The ridiculous act of picture taking

When we were little my Mom would make us pose at destinations around the country for our obligatory "I-was-here" picture. doo-zies, I tell ya!  Remind me to show you the one from Copper Mountain, Colorado, sometime, I instantaneously coined the phrase "big hair don't care" in that one. Anyway, my sweet Mom would call the day a success if she could get one of us to smile or at the very least be facing towards the camera.

Annnnd flash forward to our teen years, it was the same scenario but with a resonating I-hate-this-and-why-are-we-in-ridiculously-matching-outfits undertone attached to each family portrait.  Did I mention the pictures still wreak of teenage estrogen and tears of self-pity and loathing to this day? We were a sad and dramatic bunch of girls. My poor little brother had no choice other than to submit himself to years of a tortured existence with three older sisters... 

And then I had kids of my own and now I understand. Holy hell it's hard to photograph kids. And as luck would have it mine are no different than any other baby out there--hyped up on sugar and wired to run as soon as the camera comes out. #gofigure

The point is I end up taking hundred no looking/screaming/zombie gazed/picking the nose pictures for every gem in the rough. It has crossed my mind a few times to start a Tumbler feed dedicated to the awful pictures of my kids. Because lets be real, the awful ones sometimes are way better then the perfect pictures.

Gosh, thank goodness this sort of technology wasn't around twenty years ago or who knows what my parents would have posted...

Lately

Lately we've been living in this perpetual state of chaos. Good chaos, but cha-oooos nonetheless. Actually, I'm not sure if good chaos is even a real "thing" or if it's just a excuse parents use to not pull their hair out, but I use it boldly and with conviction as if it's the only thing keeping me sane these days. Which if you must know my sanity teeters on the brink of insanity most days.

Either way this summer has been one for the books and it's been so.much.fun. The kids blossomed and have finally come into their own and the joy of watching them play together has been worth all the tears, tantrums, and hours spent in the car. And not to mention I wasn't pregnant for the first summer in a looong time. halle-freakin'-lujah. All of our travels have turned us into quite the road rats this summer and with each trip my inner-country star has been singing "On the road again..." which got old after the first trip but I keep racking my brain for another road tripping song, but nothing seems quite as fitting as Willie himself. So it's stuck.

Anyway, we're home, rested, and tackling the breeding pile of laundry and mail. Two trips left to tackle and then we might be ready to dive head on into birthdays and the Holidays. So basically, it's as if life never slows down around here. Which is for the best because the bored Halsey usually resorts to online shopping, unfortunately for John...

Ribbon Organizer 2.0

Can we talk about ribbon for a moment? Bare with me I promise this is going some where. If you were to step into my craft room it would be very apparent that I'm kind of like the old crazy cat lady but I have this hankering for ribbon. It's a weird obsession to say the least.It always seems to be jumbled together into this unfathomable ball that turns me into some sort of scissor-wielding maniac when trying to unravel it. Luckily I've found a few ways to organize the chaos i.e. my five-minute ribbon organizer, but then there's all that crap ribbon that isn't on a spool. what the heck?! seriously, whoever decided that it was a good idea to sell ribbon "spool-less" was just itching for a good time thinking about all the women around the world who would go crazy trying to keep it organized. 

So here's my solution for the huge wad of ribbon you have shoved in your closet, inside your bookshelf, heck, in your underwear drawer (if you're into that sort of thing) and it's totally on the D.L. for how cheap it will cost. 

Seriously, so easy that I don't even think I need to explain it. Thank me later...with cookies preferably. 

Hair and what not

In my next life I may write a book about my hair. Yes, my hair! Why you ask? Oh because my hair has more drama than the girls in a sorority house (no offense to my fun loving sorority sisters (best friend included)). 

The story would be a nail biter. It would be a roller coaster of events full of the ups-and-down of a lonely girl who suffers from abnormally curly/frizzy hair who is in the search of the perfect products and tools to help bring life back to her once wavy and shimmering hair. Naturally, the story would reach a climatic epicenter where I would be at odds with myself, particularly with my hair, and near the cusp of breaking (which in this case would mean chopping). But then out of the blue, or dare I say in the most serendipitous of manner, a hero would swoop in and save the day. 

And just like that or as if my prayers had been answered a real-life hair Fairy Godmother would bring tidings of good joy (and locks of naturally straight hair)! 

Great story, right?

So here's the ditty. I was asked to try the Hana professional hair straightener and it is wonderful. purely wonderful. And I don't say that lightly. Unlike many of the professional straighteners I've owned (which is  five and counting) this one has by far exceeded my expectations. You know how you go into salon and pay really close attention to how your hair stylist does your hair and you even go as far as to by the same products and tools with the hopes of repeating that same blown out affect after you leave. And then it takes you nearly five days to wash the gorgeous locks because you know, and with tears in your eyes, that your hair will never look that luscious and beautiful again (or at least not for another eight weeks).Well that my friends happens to me every time. without fail. Even when I  buy the same products/same straightener/same brush/same ju-ju, it just never looks like the red-carpet hair for days earlier. 

But, and I say this with a "Hallelujah!" this straightener is the closest I have ever gotten to actually getting the perfect look without having to pay the salon price! It has multiple adjustable temperature settings which is a definite bonus for course frizzy hair, because let's face it, curly hair needs some added punch to give it that naturally straight look. It's sleek look and slender feel makes it easy to use and while I am not always the best proponent of safety it has this gargantuan cord so I can simultaneously peer out the bathroom door to yell at Brecken (which never happens, but if it did...) while still managing to curl my hair at the same time. Do I hear amazing multi-tasking? yes.  

So if you are in the market for a straightener that's worth every penny, while also providing stellar straight locks (as well as curly too), this guy is the golden ticket!

Thanks Misikko, you truly are my Hair Fairy Godmother. 

facebook: Misikko (lots of great tutorials and giveaways)

Products were received in exchange for writing this post. All opinions are my own. 

Denver Zoo

We spent the better part of last in Denver for a family wedding. It was called a vacation, but the kids erratic sleeping patterns and a good dose of heat rash/heat exhaustion led to some long days and even loooonger nights, which in my mind completely cancels out the word "vacation" to then be replaced with the more appropriate term of lets-all-make-it-home-alive. But I'm sure all family vacations end with a good threat of never traveling again...

Zoo. The Denver Zoo. where do I begin?

We like the zoo. And we like visiting on 90* degree days. Seems fitting I suppose. And now that we're home I have a inkling suspicion that the heat exhausting/heat rash all stemmed from our little zoo trip. No matter the case, our kids are animal mongers. They thrive on the excitement of any animal they can get their little paws around, I mean really ANY animal. And the zoo has always been a great place to see the animals from a distance and not have to worry about the after effects of Brecken going into a full-on asthma attack. It's kind of like the best dream ever for this Mom. 

And usually when we go to the zoo I am pretty good with the hotness and I can tolerate a good dose of body sweat but, a big BUT, our day at the zoo was bru-tal. No amount of ICEE induced coma could cool our bodies, and the skinny jeans were causing a serious "swaz" issue in all the wrong places. Not to mention the radiating heat coming from the concrete all added to one-hot-motha' of a day. Our only saving grace was the Gorilla observatory and spending the good time staring at the sleeping Hyenas, which if you've never seen one they are surprisingly big (not like the little yappy things in the Lion King), and consuming $50 dollars worth of liquid which I'm sure is the reason that all zoo's stay in business.

Anyway. Denver Zoo, invest in some of those nice water spray fans I promise you will make every Momma happy (this one included).