Tear-free childs salon cut

How to make your child’s first or next trip to the salon/barber free of tears:

1. Prepare your child ahead of time by talking about the experience. Tell them what will happen and what your expectations of them are. If it’s their first haircut take them with you a few times beforehand when you get your haircut so that they can see it, and have the Stylist show them what they will be doing first. (Please use clippers for your boys; nothing is scarier than getting cut during your first haircut.) Plan ahead, either schedule an appointment or plan to have something with you to occupy your child while you wait so that they start off the cut in a good, calm mood.
2. Go with your child to the stylist’s chair and talk with the stylist face to face. If you don’t want your son or daughter to come back with a Mohawk but you know they might be thinking about getting one then don’t be surprised if that’s what happens if you didn’t talk to the stylist yourself.
3. Compromise, compromise, compromise!!!!! It’s just hair, it will grow back and keep growing, there is very little that can be done to hair that is truly permanent and if you force your kids to get a hairstyle they hate they will either find a way to get what they want or rebel in bigger, worse ways, you just may not know about it.
4. Utilize your Stylist, they didn’t spend as much as $16000 dollars and 2000 hours of schooling to just learn how to do a basic cut and trim, they're usually up to date on the fashion trends and can help you with most hair dilemmas whether it’s how to treat problem hair or how to keep both you and your kid happy when the hairstyles you want are diametrically opposed.
5. Don't ever threaten them with something you won't actually do, I can't tell you how many time I've heard a parent tell their kid that they'll take them home and shave their heads if they keep acting up, and not one of them have ever even left the salon without the haircut and a lot of tears for the kid and frustration for everyone else there. No one like being around when that's going on.

Successful Mothering? I hope so.

I'm typing this blog while my son is sitting in his exersaucer and we play "peek-a-boo" with my laptop screen to hide my face, if I don't come out from behind the screen soon enough then he starts trying to look around the screen to find me; he's so cute. Multi-tasking might be hard sometimes but this kind is certainly fine by me.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what kinds of things I'd like to have on this blog so that it's more than just me going on and on about whatever I think of. I'd certainly like to know if there is anything in particular any of you would like me to talk about, I'm always open to suggestions and feedback.

On another note there's a convention coming up in February for "Successful Mothering" that I'm really excited about they have some great workshops and so many to choose from that I don't know how I'm going to choose which ones I'll go to. I really hope to see a lot of people there, this convention is something that I wish had been available years ago. Moms need support more and more these days and I'm happy to see that it's coming.

Self Care

After the show today I got to thinking more about the importance of self care, not only for yourself but also for your loved ones, because if we don't take the time to care for ourselves by eating right, staying healthy, and taking a little time-out for ourselves then our families don't really get us they just get the shell of us. (And they don't get us for as long.) I know that I said on "Studio 5" that I don't like waling as one of my self care things but I have decided that I need to just start making it a priority because I take the effort to be careful about what goes into and onto my body and when I do actually get going I really do enjoy it. I guess I'll make it my New Years Resolution to walk for at least 15 minutes everyday. Now you all can hold me accountable to it.

I have to admit that for all my talking about the importance of self care, I have a hard time asking for it myself, before my son was born I had made a deal with my husband that I would get an hour everyday when he would take our son and I could do whatever I wanted. That went out the window the first day though when I couldn't even conceive leaving my son for even a second. The weeks and months went by and whenever I would get over stressed I would start off by yelling at my husband over little things until I would just break down and cry and then he would take my son for a few hours while I slept and took a bath and maybe even went out for a little while. After getting sick of this cycle my husband and I decided that it was time to go back to the hour break a day, without me asking for it, and it has been working out MUCH MUCH better ever since. I still take my "15 Minute Holidays" once or twice during the day so that I'm never too worn out when my husband gets home and he can take a break for a little bit before taking over.

So here is the question that I want to ask everyone is how do you do it and what do you do to recharge? I can't wait to here your comments and suggestions.

I also want to thank everyone at Studio 5 for allowing me to share my ideas and for being so great.

"15 Minute Holidays" as seen on "Studio 5"

So many people, especially moms, have a hard time taking time for them; this is a way that you can give yourself a little boost without all of the guilt that we tend to heap on ourselves. Most of these ideas don’t require spending a single penny but they do require that you enjoy them.

Tips to get the most out of your “15 Minute Holiday”:

1. Leave the world behind you.
2. Set a timer with a gentle alarm.
3. Pick something that will leave you feeling better about yourself.
4. Savor your “getaway”.
5. Give yourself a minute to come back to “reality”.

Ideas to get you going:

• A walk
• A short yoga or Tai Chi workout
• Dancing to your favorite music
• Talking with a friend on the phone
• Bubble bath with candles, bath oil* and music
• Self manicure and pedicure
• Reading a favorite book in a quiet spot
• Meditation**
• Aromatherapy

Feel free to add anything that you enjoy to this list, it’s just to give you some ideas to get started.

*Easy Bath Oil

In a small bottle (2-8 ounces) pour in a carrier oil, like sweet almond oil, and then put in about 1/8 teaspoon of Vitamin E Oil and a few drops of an essential oil that you like, i.e. lavender. Close the bottle and shake it gently to mix the oils together and then pour a little into your bath before getting in.

Again my favorite supplier for this is www.glorybeefoods.com They will give a 10% discount to anyone who calls in their first order and mentions Studio 5.

**The easiest way to get started meditating is to pick something to focus on like a word or a picture and then let that idea fill your mind and push all other thoughts out. The more you do it the easier it gets and you’d be amazed at the benefits you start to notice.

Homemade Beauty as seen on "Studio 5"

Sugar Scrub:

• oil
• sugar or salt
• Vitamin E (optional)

Pour sugar or salt into your container leaving enough room to stir and then pour the oil in until it covers the sugar/ salt. Add a few drops of vitamin E oil. Blend ingredients well.

Scoop out a nickel size amount and rub over hands or other dry, rough area for about 30 seconds to 1 minute and then rinse and pat dry. Oil will absorb completely in a few minutes. Keep in a cool place.

You can also add Aloe Vera juice but you will have to stir the mixture before every use and keep it in the fridge. Be sure to use it within a month if you do so for best advantages from the Aloe Vera

Oils for each skin type:

• All Skin Types- Grapeseed Oil, Jojoba Oil, Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil
• Oily or Combination Skin- Aloe Vera Oil, Hazelnut Oil
• Normal Skin- Apricot Kernel Oil
• Dry Skin- Apricot Kernel Oil, Shea Butter, Sunflower Oil
• Sensitive Skin- Sweet Almond Oil, Wheatgerm Oil
• Ageing Skin- Macadamia Nut Oil, Wheatgerm Oil
• Sun Protection- Sesame Seed Oil, Shea Butter

Adding a few drops of Carrot Seed essential oil to any of these recipes is very good for balancing oily and dry skin and rejuvenating ageing skin.

Natural Skin Lightener:

Grated potatoes can lighten under-eye circles. Potatoes contain an enzyme called catecholase, which is used in cosmetics as a human skin lightener.

For Under Eye Circles:
Run one spud through your food processor and stuff the raw mash into a piece of cheesecloth.

Apply to the area directly beneath your eye — don't let the potato juice come in contact with the eye itself — and leave for 15 to 20 minutes.

Natural skin resurfacer:

• Completely dissolve 1/8 tsp into 1 cup of water.
• Soak a cotton ball in the solution and apply to the skin, let sit for about 2-5 minutes and then wash face with cool water and a soft cloth.

Do not use more than once a week. Papain is an enzyme that is found in Papaya fruit and is the active ingredient in meat tenderizer. It breaks down the peptide bonds that hold the dead skin cells together.

Epsom Salt Benefits:

Better health through soaking

Magnesium can be ingested as a nutritional supplement, but studies show that a wide variety of factors can interfere with their effectiveness. But all of the subjects in a recent study experienced increased magnesium levels from soaking in a bath enriched with magnesium sulfate crystals, commonly known as Epsom Salt.

Raising your magnesium levels may:

Improve heart and circulatory health.

Improve the body's ability to use insulin.

Flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells.

Improve nerve function by regulating electrolytes.

Relieve stress.

Epsom Salt also delivers sulfates, which are extremely difficult to get through food but which readily absorb through the skin.

For more information on the full benefits of Epsom Salt go to www.epsomsaltcouncil.org

Lip Balm Recipes as seen on "Studio 5"

Easy Lip Balm:

Ingredients: 3 parts grated unbleached or bleached beeswax; 5 parts carrier oil ( see the list below or you can even use regular vegetable); essential oil; 1 part honey, for flavor and mild preservative.

1. Melt the beeswax and carrier oil together in the top of a double boiler, stirring to combine. Remove from heat; add honey and essential oil, the amount varies put in to your liking. Mix thoroughly so the honey does not clump.

2. If you'd like to add a little color, stir in a dab of lipstick, it will cool lighter than it looks when melted. Pour the mixture into containers; let sit 20 minutes before covering or moving. For glossier lip balm, use less wax or more carrier oil. To avoid the formation of a hole in the tube’s center, first fill it just past shaft; let cool, and then fill to rim. Let cool for 20 minutes before moving the containers or adding lids.

Complex Lip Balm Recipe:

20% Beeswax

25% Solid Oil (Solid, at room temperature, has almost the same consistency of room temperature butter, maybe a little thicker. Like Shea Butter or Coconut Oil.

15% Brittle Oil (Just like it sounds, is firm and solid at room temperature. The consistency is just like a very hard clod of dried mud. Like Cocoa Butter.)

40% Liquid Oil (The oils I list below are great but even plain old vegetable oil will work just fine.)

Vitamin E oil: (optional, but acts as a natural preservative.)

* tips:

• If you don't want to use any honey then the ratio is 1 part beeswax to 2 parts oil for the easy recipe.
• To make a small trial batch make the easy recipe using tablespoons, it'll make about 1/2 ounce.
  
• a pixie stix is also a great way to add color, flavor, and scent to your lip balms, it’s great for kids and adults alike.
• Anything you add to this should be edible and oil based, if you want to use food coloring to tint it make SURE that it is oil based.
• I haven't tried the comple recipe because I like to keep things simple and I like the easy recipe a lot anyway but I got the recipe from pretendingsanity.com and she loves this recipe and even sells the lip balm.
  

*The easy recipe was converted from Martha Stewart's web site.

Oils for each skin type;

• All Skin Types- Grapeseed Oil, Jojoba Oil, Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil
• Oily or Combination Skin- Aloe Vera Oil, Hazelnut Oil
• Normal Skin- Apricot Kernel Oil
• Dry Skin- Apricot Kernel Oil, Shea Butter, Sunflower Oil
• Sensitive Skin- Sweet Almond Oil, Wheatgerm Oil
• Ageing Skin- Macadamia Nut Oil, Wheatgerm Oil
• Sun Protection- Sesame Seed Oil, Shea Butter

Adding a few drops of Carrot Seed essential oil to any of these recipes is very good for balancing oily and dry skin and rejuvenating ageing skin.

This site has almost everything you could want or need to make the lip balms and other homemade products:

www.glorybeefoods.com

To find the best prices on containers and great selection of all kinds of containers go to:

www.containerandpackaging.com

(They have a minimum order of $50 but no minimum quantities.)

Hello

Hello Everyone!!
I wanted to create this blog as a place to share all the great things that I've been able to share on Studio 5 as well as create a space where everyone else can share as well. Think of this blog as a haven for all of you who love what is beautiful about this world.

If you are like me then your interests are so varied that you'd need an hour just to rattle them all off. So this will also highlight any and all things that interest me at the time. Because I love making my life easier I will also have google links to things that I'm talking about and wil always tell you where I've found the best stuff and the best deals.

I really hope that we can create a wonderful little community here and I will create a full website if this blog gets enough traffic and participation to warrant it.