LONG HAIR, HAIR TIPS FOR HAIR GROWTH - NO WASH ROUTINEI love my long hair, but I need all the tips on what to do with it to continue hair growth. I attribute my long hair to pregnancy hormones, prenatal vitamins and laziness. A friend of mine told me when I was pregnant with Cal to never cut my long hair because if I wasn't pregnant again, it would never grow back and that stayed with me. I wore long extensions (hey, Jessica Simpson) for YEARS of my life. I, by no means, had short hair, but I didn't have the long, healthy hair that I wanted. And the thought of losing my long hair after pregnancy and going back to those extensions made me so nervous. But there are some things that were different back in those extension days than what was happening right now. Back then, I was causing all sorts of problems for my hair. I was coloring it blonde which my hair did not like at all. I was heat styling it multiple times a day. I was back combing constantly. I was washing it every single day. I was using tight elastics. And my diet was definitely not doing my hair any favors. That being said, now as a mom, my need to for healthy hair is also partly because I need to be able to have fast hair styles. I actually don't have time to wash and blow dry my long hair every single day any more. I need my hair to be a lot more cooperative than it's ever been in my life. As an active, working mom of 2, it's tough to go multiple days without washing my hair. I work out 5-7 days a week and that builds up quite a bit of sweat on my scalp which definitely makes me think I need a good wash. Here's my routine of what's been working for me over the past couple of months: Goal: Go at least 3 days without washing my hair No Wash Hair Routine DaysOn days where I am not going to wash my hair, I will sweat-style my hair. What that means, is I will blow dry that sweat into my hair. I use Bumble and Bumble Post Workout Dry Shampoo. I spray some on, rub it into my hair and style my hair with my blow dryer. I linked out to it for you too! I did invest in the Shark hair dryer. It's cheaper than the Dyson and it dries my hair in a short amount of time. I also notice less breakage as the science behind the Shark creates let heat damage for the hair. I'll also go to bed with some dry shampoo on my hair. Before crawling into bed, I will spray on some dry shampoo. There were a lot of recent studies that came out showing a link between dry shampoo and cancer. I really do like the Batiste Dry Shampoo, and sometimes I definitely do still spray it on. (If you do get the Batiste, the Tropical smell is the BEST and I linked it!) I don't feel like it leaves much of a residue on my hair (and I have tried SO MANY different dry shampoos). But if I want to be more healthy, I'll actually use some homemade dry shampoo. Homemade Dry Shampoo: (Equal Parts) Spray some of that homemade dry shampoo on at night and rub it into your scalp to absorb the oils overnight while you sleep. It seriously makes all the difference. In between shampoo days, I just ordered this apple cider vinegar wash. It is supposed to work great to rinse the hair clean of sweat and build up without stripping the hair of essential nutrients like shampoo does. Pre-Hair Wash NightsThe nights before I was my hair is when I like to load up on hair-wash treatments. For scalp treatment, I put some Rosemary oil drops directly on my scalp. You do smell a little bit like an Italian Restaurant, but it's great for hair growth! Since I only put the Rosemary oil drops directly on the scalp to help with new hair growth, I also want to do something to protect and help seal the split ends. On the ends of my hair, I'll add a moisturizing deep conditioning treatment. These are my two favorites and they're linked for you to check out other reviews: The next morning is that glorious wash day and your hair will be excited for the refresh. Why focus on long hair and hair growth?It's not so much focusing on the long hair as it is the healthy hair and hair growth. Our hair is such a part of us. For moms, it's the messy bun and no heat styles that become our signature look. Good habits that give us back time that we don't have are definitely worth it! No Heat HairstylesCheck out my favorite no heat hairstyle here!
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Easy Mom Hack - How to Limit Screen TimeI'm sure we have all seen the viral reels where people write down options on index cards, turn the index cards backwards facing, and have someone select one of the cards as whatever options they are going to choose. It's a fun and easy way to make a decision especially if you are indecisive. That being said, it's also a great and fun mom hack on how to limit screen time for your kids. My kids have trouble transitioning out of screen time. I don't blame them. I love laying on the couch too. They do so much better, however, when they have a plan and something actionable to move to. These cards create an element of suspense and fun. I take 3-4 cards and write 3-4 non-screen time related activities on them. My kids like it when I switch up the activities we write down so we don't have too many repeats. They get excited to do something new and ALWAYS play by the rules and do what's on the card. Try it and let me know if your kids love this mom hack on how to limit screen time as much as my kids do! HOW TO STYLE PLAID DRESS PANTS FOR WOMENIt was the 90s and early 2000s when plaid pants and plaid dress pants especially were all the rage. Plaid dress pants have stayed a pretty constant in fashion in muted colors and patterns. However, plaid is getting a resurgence in new fashion lately. The problem is that all of us that lived the last plaid dress pant phase were in junior high or even elementary school. How we have to style the plaid pants now needs to be very different (although, let's be honest, so much of fashion has swung back around in the other direction and we probably could sneak in a few other early 2000s trends too). The question becomes, "How does a millennial mom jump on the plaid dress pant trend with minimal effort, but a classy fit?" The answer is fairly simple if you stick to some basic styling rules when you have a "loud" and "statement" print like plaid. Here are the fashion rules to stick to when selecting the perfect plaid outfit: Style Rules for Plaid (Work) Pants1) Keep it neutral up top. Shirts that are all one color are the way to go. You can mix and match fabrics and styles, but keep the colors solid and muted. (If you are picking a graphic tee, choose something pretty basic in color with one large graphic and no patterns.) 2) Keep the shoes neutral too. You have enough going on with the plaid pants. Don’t get too fancy on the bottom too. It’s a great time to bring in basic flats or white tennis shoes. 3) If you’re jumping on the plaid pant trend, don’t trend too hard in other directions. This is your statement piece. Keep jewelry minimal too. 4) Depending on how the pants fit, you can looser or tighter with your top. If the pants are tighter, you can go looser on top. If the pants are baggier, try for a body suit or tighter top to add more definition and contouring. 5) Live those 2000 glory days again, mama! Don’t think too hard about it. The best accessory is confidence. Easy Ideas to Style Plaid PantsCasual Mom Outfit - Neutral Sweater and Plaid Dress Pants![]() With this outfit choice, I grabbed a neutral beige sweater from my closet. This one also gives us the early 2000s vibes with the tight fit and waist length. Loafers are also back in style and they look great with the plaid pants for a dressed up or dressed down look. This stays true to rule #1 which is to keep that top neutral on the top so we don't clash with patterns and contrasting colors. Make sure those colors compliment each other too. GET THE PANTS HERE. Find a similar shirt here. Or try this one for the exact same fit! Business Casual Mom Outfit with Plaid Dress Pants
Casual Mom Outfit - Oversized Sweater with Dress Plaid Pants![]() D Who doesn't love an oversized sweater look? I want to wear all the oversized sweaters while I can right now. You can do a cute little French tuck up front or do the cute tuck into the sports bra for a lifted look in the front. Pair with some casual shoes for a comfy dressed-down outfit. Try an oversized sweater like this one. Find the shoes here. Graphic Tee, White Sneakers, + Plaid Pants = Casual Mom Outfit
Mom Bodysuit, Blazer, and Plaid Dress Pants![]() Bodysuits are all the rage. I snagged this one from Forever 21 a while ago. It has a dressier material and top so that I can toss over a trendy blazer and be ready to take this outfit from the office to happy hour. (Or let's be honest, we are taking it from a parent/teacher conference to the playground.) Find a similar bodysuit here. Let me know if you try out any of these plaid dress pant looks for inspo! Remember to stick to the five rules if you get stuck!
Forever 21 Floral Dress for Easter/SpringI was on a recent search for two things - a floral dress to wear for Spring/Easter and some new outfits at Forever 21 to show that my favorite stomping ground was still relevant to me. Why is it that as a mom of two and clearly not a young mom of two that I just can't quit the Forever 21 habit? I wrote about my love of Forever 21 in another blog post. I'll link it here if you really want to follow me down that rabbit hole. The problem is that I remember the Forever 21 good old days. Sure, it was always a hunt to find something. Sure, the clothing quality was never great. Sure, I always felt a little self conscious knowing my entire wardrobe was from Forever 21. But it was a thing. It was a big part of my life. When I was in college, you could always count on finding quick, affordable fashion items there. It really was like a hunt too. I would visit different locations because, let's be honest, they all carried different things. When I started working full time and traveling around the country, I would stop at every shopping mall I passed just to visit Forever 21. The dedication and love I had was real...and until a really recent age. That being said, it took me about 2 weeks to find the outfits I wanted to purchase from Forever 21. I don't mean 2 weeks to debate between which lovely styles I was going to purchase either. It took 2 weeks to find enough floral dresses that would be acceptable for me to wear and I invested a lot of time searching. This tells me two things... 1) There are A LOT of floral dresses online at Forever 21 2) There are A LOT of raunchy dresses online at Forever 21 Which leads me to the conclusion that I really should find some more age-appropriate stores to dedicate my time towards. So instead of actually just reviewing the floral dresses like normal, I actually wanted to compare them to what they're actually like at Forever 21 too. I mean, how realistic are the pictures of Forever 21 floral dresses to what I had on my 5 foot, mom of 2 frame? Satin Floral Print Midi Dress from Forever 21This floral dress did not fit me the best. I would also argue that it shouldn't be called a midi dress and instead be a maxi dress. I mean, look at the length even on the model who is definitely taller than 5 foot nothing like I am. That being said, I was pretty obsessed with this dress. In a *spoiler alert* shipment of mostly duds, this was my absolute favorite dress. I'm linking it on the picture below and here. The slit was high, but it wasn't too high. It was fun and flirty. The print was amazing. I felt really girly in it. The problem for me was the chest area and the length of the dress. The neckline was adjustable. You could pull those little ties to make it tighter which definitely helped. I also didn't have a bra on in the picture, so some extra padding for us flat chested girls would be helpful. The length was also a bit long for my petite size. That being said, I do think it would shrink up some in the wash and be a perfect length with heels or wedges. Would I keep it? I'm debating it. I think it'd be a really cute dress for a wedding. I'm not sure I would wear it for Easter. I'm also debating keeping it for family photos although I'm worried one grab by the littles could pull the dress down or the slit up. (Am I the only one who is VERY particular what I will wear around my kids to avoid wardrobe malfunctions?) This floral dress from Forever 21 was definitely my favorite of the bunch, so wait and see what's next! Floral Smocked Sleeve Midi Dress This floral dress does not 100% look like the same print in the pictures. I've never gone back and done a comparison before on the prints and now I'm wondering about that. It's close but not the whole enchilada of the print. Here are my struggles with this dress. I knew it was going to be a long shot because I do typically have to order XS because of my bust size and this one only came in S. That being said sometimes the XS are too tight, so I had some hope. The hope quickly went away. You can watch my entire trial video on my Instagram. I couldn't get the sleeves to stay up like in the picture, and we were a small tug away from the entire dress falling down. The material was kind of an organza feeling material. It just didn't lay on me as nice as it did on the model in the picture. I would recommend it if you are not completely on the petite side of sizing. I do think it has great potential as a floral dress option. I also think it would be amazing as hiding some extra tummy love because of the cut and style of the dress. I will link it here for you! Floral Print Chiffon Maxi DressThis floral dress is a maxi and I should have realized from the pictures and the descriptions that I was going to have the usual problems. The bust is too large and the length is too long for my petite frame. That being said, I again, did not hate the dress. It was just way too much dress for me. This picture actually looks way cuter than it looked in person...trust me. The print was cute and I would argue it's less muted than it is in the Forever 21 picture which is actually a good thing. It was just a lot of dress for my tastes. Someone that is a little bit larger boned than me would be amazingly beautiful in it. There was a snap enclosure on the neckline, but it didn't do much for me and was a bit plunging. I also think the length was too long even with a good washing and maybe drying. I do think the cut of the waistline is super flattering for hiding some unwanted pounds. Linking it here. What did I learn about Forever 21 Floral Dresses?Here's the thing, I didn't really learn anything new. I feel like I just need to reinforce these lessons every now and again. Yes, I need to be selective at what I purchase at Forever 21. Yes, some of the clothes do not fit me well, so I need to stick to the sizes that I know I can wear.
I have more luck with shorter dresses than maxi dresses because of the obvious reasons. The quality is there in the dresses if you look for it. You really have to be selective to find the perfect floral dress at Forever 21. You are still getting cheap fashion that probably won't last to be an every day garment, but for a special occasion floral dress, you might get lucky. I just saw they released even more floral dress options, so there might be a part 2 coming soon, because I just can't quit the Forever 21 habit at 35, |