Curly Hair Don't Care

I absolutely love my hair.

But let’s be clear, it hasn’t always been this way. 

Since I was seven [when I started to do my hair]
we’ve had a love/hate relationship. 

We’ve been through everything.
We’ve been to school, prom, cheer leading comps,
 tropical vacays, and New York in the freezing cold.

We’ve been in school pictures and magazines. 

We’ve been stared at in adoration and in disbelief.

We’ve been long and curly,
short and straight, short and poufy, long and straight,
beautiful and just plain ugly.

 

With our long history comes trial and error experimentation.
I can honestly say I’ve tried every type of hair product from 1998 to 2004.

Hair gel. Mousse. Creams. Leave in conditioners. Hair sprays.

You name it, I probably used it. 

For a while, I had tried almost every product of every brand.  

Living in Biloxi, Ms, there weren’t too many hair stylists
 who knew much about African-American/Asian hair.

My hair was confusing. 

The white people just wanted to straighten it and the black people just wanted to braid it. 

No one knew what to do with my hair. 

I was ten, embarrassed and annoyed.

When I was twelve, I got my hair cut by a French woman. 

Two serious problems
1) she knew NOTHING about my hair
 2) I couldn’t understand her. 

Let’s just say I was less than happy and more than willing to send this bitch back to France.

 It was the worst haircut I'd ever had.

I swore that I would never go to a salon again.

And I didn’t.

In seventh grade, my hair was long but seriously damaged from using my $5 straightener
and I knew that I needed much more than a trim. 

So I cut it.

And it didn’t turn out too bad.

I’ve been cutting my own hair ever since.
I guess I took that quote
"If you want something done right, do it yourself"
to another level.

All of this to say I have learned a tip or two about curly hair.

WASHING:
 What to use: 
Since I’m lazy af and don’t feel like doing research, I just switched to baking soda and water.
 [here’s a link for more info]
It cleans your hair, you know exactly what’s in it and my favorite, it’s cheap.
When I do use shampoo, I use this!

It’s been my favorite shampoo so far.

BUY IT

What to do:
Read labels!
I have found this website to help determine which ingredients are harmful.
Only wash your scalp.
The excess shampoo will wash your hair when you rinse.

 P.S. don't forget to use t-shirts instead of towels to dry hair.

CONDITIONING:

What to use:
Like I said, I’ve tried everything but the “product” I like to use is apple cider vinegar.
My hair feels softer and healthier after one use.
 I also use Aussie Three Minute Miracle.
Oh my good hair.
It’s a drugstore find but it makes your hair incredibly soft, less frizzy and more manageable.

BUY IT

 What to do:
 I wash and condition my hair first thing in the shower.
 This way my conditioner sits in my hair the whole time I shower.

 DEEP CONDITIONING:

What to use:
I swear by coconut oil and olive oil.

BUY IT

What to do:
I just put some in my hair, put a shower cap on,
leave it in for fifteen minutes or overnight!
Then wash it out and admire yourself.

STYLING:

What to use:
 My mom bought this for me for Mother’s Day last year.
 BEST GIFT EVER.
In the fourteen years that I’ve been torturing myself styling my hair,
this is by far the best product for curly hair.
I will never use anything else.
 EVER.
You get huge results with little product. And there’s a lot of product.
 It’s inexpensive, smells great and it’s natural!
My curls look defined and hydrated.
 My hair is never crunchy or frizzy.
 I swear by it.
 It's a curly haired girl's dream.

BUY IT

THIS IS MY SHIT.


What to do:
Since we all have a different types of curls, just use as much as you need.
I don't know about you but I used to feel like shit when
 the instructions would say "use a dime size amount".
Yeeeah for my bangs?
I used to have to worry about damping my hair in the a.m.
 only to end up with a frizzball later.
 Talk about annoying.
 With this, I use it at night, twist my hair up in a french bun,
go to sleep. 
No need to wet it in the morning!

STYLING TIPS:

-When hair is damp, take a small section of hair and twist it and leave it. 

Do this all over and when your hair dries, you end up with ringlets! 

It can be time consuming but really works. 

-Sometimes I cheat. 

When I want really defined curls, I use my curling wand. 

Not on all of my hair just the parts that aren't as curly as the rest or if it's frizzy.

 If you use a wand, be sure to use a heat protective spray like this.

BUY IT

 Now go. 

Go werk those natural curls.

It's all good in motherhood

Everyone always used to warn me about how tough and scary motherhood was (which is absolutely true) but no one told me how fun and exciting it is.

Motherhood is daunting and overwhelming at times but I actually love it.

There.

I said it.

I love being a mother. 

I feel like I'm not allowed to say it being a 21with a 2.5 year old.

But eff all of you who think I should hate it.

It's really a lot of fun.  

I love teaching and watching Bella develop into who she is supposed to be.

I enjoy [well kind of] seeing Bella grow up and gain her independence.

I like coloring, playing matching games and using my imagination to play pirate/princess/dinosaur/monster with her.

It reminds me not to take everything so seriously.

It reminds me how much I enjoy living.

I laugh more than I ever have. 

I promise she’s on my list of top five people to hang out with.

It may be strange but she might be one of my best friends.

Not bestfriend best friends more like motherdaughter best friends.

I'm a mom when she needs a mom and a friend when she needs a friend.

[Being a stay at home mom and not having friends with children forces you to learn a balance.]

We have a special relationship.

Blah Blah Yeah

I know she’s only two but I look and see other families who don’t have the relationship that we have.

And it makes me cherish it even more.

I am able to play with her and still be respected by her.

She loves giving hugs and kisses. [It’s her fave way to wake me up when she lays with us]

She likes being around me and I love being around her.

She listens to me and I listen to her.

I make sure she knows I am listening to her.

I think that’s a big deal.

Most parents think of children as children not as little people growing and learning,

which at this age, is constant.

It's amazing how she knows her books because we've read them so much.

Or when she wants to brush and floss her own teeth because "It's my turnt"

Or how excited she gets when she eats all of her veggies because she knows it makes me happy.

She was staying with her aunt last night but we ran into them at Target. 

Go figure.

Anyways, she saw us and was losing her shit because she was so happy! It was like she hadn’t seen us in weeks. She was so giddy and excited.

I tell you. I just love this girl.

God knew what kind of child I needed.

I couldn’t ask for a better child.

Seriously. She's perfect.

Smooth-ie Operator

Lately, I have been sippin on smoothies like they’re goin out of style…

Which for clarification, they aren’t.

I’ve made them for breakfast, snacks and sometimes for lunch!

They’re yummy, surprisingly filling and an easy way to get a serving of veggies.

Even better?

I've got my two year old daughter and picky three year old niece drinking them!

I put a mixture of

A handful of FRESH spinach,

I made the rookie mistake of using the frozen kind and MOTHER EFF that shit was gross.
 I was practically forcing it down Bella’s little throat telling her it was delicious
knowing full well it tasted disgusting.

Five to six frozen strawberries,

I normally use frozen because it’s often cheaper than fresh strawberries.
Plus Bella and I love love love strawberries.
They just might be our favorite fruit.
It helps neutralize the spinach flavor, too.

 fresh bananas,

I only use these if we have them on hand and I only use half.
 They can sometimes overpower the smoothie.
 I don’t know about you but I don’t like a lot of banana flavor in my smoothie
especially when I know my fave fruit is somewhere in it. 

 and Yoplait Greek yogurt. 

I usually only use Yoplait because they are the only brand of Greek yogurt that contains less than 10 grams of sugar. [Some have only 7g whereas the others have up to 23g!]

TWENTY THREE grams of sugar in one of those little cups!

 I don’t care if they are Greek and pack a shit ton of protein,
they have more sugar in one serving than you are supposed to have ALL DAY!

I can’t wait to try more varieties of smoothies.

There’s a recipe for everything from metabolism boosters to sleep inducers!
 You can find them here.

Have fun blending!

Happy Anniversary!

To most people, today is Valentine’s Day. But to us, it’s considered our anniversary.

Let me explain, before you go off thinking we’re cliche and shit.

 It was kind of forced upon us. I say this because

1. I wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend at the time Devon and I wanted to start dating

2. Therefore we don’t really have an actual day that he asked me to be his girlfriend

3. But Valentine’s is the closest day we remember. He told me he liked me by setting up a classroom of candy and a big ass red bear. Romantic, I know.

So until we get married, today is our anniversary.

Our FIFTH anniversary.

YEAR ONE

YEAR TWO

YEAR THREE

 

YEAR FOUR

YEAR FIVE

 Things are fab and I feel like we are in a healthy and happy place. We’ve learned to be in constant communication. Whether it’s positive, negative, a compliment or an insult, we discuss it.

We made sure we were spending our days off together as a family. We had picnics at the park, tried new restaurants and took Bella to the aquarium for her second birthday. We had a fun summer vacay and celebrated our first real Halloween, as the Flintstones. We discovered how to be content with our lives and I think that helped.

So here we are, living in New York.

Since moving, we’ve become closer. We stick together and keep each other sane in this maniacal house.

We really have grown up together.

We’ve learned from mistakes together, supported each other and have found sincere happiness in one another.

We’ve learned how to balance each other.

We know what to say and do to make our days better.

We can do nothing together and still manage to have fun. 

[Sometimes we’ll just play Sorry or Trouble, have a drank and BOOM! A mini date. I sense judgment but that’s okay.]

Our life and relationship aren’t traditional nor are they perfect but they work for us.

I love our story because we should have been broken up by now.

  

Being high school sweethearts.

Getting pregnant in high school.

Living together.

With a baby.

Statistics say we shouldn’t be together but we are.

And we’re genuinely happy.

If you couldn’t tell already, I love Devon more than I could ever put into words and I’m thankful to have him in my life.

He’s nothing I thought I wanted but everything I need.

I refuse to leave on a sappy note so in summary:

He’s a dope guy and I’m a bad ass girl and we’re good together.

Happy Anniversary, Devon!

&

Happy Valentine’s Day to the rest of you mf

Valentine's DIY

I did something festive yesterday. 

I made Bella Valentine's Day themed leggings 

1. I made the leggings from an old shirt

2. I cut out the hearts from the scraps I had

3. You can either sew or use fabric glue to attach the hearts

and I made myself a Valentine's Day themed sweater.

1. I used the same pink shirt to cut out the hearts

2. I positioned the hearts where I wanted them

3. I sewed them on by hand because I'm not that great...yet.

Go me.

Grammy Awards 2013

Can we pleeeease talk about the Grammys? 

It might have been the best Grammys yet. The performances were ahhhhh-mazing.

Seriously.

I died and went to rasta heaven during the Bob Marley tribute.

It was just incredible.

  Bruno Mars is underrated. He is so so talented and I want him to sing at my wedding. 

Someone make it happen. 

Then they sang my all time favorite summer anthem. 

Could You Be Loved.

Oh. My. God.
Perfection.

On every fucking level.

I love love love the Marley's. 

I bet you can't guess where we got Isabella Marlee from... haha

Then you add Sting and Rihanna.
And BOOM!
That's how magic is created.

Alicia Keys and Maroon 5. 

Flawless. 

I almost came undone. 

They just killed that performance.

 I've seen Alicia in concert and she's unbelievable.

And I've been obsessed with Maroon 5 since a random burned me their cd in 7th grade. 

I WANT ANOTHER COLLAB.

And do I really need to talk about Justin Timberlake's performance? I have four words for that.

GET ME HIS CD.

He was created to perform. Like I don't think God had any other plans for him.
 He was made to do this.

Taylor Swift's performance kind of threw me off but whatevs. She's Tay Swift and mocked Harry Styles on national television.
Props.

Ed Sheeran and Elton John killed it. I can only imagine how Ed felt. THE Elton John is singing your song. At the fucking Grammys! 

[BTDubbs, Elton's jacket is something that needs to get in my closet. Now.]

The Lumineers. Ahhh. My heart just filled with joy during their performance. I could tell they were ecstatic to be there and I wanted to hug them afterward.

Now Kelly Clarkson. 

Kelly, Kelly, Kelly. 

HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO MIGUEL IS?

He's...Miguel.

The strange looking man with the voice of an angel.

His voice is everything and more. 

Wiz could have stayed in the audience because his part was irrelevant.

And Frank Ocean. Like...I can't even. I am so happy for him and he was everything I thought he'd be. 

Oh, we can't forget about the wrap up music being played when The Dream was talking only to stop when Jay-Z went to speak.

BAHAHAHA.

Now for J.Lo. 

Put that leg away. 

We've already seen it on everyone else in Hollywood.

 BYE.
 

And FUN. 

Thrilled that they won Song of the Year. 

It needed to happen.
 

Music is life and to have such a variety in one place made me thankful I have more than Netflix.

Sew On, With Ya Bad Self

Since I've gotten my sewing machine, I've been experimenting with new projects. 

I haven't posted anything because I've been so embarrassed. 

Most of them have been fails.

 For instance, I made a skirt and bow set for Bella. 

Then I changed my mind and made shorts instead. Cute but small. Bust.

Then I set my hopes high for a romper for myself...Do I need to finish? Bust. 

 

I ripped it when I was trying it on

Then I made Bella a pair of leggings from a long sleeve shirt that I saw on a few blogs. Bust. 

[[I don't have a picture because they are so terrible. I changed the pattern like four times and they were still shit.]]

So as you can see, all of my projects came out janky and were a waste of my time learning experience. Thank God all of these were less than $2 or I'd be even more pissed.

But something magical happened this weekend. I made Bella a tunic from a $3 XL shirt from Target, 

and a dope pair of leggings from my old Hollister shirt that I NEVER wore.

 

 Then I became so infatuated with my sewing machine that I ended up making her a skirt from an old shirt. 

I know it's plain and boring but it was just practice. Now that I know how EASY it is to do, I just might have to stock up on thrift store shirts.

I have all these ideas and it scares me.

 Mostly Devon but me too. 

Because we know nothing is safe. 

Nothing.

I guess you can say I'm a sewing machine. 

Get it?