Curly Mama Goes on Blogcation

Hi everyone!

I haven't been keeping up with my blog as much as I want to.  There was no Mani Monday this week (Monday was my husband's birthday!) and I haven't been able to keep up with you all like I used to.  I am so busy!  And I don't like to think of blogging as a chore so....

I'm going on hiatus.  Just for a bit.  I hope you understand and will stay with me.  I will return soon.  I just wanted to keep you all up to date.  Please keep up with me on social media though!  Click my buttons on the side and follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.  See you soon!

Mama's Girl

Oh dear.  It seems I have a mama's girl on my hands and her name is Sadie.  Oh my goodness, she is exhausting me.  It's mama or screaming.  Actually, no, she's okay as long as she doesn't see me.  Then it's on.

My Ergo carrier has become my best bud.  I keep her on my back when I'm cooking or bathing Sasha and on my front if I need free hands for something.  Sasha was not like this at all.  I don't remember Sasha being so attached to me.  But Sadie is allllll about me and no one else, not even Daddy.  I sneak around so she doesn't see me sometimes.

My nipples hurt more now than they did when she was a newborn.  She is literally attached to them all night. It's the teething, I know.  And I know I will long for these days when she is older.  But right now, I am ready for a momcation.  I need a chance to miss these children, make me appreciate them more.  I am longing for a break.  A long break.  A whole day and night break and I have never said that.  Usually, when I'm away from them, I'm dying to get back but I think I would be just fine going away for a few days.  I might even have enough milk stored to do it too.  But where should I go?

Sadie wants to explore the world and she's starting to crawl but she wants me to crawl with her.  I don't think I have it in me!  After work, I just need a moment.  But no such moment exists.  They always need something because they're small children who depend on me for everything.  That's understandable.  I don't fault them at all.  But I need someone else to tend to their needs for just a little bit so that I may briefly attend to my needs.  I think a short break would totally rejuvenate me!  Don't get me wrong, I am not unhappy.  Any mom knows that motherhood is a rollercoaster with many ups and downs.  They are so adorable that sometimes I forget that I wanted a break at all.  Then they both start whining simultaneously and I'm ready to take off.

I know I'm not the only one.  Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Mani Monday - Ummm...

This week...ummm, yeah that's all I have to say about that.  They look kinda crazy.  Here they are.

So here's what happened.  I did 2 coats of Zoya - Adina, a really pretty purple, almost holographic (but it doesn't show up so well in pics) with a hint of green in the light.  Then I was going to do some stripes, freehand with a thin nail polish brush.  Then Sadie started fussing and Sasha wanted food and I just never got around to finishing them.  First time for everything, I guess. LOL  Anyway life is getting back to normal in NYC although we still can't get any gas for our car which is not good.  I hope your week goes well!

Happy Halloween! + Hurricane update

Good morning, curly girls :)

As you probably know, I live in NYC which was hit pretty hard by Hurricane Sandy.  Well, we're ok.  We came out pretty much without a scratch for which I am still giving thanks.  People just a couple of blocks over have lost a lot from flash flooding that no one was even warned about.  My whole neighborhood and surrounding areas were Zone B which means that no evacuations were ordered.  However, water still flooded many homes and many people are without power.  We are very happy that neither of those happened to us and we're keeping everyone who has been affected in our thoughts.

Since schools have been closed all week and there was no public transportation, my husband and I have been home with the kids.  To say that we have cabin fever is an understatement.  Schools are closed again today and frankly, I don't know when they will reopen.  Maybe tomorrow? Maybe next week?  I think we'll have to take a walk or something today though.  We haven't been outside in days.

Anyway, we're having Halloween in the house since I'm pretty sure there will be no trick-or-treating.  Here is Sasha in her costume

She loves it! LOL it's not hard to please a 2-year-old.  She's all, "I yike it!" (I like it) and roaring all around the house.  Hope you enjoy your Halloween!

Mani Monday - Feathers

Hi everyone - happy Monday.  Here in NYC, Mayor Bloomberg has given me the day off.  Public transportation is shut down so my husband is also home.  So far, Hurricane Sandy has not shown herself and I hope it stays that way.  I hope the media is way over-hyping this thing and that everything will be fine.  It's starting to get windy but nothing crazy.

Anyway, here are my nails!

That's supposed to be a feather on the accent nail.  I really love this gray.  I bought it last year when gray nails were super trendy.  It was really cheap.  It's Brucci - Alexandra's "Hot" Gray.  I have never found a gray polish that I like more than this one, not even China Glaze and you know I love me some China Glaze.  Anyway, the feather was done with a nail art nail polish thing, you know, the one with the really thin brush.  I added a little sparkle for fun.

If you're in Sandy's path, be safe! Have a great week

FAQ - All Natural Hair Regimen

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I have abandoned shampoo and conditioner and pretty much all store-bought products.  Everything I currently use is all natural and/or homemade.  Every time I tell someone about this, they ask me the same questions.  So just in case you had the same ones, here are some answers:

How do you clean your hair without shampoo?
Inevitably, this is always the first question people ask.  Well, I clean my hair and scalp a few different ways.

• If it's midweek and my scalp is itchy, I use a mixture of water, aloe, rosemary oil and lavender oil in a spray bottle and rub my scalp.  This is a quick cleanse.
• If my hair is only mildly in need of a wash, I combine a few tablespoons of rhassoul clay, aloe juice, and water to a watery consistency in an applicator bottle and apply it to my scalp outside the shower.  I rub my scalp vigorously then rinse in the shower.
• If my hair is dirty, I first do an apple cider vinegar rinse, rubbing my scalp vigorously, then rinse.  Then I combine rhassoul clay, honey, sweet almond oil, lavender oil, rosemary oil, myrrh oil, tea tree oil, aloe juice to a mayonnaise-like consistency (peppermint oil is optional).  I apply it to my scalp, rubbing vigorously, then down the shaft of my hair.  Then rinse in the shower.

How do you detangle? What gives you enough slip?

Aloe vera juice + coconut oil detangles excellently for me.  I use my fingers only, no combs or brushes and do it gently.  I section, spray a generous amount of aloe vera juice + water, apply coconut oil liberally, then gently detangle.  Then sometimes, I put on a plastic cap and let it stew.  The hair is so soft and amazing when the cap comes off.  Sometimes I do this overnight then wash the next day.  Excellent results.

How do you condition?

I don't.  Since nothing I use is drying and I maintain the proper pH, conditioner really isn't necessary.  But I do deep condition every now and then.  The coconut oil treatment I just mentioned is an excellent deep conditioner.  Also, I make one with rhassoul clay, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, ylang ylang oil, jasmine oil (for scent), aloe vera juice.  Apply in sections.  Let sit with a plastic cap for no more than 45 minutes, then rinse.  Tangles fall out of your hair and it feels crazy moisturized.

How do you style and control frizz?

Homemade flax seed gel, homemade whipped shea butter, homemade oil mix.  I discussed all those things in this post.

How do you find time to make all this stuff?

It's really not nearly as time-consuming as you'd think.  It adds an extra 5 minutes to my wash routine to mix this stuff up.  I usually just mix enough for one use since it does not store well.  Things that do last like homemade whipped shea butter and homemade flax seed gel only need to be made once a month or so and it takes 30 minutes or so to do.  I think I actually save time since I don't have to be going to Target and waiting in lines and stuff.  Most of my supplies come from the web and so are delivered straight to my door :)  I do have two small kids and so I'm usually pretty short on time.

I actually change my recipes pretty frequently depending on what I need.  I love that I can just make stuff that tailors specifically to what my hair needs at that moment.  My hair is doing fantastic things.  I get a million compliments and I love the way it looks and feels!  Of course, I have not eliminated dryness completely because it's in the nature of my hair to be dry.  I spray my hair with water + aloe vera juice at least twice per day.  Here's the most recent pic of my hair

Follow me on Instagram @thecurlymama1 to keep up with my hairscapades :) If you have questions you'd like to see answered, feel free to leave a comment, message me on Facebook, email me, tweet me, send a smoke signal, etc.

Happy Half Birthday!

My darling little girl, Sadie, turned 6 months yesterday.  Already? Yes, already.  She is most precious.  She is super attached to me and greeeeedy.

I love this cake.  Might have to do one for Sadie :)

The other night, I was taking a shower and my husband was holding her.  Usually, she fusses when she's tired and in my husband's care.  But she was uncharacteristically quiet.  So I came out into the living room to see what was going on. Oh, nothing.  Just my husband feeding Sadie pieces of balsamic glazed chicken.  Sadie was very pleased with herself.  Manipulating Daddy already.  So yeah, Sadie pretty much eats regular food even though she has no teeth.  I have never in my life seen a baby love food so much.

She sits up and plays by herself.  Her favorite place to be is in the high chair with toys on the table.  (Sasha thinks she owns the high chair though and so usually does not appreciate that.)  She's still nursing (and of course eating, as I mentioned before) and she still sleeps in the bed with me *hides face in shame* LOL! I can't believe we're still co-sleeping and I don't have a plan for getting her out of my bed yet, although I better start coming up with one.

Sadie is doing well.  Growing super fast and being cute with Sasha.  She has her 6-month checkup on Monday.  I really do love being a mom but can they sloooow down with the growing already?! Geeeez