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#ECBloggerMeetUp is coming to town!
EC Bloggers, Assemble! It’s happening. It’s finally happening. In May 2016 all the wonderful, blogging creatives who are stationed in and around the Eastern Cape will come together, at 1 venue, to connect, share and learn at our very first ECBloggerMeetUp!
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10 perks of having kids at a young age
As I’ve shared before, I’m a teen pregnancy statistic. I gave birth to my boy when I was 19 years old and with it came the sudden progression from young girl to young mother. In fact, I still consider myself a “young mother” even though I’ve been at it for almost 15 years. While being a teen mom is not an ideal situation to be in, I can honestly say that I am now reaping the benefits of having kids early! (Disclaimer: Don’t try this at home! Or, at least, don’t try this without a spouse and financial and mental stability. At least.) -
This week in microfashion: Schnooky Pie! {Review}
This past weekend my Curly and I had some fun with the camera… dang, it sure feels good to have another girl in the house! Curly had to review the new Schnooky Pie Summer collection – really trendy babygrows with the clips down the back (how clever is that?!) You can check out the entire review over on SA Mom Blogs… oh and they are giving away a babygrow to 1 lucky bebe! -
5 tricks for curly chicks
If you frequent these here parts, you’ll know that I refer to my 16 month old daughter as “Curly” or “Curly Girly”. Well, that’s because the kid has a mop of hair that literally has a life of it’s own. Literally. Like, it is probably thinking up ways to make me feel as if I am mentally unstable as I type this. Tricks for curly chicks are needed! Aaack!Okay, okay, I may be sounding a tad bit dramatic. But you see, the thing is, I’ve never been a curly girly, like ever, in my life. In fact, beautiful curls are a luxury to me. I’ve attempted to curl many times. Totally loved it! But totally sucked at it. So how amazing was it that God decided that my one and only (long awaited) girly should have a head full of curls? Well played God, well played.
I don’t mind at all though. I love every single aspect of being my girls mama! And I don’t plan to ever encourage her to straighten her hair or change anything about herself. So it is with this in mind that I decided to take her hair care seriously. If she is meant to have curls, then I will dang well make sure she has the best looking curls this side of the equator! .
Many (self proclaimed) experts have warned me not to make too much of a big deal about my child’s hair. “Don’t put anything on it!” They say. “Leave it as is!” I’ve been warned. All good and well, until you have to leave home and the child looks as if she has been mildly electrocuted. Not a good look. Even for the most beautifulest baby in the world.
“I woke up like this…” Anyways, so I’ve been Googling and oogling, trying to find the best hair routine for my girl’s mane. I mean, besides for how it looks, I really want her hair to be healthy and well looked after. So here’s some of the stuff I’ve discovered (trial and error) and learnt thus far:
5 Tricks for Curly Chicks
1. Because curly hair does not get dirty as quickly as straight hair does, it wont need to be washed as often. Take this as you will. Because of the coil in your curl, the heads natural oils cannot travel as easily from root to tip. Which may be why curly hair appears to be drier than straight hair.2. Traditional shampoos are a no-no for curls. This is because most traditional shampoos are too harsh for curly hairs. In a startling discovery I learnt that curlys, all over the world, swear that you can give your hair a quick wash using just conditioner! Conditioner gives dry curls that extra moisture and does a good job at cleaning your hair at the same time. If that seems weird or you think it won’t do a good enough job, rather opt for a co-wash (that’s shamps and condish in 1). Stuff to avoid, when buying hair products for your little curly is: Sulfates, silicones and parabens. Baby shampoos (esp the “no tears” products) are especially drying because of the active ingredients in them.
3. I try my best not to ‘over towel dry’ her hair. Yes there such a thing as over towel drying. Curly hair is more prone to breakage and some hair experts actually claim that using a cotton tshirt is more effective
at drying hair, than a towel is! I’ll often loosely wrap a tshirt around her head, while she is being dried, powdered and dressed. It’s amazing how quickly the hair gets dry that way. I sometimes use my hair dryer (on low heat) if it’s really cold and I want her hair dry asap. Fortunately she loves the hairdryer. We make a game out of it where she blows my hair and I do hers. #parenthack4. Do not brush curly hair. Ever. Ever ever ever. Ever. In fact, curls should only be combed when wet! Remember what I said about curly hair being more prone to breakage? The brush is not your friend. Finger combing is a great way to detangle the hair of little ones. Our routine consists of doing a quick finger comb and then I restructure the curl as best as I can with a 16 month old who refuses to sit still.
5. Natural oils are great for curly hair. On days where I don’t necessarily want to wet my girl’s hair (or apply copius amonts of baby condish) I simply rub some coconut oil on my hands and apply where needed. I mean, she is a baby after all and I will not allow the hair routine to become more important than she is. Other natural oils that you could try is olive oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil and the popular argan oil. I prefer coconut oil because its one of the only oils that can actually penetrate the hair shaft. (ooh don’t I sound smart). Basically, what this means is that the hair absorbs the oil, it doesn’t just chill there.
So that’s what we’re doing right now and it seems to be working. I’ve heard about a ton of fantastic products that are available for curly girly’s and I am yet to try it, but when I do, best believe you’ll hear about it first!
What type of hair care regime do you have for your little one?
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My week in pics: micro fashion, bridesmaid dresses and nail art
This week feels like someone literally took a drive down to a garbage dump, chose a few items, wrapped it up and wrote “Luchae’s week” on it. But then I check out my week in pics and realize that I am being an Aunty Moana – I am blessed, God is good and I have so much to be thankful for!
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Mom vs Dad: Who works harder?
Mom vs Dad: Who works harder? Okay, so, I know that it’s a pretty general question. I’m sure that there are a bunch of different responses that can come from it, since each person’s situation is unique. And the truth is I wouldn’t even be thinking these thoughts if I hadn’t just had the day that I’ve…uhh… just had. -
Marriage, weddings and saying yes to the dress
Wedding photos taken by Donna vd Watt Photography As I’ve mentioned before, a bunch of our friends (who happened to be part of our bridal party when we got married) have said yes to the dress and are also getting married now! I’d like to think that it was our inloveness that rubbed off on them. (Shameless credit hogging)
As friendship would have it, Chris and I have both been asked to be bridesmaid/groomsmen in these weddings, so it’s kinda taking me back into “wedding freak out” mode. In a good way. I love the excitement of weddings and the thought that 2 people are about to enter into a beautiful covenant together! Part of my wedding speech, to Chris, was that although I am sister, daughter, friend to many, I am wife to only ONE! Marriage is such a beautiful thing. Good job God, good job.
Anyways, so today I went with Risa to fit on her wedding dress and lo and behold what do I spot in the dressmakers shop? My wedding dress! AACK! I had it “made to hire” because really, what must I do with a
wedding dress after the wedding? Just seeing it hang there brought back sooo much memories and emotions.The pic doesn’t do the color justice. I had purposefully chosen a champagne/goldy dress because (besides for steering away from the conventional white) I wanted something that represented where Chris and I were at in our lives. I mean, it’s no secret that we had a kid each, going into this marriage. And for me, although God has restored like only He can, wearing all white simply did not symbolise exactly what He has done in my life. He took a dream that seemed to be broken and impossible and turned it into pure gold! This dress, in many ways, was me shedding the old and putting on new robes. It is a testament to how God is able to turn ashes into beauty.
And besides for all that spiritual stuff, I think that amidst all the wedding planning and preps, choosing your wedding dress and fitting it on for the very first time kinda gives you the best kind of “this is actually happening!” feeling. I obviously cried when I fit my dress on the first time (obviously) and I remember feeling like a princess in it.
Sigh
Don’t mind me, I’m just going to sit here and wallow in some nostalgia….
What is your wedding dress story, friends?
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Love on my nails!
What do you get when you pair up a sleeping toddler, an early evening and new episodes of The Voice? Well where I’m from it spells: Time to put some love on my nails!Since my Curly was sleeping and I had 2 whole episodes of singing to savor, I thought hey, why not maximise your time and do something with lots of colors. (Yes, I realize that my “lots of colors”, in this situation, is just 3 colors. Don’t judge my spreadsheet brain, okay?) Anyways, so I pulled out some of my favorite Sinful Colors polishes. See exhibit A:
Sinful Colors: Mint Apple, Love Sprinkles, Easy Going and Island Coral I started off with my gel look base coat because I wanted it to stay on for as long as possible. I then painted 2 coats of Easy Going on all my nails and waited for it to dry.I decided to do a gradient using Mint Apple and Island Coral and used a sponge to get the desired effect.
To do a gradient, simply apply strips of color to a sponge – yes even a kitchen sponge – and dab onto your nail. Try not to wait too long before dabbing – you want the strips of paint to still be fresh. I got this result after a few dabs:
Once the gradient was dry, I carefully added a heart decal which I found in my Love Sprinkles polish. A bit of a cheat, if you will.
Applied gel look top coat and ta daaaa! An evening well spent, I’d say.
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School your kids with Top Dog! {Review}
Homework, in our little corner of the world, is a tedious matter. For starters, Kyle (Grade 9) is a teenager and apparently, teenagers aren’t that much into homework or school. Seth (Grade 4), who had always been doing brilliantly when it comes to getting homework done on time, has recently followed suite and it takes a lot to get him to focus. Fortunately, my MIL is a primary school teacher and is usually the one who sits with them after school. (Which comes in quite handy when the homework pile resembles my desk on a Monday morning.) -
What do you do when husband says no to the dress
I recently went dress shopping and spotted a bunch of seriously cute (and seriously short) dresses. (Who are they making these things for? The smurfs?!) There were a few decent picks but, when I tried them on, I knew that Hubstopher would not approve. Not that he regularly dresses me, I wear what I want. But when it comes to the length of my skirt or the inches of cleavage that I am showcasing, he prefers to have the final say. And I let him. But I wondered if I was wrong in doing so. What would you do when husband says no to the dress?
I chatted to a few close sister-friends and received some mixed emotions regarding the situation. Some shared that they don’t believe that your husband gets a say in what you wear. If you want the dress, then buy the dress. Other’s said that the marriage comes first and pleasing husband should be right up there on your list of important things to do.
After much conversating and debating, I ended up waiting for Hubstopher to give a thumbs up on the dress, and here’s why:
1. I think the idea behind being married is that you begin to share a life with someone else. The two of you make decisions together that would ultimately reflect in the type of lives you lead. Your decisions are also reflectant on who you are as a unit. As much as you are still an individual, you also represent each other now. (That’s why I iron his shirts ya’ll) If I wear something that makes him uncomfortable, it makes me uncomfortable.
2. I married someone that I love and can trust. I believe that his decisions will always be in our best interest and that he will always want the best for me. Knowing that makes it easy for me to accept his advice or critique as a message of concern and not manipulation or control.
3. Choosing a life partner is a pretty big deal and I had to choose wisely. I’ve put a lot of (healthy) expectation on this guy! (Don’t we all?) But with the “I do’s” came a huge responsibility on me too! Just like how I expect him to love and protect me, he expects me to honor and respect him. A friend told me that she will never ever dishonor her hubby in public (or in private, I guess) and that was such a powerful statement to me. If wearing that dress would make him feel dishonored then I’d rather ditch the dress. Like, for real, the dress is so not worth it.4. I believe what the Bible says about wives submitting to husbands. As a strong, modern woman, being a submissive wife is no easy task. We seem to think that submission is a sign of weakness. But it is the total opposite. I mean, no one said anything about being timid. Submission is not a sign of value, it is a reflection of character and humility. Submitting does not make him more important and me less important. Submitting means that I allow him to take the lead and it means that he has the stuff it takes to be the leader. Submitting doesn’t mean that I don’t get to have a say. As another clever friend explained, a healthy marriage means that the two of you are in agreement… So in this case, I agree with his decision.
5. And finally, let me just keep it real, if homeboy made me wear polo-neck tops during the peak of Summer, then I would be a bit concerned. But, the fact that he only speaks up on the rare occasion, makes me sit up and listen! This is the husband of my youth and I plan to take what he says seriously until the day that I can’t remember who he is anymore.
(By the way, it turns out he liked the dress anyways! Go figure!)
So, ladies, what is your take on the topic? Would you wear it even after husband said no to the dress?
