If I was to personify it, Sean would be the name I'd pick. Sean and I broke up last week. It was due time for me to move on from our decade long relationship.
It wasn't an over night decision. It was something I've been giving a lot of thought on, for a while now. Priorities in my life has changed. Timing was right so I did what I did. Still it was hard to move on because a bulk of my life was invested with Sean. There were infamous summer camps (it always rained) and autumn church conferences. There were sleepless nights stargazing by the lake, the amazing city race, the countless visits to Kelly O'Bryans, the many nights wandering on the beach, the basketball games in the pool at the Rec Ctr. followed by a meal at McD, the dangerous and painful game of U, tackle football, volleyball, capture the flag and many silly games we made up. Who can forget disco & limbo dancing at A&V's trailer? We've watched kids grow up and friends get married. Without Sean, I don't know what will become of me. I was cared for and accepted, it sure feels like an extension of my family. And the best of it all, it was through Sean that I met my life partner C.
Breaking up is never easy but sometimes necessary. If people are growing in different directions, and after different goals, its best to let each other go. Staying together can sometimes stunt ones personal growth. I am glad God brought Sean and I together to achieve His plans and now has a new purpose, a new calling for each of us. It's life, people come and people go, and life goes on. I really like how a friend of mine put it, "For some, God calls them to venture out to break new ground. For some, God calls them to stick around to care and to cultivate for new growth. Despite the pain of the break up, God can certainly restore, and more importantly, He will bring in new people to fill in fragments of the split". I know the beginning stage will be hard for both of us to adjust. But trust in that God is faithful and if we allow Him to lead us, we will blossom and our life will be fruitful. God has a plan for each of us and His plan is always good. I surely will reminisce all the good times and will tell my children of them. It was a great chapter and I can't wait to see what's next.
So I've been asked about my wavy hairs one, two, hundreds of times now ! From friends, to collegues, to the sales ladies at the mall, to strangers on the street ! people even stopped me while crossing on the cross walk to ask "what type of curling iron do you use ?" or the ever famous "Is your hair real ?". I'm glad to report I finally have time to do a post on this !
I was born with dry, unruly, coarse hair. It requires a meeting with the hair straightener or curling iron every morning to make it look presentable for the day. After a while, I noticed the heat from the hair styling tools are killing my hair (no duh right ?). My hair lost its shine, it was dry and brittle. I realized I have to stop using the curling iron before it gets worse ! I started to switch to hair rollers, then those bendable wave rods. They worked, but was time consuming and uncomfortable. I can't wear them out in public and can't sleep with them on. I then decided to braid my hair before I go to sleep. After a night of rest, the braids gave my hair some waves but it's not the soft wave like what a curling iron can do.
I was about to give up on it all then I remembered that whenever I put my hair in a bun, when I undo it, my hair takes on some nice wave. I decided to play around with the hair elastic then scrunchies. And after a few trials and errors, I came up with a technique to help me curl my hair without the use of a curling iron or rod !!! Whooo hooo ! I now have hair with soft curly waves without the damaging heat. It's takes me 5-7 min. to do my hair before I go to sleep and when I wake up, I literally have beautiful waves after removing the scrunchies. Not to mention crazy hair volume !!! I now pretty much just get up & go ! I've added at least 1 hr back into my sleep :)
As a mother of 2 rambunctious kids, this hair-bun-curl has saved me from looking more frumpy than I already am ! Yes, I'm a black-tight & over-size-shirt kind of mama ! Frumpy but super happy :-)
Any who, I've been doing this bun-wave thing way over 10 years now and have similar result everytime so hopefully you will get same or better hair result !!!
How to curl your hair without curling iron ? What you will need:
- fabric hair scrunchies
- medium-long hair :-)
It's important to have a FABRIC hair scruchies. Avoid the shiny/satiny fabric. You want a sturdy, coarse fabric hair scruchies because it grips your hair best. You can pick one up from the $ dollar store or any department store. If you can't find one, cut out a piece out of the leg of an old pair of stocking or an old sock (the stretchy part). About 3 or 4 inches in height. Mine is homemade (made with suede like fabric) because, well, my hair is really thick !
Disclaimer: The result will vary from person to person. Factors effect the result are hair type (thick, thin, coarse, soft), hair scrunchies, and hair length.
****please bear in mind that this is simply a tip I'm sharing you ! I'm not a pro. so I can't do a time lapse video showing me putting hair in bun, sleep, and removing it !!! And I've received all your suggestions for better quality photos and videos. I'm not ignoring them, just don't have the time nor desire to do it. I have a life too :) It's a pretty easy & straight forward tip. If you still need help, yes please feel free to contact me !! Thanks & good luck :-)
1. Wash and completely dry your hair ! If your hair is the hard-to-take-shape type of hair,
only dry your hair like 80%, leave it a little damp.
My hair is quite long. Hair type is thick and coarse.
2. Pull hair all up in a semi-tight HIGH pony tail with hair scrunchies. Adjust to make sure the hair bun sits on the highest point of your head, but not too far back that you can't lie to sleep uncomfortably. This is to prevent kink in the waves.
3. Part the pony tail into 2 equal parts
4. Hold onto the mid part of right half of the parted pony tail with 1 hand, while the other hand grab hold on the hair scrunchies at the base of it, and stretch out to expand it
Then take the hair your're holding, tuck it under the hair scrunchies & pull up and out. You now have one roll of hair wrapped in the hair scrunchies. Working your way towards the front of the head, repeat this again until you wrap all your hair in the hair scrunchies.
5. Do the same to the other half, the left half, of the pony tail. When done, the finished result should look like a round bun.
After wrapping all my hair into the hair scrunchies, I would then to go sleep :-D The bun is high up so when I lay down on the pillow, it sits above my head ! my head isn't laying on the bun ! This allow me to sleep comfortably !!! My hair needs at least 3 hours in the bun to take on a soft wavy look. The longer I leave it the wavier it gets.
After a night of sleep:
6. Start with one side, take out each hair loop from the scrunchies, starting from the front and work your way back.
7. When both side of the "bun" is taken out, then remove the hair scrunchies
After removing the hair scrunchies, comb through hair with fingers
Back picture of my hair, it looks better in life ! This iphone pic. doesn't do it justice at all :(
Ta da !!! Wish I have time to do my hair properly and put on some make up to give you a better "AFTER" picture :) but with a newborn & a toddler, time is a commodity! this will suffice for now!
My hair will stay like this all day, maybe just a bit relaxed by night time. I don't use any hair product as I don't like them. If you tried this and didn't work, don't give up !!! try using a different hair scrunchies or leave your hair a little damp or put on some mousse before wrapping it around the hair scrunchies. If your hair doesn't hold shape well, you might want to spray on some hairspray after to make the wave lasts. Once you find what works for you, it will be really easy.
Good luck !!!
Update: since many of you told me to do a video because step 4 is confusing ! here it is:
If you have any question or feedback, please email me !
lip service : an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction
I once know a guy who can pretty much talk any girl into liking him. His personality is alright, ok look wise, doesn't have a lot going on, but boy oh boy, he can talk the hottest girl into going out on a date with him. I'm often amaze at his ability and wonder what the others see in him.
I'm never a girl who buy into what people say to me. I'm cautious when it comes to words, especially pretty words ! And what that friend of mine has is a huge vocabulary of words that can melt many girl's hearts. He never has to do anything to gain their favour, he's just really all talk and it works pretty much most of the time ! It is very easy to take in sweet words (especially for many of us women, because we're hopelessly romantic), and believe they are true and meaningful. With the right look, the right touch, paired with the right words, they have the ability to make a girl feels pretty, wanted, cared for and desired.
Sincerity: the virtue of one who speaks and acts truly about his/her own feelings, thoughts, and desires.
Here's how I see it, other than in the beginner boy/girl relationship, in our every day life, we all have done it > say what we don't mean to get what we want, to get others to agree with us, to get others to like us. Being nice is way easier than being honest. Being honest takes effort and sincerity. And let's face it, sincerity is a rarity nowaday. Pretentious people are a dime a dozen ! But being kind and nice doesn't mean you have to sugar coated your words before they leave your lips. An honest suggestion or advice paired with heartfelt sincerity goes a long way. It's much more appreciated ! at least by me anyways.
Proverbs 12:19 has this "Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment". This quote talks about truth withstand times and lies are temporary dressed as "truth", and will be soon be unveiled as what it is. It also talks about one's reputation too. Can we be counted on to share our honest thoughts and opinions ? are our words cheap and false or are they thoughtful, filled with love and encouragement ? As a follower of Christ, I desire to be someone that is wise with words. I pray God will continue to shape into a person that brings glory to Him. I am guilty of occaisionally play down my true conviction, and at times, too honest, that my words are hard to digest. But those who know me, know my heart harbor no ill intentions.
There's a woman I once know, who would shower me with compliments whenever we crossed path. Even on days I look so crappy and I know it, yet she still find ways to compliment my look. I noticed though, that her eyes aren't agreeing with her lips. Perhaps that's the reason why we never got pass more than "aquaintance". I never taken any of her comments to heart because, 1, it's careless, recycled compliments :-( and 2, it's so misleading !!! To tell anyone anything far from the truth is detrimental to the person receiving it, in my opinion.
So, how do you shift through the knocked off to find the genuine ? The best way to know if someone is worth your time and frienship is to pay attention to their action. Because actions are good indicators of who the person truly is. They are motivated by what the person is convinced is true in their heart. How they think of you is shown through their action. Sure someone can fake it too but rarely can they keep it up. Like a verse, "a lying tongue lasts only a moment". Their true face will always ALWAYS come out into light - if you care to pay attention.
My little miss just turned 3. Although it sure feels like she's turning 10 because she seems wiser than her years. She has an inquiring mind that won't accept just any answer given to her. She would ask me a question and upon hearing my answer, she would questioned me over and over and over again until she either understood it or received one that is agreeable to her. So needless to say, we spent a lot of time talking each every day :-) too much talking me think !
Honeybee is very excited for her birthday. Every morning she would ask me "Birthday?" and I would tell her, "X more sleeps". She would ask again a few more times in the day, hoping for a different answer. She also asked me to make her a big cake. I told her I can make cupcakes but the big cake is made by someone else. She would then comforted me by saying "it's ok mommy". I love hearing her talk ! her voice melts my heart.
Here are some pictures of her birthday ! I attempted to do some birthday theme decorating for the first time and must admit I like the colors scheme we picked very much. With a newborn, decorating isn't an easy task !!! If I have more time and Lovebug is older, I think I could do a better job but for now, this will suffice !
I wanted to make fabric bunting but didn't have the time so I cheated and made it out of decor paper. Got 8 sheets from Michaels and cut them into 6 squares/sheet. Punch holes on each corner and connected them with a ribbon. I then printed out the letter inside a circle then cut and paste them on the decor paper. Pictures of Kaila from age 2 to 3 were printed and hang with wooden cloth clips.
I dug out all my glass jars and vases for the candy table !!! It was a hit with both adults and kids (there were only 3 kids there :( I need more friends with kids :D
It turned out perfect, nice and light and you can determine how sweet you want it.
At first the giveaways were just lunch bags fastened with wooden clips but they look so "sad". I didn't have time to go get nicer bags so I decided to cut up yellow printed paper and paste it on the front to give it some coloring. Then I found some stuffing paper in our recycling bin and decided to cut little flowers out of them then hot glued them on the wooden clip. It turned out not so bad looking I must say. If I have a bit more time I would have made a huge flower with many layers and paste that on the front of the bag. Oh well, there's always next year !
When my daughter was old enough for bubble bath, she gets one every day. Every few days or so, I noticed her skin got some red patches after she's done with her bath. I decided to read the label on her bubble bath bottle. It's a well know kids' products so I assumed the manufacturer used the mildest ingredients, but boy was I ever wrong. Holding the bottle on my hand and my eyes zeroed in on the "sodium laureth sulfate", and then on the caution: that says "prolonged exposure can cause irritation to skin and urinary tract" ! I flipped because my daughter loves her bath and loves the bubbles ! I can't believe I exposed her to this harmful product. Needless to say, we discontinued using that bubble bath.
So began my quest for natural organic bubble bath ! I'm looking for bath products that is gentle on skin, make adequate bubbles so my daughter can play with and doesn't have harmful ingredients. Simple enough right ? it wasn't. I tried many products and noticed that, since they don't have SLS, the bubbles don't last ! or barely bubbly at all ! Then one day, I came across Green Beaver Bubble Bath !!!!!!! It has few ingredients and most are organic. It smells wonderful, the bubbles last a long time, and best of all, my daughter can sit in her bubble bath tub for a long time (20 min.) and no rash or irritation. It was truly a life saver for us because I was beginning to pull out the hairs off my head, going mad with my daughter repeatedly asking every day, every hour, "bubble bath mommy, BUBBLE BATH !!!!"
Here's the product info:
Key ingredients : - Formulated with the mildest plant-based cleanser - Canadian organic raspberry and cranberry emollients moisturizes skin leaving it soft and smooth. - Instant foaming hand wash - Rinses easily - Non-drying - Certified organic, nut free, gluten free, vegan, biodegradable
I brought Green Beaver bubble bath from Well.ca. An online Canadian retailer that sells a lot of organic products. I hope to try more products from this brand in the future.
On each of our prayer list, I'm sure health and financial security topped the list and maybe, just maybe, wisdom is listed somewhere down below. I don't why we rarely ask/pray God for it ? Having wisdom is like having your own gold mine ! And as we continuously ask God for wisdom, it's like having a bottomless gold mine !!! Having wisdom to know what is permissible and what is not beneficial to us will greatly reduce unnecessary stress, worries and unhealthy wants/desires in our lives. Wisdom to pursue or continue to wait in obedience for God's guidance. Wisdom to know what to say and when to hold our tongue.
Having a family and a full time job, I sometime forget to pray because I'm simply too busy. Then I noted that life will always be hectic and busy AND because it's moving at such a fast pace, I NEED to pause to pray before I go about my business. I need His guidance every single day ! so that when I'm in bed I will have less regret on the things I said, the decision I made, the thoughts I allowed to enter my mind. To not rely on ourself and go to Jesus to seek and ask for wisdom (earthly & godly), to me, is being wise. I pray that I will always remember to seek for His will and guidance.
The bible has many examples of wisdom and folly that we can learn from. And it seems to me, self reliance is most often not the best way to go ! I know I'm finite as human being, and it's ok because I have access to a God that is infinite. Knowing that makes me feel at peace and secure.
It wasn't an over night decision. It was something I've been giving a lot of thought on, for a while now. Priorities in my life has changed. Timing was right so I did what I did. Still it was hard to move on because a bulk of my life was invested with Sean. There were infamous summer camps (it always rained) and autumn church conferences. There were sleepless nights stargazing by the lake, the amazing city race, the countless visits to Kelly O'Bryans, the many nights wandering on the beach, the basketball games in the pool at the Rec Ctr. followed by a meal at McD, the dangerous and painful game of U, tackle football, volleyball, capture the flag and many silly games we made up. Who can forget disco & limbo dancing at A&V's trailer? We've watched kids grow up and friends get married. Without Sean, I don't know what will become of me. I was cared for and accepted, it sure feels like an extension of my family. And the best of it all, it was through Sean that I met my life partner C. 
Breaking up is never easy but sometimes necessary. If people are growing in different directions, and after different goals, its best to let each other go. Staying together can sometimes stunt ones personal growth. I am glad God brought Sean and I together to achieve His plans and now has a new purpose, a new calling for each of us. It's life, people come and people go, and life goes on. I really like how a friend of mine put it, "For some, God calls them to venture out to break new ground. For some, God calls them to stick around to care and to cultivate for new growth. Despite the pain of the break up, God can certainly restore, and more importantly, He will bring in new people to fill in fragments of the split". I know the beginning stage will be hard for both of us to adjust. But trust in that God is faithful and if we allow Him to lead us, we will blossom and our life will be fruitful. God has a plan for each of us and His plan is always good. I surely will reminisce all the good times and will tell my children of them. It was a great chapter and I can't wait to see what's next.
