Hair and Lotion (3 months in & learning)

I figure I will have a new post in a couple of months, but because some have asked what we are doing, I will share what a regular day looks like in the hair and skin arena for the little ones. I still have a lot to learn, I know, but for right now, this is what we are doing and it is just MY opinion. I would also love to hear what products you LOVE for your child's kinky hair and as we all know, what works in ones person's hair, will not necessarily work in another since everyone has different textures. As a matter of fact, Fia has softer and looser curls in the front of her head than what she has in the back. I definitely have to use more product on the back of her head to keep it more moisturized.

So...below I will list out the skin and hair products that I have found to work for Fia and Kwame. I would love other products that those of you have found to be tried and true since right now, I just have a bunch of 'tried' and not so many that are 'true.' Here goes...
Skin: Fia and Kwame need to be lotioned twice a day if I don't want their skin to get ashy or dry(which I don't, so I do it, but man....I now realize how I have neglected the other 3 kids skincare- I think they use lotion once a year!!And that is suntan lotion-just kidding-maybe...). I have found a few products that I like that aren't too expensive and you can find at a Target, Walmart, or other drugstores.

1)Suave Cocoa Butter with Shea moisturizer- this I buy in the family size and now use it for all of us(only a couple of us get it twice a day though). I keep this in each of the bathrooms b/c I am lazy, but this seems to last all day for Fia and Kwame and isn't greasy. The only real con I could see with this, is that it could be a little thicker. Besides that, I find it a very good smelling lotion for a great price with SHEA!

2)Palmer's Shea Butter Formula-made with organic Shea-in the pump bottle- This lasts even longer through the day and if I skip it in the evening by accident, it isn't as noticeable. Not greasy at all and probably my favorite but I have only found it in a smaller 13oz. bottle as compared to the Suave in a 32 oz. I like the big ones so I don't have to go to the big chains that often since I have a spending problem and feel the need to buy all the 'deals' when I see them. I am much better off if I never set foot in the stores!

3)Palmer's Shea Butter Formula -solid- this has the Shea butter as the first ingredient, smells great, it is a little greasier, but moisturizes really well. Both of them have vitamin E as a main ingredient too.

Hair: Right now we are keeping Kwame's hair short, so I just need to make sure that I moisturize it a couple times a day. I am being a little sexist I know, but I have been using the less expensive products on him since his hair gets shaved off every month or so. I know...it probably isn't fair, but life isn't fair! So...for the cheap products(LOL) I am using in Kwame's hair:

1) Motions Hair and Scalp Daily Moisturizing Hairdressing-the product is okay. I bought the whole shampoo/conditioning system in Motions and it works well for Kwame, but it doesn't keep the curl enough for Fia so that is why I don't use it for her. I just rub this into Kwame's head and then I use a wide toothed comb to go through it.

)Motions Nourish Leave-In Conditioner-This is a good spray that I can use if his hair needs a little more moisture throughout the day or we just need a touch up. I also use this on Fia's hair before other products when wetting it and combing through. So far, I have liked this spray better than other more expensive ones.

3)Luster's PINK Original oil moisturizer -this is one that I have been recommended from many and it is definitely worth the 4 bucks that it is, and then some. It isn't amazing or anything, but it does make the hair very soft. I use this in both the kids hair when they need some more moisture or when I am braiding. It is an inexpensive way to condition and it definitely makes it softer and smells good too. This is a good one for Kwame after I have conditioned his hair in the bath (once a week).

For Fia, I have tried many more things since, as of now, I mostly choose to have her wear her hair natural. Like Kwame, I only condition her hair once or twice a week and don't even shampoo it unless it has gotten very dirty for some reason. The shampoo dries her hair out even more, so as long as I rinse and condition, we are good to go. The hair products that I have liked the most for her so far are the Curly Q's products.

Curly Q's Coconut Dream Moisturizing Conditioner- Like I said above, I use this every couple of days instead of shampoo. It smells amazing and makes the most beautiful curls in her hair. All of the Curly Q products are natural and is SO YUMMY! Before this, I didn't realize that she had the curls that she does. Sometimes for extra conditioning, I will add some more in after I have rinsed and leave it in. When she is in the bath and I have put the conditioner in the first time, I use a wide tooth comb and my fingers to go through it in the tub,rinse and then just pat dry. I don't comb through it again or it will be too poofy.

Every morning I will spray her hair with either water, the Motions leave in conditioner spray or Curly Q's Moist Curls Spray. I then comb through small sections adding one of the different moisturizers. There are three that I tend to use the most:

1)Curly Q's Milkshake: This smells amazing, first of all. It is about $14 a tub, but it is a great leave in conditioner for very dry hair. It really does hydrate well, as well as soften, Fia's hair. It also seems to relax some of the poofiness(new word?) and leave more curls. Again, this brand is natural and so it just feels good too. This one isn't very heavy and would also be good before braiding.

2) Curly Q's Custard- This one smells even better than the milkshake! ;) It is a little heavier and helps to give more curl definition. Supposedly it also helps elongate the curls, but I haven't noticed that. It is also great for strengthening the hair, but it might be a every other day for these products b/c this is also about $14 -$16, while the Motions and Pink run you only about $4. I say that, but I keep going back to them for Fia's hair since I really see a difference when I use them.

3)Carol's Daughter Hair Milk- This is much lighter than the above two and it is free of petroleum and artificial junk, as well. It is also more expensive than the drugstore brands and I hadn't really been that impressed with it and all the hype it got at first. It said it is suppose to add shine and frizz free definition. I noticed the shine, but for Fia's hair, it doesn't seem to help the frizz too much unless I use ALOT!! What I do notice it doing though is making her hair very soft and keeping the moisture when I have her hair in twists or braids. When her hair comes out of the twists after a couple of days or after a nights sleep, it is SO soft and looks very healthy-so, I am now a fan of the infamous Hair Milk.

Recap of Fia's Routine: At bedtime and some naps I now put the Hair Milk in Fia's hair(when I am not too rushed) and do about 4-5 twists in her hair, along with her satin cap. This helps me to have less work when she wakes up and keeps her hair a little more hydrated while she sleeps. Once she wakes up, I just take out the twists, spray on some water or other spray to each section and add the Curly Q Custard or Milkshake. I then add one of my favorite hair bands for her and we call it a day(or at least a couple hours)!

Until next month....when I will probably have an entirely different routine! ;)

Fia and Kwame's Photo Session

On Sunday we had the pleasure of getting Fia and Kwame's pictures taken professionally by a photographer that I met through working at Possums Boutique; her name is Christina Koon and she was fantastic! We want to have a whole family session too, but Greta had just had her surgery and didn't want photos taken, plus I just didn't have enough time to figure out what 7 people were going to wear-two was hard enough! Well, all of the kids ended up coming with us to Scenic Beach and they were such great helpers. They did even have some cameos in a few of the pictures with their unbrushed hair, dirty clothes, and messy faces (honestly!) HA! I think Christina managed to cover them with balloons though, so it didn't show too much grime-lol! Anyway, here is the link if you are interested in seeing Fia and Kwame in their first photo shoot. Oh, and they were wardrobed by Possums Boutique-(wink, wink)!

http://www.christinakoonphotography.com/ : then go to slideshows, then click on Fia and Kwame

Goodbye to my Uncle Scott

My Uncle Scott just passed away this morning. He has been fighting with cancer for a year and a half now. There were so many times that we thought it was the end and so many times that we thought he was in the clear. I can't believe how emotional this roller coaster has been; and that is only for me, his niece. I can't even imagine the strength my Aunt Lynne and cousins Becky and Daniel have had to have through this. One thing I do know though is that their faith through this all has been constant and amazing! Through this Scott and Lynne's eyes have been focused on Christ alone. They have had so many people praying for them and caring for them every step of the way. They have had their amazing church(Santa Cruz Bible Church) and work family(Mt. Hermon Bible Camp) there for them on a day to day basis helping with the home, the kids, the food, etc.; truly being God's hands and feet.

I loved my Uncle Scott! He was very special in my heart and I felt like we had a special bond. (probably everyone did, right?) When I was younger he was going to Seminary at North Park when we lived in Libertyville, IL and he would come and hang out on some weekends. I remember having fun goofing off with him and following him around. He was also just a few years older than my brother Brad, so I kind of looked at him as a older (much older as I would say to he and Brad-wink,wink) cousin. I know so many people are hurting today and besides Scott's immediate family, I know it will be hard for my Grandma, my dad, and Brad, as they were all close. I know yesterday was such a hard day for Scott and I am so happy that he isn't hurting any longer and is without pain. He is now whole, healthy, and with our Heavenly Father, and for that I rejoice!!! The reality is that it is sad for those of us left behind and I miss him already, but after a few seconds my sadness gets overwhelmed by the peace I feel for him. Scott was an avid bike rider and actually just got a signed shirt from Lance Armstrong a month or too ago when he was touring in CA. I know that Scott desperately wanted to get back to riding, so I hope that today he is now riding through the hills in heaven!

If you are interested in his story at all, this is their family blog. Up until just about a month or two ago, Scott was doing all the writing himself before he went into ICU. The ironic part is that he got better enough and was planning on going home this week until he got sick again and stuck back into ICU. All the preparations were made for him to be home again. I was so looking forward to reading his blog and catching his great sense of humor through this all.

If you are so inclined, please keep Scott's family and friends in your prayers today and this week as preparations are made and they are experiencing their loss. Becky and Daniel are just in high school and life if going to be drastically different for the three of them now.

Lots of Family and pictures to prove it!

It was sure fun to have lots of family in town this last month to meet and play with the kids (and us)! We got to have Inger, Tyler and Elin up from CA, Mark and Kathy out from Chicago, Mary and Maynard out from MN, and Sarah, Brooks and Ida en route from New Zealand to MN, where they are moving. The kids loved their special time with all their family so much! Baby Ida and Elin were rock stars to them all, so there were plenty of 'it's my turn to hold her now!" with both of them. Elin was too quick for most to hold onto, but Ida was still pretty immobile, so whether she liked it or not, she usually had a cousin or two in her face. Daron and I would also fight over her! Ahhh....the sweetness of babies!

Justus heading to the Easter Egg Hunt with Sarah and Ida

Not much sweeter than your 6 yr. old reading to a baby cousin...

The love was reciprocal

Notice how Ida is happy here and then her uncle went and stole her away from me....

At least she forgave him later! (and so did I -LOL!)

The kids table at Easter

Can you find the missing egg?

Fun times with Kathy, Mark, Grandma and Grandpa J!

More fun with Grandpa and Grandma H. with Elin and Tyler- Who needs the traditional stroller? You can fit more in a wheelbarrow and Kwame much prefers this!

Isn't this the cutest scrunched face ever?

Greta is doing great!

Sorry I never gave an update regarding Greta's surgery, but she is doing just great! Greta is such a trooper with things like this and she really impressed me once again. It was her mom that broke down once they took her out for anesthesia and for the surgery. The doctor asked her if she needed one of us to come back with her (they preferred going without a parent, but we could if it would make Greta feel better). She said, no, she would be fine and they walked out with her (cue the breakdown by her mom). I realized fully that it was very minor but it was still a surgery where she was under, there was an IV, breathing tube of some sort, stitches, forms to sign 'just in case', so it just hit me. The doctor came back within the hour and said that everything went well and they took off the questionable growth on her cheek and sent it to pathology. He said he was glad they took it off but at this point it did not look cancerous. We should get results in about 10 days. In the meantime, she has a scar of only about a centimeter on her cheek but we won't see it until the steristrip falls off. We will head back over to Children's at the end of the month for a post op visit.

Children's Hospital is such an amazing place and I was so impressed with how the staff actually talked to Greta and asked her if she had any questions before us. They are very kid friendly and she felt very relaxed with them. It is pretty sobering being there though. This hospital sees it all and they are a good teaching hospital, so many times during the day you are reminded that so many people are hurting and going through very tough issues with their children. It was humbling.

Minor Surgery and Dark Circles

I wanted to post something new tonight, but my eyes keep closing as I try and upload pics of our time with Sarah, Brooks and baby Ida. TIRED is my new look and hopefully I can start a fashion trend with dark circles under my eyes, because that is the look I am blessed with these days.

On a quick side note: please keep Greta in your prayers and we go in for a minor surgery on her cheek on Friday. She has a mole/cyst on her cheek that the doctors at Children's are going to put her under to remove. They will then check it's status, but hopefully all will be just fine. If it didn't itch and puss from time to time(too much info I know), they said they would let it be and see what happens, but instead they will take it off and the scar will be larger they said than the mole a little bit. Please pray for her to continue to have peace(especially after with the scar) and for the doctors to make wise decisions throughout our time there. Right now Greta is pretty matter of fact about it and I think half way nervous and also a little excited after her friend, Chloe, told her that the hospital is A-Okay after being there herself last month over night(and for a much bigger deal than this). I also think I am seeing things and I don't know if it is just me, but the mole seems to be getting smaller now. I just don't want them to have to go through all of this if it is going to just go away. Please pray that what should be done is done!

Palm Sunday & Dedication!

We had the great privilege of dedicating Fia and Kwame at our church on Palm Sunday. We had wanted to do it soon after we got home with the kids and after throwing it together; we were so blessed to have a lot of family there! Thanks to both my parents and Daron's for coming, Grandma Gwen, Aunt Jan, Uncle Erik & his girlfriend Britta, Aunt Kathy & Uncle Mark, Uncle Brad& Aunt Ingrid(Kaia and Lola too), and Inger 's family (Joel we missed you)! We were so honored to join with our church and dedicate our children to God; thanking God for the privilege for raising Fia and Kwame and being trusted to do so. We are so blessed!! Our church is so important to us; the people are amazing. So, besides asking the Godparents, Erik, Kathy, & Mark, to pray for our kids and be there for them, spiritually and otherwise, it was also so meaningful to ask our church to take part in this very special moment for us. Thanks to Uncle Erik for singing his song, "Waiting for Your Word, " and a big thanks to Tom Woltjer for taking pictures that Sunday at church; they are a keepsake!!