I can’t breathe….

As I stood in my kitchen at 9:30 this morning, I had this overwhelming feeling and I just couldn’t breathe.  Today was the first official day of homeschooling 4 kids, my husband and I both have jobs that are 100% commission based (want to support small business, shop here), everything is shutting down, the grocery stores are running low, all 4 kids needed my help at the same time, and I just couldn’t breathe.

See, I struggle with anxiety and depression.  Every day can be a struggle, when life turns upside down like this, it turns me upside down.  I have to pick myself up and focus on one thing at a time, one breath at a time.  It’s not always a “go get some sunshine” or “just choose to be happy” thing.  It’s a struggle.  The struggle is 100% real.

I took a deep breath, reminded myself that I’m not alone, we are all in this together!  The kids are learning a new way of life, so are we all.  It’s ok to tell the kids “I don’t know” when they ask questions you have no answers for.  It’s ok to let go of trying to be the perfect person to everyone.  It’s ok to let go of those screen time rules.  It’s ok to not be ok.   It’s ok to sit and cry for a minute, just as long as you get back up.  Sit with the feeling for a minute, feel it, then stand up, and put one foot in front of the other.

If you find yourself struggling right now, you are not alone.  We are all in this together.  You got this, and if you don’t, I got you!

Take a deep breath and take everything one step at a time.

“Nevertheless, She Persisted”

 

Ploppin’ it real

Have you heard of plopping??  As I explore this new world of embracing the curl, I’m learning all about curly girl hair care.  The point of the plop is to dry your hair naturally but without letting your hair hang and the weight of the curls weigh the curls down.   As with many things in life, you have trial and error.  Here is a picture of the first time I ‘plopped’.

What I learned, when it says leave up for 10-20 minutes, its probably best not to leave your hair up overnight.  I got insane curls so I guess mission accomplished right?

The next time I ‘plopped’ I did it the correct way.  I feel the need to share with my fellow curly girls how to achieve those healthy, bouncy, curls.  First, wash your hair just like you normally would.  Below is a picture of my new love, Elastine ProPoliThera hair care.

After you have washed and conditioned your hair, apply your favorite product to keep away the frizz.  I threw out the gels and mouse and use Elastine PropoliThera hair serum. Apply the serum through out your hair-

Pick out a tshirt, lay it on a flat surface, collect all of your hair in the center.

Grab the top of the shirt and fold it to your neck.  Stand up, tie the sleeves together behind your neck, then take a picture to document how crazy you look.

Once your hair is up and out of your face, you can put your makeup on or get ready for bed.  Wait 10-20 minutes, let your hair down and you’re ready to go.

I’m on a mission to find all of the curly girl hacks and pass them along to you.

If you want to get my favorite hair care products at 25% discount, click here

 

I blinked…

June 3rd, 2002 I was just shy of 19 years old and became a mom for the first time.  My sweet Justin came in the world and changed everything I knew about life and myself.  I was completely lost, I mean what does an 18 year old do with a newborn baby?  Justin and I learned how to be a family together.  He taught me what unconditional love was, and I taught him how to eat and sleep.  There didn’t seem to be an end to those long sleepless nights, and then I blinked…

Justin’s preschool years were full of laughter and learning.  He was still teaching me about unconditional love, and I was teaching him how to use the potty and learn to read and write.  Justin has made me laugh just about every day in the past 17 (almost 18) years.  Just like the time I picked him up from preschool to be told by his teacher he was mooning parents as they came to pick up their kids. Totally not funny at the time but now…how it makes me laugh! In case you were wondering, that was a one time thing.  Those questions of “why” and “how come” seemed to never end, and then I blinked…

The next thing I knew, I had 3 kids and Justin was in elementary school.  Justin has always had the ability to make friends easily, he is funny and sarcastic, welcoming with a killer intuition as to who will be a good friend, and who you should keep your distance from.  Elementary school turned into middle school which quickly turned into high school.  I’ve watched him walk some hard paths with friends and school.  I’ve watched him discover who he is and become comfortable in his own skin.  I thought middle school and high school would last forever, and then I blinked…

Justin graduates in June.  My Justin with his sarcastic, goofy, loving attitude will be an adult in a few months.  The sweet boy who taught me unconditional love and how to be a mom, is growing his wings and learning to fly.  The amount of love and pride I have for him can not be put into words.  I literally had no idea what I was doing at 18, nor do I know 18 years later.  What I do know is that we learned together, we grew up together, we learned to love together.  My sweet boy, I love you so.

To the other moms out there, blink slowly.  It goes by quickly….

Curls of Wisdom

I was born with naturally curly hair, like most of us curly girls, I wanted straight hair.  I’ve spent the last (mumbles under breath number of years) straightening my hair and causing a ton of damage.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to love who I am and embrace who I am, that includes the curls, and the right products for curly hair.  I have a daughter with straight hair who always wants to curl her hair.  How can I teach my daughter to love herself if I’m always trying to change who I am?  That question was a HUGE wake up call for me.   Really the last 10 years, go figure that’s how old she is about to be, have been about learning to love myself, be confident in who I am, and what I can do.  That includes the curls.

First, I needed to find the right products for curly hair.  There are probably 19 million products on the market for every hair type.  I started at a big box store, like most of us do.  I got the gel I thought would be best and lathered it on after each wash.  Stiff hair that had to be washed each day was all that I’ve ever known of curls.  That was until I found my new love, Elastine Propolithera. This hair line is made from honey, beeswax, and royal jelly.  I’m terrified of bees!  I never thought bees would help me feel confident in who I am!

I have found an entire hair care line that was made just for me.  Ok fine, it wasn’t made for me but just go with it! I went from washing my hair daily for curly hair to only a few times a week.  I washed my hair before bed, put a little Damage Repair Serum on, plopped my hair, went to sleep and woke up with soft, defined, healthy curls.  I had the same curls for days!  This picture was 48 hours after showering with only a little hair serum.

My hair has never been healthier. I’ve never loved my hair, today I do.  Not the straightened, damaged, full of product hair, but MY hair.  I’m thankful for any product that can help me be comfortable in my own skin.  I’m embracing who I am, one curl at a time.

 

To find out how to get the entire hair line 25% off, click here

Find Your Tribe

Everyone struggles, I don’t care what you say, every single person in this world struggles in someway.  I have witnessed several people who look like they have the perfect life when in reality they are struggling everyday.  I believe that everyone should have someone they can confide in.  A safe place.  A place to be you without judgement.   Holding everything in and putting out an image that everything is perfect, hurts you and can harm other relationships.  Who knows who you could be helping by sharing a struggle you are going through.  You never know if someone else is struggling with the exact same thing you are.  Maybe you can help that person out by opening up to them, in turn they can open up to you.   I held everything in until I married my husband, Micah.  He forced me to open up and let him in.  Now, I think he might prefer if I held a few things in from time to time.  However I am a much happier person knowing that I can confide in people.  I have found my tribe.  Women I can share my hopes, dreams, fears (especially frogs), struggles, and sarcasm with.   Hopefully you have someone to, if not try opening up to someone, let them in, let them see who you are.  Let them see your hurts, and your fears.  The only way to truly heal is to let it all out and let it all go.  Go find your tribe and let it all out!

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