YouTube Videos!

Introducing our two latest videos!

Ms. J's Hairstyles

Ms. J has short hair and her mom does an extraordinary job styling it.   On this video we show many cute and simple hairstyles for curlies with short hair!

Ms. Bree's Natural Curlz

These are all the pictures taken during her 4th Birthday Photo Session!  Ms. Bree had so much fun with her hair during this session! 

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Royal Birthday Party Part II

This is it, the last part of our Royal Birthday Party posts!!

Ms. Bree had so much fun with all her friends!!

And here it is, the steps to accomplish the perfect curls without using a curling iron or a flat iron.

What we used?? CURLFORMERS!! (http://www.curlformers.com/)

YES, curlformers, they are so easy to apply and remove. The results are perfectly formed curls without the need of any tool that may cause heat damage.  

It took me approximately 30 minutes to do her entire head.

STEPS:

1.  I washed Ms. Bree's hair the night before the event;

2.  I parted her hair from ear to ear.  I started on the back part and worked my way to the front.

3.  Without making perfect sections, I began grabbing small sections at a time, maybe 1/2 an inch,  I applied Bee Mine Curly Butter and slowly pulled her hair through the curlformer.   Continued to do this until the entire back section was done.

4. I created a medium size heart shape pony tail on the top part, (mainly so it could hold her tiara in place) added the Curly Butter and used one Goody's ouchless band to secure the pony tail and added curlformers to the pony tail.

5.  Added Curlformers to each side of the heart shape pony tail by repeating Step #3.

And as you can see the results were amazing!!  

I removed the curlformers about 30 minutes before the event started, and that was it! 

HER HOMEMADE PRINCESS CASTLE CAKE and one super happy princess!

Ms. J, Little B, Ms. Bree and Ms. D standing in front of the scene setter.  

I call this... "GIRL POWER"..

Ms. J and Ms. Bree have known each other since they were 6 weeks old and they are inseparable!  

Have attended the same school, ballet classes and more.  

She is my other daughter and to Little B and  Ms. Bree, Ms. J is their sister and as they often say "WE LOVE HER".

Have you tried the Curlformers??  if so, share your pictures and opinion in our Facebook Page.

To see more pictures you can follow our facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/CaramelCurlzNSwirls

The Best Curly Hair Charts!

Below you will see two charts that I believe will make things easier on most of us.  

Identifying the curl pattern can be overwhelming and it can be confusing.  Our dear friend from Kandy Land Kurls found this amazing and easy to read chart.

Ms. Bree has a combination of curls but most of them are 3C and doing the LOC method works for her at all times.  




I also found this Curly Hair Growth Chart on @Naturallycurly.com.



Some of the  most asked questions in the curly hair world are about hair growth and curl pattern.  

These two charts will give  you a better idea on how fast/how long curly hair should grow and instead of obsessing about the "curl pattern", what you really need to know about curly hair. 

I think both charts are extremely helpful and I'm sure you will too! 
  

BIG Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The day when all lovers express their love to each other by giving flowers, candy and in some cases something more personal.

My husband and I always include our children during this celebration of "love", for us is not just about "us", is about teaching our children how to give, receive and share.

We started our day by having heart shape pancakes, strawberries and juice.  Who doesn't like pancakes? My little man.. for him I made his special "dinosaur" oatmeal, a couple of strawberries and a glass of juice with his special "straw".  

You can easily make this by using pancake shapers but a heart shape cookie cutter works just as well, just make sure you use a pair of small tongs to lift the cookie cuter once the pancakes have taken shape, you don't want to burn yourself.... all done!

The teachers are special too!  

These were the gifts for Ms. Bree's teacher.  Mrs. P is the best, she has helped Ms. Bree so much and we cannot thank her enough for the wonderful job she has done and continues to do with Ms. Bree.

Ms. Bree chose to wear her hair straight.  It took her several days to tell me how she wanted her hair done.  Ms. Bree is getting older and I want her to feel that mami listens to what she has to say, now, I'm not saying I will agree to cut or color her hair purple!

Her hair was washed and banded for almost two days before it was flat ironed.  Since her birthday party is this Saturday I will be using curlformers for the first time to create some nice curls.

Once Ms. Bree saw mami wearing a red dress, she also wanted to wear her red dress, although in the picture looks pink...  The necklace is actually part of the dress... isn't that beautiful??

These were the treat bags created by Mrs. P for all the children, each student/parents created their own bags for the "Big Exchange", I will be posting those tomorrow along with Little Man's Valentine Photos.

Natural Hair & Weekend Events

This past weekend was full of events and also preparations for Ms. Bree's upcoming birthday party.

Since I've been planning her party and working on the decorations for quiet a few days, I thought it would be a good idea to take them out and experience something new.

The Wedding of Q and U

On Friday, Little Man had a school program that he was really excited about.  The Wedding of "Q and U".

They had so much fun at the Wedding of Q & U.   This is the first time I attend the wedding of Q and U, but apparently this is something the kindergartner teachers do every year. 

This helps the children remember that "U" always follows "Q" in their writing, its a great teaching tool.  You can also find this book in Amazon.com

Little Man got to dressed like he was really attending a wedding and did an amazing job singing during the wedding program.  

After the wedding program was over, everyone was asked to go to the gym for a reception! 

The staff did a really good job decorating the gym and having the wedding cake nicely displayed at the table.  But what the kids loved the most was the fact that they also had a DJ...which was their principal! 

My little man danced like a pro! 

Their principal (also their DJ) played songs like The Hokey Pokey, Electric slide and the kids danced the night away.

DANCE DANCE DANCE... BABY DANCE!!

By the time the dance was over, my kiddos were tired but yet they were so happy because Q and U got married and they  had so much fun.

Ms. Bree's hair was still looking nice after all the dancing and even though my little man was doing the John Travolta dance, his suit was still cleaned! 

Chinese New Year's Dinner & Lion Dance

On Saturday:

We attended "Dinner & a Lion Dance Show" hosted by our good friends' from "The Noodle Bowl" Restaurant in celebration of their "Chinese New Year's".

One of the most important Chinese holiday's is the New Year's celebration, also known as the Spring Festival.

If your kids watch "Ni Hao Kai-Lan"  you probably have heard of this traditional holiday and how it starts by celebrating the new year and ends on the Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day of the first month.  This is the year of the Snake- February 10, 2013.

It is also tradition to decorate the windows and doors with the color red which signifies good fortune, happiness, wealth and longevity.

One of the many activities include Lion Dance which we had the opportunity to see for the very first time.

During our dinner we were given a "red paper envelope" to feed the lion for good fortune.  Giving money is not a requirement, its optional.

What we learned:  If you ever attend a Chinese New Year's celebration where red paper envelopes are provided, remember to add a dollar or two BUT NEVER give 4 or 10, as they are considered "unlucky numbers".

We had so much fun, although we were out late, Little man truly enjoyed the show, the food and learning about Chinese New Year's.

Great Style & 4th Birthday Photos!

Ms. Bree turned 4 yrs old on Friday but her party is schedule for this upcoming Saturday, make sure you don't miss Royal Birthday Party- Part II

While we wait for the big day to come, we surely are having some fun getting ready for it.

We started by having her pictures taken on Saturday morning.  

After a few requests from our facebook fans, Ms. Bree rocked her natural curls for this photo session.  Make sure you follow us on facebook: CaramelCurlzNSwirls

Ms. Bree's photo session was scheduled for 11:00 a.m., therefore I washed her hair around 9:00 a.m. giving the hair enough time to air dry.  I do not use a blow dryer to dry her hair (at all)

I Washed her hair using the following:
    *Creme of Nature Argan Oil Moisturizing Shampoo;
    *Suave Moroccan Infusion Shine Conditioner (review will be posted soon);

To style it:
    *100% Coconut Oil applied to wet hair;
    *Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer;
    *Bee Mine Curly Butter

I made sure that her hair was completely detangled during the conditioning process;

I used only my fingers to apply the products (no combs/brushes);

I placed a towel around her to make sure her clothes didn't get wet and I actually left it in place until her hair was almost dry.

Note: When we are at home and Ms. Bree is playing with Lil Man, I make sure that she wears her satin cap to minimize the frizzies.   

She is old enough now to keep her satin cap on most of the time, if it falls off while playing, she is really good about letting me know right and I just put it back on.

Royal Birthday Party! PART I

Ms. Bree is turning 4! 

Wow, where does the time go?  

And for her big day I'm doing a lot of things by myself, for example the cake, the food and the party favors.  I have also purchased several items to transform my formal dining room into a "Royal Cafe" and I will be decorating the entrance where all her guests will be stopping to take pictures by a 5 piece Disney Princess Scene Setter.

Ms. Bree is a big fan of Disney Princesses, especially Belle & Cinderella.  Based on her love for the princesses I decided to do a "Princess Tea Party".     

Princess Party Favors:

How to make them:

* Disney Princess Party Cup ($0.99 each)
* Fill the cup with paper crinkle (I used Ms. Bree's favorite color, "Purple") ($2.99 Medium Size Bag)
* Place your favors, we used the following:  

• Clip
• Maze Puzzle
• Prism Viewer
• Wand
• Heart Bracelet
• Bead Necklace
• Box of 4 Crayons
• Mini Princess Pen

* Slip the cup inside a clear bag ($4.99 for 16 bags)
* Tie shut with curling ribbon. (I used the color pink- $1.99)

Simple and perfect, very worthy for the little princesses! 

The Princess Pinata:

I actually bought this from Party City Online.  You can find different styles and sizes at the store but they didn't have this specific style.   What I liked about it was the fact that she can pull the strings to release the candy instead of hitting it with a stick.   Although I did purchased the stick and blindfold.

Price:  I paid $19.99 plus tax and shipping/handling.  But you can also find something similar at Toys R Us as well.

Description:

This Disney Princess Castle Pinata features a sweet pink castle with 3 turrets, a pink tissue roof and the Disney Princesses waiting on the lawn. With a pull string pinata, there is no hitting. Just take turns pulling ribbons on the pinata until one ribbon opens the hidden door and releases its contents. Fill Castle Pinata with candy or favors (sold separately) for a fun party activity or simply use the pinata as decoration. Disney Princess Castle Pinata measures 16in wide x 17in tall.


The Music:

As some of you may know, my daughter loves to sing and dance along and she has most if not all the Disney Princesses Sing Along DVDs! 

Therefore, I thought..why  not make this memory even more enchanted for her by playing all her favorite music in the background??  

This CD can only be purchased online for $9.99 and includes all of her favorite songs like:

1. Reflection
2. Part of Your World
3. Just Around the Riverbend
4. Colors of the Wind
5. Beauty and the Beast
6. A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes
7. Once Upon a Dream
8. So This Is Love
9. Candle on the Water
10. I Won't Say (I'm in Love)

The other 10 tracks are actually just musical version of every song mentioned above and the kids can sing their solo!


The Flowers:

Step 1:

2 Green Floral Foam  ($2.99 for a pack of 2).  You can purchase these at any crafting store and Walmart.  

Step 2: Using construction paper, wrapped around the foam.  Make sure its completely covered.  Don't worry about covering the bottom of it, but if it bothers you that much, you can cover the bottom as well. I use purple and pink paper ($0.99 each sheet)

Step 3:

Draw leaves pattern all over the green construction paper.  You can draw the leaves as big or as small as you'll like. 

Step 4:  Cut the leaves out;

Step 5:  Using your glue gun (or any type of glue) glue the leaves all around the top edge or you can glue them as together or as far from each other as you'll like.

Step 6:   Place the gem stone stickers at the bottom of each leaf. 

Step 7:  Place the stickers of your favorite princess below the leaves.  

Step 8:  Using glitter glue, draw fun patterns within each leaf.  NOTE:  this step should be the last thing you do, the glitter glue takes approximately an hour to dry depending on the amount you use.

THESE ARE THE RESULTS: 

These are just some of the items I have done so far.  As I said before I am doing a lot of the decorations myself as well as the food and the Royal Castle Cake.  

I will be posting the second part of this post hopefully three days after her birthday bash which is set for February 16th! 

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