Pert Plus & Infusium 23 for back-to-school {Giveaway}

Closed- Winner is Heather! Congratulations!

Back-to-school is in full swing and we are super busy around here! Both girls have their regular school schedules, volleyball and their extra curricular activities. Thinking about their hair seems to be an added stress these days. It is essential that they girls have the right products to keep them looking their best. Infusium 23’s Repair & Renew collection offers just a little more luxury to their usual haircare routine. This three-step system provides protection from daily elements and styling, leaving hair healthy, shiny and damage-free all year long. Repair & Renew Shampoo thoroughly cleanses to remove residue and buildup while nourishing from root to tip. Repair & Renew Conditioner seriously hydrates stressed locks, providing softness, manageability and shine. Repair & Renew Leave-In Treatment restores healthy texture and strengthens hair against future damage.These products work so well on both of my daughters' biracial hair. They have both been happy with how soft their hair has been since using the 3-step collection. I even tried a little of the leave-in treatment my 4 year old son's hair and it made a huge difference. His hair is less poofy and looks a lot smoother.

Now back-to-school is not only for the kids, but parents too! I am always ripping and running all over the place and have to do my best to manage my time. This is why I love Pert Plus 2-in-1. I am a wash-n-go kind of lady so this 2-in-1 works well for me. It gives me just the right amount of moisture and does not leave any residue. It's great for daily use and is safe for color-treated hair. I love the way it leaves my hair smelling. Pert Plus comes in 5 varieties so you can find one to suit your hair care needs. You just can't beat getting the job done in one easy step! 

How would you like to win some of the products featured here? One lucky Momfiles will win a Pert Plus and Infusium 23 gift pack. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on September 20, 2012. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

I received product samples for review and all thoughts/opinions are completely my own.

Trying to keep it together

I have been absent from the online world lately. My days are filled with all things back-to-school, volleyball practices, registration, senior pictures, preschool (at home) preparations, being a good wife, keeping our home in order and taking some down time with the family. It has consumed my time! I have had some really good days as well as some trying ones. So far, both girls are ready to start school next week. They both are fully registered, picked up books, got lockers and have completed everything needed for a smooth start. They also have been going through volleyball conditioning all summer long and had try-outs last week. Both of them made the Girl's Varsity team! The first scrimmage of the season is today. It is going to be a treat to watch my girls play together on the same team. They are excited about it as well...it is heart-warming :)

I have been getting things together for William to get him ready for kindergarten next year. It is so different teaching him that it was with the girls. I beat myself up a lot because there is so much he does not know or has trouble with. I feel like I am failing him most days. Sometimes I have a good cry and want to throw in the towel and just put him in pre-k. Other days, he does an amazing job and shows how much he is absorbing. My problem is that when my girls were little, technology had not quite blossomed yet. We didn't have a computer until the oldest started kindergarten and it was a while before we obtained digital gadgets. Of course back in the day, our means of learning was to physically go to the library and check out books for projects. Now in this day, our kids will receive mandatory mini notebook computers for school use. I am surprised they still have actual books. I know one thing though, some of the most basic things in life can't be taught from a computer. I have vowed to focus in on William and make sure I give him all I can over the course of the next year, to get him where he needs to be. I will fight through my own insecurities and anxiety and do whatever it takes.

If anyone has any tips to share on things I can incorporate into preschool at home, I would appreciate it! So is everyone ready for school to start back?

What do you do when you are allergic to everything?

For many years now, our daughter Briahnna has been going through treatment for a variety of allergies. Her first 2 series of allergy testing revealed that she was allergic to all the elements dealing with the outdoors as well as dust, mold, pet dander etc.... Today we took her to get tested since it has been about 3 years and this time was a big shock to us all. She had 30 different allergens injected into both forearms. The left arm was all  foods and the right was pollen, trees and other non-food things. She also had a series of individual outdoor allergens injected via needles into her upper arm. It turns out that she tested positive for everything! 

 You see how raised her skin is? She is allergic to just about everything it seems including all pollen, mold, grass, weeds, trees, dust, pets, and virtually anything that floats in the air.

She never had food allergies before and now she does. Although her food allergies are not all at dangerous levels, it still surprised us since they are the everyday type of things. Now she can only incorporate eggs, potatoes, chicken and several other foods into her diet every 4-5 days. Other things like tomatoes, pecans, peanuts and corn should be avoided all together. We were told that the symptoms of food allergies can vary from headaches, sneezing, itching, nausea or upset stomach. It was recommended for Brie to start a food diary to see what type of reaction she has to the foods she is more allergic to. If they are something she can live with, she can continue to eat them. She made the joke that she would not have been offended if she was allergic to carrots, cucumbers or other foods she does not care for to begin with. The good thing is she will continue on the allergy shots which have helped her immensely. She will have to go from one injection each week to three. Thankfully she is very laid back and does just fine with that sort of thing.

I do recommend that if your child shows symptoms of allergies, you should get them allergy tested. It is so important to know the triggers so you can do your best to avoid them. We were also told that allergy symptoms change every two years.

Do you or your child suffer from allergies that require regular treatment?

Tips on battling boredom from a Veteran Mom

School is officially out for the Summer in our city and I think often to times when my kids would say, "I'm bored!" I have been mommin' it up for almost 18 years so I feel like I have a lot of experience dealing with these situations. I took it upon myself to make up a list of some very good tips on how parents can help their kids fight boredom this Summer. I can almost guarantee these will work!

When your kids tell you they are bored you can respond with:

• How about going outside and pulling some weeds from the garden and alongside the house? Why not increase the fun by mowing the lawn? Um, you mean like out in the sun? Where you sweat? 
• How about we go buy 10 Sunday newspapers and clip all the coupons so we can go out on and extreme couponing shopping adventure! They will quickly run away because they don't want to be humiliated pushing 6 carts through the store. 
• Would you like me to have your dad sit you down for one of his lectures? If your husband is like mine, he can talk 'em to tears!
• Go clean the baseboards, ceiling fans and kitchen cabinets. I think my kids would be rolling their eyes in their mind :)
• How about going to the dentist? You can get a cleaning and see what else they find that can be taken care of! If you told me this I would RUN! 
• Go bathe the dog and then blow dry him. Wet dog smell on a teenage girl? Not happening!
• Go read a book. They get all huffy because they felt like that's all they did when school was in session.
• Wanna help paint some rooms in the house? This starts off as fun and after a few swipes they usually start to whine. 

I have tested these out and they all worked the very first time. You can thank me later! ;-)

Braces update

Brie has been in braces for about a year and 5 months now. Last year in December, she had oral surgery to have a baby tooth removed and to expose the adult tooth that has been growing in the roof of her mouth. It's hard to believe that she still had a baby tooth in the front at the age of 15! Not only that, it would not budge!! She got the tooth extracted at the dentist and went to a specialist for the other part. She had to be asleep for the procedure. It was a rough recovery at first, but luckily she was back to normal within a few days. Now her adult tooth has joined in with the rest of her teeth and is coming along well. We have seen a dramatic change so far and it looks like we will stay on schedule and she will have them on about another year and a half. She recently had some raised fillings put on a couple of her back teeth to help control her chewing. She was devastated and thought she would not be able to eat normally. Well that was short lived.  To say that you are required to watch a video on all the things to avoid with braces apparently meant nothing for Brie! She finds a way to enjoy all of her favorite foods with the exception of crunchy granola.

Thankfully her journey with braces has not been too bad. It has been really neat watching the transformation. The expense is enormous, but well worth every dime we are putting into it :)

Wordless Wednesday {Art}

I just had to share Brie's work that she created in her art class at school. Brie says that this is a girl who is depressed because her secrets got out. This is a really big piece so I might have to end up getting it custom framed. We love it!

Those are locks and keys in the tree. Cool huh?

Sisters in print | High School memories

It is that time of year again... end of the school year and yearbooks! Both girls got their high school yearbook yesterday and I asked them if they were in it besides the class photo. They told me there was a shot of the two of them together and casually showed it to me.

I screamed out loud like whaaaat??!!! Those are my babies!! I was so thrilled to see that they were a part of a feature they did on students that share the same house and school. They thought I was crazy with how excited I was seeing them together in the yearbook. I think it is neat that they can look back at this many years from now and remember those times. I still glance through my high school yearbooks from time to time.

Just seeing how happy and vibrant they are when they are hanging out warms my mommy heart. It is such a wonderful thing when siblings, especially teenagers get along so well. I tell them all the time that they have a best friend for life! I love my girls so much! I just had to share this with you all.

Have a great weekend! :)

It's always the little things

Time flies when you have children. They truly do grow up fast. As a mom, I try to do my best to make sure they feel special every day. With my daughters being teenagers it seems like quite a challenge sometimes. The good thing is they appreciate the littlest things. I love doing something unexpected for them when they get home from a long day at school. Many times I have purchased their favorite candy and left it on their bed so it is the first thing they see when they walk into their room. I stand at the top of the staircase to listen to their reaction. It's amazing how excited a teenage girl can get over some candy that cost me 2 bucks! Then having them run up the stairs to grab a big hug and thank me is the best feeling in the world. It makes my heart full to know that they are so grateful for the small gestures done out of love.

The other day I made this Creamy Oreo Pie for the girls. It was intended to be the dessert for a mom party I hosted in our home. I realized that all the moms might not want this sort of dessert and I asked the girls for other suggestions. You should have seen the look of sadness in their faces. Well obviously I still made the pie and I also made an additional dessert as well. I only had a few Oreos left to garnish the finished pie with and I plopped a few dollops of COOL WHIP on as well. I looked at it and thought that it looked a bit sloppy. You see, dolloping is not my talent. I just get it on there the best way I can! Of course the girls thought it was absolute perfection. My guests felt the same way too. It just goes to show that it does not take a whole lot to make your loved ones feel special. 

Be sure to visit the COOL WHIP Facebook page to share your own ways on the little things you do to make your family feel extra special. While you are there, be sure to check out all the great recipes and download a coupon (while supplies last). 

I am working in partnership with the COOL WHIP brand and I am receiving compensation for my participation in this campaign. All thoughts/opinions are 100% my own.  

My favorite girls | Friends for life

I was looking at an old photo of my daughters along with their friend, Haley.  Chardie and Haley met in kindergarten and became best friends from day one. Although Haley and Chardie are in the same grade, Brie took a liking to Haley and joined in on the friendship. After all these years they still get together for sleepovers, outings and parties. Haley is referred to as being my third daughter. I love her as if she was my own! When Haley comes to the house, I enjoy making them my "world famous" grilled cheese sandwiches and baking cookies. It has been a tradition for many years and all three girls look forward to it.

Chardie and Haley were in kindergarten and Brie was still at home with me! This was taken at their end of kindergarten school trip to a local park. How adorable are those sweet faces?! 

Here are the girls are all grown up. Chardie and Haley are finishing off Junior year and will become Seniors next school year. Brie will be a Sophomore next school year. *sniff*

All three girls have made us so proud. They are all very high academic achievers and have such outstanding manners and a love for the community. We couldn't ask for better daughters! It has been a joy watching the three of them grow up together. It is wonderful to have lifelong friends that become a part of your family. 

Do you or your children have any of the same friends since early childhood? 

Homemade is best

My 15 year old daughter Briahnna recently had a project for her Spanish class in which she had to bring in a food item from a specific country. She was assigned the country of Argentina. She browsed recipes and did her best to pick something that did not require us to have to buy too many ingredients. She chose Alfajores... basically two sugar cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche (caramel). We almost considered purchasing store bought cookies and caramel but felt like it would have been cheating to do so. All in all, it was a long process of baking in batches and making the caramel filling. It took about 3 1/2 hours altogether. In the end it was well worth it. My daughter felt so proud of what she made and enjoyed her time in the kitchen. As for myself, I was so proud of my budding cook/foodie! She got to see and taste the difference by making something from scratch using high-quality ingredients. Her classmates and teacher enjoyed the cookies and she got an 'A' on the project.

She mixed up a batch of sugar cookie dough and I taught her a simple technique to make each cookie very uniform  in shape and size. 

The dulce de leche took about 2.3 hours to make! It came out really good though. This is one of those things that takes a lot of patience!

Raising teen girls

I was having a phone conversation with a good friend the other day and the main topic of discussion was raising teenagers. Having 2 teenage girls at one time has been quite interesting to say the least. Lucky for them I remember very well what it was like to be a teenage girl. I would never want to go back to those years! So far so good with my girls though. They do go through all the emotional stuff and you watch their eating habits flip flop regularly. It is funny how when you are a teenager you think even the littlest thing is the BIGGEST thing in the world. It's as if life is going to end as you know it. I have to constantly remind them that obviously life goes on (I'm still alive and kicking!) They will look back at their teenage years many years from now and wonder why they were so worried over the most insignificant things. History truly repeats itself doesn't it? Some days I feel like choking them but most days I am beyond grateful to have such extraordinary girls! I often wonder what it will be like when William is a teenager. Then again, I can wait! Just let me get through the next few years...

Living, Laughing, Enjoying

I realized that I have barely been posting anything personal here on Momfiles. I have been busy taking care of my family and taking time for the little things. The girls have birthdays coming up this month and we have been very focused on them. Teenagers require so much! I always used to hear when the girls were just born that I should enjoy them while they are young. I did not really get the full understanding of what that meant until they got around 10 and 12. Having little William has given me another opportunity to take even more time to enjoy every single moment.

Every time that William makes me want to yank my hair out I stop and smile. I realize that he won't be 3 for too much longer and I have learned to find something good out of what might have been a bit naughty. He is thriving with his language and still lagging behind with the potty training thing. I have chosen to not stress out over it. I just know that one day he will be his sister's age and I will enjoy all the littlest things NOW. Having babies when you are older really makes you look at things from a much different perspective!

So what has everyone been up to lately?

School is back in session!

I was up bright and early this morning to take the girls to school. Chardie was the first one off since she has an early bird class. She was ready and very excited to start her junior year.

I came back home and did a few things for about 30 minutes and then I was back in the car going back to the same school to take Brie. I am giving her up to 2 weeks to get acclimated with her new school scene and then she will get dropped off with Chardie. I am not doing all that extra driving if I don't need to!

I leave you with this classic video that parents all over the place are thinking in their heads ;)


Happy Back-to-school!

Freshie!

Here is our high school freshman dressed and ready to start her first day at her new school!
You can't see it but her bands on her braces are in her school colors...orange and blue.

We attended the freshman parent breakfast and it looks like Brie is going to have an amazing year.

Lately...

It has been so hectic around here. I have been all over the place making sure that everyone gets to where they need to be and doing the last minute appointments before school starts back on Monday. Brie starts tomorrow for "Fresh Start" day. It's the day where only the freshman class will be there so that they can get all the basics of their new school. I have been so caught up in getting things done that it hit me... my baby girl is in high school. My. Baby. Girl. :*(

She is so excited and is not nervous at all. I still pass by the middle school every day and get so emotional! We will attend the freshman parent breakfast tomorrow morning. Of course we have been there and done that but you still do it all over again for each of the kids. The girls have been picking out outfits and accessories and of course changing their mind a thousand times! They are both ready for the next chapter in their lives and we can't wait to see what amazing things they do this year. Funny thing, Chardie has been a bit emotional lately. She said that she came to the realization that she is going to be turning 18 next year and she will no longer be a kid. It made her a little sad because she is in no rush to be an adult. I am in no rush for that either! I will post photos of their first day :-)

Oldest child = Guinea pig

I was listening to the girls having a conversation the other day about high school issues. Chardie was explaining to Brie how good she has it since her big sister has already been there and done that. Chardie said that it is not fair that she is the guinea pig for everything and then Brie seems to have things so easy. It is hard being the oldest sibling according to Chardie. You work so hard to figure things out and it seems as if things are just handed to your younger siblings. We always have to remind Chardie that this is nothing new. It has been this way forever and she is not the only big sister to go through it. Hey, at least Brie has an excellent role model! Chardie makes Brie want to be even better. You can't beat that!!

The girls are having volleyball tryouts this week. They are both very excited about it and I look forward to the upcoming season. At least this year I will be at ONE location only. I am SO happy about that!

Have a great week my friends :)

Your children are really watching you

This morning I took the kids out to a few stores so that they could buy some health and beauty products. They both had their own money and the oldest one has a job so she had her fresh, new debit card. Chardie was so proud to feel like a grown-up using her own debit card and ever more so that it was her own money that she earned. Before we left for the stores Chardie asked me if I had any coupons for some of the things she needed on her list. We looked through the coupons and she selected the ones she needed. Both girls shopped very carefully by checking prices and comparing brands. If they were unsure they would go and scan the item at the kiosk. The words I kept hearing as they shopped was "this is not a necessity" or "that is way too expensive". Those words sounded very familiar to me.

After the first store we headed to the next destination. The first place the girls went to was the clearance racks. You would not believe the excitement a $3 top could stir up in a teenage girl. We took our time and looked around and they picked out a couple items each. We were taking one last look in the Junior's department and Chardie told me that she was feeling bad about spending money. She said that all of her friends that have jobs spend every dime of their paychecks and end up with an empty bank account. Chardie said she was really glad that she does not ever want to drain her account and then she tells me, "I am just like you Bawbi". That really made me very proud. My kids are smart and responsible when it comes to money. This is so important for them to learn before they get out into the real world. This goes to show that even when you think they are not paying attention to what you are doing~ they really are studying your every move.

Briahnna's 8th grade Semi-formal dance

Last Thursday evening, Briahnna attended her very first school dance~ the 8th grade Semi-formal dance. We had so much fun shopping for her outfit although it was a challenge trying to find her size. I think the colors she chose were perfect.

She had so much fun and it was a big reminder that her middle school years are coming to a close. I won't lie, I shed some tears when I dropped her off to the dance. I could not wait to pick her back up so I could hear all about it.

Next stop, high school!

Women- Can't we just be happy with what we have?

I love my kids' beautiful bi-racial hair. Their curls are so fun and versatile. They can do so much with their hair unlike mine. If I try to make it do anything it ends up sliding out of the style. Chardie is the typical 16 year old girl obsessed with her hair and looking in every mirror she walks by. She does not care for her natural curls. She opts to straighten it with the CHI flat iron.

Look at how much hair this girl has!! Now this photo is of her brushed out hair so it's not normally poofy like that. When she puts more moisturizer in it her curls are amazing.

Here's what it looks like with the first few bottom layers straightened.

Here's the finished product.

I always tell my girls how lucky they are that they can go straight or curly and always look pretty. They both feel that straight hair is better. Geez, what I wouldn't give for some curls! I guess no matter what your age is, most women always want the opposite of what they have when it comes to hair.

Egg obsession?

I think I have some of the oddest teenagers around. Both girls go through their phases of loving certain foods and drinks. Their current food obsession~ eggs. Yep, eggs. Not just any eggs, they have to be the Eggland's Best eggs. No store brand for these young ladies.

Every night they go into my clean kitchen and cook up a couple eggs each. Generally Chardie prefers scrambled or fried. Brie is taking on a more foodie-like taste having hers over easy. That really surprises me since most kids would dare not eat their eggs runny. I just bought this carton of 18 count eggs 2 days ago. I think we run out of eggs faster than we do milk!