Haircare Tips: How to deal with Dandruff

No matter how good is your hairstyle, you will still have some issue bothering you, such as Dandruff. So today I am going to put some effort how how we can deal with dandruff. :)

Dandruff refers to the flaking scalp, which falls like snow flakes and sometimes settles on one’s shoulders, face, eyebrows and clothes. In the case of excessive formation of scales on the scalp there is irritating condition associated with bacteria. Dandruff is generally believed to be infections that can spread by the use of common towels, combs, soaps and hairbrushes. There are two types of dandruff:

• Dry dandruff
• Waxy dandruff

An itchy scalp characterizes dry dandruff and small white scales are usually attached to the scalp or are loosely scattered in the hair. The waxy dandruff occurs when the scaliness of the epidermis is mixed with sebum, which causes it to stick to the scalp in patches.

Symptoms

Whenever the hair is brushed or rubbed the scaliness increases. It may also appear as lumps or crusts on the scalp. There is itching and sometimes the skin turns red due to excessive scratching.

Causes

The various contributing factors in the cause of dandruff are:

· Impairment of general health
· Poor nutrition
· Deficiency of zinc
· Fungus (malassezia furfur)
· Oily scalps
· Food allergies
· Excessive perspiration
· Stress
· Yeast infections
· High use of alkaline soaps and shampoos
· Exposure to dust
· Dry and cold weathers

Treatment

1. Hot steam bath is highly beneficial for the hair and scalp. Massage hot oil and wrap a hot damp towel on the head for sometime.
2. Immerse peels of lemon in coconut oil for 8-10 days in sunshine. Now sieve and apply in the hair. Hair will become free of dandruff.
3. Hot oil therapy is the best method to cure dandruff. Massage hot oil into the scalp at bedtime. Next morning an hour before the bath, rub lemon juice mixed with cosmetic vinegar into the scalp with cotton wool. Wash your hair properly and as a last rinse use the juice of one lemon in a cup of hot water. Continue this treatment once or twice a week for three months.
4. Mix two tablespoons of cosmetic vinegar and six tablespoons of hot water. Dab this with cotton on the scalp and leave it overnight, next morning wash the hair with a shampoo.
5. Mix beetroot juice in vinegar and apply on the scalp
6. Ginger juice and beetroot juice mixed together and applied on the head also cures dandruff.
7. Massage your scalp with the mixture of olive oil and almond oil; leave it for five minutes after you feel the burning sensation. Rinse properly for a dandruff free hair.
8. Soak two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds in water overnight. Grind the softened seeds in the morning, apply this paste on the scalp and leave it for half an hour. Then wash you hair with ritha solution or shikakai
9. Cider vinegar added to the final rinsing water after shampooing also helps to prevent dandruff.
10. Exposure of the head to the rays of the sun is also useful measure in the treatment of dandruff.
11. Warm 300 grams of coconut oil with 3 grams of black pepper. When it starts boiling stop heating, sieve with a fine cloth and keep in a bottle. Massage with fingertips in the night gently.
12. The use of a teaspoon of fresh limejuice for the last rinse while washing hair in highly beneficial. It leaves the hair glowing and also removes stickiness and prevents dandruff.
13. Dilute cider vinegar with equal amount of water and dab this to the hair with cotton wool in between shampooing.
14. Mash beetroot leaves in henna paste and apply on the head to prevent dandruff and hair fall.
15. Rub the juice of snake gourd on the scalp for the treatment of dandruff.
16. Massage one’s hair for half an hour with curd which has been left open for 3 days or with few drops of lime juice mixed with amla every night before going to bed.
17. Application of processed henna once in 15 days helps to prevent dandruff. Boil equal amounts of amla and shikakai powder in water and allow it to cool. Now mix henna powder, very small amount of fenugreek and roasted clove powder, a little lemon juice and egg.
18. Wash the hair with green gram powder in curd twice a week.
19. Immerse split black gram in milk, mix it and apply on the scalp.
20. Beat two eggs and add two tablespoons of water to it. Wet the hair and apply the egg mixture over the hair. Now massage your scalp and let the mixture on for ten minutes to fifteen minutes. Then rinse the hair with lukewarm water. This will keep both dandruff and hair fall problem away from you.

Diet

Diet plays an important role in the treatment of dandruff. The diet should consist of fresh juicy fruits, such as apples, grapes, pears, pineapple and peaches. Citrus fruits, bananas, dried or tinned fruits should not be taken. Emphasis should be on raw foods especially fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, raw nuts and whole grain cereals. Starchy, protein and fatty foods should be restricted. Meats, sugar, strong tea or coffee, processed fruits, candies; soft drinks, pickles and condiments should be avoided.

---

Tags: Prom Hairstyles, Haircare Tips, Dandruff

Last Week in Review: Aaron

This started happening, and locomotion was getting to be a little dangerous. [It's really too bad we live so far away from Hollywood because this boy should totally be getting paid for his acting skills. Besides his facial expressions, note his exclamations of surprise--if you can hear them above our laughing]



So he decided to try this instead.



And here's a bit more while he was still hyper after all the fun and attention. He's thrown in a few more of his spills, and on the last one you can hear him saying "uh oh" before he's even down. What a goofball.



Next week I'll plan to post a little of him walking for real. He's getting more and more brave.

Last Week in Review: Ewelina

Remember this girl? This is her last Tuesday.

Here she is last Friday, the last day of school with her best friends, Patrycia and Ania and then in her classroom with Aaron. Notice anything different?


*Side note: This was the end of her last year with her current teacher. In Poland a class has the same teacher for grades 1-3, then switches to a new one for grades 4-6, but the same kids stay together for the entire 6 years (!). Also, her class next year will be in a separate building from the one she's been in, so this really was like a mini graduation for her, which has absolutely nothing to do with the length of her hair.

Prom Hairstyles: Sedu Celebrity Hairstyle

The hit TV series Friends, featuring Jennifer Aniston, sparked a new craze for sedu celebrity hairstyles. All of a sudden, everybody wanted to have the sleek, straight hair sported by this stunning star. It became so popular, in fact, that someone started a website dedicated entirely to pictures of Jennifer Aniston and her sought-after Sedu celebrity hairstyle.



What you may not know is that sedu is short for seductive – a Sedu Celebrity Hairstyle is a seductive hairstyle, which is why women who want to look sexy get themselves a Sedu Celebrity Hairstyle. If you follow the tips below, you too could be adopting the seductive secrets of Jennifer Aniston.


First things first, sedu hair is clean and healthy hair – clean, healthy, shining hair is already on its way to becoming seductive. Regular shampooing and thorough brushing is a must if you are to achieve your ideal Sedu celebrity hairstyle. Start imagining yourself as Rachel in Friends. For the sedu look to work, you have to walk the walk and talk the talk, sedu is an image, it is a way of expressing the passionate side of your character.

"But I wasn’t born with that lovely straight hair", I hear you say. No problem. If you don’t have naturally straight hair, the next best things are the ceramic straightening irons on sale now – some of which will moisturize your hair as it straightens it. The hair is divided into sections and then the irons are placed round a section and drawn down the length of it. Repeat the process with each section, then comb and spray lightly. Let one side fall over your eye for extra sedu emphasis and there you have your sedu celebrity hairstyle.

---

Tags: Celebrity Haircut, Celebrity Hairstyle, Hairstyle Tips, Jennifer Aniston, Sedu Hairstyle

I Never Cared for Popularity

I really never did. This is, of course, because I was never popular. And, as I say, I didn't care. Or I cared, but I didn't care for popularity, in the sense that I didn't like it. (What a smooth, transitional lead-in to my next paragraph.)

Our garage is a kind of clean, nice one (kind of). The floor is tiled- with ugly, public bathroom type tiles, but it's not cement or anything. The walls were recently painted and looked fresh and new until Greg's dad made an interesting design on one of them with his side-view mirror and tire while attempting to exit said garage. But still, it's not a creepy or dirty place. Or it wasn't.

A week or so ago, I noticed a large spider in it's web in one of the corners. I was considering getting rid of it, when I noticed a small centipede that had just become caught in the web. I watched the spider race out, numb the multi-appendaged creature and climb back into it's corner. About 5 minutes later I came back to find the centipede still in it's place, but it was now just the skeleton. Greg and I took a look at the spider and saw that it wasn't a scary or ugly spider, and it seemed to be rescuing us from some other yuckies, so we decided to keep it as a pet.

Well, I usually sweep the garage about every week or so, but I hadn't done it in 3 or 4 weeks when I started this morning. Um, apparently we weren't the only ones who saw the virtues of our pet spider. It appears he has a lot of friends. Or maybe we should call them followers, because they all seemed to follow him right into our garage. Here we have popularity again which, if you'll remember, I never cared for. Still don't. It seems our popular spider has set up a new little subdivision called "spiderland". Sweeping the garage this time wasn't just a matter of sweeping those tiles, but the broom was also pointed toward numerous webs in corners and on walls. I saw at least 4 spiders. One was stubby and stocky and red, one was super skinny and gray, and one was a regular black spider. I know that's only three, but I can't remember the other one so give me a break and stop keeping count of things like that.

I sort of like how diversified that little spider neighborhood was (until I destroyed most of the homes and possibly a few of the residents). Diversity is something I miss badly, living in small town Poland. It seems spiders don't have the same problem, and I was a little pleased that our pet spider (who we affectionately never named), while popular, did not limit his circle of friends to include only the unoffensive, dignified spiders like himself. He was an equal opportunity friend. I think I'm referring to him in past tense because I'm not really sure whether he survived the destruction or not.

So, if this spider friend of ours was a little more like myself, and didn't care so much for popularity, he could have had a nice, comfortable home and been left alone. Unfortunately he was/is popular and so he won't. Poor Mr. Spider has had to learn the hard way what I knew all along: popularity is dumb, pointless and can be dangerous. (and don't everyone start philosophizing that my mayhem in the garage is some sort of vicarious act against the popular kids in school, please).

What I Love About My Allergies

I never had allergies growing up. Even the first few years after we moved to Poland I didn't, but about 3 or 4 years ago I started being exceptionally sneezy and sniffy during certain times of the year, and after the first year or two, I realized maybe it was something. It was! The doctor called it "allergies".

I know most people who have them don't like allergies. Some people really actually hate them. I, on the other hand, hate them too. But instead of spending any more time wishing someone would put me out of my misery, I decided to compile a list of things I like about my allergies. Here it is:

• I am finally able to impress highly educated professionals (How long have I been striving for that!). Nurses looking at the various bumps from the prick test on my arm: "Oh! That's about as big a reaction as I've ever seen!" or "Wow! You're allergic to EVERYthing!"
• My dream of having an inhaler has come true. In elementary school I was always jealous of the kids who had those cool inhalers. Mine isn't as cool, since it's just a regular medicine inhaler and I only use it morning and night, and not off and on throughout the day when other kids are watching, but still.
• I have an excuse whenever I don't want to do some outside activity.
• I now see a bright side to having a regular cold. I know that it is not an everlasting plague and I'll be back to normal in about a week. How nice is that?
  
• Having tissues covering the floors in our house is less of an annoyance and more of a convenience. When I feel I need one (about every three minutes), it's just: stoop, grab the nearest one and check for signs it has been used to wipe all over the floor. If no such signs are present, just blow the nose and throw away. No need to even walk to a box of tissues!
• It is impossible to forget to take my nightly Zyrtec. My allergies alert me that it is time for the next dose by sending six warning sneezes, or six tissues worth of "snuff," as David calls it.
  
• If I decided to, I know I could be in The Dumbest, I mean, The Guinness Book of World Records for the longest time spent in pre-sneeze mode. Or possibly for the sneeze that brings the least satisfaction/relief. I should really look this up and compare my records with the existing ones in the book, as I'm sure there are already records listed in such a category.

And now you know why I just looooove my allergies. Some people choose to complain. I, however, prefer to look for the positive (stop laughing, Greg--and anyone else who knows me at all).

Prom Hairstyles - Summer Hairstyles

We always seem to look forward to the warmer months ahead… the fun in the sun, lightweight clothing, sandals, shorts, ponytails, and pools! Erin O’Kelley, Miss North Carolina USA 2007, is an exquisite young lady who graces our summer edition with her outstanding good looks and an incredible personality to match. We took her from a glamorous beauty queen to a stunning bathing beauty (who better to show off what’s hot this season). The fun and fresh trend this time of year is easy and free-moving—everything from the swimsuit to the hair is light, airy, and non-constricting. Following in Erin’s footsteps, you too can change your look from curly to straight in a flash with these quick styling techniques.


BRUSHED ASIDE
Using the side element of our previous side-parted design to create this one, we merely teased Erin’s hair underneath, then brushed it up and away from her face to show off her incredible eyes. We pulled her lingering curls out with pomade to form a flexible wave and fastened it into an unrestricted ponytail. Finally, we finger-lifted the roots in front while applying hairspray.


BRAIDED WITH PANACHE
Braids in the summer are durable and appealing… if you wear them with panache. Erin’s features are liberated when her mane is pulled off her face. To add structure to a basic braid, we heavily teased the hair at the front to create height and smoothed it over into a French braid guided to one side. We used mega-shine spray to add hold and luster.


THE CROWNING TOUCH
Erin’s look is all natural here, with only a staggered part to dress up what is otherwise a straight-ahead look that imparts a timeless, All-American girl-next-door wholesomeness. Nothing is allowed to distract from that impression.


ROLL OUT THE BARRELS
Erin’s long, straight hair is barrel curled into ringlets throughout her head. Each curl enhances her beautifully highlighted locks, while her lowlights add dimension. Simply brush through hair with hands to break apart curls, but allow some ringlets to remain together. Hairspray is lightly misted over the entire style. From underneath, scrunch the roots to add height to this look.

A CLEAN SWEEP
This softer, more casual look is an easy transition from the “barrel-curled” style. We simply smoothed the curls out with a soft bristol brush, leaving a few twists around her neck and collarbone to draw attention upward. The use of polishing milk helped us control loose ends and tame the curls into a touchable, side-swept effect. We also used a mega-shine, mega-hold hairspray to preserve the tresses around her face.

PARTING SHOT
For this flirty, fun, face-framing hairdo, we completely brushed out all product, then made an ear-to-ear part to separate this section of hair from the foundation of the style. The residual locks were then parted off from ear-to-ear on the upper nap of the head, teased on the crown, and then smoothed over and secured with a petite covered hair band. The leftover front section is parted precisely down the middle and tucked behind her ears.

Source: pageantrymagazine.com

---

Tags: Hairstyles Tips, Miss North Carolina USA 2007, Lady Hairstyle Tips, Summer Hairstyle Tips

In My Book

I'm pretty sure I'm one of the very worst people in the world for forgetting a book after I've read it. I love that this allows me to read my favorite books over and over, and still be wondering what's going to happen in the end. Okay, I'm not that bad, but I definitely forget enough of them that it's very easy and enjoyable to reread.

A while ago I started rereading Poland by James Michener. I think I read it once before we came to Poland and once after we got here. So this would be my third time. It gives a great history and a real feel for what the Polish people have been through over the centuries. I don't particularly love his style of writing, as it's quite plain, but he's really great at the difficult task of representing so much history, and so many wars and not overloading too much, but making you care while teaching you something.

Reading it this time has been a lot less enjoyable than my previous readings. I only read a little here and there and every time I come back to it I feel like "okay, so which character is this? Wait a minute which castle are they rebuilding?--Ugh*. Can't remember. I'll look back into it and read more tomorrow." But the next day, I still don't feel like getting back into it. His language doesn't draw me in, so once I've lost a bit of the story, I just want to drop the whole thing. Which is what I finally did today. I realized that I just want to sit down and enjoy a book. So I pulled out one of my very favorites: Villette by Charlotte Brontë.

I got comfortable and started in. It took about 3-5 seconds for me to remember how much I love reading. For me it's like a good book gives me something, in nearly every sentence. It so happens that I enjoy the story in this book, too, but there are some authors that just make me want to read and read because of their style of writing. They could be writing about anything (almost) or nothing (like the wonderful Jerome K. Jerome--pointless anecdote after pointless anecdote) and I just want to read and read and drink in those words, sentences, paragraphs and chapters. They just make me feel like I've occupied my brain such a worthy and pleasurable way. I feel as I do after I've eaten an extraordinarily healthy dinner that tasted delicious. Perfectly satisfied in all ways.

Of course there are all sorts of other books that can make me want to read and read, but those would be the ones where I'm mostly interested in the story (and I don't read them often). Almost anything that was written after 1920 falls under this category. I know it's terribly shallow of me, but I find it hard to love the writing in a lot of newer novels. I don't believe I know what good writing even is these days. If a book is written in modern English, I often find myself just reading it for the story, and if it's a good story, I may feel like I ate a big brownie for dinner. Yum, that was good, but neither filling nor satisfying.

I suppose this is what comes of being stuck with Penguin Popular Classics (so cheap!) almost exclusively for 8 years. They're not all romantic novels, there's adventure, comedy, plays, suspense/detective, Gothic horror etc., but they are nearly all written in the Victorian period-or earlier (and therefore written in a lovelier English to my ears--or eyes) .

I would love to be in a book group and be forced to read all sorts of different books and then get to talk to a bunch of smart people who can help me see the brilliance of them. I wish I could enjoy reading non-fiction (apart from Dr. Spock and pregnancy related books). I wish I had free access to books outside my genre of choice in the form of a library that stocks more than 15 books in English located closer than two hours away. I wish I didn't feel so stuck like this and my mind could be opened a little.

Mostly, though, I want to settle back in and read some more Villette. I can't wait to find out what's going to happen to Lucy (again)!

*Note the spelling. See how progressive I am?

What Happens When You Mix Languages

At lunch we were eating a pear. I said, "This pear is soczysta." Evie replied, "Pewnie bardzo dobrze ją umyłaś."

(If you don't speak Polish: soczysta=juicy, czysta=clean Evie's reply can be translated, "You must have washed it very well.")

Rivers

This is me with a few of my siblings catching that night's dinner with these sticks that may or may not have had any sort of string attached, and almost certainly didn't have any sort of hook or bait on the end. I'm the dorkiest looking one.

Now my own family lives close to a river, too. This is how you get to it. (I'm so glad everything is less brownish now than it was in the old days.)

This is how the kids look once you're there.
Here I am AGAIN, just like in the first photo: by a river, with three cute children, still the dorkiest of the bunch. (Time hasn't changed ME much!)And it's not fair about Evie's glasses. I think they're darling in real life, but in every picture she looks like the poor kid in the nerd glasses. But what can you do?

We Want YOU

Prom Hairstyles: Chic Sedu Style

Your prom time is approaching and you still haven’t determined what hair style to choose? Secrets of beautiful sedu prom hairstyles will assist you to create that perfect sedu prom hairstyle and be the heart of any prom event.


If you are rushed for time, or would rather be natural at any event, then the sedu prom hairstyle is a perfect style for you. It requires a simple dress of some fall-down fabric like silk, or satin. The right style of dress is full length with a low neck and sleeveless. Such dresses are always stylish and require no added improvements by adding any additional accessories.
If you decide to add accessories, try to stay away from anything heavier than light gold or silver chain with small pendant, or you risk to spoil that natural Sedu look. The make-up is as close to the natural make-up-free look as achievable.

Sedu prom hairstyles
Sedu hairstyles For the Sedu Prom Hairstyle the hair is either left lose and straight, with some curls at the bottom, or twisted into lose bun to highlight the naturalness of the face. On occasions when hair is left lose it may be better to pin up the framing tresses to highlight the face. Add hair accessories, which may be pins or flowers of the season. sedu with bun and accessories.

To create this Sedu Prom Hairstyle follow these steps:

1. Wash hair with shampoo, use a mild shampoo that doesn't strip the scalp of too much oil. Some shampoo's that are detergent based can be too harsh. Finish with a conditioner.
2. Towel dry then blow dry your hair, making certain that the air flow is directed down the shaft of the hair to prevent frizz.
3. Apply some straightening balm and moisturizer to the hairs middle length and ends. Do not aply to the roots as it will give the appearance of oily hair.
4. Spray some thermal protection spray onto your hair, to help protect your hair from the heat of the straightening iron.
5. Take a comb and starting with a section of hair place the comb near the roots, then slide it down slightly, allowing enough space for the Sedu Flat Iron to be placed in position behind the comb. Now slide the comb down the length of the hair shaft towards the end of the hair following behind with the straightener. Repeat this procedure until all of your hair has been straightened.

To add that chic style try adding the following.

Wear high-heeled shoes of suitable color to match the dress and accessories that yor are wearing. Gloves may be worn with a sleeveless dress to add to the image. Nice lace styled stockings to accentuate the legs.


Make-up ought to be bright, but appropriate. Its role is to underline your image, and not to ruin it. Everything ought to be similar, and not necessary the colors of the season, because everything that matches your image is fashionable in Chic Sedu style.

To add some volume to your hair, try using a curler near the ends of the hair lenghts. Alternatively, if you like that flick look, then try this method added to the above.

After straightening the hair as above. Repeat the process, this time as you get near the ends of the hair sections with the straight iron, direct the iron up with a flick motion. This will add a flick to the ends of the hair lengths, rather than having the hair straight throughout its length.

Relax, the tension of the night can make you feel stressed. You will look absolutely gorgeous and beautiful. Just remember not to go to heavy with the make-up.

What !?! You've Never Seen a House(ish) before?

I was surprised to find that some people didn't know what a house(ish) is, or couldn't quite picture it, even given its illustrative name. Also, I have some sisters that keep wanting pictures. So here are all the pictures you could never want of our house (which I should add we are only renting--the house, not the pictures. Those we own). I must say, though, that I really think NONE of them look like the house. It's weird. Oh, and also, the weather wasn't good for photography, which will be apparent, but I have to mention because I'm an apologizer.

This is the street we live on, ulica Kasztanowa (Chestnut Street). It's a very short street at the very far edge of town that is lined with townhouses. (front left is our driveway)

I suppose you could say that our house(ish) looks something like this:

But I think it looks a little more like this:
In the winter, when the grass is dead and the car is black with mud, if you were standing on the front balcony (off our bedroom) you might look down and see this:

I'm including this one because Su thinks Evie looks superimposed on here and that's funny:

If you walked inside the week after we moved in you might have seen this:

And NOW, the reason it's a house(ish). Our neighbors are stuck to us:


What does that make it? I don't think it's a duplex. I wouldn't call it a townhouse, either. That's why I call it a house(ish). What would YOU call it?

No Alarms and No Surprises, PLEASE

We heard this song on the radio the other day and decided to make it our new theme song. I do like Radiohead, or at least whatever stuff of theirs I heard on the radio in High School, but I'm not such a fan of this particular song. You can hear from the tone of his voice that he really isn't up for any surprises. One of Greg's favorite Polish artists sings a cover of this which we both prefer. In case you care, the artist is Sojka, who sings mostly jazz. He's classy. (And I must have Greg help that Wikipedia article!)

Speaking of class, and in order to get to the point of this post, we were feeling a little upper class when we moved into this house(ish), because it has an alarm system. How perfect for us, the predictable weekend travelers, who speak English and are therefore obviously rich, with a house(ish) full of possessions that any Polish thief would ache to get his hands on. (note to any potential thieves reading this: we DO-travel/speak English, we DON'T-have interesting/valuable possessions, including and especially shelves).

The house(ish) is fitted with motion sensors directed at every window in the house, except those in two of the bathrooms (which is why we stopped storing our laptops and TV/DVD player in the bathroom). They are pretty sensitive and if you are sitting in a room, quiet and motionless, then raise your arm to scratch your nose, you hear a little "peek" from the sensor going off. At first it was a little weird, but now it sounds like security. Since Evie sleeps on the top bunk, and the sensor in their room is placed almost right in her ear, it woke her up every time she turned over in the night at first. Now, I think she hears nothing but security in the night.

Greg taught me how to deactivate the alarm when we return home from anywhere. He emphasized the precision with which it must be done. You've got code entering, button holding down, pausing until something appears on screen etc.


That warning about the whole precision thing "rang" true the first time I tried it. I got it wrong. That alarm is pretty loud! And there's a flashy bright light outside that informs any hearing impaired passersby that someone has, indeed, broken into the Pawlik's house(ish).

Don't worry, friends and neighbors, it was just me! After repeating that scenario two more times, I decided maybe it should be Greg's job to deactivate the alarm. But we did learn that it only takes about 2 minutes for the security guys to show up, so I mean, I actually did it for educational purposes (and of course, we all know that a one time experiment cannot bring scientific surety, hence the repetitions).

For nights when we are home, there is a remote that we can use to activate the alarm system in the lower two levels of the house while we sleep, with the privilege of turning over during the night, upstairs. In this way, we have been saved, in our sleep, by the alarm catching:

*dangerous, roaming balloons
*plastic bags, which we now know are not only evil for the environment
*hungry children, headed to the kitchen for some breakfast cereal
*a mother headed to the library to do her morning email check
*any spiders or flies that decide to take a seat on the sensor

Fortunately we can just call the security station place and tell them that it was just us (again). If only it were that easy to fall back to sleep after being aroused at 2am from the loud noise, then creeping all over the house carrying the first accessible heavy object just in case, this time, it wasn't a plastic bag. We're trying to decide if the threat of bad guys coming is more disturbing to us than the havoc that is caused by balloons and bags. (BTW, it's not as easy as it may sound to round up all the balloons in the house and lock them up in the bathroom every night before bed).

And now you know why it is that we have a song that neither of us love as our theme song. Okay, it's mostly just the refrain. We'll call it our theme refrain. Ooooo, the punner in me can't help adding that we'd like the alarm to take a hint from our theme refrain, and refrain from going off in the night unnecessarily.

Celebrity Hairstyle: Adrienne Bailon

Celebrity Adrienne Bailon ! You may be asking why is she a Celebrity? Well I’m going to tell you. I have no idea!!! But a bit of research reveals that she is a Celebrity because, well she is a celebrity mainly because she is one of the Cheeta girls, she has managed to get into a few tv shows, and she is also on the HOT side of looks. Whether she is in or out, I am more interested on varies hairstyles that she wear over the years. Perhaps you can find some ideas and inspiration from her haircut too.

---

Tags: Celebrity Haircut, Celebrity Haircut, Lady Haircut, Adrienne Bailon

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

I'm dancing because I got my girl back today! Not really actually dancing, because I have this migraine coming and going yesterday and today, and I wouldn't want to upset it, but dancing inside.

While she was gone we had NO contact with her. They had our number so we could be contacted in case of an emergency, but other than that NO CONTACT. Evie said that they were told that they should write to their parents every day, but when we were packing and as we were finding the cutest stationary for her to take she said, "Mom, don't be surprised if I don't write to you, okay?" Thanks, Ev! Guess how many letters we got from her. That's right! Zero.

When they came back we were so relieved to find out that only 3 girls, of the 40 or so that went, became seriously ill while they were there. And only ONE had to have an operation right there in that foreign country. That was one of Evie's closest friends. She's still there in the hospital (her parents went down to be with her, of course). Evie, a very unpicky eater, said that the food was pretty terrible. I think the illness was some stomach issue. Hmmmm.

They had a dance, the highlight of which was supposed to be this enormous cake. The cake came the day after the dance. We bought her new shoes right before the trip and only ONE of them came back broken (we can have it fixed, though). She only left one pair of underpants and one sock there.

For some reason, before she left, I envisioned her with her friends all going into the bathroom at night to wash faces and brush teeth together. It was going to be so fun and slumber party-ish. Well, apparently nine year-olds aren't so into stuff like that. When she came home she told us that she had only brushed her teeth once the whole time. That's ONCE in almost SIX days! Yikes. She said that all the girls kept forgetting. She mentioned that her friend, Ewa, has this whitening toothpaste and she said it's amazing. Ewa brushed her teeth and showed her friends the difference even after one brushing and they were all struck dumb with the whiteness. Uh, I think it may possibly have had something to do with the fact that her teeth had 4 days worth of yellow plaque covering them before she brushed.

They went to a castle, a cave, an open air museum, went on lots of hikes, and went swimming a few times. She had TONS of fun.

She brought Greg a cute little key chain leather backpack, David a mini pack of cards, Aaron a little stuffed sheep, which he keeps mooing at and throwing across the room, and me a bracelet with little black and brown wooden beads, which I LOVE and plan on wearing until it falls apart.

The number of pounds I lost while she was gone exactly matches the number of letters we received from her. I don't think there is any correlation between those two things. Man, if there was, I would have made sure she wrote me three letters each day!

Prom Night: Man Fringe Hairstyles

Man fringe style is not really consider a hairstyle by itself, but a component of other hairstyles. As what I highlighted in my earlier post, what American’s call bangs, the Europeans call fringe. This is the exact same thing, just a different name for it based upon the various cultures. The hair across the forehead that is considered the bangs is also called the fringe.

How to:-

• On damp hair, apply a 10p size amount of Gel.
• Blow-dry with fingers, directing hair to one side.
• Work a small amount of Gel into hair, roots to ends.
  
• Rake fingers through for separation and definition.

Tags: Hairstyle Tips, Men fringe hairstyles, bangs hairstyles

To Spell or to Curse?

I think, generally speaking, that spell checker is a wonderful invention. It can keep us from looking even sillier than we really are, usually by showing us our typos, and occasionally by showing us our misspellings before anyone else catches a glimpse of them. For example, that word, occasionally. The only reason I spell it correctly now is because spell checker has pointed out to me about 5 different times that not EVERY letter in that word is doubled. (Yes, I used to spell it "ooccaassiioonnaallyy"). I appreciate this.

I do, however, have a bone to pick with spell checker. That is, that besides just giving the facts about what's spelled correctly and what's not, it also sometimes expresses opinions, which, in my opinion, is not in its job description. This may sound hypocritical of me, having an opinion against expressing an opinion, but it's not. See, I'm human, and am therefore entitled to my opinions. Spell checker, on the other hand, is a program, and is therefore, NOT.

Maybe it thinks it's "going the extra mile." But what it doesn't realize, is that that's all about the kindness of going with someone who is already on their way. What spell checker is actually doing is trying to force us to go another mile that we never had any intention of going anyway. (I believe it is possible to sometimes take your analogy so far that you don't really know what you're talking about in the end. Then, if you have readers who still don't know what you were talking about in the first place?--sorry!)

When I hit spell checker, I have an inordinate number of words highlighted yellow. A few of these are the previously mentioned typos or misspellings. Sometimes they are names or Polish words. But with some, when you click on the word to get S.C.'s suggestions, none of them match what you were trying to say. This can only mean one of two things; either
a) your spelling was so far off that the program couldn't figure out what in the world you meant, (in which case you may find its suggestions comical) or
b) it thinks, "you've made up yet ANOTHER stupid word." (in which case you may not)
It may not say this, but you can tell it's thinking it. You can see it in the tint of yellow. This, I do NOT appreciate.

Let me illustrate. Ug. How is Ug NOT a word? Don't tell me I'm supposed to write "ugh." Wouldn't that be pronounced "uf" as in tough or enough? I like ug, thank you. And braggy isn't a word? On what planet? Instead of "I'm so braggy" do I have to write "I'm such a braggart?" HI! I'm not British! (referring to the Britishness of the word braggart, not the bragginess of the British, of course) And which makes more sense: "It's a real problem that I'm such an apologizer." or "It's a real problem that I'm such a person who apologizes." ? BE SERIOUS.

Well, besides my appreciation for your help, spell checker, I also offer you yet another new word. It's IGNORFULNESS. That's what I feel full of when you poke fun at my word selection.

something funny: When I finished typing up this post and hit spell check, apart from my examples of words that have been pointed out to me before, ONLY the occasionallies were highlighted! Looks like I'm STILL doubling the wrong letters! Ha ha ha!

P.P.S. I just read a comment written somewhere by my dad where he wrote "ugh" and it TOTALLY didn't look all weird like it does every time I try to make myself write it like that. I may be converted on that one...

Prom Hairstyles - Have Fun With Your Curly Hairstyles

Curls, tussles, waves, twists are back bigger than ever! Trend setting Celebrities like Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, and Alicia Keys at the Grammy wore sexy curls. Even Justin Timberlake did - but he can't help it.

It's a matter of convenience, why not spend spend more time to have fun with your hair do.


Prepare and get those curls bouncing, they're are always popular.
For a loose sexy style curl scrunch your hair using a medium-to-strong gel. If you mix a little silk serum to soften, that's fine. Flip your head entirely over when scrunching. Try to bunch the hair in handfuls and keep the heat flowing between your fingers through your hair. After it's dry let it stay and cool for a minute, then flip it up.

To create loose curls, use a soft shine wax on the ends, if you want it to hold go in and curl with your finger any piece that did not curl so well, use some hairspray and Voila! If you want just a little wave use the soft shine wax from root to end.


If you want moving bouncing curls, invest in some hot rollers sold at any hypermarket. Set your hair, it should take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to heat and curl. Take the rollers out and before putting other hair product on it, piece out the curls one by one. If you want a tighter curl, you can spray a little hairspray before wrapping the the hair on the roller. Remember, spray the hairspray on your hair, not the roller itself. The harder the spray, the firmer it holds.

If you already have natural curly or wavy hair , then you might want to visit your stylist for their professional advices.

---

Technorati tags:
Celebrity Hairstyles, Hairstyles Tips, Lady Hairstyles Tips, Teen Hairstyles Tips, Women Hairstyles Tips, Curly Hairstyles

Alternate YOUniverse

I recently went back on Anne's blog to delete and rewrite a comment I had left on there. I thought it maybe sounded a little more critical than I meant it. I also thought I might have sounded a little braggy (MY kids ALWAYS eat their veggies! What's the matter with YOURS?) Since, by the time I returned to make the change, she had already responded to my message, and she already knows that I'm critical and braggy (she has for about 31 years) I decided to leave it anyway.

I keep kind of feeling like I'm writing too much stuff without giving the whole story (and you guys are all, "Oh, you give PLENTY of story, Lis!"). I think it's the apologizer in me. I have a hard time presenting things to anyone, be it food, lodging, a gift (I don't really do gifts anymore, to keep the apologizer in me at bay) , and now apparently posting on my blog, without giving a list of reasons why it's not as good as it should be or isn't as good as it may sound. It's like I can't let people just decide for themselves. Or not care for themselves. "Oh, these brownies really didn't turn out this time. I accidentally put in too much vanilla!" Heaven forBID anyone think that I NORMALLY make my brownies that vanilla-y!

That's one thing I love about blogging. You can create your own little YOUniverse. When posting about the trip to the zoo, you don't even have to mention the hour long fit the toddler threw which overshadowed most of the fun stuff. Just talk about the fun stuff, and suddenly, you realize, "Hey! That was a GREAT day!" Mention your preference for Indian food, using a few real Indian names of real Indian dishes, and everyone accidentally thinks you're an Indian food expert. Talk about how your baby has a fetish with wiping things (particularly the coffee table and the kitchen floor) and his mom must be a clean freak. Or the table and floor are so dirty that even the baby feels the need to do something about it.*

I love having my own little MEniverse. My real life is full to the brim of kids and taking care of kids and kid stuff (which I LOVE), but it's nice to have place where I'm not "mom" or even "honey." Just Lisa. Here I have occasional visits from the kids, but mostly it's Lisa's world. I can include any of the good I want and leave out as much of the bad as I can. Still, some of the not so lovely details WILL leak in. Details like how very, very often I yell at my kids. Or like how I use Baby Einstein as a babysitter or never stop eating baked goods. But besides minor leaks like that, I just love being able to dam back the rest of the negative, leaving just a nice, refreshing pool of the...um...let's say "real me."

*All incidents and characters are fictitious. If any example resembles reality it is coincidental.