At Home Mani

So you know those in between times when life gets in the way but you really need a manicure ? I have those all the time. I rarely get to have that moment when I'm in the nail salon relaxing so I mainly do my manicures at home. For the new year I vow to go and pamper myself at least once a month because I deserve it ya know ?

As a mom we tend to let and put ourselves on the back burner to provide and take care of our loved ones. But we need to make sure that were OK so that the family is OK.

Here are some of the steps that I take when I give myself a manicure.

STEP 1 : Gather all of your materials. 

- Coconut oil to massage cuticles 

-Nail polish remover. I use acetone ( which is why I use coconut oil for my cuticles )

-Angled brush to clean up nail polish

- Nail file/Clipper

-Cotton pads/balls/rounds

-Nail Polish

STEP 2 : Remove nail polish

STEP 3 : Cut / File nails

STEP 4 : Massage cuticles with coconut oil

STEP 5 : Paint nails the color of your choice. I tried to do a lil ombre situation but my colors were too similar but none the less I loved the way it came out.

I hope this blog post was helpful to you guys and remember in 2015 give yourself at least 2 hours a week for a little tlc

Cradle Cap ?

Hey love bugs ..

So this post is about cradle cap. Which isn't a pretty picnic. So here's the definition of cradle cap.

Cradle cap, the common term for infantile seborrheic dermatitis, causes scaly patches on a baby's scalp. Though cradle cap isn't serious, it can cause thick crusting and white or yellow scales.

Cradle cap usually resolves on its own within a few months. Self-care measures, such as washing your baby's scalp daily with a mild shampoo, can help loosen and remove the cradle cap scales. If cradle cap persists or seems severe, your doctor may suggest a medicated shampoo, lotion or other treatment.

Both of my children suffered from cradle cap. I was more prepared for it the second time around. Here are some of the steps I take to help to safely remove the scales.

STEP 1: I was her hair with her normal baby wash. 

STEP 2 : During the washing process I take her baby brush and brush the shampoo thoroughly through her hair . 

STEP 3 : Dry hair with baby towel and brush out any scales that may have come loose due to the washing process. 

STEP 4 : Massage a nice amount of coconut oil onto your baby's scalp then brush your child's scalp once again . More of the dry scales should come loose. 

STEP 5 : Place a cap on your child's head for them to sleep overnight so the scalp can retain moisture ( greenhouse method )

STEP 6 : In the morning brush your child's hair to get rid of the flakes that came loose during the sleeping process. 

* Disclaimer - I am not a doctor this is just what I've learned from my own personal experience. While you are following these steps PLEASE be gentile with your child's scalp especially near the "soft spot " . Do not scrub or rub hard you will irritate the scalp and which you can cause it to bleed. Please do not scratch or pull any of the scales you can also cause bleeding . Proceed with caution when you are doing this treatment *  

I only wash and do the greenhouse method on my daughter 2/3 times a week being that I don't want to irritate her scalp but I do apply the coconut oil and brush her hair daily. It has come a long way an the cradle cap isn't fully gone but it has definitely cleared from most of her scalp.

Another step I follow maybe once a week is pouring breast milk on her scalp and letting it dry then washing it. I'm not sure if this really help but I do see a difference with how quickly the cradle cap is removed when I add this to her hair washing process. 

These pictures were taking after weeks of this treatment . She still has some visible patches but they are not as bad as they were when she was first born.

SATM ?

So I've been on maternity leave since September. I went out earlier than expected due to stress in the work environment. My plan was to finish the entire month of September and the first week of October. Plans change, being home for now 3 months makes me have a whole new found respect for SAHM (stay at home moms). Its a lot of work, its a job itself. Granted you do get to stay home and enjoy being with your children but there's no down time unless its nap time. I have a 3 year old who doesn't take naps anymore and a 1 month old who cat naps. Which means ZERO downtime for me. I don't mind most of the time but sometimes I just need some me time during the day. Like having to wait for someone to come home to take a shower or not being able to use the restroom without a child tagging along. But I do get to witness every single second of my children's life which the best best thing in the world. I get to witness all the funny moments which we have a lot of them. I'm grateful that I have the chance to spend all day with my little boos.

I've decided to start vlogging so you guys can actually see what I do on a daily basis at home. I wish I would have started vlogging as soon as I went on maternity leave but ya snooze ya lose lol but better late than never right ?

Where Have You Been ?

Hey loves,

So I basically just abandoned you guys right ? How rude of me , my life has completely changed this year. If you are subscribed to my YouTube channel you probably saw the update video. But if not let me fill you in ....

In March Mike and myself found out that I was pregnant with our second child due in October .
It wasn't an easy pregnancy being that we already had a 2 and a half  year old son , we both worked full time jobs . To say the least we had a lot of adjusting to do to all of our lives. Skyler turned 3 in June and in September I was put out of work on bed rest due to early labor pains. My job is heavy duty and is very stressful especially to a pregnant hormonal woman. I ended up giving birth 3 days before my due date to a wonderful healthy girl. We named her Phoenix Rose and we couldn't be any happier. Being a SAHM (stay at home mom) can be sometimes overwhelming but I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. I am completely blessed ans I cant wait to share my journey with you guys.

I'm going to end the blog here because I want to post frequently on my down time when the kids nap.