Our hair is a large part of who we are... but boy is it a lot of work for mommy to keep up with.  I try to work a rotation rather than bust out three natural heads in one fail swoop... but alas sometimes this does not work.  We dedicated a weekend to to creating "Princess Hair" mostly inspired by one of our favorite episode of Adventure Time "To Cut a Woman's Hair".  Take a look at it when you get the chance.

Back to the awesome challenges of our adventures in "Princess Hair" natural style... I'll speak for myself, but I know I can't be alone.  Natural hair takes care and time.  It's not wash and go for many curl patterns.  It requires moisture but not water, oil but not grease and it's a delicate type of hair.  Too much heat can destroy it. I never get excited about doing hair (even my own).  This time I was determined to make this an enjoyable experience for everyone... myself included!

The most challenging thing about our natural hair adventures is that all three kids have different hair textures, lengths, thickness and curl patterns.  From wash to style, one took 6 hours, one 2 hours  and the last one (not pictured) took 45 minutes.  Sadly, the hair lasted maybe a couple hours during the school day the next day.  The humidity, sheer curiosity about the construction of the hair-do and other unnamed issues took their toll, sending home children who looked completely different from the angels dropped at the school door in the morning. 

Will we do it again?  Yes!  I think this was mostly an opportunity for mommy to not be intimidated at the task ahead.  It was a great challenge and I really enjoyed the looks on their faces once I had finished their hair.  They told me how magical they felt and how wonderful they looked and the compliments they received (in the morning).  It was totally worth it.  Every little girl should get all jazzed up and having natural hair should not be a reason not to get your Princess Hair on.

We hope you enjoy  as much as we did.

We closed this very cold and long winter with a wonderful performance at the ATLAS Theatre where we experienced "Every Week of Winter" by BodyWise Dance.  "Every Week of Winter" follows Winona as she transitions through the seasons writing letters to her friend Westerfield about her winter experiences.  The performance was participatory- audience members sat in the performance area and responded when called upon.   Lights, sounds and movement combined for a fantastic experience for kids and adults.

We caught up Margot and her daughter after the performance to talk about "Every Week of Winter", BodyWise Dance and the importance of performing arts.

MLK Day is a federal holiday and most Americans have the day off from work and school.  We decided to head over to a large community service event held by our county.  It was amazing and worthwhile.  The grand ball room held nonprofit tables, community service information, canned good and clothing drives, as well as, crafts and service activities.  The energy was high and the lovernauts really enjoyed the opportunity to experience firsthand how our actions can make an impact; learning that no contribution is too small and anyone can be of service to someone else in need.

Volunteering your time or resources is the best way to improve the community you live in.  Your actions can inspire others to action.  We encourage everyone to find some way that they can improve the lives of others or the condition of our planet!

We took a fun trip on a cold night to explore the light display at the park.  Surrounded by animals, insects, flowers, arches and other structures, we experienced the illumination of hundreds of thousands of LED lights.  It was a really magical experience.  

 If your city, town or community has a light display at the park or the zoo, we highly recommend walking about in the elements to experience the wonder, creativity and hard work required to provide those "oos" and "ahs".

We took another "iPhone Only" adventure.  This time we ventured into It's Sugar.  We were literally kids in a candy shop, surrounded by their extreme variety, bright colors and massively oversized portions.  It was a delight to reminisce about candy from the past and see flavors of candy that we didn't know existed.  We don't normally eat candy, but... we took a small bite sized taste to go.  


We recommend taking a quick trip to It's Sugar just for fun!

One of our favorite places to visit is the Caribbean market/store.  These stores specialize in items that are not readily available at your regular grocery or convenience store.  You will find items like spices, fruits and vegetables indigenous to certain islands and health and beauty products.

The Caribbean market/store is always bustling with people, dialects and wonderful smells, colors and flavors.  We highly recommend a trip to the Caribbean market/store to further expand cultural awareness, experiences and appreciation!