Pool Water Destroys Hair

Our family went on a a two day / one night mini vacation this weekend. We decided to stay in a hotel with a pool and hot tub this time.  The children all had a blast jumping between the ice cold pool and the steamy hot tub.  The pool however was loaded with bleach and chemicals.  These chemicals wreak havoc on us girls with long hair; they horribly damage it!

When we arrived home from our mini vacation however, we found in the mail a bottle of Evassence's 100% Organic Argan Oil which we had ordered at a discounted rate for our honest and unbiased review.  I sent Candace up to shower and wash her hair, but beforehand I took some pictures of her hair.  Here is what her hair looked like before...

After she washed it and towel dried it, we put some of our new product in it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0156TNVHI?ref_=pdp_new_dp_review
The oil did not have a strong scent like many Argan oils.  I massaged the product through her hair until I could no longer feel the oil on my hands.  My hands did not feel oily at all but felt clean and light instead again unlike others that we have used.  I did not feel I needed to wash my hands, but I did so instead just out of habit.  Then we combed through and dried her hair.  Here was the finished results...

Her hair came out so slick and beautiful!  We look forward to trying it on her sister and me next!
#arganoilskincare

Ups and Downs

Every parent experiences ups and downs.

One of the ups of this week was receiving a set of 4 reusable drinking straws with cleaners included.  My children and I anxiously awaited their arrival for review free of charge in exchange for our honest opinion.  When I opened the package, my older daughter (age 9) could barely wait for me to rinse and clean the straws before she had one ready for use.  This "up" was followed immediately by a "down."  Candace fell while going for her cup for her drink and the metal steel straw embedded into the roof of her mouth and into her hand.  As a mom, I felt horrible.  While I feel it was a complete accident and do not hold Wise Ole Owl responsible, I do feel that other parents should be warned.  These straws are not a good idea for young children.  The straws themselves were a wonderful idea.  The sturdy design makes them great for use after use.  The pipe cleaners included help insure that they can be thoroughly cleaned between uses.  The idea also aids in keeping hundreds and hundreds of plastic straws out of landfills. The product and design concept deserve to be praised. #WiseOleOwl  I just won't let the children use them again.


Now on to more "Ups!"

I received an e-mail this week from my younger daughter's teacher that began as follows, "I want to tell you how much I enjoy working with Summer!  She is the highlight of every day for me.  She is so enthusiastic and always gives me 100% in reading."  The e-mail goes on to say that they want to take Summer to be observed by other teachers as she reads and is instructed to show how successful the program can be and to look for other ways to help Summer and other students.  I am bursting-at-the-seams proud of course and just had to share.

Candace, my older daughter, participates in the Girls on the Run program.  Yesterday, she received the "hero's cape" to wear at the end of practice for her hard work in the program.  I am so proud of her as well.

Making Memories

The highlights of my weeks are the special times that I am able to spend with my three children.  I absolutely love early mornings when my two girls crawl into bed with me and cuddle until we absolutely have to get up and start our days.  Listening to their excitement and anticipation over the activities of that day or the coming activities of the week gives me such contentment.

This week one of my favorite times was making strawberry cupcakes with them on Sunday.  This one was a box cake instead of homemade, but we were all excited because we were able to make them with our new silicone baking cupcake forms from Bella Rona ( #BellaRona ).  Bella Rona had sent them to us free of charge to test and review.

We couldn't get the plunger to work properly to insert the batter into the molds, but we loved the colorful molds.  The girls took turns adding ingredients and stirring the batter.  They put the molds into our cupcake tin to make it easy to place and remove them from the oven.  I filled the molds and placed them in the oven.  They love that the molds came out of the oven cool which helped the cupcakes to cool quickly.  We were able to remove them easily from the molds - no sticking.  In no time at all, we could frost our sweet treats and enjoy them.  Yum!  The molds were also extremely easy to clean with soapy water and a dish cloth.  They are ready for the next use; no more buying the paper ones to which the cupcakes tend to stick!

Monday, we changed our way of thinking and decided to go enjoy a crisp fall day outdoors together!  We packed a lunch and headed off to Gring's Mill in Wyomissing, PA.  The temperature was around 60 degrees when we got there and not a cloud in the blue sky.  The leaves on the trees were changing and all around us were so many colors.  The leaves danced in greens, yellows, oranges, reds, and browns.  The flowers nodded in blues, pinks, purples, yellows, and whites.  The sound of my children's laughter was especially delightful.  Seeing their enthusiasm at the site of squirrels, chipmunks, frogs, turtles, and even a distant snake gave me the sense that this adventure had been the right choice for our day.  We were determined to make it to the end of the trail, six miles round trip.  By the end of our journey, we were contently worn out!  After a brief rest, dinner, and clean up, we spent the rest of the evening cuddled up on the sofa reading and watching a movie together.

We look forward to our next adventure... pumpkin carving in the next week.  Stay tuned!