January, 2011 | The Angel Forever

Monthly Archives January 2011

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Hair Care With Aveeno

Posted on January 12, 2011 7:23 am by TheAngelForever

Thick, wavy/culy, and very frizzy hair is what I have to deal with on a daily basis. I am always in search of new products that will assist me in battling my nemesis. Thanks to this, when Family Review Network offered an opportunity to try some hair care products from Aveeno, I jumped at the chance. We have bought a lot of other Aveeno products in our house, but I had never tried them for my hair.

I received the following items to try with my hair:

These are the Nourish + Volumize shampoo and conditioner, along with the Nourish + Style Smoothing Shine Crème from the Aveeno Active Naturals line. Since I have frizzy hair, I requiest to try out the creme, but the selection of shampoo and conditioner was randomly sent to me.

More about Aveeno’s partnership with Patrick Melville:

Aveeno has recently paired up with celebrity hairstylist Patrick Melville.

Melville has worked with countless A-list celebrities (including Ashley Judd, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Demi Moore, and Eva Longoria), and has in-depth styling experience. He now teams up with Aveeno to use his wealth of knowledge for all things hair care related.

Melville has used his expertise to give some tips to use that will help people with common hair troubles during this season:

Get ready for this season’s festivities by going with a look that can be worn from the office to the office party. Keep it sleek and simple with an up-do in the morning and be sure to take any accessories, pins, or hair ties you need to re-primp and jazz it up at the office. Remember less is more: adding a simple headband or jeweled-piece provides that extra layer for a perfect evening look.

Always prep your hairstyle with a proper wash. Remember to comb any tangles out before you wet it and use warm water to open the cuticles of the hair and to wash all the oil and dirt off. Then, you only need a dollop of shampoo to rub your hands together and apply to your scalp. Take note that you should put the shampoo on your scalp and not at the ends of your hair. Rinse your hair with cold water afterwards to close the cuticles and add to the shine of your hair. Whether you are looking for a smooth, wavy or curly style, I recommend using AVEENO® NOURISH+ Shampoos and Conditioners to keep your hair naturally beautiful for any occasion.

To flatten frizz on the go, dampen your hands with a finishing spray or smoothing agent like the AVEENO® NOURISH+ STYLE Shine Crème. Run hands through your hair, and then loosely pull your hair back into a bun. Wait 15 minutes and take your strands down for flawless, shiny hair in minutes.

When you’re strapped for time do the T-zone blow-dry: dry down your part and around your hairline only. Not only will you look finished, but your hair will thank you. For best results with lasting hold all day long, use the AVEENO® NOURISH+ VOLUMIZE Shampoo and Conditioner in addition to the NOURISH+ STYLE Volumizing Foam – this combo will give you great volume and hold your style for 12 hours.

Many people make styling curly hair harder than it needs to be. Classic curls are in this season, so if you have them, rock them! To define and pump up those curls, use a conditioning leave-in treatment with a curl-defining spray to add softness and de-frizz those curls. I love to use the AVEENO® NOURISH+ STYLE Curl-Defining Spray Gel on my clients.

Think about giving the gift of beauty for the Holidays. Not only is it practical, but there’s no better gift than that of pampering someone you love. I recommend a gift certificate with at least one product to round it out, like: The Patrick Melville Salon Signature Blow Out with the AVEENO® NOURISH+ STYLE Shine Crème. It provides nourishment needed to keep hair healthy looking and manageable after the salon.

What I Thought:

When I went to use the Aveeno shampoo and conditioner the first thing I noteiced was the scent. It was not intense, did not make me sneeze, and was quite nice. Too many times I can not use hair care products because of the smells. WHen I was washing my hair, it was very easy to lather the shampoo, and the conditioner was thick and felt very smooth when I put it into my hair. I have to admit, I was a bit worried. As a frizzy haired person with very thick hair, I would not have selected the volumizing line. I probably would have grabbed the Nourish + Moisturize one since my hair is very dry year round. When my hair was washed, I loved how easy it was to style. I had no snarls and it felt so smooth.

Next up, I put in the Smoothing Shine Creme that is supposed to help with the frizzy issues I battle. I have to admit, I am not entirely sure how this worked. Thanks to wind, snow storms,hat, and scarves my hair was pretty abused during this time. I really am intrigued to see how it will do in the hot and humid weather that will be back here before we know it. Even with the extreme weather, I will say that my hair was extremely soft and seemed less frizzy in general.

Once again, another Aveeno line of products that I like and will definitely consider buying more of in the future.

Disclosure: This post was written for Family Review Network & Aveeno who provided the complimentary product in exchange for my honest reviwew. No other compensation was given and all opinions are 100% mine.

Categories:
me moments Product review

The Sickies Strike Back

Posted on January 11, 2011 10:42 am by TheAngelForever

JSL started nursery school in September. I braced myself for illnesses to keep him home from school. When NHL started daycare, he was sick all the time. It appears that having a big brother has helped to exposed JSL a lot. Sure, he has had a cold here and there, but nothing too exciting.

Today, he is home from school for the first time. Sunday night he was coughing horribly. TechyDad and I were very worried and eventually did a nebulizer treatment that helped some. I decided to take JSL to get the cough checked since it had intensified over a 2-3 week span. It also allowed me to have his ears checked for any fluid concerns.

We went to the doctor and everything checked out. No fluid in his ears, glads were not swollen, and lungs perfectly clear. Since the cough has been hanging on antibiotic was given before starting more aggressive asthma therapy. We left, picked up the medicine at Target.

When TechyDad got home from work JSL refused to eat dinner. He was curled up on the couch coughing horribly. We decided to do a nebulizer treatment to see if it would ease things up. A short time later he started coughing so hard he got sick and was vomiting. Then he complained that his head hurt.

RED ALERT! Why you ask? Well, JSL often shows no signs of a fever when his temperature is spiking. Febrile seizures are often our first clue. The last few times he was sick he complained that his head hurt. Sure enough, that was how we checked and saw he had a fever.

JSL’s temperature was going up, so we gave him Ibuprofen and he settled in to sleep on my bed.

All was good until 9:00. JSL woke up coughing terribly. You could see his chest caving in as he made horrible sounds. Steam, cold, and other tricks were used. The doctor was called and gave us things to try to avoid a trip to the ER. He told me what he thought it was given what the PA had seen/said and what he could hear over the phone.

It was a LONG night filled with more tossing of cookies, coughing, and worries. This morning TechyDad went to get some Fever All to help with the temperature control. Even better, the little guy is asking for crackers and drinking a good amount of Rite Aid Bubble Gum flavored electrolyte drink.

So pardon me, I’m off to take care of my sick little guy and hope we can avoid going to the hospital for whatever is kicking his poor little body.

Feel free to leave a message for JSL, he likes to hear from people Smile

Categories:
doctor jsl photos sick kid

Tooth Fairy Time Again

Posted on January 10, 2011 11:24 am by TheAngelForever

Sunday morning NHL was eating breakfast on the couch. TechyDad was getting ready to take him for his Hebrew lesson. Suddenly, I heard NHL yell that he lost his tooth. I went into the room and he was laughing and way too calm. I honestly did not believe that a tooth had been lost.

Why? A little history. Prior to this, NHL had needed assistance from the dentist to get his teeth out. In fact, the last time the teeth did not loosen up a lot and he was afraid of them coming out. When we noticed that he had 3-4 wiggly teeth, he was excited. We would often find him with his hands in his mouth wiggling them to get them out. Suddenly he was interested in a visit from the Tooth Fairy.

So on Sunday I watched as he got up off the couch to search for something. I asked what he was looking for. Again, he told me his tooth. So I asked NHL to open his mouth and show me.

Oh my goodness! Not only did NHL have a tooth missing, it was different than the one I was expecting to come out first. So the two of us looked on the couch and we quickly found it. While he was showing the tooth to JSL and TechyDad, I went to locate the Tooth Fairy pillow.

Last night the Tooth Fairy came to our house. She left NHL a new book, dollar coin, and a note. Now we wait and see when the next visit will be. My guess it will be sooner rather than later.

What did you get from the Tooth Fairy as a child and what do your children get these days? Inquiring minds would love to know.

Categories:
milestone nhl photos teething

A Big Brother Sleigh Ride

Posted on January 9, 2011 1:48 pm by TheAngelForever

Yesterday, I wrote the boys a letter for Dear Kid Saturday. In it, I mentioned we played outside in the yard to enjoy the snow. For the life of me, I do not know why we have never done this before. Some of it may have been the old fence pieces, and the tree stump that was finally removed. Whatever it was, I am so glad we did it. Here is another video of NHL and JSL having a blast:

Now I think TechyDad and I need to really contemplate getting rid of the mulberry tree in the back. If that was gone, the boys could use the yard more and not have to worry about berries all over everything during a good portion of the warmer months.

Ah, the joys of owning a home.

Categories:
fun house jsl nhl TechyDad video weekend winter

A Snow Filled Apology

Posted on January 8, 2011 9:15 pm by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL and JSL,

This morning we woke up to more snow. Last time it snowed, it was too cold to stay outside and everyone was pretty sick afterward. Today was the perfect chance to head out and get some playing in.

Most of the snow on the sidewalk out front was already gone, so we had to think about a place to use the sled. Daddy suggested we try the back yard. This is where my apology comes in. For some reason we have NEVER gone to play in the snow back there.

Now, I think we all know that this was a huge mistake. Both of you had an amazing time. You made a sled track, made snow castles, snow cakes, and even tried to make angels. It was so much fun watching you romp, play, laugh, and enjoy the time together.

I brought my camera outside to capture some of the memories. For now I am going to show you one video I took. This video is of NHL being chased by Daddy pulling around JSL. The three of you had a blast romping in the snow: