Update — Day 2 of the Sock Bun

November 15, 2011 By 2 Comments

Yesterday I provided a glowing review of the sock bun curling method.

Today I must provide an update that’s … um, not so glowing.

I did the sock bun again last night, and I woke up this morning looking like Hermione in her first year at Hogwarts.  (Not a Harry Potter fan?  I’m talking about big, frizzy, poofy hair.)

I managed to wrangle the poof into a pony tail, so the hair day wasn’t a total loss.  I now resemble a bushy-tailed squirrel instead.  :)

So I’m trying to figure out why my first sock bun attempt resulted in pretty flowing curls, and my second sock bun attempt resulted in a frizzy, poofy mess.

The first time, I had blow-dried my hair straight earlier that morning, so I was rolling smooth hair into the sock bun.

The second time, I had let my hair dry naturally, so I was rolling wavy hair into the sock bun.

I’m thinking the sock bun only works well on hair that’s straight to begin with.  Have you tried it yet?  How’d it work out for you?

God bless,
Megan

 

 

Filed Under: Green living, Health and Beauty, How To's for Tired Mamas

How to get gorgeous curls while you sleep (it’s sooo easy!)

November 14, 2011 By 4 Comments

I was wasting spending time on Pinterest the other day, and I discovered a positively magnificent hair styling method for exhausted stay-at-home moms.

(Yeah, that’s right, I just used “magnificent” in a sentence that had nothing to do with magicians.  I was an English major; I can’t help myself.)

This method:

  • creates beautiful flowing curls
  • only takes 1 minute
  • uses no heat
  • uses no styling products
  • is so easy anyone (yep, even a mama who’s running on 2 hours of sleep) can do it

I’m sure the suspense is killing you, so here it is.

Sock bun.  (Click here to find out how to do it.)

Sounds weird, I know.  Here’s the gist.  You use a rolled-up sock to put your hair into a bun (hence the term “sock bun”), sleep on it, wake up, remove the sock bun, and voila!  Gorgeous curls.

I know, it sounds too good to be true.  And as we all know, things that sound too good to be true usually are.

But I decided there’s no harm in giving it a try.  And I was totally surprised by the results.

It actually works. 

Here’s what my hair looked like after a night of sleeping in my sock bun.

No product in my hair, no curling iron, nada.   And the best part?  The curls held all day long.

I don’t know about you, but I’m too busy trying to make sure Little Man doesn’t choke on a grape to spend 45 minutes blowing out my hair and curling it to perfection.  And yet … somehow, the wet-hair-in-a-ponytail look just isn’t cutting it anymore.

Now, I realize that what works for my hair won’t necessarily work for yours.   My hair is fine, naturally wavy, tends to frizz, and is highly damaged by years of coloring and heat styling.  I’m not sure how the sock bun would work for a straight-haired gal.

Are you brave enough to give the sock bun a try?  I’d love to hear if it works for you.

God bless,
Megan

– UPDATE: The second time I did the sock bun, I woke up and my hair was a hot (frizzy) mess!  Find out why. –

I’m linked up over at Domestically Divine Tuesday and Teach Me Tuesdays!


Growing Home

Filed Under: Green living, Health and Beauty, How To's for Tired Mamas

5 Ways to Cure a Cold, Naturally

October 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment


I woke up yesterday feeling … bleh.

You know that feeling when you’re not totally sick, but you’re definitely not 100%, and you just know your immune system is working around the clock to fight off whatever pathogen is attempting to take hold in your body?

I had that feeling.

It got progressively worse as the day went on.  I was sitting in a comfy chair at Barnes and Noble, watching Little Man play at the Thomas the Train table when I realized that I had crossed the line into full-blown sick.  The room was spinning, swallowing had become painful, and a swipe of my brow revealed that indeed, I was sweating for no apparent reason.

Much to Little Man’s dismay, I cut the “choo-choo” fun short and headed over to Whole Foods in search of some immunity-boosting tea.  I was in full pajamas and in bed by 6pm.

When I woke up this morning, I felt much, much better.

Since cold and flu season is upon us and most of us will be battling illness all winter long, I’m sharing what helped nip my cold in the bud:

  1. Prayer — I asked God to touch me with His healing and supernaturally strengthen my immune system.  And you know what?  He did.  “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.” (James 5:15a)
  2. Orange juice — A refreshing glass of OJ gave my body a much-needed vitamin C boost.
  3. Traditional Medicinals Organic Echinacea Plus herbal tea — I picked up this caffeine-free herbal tea at Whole Foods, on sale for $3.50 a box.  I grabbed two boxes, since the package says to drink 5-6 cups throughout the day.  Although the jury is still out on whether echinacea is effective at shortening the duration of a cold, it tastes yummy, soothes my throat, and it just might have contributed to my feeling better today.
  4. Chicken soup — While echinacea is somewhat controversial, not so with chicken soup.  It’s been clinically proven as an effective cold remedy.  And I can attest to its power.  I treated myself to a heaping bowl of Whole Foods Mom’s Chicken Soup, and wow.   I inhaled its savory aroma, thought of my grandma and felt better immediately.
  5. Sleep — Three weeks’ worth of unorganized coupons beckoned, but I forced myself to go to bed right after Little Man.  And boy, am I glad I did.  His last canine tooth is still — STILL — not in, and nights have been rough.  I was awake with him for three hours in the middle of the night, and I was so thankful I had gone to bed early.

So that’s what worked for me.  How do you stay healthy when you feel a sickness coming on?

God bless,
Megan

 

Filed Under: Green living, Health and Beauty

Going Green vs. Saving Green — Do You Have to Choose? (Part 1)

October 27, 2011 By 17 Comments

There’s a difference between the me that I want to be (that girl I think of as my best self) and the me that I actually am (we’ll call her my real self).

My best self is one green mama.  She can be found at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, carefully selecting only the healthiest, most delicious and (obviously) organic food for her family.  She doesn’t taint her body with scary-sounding chemicals like sulfates and parabens.  Her home is kept scrupulously clean using all-natural cleaning products, with nary a Scrubbing Bubbles can or Clorox wipe in sight.

Yeah…

My real self is not quite there yet.  I do most of my grocery shopping at Aldi and Wal-Mart.  Some of my beauty products fall into the green category, sure, but open my bathroom closet and you’ll also find decidedly un-green products like Pantene Pro-V shampoo, Secret deodorant and Dial soap.  And my house?  If it’s ever scrupulously clean, it’s likely that bleach had something to do with it.

So why the disparity between the kind of mama I want to be and the kind of mama I actually am?

In a word, money.

In my experience, being green and being frugal don’t usually go hand in hand.

And when forced to choose between saving money and sparing my family from potentially harmful chemicals, I’m not exactly proud to admit that saving money usually wins out.  We are a single-income family, after all.

In this series, I’m going to explore the true cost of the food we put in our bodies, the health and beauty products we put on our bodies, and the cleaning products we use in our homes.

Is it possible to be green and frugal at the same time?

Stick with me to find out.  In part 2 of this series, I’ll be looking at food.

Filed Under: Feeding Your Family, Green living, Health and Beauty, Homemaking