Extraordinary hair

A year ago I cut my hair off with the plan of letting it regrow. A few months prior I chopped my long hair to a shorter style and was able to enjoy my hair in new ways. Cutting it has truly been a journey and has taught me to appreciate it in new ways.

One of the major challenges was finding products that worked well with my curls. Luckily, I got a Vox Box via Influenster which allowed me to try L'Oreal's Advanced Haircare Oil for free. The box included shampoo, conditioner and a leave in oil. And OMG. It is amazing. It smells fantastic and it works in my hair as well as my children's hair. All of us have different textures. The oil is light weight and doesn't weigh the hair down. The shampoo and conditioner help soften the hair. It's pretty amazing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who asks.

Risaroo Woven's Perrault Cobalt

Company: Risaroo Wovens

Wrap: Perrault Cobalt

Material: 50/50 Cotton/Merc Cotton

Medium weight

I was lucky enough to be picked as a Risaroo Wovens Adventurer late last year. Which was really exciting as I was in my final weeks of pregnancy (impatience setting in) so it gave me a lot to look forward to. I got to pick which wrap I would use during my time as an Adventurer. Of all of the wraps shown, Perrault Cobalt stood out. The beautiful design and the amazing color, I was sold. I chose a size 4, which is base -1 for me. I figured I could do short carries with the newborn and modified base carries with the toddler. Win-win!

When it arrived, it was soft even in loom state. It quickly became softer with just a normal wash and dry. It had and AMAZING amount of texture. I love texture, I also don't believe in ironing. (I may not even own an iron. You would have to ask R?) I couldn't wait to wrap with it.

The cobalt threads which provided the texture give it the perfect amount of grip while the white provided the perfect amount of glide. It was easy to get the passes in place but they weren't going anywhere once they were there. It is moldable with very little stretch. It feels heavy in hand but that didn't translate to wear. It is breathable which is incredibly important in Southern California. Yes, even in January when it first arrived! It is great with the squish (13 lbs) for long periods of time in single pass carries, though I preferred it in multi-layer carries for my toddler (26 lbs.) It reminded me very much of Kerrington Pearl with a bit more texture.

Overall? I adore this wrap. Like most things Risaroo, this one is a keeper.

Words rarely said.

My oldest daughter is on the Autism Spectrum. Her official diagnosis is PDD-NOS, ADHD Combined Type & GAD. She's had the ADHD diagnosis since she was 3, GAD since she was 5 & PDD-NOS since she was 6. But these aren't often words you will hear come out of my mouth. Not because I'm ashamed or embarrassed or anything even close to that. It's because the response often leads to me needing to justify it. I've had people ask me if I was sure or tell me that they would have never known by looking at her. Or how they talked to her that one day and they would have never known. So many people are willing to invalidate what she goes through daily because she doesn't fit what they feel someone on the spectrum should look and behave like. But, it's been shown time and time again that girls on the spectrum are better at mimicking than boys are. It also proves that people think they know a person's life from a few minutes of interaction.

My daughter is in a general education classroom but is pulled out daily for 1x1 time with a special education teacher. She has an IEP. She takes medicine. She does bi-weekly social skills group therapy. She sees her developmental pediatrician every other month. And she still struggles. She has come a long way but she still struggles.

She is currently at grade level (yay!), she has friends, she is thriving. But, crowds still bother her & she still won't wear jeans. She still doesn't do well with change. She needs to know the schedule ahead of time and will still ask you throughout the day what will happen next as she runs through the schedule. She still doesn't understand that saying certain things isn't ok and that we have to wait our turn. Sitting still is a task and a half. Playing quietly is a joke. Sometimes I say one thing to her and she hears something completely different so she has no idea why I'm upset that she didn't do what was asked. She still has an intense need to be in control of the situation... but if you use that the right way, she's a great helper. She's funny. She loves math. Like, loves it. She loves it so much that she will recite math equations then laugh about how funny they are because math brings her joy. She loves dinosaurs. And she loves being a big sister even if she tells you her siblings are annoying. She is determined and hardworking. She thinks she's a gymnast. She is quick to ask if you're ok and cuddle up close if you're not. She's protective of her friends and loves her family. All of these things make my girl what she is. And I love each and every piece of her.

The Ride of Her Life

Timing is always a funny thing...

Late last year a good friend asked me if I would take a sister spot in a custom wrap with her. It was of course something I wanted to share with her, so I said yes. But during the design process life started happening and I had to back out. I left the group chat and the group discussing it because I was bummed. My friend messaged me that she couldn't decide what weave and weft to pick and asked my opinion so I told her. Fast forward a couple of months. I was having a shit day and during a conversation I kind of accidently word vomited everywhere. I told her I was done and ready to leave Facebook because I just needed a break. She was supportive but told me she would miss me. Then... she told me she had ordered me a piece of her custom still because she wanted me to be a part of it. To consider it a birthing day present for Joshua. And I cried. I was so amazed. How could someone be so kind? So generous?

We should probably pause here for a second. Because, realistically this friend is so many amazing things. I met her one night when I was browsing the budget swap. Everything goes for $100 for less. All of the carriers she was selling were worth far more than $100 but here see was selling them for that. I bought a wrap from her and we ended up chatting and basically haven't stopped since. Even though she lives many stated away, I'm glad to call her a friend. I got to meet her when she came to CA last year. There was wrap geekery and ice cream. It was amazing.

Back to the story... the wrap came today. It's name is The Ride of Her Life. I know the name has meaning to my friend, but honestly the timing of it coming into my life is also kind of huge. I am at the end of a journey that while I am thankful for what it has brought, it was a very trying time. The ride of my life so to speak. 😏

I'm once again humbled by the love I'm surrounded by. I have a pretty amazing village.

My favorite part of moving...

Moves are rough on little people. Even if they are just moving across town. Even if they are moving to a home they already know. Moves are rough. And well, I have 4 little people who are all adjusting in their own ways. The biggest way this is showing is in messed up sleep patterns. Sleeping arrangements are slightly different now and I guess that means sleeping patterns are. Like most parents, I would prefer that this meant sleeping more but alas, that is never the case. They are sleeping less and waking more which means I am tired. So. Damn. Tired.

Insert my new favorite thing. My Keurig that I received free from Influenster to test out. It couldn't have come at a better time. I normally drink my coffee cold but since the fridge isn't upstairs yet, I've been drinking it not only hot but black. And the Keurig does it so well... and in 15 seconds! Along with the machine they sent coffee, English Breakfast tea and hot chocolate. It is all so good. I'm super excited to try some of the other K Cups that they have available and try it over ice.

We bought a zoo!

Ok... not really. But it feels like it.

We moved! Well... we're moving. We have keys and have slept in our new apartment two nights in a row. It still feels a bit surreal but I'm so... amazed. I've spent the last couple of days overwhelmed with feelings. Accomplished. Humbled. Loved. Scared. Anxious. Thankful. Tired.

The kids are loving it. They are running from room to room. From the backyard to the house. Breaking rules they are oh so familiar with. And I am loving it. I love hearing "this is our home now" come out of my three year old's mouth. Each time you can tell she's accepting it just a bit more. I love my eight year old telling me she's going into her room, because she can do that now. The toddler running from room to room screaming "mommy, come here!"

It's amazing. All of it is so amazing. I never thought I would be excited to do dishes. Until this morning. A sink full of dishes from dinner we made last night and I was excited to wash each and every one of them.

This is good. This is so good.

I think I can get used to this...

It's 6:45 PM & not only is the sun still shining, but it's still around 75 degrees out. One of the perks of living in sunny So Cal, huh?

The toddlers demanded ice cream earlier and well, ice cream is one of my weaknesses. Since it was relatively close to when the big kid would be getting out of her after school program, we grabbed ice cream and ate it on the school's lawn. Kadee ate most of hers, Kobi wore most of his. We picked the big kid up and they weren't quite ready to go. There were snails to find and flowers to smell! Plus, this weather is AMAZING.

I guess daylight savings doesn't fully suck?