My journey to loving my hair: My hair tutorial!

So I have had a few people ask me how I do my hair and I had been thinking about writing a hair tutorial. I just wasn't sure if people would actually read it AND I am not sure if it will work for people with straight hair. So, this could be quite a hair experiement. Alright, let us get started.

Ok, well this is what I started with. As you can see it is already semi-dry because I let it air dry a bit. That way it didn't take forever for me to blow dry it. As you can also see, I have naturally curly hair.

      To start, blow dry your hair. Make sure the roots are completely dry but let the ends stay semi-wet.

                                  

                                             Then, you will brush your hair into two sections.

  After that, twist the sections like the above picture and finish blow drying you hair while it is twisted.

 Afterwards, it will look like this. They are still very loose twists. At this point I usually spray Fizz-Ease Dream curls onto the twists. DO NOT UNRAVEL THEM YET.

You then get a flat iron and go over the twists. I usually stay on the twists for a few seconds each time I go over them. Make sure you go in the same direction as your hair twists and make sure the twists are tight while doing it!

      See the difference? The left twist is after blow drying. The right twist is after flat ironing.

    After doing this a couple of times and making sure my hair is completely dry, these are my results. Big fat curls. If some parts have a hard time curling, I can do chunks separately and get a better result.



After doing this technique a few times, I have really learned to love my hair. I have had such a hard time with it! This is inspired by another Pin on pinterest, but after I did that one my hair didn't turn out so good! I hope y'all enjoyed and I hope it works!

Getting Rid of the pacifier and introducing paci(comfort is normal).

Hey there, folks! So, for the past couple of days, I have taken the pacifier away from Lucy and only allowed her to have it during naptime or bedtime. Soon I will even wean her off of those times.  I personally feel that comfort is normal. Obviously,because it is comfort is something we want when we are born! A lot of moms believe in getting rid of the pacifier cold turkey, but I didn't feel that that was really the way I wanted to do things. I felt that in some sort of way, taking something so important to her and something that she has been attached to for almost two years could somehow set her up for not liking changes later on down the road. I hate some changes but I think that has to do with my genetics. Anyways, I feel that this is a change that can be less horrific than some might make it up to be if it is just a suttle change. I feel that when we have big changes in our lives, the Lord decides whether to throw us in or to let us put our toes in before we jump. And I think this is a change that can be suttle like putting our toes in to check the water temperature. So, I called this blog "Getting rid of the pacifier and introducing Paci", because my idea is to have take a stuffed animal that I know she loves and call it Paci. Everytime she asks for Paci I can say, "This is Paci now." and hand her the rabbit.  I have been doing this for a couple of days and things were going great until I LOST the rabbit I was using at the fair! Needless to say, today has been awful because she doesn't find as much comfort in the one I have been using. I had to order another Jellycat bashful bunny and those things are NOT cheap!! Also, to make this change suttle is by only allowing her to have it during naptime and bedtime right now. After we get the knew bunny and it has been a week of Lucy not having it all day, we will then start on her not having it at those times.


 This is the new one I bought her, but the one I lost was maroon with white speckles. It was so pretty! I hope and pray it makes another child very happy! Maybe the Lord felt someone needed a blessing that day.

Today, Lucy threw a fit because she found a pacifier in her toy box. I took it away from her and then cut the nipple off. Then, I gave it back to her to show the the pacifier is no longer functional and handed her the rabbit I have been using today. She cried for a very long time. It is tough, but to me is so worth it. I much rather wean her off the pacifier than a thumb. Not to mention, the method we have been using seems to be working so well. Honestly, this is the first time she has really thrown a fit about the pacifier. I think babies wanting to suckle is such a natural comforting thing and honestly, I feel that it is important that we encourage that when they are young. I think that if a baby wants his or her thumb or a pacifier, it is ok after such a hard journey into this world! I know some babies aren't for it, which is awesome for the parent, but a baby that wants something like a thumb or paci and doesn't get it, can be neglectful. That could be a bit harsh, but like I said, it is a babies natural desire just like eating and going to the bathroom and you certainly wouldn't take those away!! Again, talking about babies here, not my soon to be 2 year old. This is a good time to take it away as she becomes a big girl. I also think having her little sis around could be a help if I work it the right way. Maybe make Lucy feel extra special and different from her sister because Lainey is still a baby. I think when giving the Paci bunny to Lucy it is saying it's ok to be comforted (and it is something that she can grow out of that won't damage her in any way like a pacifier can do to her teeth) and maybe encourage her to decide to not want the paci anymore.

Anyways, getting rid of the pacifier is not my only goal this month. My other goal (scheduled after our Ohio trip) is to get her potty trained. I think she is ready and has the language skills needed for her to tell me when she needs to go. I read a blog about potty training in three days and I loved it because it really involved the toddler making decisions. For example, it said to go to the store and let your child choose her "big girl" underwear. I think that is so smart! I think it is awesome because it encourages kids to make decisions and to desire to go to the potty by themselves instead of just making them go. However, I do feel that potty training can be one of those things where we really have to work with our kids sometimes and really make them go. I think it just depends on your child. When I have babysat in the past I have babysat kids who found comfort in their diapers and didn't want to let them go. Still, any ideas that encourage our kids to make decisions for themselves is smart, because it encourages our kids to be there own person. Especially at a time where parents have so much control in their lives!

Anyways, I know this was a very opinionated post. I don't mind feedback as long as it is respectful! Thanks for letting me share!

Bar-B-Que Chicken made easy...

So, frozen chicken was on sale this week and I loaded up the cart with it. I always do that famous Pinterest recipe that I call "Salsa Chicken", but I needed to be able to do something new, too.

I had tried this recipe before with the cheap Kraft Bar-B-Que sauce and it was ok. Let me tell you it is ALL in the sauce. So, when you go to pick up some sauce make sure it is one you love. I am from Memphis. So, of course when I saw the "Sticky Fingers: Memphis Original" I had to try it!! It is actually VERY good and has a kick to it. I don't like my sauces too sweet!!

Anyways, when I thought to make this, I knew I was going to make it just like the salsa chicken. I got the chicken(still frozen) and only used half of the bag. I am using the other half for another recipe later in the week. If I wasn't doing that, I probably would have cooked all of the chicken. I put three breasts(still frozen) in the crockpot and poured a little over half the bottle of sauce on top. I put the crock pot on low and left it.

After about three hours this is what it looked like. I did a taste test and it is already nice and tender. Not all of the pieces were ready to be shredded, but I did the best I could.

I plan of going to the store and buying some cole slaw, but I am sure you can make your own if you wanted. I just haven't gotten to that point yet. The bottle of sauce was $2.50 (?) and the entire bag of chicken was $5.00. I would say that is a pretty cheap meal. Just think, if you were to use the entire bag of chicken, you would probably have some left overs! After making this with the cheap sauce, my husband said he liked it better than the regular Bar-B-Que. So I can't wait to see what he says about it with this delcious sauce!Thanks for letting me share!