Au Natural

I had to post this to my blog (even though I should be posting my thanksgiving turkey) because I got such great feedback from people on facebook when I shared it and I hope that whomever stumbles upon this entry finds it as useful as I did.

A little background information:
In January 2010 I decided to go fully natural (I was slowly growing it out for 6 months) and cut off all of my permed hair.  Ever since I have been struggling with what to do with my dry natural hair (even though the dryness is all my fault).  So a few days ago I started doing a little research and came up with these products from various sites and posted them on facebook to a group called transitioning to natural.  The feedback I received on these products were all positive and I pray I get great results from them.  The best thing about these products is that you can get dual use out of them.
1.  Aloe Vera Juice/Aloe Vera Gel.  Take a look at Benefits of Aloe Vera
2.  Coconut Oil.  Take a look at benefits of coconut oil
3.  Jojoba Oil.  Take a look at benefits of jojoba oil
4.  African Shea Butter.  Take a look at benefits of african shea butter
5.  Tea tree oil.  Take a look at benefits of tea tree oil.
6.  Shealoe.  Take a look at benefits of shealoe mix

***When mixing products please take note that the combined product can go bad a lot quicker especially with liquids and gels.  Its best to keep your favorite mixtures in the refrigerator to prolong shelf life and to keep it from going bad.  I read this somewhere on another blog but I can't find the original page so I will not site the page until I find it.

What are your favorite natural products and how do you use them?

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Take time Tuesday......

to keep up your BLOG Erika (note to myself).  My apologies to the few followers I have and to myself!


On another note.  This week is "American Education Week" which I almost forgot about until my neighbor haphazardly reminded me by missing our Monday Aerobox class at the gym.

At my kids school (and many other schools) they invited all parents/caregivers to spend the day in school to see first hand what a day is like for their children.  I am so glad that I took the time out of my busy schedule (dropped the mop, skipped the gym and left the dishes) to participate.  My children were ecstatic and didn't want me to leave.  As I sat in class today with my children I developed a newfound respect, admiration and AWE for educators.  Both of my children's teachers had great classroom management, an organized curriculum, engaged children, and the list goes on.


All of this to say.....Take time to (just to name a few):
1.  have an active role in your child's education.
2.  partner with your child's teacher to make sure your child is being challenged and meeting all of their grade level requirements
3.  do not wait to report cards and/or parent/teacher conference to get a status on your child's education.

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Family Command Center Calendar

I'm finally done with another small project that will make my life a little less hectic and a lot more organized.

If you've been following me you know that I don't have the ideal mudroom where you can have the much coveted Pottery Barn drop zone but I did create a mini closet mudroom a few weeks ago.  Now that I have a drop zone for when the kids come home I moved on to creating a space where I can ensure that my family is all functioning on the same page.

I decided that the best spot for my command center calendar would be in the kitchen where everyone could see it...Mom, Dad and the kiddios.  Since I decided to put it in the kitchen for everyone to see I tried to make it part of the rooms decor by using a large picture frame (I think I want to change the color to black).  As the kids enter grade school and become more active with after school activities I found that this calendar ensures I don't forget class trips, school exams and parties, Doc's work schedule, doctor's appointments, family and friends birthdays and any other important event.  It also provides a space to write important reminders or to pin up important papers the kids need for school.  So without further delay, here it is......

 I got the great idea from Beckie over at infarrantlycreative and made it my own!!! Why create the wheel?

Here's how I made it:

1.  Picture frame from Joann's or Michaels using my 40% off coupon or an old picture frame.  appx $27.00

2.  Galvanized Sheet Metal from Home Depot.  $19.97

3.  Hot Glue Gun ( I already had one) $2.77 at Walmart

4.  Ribbon in your choice of color/thickness  $1.97 at Walmart

5.  Material in your choice of color (not too thick as you want magnets to be able to stick to the metal behind the material)  $3.00  Walmart or any arts & crafts store.

6.  Tape Measure/Ruler to measure the size of the boxes (I already had one)

7.  Pre-cut Letters in your color/size (I already had some in my scrap booking supplies)

8.  Magnets from Home Depot in your desired size ($11.88)

9.  Circular hole punch from any craft store in your desired size for the dates and activity cut outs (I already had some in my scrap booking supplies)

10.  Pencil or marker to mark where the boxes will be on the material

11.  Picture Hanging Set $3.18

12.  Dry Erase Markers to write on the glass $7.27 from Walmart

the kids LOVE it too!!!!!!

In total I spent approximately  $75 but it is not only a calendar but also part of my kitchen decor.

Here it is AGAIN....I LOVE it!!!!!.......

What makes your family run smoothly?  Do you have a family command center?  Did you make it or purchase?  Please share!!!!

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Take time Tuesday......Reward your kids...

There are so many views on when to give children praise or rewards.   Some feel you should give praise but hold off on the rewards as you are guaranteed to create a spoiled monster.

I believe you should give your child praise for all that they do and use mistakes as learning opportunities.

My children play a learning game on a daily basis called cranium crunch (more to come on that).  I give them math problems and they have to complete them in 1 minute to earn points.  At the end of the week if they collect enough points I give them a reward.  Rewards can be anything from a lollipop, ice cream and pizza to a kiddie nail polish kit, special socks or an additional rainbow loom kit.

They ABSOLUTELY LOVE it.  They are so competitive that they have not missed a gift yet.  Last weeks gift (1 month goal) was a nail polish kit, another loom kit and a loom carrying kit.  They were ecstatic and woke up the next morning begging for their morning cranium crunch.

Hey, as adults we love to get end of the year bonuses why can't kids!  Their job is to learn and my kids are doing a GREAT job!

If you have kids, do you believe in rewards?  If so, what do you reward them for?

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Holiday Preperation

Before the kids have eaten all of their candy and taken off their costumes the retailers are preparing for the Christmas holiday.  Forget Thanksgiving and the turkey dinner, the christmas tree has been lit.  Every year I say I am going to be ahead of the game with my gift buying, decorating and everything holiday.  Hopefully, this year will be my year.  It's all about being prepared and organized.....list, list and more list and don't forget to set a time frame to have it all done by.  Here is a simple checklist you can use as a guideline to prepare for the upcoming holidays

Thanksgiving
A.  Are you staying home or going out?  Will you be traveling?  Will you have dinner guest if you are staying home?

• Staying home without guest.  Come up with a simple dinner menu and start shopping for necessary items.
• Staying home with dinner guest.  Come up with a dinner menu keeping your guests diet restrictions in mind and start food shopping. Start preparing your home for overnight guest if necessary
• Traveling for the holiday.  I hope you've already purchased your ticket or will you be hitting the road.  Either way bring a gift for the hostess...something sweet and simple.

Christmas
A.  It's never to early to start your christmas list.  List all individuals you will be buying gifts for and set a budget (be ready for black friday and/or cyber Monday if this gets your juices flowing)
B.  Where will you be for christmas?  (See Thanksgiving for tips)
C.  As you bring gifts into the house start wrapping
D.  Check you Christmas decorating inventory and try to hit Joann's and Michaels with your 40% off coupon or when they are having a sale on all their holiday decoration.
E.  Get your christmas card list together.  If you are sending out photo Christmas cards try and take the pic NOW!!!!!  Try and get your cards in the mail as early as black Friday and no later than the 2nd week in December.  The longer you wait the more stressful this great tradition will become.

Its that simple.  Really it is!!!!
As the days come and go I will keep you updated on how my holiday prep is coming along.

How are you preparing for the upcoming holidays?

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My weekend

What a great weekend it has been for me.  Why?  Kids had no school on Friday, Caught up on some much needed housework,  accomplished my to do list, took the kids on a mini field trip, enjoy family movie night and above all we gained 1 hour in our day....

While unloading my car I looked up an noticed what has been right in my front yard for the last few weeks...Autumn, vividly displayed on my tree lined street with the blue sky as it's backdrop.  After starring in awe I rand inside to get my camera and capture the moment.  I also convinced two of my kids to take a quick pic for me.  

Aren't the colors 

So, how did you make the most of your weekend (plus one hour)?

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