On with the Show

Hubby left this morning to participate in his second body-building show of the season. He's going to Idaho and I'm very excited for him. He's been in such great shape this season and his new regime has really done wonders for his overall appearance. Interestingly enough, he's getting more criticism about whether he truly is natural or not. I think it's quite the compliment! He's actually showing that you can have nice muscle mass without the need for steroids. Rather than criticising, they should take the hint.

The weekend will be somewhat lonely without him but I'll have plenty to keep me busy. The girls and I will spend tomorrow cleaning house (sweeping, mopping, vacuuming and giving the bathrooms a good scrubbing). I'll also go back over areas of my carpet that I recently shampooed, since the dog decided to vomit in various places. Ugh! He would do it two days after I'd shampooed all the carpets and rugs in the house. Nice.

Saturday, the eldest has to take dance pictures. One of the sittings involves "casual wear" this year. Casual for my tween is a little too casual for the everyday observer, so I'm going to take her shopping for casual that doesn't make her look like a ragamuffin. Even some of the Bermuda shorts that are out now should work nicely. The thing to stress with her is lotion; some pictures have her looking oh, so lovely but ashy, ashy, ashy!

Sunday we'll go to church and then await hubby's return. He wants to go somewhere nice for dinner that night and mentioned one of the local Brazilian restaurants in town. I love them, but they don't differentiate pricing with age too much. The youngest would be free, but we'd still be looking at around $70 for dinner. That's a little too rich for my penny-pinching blood.

I'm really starting to look forward to our vacation this summer. We're going to the location pictured on the right. The eldest keeps asking things like, "How long is the drive to our vacation," and "What will we do when we get there?" Can't kids just be happy with surprises?

The youngest doesn't care, just so long as we get to stay in a hotel. That's the best thing about traveling for her; the hotel stay. When I was little, I loved staying in hotels, too. Our kids have had the opportunity to, not only stay in hotels, but resort locations. They are truly spoiled and don't know how good they've got it. My hubby tries to tell them but I'm not sure they comprehend the totality of what they have just yet.

The sad thing is that with the way the gas prices are rising, the driving will be the most expensive aspect of our trip. Will we really have gas at nearly $4.00 per gallon by summer? It makes my heart drop just to think about it. I'm trying to remain positive and look forward to the happy times (and memories) we'll create when we go. I'm also hopeful that I won't look scary in my two piece when the time finally arrives.

Being Natural, My Kids and Preparing for Surgery

I took my hair down over the weekend. It's been two months and boy, was it looking rough! I ordered hair the very day I took it down (the same type as the last, only much lighter for spring/summer). I will also make sure she cuts it a bit shorter. Sort of a shame, considering how much I spent for it. Anyway, as I took my hair down I reveled in the length. I just can't believe that I was nearly bald only two years ago. I'll have as much hair as my oldest in no time (way too much). Since it's natural (but I do color) I redyed it all so that when I have the latest extensions put in, it won't look too crazy. That and I just like going a bit lighter when the sun comes out. The color above appears on me, just as it does on the model. It's a bronze color with lots of light reflecting highlights. Very pretty.

I am amazed at how much I miss my hair out, free and natural. The braids have been protective, giving my hair a chance to rest, grow and be untouched for a while. After I took out the braids, dyed, washed and cleared my hair, I was so happy to just run my fingers through all my twists and coils. It really is beautiful close up. How come I never noticed? Traditions can be so blinding. I look at perm kits on the shelves in stores now and just thank God I don't have to do that anymore. I'm so surprised at how I feel. I didn't chronicle this journey like I initially planned, but I will say that I am happy with my choice. I use the glycerin and water on my hair as a moisturizer (the Castor oil, on me, gave my scalp the itchies). My skin is different from my kids. They seem to handle the Castor oil nicely. I also have Carol's Daughter.'s hair butter. I'm not crazy about the smell or the product for myself, but my girls love it. I actually prefer Silken Child for me.

Like everyone says, it's certainly trial and error. There are things I will never put in my hair again, and things I'm sure I'll just love, love, love (but can't find in freaking Utah). On vacation, I plan to stock up. Hubby's all about making space for all the stuff we'll buy out of town. It's very frustrating living somewhere where "our" resources are so limited. I'm glad I got my Sally's card (since that's really the only alternative I have). Since I seem to spend money there every month, might as well get a discount. If you don't have a card and you find that you shop their often, invest in the card. You'll be glad you did.

Monday during lunch, I picked up several CDs on hold for me at the library. I didn't realize that one of the reserves I chose was a children's book. Not being deterred, I brought it home and ripped it to the computer. When I put the discs on the counter to take back, my eldest saw them, yesterday morning after breakfast and read the cover.

"Can I listen to these?"

"Sure. They're actually children's stories...but, they're supposed to be scary. Can you handle it?"

"Yeah."

So, off she went into our sitting room and popped in the first disc. I could here the eerie music with each tale. The fall and rise in the narrator's voice (along with cackles and screams). Where was this last Halloween? She was totally into it. Checking in on them about twenty minutes later, she and her sister were curled up on the couch with a blanket and stuffy listening intently. A few minutes after that, baby sister comes back whining and hugging me saying, "I don't want to be scared anymore." Poor little thing! I found something else for her to do. What sacrifices we'll make to be with the one we love, huh?

So, the books on CD that I've reserved over the past couple of weeks are to get me through healing time. Eight days till the big day. Sigh....As I continue to read recover stories across the web, one of the things I saw mentioned (only once) was having books on CD. Since I won't be able to see to read a book, a t.v. or computer, I thought this was a great suggestion. The final Sookie book is in that mix (well, the final before the latest that just came out this month).

Tru.e Blood on video! I was so excited, I headed on over to the local video store to pick it up. Hubby and I watched the first episode last night. I like the brassy Tara character, but she's nothing like she's described in the book. I like who they've chosen to play Bill and I'm really pleased with the filming location (are they filming in Louisiana? I'll have to check). I hope the fan base stays strong because there are so many books. I'd love to see all of Char.laine's characters come to life. I was filling in hubby on all the vampires, shape shifters, weres and other supes. He was more into than I thought he would be. It's a sexy tale, too so the eldest can't read or watch these right now. She's really bummed out about it. I'm actually really happy at how eager she is to read everything!

Watching a little titillation must have gotten hubby in the mood. Okay, no. He's always in the mood. He's been in the mood for the past four days. Maybe he's getting it all in before I'm completely incapacitated. Nope. I think he'd go for it, whether I was partially conscious or not. What a guy!

*Update* I just called and checked on the status of my hair order. Back ordered. Back ordered?! Why didn't I get an email, a phone call something! Ugh! So, now I've got to spend more money to buy more hair. The stores here don't carry the hair I want. So, I'll either have to die my hair black and get what's readily available or find a substitute that won't break the bank. I am not cancelling my appointment. I am so irritated!

Protective Style

Last night, I was sitting in the salon chair getting new crochet braids. Here is the hair I used (F1b/350, not the color shown here). Anyway, my hair-dresser is a trooper. I was in and out in two hours flat! I love her! Gone are the days when you're stuck at the salon from sun-up to sun-down, listening to all of the dredge and gossip of the neighborhood. My lady doesn't put up with that crap. We talk about the news, our families and other topics. No gossiping there. Can you imagine? It's terrific!

OMG! I have hair! Even before the extensions were put in, my TWA (Teeny Weeny Afro) was rocking a really close look. My hair-dresser confessed later that she wasn't sure I'd have enough to even braid up when she saw me (she laughed and said, "I thought I'd have to send you home and say, try again later."). When I sat in the chair, she began to pull it out a bit to see the length (if any) and let me tell you, there was plenty. Two years of rocking it natural and I've got about five or six inches of growth since going almost bald in May of 2007. It's so healthy, too. I'm very pleased. With this protective style, it should really gain a lot of length in the next couple of months.

Tonight, I take down the Babe's hair. Ugh! If I have half a foot of hair, she's got at least a foot. That girl has so much hair, we could make a rug. The hardest part is "clearing" it after I wash it. Inevitably, there are tears and I don't ever mean to hurt her but damn! The hair is thick, thick, thick! Tomorrow, I'll be braiding it all up and making it "fly" for competition on Saturday.

Speaking of which, I got all of my questions answered. Why did I only find out Tuesday night? They really need additional help. Using the family members and hording the money is not working anymore. You gotta spend sometimes to save. Friday, I'll also be throwing down $30 for more dance shoes. Yeesh! She's gonna be cute, though. The girls each represent a country. The Babe, of course, is representing the Mother Land. Oranges, reds and browns (earth tones look so good on her). When I talked to the other little girls about their costumes, only one seemed happy about hers. The others looked like they were unimpressed. I'm anxious to see how they all look together. I am not anxious to be at this competition from 3 in the afternoon to ten at night. I'm not sure if we'll make it to church on Sunday or not. At least Indy will be hanging with her grandmother. I don't know how I would be able to do this with both girls vying for my attention.

To Cut or Not to Cut

As I transition from relaxed to natural, I have asked myself repeatedly, "Why don't you just do it? Just be brave and cut it off?" Well, I could. I could cancel my braids appointment and just go for the TWA (tiny weeny Afro). I could bite the bullet and just get it over with but, the truth is? I'm too much of a wimp. I have a little more than an inch of new growth. It's healthy, twirly and strong, but past that is about five or six inches of length. I will slowly trim this away as my hair grows and I'm okay with that.

I don't want to have this blog turn into the many I've seen on going "natural", but I will spend a little bit of time documenting it here. I want some sort of record of how it started, what I went through and any victories or mishaps. I'll also post a site or two of the places I've visited for inspiration, tips and product reviews. Going natural means learning how to take care my hair quite differently than I've done in the past. Truth be told, it won't matter so much while my hair is in braids, but I will need the knowledge and tools once that style comes down. I'll also want to take care of what's growing out while the braids are in.

Our Hair is a site I discovered in my search to learn my particular hair type. They've categorized black hair types into categories L.O.I.S. Unfortunately, there appear to be some links that are dead. I'm not sure if this is my browser or if links are dead only on some pages and not all. I'm still exploring. MotownGirl is hugely popular and I've seen her name on other natural sites, usually in comments where readers are singing her praises. Like many others, she became fed up with the harshness of chemically treating her hair and how thin her hair became because of it. Along with turning to some really unique products, she's created several "homemade" products that have aided her hair growth and health. I created a variation of one of her ideas and it has worked beautifully on Indy's hair. Both of my girls have eczema, but Indy's appears in her scalp more so than the Babe's. A combination of glycerin, Castor oil and purified water squirted throughout twice a day has her scalp flake less, her hair softer and tons more manageable. I guess I'm singing her praises too!

Another site of interest is Roshini's. She's been growing out her beautiful, natural tresses for a few years and has been convincing others to do the same. Her journey is chronicled through many pictures, which are truly telling. If you compare from the first pictures on the site to the most recent, she's really seen a lot of growth and health in a short amount of time.

Interestingly, as I've said, the braids will keep me out of experimentation of products and tips for a bit, but because I have a baby that's natural and does not yet have the length to braid or twist, Indy will be my guinea pig (of sorts). So far, less tears and softer hair. That's saying a lot, I think.