Beautiful! - Inside & Out

Homemade Spa Treatments for Hair

If your hair is ...dry, brittle, or damaged

• Banana Mask :: Mash 1 banana with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix in blender or food processor to make paste. Apply to dry hair, cover with a shower cap, and wait 15-30 minutes. Rinse, then shampoo and condition as usual.
• Milk & Honey Mask :: Warm 2 cups whole milk (for very fine hair use skim or low-fat milk) and add 1 teaspoon honey. Mix well until honey is dissolved. Pour over dry hair and wait 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Shampoo and condition as usual.
• Dry, flaky scalp remedy :: Massage scalp with 1/4 cup olive oil. Comb lightly and shampoo. How this works - the oil softens scales and locks in moisture to prevent future flakes.
• Protein-Vitamin Mask :: Mash a peeled avacado. Beat in 1 egg. Apply to dry hair. Leave on 10-15 minutes. Shampoo out.

If your hair is ...dull and heavy

• Sea Salt Rinse (gets rid of excess oil and product build-up) :: Dissolve 2 tablespoons fine sea salt or Epsom salt in a cup of warm water. Pour over hair. Leave on for 5 minutes. Rinse out. Follow with a mild shampoo and moisturizing conditioner. Use this treatment no more than once or twice a month. Overuse will irritate the scalp or dry out the hair.
• Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse (strips hair of build-up that take away shine, restores natural shine to hair) :: Use 2 tablespoons warmed vinegar as a rinse after shampooing and conditioning. You can also use a diluted white vinegar solution - 1/4 cup vinegar to 1 cup water.

If your hair is ...color-treated

• For dark hair brew 2 cups strong coffee or tea (6-8 tea bags). Shampoo and condition, then pour cooled liquid over hair and leave in until the next shampoo.
• For red hair cut 2 large carrots into 5 or 6 pieces. Boil in 2 cups water. Reduce heat and summer for 15 minutes or until the water has turned orange. Cool. Remove carrots and pour water over dry hair. Put on shower cap and wait 20 minutes. Rinse. Then use a mild shampoo and conditioner as usual.
• For blond hair add 1 cup lemon juice to 3 cups cooled chamomile tea. Pour over dry hair, then sit in the sun for an hour OR wear a shower cap and apply heat with a blow-dryer until the hair begins to dry. Rinse out. Wash with mild shampoo and make sure to use a moisturizing conditioner to prevent dryness.

15 Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies!

Picky Eaters? Problem Solved!  Check out this article for some great ideas to helping your kids try new foods and get the nutrients they need.  The creative ideas in this article are simple and easy to implement at dinner time!  

Here are some of the main points...read the article for details!

1. The "Salad - no way!" problem

2.Rename veggies (ex: Dragon Scales!)

3. Sometimes it all depends on consistency

4. Let your kids help you cook

5. Research recipes together

6. Join a CSA (community farm)

7. Mono eating

8. Smoothies

9. Make 'em accessible

10. Speaking of crock-pots

11. Show some respect

12. Never use food as a bribe or reward

13. Play with your food!

14. Tell stories

15. Play the ABC vegetable game

10 Simple Ways to Have a Happier Family

Wish you could slow down and take the time to really connect with your kids? Here’s how to slip small moments of love and closeness into the busiest days. By Ron Taffel, Ph.D.

1. Snuggle time Take advantage of Saturday mornings to have all the kids come in bed with you for a fifteen-minute cuddle. One day a week, try not to schedule anything early so you can just hang out and feel close to each other.
2. Mood music Here’s a tip from the folks who make TV shows and commercials: Use background music to set the mood. When cabin fever strikes and the atmosphere around the house gets tense, pop some lively music in the CD player and watch the emotional barometer rise.
3. Indirect compliments When you want to praise your child, occasionally let her overhear you say something good about her to someone else. Sometimes kids discount direct praise as empty or embarrassing. An overheard compliment can be a powerful boost to self-esteem because your child knows that it’s from the heart.
4. The never-ending game Set aside ten minutes at the same time each day to play a game with your child, one you can return to daily. Some families play a round of backgammon. Others work on a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle. Reading a couple of pages of a story is popular with younger kids. The ritual aspect of the activity and brief time-out from stressful demands help kids and parents calm down and connect with each other.
5. One at a time Once a week, allow each of your children to have you all to himself for an hour, doing anything that the child wants to do (dress-up, computer time, art, etc). When your kids know they’ll each have a long turn to get your undivided attention, they learn to respect each other’s special times as well.
6. Counting blessings Take some moments in the evening, at dinner or bedtime to acknowledge the good things in your life. Don’t be heavy-handed about it. Just say, “You know, the nicest thing happened today…” and ask your child and other family members to share any good things that happened to them. Counting blessings is a way to end the day on a positive note.
7. A very merry half-birthday Mark this mid-year milestone in a lighthearted, inexpensive way. For instance, it’s fun to bake half a cake, give half a pair of socks as a present, and put up half a birthday sign. Any reason to celebrate, no matter how small, lifts the spirits and breaks up the ordinary routine.
8. Sunday-night soiree I’m sure that, like most families, you have experienced the letdown that occurs as the weekend draws to a close. You also probably have a refrigerator full of leftovers. On Sunday evening, invite a few neighbors with kids over for dinner and have them bring along their leftovers. The food may be an eclectic mix of cold turkey, ham, Chinese food, and parts of pies served on paper plates. This low-key but festive gathering takes the edge off the end-of-weekend blues.
9. Media blackouts For one night each week, declare that no one in the house will turn on televisions, computers, or stereos. The uninterrupted downtime means there’s more of an opportunity to play truly interactive games, the old-fashioned kind in which two people actually communicate. Think of a variety of ways to have low-tech fun, such as playing musical instruments and singing, reading aloud, telling jokes, or just talking.
10. Think small Remember the bumper sticker that read HUG A TREE? Why not make some time to help your child appreciate the natural world around him? Let him try to wrap his arms around a tree, stop and smell the roses, or go outside and gaze at the stars in the evening sky. Think of these activities not as educational but as ways to let your child feel part of something greater than himself. So much in our society and child-raising practices tends to encourage kids to feel too big, powerful, exceptional and alone. The truth is, children are less worried and more secure when they know they’re not the center of the universe but a small part of the whole.

Ron Taffel, Ph.D., is the author of Nurturing Good Children Now and a well-known author and speaker on raising children with values in today’s world. He is a contributing editor of Parents magazine, from which this article was excerpted.

Beautiful! - Inside & Out

Homemade Facial Treatments

exfoliant :: Mix 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon plain yogurt until combined. Gently rub in circles on clean, damp skin for about one minute. Rinse with warm water. For best results do once a week, in the evening. Follow with moisturizer. How it works - sugar polishes the skin and yogurt soothes.

foot soak :: Mix 1/2 cup Epsom salts, 1/2 cup sea salt, and 1 gallon of warm water. Add 3-5 drops each of peppermint and lavender oils if desired. Soak feet 10-15 minutes, then use a scrub or pumice stone to scrub away dead skin. How it works - Epsom salts are soothing, sea salt is rich in minerals and water softens the skin.

body buffer :: Make paste of 1/2 cup ground coffee (caffeinated) and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any other natural oil ... nut oils are especially rich). Use as a body scrub. Post shower, refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week. How it works - oils hydrate and soothe skin, caffeine helps tone skin and has even been known to reduce the look of cellulite!

eye "de-puffer" :: Dampen 2 chamomile or green-tea tea bags. Chill. Leave them on eyes for up to 15 minutes. How it works - the tea in the tea bags soothes skin, the scent calms, the coolness helps reduce puffiness around the eyes.

Back to School: Lunch Box Ideas

Here are a few "back to school" tips on how to build a fun, easy, tasty and nutritious lunch box.  Many of our children are back at the elementary school or just starting preschool for the very first time.    Also, included in this post is a nice downloadable PDF document of cute, loving and fun notes and jokes that you can add to your older children's lunch box.


1. FREEZE: Place a frozen juice box in your kids’ lunch box as it’ll keep the food chilled and will be thawed by lunchtime.

2. Go for VARIETY: Make sandwiches using whole grain tortillas, bagels or pitas.
 
3. WIPES, WIPES: Pack antibacterial wet wipes so your kids can clean their hands before and after eating.

4. SNEAKY VEGGIES: Add grated veggies to sandwiches and wraps for crunch – your kids won’t notice they’re eating something that’s good for them!
 
5. DRESSING It up: Use small resealable bags to pack dressings. Kids can open one corner and simply squeeze onto salad, then discard.

6. Get DIPPING! Pack salsa, hummus, yogurt or salad dressing for your little ones to dunk their sandwich, veggies or fruit into.
 
7. PETITE works better: Make bite-sized and mini versions of regular foods like sandwiches. They work well for small appetites and are more likely to be eaten.

8. BE LOVING: Add a quick note to say good luck on a test or “I love you” – it will brighten your child’s day. Download LunchboxJokes_US_01.pdf and print it.

9. Get ORGANIZED: create you own schedule Monday-Friday of the menu you will prepare for lunch so that you know every morning or the night before what to do for lunch boxes.

10. CONSULT:  check out these sites for other fun and easy to do ideas for lunch boxes: www.familyfun.com and the Lunch Box Builder, and if your family is vegetarian, you may want to visit Vegetarian Lunch Box.


"Lunch boxing" can be an enjoyable activity!

*Taken from The Moms' Buzz, Original source: www.familyfun.com, www.kraftfoods.com.

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for the opportunity
to begin the 2011-2012 school year,
and we ask that you bless
the faculty, the students, and student families.
We ask that you would bless
the youngest and littlest of learners,
the most helpless and powerless of persons,
with Your infinite and loving mercy,
granting them the strength to learn, concentrate,
and act appropriately towards
their teachers and fellow students.
We also ask that You would watch over them,
at home and at school
and grant them proper direction
so that they may learn
of Your wonderful virtues.
We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen

A Concert in Your Backyard! - FREE EVENT THIS SATURDAY!!

During the summer, the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance brings FREE concerts to Marana on a monthly basis!! I've gone to a couple in the past and have really enjoyed the fun, relaxing atmosphere.  Each month spotlights different genres of musical, which is an excellent way of exposing your children to different cultures around the world!  It's also a fantastic way to establish community!

The concerts start at 7pm, but you can come and go as you please.  Whenever we go to the concerts, we typically stop at Subway for sandwiches or pack a picnic dinner around 6pm and then head out to the park.  This gives the kids time to run in the grass or throw a frisbee around.  We have a nice picnic dinner and the kids shake and dance until they have nothing left in them! (Sometimes I've even had them go to the concert in their pajamas!) When they get tired, my kids just lay down on our blankets and count the stars.  And then, it's home to bed!

The flier says that it is located at Crossroads Park...but it's not in a location you can see from Silverbell.  There is a big grassy area located behind Wheeler Taft Abbet  Library....that is where the stage is set up.  So, parking by the library is best!  I have seen people sit on blankets spread out on the grass, couples comfortable in chairs, and have even seen people dining on their card table, with glasses of wine! So, come as you please and be entertained!


Details for THIS Concert:

August 13th - 7pm @ Crossroads Park - Free Admission
7548 N Silverbell Rd

Last Call Girls
The Last Call Girls are a high energy, honky-tonkin' country dance band, playing a mix of rock-a-billy, traditional country, and bluegrass.  They take their music back to the roots of country with some great old time favorites by Patsy Cline, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, interspersed with original songs by nationally acclaimed songwriter, Nancy McCallion

For more information, visit www.SAACA.org