Loving the Curls

 I have had a love/hate relationship with my hair for most of my adult life. (And yes, this is a hair post. Feel free to stop reading now.) I have naturally wavy hair, which didn't bother me through most of high school and college. I even remember LIKING my hair, which is a foreign concept to me now. And then I moved, had babies, etc. etc. etc. And my hair, spoiled in the CA (high school) and UT (college) dryness, possibly tampered with by several pregnancies, decided to become a monster when confronted by that thing called humidity. It was either frizzed curls (I would occasionally bring out my defuser to let it "go natural"), or easily frizzed and still slightly waved "straight". Ugh. The words "straight" and "sleek" were like a siren call on any product I bought. The results? Occasionally straight hair. But rarely, ok never, sleek. My hair just didn't do sleek, unless I had just came from a hair stylist, which happened maybe once a year or so. And then, if I did manage to get it somewhat straight, any drop of moisture in the air quickly destroyed it. So I either spent forever blowing/ironing my hair straight, or kept it in a messy ponytail so I didn't have to think about it. And even when I DID spend forever blowing/ironing my hair straight (usually only for Sundays or special occasions, unless I was really cold or needed a good excuse to read), then it was usually back in its messy ponytail the next day, frizz once more slightly waving it. I knew I could go the expensive-to-maintain-and-hugely-damaging-to-my-hair route of a Brazilian blowout, or something like that. Or maybe I could get an in-house stylist and have HER worry about my hair. But I'm generally a low maintenance kind of person and really, really wanted low-maintenance hair that looked better than a messy ponytail.

Then, six weeks ago, I saw the light. I've been reading several online articles about "Curly Girls" and their fight with their hair. My dear readers, there is a Curly Revolution going on right now! And so I decided to take the plunge and free my hair - to let it be curly, to finally learn how to reduce the frizz. The result? I think I like my hair. I know! I don't love it yet. But I like it. I've been Straight-Free for 7 weeks now.

Wait, is this blog post only about my hair? Yes. Yes it is.

You see, this is a huge deal to me. Monumental. It doesn't seem huge to most people, but I feel it's a declaration of sorts! I will no longer force my hair straight! I will learn to like my hair! I may even learn to LOVE my hair! At the beginning of this liberation I mentioned my new-found determination to a few very select people. One of my friends, not noticing the OBVIOUS curly state of my hair, said she hadn't noticed - I looked like me with straight hair and I looked like me with curly hair. Okay, so that was a bit of a letdown. And then I remembered I'm doing this for me! Yes, validation is a wonderful thing. But if I stopped slaving over my hair and NOBODY NOTICED, doesn't that just scream that it's ABOUT TIME I STOPPED SLAVING OVER MY HAIR?

Yes.

So, for the last 7 weeks I've had curly hair. My hair is not super curly, but definitely more curly than what you would consider "waves". And better yet? It's easy! It's really easy! For seven weeks I've had easily maintained curls. And I have two confessions - for seven weeks I have not used a brush on my hair. I know! Strange! So strange! But I really haven't! Combing through my hair with water on my hands is all I need to do - brushes just frizz it out. And second - no, I won't admit it. Never mind. My darling husband warned me to not to admit it to random people. (And, by the way, he LOVES the curls.) Okay, maybe I will. For seven weeks I have not used a speck of shampoo. I know, sorry! TMI!  But it's so liberating! And I know it sounds icky! But it's not, I promise! My hair is clean! Shampoo just frizzed it out - I still clean it, for goodness sake. And I use a LOT of conditioner. No more brushes! Shampoo! Hairspray! Mouse! Serums! Flat Irons! Curling irons! Curlers! And now, sometimes, I even feel like I have magic hair - my hair is MAGIC!! It can be in a messy bun all day, and just by finger combing through some water it's ready to go. Which is awesome.

I'm sorry, I know I'm waxing a bit long on this. But it's a big deal for me. But now I have this awareness of how prevalent straight hair is in the media - where are all of the curly girls? We have a few representatives, but mostly it's that sleek, straight look that yes, I still covet a bit. But it's just NOT ME. And NEVER WILL BE ME and I can finally come to terms with it. Straight hair has even overrun animated cartoons! Thank goodness for the new Brave cartoon coming out. Yay for Curls! Seriously, if at the end of the movie she shows up in triumph with straight hair, I will scream.

So there it is. My hair is curly. And I've finally accepted it.

And yes, I'm ignoring that this is the first blog post in over 6 months. Perhaps I'll be back with news of family doings. :)

Random Snippets

We had a busy but fabulous Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years!  I feel like I've been running around with my head cut off for months.  I assigned myself a huge project that made me a little insane as Christmas grew ever closer.  I have been a huge slacker when it comes to transferring family videos off of whatever medium they were originally recorded on, to a medium that is easily viewable.  So I decided to reform my ways, get up to date, and present my dearest hubby with a stack of freshly minted Family DVD's for Christmas.  I was five and a half years behind.  Fourteen hours of video and 8 DVD's later, I accomplished my mammoth task.  It took a LOT of time.  I even included slideshows of many many pictures - 2,947 to be exact.  And even better?  AFTER Christmas I burned another two hours on the 9th DVD so I am STILL up to date.  Which is awesome.  But it also means I've been slacking on almost every other area in my life, including blogging.  

What did I learn from burning sixteen hours of family fun?  

Our lives can be summed up as:

Jace's Birthday

Easter

Hubby's Birthday

Summer Fun (usually camping or some kind of water something or other)

Dane's Birthday

Diva's Birthday

Halloween

My Birthday (surprisingly recorded twice during the 5 1/2 year span)

Thanksgiving (only if we had company or went somewhere)

Peanut's Birthday

Erik's Birthday

Christmas

... and repeat.

Throw in some occasional random dancing and recently a soccer game or two (or more ...) and you can guess how our lives have been and will be for many years to come.

So, things I missed telling you while I was sorting through family festivities:

1) We survived four kids in soccer!  Hurrah!  Hurray!  But now we're thinking four kids in soccer was easier than one kid in wrestling ... we'll see if we survive this newest adventure!  A few soccer highlights:

 

 
(You do not need to watch all 1:09 minutes.  Just watch from second :21 (Erik is the second "header") to about second :42, after Erik's throw-in and missed kick. Unless you want to enjoy a Father's Commentary on a Soccer Son, using the wrong name of course ;-)  You can also hear Peanut yelling for his brother.

2) My baby is THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ack!  My cute little Peanut is growing up.  I need to snuggle a baby so I don't decide I need my own.  Maybe it's time for a kitten ...

3) I have a teenager now.  Erik is officially 13.  Yikes.

4) Dane's Christmas List:

hamster
snake
Chinese Water Dragon baby
turtle
crab
chameleon
baby gorilla
two headed lizard
dog
cat
lizard with no legs but not a snake
crocodile biting turtle

basilisk
rabbit
toy horns
grabber
pointer
bubblegum
money

(The first six pets have been a constant plea.  When he realized I was writing them down he started getting a little creative.  I love how he ends his exotic list with bubblegum and money.  Unfortunately, no live animals greeted him on Christmas morning.  But he did get some bubblegum!)

 

5) I FINISHED THE STOCKINGS!!  Many eons ago, when I was pregnant with Jace, I made lovely matching stockings for my family.  They were cute.  I even sewed an extra one for the not-yet-on-the-horizon baby #3.  When Diva arrived I simply decorated her stocking in the same manner as the other stockings.  Then Dane arrived.  Poor, poor stockingless Dane.  I finally managed to sew a matching stocking for him, but it remained blank for many years.  Then Peanut was born.  Poor, poor stockingless Peanut.  He didn't even GET a stocking sewn for him, but used whatever we had on hand.  But finally!  Finally!  This year Dane got his stocking decorated, Peanut got a stocking sewn, and then, miracle of miracles, Peanut got his newly sewn stocking decorated.  Yes, I have had more than three children for 5 1/2 years.  And yes, my stockings finally show it.  In other words, it has taken me over five years to accomplish a fraction of what my much-younger-less-child-encumbered self did in a few weeks.  I would show you a picture, but horror of horrors, you would see our REAL NAMES.  Perhaps I'll facebook it.

6) We made gingerbread ... er ... I mean graham cracker houses.  Well, we can't really call them "houses".  Shall we say "Creations With Graham Crackers and Royal Icing and Lots of Candy"?

7) My husband greeted the world on Christmas Eve with our annual Christmas Blog.  If you haven't read it, you need to.  He doesn't let me read it until he's done writing it and I haven't laughed that hard all year.  If you missed the deluge of emails and facebook statuses alerting our friends that it was available for viewing, let me know and I'll send you the web address.  It's uses our REAL NAMES (shocker!) but he justifies it by making it public only two weeks every year, so you have a few more days to enjoy it ... and READER BEWARE!  He is already planning a music video for next year.  Oh me oh my.

These are a few of my favorite things ...

I know some adults who don't really care one way or another if it's their birthday.  What?  Seriously?  I LOVE my birthday.  Call me childish, I don't really care.  I don't even expect loved people to spoil and fete me, though that is always pleasant.  Not strangers.  Please leave me alone, don't look at me, I don't know you.  But people I love.  Celebrate away!!  But I don't need it.  I just like giving myself a day to do whatever I want, within the confines of my job as Mother.  I am nicer to myself and nicer to others.  It is a fabulous day.  SO ... to celebrate one of my favorite days I am going to list some of my favorite things, outside of my husband and children.  And being a Mom.  Because if I include those things this post would be WAY too long.  Warning - this will mostly be a shallow list, I'm not really in the mood for deep.  And it might even be full of consumerism.  And probably a lot of food.  You are hereby warned.

My Favorite Things

-  Chocolate.  I really do love chocolate.  So much so, I've discovered, that's it's one of the main things people remember about me.  Which, if you think about it, is really pathetic.  But I'm okay with it.  As I've aged :-) my chocolate sensibilities have refined - I now prefer high quality DARK chocolate.  A fabulous friend and I taste tested 60% and 70% chocolate of affordable yet decent (ie: can be found at Target) quality.  I know, the things I'll do for science.  The results?  Lindt all the way.  Dove generally came second, Ghirardelli last, with some random brands (Green and Black, can't remember what else) scattered throughout.  Dove was always the smoothest but not the chocolatiest.  And Ghirardelli, when compared with others, always had a strange "note".  Yes, we tasted notes.  And were totally vindicated later when we read this article.  Wine tasters?  Pshaw.  I'm a Chocolate Taster.

-  And on that note, I LOVE my Dad's Chocolate Creme Brulee, minus the Brulee, because I don't have a kitchen torch.  Made with 70% Lindt.  Oh my.  Heaven.

-  I. love. my. Mac. 

- Bread, and by extension, my bread maker.  I LOVE my breadmaker.  It is a Zojirushi.  It is awesome.  I use it everyday.  I've even worn out the kneading blade because I used it so much.  (And a replacement blade cost only $6!  Thrilling!)  I read an article about how useless breadmakers were and how you could buy better tasting bread at the store.  Poor, stupid people.  I make delicious bread.  My french bread is so much yummier than anything I've bought.  My children will balk at "healthy" store bought bread, but will devour almost any bread I make, regardless of how much wheat, or oats, or quinoa, or barley, or graham flour, or whathaveyou I put in it. 

-  I really do like math.  And now that I finally have a 7th grader, I've re-remembered how much I love algebra.  I really do.  Call me strange.  Geometry can go hang itself.  But algebra ...

- My husband's sense of humor.  My favorite thing of all time.  He can make me collapse with giggles.


-  The other thing I am most remembered for seems to be my love of books.  I really do love them, in all shapes and sizes and genres.  I just love to read.  My dream job?  Repairing old books.  If there was a Repairing Old Books School I would go to it.  If I knew a Book Repairer I would apprentice myself.  It would be such a fun craft to learn.  I love devouring new books, savoring old favorites, finding new authors, sharing books I love with people I love.

- And in that vein, I adore libraries.  And bookstores.  But in libraries I can TAKE HOME any book I covet, whereas bookstores I try to exercise some restraint.  I could browse either for hours.  If I was alone.  Which doesn't usually (ever) happen.  So let's just say I can browse until Meltdown is imminent. 

- When my two year old says "Okay".  He says it all the time and in the cutest way. 

>
- Panera.  Target.  Trader Joes.  I am so sad I am currently not living by a Trader Joes!  Ack!  Where will I get my supply of Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe Joe's (think fabulous mint oreos smothered in luscious chocolate sprinkled with peppermint)?  And my Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel Thins?  Hmm, I'm sensing a theme.  But even non-chocolate edibles are yummy.  Thankfully I have a fabulous sister-in-law who WORKS at this fabulous place.  And also thankfully, when she visits she brings yummy things with her.


- And speaking of Trader Joes, but deserving it's own category, is Sipping Chocolate.  I would call it liquid gold, but liquid gold would certainly not taste as good as this stuff.  You have to make it the "Sipping Chocolate" way, which doesn't require very much milk.  Which is why it is so good.  I also love Hot Chocolate.  But Sipping Chocolate is a step above.



- Thumb Promises, which are reserved for when Pinkie Promises are just not convincing enough.  At least according to my 5 year old.

- My shoes.  I have one pair of summer shoes (mine are NOT bronze) and one pair of winter shoes that I tend to wear every single day.  They are SO comfortable.  I have other shoes, but they just get to hang out with each other in my closet.  I love my favorite shoes.

- I love the color Brown.  I know!  What a drab color!  But it's really not.  It's rich and warm and yummy.  I also love deep reds and deep blues and deep greens.  But brown is probably my favorite color to wear.  I have worn the color brown on my birthday since high school, which I realize is weird and random.  But it's okay to be weird and random.

- I love that my two oldest boys love to read.  What joy to talk books with my boys!  And to see them devouring some of my favorites! 

- I love new recipes.  I just realized I follow over 7 recipe blogs/sites and love them all.  OurBestBites is probably my favorite, but I also love BrownEyedBaker (the name! I love the name!)  I also love my friends' recipe blogs and have even started a recipe blog with my family.  New recipes keep the every day "what's for dinner" question at least sometimes exciting. 

- Being girly with my daughter.  Painting fingernails, doing hair, planning outfits - she is just precious.


- Yosemite is one of my favorite places on earth.

-  I also love Maine - the coasts, the woods, the people, NOT the lobster.  Because seafood is not one of my Favorite Things.  I loved living in Maine.

-  Even though I don't like living there, I love Boston.  What a FUN city to visit!  Fun places to shop, walk, learn about ... eating Italian food in the North End, followed by dessert at Mike's Pastry, is definitely one of my Favorite Things.

-  My brothers are among my Favorite Things.  I am so lucky I am friends with all of my brothers.  I love that they are all a part of my life even though I don't live very close to most of them.  I love their wives, their children, their parents :-), their interests - everything about them.  I also love that I am friends with my parents.  I love my family!

-  My friends are also definitely one of my Favorite Things, which gets me sappier than I meant to get.  But I have great friends.  When my husband was away for months at a time, I had a Friend who would leave her family of many children to hang out at my house twice a week, sometimes leaving in the wee hours of the morning.  We played Super Mario Brothers Wii (and conquered it, thank you very much.)  And watched movies.  And Gilmore Girls.  And ate vast amounts of delicious chocolate.  She also spent her Mother's Day morning making me breakfast.  How many people would do that?  Not many.  I have amazing people in my life.

So there you go.  Some of my favorite things.  I have a good life.

All Hallow's Eve

This blog is a year old!  Hurrah!!!!!!!  The Granna Halloween Fairy blessed our house again with many fabulous costumes.  Peanut started out the day in a Lion costume, previously worn by three year old Erik, three year old Jace, and three year old Dane.  But it didn't last long ....

Erik was once again something in a box, this time a robot!!!  Thanks Halloween Fairy, for the cool arms and legs.  Diva wanted to be a Ghost this year.  She was originally thinking "Sheet With Holes" Ghost, but we convinced her to be a little more creative.  

 Dane was a Pirate (Argh, ye Mateys!) and Peanut settled on being Yoda. 

Jace wanted to be Harry Potter, and finally decided on Harry Potter playing Quidditch because it meant he got a broom ... 

All of the store-bought wands were disappointing, so he made one with his Dad.  We think it turned out pretty cool.

We did our Trick or Treating this year on Friday night at our Church and spent a quiet Sunday at home.  But next year we hit the pavement again ...

Complete with Quidditch Goggles.  And of course no socks.

Birthday Girl

 

My Diva is 8!!  Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, those are marshmallows AND sprinkles on her cake.

She was baptized on Saturday in the dress my Mom made and I was baptized in.  Her Uncle, Aunt, and cousins (including a brand new one!) came to celebrate.  It was a fabulous day.  

It Happened One Night

Once upon a time there was a two year old with floppy hair.  It was adorable floppy hair.  One day the Mother realized the floppy hair was getting a little too floppy, and admitted to her husband the Father it needed a trim.  This Father, waiting until his wife was away from the house for an evening, decided to take matters into his own hands and cut the floppy hair with scissors.  But since cutting floppy hair on wiggly children was his wife's usual job, he was unprepared for the wiggliness of this particular child.  The floppy hair was butchered.  The Father, muttering "Your Mother is going to kill me" (as witnessed by several small bystanders), tried to fix the formerly floppy hair by trimming it short with clippers.  Really short.  Much-much-less-than-his-wife-would-have-short.  Then he zeroed in on the poor child's slightly older brother.  When the Mother got home, the children were in bed.  "I bathed them!" the Father said.  Startled, the Mother mulled over this surprising statement.  Usually the Father doesn't think of things like that.  Hmmm.... Trying to delay the inevitable, he even distracted her so she didn't check her Facebook, where he had posted pictures of the butchered hair (yes, the World Wide Web knew before Mother did.)  Lying in bed that night, the Mother had an epiphany - "You cut their hair!" she exclaimed.  She knew it was the
One Reason he would have bathed her two little boys.  Sure enough, upon entering their bedroom, she saw the poor little shorn heads. 


Sniff.

I can never leave the house again.

Unless I take the clippers with me.

And Now I Know What a Mellophone Is

Isn't he ADORABLE??  Erm, I mean, handsome ...