What Really Happens When You Plan Something Fun For Your Kids

I have three precious little boys that I love very dearly. For many years, my husband, Austin, and I have felt very discouraged when we plan something fun for them. Often times, they end up fussing, crying, or fighting with each other and it makes the time together frustrating. For a long time, Austin and I would just say we weren't going to plan any special things until they could figure out how to handle it better. While those were all empty threats, we have learned some things to put in practice. We changed out mindset, and it has really helped us.



Follow this link to see some of the things that we have learned through our journey of planning special things to do with our children.

The Reality of Planning Special Activities With Your Family

How to Lighten Your Underarms Naturally

If you are anything like me, you have struggled with dark and unsightly underarms. Don't you just hate how dirty the look, even though you know they are clean? Here is a tutorial that shows you exactly what you need to do to lighten your underarms naturally. This is better for your skin than to use a skin bleaching system.



Instead of using skin bleaching products, consider doing these methods to naturally whiten skin at home.

Tame Frizzy Curly Hair

I have had curly hair all of my life and it has only been in the recent years that I know how to keep it from being less frizzy. Many people come and compliment me on my hair and say how they wish they had curly hair. While I have accepted the hair I have, it isn't always a good as people think it is. It is a lot of work to keep curly hair from looking frizzy.



Here is a tutorial I created to show how I do my hair every morning.

Non-Verbal Cues and Communication

Don't you hate when you are talking with someone and it turns out that they did not clearly understand what you were saying? In a romantic relationship, that makes for a frustrating argument later on. There are so many components that go into communicating well with those that you love. In your marriage relationship and dating relationship, it is so important that you figure out how to clearly express yourself.



How do you increase your communication? Is it merely by talking more? Most often, the words you use have little to do with how you have been understood. Your body language and tone of voice will tell the other person things you didn't intend to say.



To understand a little more how non-verbal cue play a part in communicating, check out this article.

How Non-Verbal Cues Affect Communication in Your Marriage and Dating Relationships

Hair tutorial for a 1 minute updo

This is a very simple style summer updo that can be done in about a minute. I really enjoy doing my hair like this when I want something that looks a little bit more dressy. All you need for the look is a hair band and a maybe a few bobby pins if you have fine hair.



Anytime I can do a quick throw together hairstyle, I feel very accomplished. Hope you enjoy this hair tutorial I created.

DIY Gifts Are Special

Blame it on my artistic nature, but I just love to hand make gifts for the people in my life. Also, some of my decision to make DIY gifts is out of necessity. My husband Austin and I have rarely had the money to purchase anything of real value for our friends, family, children, and each other. Doing craft projects is one of the ways that I have been able to give to those in my life without going broke.



There have been times when having to make homemade gifts for others has actually been a source of discouragement to me. When you feel obligated to do something, it can take a little bit of the joy out of it. Not only that, I thought I was cheating my children and family out of more valuable gifts. I was pretty astonished when in passing, my oldest child said, "Homemade gifts are the best". It really did change my perspective that this was something that he appreciated. Maybe this will be a fond childhood memory when he gets older that his mom always made him homemade gifts.



In the spirit of my crafting nature, Austin decided to tackle a jewelry making project for me last year on my birthday. I was so surprised that he took on that task since he is not really very crafty himself.



You can click this link Homemade Gifts Are the Best to see the picture of the necklace he made me. Later on, he actually made earrings to go with this necklace. It was a real blessing to see him go outside of his comfort zone to show me how much he cares for me.

Technology- A Way to Stay Connected

In this age of technology, I'm finding more and more ways that my cell phone and internet can improve my life. When I use social media platforms like Facebook or apps like Snapchat to reach out to my husband during the day, I feel much more connected to him. When you are so busy in your life, you have to come up with creative ways to connect to the world around you. This is also important with friendships in your life. We can so easily get too busy for our friends. When we abandon our relationships to pursue materialistic things, or maybe even other good things, we are still hurting ourselves. As part of humanity, we need to have human interaction and mental connection with others.



Click the link:Ways You Can Use Technology to Enhance Your Marriage and Dating Relationships to read about some ways I've incorporated technology into enhancing my marriage relationship.

Why Should You Make Homemade Laundry Detergent

I have been making my own detergent for over 5 years. This is a complete breakdown of how I make laundry detergent in my kitchen. With a family of 5, I make this recipe about once every 2 months. It is very cost efficient along with simple to do. You can read my full recipe by following the link below.

Why Should You Make Homemade Laundry Detergent