Why Women Have Unrealistic Expectations...

My favorite quotes:

1. "You chose to have a child by a loser... so you can't be mad at the loser and expect the loser to be this great dad when you chose that kind of man..."

2. "You're creating your life by the choices and decisions you make and you can't be mad at anyone else but you."

3. "A lot of people are trying to change their lives, but they're not changing themselves."

 

Natural Hair: Flat Twisting 101

Flat twists are my staple for creating twists with minimal shrinkage. The front texture of my hair is kinda straight so I usually always flat twist the front, however, if I'm looking for a way to get a twisted look w/o doing multiple twists I do about 8-9 flat twists on my entire head and get great results.

For those looking for a great way to incorporate this style into your regimen, I wanted to share this video MsDanti1 posted on YouTube. I do my flat twists the exact same way and can attest to how well this method works.

The key for me using flat twists to create my twisted style is to be sure to LET THEM FULLY DRY before taking them down. I don't sleep on wet/damp hair and typically use my hooded dryer attachment to make sure my hair is dry. Also, smoothing my hair with a Denman Brush has proven to be a key step in helping my curls clump and create a smooth finish.

Before going natural I was someone that couldn't braid or twist my hair against the scalp to save my life, but I continued to play around with the style until I got it down. If you have free time or an "off" day where you have nowhere to be, I suggest playing around with products, techniques, and styles. If they look great you've found something new... if not, you don't have to go anywhere with your hair looking crazy lol...

Remember, it can take time to perfect your method for doing a style so don't count it out if it doesn't come out right the first few times.

 

Natural Hair: Stretching Your Twists (Heat Free)

One of my favorite natural hair YouTube vloggers, Naptural85, recently posted this great video showing how to stretch your twists overnight sans the heat. I've been looking for a method to use when I want to create an elongated twist-out, minus the use of my blow dryer.

Now, I'll give a full disclosure that my diffuser and concentration nozzle are still my go-to for creating my fail-proof stretched out look, but when I'm around the house or running errands it's not necessary to have my ideal going out hair... especially since I'm back in the insane heat and humidity of South Carolina.

I gave this method a try a few nights ago and was really pleased with my results. More importantly, my favorite part of this method was sleeping without worrying about my twists going flat!! I will continue to pin my twists up this way because I've always struggled with having twists that look ratchet, flat, and lifeless in the morning. This made styling my next day hair a breeze.

If you're someone looking to stretch your hair without the use of heat, or someone that can't seem to have your twists last overnight I would highly suggest watching this video and giving the method a try.

Taking a break...

While I was visiting Chicago something dawned on me - - I went 11 days without watching ANY reality TV shows. In fact, I only watched one show during those 11 days - - Beyonce's CNN interview with Piers Morgan. (Sidebar: I really enjoyed the interview and can't remember the last time I saw her showing so much personality) 

During that much needed break I realized how nice it was to be out living life and not just watching folks do stuff on the tube. When I got home and settled in a bit I grabbed the remote and started making my way through the mess that was my DVR. SO many shows were in there for me to watch and it was slightly daunting being faced with the fact that I had fallen about 2 episodes behind on many of my favs. Halfway through watching The Real Housewives of New York I decided to do something drastic - - I just started deleting all of my shows!!! Yes, me -- the self-admitted reality TV junkie was going to just go cold turkey and give up 95% of the crap I watched.

Maybe I'm still on a "Chicago high," but being a zombie in front of the TV for countless hours during the week isn't appealing to me. I want to be active and out living life - - even if I'm in SC lol. I could be doing SO many other things with my time besides watching grown woman make fools out of themselves for a reality check.

After my super clean sweeping session the only reality shows that were left unscathed were: Keeping up with the Kardashians and Celebrity Ghost Stories. It's funny because they really are my two favorite shows and satisfy my craving for celebrity and paranormal lol.

Summertime Chi

My husband and I wanted to send a huge thanks to all of our amazing friends and family that made this vacation a memorable time. It's hard to realize how much you're missing out on by not living in a place where you have easy access to the ones you love most, but I made sure to see as many people as possible. I hadn't been home in about a year (longer for my husband), so it was a slight challenge making time for everyone - - and there were a bunch of people I didn't get to see. I try to not feel too bad, but when you're stuffing a year of missed times into a week of activities it's hard.

One of the best things about being back home with my photogenic friends was being able to put my camera to use!!! I've always been the unofficial photographer of my group so capturing our various nights out is high on my list. I put together a small collage of some of my favorite moments of this trip.

On another note being back in Chicago and having an actual social life provided me with tons of blog fodder. On the roster in the coming weeks: 

1. J Bar and the ultimate club come up

2. Bijan's and their foreign exchange program with Russia

3.  Planking - - even the strippers are doing it :/

4. Witness Protection: My mission to save the waitress @ Perez

5. When good crowds go bad - - Educated blacks acting an ass at Sawtooth

6. You know your night is good when you top it off by sleeping in a car

7. Toll Roads - getting ripped off 80 cents at a time (aka the 294 sucks)

8. My quest for a signature drink

10% off for Military @ Forever21

I'm still on vacation and prepping for an AMAZEBALLS night out with friends later on today... but I wanted to share with all of my fellow military spouses (and military personnel) that Forever21 will be offering 10% off all purchases in-store 7/1 thru 7/4! I love a sale and 10% off is quite nice. Take advantage of this deal.