Summer planning

It's that time of year again!  I like to sit down with my family and create a list of activities/trips we'd all like to do during the summer.  This year is slightly different because we'll have the new baby and aren't planning on taking a big trip, which has actually decreased some anxiety with having to plan and budget for it.  Also, because of this new baby and the fact that I have the entire summer off (yay...that has only happened once in my adult life!), funds are lower, so our plans can't be ostentatious!

I usually try to enroll him in day camp for a while, but he's at a weird age (too old for certain camps and too young for others), plus I will be at home so he can just hang with us.

I always check out the community paper for local events, "Like" local group pages on Facebook for great word of mouth info and check out online sites like Timeout and Uwishunu for ideas.  Also, join Living Social and Groupon for discounts.

Here's what we came up with this year.  It has pretty much the same things as last year, with a few things added in.

What summer plans do you have?

What we're reading 2

I enjoyed Americanah so much I decided to try out the second book by author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun.  It tells the story of two sisters during the Biafran War in Nigeria during the sixties.  Apparently, a film has already been completed and will be released this year.  Yay!  So far I have to say I am enjoying it.

For the boy, its Holes. a book about a young boy named Stanley who has been cursed with bad luck and sent to a boys detention camp when he was wrongly accused of stealing some shoes.  Its a little more difficult reading for him, which is good and presents a challenge for him.  I can't tell you how many books I have read and reread at different ages.  Each time I found a new understanding while reading.

Lastly, for the little lady.  We grabbed this book from the library and she absolutely loves it.  I will be adding it to the collection we have at home.  Its called Don't Wake Up the Bear.  Your little one will love it if you become animated while reading it.

Share any titles of books that you find awesome in the comments!

Daily Make Up

I love makeup as well as the natural look.  I have found as I've gotten older that achieving the natural look without any makeup doesn't look as great.  Here is my easy, daily makeup routine.

Prep:
Get your eyebrows manicured.  They frame you face and even if you just like to wear lip gloss, having them done makes you look more polished.   I prefer threading, but whatever floats your boat.

Wash your face with your daily cleanser and pat dry, but leave a little moisture on your face and neck.  I use Neutrogena Naturals facial wash daily and Jason apricot exfoliant twice weekly during the Winter and more often in the warmer months.

Moisturize your face and neck.  In the Winter, I use Jason Vitamin E 25, 000 units moisturizer.  In the warmer months I switch to something lighter.

Moisturize your lips.  I use Vaseline cocoa butter.  I am addicted.

If you do this everyday, or a similar routine, your skin will love you for it and will look great.

Make Up
First I apply concealer under my eyes and to my eyelids (it helps to keep your eye shadow on), then to the sides of the base of my nose and anywhere else I need concealing.  I use a make up sponge to apply it by gently dabbing it into my skin until its blended.

Next, using my kabuki brush I apply bronzer to my T zone.  I usually skip this in the summer because I have a tan and that area is highlighted already.

Then I apply a pink or coral (or whatever color would look fab on you) to the apples of my cheeks.

Lastly, I curl my lashes, which makes a huge difference and apply dark brown/black mascara to each eye.  Then I brush my eyebrows.

Some days I may add a little pizazz with a purple or turquoise eyeliner or some gold or taupe eye shadow.

I usually have this done in about 5 minutes and like the subtle difference.

Au Natural

Make Up

  What's your daily routine like?

What we're reading

I love to read but definitely don't set aside enough time for it.  I am trying to change that.  So every so often I will try to post what books are being read in my house.

Me

It's a story about an African couple who are apart and rekindle their relationship.  I just started it and so far it has rekindled my love with reading!

Idris

It's a survival story for tweens about going to sleepaway camp.  My eleven year old loves this series!

Mena

Her absolute favorite book.  She requests it every night and has started to memorize it and yells out words during certain parts!

What are you guys reading this month?

New projects, New me

Reading all these other blogs has made me realize I need to start taking advantage of my time and take on some new projects.  Things I have been putting off learning how to do for a variety of reasons/excuses/laziness!  Things that are purely selfish....but in an indirect way will be enjoyed by everyone.

The first is sewing.  My mother and sister both know how to sew and my mom used to make her own clothing.  I am so jealous, I can't even hem a pair of pants.  It's really bad!  I was able to mend my son's pants and sew on some patches but I mean  really sewing with a machine and patterns (I think that's what they're called).  Luckily, for me, my sister gave me a sewing machine last year.  My girlfriend mentioned that Joanne's has a class and guess who's signing up?!  I will have to let you know how that goes.

Next up is photography.  I truly enjoy looking at images and took a photography class in high school.  It was so cool developing the film and learning how to get the shot that I wanted.  However, priorities changed and truthfully I didn't focus enough on it to be as good as I believe I can be.  So, thanks to my birthday present from my awesome hubby about 5 years ago, I will be getting lots of practice in with my Nikon D50.  Obviously, a class would be helpful but I don't have the time and I think just getting out and shooting will do wonders.

Lastly, and this is the biggest task is redesigning our home.  I am a late bloomer in the self-discovery area.  It has taken me a long time to be cool with myself and not be so concerned with what others think about what I am doing, or wearing or whom I'm hanging with.  I mention that because I think that your home should represent who you are as an individual and I don't feel that mine does.  Mostly, because I am still figuring out who I am, what I like, my interests and taking time to learn new crafts.  So, this project will be ongoing.  But, occasionally I will post little changes we make!

Do you have any new projects you are looking forward to starting?

Baby Hair Accessories

I cannot stand these gigantic flower baby headbands! Judging by her face, Mena agrees with me! Unfortunately, we must be mostly alone, because you can find a surplus of them!  I had great plans of making some headwraps, but never got around to it.  Thankfully, Target and H&M just came out with these bands and clips that I adore.  And, after a lot of wrangling, I got Mena to model her new looks.

How do you style your little one's hair?

Going Natural

Growing up my parents encouraged healthy eating and living habits.  We didn't have a television until I was 7 or 8, we ate things like bulgar wheat burgers and whole wheat donuts and my mother practiced yoga. Throughout my teen years, I completely rebelled against that life style.  I would spend my money on bad chinese take-out and pizza.  As a young adult, thankfully I never fell into the Ramen noodle pit, but I was barely a step above! Its funny how things always go full circle, because now I am trying to have as many healthy and natural foods, gardening, cleaning and beauty/hygiene supplies as possible.

I decided to make these changes for a variety of reasons.  First, my son has really bad seasonal allergies and asthma. He has a reaction (itchy throat and ears) whenever he eats certain fruits and vegetables like apples, pears, carrots, celery, kiwi, etc., unless they are cooked.  As you can imagine our produce bill is ridiculous in the winter.  Since many of the other fruits fall on the Dirty Dozen, I am trying to buy organic.  I feel like everything is so contaminated and is a cause of a lot of the ailments that we have.  In addition, I think that in our attempts at trying to get germ free and have convenience, we are killing off some of the things that are helpful to our bodies.  Things like bees, which hurt when they sting, but also make honey, which has good vitamins and minerals and helps in building immunities through its anti-oxident properties.  We are destroying good bacteria and creating a lot of free-radicals which are recking havoc in our bodies.  There appears to be an increase in the number of cases of cancer, adhd/autism, heart disease and neurological problems, like Parkinsons.   I am not saying that going natural will completely eliminate these things but I do believe that it helps in decreasing the numbers and the severity.

This is a large undertaking for me, so I am doing it in baby steps.  I think lifestyle changes are better absorbed and become a part of your routine when you gradually make changes instead of eliminating everything at one time.  So instead, each time I run out of a product, be it food, cleaning or hygiene/beauty product, I am replacing it with its natural counterpart.  Since we will be trying out new products I thought it would be cool to do a review after.

To start things off, we tried out Jason Pure Natural Deodorant Stick  in Soothing Aloe Vera.

It costs around $5.99.  The smell was pleasant and fresh.  It felt wet when it was applied but I fanned it and went about my day.  Shortly after I noticed that I felt sticky or tacky is probably a better descriptive.  It felt like I had glue in my armpits!  Within 3 hours I didn't feel so fresh.  I tried it for a few more days and had the same results, so needless to say, I am back to using Dove until I find something better. There are a few more that I want to try and also some DIY's I've heard about, so I will keep you posted.

Do you or have you tried natural deodorant before and if so, did it work?  Which brand?

Summer, Summer, Summertime

Summer is on its way and I can't wait.  Yes, its crazy hot and humid on the east coast  and the mosquitos eat me alive, my hair is almost always frizzy and don't even get me started on the sweat!  But there's something about smelling BBQ as I take an evening stroll, eating popsicles on the porch, lounging at the pool, leaving the house without a coat, hearing children playing, collecting shells at the beach, road trips, bike rides, summer concerts, movies in the park, longer days, awesome tans, camping, hanging in the city, picking strawberries at the farm and too many others to list, that somehow make it all worth it.                                                                                                            
Last summer we started a new tradition of making a list of activities we want to do the second that last school bell rings.  Its a fun way to get everyone involved.  I try to pick a variety of activities both in and outdoors because somedays its too hot out or raining.  I also look online, in the papers and by word of mouth to find out about any free activities. That is especially important because I am working part time now and the funds are not the same!  Uwishunu is a great resource if you live in the Philly area, or sign up for Living Social or Groupon.  Also, check out your town or city's website for local info and possible discounts.  
Here's our list for 2013:

Here are some of my favorite photos from past summers:

How do you plan for summer?  What are some things you are planning to do this summer?