Hair Chalking 101

Pinterest has a way of inspiring me to do things that I may not think to do simply because the photos I see are so awesome. Well today we tried some hair chalking!

This is a super easy, fun, and cheap way to add temporary color to your hair and it works whether your hair is light or dark. Gabby has been asking me for a long time to give her pink hair, although this is the look she really wants, so chalking was a cool way for her to see what colored hair is like. To say she loved it is an understatement!

Here are some tips and tricks for chalking your own hair:

• Use soft pastels, not oil pastels. We got a nice set from Michaels for $5 and the colors are awesome!
• If your hair is light don’t use water unless you want colored hair for a few days. Dark hair needs to be damp before rubbing the chalk because the pigment needs to be more saturated.
• Wear gloves, do it outside or with a cloth under you, and know that some chalk may rub off on clothes.
• Condition your hair when you go to wash the chalk out, it will make your hair drier so don’t do it too often.
• Using a hot iron after your newly chalked hair is dry will make the color last longer. (No chalk came off on my iron, but that’s not to say none will come off on yours)
• Use more than one color on a strand for a really cool effect.
• The best part of chalking your hair is styling it in braids and updos, have fun with the colors!!!!

This is what the colors look like on Gabby and AJ’s hair!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun huh? I can’t wait to do some stripes on my my own hair, I’m thinking pink and blue!

You Can Put Down Your Phone Now

I have a confession to make. I adore my iPhone and am on it way too much. I have it sitting next to me pretty much 24/7, at the dinner table, outside, and yes, even in the car. I have different ringtones for my favorite people, alerts for everything from emails to Etsy orders. When I hear a buzz or song coming from my beloved Rabito my first instinct is to pick up the phone to see what is going on or who is calling. But what I didn’t realize is that this little addiction is causing me to not fully be present with my children, and they are noticing.

Today I was outside playing with the girls when Gabby heard my phone ringing. Without missing a beat she jumped up and ran to bring me the phone, looking very proud for her quick response. It made me wonder if I put so much importance on this device that Gabby felt the need to drop everything and run for it. Do I do that often? I am thinking yes.

I will be the first one to admit that I talk and drive at the same time because for me it is one of the only times when I will not have Moira climbing all over me, grabbing the phone out of my hand. I do have a Bluetooth and it is not all the time, but if I need to call someone I usually do it while driving.  And I realized today that some of our most important conversations happen in the car and when I am talking to someone else, I cannot be fully present with the girls. They notice so much, especially now that Gabby is reading, and they have tons of questions. Questions that are quickly forgotten if they are not asked right away.

I didn’t realize that I was missing so much by putting so much stock in this silly little device, playing Tiny Tower instead of paying attention to swim lessons, checking my email at the park, texting during dinner time. Paying attention, but not really fully engaged because my thoughts are elsewhere.

But let’s be real. This is a technology era where our phones are quickly becoming a vital part of our lives, they allow us to run businesses, keep a family on schedule, organize playdates, find new recipes and crafts… the list goes on and on. So can there be a happy medium? I believe so.

Until Moira gets the concept of not using me like a jungle gym as soon I go to dial someone I have to either resort to calling people after 11:30pm or using nap time to catch up. Of course there will be times when the car is my only option, but I am going to drastically cut down on that. And I am imposing a “no cell phone” rule at the table, no matter what time of day it is. But most importantly, when I am not tending to my Etsy shop or organizing family items, I am going to make it my priority to be fully engaged in my family, not on my phone…

(…unless I am using it to capture awesome moments like this… then it is allowed!)

Is It True Learning?

A trip to a locally owned bookstore today!

My inbox is already filled with tips and tricks about how to prevent the dreaded “summer slide” from happening and I hit delete without even reading. Honestly they piss me off. For those of you who don’t know that term, it means the percentage of knowledge “lost” over the summer break because kids aren’t sitting at desks for 6 hours a day doing worksheets and mandatory reading. A commercial for a learning center here in Cleveland said that it is as high as 40%.  My question then is, “Was the knowledge really learned if so easily it can be forgotten?”.

The headlines scream budget cuts, failing grades, teacher layoffs, grading scandals. Does anyone else see that our nation’s educational system is a train wreck? And we expect more and more from our children to try to keep up with countries like China and the Netherlands, pressuring Kindergarteners to be able to read by the end of the year and saddling elementary school children with hours of homework, which is in fact hurting the nation. As a homeschooler I am lucky enough to be in charge of my children’s education but that doesn’t make me ignorant to the fact that every child deserves a better education than what is out there right now.

Children want to learn about this vast world around them, they need tools and facilitators to help that journey, but they don’t need us to bombard them with extra workbooks and mandatory reading. True learning isn’t something that is easily forgotten. If your child was taught about measurements to prepare for a test, took the test and passed, then a few weeks later you ask the child about measuring and the child does not remember, then I believe that the lesson wasn’t truly learned. Make sense?

Because we unschool and let the girl’s interests dictate the lessons, the information matters more and is built upon. AJ is doing the same math as Gabby, Gabby is learning about animal families and a deeper understanding of the various ecosystems, and even Moira is learning with her sisters. It is a pretty amazing thing when out of the blue your 4 year old announces that “two 3′s and three 1′s makes 9″ and then continues to tell you that “300, 60, and 4 equals 364″! No worksheets, drills, flashcards, or nonsense… just discovery (and lots of praise from Mama!). Every day there is some kind of discovery, deeper question, and demand for more information about topics of interest. I love it!

I hope that those same parents who complain on Facebook about too much homework, lack of recess, standardized tests that make no sense (Florida, hmph!) actually start to speak up and demand a change to the system instead of blindly following along the path. Do something about it, speak up, write letters!

As for my kids, we are going to continue doing what we do, weekly trips to the library, cooking lessons, lots of time outside, and plenty of opportunity for questions, experiments, and true learning. I hope you do the same and really enjoy the summer!

Hola Mis Amigos!

Hola and a cheerful Howdy! How is everyone doing? I am taking a quick painting break to drop in and say hi, post a few pics and links, and then continue my work. Nothing better than listening to some music while the dryer, washer, and dishwasher go, and paint away… peaceful times. I have to remind myself not to get upset by the girls when I am trying to get stuff done, that they will only be this little for a short time, and to enjoy the chaos. Sometimes I forget to be present in the moment instead of thinking about all the “have to’s” and “should’s”.

This evening AJ slipped getting into the bathtub and cut her forehead pretty good, I almost though we were going to have our first set of stitches. (No one has had stitches for a cut yet!) Luckily it wasn’t deep so some butterfly band-aids did the trick. Made my heart stop seeing blood running down her face though! These little girls are going to give me grey hairs yet from all the cuts, bumps, scrapes, and falls.

Have you or your kids seen the trailer for the new Disney movie Brave? My girls are soooooo excited! Of course I had to create a Merida doll for Moira to play with, it was a challenge to show all that curly hair for sure!

I like how she turned out and am excited to show the girls their new doll!

Here are some other things that have me pretty excited:

Want to make this cake… it looks so pretty and fancy!

One of my summer list items is an outdoor movie night, this little device would make it happen I am sure.

I am a fan of good senior pranks, especially ones that take some brains to put together!

Piñata cookies anyone?

Like the little dolls I make but don’t have a suitable dollhouse? Print your own right here!

I love the idea of each family member having one glass that they use the whole day, no more stacks of cups in the sink! (Click the link, these are SUPER cute!)

If I had a farm I would certainly have bees, although seeing this made my heart jump a little… =)

 

So those are some cool things that I have seen and liked… more to come soon!

Sunshine Salad

Going to a get together and want to bring something that is not only different but yummy for all ages? Looking for a side dish on a steamy night? Then this is it folks!! A good friend of mine from our co-op, Colleen, made this at our last potluck and since I have been OBSESSED about it. And the best part, it can be thrown together in about 10 minutes, no joke! Ready?

I call it a Sunshine Salad!

All you do is cook and cool the tortellini, slice some strawberries, add a can of drained mandarin oranges, pour the poppy seed dressing on top, toss, and voila! Good to go! The dressing is sweet, the strawberries add some tartness to it, and the cheese tortellini adds some depth. It is different and a sure crowd pleaser. It has been quite warm here and this chilled salad is a lovely side dish for burgers. Let me know what you think!!