Steps to Frizz-Free Hair
Frizzy hair care begins with the products you are using, and this means beginning with the right shampoo and working all the way to the best hairspray for your hair type. Shampoos come in a wide variety of formulas, and women who have hair that tends to frizz should go with a moisturizing product that will begin to tame the tresses right in the shower. Before using your shampoo, rinse your hair very well to get all of the dirt and debris out of your locks. Next, work your shampoo into your scalp and roots, and then down toward your ends, taking care not to handle hair too roughly.
 
The next step in frizzy hair care should be a conditioner in the same formula that will coat your strands and add some shine. You can keep a wide-toothed comb in the shower that will allow you to gently comb the conditioner through your strands and then leave on for a few minutes to work before rinsing it out. Once your hair is thoroughly rinsed, wrap a towel around the ends and gently squeeze the water out. Never rub the towel around your head, since this will make the frizzies worse. 

After combing through your hair once again with that wide-toothed comb, the next step in frizzy hair care is to add some leave in conditioner that will fill in the shaft of the hair and keep the entire do smooth and sleek. Most leave-in conditioners designed for frizzy hair care can do just that without weighing down your style or making your hair look greasy. It is also a good idea to add a smoothing serum or mousse, depending on how much control you need to keep the frizzies at bay.

Say No to Heat
Products that add heat to your hair, such as curling irons, hot rollers and blow dryers are sure to add frizzies as well. The best tip for frizzy hair care is to allow your hair to air dry as much as possible and avoid styling with anything other than your fingers, a wide-toothed comb or a pick that can add some volume as it smooths. With the right frizzy hair care, you really can show off the most beautiful hair on the block!

Both Betsy Johnson and Laura Lee Designs have been making beaded handbags lately, with Laura Lee Designs bags showing up on beauty contestants as well as television starts (Desperate Housewives anyone??)

Other brands to look for both new and vintage include Sophie Beaded Handbags that are very stylish as well as exotic in their looks and the Long Island beaded handbag that includes straps made from beads (wooden), and you can buy this handbag for as little as one hundred forty dollars if you shop carefully.

The beaded handbag comes is so many different shapes, styles, and colors that you can find a beaded bag to match almost any outfit or style.  Even for us mom types, you can find large bags to carry all your mom stufff, small bags for nights out without the kids, bags with large beads for when you are feeling bold and bags with small seed beeds when you are feeling classy and subtle.  There is so much variety available, you should have no problem finding a beaded handbag that will perfectly match your favorite dress or outfit.

When looking for a beaded bag, you can try Amazon.com for major brand names, Etsy for Custom Made Beaded handbags or Ebay for vintage beaded handbags.  You may also want to try your local thrift or resale store for vintage bags.  Of course specialty and botique stores in your area are always full of the current trendy bags. 

To complete the look don’t forget to check out other beaded accessories such as earrings, bracelets, and necklaces or pendants.  One great place to find unique handmade beaded bracelets and jewelry is Katishtya Trails Mercantile. ( http://www.katishtyatrails.com ) Katishtya Trails carries wire wrapped and beaded jewelry created in copper, silver and gold to match any bag or outfit.

 A beaded handbag is a trendy accessory that will help to accentuate the lighter side of your personality.  It is very suitable for different occasions from a formal party to a simple get together.  Invest in more than one beaded handbag and you can easily look attractive and stylish all season long.
 
Here are some of my favorite beaded handbags from Amazon.com.

The Snuggle Nest is made with protective rigid walls to offer safer place for baby in adult bed, the walls help to prevent heavy sleepers from accidently rolling over on baby and helps to keep stray covers off of your baby as well. But with safety in mind, the cover and tray are vented for better air flow. Also attached is a soft glow night light for when you’re nursing to for easy nighttime checks on your baby. The Snuggle Nest includes positioners to help keep your baby sleeping on his back as well as a secure envelope sheet that won’t come loose around your baby!

One of my favorite features is that the bottom of the Snuggle Nest is open, so if you happen to have a taller baby, they won’t outgrow it before they are too old for it. It’s also easily portable so you can take it with you and use it in hotels, grandma’s house and more. I didn’t have one for my first three kids, but with my fourth, it was extremely helpful to define “baby’s space” so the other kids would stay away from the baby in the middle of the night when they came to our room for nightmares or other reasons. We opted for the deluxe model instead of the supreme, even though the supreme comes with an incline wedge (which actually would have been helpful since my son has reflux), but at the time didn’t think the $15 difference was worth it (wishing I had spent that extra $15 now!!)

So if you choose to co-sleep with your baby, the Snuggle Nest is definitely something you should have in your bed!

If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for Amazon Mom you can get free Prime shipping and an extra discount on all things baby!

I’m noticing all sorts of things, besides the fact that I’m overweight.  I’m worried about gray hair, I’m worried that for some reason I seem to have hair on my face where it doesn’t belong, double chins, crepe paper arms, wrinkles, you name it.  If it is related to aging, I’m stressing about it.

Well, forget growing old gracefully – I’m determined to fight it every step of the way (or at least do something rather than sit and whine.)

So, follow along my journey – I’ll be 40 in September.  But I’m going to start tackling all those things that are making me nervous and see what I can do about looking great well into my 40’s (and 50’s and. . . )  I’lll be tackling one issue per week (maybe more if I have the energy – less if I don’t!) Of course post-baby I’ll be wanting to lose weight – that journey will be detailed on HealthSmartMom.com, all other beauty, fashion, and aging issues will be handled here on Momprovement.

My first step will be hair color – I haven’t been able to color my hair in about 9 months – so I am ready – but instead of picking my regular box – I’m going to do some research on what hair color is best for women over 40.

Now that you know what you need to get started making chocolate Easter candy from chocolate molds, and have selected your chocolate molds, it is time to get started with the actual candy making!

Melting the Chocolate
When melting chocolate for chocolate molds, I find it is best and easiest to use candy melts that are specifically prepared for melting and mold use. If you prefer to use chocolate chips, semi-sweet chips or dark chocolate chips, you will need to add a little paraffin to the melted chocolate to help it stay better and maintain a glossy appearance. Paraffin can usually be purchased in the canning supplies, make sure it is food grade paraffin. Simply shave off some paraffin and add it to the melted chocolate and stir until well blended. It does not affect the taste, but it will make a big difference in the finished product.

There are a couple of ways to melt chocolate. To melt using a double boiler (preferred method) simply melt the chocolate over a double boiler. You can make a double boiler by simply placing a heat proof bowl over a pot of boiling water. Turn the heat down so the water is simmering. Gently stir the chocolate with the spatula until it is completely melted. You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave oven in a microwave-safe bowl – however sometimes it is difficult to get a smooth glossy appearance when using the microwave.

The target temperature for the chocolate is about 110 degrees F (or 45 degrees C). When the chocolate is the correct temperature, remove it from the heat, dry the bottom of the bowl, and then add 4 more ounces of finely chopped chocolate and stir it vigorously until it is melted. This gives it a glossy, smooth appearance.

Of course you can simply use a heat proof bowl on a pan of boiling water or in the microwave, but if you forget to stir, or if the chocolate gets to hot, well, you have a mess on your hands. Sometimes it is easier to just take the guess work out of melting chocolate with a chocolate melter. These melters are great for speeding up the chocolate melting process, make clean-up easier and make everything about chocolate candy making less of a hassle.

The Finishing Touches on Your Chocolate Easter Candy
There are many ways to finish off your chocolate Easter Candy. First, you can decorate the chocolate candy that you have already made. You can use either toothpicks and melted colored candy or icing to trace and decorate the candy. You can also use special candy brushes to make fine decorating details. The brushes can even be used before you pour the chocolate in the mold to brush on colored chocolate before you pour the rest of the chocolate into the mold.

If you selected a lollipop mold you will need sticks, which will have to be inserted before the candy hardens. You can also purchase cellophane bags and ties to individually wrap your chocolate Easter creations. Make sure that you use food grade cellophane bags though, not just any cellophane bag you find laying around. They are pretty inexpensive, and look prettier than simply using sandwich bags.

Once you have put the finishing touches on your chocolate Easter candy, you are ready to hand them out or eat them yourself! Happy Easter!

Article by Stefani Padilla, author, entrepreneur, home based business owner, wife and mom.

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Chocolate and Easter go together as much as Easter eggs and baskets. Why not combine the different elements and learn how to make your own chocolate Easter candy? Your children can help make and decorate the chocolates. Making your own chocolate Easter candy is a great Easter activity to hep you enjoy more time with your kids.

Chocolate Easter candy can be made with any type of chocolate. Using dark or milk chocolate may be the easiest. However, if you would like to try your hand at making pastel eggs, choose white chocolate and add food coloring to create the shades you like. You can also purchase pre-colored white chocolate to make things easier. The colored chocolates are great for decorating, even if you prefer to make your candy out of dark or milk chocolate. You can also add extra ingredients such as nuts, fruit pieces, or peanut butter to make your chocolate candy even more custom made.

Getting Started
There are a few basic ingredients that you will need in order to make your chocolate Easter candy. Using higher quality chocolate will result in better tasting chocolate eggs; however, you can use any type you have. I find that it is easiest to purchase candy disks that were made specifically for melting and molds. Here is a short list of the basics you will need:

* Whatever chocolate you want to use
* Double boiler or microwave oven in which to melt the chocolate
* Heatproof bowl
* Candy molds in the shape of eggs, or a deviled egg tray
* Rubber spatula to stir the chocolate
* Pastry bag or plastic bag with a hole in the corner for piping chocolate
* Any decorations or extras you want to include

Now all you have to do is melt the chocolate, pour it into the molds, and release! There really is no end to how creative you can get depending on the molds and colors you choose. You can go as simple as solid colored eggs to three dimensional bunnies and more! Have fun with your choices!

Choosing the Right Chocolate Mold
When you first decide to start making chocolate Easter candy from chocolate molds, of course the first thing you must do is purchase a mold. While it is possible to use other types of food molds you may have around the house, for the best results, select a mold that was made specifically for chocolate.

Another mistake that people often make when they select their candy molds, is they go for the cutest molds with the most intricate details. In many cases this may be their first and last attempt at making their own chocolate Easter candy. As simple as making chocolate Easter candy from molds is, there is still an art and level of skill required. So for your first chocolate making endeavour, try to select molds that are of moderate size (no smaller than a quarter, no larger than a couple of inches) and that have few details, or at least those with large details as opposed to smaller finer details. The one from Fuzzy Bunny shown in the picture is a great starter mold for both variety, size and cuteness!

Use the manufacturers recommendations when using the chocolate molds, however, I often will rub a little vegetable oil on the molds before I use them (using very little oil – it should not pool in the bottom of the mold, only give the mold a shiny appearance.) You can get some great candy mold making tips here. Also, since you will be refrigerating your molds as they harden, I clean out my refrigerator of aromatic leftovers – that garlic smells good in the stew, but it won’t be so great smelling on your chocolate. Also, make sure you have plenty of space to place the molds while they harden. Some people recommend hardening chocolate in the freezer to reduce the occurrence of smells as well as to speed the process, but I think the best results occur when using the refrigerator.

Article by Stefani Padilla, author, entrepreneur, home based business owner, wife and mom.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stefani_Padilla ]]> http://momprovement.com/how-to-make-great-easter-candy-using-chocolate-molds-part-one/feed 1 http://momprovement.com/make-your-own-natural-egg-dyes-for-easter-this-year http://momprovement.com/make-your-own-natural-egg-dyes-for-easter-this-year#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:51:43 +0000 momprovement http://momprovement.com/?p=226

My favorite part of Easter when I was growing up was dyeing eggs. It was even more fun to me than hunting them. I loved seeing how creative I could get with those five glasses of dye and that one wax crayon! As an adult, I still love dyeing eggs with my children, and last year, I tried to look or a way to make it educational as well. So when I discovered that rather than purchasing your egg dye you can actually make it yourself, I had to try it! It was like a science and chemistry lesson all rolled up in an earth-friendly craft! And best of all, my kids loved it! This year they want to see what else in our yard and refrigerator can be used as natural egg dye! And although natural egg dyes are not as vivid as artificial dyes (no real neon colors found in nature!) they are every bit as beautiful.

You can make your natural egg dyes from a variety of foods, flowers and plants. The dye is transferred to the egg either while boiling the eggs or, as with normal dyes, after the eggs have been hard-boiled. When boiling the dye with eggs, be aware that you will be limited to the number of colors you can do at once by the number of burners your stove has (or the number of pots you have!)

All you do to dye the eggs while boiling, is place enough water in the pan to cover the egg (or eggs.) Simply add the coloring ingredients to the water and turn on the heat to boil. You can include a teaspoon of vinegar for deeper colors.

If your children are young, and you would rather dye the eggs after they have been boiled, you can do that as well. This method may take a bit longer, but it is safer for smaller egg artists. Simply boil the eggs, and then once they have cooled, add them to a cup with enough water to cover the eggs (you can use a bowl if you want to do more than one at a time.) Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the container and add the dyeing ingredients. Allow the eggs to sit in the dye in the refrigerator until they are the desired color.

Here are some suggested ingredients you can use to create the colors you want for your naturally dyed eggs. Once you have mastered the process, feel free to experiment with other ingredients for different colors!

But there is something to be said about the family fireplace. Traditionally, the fireplace was the place where families gathered at the end of the day, for the evening reading of the Bible. Or mom and daughters would sew, while dad and sons would visit, go over school lessons and such. But in general, the family fireplace was as important a part in family life as the family dinner.

Today it seems like after dinner (if anyone even eats at the same table anymore) everyone scatters to computers, playstations, iPods, or whatever the electronic device of choice is, parents included. And so it was nice for a few days to be free of those distractions and to sit by the fire and read to my kids, talk about their day, and just spend time together.

So I’m glad we have a fireplace. And now that I realize that with a gel-fueled fireplace, we could have been having little gatherings by the fireside all along, I’m not so worried about whether or not our next house already has one – because one of the first purchases for our new home will be a great gel fueled fireplace with a mantle.

So if your house has a fireplace, start meeting around it once a week or so, just for fun. And if you don’t have one, get a gel-fueled fireplace and see how great it really is to have a family fireplace.

My new favorite toy is the Cricut Expression.  I got mine from HSN with three cartridges, but you can also get it from Amazon, and even Ebay if you’re patient enough to wait to win one.  I’ll be getting most of my future cartridges from Ebay – as you can typically get them for about 25-50% off if your timing is right.

I’d like to show you some of the finished projects I’ve made with my Cricut Expression, but I have to admit – I’m having too much fun just cutting things out that I haven’t taken the time to put anything together yet!  (But when I do – watch out!)

So far I’ve cut out some cute shapes for a friend’s baby shower, my daughter’s Little Miss Indian Oklahoma City display board (she is the outgoing 2009 – 2010 princess), several scrapbook pages, some homeschool projects, flash cards for my three year old, and a few paper doll outfits just for fun!  All that with just three cartridges!

If you are in to scrapbooking, homeschooling, crafting, or if you are a teacher or have kids in school, you will wnt to put a Cricut Expression on your wish list.

Hot baths do warrant a word of caution before we continue. Check the temperature carefully. While we say “hot bath” the water would feel better if it was warm to the touch but not scalding. It is hard to relax when you are sustaining third-degree burns.

Also, if you suffer from any condition where hot baths are contraindicated, don’t attempt them. This goes for pregnancy as well as if you have circulatory issues. You don’t want to faint and fall as you get out of the tub, because this can cause serious injury.

With that said, let’s return to the benefits of a hot bath. It is not just the water alone but what you add to it that can help with such conditions as:

* Anxiety and stress
* Colds and sinus issues
* Sore, aching muscles
* Dry, itchy skin

The steam coming off of the water acts like a humidifier. If you close your bathroom door and let the room fill up with steam as you run the bath, you are on your way to a soothing experience.

For stress and anxiety there are certain herbs that have been used for centuries as calming agents. Take lavender, for example. It is known to soothe the mind and in turn, relieve stress in the body. Using lavender oils and bath salts in your water will help your stress to ebb away. Your problems won’t disappear but you will be better able to handle them once you have had a chance to clear your mind and relax your body.

Eucalyptus will often help with a pesky cold. Again, the humidifier effect of the water and the eucalyptus can help to open nasal passages for freer breathing.

Your body can build up toxins from simple daily life. Soaking in a bath with Epsom salts can help to leech these toxins out of your system. Hot water helps to dilate blood vessels for better blood flow and lowers blood pressure. Muscles benefit from this because they are able to relax which aids in recovery from soreness.

Using bath oils helps to moisturize your skin. In the winter, this is especially important as skin tends to be on the dry side. If you have dry skin, you won’t need to soak as long in the water, but soothing oils will nourish your skin as you bathe.

Are you ready to soak those cares away? A hot bath may be just what the doctor ordered. Besides the candles and soft music, try a few bath salts, scented oils and herbs to heal whatever ails you.