I am a Curly Girl

And do I like being a Curly Girl? No, not at all. Today I went to get my hair cut by a curly hair specialist and while I like that my curls are under more control (i.e. not frizzy) and I got some great tips on styling them, I still don't like the fact that my hair is a mass of boisterous curls.

My hair issues are nothing new. I used to think it was because I had black/white hair. But then I met Amanda in high-school, who was also bi-racial, and she had the most beautiful hair. Her hair laid flat against her head and at the bottom she had wide, bouncy ringlets - not my tiny kinks that covered my whole head. I've had my hair chemically straightened; straightened with a hot iron; styled curly with gobs of gel holding it down (stiff, crunchy hair); in braids with extensions; in braids without extensions; and in other various styles. I had even thought about shaving it all off and starting over, but that thought quickly vanished when I heared that your hair grows back thicker. Straight has been, by far, my style of choice. However, there are a few issues with my type of straight hair:

*When I straighten my hair it never looks as good as when I get it done at the salon (and I know I'm not the only one that this happens to, no matter what your hair style is).

*It also takes me a long time to straighten my hair. When doing it myself, it takes about 2 hours. As the mother of a 15 month old, I don't have that time to spare.

*Getting my hair straightened at the salon would cost a significant amount of money. This is not something that I could just get done at a neighborhood hair care place to cut down on costs.

After leaving the salon today, I tried to embrace the curls. I wore my hair down (and out, since my hair will never lay flat while curled) for the drive home. I scrutinized it in the bathroom mirror without having the watchful eyes of the stylist on me and I promptly pulled it back. I couldn't even get it straightened at this point because it would look like I got a really bad haircut. A curly cut has no rhyme or reason to it to the untrained eye (it's cut curl by curl - dry - so the curls fall in their natural state).

So I guess I'm going to have to embrace a modified curly girl look. I'll take care of the curls as my stylist today did ("slow and deliberate," was her motto), but still fall back on the 'usual' - pulled up or back for the time being.

So, how about you? What would you change if you could?

Easter, Easter, Easter!

We hope you all had a blessed Easter celebrating the Risen Savior! Please click on the link for Praying for Stellan. MckMama wrote, in far better words than I ever could, a post about the true meaning of Easter.


Landon loved the child-sized Elmo plate, cup, and silverware we got him. He carried them around with him most of the morning!




I believe Landon's looking quite dapper in his new outfit and 'do. We decided to put gel in his hair so his locks would remain curly. I think it might have to be a regular occurrence since so many people commented on the curls at church today. Not to mention that I think the curls make Landon look a lot more like me than Alan ; )

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

Well it appears as if I might need to change my "About Me" section. I didn't think I'd be posting that much in the way of photos and videos on the blog and this week alone I posted two videos! I also didn't think I'd waiver from the trusty Blogger templates, but I've done that as well! I've also added some direct links to some of my favorite blogs - My Charming Kids (you'll find it if you click onto "Praying for Stellan") and Money Saving Mom. What do you think of the makeover?

Old McDonald Has a Cow, Sheep, and Pig

Well, I have been trying for days to get this on video and have finally succeeded! It appears that Landon has 'picked up' animal sounds. Really. We don't sit around the dinner table teaching him the various animal sounds or drill it into his head during long car trips. I would say it's mostly due to the reading of Sandra Boynton's Moo, Baa, La La La, which I don't even think we read that often (definitely not as much as Mercer Mayer's Just a Snowy Day - his current favorite). I'm just so amazed at all that he is picking up!

Of Blueberries and Bathtime

Tonight we had blueberries with our dinner. This picture does not show his blueberry stained hands and the remnants of blueberries in his hair. Circumstances necessitated that Landon take a bath - his fourth one in three days (1. Wednesday he was due for a bath; 2. yesterday he had a blowout so I quickly washed him in the sink. I didn't have his diaper with me and ready so when he peed on himself, 3. I gave him a bath in the bathtub; and 4. tonight).

Landon and I have a new game we play in the bathtub thanks to the the new bath toy Alan got for being a good patient at the dentist : ). I fill the fish with water and then slap my hand on top of it to get water to squirt out. Landon responds by splashing with great gusto. Here's a little video of our new game (Mom, I'm in it! Just for you!). And, although we had fun in the bath and got the blueberries off of his face and out of his hair, he went to bed tonight with blue stained fingers. Gotta love blueberries!