The No-Poo Trend?

I'm going to admit, I get very skeptical about "trends".  Lately I've been reading a whole lot about the "no-poo" trend..........or, no shampoo.  I don't know about you, but I tend to have very oily hair.  I can wash my hair in the morning, and shortly after it dries, it's oily again.  This prevents me from doing a whole lot with my hair (a pony tail is my go to hairstyle).  Last week my husband started talking to me about how he heard by not using shampoo, you'll have healthier hair.  I of course told him how I could not possibly go without shampoo because of my grease-ball of a head!  Then he made a point.......maybe my hair was oily because of the shampoo.  Hmmmm?  I've since read that shampoo actually strips your hair of the natural oils, and what you end up with is your head/hair trying to produce those oils again.....leaving you with oily hair.

So this morning, after two days of not shampooing my hair......I decided to wash it with a baking soda mixture.  I've read that the baking soda cleans the dirt from your scalp, without stripping your hair.  I then used apple cider vinegar to rinse my hair.  My mom used to rinse my hair with cider vinegar because it "brought out the red highlights in my hair".  So now as I sit here typing, I can smell the vinegar lose it's strength as my hair starts to dry.  Let it be known, I am still very skeptical of this no-poo trend, but here I am giving it a shot!  I'll try to update you in a week with photos of my hair.

Summer Fun: Our Free Day at The Butterfly House

Yesterday morning me and my kids went to The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House at Faust Park here is St. Louis.  The first Tuesday of every month, The Butterfly House (as well as The Botanical Gardens) are free to get in from 9 a. - 11 am.  I have a summer full of fun, free things for the kids to do this year, and they all focus on something educational, Girl Scouts, and lots of FUN!  During our visit we explored different types of bugs, walked among a large variety of butterflies, searched for hidden gnomes, completed a scavenger hunt, watched a movie, and then the girls completed their Girl Scout booklets while little man played on the playground just outside.  The kids had so much fun, they hardly had a clue they were learning anything!  Our day was far from finished though.  Once we wrapped up at the Butterfly House, we walked to the St. Louis Carousel, and then enjoyed a picnic!  Once we wrapped up our day at Faust Park, we loaded up in the car, and went on a hunt for some of the St. Louis 250th Birthday Cakes scattered all around St. Louis!

Find out about the Butterfly House's Girl Scout patch program HERE.  The cost of the booklet and patch is $3.50.

 

Real Life, Not So Perfect Mom

Every morning I follow the same routine.  I wake up, get my older kid off to school, then the little guy and I eat breakfast together while he watches his favorite Disney cartoons, and I enjoy a cup of coffee while I do my daily web surfing (checking email, checking deals, and of course, checking Pinterest).  As I sit here this morning looking up Easter ideas on Pinterest, I see all of the mommy bloggers, who are up early every morning, lean house, beds made, kids perfectly happy and oh so photogenic, everything seems to be in perfect order.  Then I look up..........my kitchen table still has groceries on it from two days ago, my kids didn't do their chores last night (which means I get to pick up toys), and my son (as I speak) has spilled his cereal all over the floor.  Looks like I'll be busy cleaning all day (only to have it undone by the time I get back from Girl Scouts tonight).  Heck, if it wasn't for Girl Scouts, I probably wouldn't bother changing from my pajamas today!  My kids annoy the crap out of me!  My 3 year old son is very temperamental right now and by the way he's eating, I'm pretty sure he's either going through a growth spurt, or her has turned into a mini teenage boy.  Then there's my daughter.  I have to repeat everything to this kid!  Just this morning, I had to tell her 8 times to put her belt on, and she lied twice about having it on!  She even stood over me making annoyed sounds (while I was still sleeping), just waiting for me to put her hair up.  As crazy as my kids drive me (let's throw the hubby in there just for fun too!), I love them so very much.  You see, as crazy, annoying, and chaotic as my house is, I've realized I have to focus on the positive over the negative.  As much as I wish my house was well kept like the Pinterest homes, I'm just a real life, no so perfect mom.  Now, if you don't mind, we've got cereal to clean up!

DIY Glitter Eggs

Next weekend we will be having our first Easter egg hunt at our house!  I'm not sure who is more excited, me, or the kids.  The hubby and my daughter have been suggesting we do a "special egg" filled with money.  When I was a kid, every so often, there was a money filled egg, and it was always super exciting to see who got it.  Anyways, I decided to do three special eggs (since there will be three kids participating).  I found a glitter candle holder on Pinterest a while back, and I figured I could apply the same technique to my eggs.

Supplies:

Mod Podge

Plastic Eggs

Paint Brush

Glitter

To start off, paint your plastic eggs with the mod podge.  While the mod podge is still wet, sprinkle your glitter liberally.

Once you have covered all of the eggs, let the mod podge dry.  Then paint a coat of mod podge over the top of the glitter in order to "seal" it, and prevent the glitter from scrapping off.

Once the second layer has dried, your eggs are ready!  This craft is super simple, and the kids are going to flip over the sparkly eggs!

 

Dollar Shave Club

As you probably already know, I am a couponer.  I always hold out for the lowest prices, and I'm pretty much stuck in my ways.  At one point, I was able to get razors for free, or almost free.  However, due to recent changes in prices, coupon policies, and coupon values, it has become harder to coupon (and do it honestly).  I came across an email for the Dollar Shave Club.  I had heard about this site a while ago, but at the time, I was rocking on stocking!  Since then, my stock has began to become more scarce.  After comparing the current prices of razors, and what I can get  them for with coupons, it just made sense for me to sign the hubby (and myself.......sure, I'll use a guys razor!) up for the Dollar Shave Club.

Ok, so here is the gist on the club..........you pay one low monthly payment (we opted for the 6 blade razor, $9), and receive your month's supply or razors.  You get a free handle that will fit all of the blades for the razor you choose.  If you shave less than the average bear, you can begin a little stockpile of razor blades!  The reason they can offer such low prices is because the blades are unmarked......which just means you don't know which company they come from.  Also, if you sign up, and you refer friends, you get $5 for each friend......which in turn can mean free razors for you!  You can also upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time.

Sign up for the Dollar Shave Club today! 

UPDATE: My hubby received his first month's worth of razors.  He enjoyed them very much, but what really took the icing on the cake was the shave butter sample they sent.  He always breaks out after shaving, but oddly enough, he did not after using the shave butter!  I guess we'll be purchasing more shave butter for him!

Shopping for Free on Amazon!

I love being able to get things my family needs (or in  this case wants) for free!  I started shopping for free on Amazon when I started earning free gift cards.  I have been able to shop for Christmas presents, food, personal hygiene products, a camera, and now a portable DVD player for our road trip!  And I've gotten it all for FREE!  

My favorite sites to earn free Amazon gift cards (and other gift cards and prizes)......Bing, InstaGC, and Swagbucks!  Sign up today to start earning your free Amazon gift cards!  

Terrible 3's

Every so often, I use my blog to vent about things that are happening in my household.  Right now, the focus is on my 3 year old son.  For about a month now, he's been going through what I can only describe as the "terrible 3's".  When the tantrums started at age 2, I assumed that the "terrible" behavior would limit itself to the 2nd year.  My son, as cute as he is, is one tantrum away from being sent to Nana's house (fyi....Nana can be scary!).  We're struggling with him breaking anything he can get his hands on (including his own dresser), stealing and hiding things (candy, cookies, coins, etc...), shoving large amounts of trash or toilet paper into the toilet or sink, dumping out all of the soil from my planters and seedlings......you get the picture.  We've also been experiencing a little violent behavior (kicking and hitting).  Now, I know most of this is "normal" for a toddler, but when it gets to a certain point, it makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong.  I stay at home with him (which I did not do for my daughter).  The past week I have accomplished very little in regards to cleaning, homework, and taking care of my own needs because if I take my eyes of of him for a moment, something else breaks.  I have tried different methods of punishment, both negative and positive.  I have even ignored bad behavior, and rewarded only the good behavior.  I even went as far as to not yell, but rather spoke in a calm voice to him, in an attempt to somehow calm him, and reason with him.

I realize I might be describing my son as some sort of terror, but he is not.  He is kind, loving, and full of life.  As crazy as my kids may be, that's what makes them unique and amazing little human beings.  At this moment, he is draped across my body telling me he is so tired (did you really think he'd let me type a blog post without him?).  Whatever I do next to correct his behavior, it is going to have to be consistent.  So if you are a mom of a "terrible toddler", what methods of discipline/encouragement worked best for your child?