New Mornings

This is it. This is how our mornings now look. Though we haven't quite gotten into the routine of it being just the two of us, due to things like life, we are working on it. Now that we are out of the car, having completed all of our get life back on track and organized errands of January, and Jude is healthy, I feel like our time together has finally begun. And I love it.

This is our first morning home together and it is so different. Just he and I with no interruptions, no distractions, no toys stolen. Typing with him in my lap while he doodles on our fresh calendar page. 

I would think with free rein of the house he would take advantage and do all of the things his sisters won't allow, like ride his new dinosaur on wheels toy, but so far he hasn't left my lap. Guess he is getting used to the new dynamic also, getting used to the peace, getting used to the quiet. All he wants to do is snuggle. So we snuggle.

 And cherish each moment...

 Until the volume gets turned up and there are three again.

Wishing you a happy January, happy fresh start, happy new routine, happy new calendar page, and a happy and peaceful 2013.

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. 

Life With Socks

It is really no small feat getting three kids out the door in the morning, on time especially. Nyah to school and the youngest two and I to the gym. No, I am not on some major New Year's resolution kick off, I have been a regular member of the gym pre resolution season. Promise. 


Since Nyah has returned to school and the morning routine is back in action, we have had a few bumps in our quest to get back in the groove. 


And I am sure you know what I am about to write. I think it is a complaint of mothers and fathers generations old, but I am just coming head to head with the problem. 


Socks. 


I am really not into letting things get the best of me, especially inanimate objects, but oh how I loathe socks.


It's the same old story, I wash two, at least I think I wash a matching pair, yet only one makes it out of the dryer and the pile of orphans builds. Then morning comes and no one can find a matching pair, someone cries, I get frustrated as my arm begins to burn from carrying my big boy around as I frantically search for the lost match, seconds away from being late. 

And the lost sock always lies the most inconspicuous of places, especially since Elsa can only take about ten minutes in the car before she takes both shoes and socks off and tosses them. This from the girl who didn't wear shoes, much less socks, until she was a confident walker. She can't be tamed. 

I guess we are just not a sock, nor shoe family. Next to our door we have a basket where we dump our shoes the moment we walk in the door. Probably an old island habit, but a necessary one I feel, especially when little ones frequently occupy the floor. Shoes are dirty, its a fact.

And though it is so tempting to think back on a time when we didn't own socks and flip flops ("fliddy flops" as Nyah calls them) and sandals protected our feet, I can't let myself go there. Because socks are here to stay. 

So my vow today is to, one, stock pile mass quantities of socks in my kids' drawers so a matching pair is always just a reach away. Second, I will put a sock basket next to our shoe basket so each and every sock has a home as soon as they leave a little foot. And finally, I promise to not let the socks get the best of me, allow me to become frustrated ever again, or be the source of my child's tears. 


Because socks are too tiny an object to evoke such big emotions.


By the way, if you didn't already click on the link above, click here to watch some of Elsa's first steps. You won't be sorry.

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.

The Company You Keep

The game has changed. The dynamics have been jumbled, once again, and this is what I have been left with. 

We are adapting to life minus one and the whole new order and routine it brings to each of our lives. All day, everyday of the week its just the three of us eating together, playing together, cleaning together, sleeping and just hanging out. Together. 

I am thankful for the frequent mix up in structure of our lives because it allows me to get to know each of these little bundles of energy, curiosity and pure love even better, as individuals. Because they are as different with each other as they are without each other but equally perfect in every way.

Someday soon Elsa will venture from the nest, followed by Jude. Though my mind can hardly go there it really doesn't have to because I am learning that life is constantly changing and everything and everyone is evolving and everything will work perfectly when the time comes. Routines are really only that for a short moment. 

So for now, right here, in this moment in our lives I am going to enjoy every minute of these lovable siblings and kiss them and snuggle them and accomplish absolutely nothing but the important job they have of growing. And in that, we will have accomplished everything. 

Scary Tales

We began our night time routine as usual tonight, as we do every night due to Nyah's need for repetition which I have wrote about before. Dinner, bath, read, teeth, potty, bed, songs with scratching, kisses, water, another kiss and done (if we're lucky). 


On this particular night, as many nights before, Nyah chose to read the story of Hansel and Gretel. Someone gave us this story, a story I was not familiar with. The pictures are seriously faded with the characters molded from clay. Its a special book and understand why she is so drawn to it. Its odd, you can't help but stare at the pages and strange characters. 


Tonight I began the story and told it as I always do but kind of felt bad because honestly, I am not giving Ny the whole truth. I have to make up the story as I go because, hello, has anyone read this story? I remember my first time reading the story, I almost choked as I read the words and of course immediately stopped. Wasn't aware I needed to prescreen fairy tales prior to reading them. 

I will admit, I am a bionafied wuss- no scary movies, try to limit the bad images that I allow into my brain, jump when a door closes, etc. With that said, I might be sheltering Ny and creating another wuss but I just can't bring myself to tell my three year old about kids who's stepmother doesn't want them, abandons them in the woods, kids who eat a gingerbread house, only to be invited in by a cannibalistic witch who captures them, locks Hansel in a cage to fatten him up to eat while she enslaves Gretel only to be outwitted by the kids, pushed in the wood burning stove to be burned alive. 


Who decided this German fairy tale was appropriate for children? What is the moral in this story, as I thought all of the classic fairy tales seem to have. Um, be good or your parents will abandon you, especially if you happen to have a step mother, or don't trust old woman, or keep an eye out for cannibals. Wtf? 


The story disturbs and scares me to say the least so I just make up my own story and leave it at that and hope the tale never comes up with her teacher or other kids someday when she will have to be all like, "What, you mean Hansel and Gretel didn't get lost during a picnic and the kind old woman helped them home and they all lived happily ever after?" 


I can't imagine if I actually read her the story word for word, she would be up all night. She already has enough to worry about before bed, like moco jumbies, what she is doing when she wakes up, who is taking her to school, and if she can have juice in the morning the second her eyes open. Maybe she is onto me, onto the fact that I am not telling her the whole story which is why she keeps asking me to read the story over and over again.


So here is my official apology, to you Hansel and Gretel, I love you and am sure you were adorable in your creators head, but your story is sad. But I am mostly sorry to you Nyah, just can't bring myself to expose you to the oddness of the world quite yet. I am your mom and thats my job.

Carwash

George sold his Jeep this week, the ultimate island ride, but not before the girls had one last go around with her.

How can a car (a mere material possession) become so synonymous with a person? This Jeep was George in an odd way, what he rode in daily or for fun since I met him way back when. As old couples begin to look like each other and complete each others sentences, to the girls and I, George and his Jeep had this going on. It was all him.

The girls knew the unique hum of the engine to an eerie perfection as he would turn our corner, arriving home. The sound of the door cuing Nyah to assume her usual position, hiding under a sheet or something and Elsa to run to the door shrieking. Same thing. Everyday.

It's a shame I had to crop the bottom half of all these pictures out. Nothing more adorable than to see these bare little ba'nas hard at work. The concentration and true sense of purpose and determination the girls showed while washing their Dad's beloved Jeep was priceless, their love for him shining through in their labors. I am sure to the girls, Dad will always drive a red Jeep (but Nyah could only dream it was a rental car).

Elsa was obviously just happy to have her clothes off, finally. 

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.

The Lunch Situation

Each night after dinner as I put the left overs away and begin the meticulous process of cleaning the kitchen, I pack Nyah's lunch for school. George helps me clean the kitchen of course. He is the master of washing dishes and loves to remind me how much better he is at this task than me. I have to say, I totally agree with him. He can totally claim that one, spotless dishes every time. Remember dude, I grew up with this little invention called a dishwasher. Mind blowing, I know. I have told him on numerous occasions that since he is SO much better than me at washing that he can be totally, one hundred percent in charge of the task but he won't buy it. But I am thankful for whatever help I can get.


Since packing the lunch kit is such a part of my daily routine that I truly enjoy, and will probably be doing for a long, long time, (wow, I am really going to pack a lot of lunches in my life) I thought I would share what its all about.  So here's the lunch kit, in all of its glory:

We are highly discouraged from using plastic baggies, juice boxes and other disposable stuff at Nyah's school, in an attempt to keep waste to a minimum, something that has become habit in our daily lives. We are lucky that none of her classmates have any over the top peanut allergies so peanut butter sandwiches are a-okay. Nyah typically opens her lunch box to find a sandwich or left overs, always fruit, maybe pretzels and her all time favorite, yogurt. A serious treat for her. 

The containers are from some mega store, cold pack a gift given to Ny when she was a wee precious one from my dear friend Ashley, and the snack bag is courtesy of my sister and the rockin' toy store she works in.

Nyah stays hydrated through the school day and during lunch from a tiny glass full of water which she pours from a mini glass pitcher. Real glass? Three year olds? Really? Yes. All part of the process. Dropping and breaking glass and the reaction it elicits is all part of the process of learning to be careful, concentrate and handle things with care.

I pick Nyah up at twelve o'clock sharp each day and get the pleasure of spending some time with this little community of barefoot kids. 


Yesterday, one of the little cutties reached his tiny, short arms up to rub my belly and while peering at me from under my bump asked me so curiously, "Why is your belly so big?"


To which I replied, "Because there is a baby growing in there".


To which he bluntly blurted, with his best are you crazy lady look on his face, "AGAIN!?!".


I'm convinced picking Nyah up during lunch is the best part of Elsa's day. She gets such a kick out of making her grand entrance to meet the group of socializing children gathered and eating lunch at their chowkies on the open air porch of the beautiful school*, hoping to get a bite but always receiving a hug.  


Oh, a chowki is a little table which originates from India (where Nyah's teacher, Ms. Jill received her Montessori training). Ms. Jill describes how the guards used to sit on the little tables outside of homes during a long watch, so I guess this would make them more like stools. 


Here is a photo of the Indian God, Ganesha, sitting on a chowki. Obviously, the one Nyah uses daily is made of wood and not nearly as ornate, but you get the idea.

The kids at StarApple Montessori use the chowkies as tables to do their "work" (a very serious matter if you have had the pleasure to be around a Montessorian) and also to eat on. The students take wonderful care of their little chowkies, the perfect sized work station and portable table for them to eat on.


So there you have it, the whole lunch routine from start to finish.


*I would love to include some photos of Nyah's amazing preschool (yes, I am so inspired by a preschool) but just don't feel right snapping photos of others children but maybe someday I will find the school empty. Until then I will leave it up to your imagination.