Family, Home, and Me with Jacque

Next up in my FHandM series is my good friend Jacque of My Life With Boys. This is the girl I can call with absolutely anything. Anywhere from listening to me vent to single-handedly organizing my sons closet/room! I mean, that's a friend, am I right? This amazing lady is such a blessing in my life and I'm so excited to have her share her insights to running her seemingly perfect home, family, and self. 

photo courtesy of Jacque

"Family has always been so important to me and fortunately I married a guy who feels the same.  We strive to always show our boys they are loved and that they will always have a safe place in our home.  One way we do this is by laughing together...a lot.  I may hear my 3 year old tell me the same joke over and over but he won't remember how many times he told it, only the one time I don't laugh.  So I keep laughing and telling him how funny he is.  

We also listen to music all the time.  So we dance all the time.  When we are playing play-doh or coloring, my son always asks if we can have some music on.  A home with music is a lively home.

Each night before bed or during the day before quiet time I say in a sing-song voice "Love, love, love" to him and he says it back.  It helps him feel safe and no matter if we have had a hard day or not, he knows we will end with words of love.

There are many times my husband could be watching a ball game or go out with friends but he chooses to wrestle with his boys or dance with me in the kitchen.  He is teaching our children what an involved father really looks like.  Before he goes to work he always reminds our boys to "always be sweet to mom.  We need to show her we love her all the time." He is leading by example.

Quality time is so important but I think you also need quantity.  Look your children in the eyes when they talk, give the best answers you can to the constant "why's", engage their imaginations, jump in the rain puddles and play in the mud WITH them, and never underestimate the power of a hug and kiss."

photo courtesy of Jacque

"I love having a clean home and I am one of those weird people that enjoys cleaning.  I try to not do it too much because I want to allow my kids to be messy, but one thing I make sure to do so as not to take away too much time from my kids is to never go to bed with dirty dishes.  It sounds silly but if you have a clean sink before you go to bed, when you wake up, your kitchen already feels that much more organized and fresh.  Same goes for making the bed.  I may have laundry piles to fold on the floor or toys strewn throughout the house but if my bed is made, I feel accomplished.  Clean sink in the evening, make your bed in the morning and tell me you don't feel better.  (Cause really having those two things done kind of leads to getting the rest of the house in order...see what I did there!?  haha!)"

"I love make up.  I really do.  It is a love that started from the moment I got permission from my parents to wear clear lip gloss and a touch of mascara.  I don't stray too much from my routines and my color palette but that is because I have found something that works.  I have been using bellapierre eye shadow for almost two years now and don't see an end in the near future.  It is so shimmery and really makes my eyes pop.  One thing I pay a lot of attention to with my eyes are my eyelashes.  I heat up my eyelash curler just a little bit with my blow dryer BEFORE I put on mascara so they curl without any type of clumping.  Then I use two different types of mascara every day because they coat differently since they are made by different companies and they find every single eyelash making them look so long and full.  I alternate each eye and each brand until I feel they look perfect.  I then add a touch of white shimmer into the corner of my eye and voila!  Popping eyes.  The days I don't get ready, I still try to touch up my makeup.  It makes me feel better as I do laundry or change diapers."

photo courtesy of bellapierre.com

Thank you so much, Jacque, for contributing to this series and also being a kick butt friend! You can see pictures of her beautiful boys and stories about all of their adventures over on her blog My Life With Boys. 

If you are interested in contributing to the Family, Home, and Me series, please email me at gracefullykensie [at] gmail [dot] com.

Family, Home, and Me with Jessica

Jessica of Musical Mama and the Green Thumb is the first contributor to our Family, Home and Me series and honestly the cutest thing ever! I asked her to share her #1 piece of advice for us under the categories I cover in this blog- family, home, and me. Apart from being a wonderful mother to a beautiful little two-year-old boy, she is a very dedicated violin teacher as well as an amazing performer. She has also recently taken on the responsibility of conducting a junior orchestra. Take it away, Jess!

photo courtesy of Angie Gurney Photography

"Since I was a very young child, my mother would read to me and my siblings most every night.  We read everything from A Fly Went By to The Hobbit.  Since becoming a mom, I have felt a deep need to do this with my own little guy as much as possible. Since my little man was a few weeks old, we take time everyday to read. I’m a working mom and so this time becomes such a precious moment in our crazy and slightly overscheduled lives.  I find that on days that we don’t sit down and read at least one of the favorites, his behavior becomes a bit more questionable, if ya know what I mean.  So here is a list of a few of my absolute must have books for starting your own little library for you and your little ones.

I Love You Through and Through
by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak

It comes in board book form so it is perfect for little fingers to read over and over.  The message is darling and so are the illustrations.

The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

If you have a grumpus on your hands then this book is perfect for making anyone turn that frown upside down.   My almost two year can recite it word for word and it helps that the illustrations are fantastic. 

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight 

by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Good for little boys and girls alike who might have a hard time at bedtime.  Short and sweet, this will definitely win over your little one.

Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman

Classic and delightful.  This one will be read over and over again I promise."

"Chaos is my life.  I wish I could say that I love spreadsheets or that I really enjoy organizing my closet into color coded sections.   I’d like to say that I am on top of things 24/7 but anyone who has walked into my studio may pass out from laughter at that statement. Not only am I naturally disorganized but I have a two year old.  Nuff said.   Anyone who has followed a two year old around for five minutes would know that it is a full time job just picking up after them.  When I feel the craziness is getting out of control I give myself a five minute reset.  I take five minutes (and literally look at the clock) and make one corner look flawless , or scrub my toilet, or wash a window, or shove all the laundry on the floor into a basket.  It is amazing how that five minute reset can add up and help to keep the chaos at bay.  Last piece of advice is to use white vinegar for everything.  Put it in your dishwasher for sparkly dishes, use it to wash windows or even soak sections of sinks with hard water stains and it will wipe right off.  White vinegar is da bomb peeps not to mention cheap!"

photos courtesy of Alixann Loosle Photography

"I’m a musician.  I’ve been playing the violin since the age of four and have two degrees to prove how much I love being a musician.  I have 45 students, I am the conductor of a youth orchestra, and most importantly, I am a full time mama and wife.  My day to day life is filled with music but since becoming a mom, my own practicing and performing has taken a back seat.  Sometimes even if I have the time, I sit and watch a lame TV show (i.e. Vampire Diaries, Dance Academy, Mcleoud’s Daughters to name a few) or eat a bowl of ice cream just desperate to have a moment to myself.  What I find however is that when I regret those large bowls of ice cream and my time with Damon Slavatore and feel I have wasted time.  If I do take those few precious moments that are my own and pick up my violin, I feel more fulfilled.  My advice to all you lovely people is to never lose the thing you love.  As mothers we give our whole selves to our children and they need it.  They also need to see what makes you who you are and how important it is to have goals and strengths to help and influence our world.  Whether you are a musician or a gymnast  or a scientist, devote yourself to never lose that important part of you and make the time to enjoy your own talent and passion.  You won’t regret it, I promise."

Thank you so much, Jessica, for sharing with us. You can check out sweet stories about Jess's beautiful family over on her blog, Musical Mama and the Green Thumb. 

If you are interested in contributing to the Family, Home, and Me series, please email me at gracefullykensie [at] gmail [dot] com.

daisies, big bites and a new calling

1. I received a new calling in my ward and I couldn't be more thrilled! I am now the Assistant Music Leader in the Primary. These kids are such a riot! I love having the opportunity to work with them. It's only been 2 weeks, but I'm already having so much fun!

2. My sweet friend, Jess, gave us a gift card to JCW's the other day and I think O about had a heart attack when he saw that milkshake. Sorry about the weird light in the top left of the picture, but I had to share. I can't help but laugh out loud every time I see this picture!

3. There seriously isn't a happier flower than Daisies and that's why they're my fave! Kudos to Mitch for buying me some the other day. Granted, I was there and I asked him to buy them for me, but I'm still giving credit where credit is due.

Check back Thursday for the very first post in a brand new series I'm calling Family, Home and Me. I'm so excited! 

The "No-Poo" alternative to Shampoo. AMAZING!!!

So I've been experimenting with different techniques to try to maintain my bright red hair for longer. My first attempt was DIY Dry Shampoo, which has helped me go longer between washing my hair, but the sulfates in regular shampoo really do a number on my hair color, so I researched different recipes for DIY, sulfate-less shampoo and conditioner.  I found a lot of different ideas, but none intrigued me more than "No-poo."

I found the idea here. It's an extremely informative write-up about the subject, covering any question you might have. I highly recommend reading this if you're considering trying this method out. I didn't want to try to keep baking soda dry while using it in the shower so I used an old black pepper container; the kind that has 2 sides- one with the little holes and one with a wide opening. That way I can easily pour out what I need while the rest stays dry in a container that is not made out of cardboard.

No-Poo Shampoo:

1 cup water

1 tbsp baking soda

Conditioner:

1 cup water

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
(you can use white distilled vinegar, too, but I use that ALL the time on other things and I had apple cider vinegar laying around just waiting so I went with that.)

I bought some ketchup and mustard squirters you can get at the dollar store in a pack of 2 and used those. The long, skinny opening at the top works really well for getting straight to your scalp.

Mix the baking soda and water in the squirter, shake it up so it's mixed together, and apply to your hair paying special attention to your roots. It should have a sort of slimy feel to it. If it doesn't, you might need more baking soda. I let it sit for about a minute or two and then rinse it out. Then, you mix the vinegar and water in the other squirter, shake it up so it's mixed together and apply to your hair paying special attention to your ends. The point of the vinegar is to neutralize the ph balance of your hair that the baking soda has thrown off. I let that sit for the rest of my shower and then rinse.


Seriously, this post answers any question you might have so I'm not going to waste time on fumbling out words when it's explained so perfectly elsewhere. I'm just going to share my experience and some tips I used to make the transition easier.

Let me start by telling what an amazing transformation my hair has had. I know this all sounds a little extreme, but I have had such luck with this method. I've used it almost exclusively for a couple months now and my hair feels absolutely amazing. There are so many pros to going this route that I've seen firsthand:

• My hair holds style MUCH longer
• Little to no product is needed to make my style hold
• More natural volume
• Less oily
• No more frizz
• More shine
• Less hair loss
• Hair color fades SO much slower
• I wash my hair way less often
• No chemicals
• SO inexpensive
• My hair is SO soft!

I got my hair cut and colored the other day so my amazing hair girl, Cassie, used regular shampoo and conditioner to wash the extra color out when it was done processing. I didn't realize what a huge difference the baking soda and vinegar made until I used the shampoo and conditioner again. We could feel the residue in my hair from the conditioner when we were done compared to when we first sat down! My hair looked and felt great, but after a couple hours, it was flat, oily and the style had totally fallen out. This just further proved to me how incredible this cheap and easy method is.

Now, there is an adjustment period that lasts about 6 weeks, and let me tell you, it doesn't start out pretty. Your hair has grown accustomed to being absolutely stripped by detergents and then having residue-leaving conditioner caked on in thick globs to make up for it. So when you eliminate that and introduce something a lot gentler, it takes some time to get used to it. My hair felt like straw. I could barely get a brush through the ends of it, but there were a couple things I did that made the transition a little easier. For starters, I didn't rinse the vinegar out for a couple weeks. My hair felt A LOT nicer. Yes, my hair smelled like vinegar while it was still wet but once it dried, it was left just smelling clean. Once I started rinsing out the vinegar again, it was fine. I also used a tiny, TINY bit of coconut oil on the ends which helped immensely.

I HIGHLY recommend trying this out. Give it 2 months and, if you still hate it, then go back to regular shampoo and conditioner. No harm done.

I really hope you check out the original post for more information if you're interested. I shared with you what I thought was relevant, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. And please share your experience with "No-poo" if you decide to try it out. I would love to hear how you felt about it.

Creative Combos: Matching Red Hair

shirt: old navy (shop), cardigan: target (old), shorts: altered by me, necklace: lia sophia (old), shoes: rue 21 (old)

I promise I didn't match my hair and my sweater on purpose. I wasn't aware just how close of a match they were until I saw these pictures so I apologize if I look like one huge orange blob.

My boys have beautiful red hair. And I am jealous. So I dye my hair red to match. Okay, maybe its a little brighter than theirs is but its red nonetheless. The problem with dyed red hair is that it fades so quickly. Seriously, one week after you have it done and the color has dulled exponentially. So it's always such a huge pick-me-up every 6 weeks when my girl, Cassie, cakes on the color. I've had a lot of different shades of red going on in the past and I think we finally landed on a keeper. Pretty sure I've always been a red-head at heart, my hair just didn't get the message.

P.S. I'll be posting about an amazing,natural way I maintain my hair color in the next couple days so be sure to check back!