require a trip to the store (yes, still avoiding shopping with Elsa) when I run out. 

Running across the house in a towel to mix a new batch is perfectly acceptable and something I can do now because we finally have blinds. Privacy at last. 


A few of these beauty product were included in the gift sacks I gifted to my mom and sister in law for Christmas. My mom texted me this morning to inform me that she was out and could she please have the recipes to make more. So, I thought I would share with you all.


So here we go.


Eye Make Up Remover
1 part witch hazel
1 part olive oil
(Go a little heavier on the witch hazel to avoid an oily feel.)


I picked up a big bottle of witch hazel (a natural toner) at the local health food store and it has lasted me through numerous bottles of eye make up remover with much to spare. The bottle I use for mixing came from Michael's in a pack of three, but anything will work. 

This is by far my favorite of the homemade products and the one I credit with making me look sane at pre school drop off in the morning, especially after one of Jude's all night benders.  


I give the mixture a good shake, dab a little on a cotton ball, pass a couple of swipes under my eyes and all of last nights make up is off and we are ready to go. And the best part, absolutely no burning of the eyes.


Sugar Scrub
1 1/2 cup sugar (brown or white)
1/4 cup olive oil
Add a few drops of a favorite essential oil or vanilla to make it smell wonderful. I have been using lavender oil.


Mix ingredients patiently. It takes a little time for the oil to mix with the sugar. Continue mixing and add more oil or water if needed until desired sandy consistency is reached. I keep mine in a Glad container (so chic) because I don't trust myself with glass in the shower. I scoop a little into my hand while in the shower and exfoliate away.


Skin Peel
Sugar
Lemon juice


No real science here. Add sugar into a small container (you don't need much) and squeeze lemon juice in and stir until a sandy consistency if achieved.


Warning: use this sparingly. The acidity of the lemon is strong and you may end up with a red face. I use only once a week, when I can remember.


Detangler
3 parts water
1 part olive oil
A few drops of essential oil.


Mix ingredients in spray bottle. 


A friend of mine with awesome curls suggested this mixture to me over the summer, but I only recently adopted it during the whole lice fiasco. At the time I was adding tea tree oil to the mixture to ward off any lice bugs who tried to come home from school with Nyah. I quickly noticed how nice it made Nyah's curls hold without being oily. 


Since we are in the clear from lice at school, I have replaced the tea tree oil with lavender oil. In the morning I give it a good shake before spraying it on Nyah and Elsa's curls. But on really rough mornings, I still rely on the ol' detangler.


Hope you give some of these homemade products a try. And if you have a favorite homemade beauty product you use and would like to share I would love to hear about it.

A Moment with Elsa

Elsa has really started to talk and put sentences together lately. The things that come out of her mouth are usually so funny but occasionally they surprise me. Which is just a friendly little reminder that kids are always listening. Like when she said, "Blush you," on cue, after I sneezed yesterday. And when she told Nyah, "That's a gwate idea!" as Nyah was picking an outfit out for school this morning.


The moment Jude wakes up from a nap and lets out the smallest of whimpers, she is always the first to let us know that, "Jude cwyin'! Jude cwyin'!" and continues until we get him. Not that we let him wail it out in his room our room all alone, but sometimes we have to dry our hands, close our book, stand up to walk into the room, etc. She is all over it though.


And I can't leave out the truth, that her only defense against her sister taking her stuff is to let out a blood curdling scream which takes my eardrums past the point of comfort and into the ringing stage. Lately though, she has let out a, "NO NY-YAH!" which seems to get her point across quite well or at least alerts us to intervene. We are hoping in the future more words come out and less screaming but we'll see.


In the mean time, here is a minute with the big two year old and a preview of her various hairstyles.

I Can't Believe I am Writing This

As I dropped Nyah off to school one morning last week, her teacher rushed out and started picking through her hair with absolutely no warning. I was a little taken aback but before I had time to ask questions she broke the news to me. Another student's mother had just called and revealed that the boy had... lice. 


As in head lice. 


As in bugs crawling around in his hair and reproducing. So she was checking each kid before letting them enter school and I thought that was that. Thought she was nippin' the bugs in the butt and avoiding an epidemic of grossness.


Jump to yesterday afternoon, as we entered school to pick Nyah up. The teacher breezed by me and nonchalantly just happened to mention to me that she wasn't sure if I knew, but five kids now have lice now, no big deal. 

Um, what? FIVE?! Which at this point means bugs must live in the school and could be taking up residence on us as we speak? 

I immediately wanted to grab my children, pick them up under my arms and run the heck out of there. I am not sure what shocked me more, the thought of my children having lice or the fact that she had no doubt we would have to cut the girls' hair if they contracted the little problem.

I'm itching as I type this.


Can you even imagine if either of our girls got lice? Do you realize how much hair they have? I mean, it's a struggle to comb Elsa's hair with a regular comb, let alone a fine tooth one. When I say that washing hair and combing night is a big in our house, I mean its a huge, has to be scheduled in advanced and takes a good hour of our lives to complete. Combing our girls' hair with a fine tooth comb would result in WWIII & WWIV up in here and is not a battle I ever,ever want to wage. 

So I don't know if I should take this as a sign that the over priced preschool is dirty or just roll with it as one of those things that happens in schools and a part of childhood. And for the record, the school is great and I am sure the teacher is living out one of her greatest nightmares that could ever occur in her sweet school. 


The teachers explained that this was the first "outbreak" in nine years and the best thing to do to avoid the problems was to put product in the girls' hair because the bugs do not like dirty hair. And at that point, even the teachers and the assistants were in the restroom showing off their sprays and products to me which they apply each morning as some sort of defence. 


So I just said a little thank you to myself, as we bolted out of there, that our girls have the hair they do which can't be washed more than once a week (you think we're weird now) unless really dirty. Because I am convinced Nyah's only defense against infestation (I don't even like that word) are her dirty curls. 


And you better believe she left for school this morning with her hair completely loaded with lotion, serum, oil and hairspray in hopes that she doesn't bring any little friends home. And I thought we just moved away from all the bugs I could ever want in my life.

She asked what I was doing as I obsessively drenched her hair in any and everything I could get my hands on. My reply was something along the lines of, "Bugs. Don't want to let the bugs get in your hair." I can't wait to see how she repeats this information as her imagination runs wild with it all day.

And I can't believe I am writing this because our family that is en route to our house for the holidays suddenly just realized that something has come up and they won't be able to make it. 


Seriously guys, no issues here. I promise. Please, don't turn around.

A Dad Hair Do

It's their new nightly ritual. After getting pajamas on, George takes whatever contraption I have put in her hair out, runs his fingers through her hair and gives it a good shake. 

She loves it and giggles the entire time and by the end, her contagious presence usually draws the whole family in to join in the laughter... 

...and to check out the new awesome hair do.

After more of the nightly ritual, she finally lays her head down in her own room and in her own toddler bed with the comfort of her blankly and proceeds to sleep the night away. Alone. 

And I often find myself shaking my head because I just can't believe how old, independent and wildly awesome this little girls is. Everyone should be so lucky to have a little Elsa in their lives, to make their days (and nights) a little brighter.

Moments of Firsts: Braids & Socks

This sweet little girl got her first set of braids the other day. 

I am not sure what made her decided to actually sit still long enough for me to do something with her hair, but I will take it. There may or may not beens some bribing involved in the from of foam soap and toothpaste, but once I got started, I was determined. 

While her sister absolutely loves getting her hair done, Elsa isn't into it so much. And I am not into torturing her so she usually just has curly/frizzy hair which I of course think is adorable, but her Aunt doesn't quite agree, and prefers her hair like this. And though she has tried to teach me how to properly fix Elsa's hair, she knows I am not listening. So these braid are for you Aunty Cline, I am not a total failure in the hair department. 

And as I look at Elsa in all of her braided glory, I can't believe how old she looks. 

If you are reading this post from Indiana, you are probably thinking I must be crazy for having my child in a dress because of the shocking shiver the air has to it. But if you are reading this from Indiana, you also understand that just three days ago, this was the proper attire for a kid when it was one hundred degrees out. The weather here is totally bipolar and confused. 


But today, oh no, today we have clothes on. Lots of them. Because it is very cold outside and the kids just keep looking at me when were out like, "What the heck is this?" 

And though my inner workings are feeling nostalgic remembering the feeling of a proper season change, my better self knows things could change tomorrow and it could the sun could be blazing again. But Elsa is happy with the cold because it caused us to bring the socks out, another first for her, and let me just say, she is in love.

And though I am tempted to pick up a few extra warm weather clothes for the girls, I think we will just make do with what we have because I don't trust Indiana weather and who knows what in this world Louisiana has in store for us. I guess I could just look at a Louisiana forecast but that is too simple, too modern. I prefer a good surprise.

Her Hai-yer Do

She has been picking out her own clothes and dressing herself for quite sometime now, and I must say, she usually does a pretty good job. But yesterday, after she had spent a significant amount of time in the bathroom, quietly (scary), I finally inquired by yelling across the house, of course, what she was doing in there? She quickly replied, "Fixing my hai-yer!" (Yes, she has started speaking a little Indiana, as opposed to her usual Cruzan, which is my cue that it is time to leave, asap.) 


After some more time passed, this is what strutted proudly out of the bathroom. 

Nicely done Nyah. I am just relieved no scissors were involved.

And off to the store we went.

Detangler: Our Lifesaver

Where would I be without this product?

Since I a big fan of leaving our girls' curls natural and free, instead of like this, detangler has become my go to product. Yes, something as simple as detangler makes my life, our morning routine, and most importantly, my girl's hair lives go a lot smoother. I admit, I am nothing without this product, the matted curls blessing our girl's head would dominate me each morning and our children would end up with hair like the cat at Nyah's school. They call her Rasta Kitty and she gets her name honestly.


Rasta Kitty is an old, old cat who has outlived many previous owners. She is definitely living each of her nine lives to the fullest and her hair seems to be her ultimate proof of this. She is a cat who adventures both inside and outiside of the school and her long greyish hair is matted into little locks, which is where she gets her name, obviously. All of the children love Rasta Kitty, (not so sure the feeling is mutual though).


Not sure the kids would be so kind if we left Nyah's hair to the elements each morning, though they probably wouldn't notice. Dread locks would be the ultimate result if I did not have the daily battle with the beautiful curls on top of our girls' heads. It doesn't matter if we wash it and comb it nice the night before, braid it before bed, or wrap it before bed, they will wake up with matted hair which isn't really the most conducive environment for a brush. So, I get out the detangler and go to town I am so thankful for this product. I can't even get into if they took a dip in the salty Caribbean, there is nothing to do but wash their hair using almost a bottle of conditioner.


We aren't loyal to one brand of detangler, just relieved when the few grocery stores here are stocked with this product, as with most stuff here, we take what we can get. And just for the record, this is what Nyah's hair looks like when I brush it when it dry without detangler. Yeah. And by the way, she still prefers her hair to be braided.


My next challenge in the hair department will be our little boy's hair. Maybe his dad will just chop it off but I know the treehugger in me will be rallying strong and I won't want to cut his hair and managing his curls will no doubt be a challenge. The look of Rasta Kitty might be in his future.

Here's One For St. Lucia

The girls had the amazing opportunity today to get in touch with their St. Lucian roots and join their family in the celebration of the 32nd anniversary of St. Lucia's independence from the British. What a beautiful day we had. 


The celebration began with a church service (at the church George grew up attending) where George's parents sang enchanting songs in Patois (a dialect of French commonly spoken in St. Lucia) accompanied by steel drums, in a choir composed of mostly St. Lucians. The day continued with partying, food, more food and a whole lotta love. 


Nyah and Elsa's Aunt made them dresses for the celebration, a Madras (St. Lucian cultural dress), to match the choir. Their Aunt of course dressed them up (because I had no clue) and did their hair (because I can't be trusted, obviously). Guess who loved every minute of it? 

Many times through the day I found myself being overcome with these odd emotions as I witnessed the display of love, pride and loyalty for St. Lucia from those who still hold her so close to their heart during the celebration. I can't imagine moving to another country with nothing, making whole new life for my family and struggling and working harder than ever imagined and being wildly successful at it. And as I am thinking this I look and up and there are George's parents dancing their way down the aisle, leading the choir processional, singing their native songs in their native dress in their native language and I lost it. Not completely, I swallowed it, but you know.

Elsa on the move with her Grandma.

Pregnancy emotions or not, today made me seriously realize that I am fully entrenched in this West Indian culture, particularly St. Lucian culture. I am making a new history for myself, for my children that we wouldn't have experienced in Indiana. George comes from such beautiful people, inside and out, and such a rich culture which I am honored to be a part of and have our daughters raised in. It is beyond words so I won't make an attempt but at one point during the afternoon, George's dad, with his sweet hug and huge smile whispered in my ear, "Do you fully see what you got yourself into now?" 


Yes. I think I do.

Birthday Land

We have been stuck in birthday party-ville for the past couple of weekends, well, actually George has. He is awesome and takes the girls to all of the Mommy clad parties while I work on Saturdays and he does it with a smile. The girls hair might not be fixed perfect, or combed at all, but he excels in dressing them in the cutest ensembles. All of the Moms report back to me later how wonderful he was with the girls and how impressed they are that he comes to the parties. Not to brag, but I have to agree with them. 

We (George) had a double header this past weekend, parties on Saturday and Sunday, so I actually got to participate in a party where Elsa debuted her new pony tail. 

The kid parties here are great, good food is usually served maybe even a little libation and is a good excuse to hang out with friends. Parties are getting better for us because we can finally breathe and don't have to be on edge with sense keen, afraid of taking our eyes off our child and ready to jump at moments notice in case our child decides to be "that" kid who stick their hand in the cake, fights the birthday kid for his or her gifts, or throws a tantrum. Nyah is older and totally gets the party etiquette thing and can be set free to do her thing. We just have to chase Elsa, or child who is in constant motion, but George usually heads up this duty so I can mingle. 


But look out this weekend, I don't have to spend Saturday in the ER and we don't have any parities on the calendar. The future is ours.

Good Laugh

I have to share this blog entry from my favorite blogger, Rebecca Wolf, whose blog I read each morning while the girls eat their breakfast and I pretend to drink coffee, my one alloted caffeine allowance recommended in pregnancy. 


By the way, I would have never, in my wildest dreams even imagined drinking caffeine when I was pregnant with the girls. I was way over the top, by the book, OCD, can't even look at wine of caffeine or something horrible would happen to my baby. Now on the third go around, I am settling into the stereotype of the third child and am a lot more lax, realizing that I am a really healthy person and a little sip of caffeine in the morning won't hurt a thing and actually my help my state of mind. Instead of dragging around and feeling bad about it all day I am now functioning and feeling great. What can I say, I am surviving and I have to be there for the girls, they don't deserve to be stuck with zombie mom all day and luckily since I haven't been a coffee drinker until now so the little bit I do drink really gets me going and makes me want to conquer the world and stuff until about oh, about one o'clock when I crash and burn. And maybe I've even had a little coffee as I am writing this blog but the really long drawn out sentences that I am typing super fast hopefully don't make that too obvious.


So here is Rebecca Wolf's latest blog entry (click here,right here, Mom) and perhaps I find this so funny, like I laughed at my screen for a few minutes and kept coming back to it to laugh some more (look at her first grade picture), because I can totally relate. I was a product of a Mom with scissors and oh if I only had my first grade I could prove it. Crooked bangs starting at the crown of my head doesn't even begin to explain the half of it.


I feel like I am in a whole different realm raising girls with supa dupa curly hair. Bangs are not an option and honestly if I butchered their hair I am not totally sure anyone would notice. But I have no doubt in my mind that they will someday look at their first grade picture and wonder why I would do their hang the wrong way, its inevitable. 
 
We don't really do the hair cutting thing around here much. Hope I am not doing them a disservice as a mother by not picking up the shears. Nyah has had one hair cut, which she loved. 

Maybe she will have another one someday, who knows, but for now I am still enjoying a good laugh remembering my brother and I's past do's thanks to Rebecca Wolf at Girl Gone Child, she rocked it today.