Birthday Workout: Starting 26 off right!

Today is my 26th birthday.

My family and I celebrated over the weekend. Hubby gave me some cute presents and wrote the sweetest note in my birthday card that I will cherish forever {I am truly so blessed to have him in my life}. He lit the candle on the cheesecake and he and MJ sang, “Happy Birthday” to me while Asey smiled and danced. MJ helped me blow out the candle which was supposed to play music but N couldn’t get it working. Turned out that he just didn’t twist the candle the right way! 🙂

Hubby and I went out on a coffee-and-a-movie date. We went to Starbucks and saw The Maze Runner, which was an amazing movie, by the way! But today, my hubby is back to work and the boys and I have just hung out at home reading books, watching movies, and playing with Legos. I made sure to make some me-time and got a much-needed workout in (you know, to work off that cheesecake!).

It was my first time using these bad little puppies. Hubby got me these kettle bells for my birthday. He knew how long I’ve been wanting them. It was such a good workout that got me sweating and my muscles burning in no time!

But this workout was more than just aworkout! It was my way of starting 26 off right. Twenty-five has been one of the most difficult years of my life. There were more bad times than good. More struggles than success. More tears than laughter… But I have grown. I have made changes. Making my health a priority and accepting that I cannot control everything are just a couple of those changes. This workout was a symbol, a promise to myself to be the best version of me this next year, accepting my failures as well as my victories along the way, and not comparing myself to others because comparison is the thief of joy. Next year will be my golden birthday. By the time I’m 27 I will be in the best place physically and mentally. I will step out of my comfort zone. I will grow spiritually and emotionally. I am so blessed to have come so far in the past year, and I owe it all to God. Everything good in my life is from Him. How lucky I am to be called His daughter! Happy Birthday to me! 🙂

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

How I Trim My Hair at Home

I cut my own hair. Not because I think I’m amazing at it, not because I don’t trust professionals, but because it saves me and my family a TON of money  (I also cut both of my sons’ hair which helps us save even more money). I would spend at least $20 getting a trim at a salon. Costs easily add up since I need several trims throughout the year. Plus, my haircut is simple: long, soft layers, which happens to be one of the most common women’s hairstyles. I am not a hairdresser and I recommend that you go to a professional to get your hair done, but if you want to cut costs, here is what I do: Since I have very coarse, thick, curly hair I always straighten my hair before cutting so I can get a more precise, even cut.

I came across this youtube video by Silvia. She is a hair stylist/colorist in San Francisco. She is so gorgeous and her hair is always perfect! Her video is the clearest and most simple that I have found. I watch this video as I’m cutting my hair and I do everything exactly as she explains it (so I take no credit for this “how to”). It is so helpful to be able to pause and watch certain parts over (and over and over and OVER) again! Here are some before and after photos. My hair definitely needed this trim (despite what my hubby thinks. If it were up to him my hair wouldn’t even know what scissors were!). It was looking really flat and shapeless before! Here are some close-ups of my new, gradual, and soft layers.

      

And this is how I normally like to style my hair.

I love lots of volume and my natural hair texture does that for me. My hair can be super curly! Like ringlets and S curls all over. So I tame it down a bit. After washing and t-shirt drying my hair (using a t-shirt helps reduce frizz), I apply oil from mid-length down to the ends. I let my hair air dry. After it is dry, I use whatever heat-protectant I have on hand then, using a straightener, I run it through my hair smoothing my curls mainly at the top to control frizz, then soften the curls at my ends into a beachy-sort-of-wave. And that’s it! Because this style wears so well I don’t have to style my hair again until I wash it next. Since I’m a stay at home mom, I always throw my hair up into a high bun, which actually helps my waves become more defined and I never have problems with hairband kinks because of my everyday wavy hair.

I hope this is helpful for someone out there! If it is, leave me a comment and let me know how it turned out! And let me know if you have any hair tips for me!