Our I AM MIXED T-Shirts!

Hello Readers: 

       Almost a year ago we were given the opportunity to review the first book from the "I AM Series: I AM MIXED," written by Garcelle Beauvais and Sebastian A. Jones, let's not forget to mention the amazing illustrations by James C. Webster.   

      You can read our review here: "Book Review: I AM MIXED"

       We absolutely loved the book from the very first moment we started reading it and the kids have enjoyed reading it over and over again.  My seven year old son loves the fact that he and his sister look like the twins, Jay and Nia, the main characters of the book. 

      As parents of biracial children, we want our mixed kids to grow up feeling proud of who they are and the way they look.  We love the book because it helps the children understand that they ARE the best of mommy and daddy's world in a very fun way they can understand.
  
     My husband once described the book as one of the best illustrated and well written books for children.    So, we suggest that you take the time to look into adding this amazing book to your little one's bookshelf.   

      Now, our perfectly blended children are exhibiting the "I AM MIXED" fabulous Tees which are now available!

Love, sunshine and bubbles will keep your kids out of trouble! 

"We are mixed with all kind of goodies"...  

  

"I am all things bright and soft and light

and beautiful dark"....

"I am the best from all over the world"

               

 

I am like every boy and every girl"

To obtain one of this amazing Tees click on the link below: 

Stranger-comics: I-Am-Mixed T-Shirts by MixedUp Clothing

I AM BOOK SERIES INCLUDES: 

BOOK 1: I AM MIXED

BOOK 2: I AM LIVING IN 2 HOMES

      I Am Living in 2 Homes is now available on Kindle and can also be pre-order.  This book allows the children understand and cope with the difficulties a divorce can bring into their lives. 

    To obtain your copy, please click on the links below: 

Available now on Kindle: http://amzn.to/1iV8cba. 
Preorder Hardcover: http://amzn.to/1jIxwEl
iBooks and Nook coming soon.




     But did you know that our friend, Sebastian A. Jones has other books for children?  Let me introduce you to a few of his projects: 

Read more about it here: http://www.strangercomics.com/pinata/

COMING SOON:

Read more about it here: http://www.strangercomics.com/little-boy-po/

Read more about it here: http://www.strangercomics.com/broke/

Read more about it here: http://www.strangercomics.com/alien-ice-cream/

Hot Oil Treatments

     Hot Oil Treatments.. who doesn't remember getting those as a young child, I certainly do. My mother used to do so many things to my hair and "Pink" hot oil treatment once a month was one of them.  

     My hair is naturally curly, not as curly as my daughter's hair but one thing we all share is that "curly hair" is prone to get frizzy and/or dry.   The use of many chemicals and/or styling tools (especially heat) can damaged our curly strands even more.  

    There are a few things that we can do in order to prevent our hair from drying and breaking: 

Pre-Poos: (although our kids think this step has to do with a bowel movement, I can assure you it is not!); Pre-poo is just a shorter term for Pre-Shampoo.  

Deep Conditioning:  Deep conditioning at least every other week gives your curly strands everything that it needs to feel revitalize.  

     After every protective style or whenever I flat iron my daughter's hair I make sure I follow with a good deep conditioner, let it sit for thirty or forty five minutes.

Hot Oil Treatments: It gives your curly strands the very much needed shine, doing this will prevent any breakage and can also aid your scalp with any issues.  

NOTE:  You can use a Hot Oil Treatment as your "Pre-Poo" step.  If you can do a hot oil treatments at least every other week or once a month, trust me, your curls will thank you.     

While you can purchase many of the "Hot Oil Treatments" at your local stores, please keep in mind that you can make your own mix at home by using the very same oils you use when styling your hair. 

What do we use: 

*Olive Oil or Coconut Oil 

*Applicator

*Plastic Shower Cap

NOTE:  You don't have to limit yourself to just one oil.  Try several oils separately or create a blend of your own.  Make notes on how your hair feels after each treatment.  This will help you determined which oil or oil blend helps your hair the most.  

Oils that can be used:

Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Joboba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Sesame Oil, Rosemary Oil and so many others. 

How Do I apply it:

To do my son's hair is pretty easy, I just squeeze the warm oil all over the hair and massage the scalp with your fingers for a few minutes, then quickly place the shower cap and let it sit for thirty minutes; 

Since my daughter's hair is very long, I have to section her hair first, then apply the oil to each section until her entire head is coated, then I massage her scalp with my fingers (she loves this part); then I apply the shower cap and let it sit for 45 minutes. 

Rinse the hair out, shampoo and condition the hair like you  usually would, and them BLAM ! your DONE!! 

Hot Oil treatments can be done weekly if you have the time, they can be done every other week but it should be done at least once monthly.  

I believe that as long as you add at least one treatment your or your little one's regimen will be fine.  Hot Oil Treatments done in combination with Deep Conditioners can and will prevent dryness, breakage and ultimately will strengthen your tresses. 

Fans' Favorites:

Korrie owner of Korrie's Korner shares one her favorites: "Coconut Oil, Argan Oil and Peppermint Oil as my pre-poo, it gives a nice tingly sensation for my scalp" 

Do you buy your treatment or do you prefer a DIY?? Which one is your favorite?

Cornrows & Pony Tail Style

Our Most Popular Style

Products Used: 

Water- in a Spray Bottle;

Bee Mine Curly Butter;

Eco Styler Gel with Argan Oil

Accessories: 

12 Favorite Color of Beads

1 cloth covered elastic

6 Rubber bands (soaked in oil to prevent any breakage- 

these rubber bands snap after a day or so, sometimes I don't replace them) 

Tools Used: 

Rat Tail Comb;

Wide Tooth Comb

Product Review: HollyBeth Organics Grits & Honey Scrub

By Korrie's Korner (Korrier's Korner Facebook Page)

The product I'm reviewing today is the fabulous Holly Beth Grits and Honey Scrub. 

I purchased this item from FoxyMango because Elena was going on and on and on about how she had fallen in love with this product.  

Being the product junkie that I am, I've tried lots of skincare products and scrubs, but never have I tried a scrub this "ahhmazing!" 

You can visit my Facebook page Korrie's Korner to see all the items I've tried.  

Right off the bat when I opened this small jar, I wanted to eat the contents of it! The scent is out of this world and I was automatically transported to my past when I was little girl and I would run into the kitchen and smell freshly made grits and honey toast. I had to keep reminding myself that it was for my face and not my tummy :)  

The ingredients in this ahhmazing product are as  follows: 

*Believe or not it's made of actual cornmeal;
*tupelo honey; 
*vitamin E;
* corn grits, and 
*sweet almond oil. 

The Steps I took: 

If you wear make up I remove it. Rinse your face with warm water and begin by applying small amounts of the scrub to your face;

Make sure you avoid the eye area; 

With a gentle, circular motion massage this lovely scrub into your skin; 

rinsed off with warm water, and pat your face dry, gently. 

My skin felt unbelievable!!! So baby soft that I couldn't stop touching it. 

This scrub will definitely be reordered and a staple in my beauty regimen.

NOTE FROM ELENA:

If you are blemish prone like me, then I would recommend you use the scrub every other day although it can be use daily.

I started by using the scrub once a week but realized that the more I used it, the more the blemishes were kept at bay.  It is gentle enough and my skin shows no signs of dryness.  My skin actually gets this glow after I rinse my face. 

  

Black History Month: Fighting Quietly

By Bill Cunnigham

Hello Readers:

 

In the wake of Black History Month, it is not only important that we discuss the prominent African Americans but also the “unknown’ African Americans that have helped paved the way for others to succeed today, like Retired Lieutenant John White who was one of the first black Police Officers on the Savannah Police Department. 

By caring that heavy burden of being one of the first African Americans, Lieutenant John White, who was one of the “First Nine Black Officers” to be employed by the Savannah Police Department in 1947.  HIS ACT AND STRUGGLES paved the way for so many other blacks both male and female.

 During an interview in February 17, 2010, with Savannah Morning News, “Lt. White reflected on his days patrolling a city where the color of one’s skin dictated what level of justice one would apply”.

(photo by Savannah Morning News)

In Atlanta, Georgia, Claude Dixon, one of the first eight black police officers appointed to serve in 1948 said, “When we took our oath, all of us had to stand up there and say, -“I do solemnly swear as nigger policemen that I will uphold the segregation laws of the City of Atlanta.”

(photo by unknown)

Said statement was countered by Former Police Chief Herbert Jenkins of Atlanta, who stated the following: “Black police officers were not required to take an oath any different from that of the white officers”. 

However, did you know that black police officers throughout the country were not allowed to arrest white no matter what crime thy committed?  The officers had to hold the white criminal until a white officer arrived to make the arrest. This continued until the 1960s.  Savannah is one of the oldest black community and through the hardships of slavery, “Jim Crow Laws” and the fight for civil rights, “colored people” as they referred as at that time, founded their own churches, schools and communities in the City of Savannah. 

As I mentioned above, Lt. White is one of the original nine officers hired by the Savannah Georgia Police department, and is now the last surviving member of the “Original Nine” who still resides in the City of Savannah.  I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him and the opportunity to talk with him about his experiences on the Police Department   Lt. White explained to me that when he was hired, he was trained in secret, once the training was completed and he was sworn, it was stipulated that the black officers were forbidden to arrest any white criminals. 

He further explained the hardships he encountered as a black officer in this city during the 1950s.  He recalled the fact that all white officers had patrol vehicles while the black officers had to walk even during the cold winter. 

Lt. White shared with me a particular experience when two white police officers had to give him a ride to headquarters and once he was out of the vehicle, the vehicle was taken to have the inside of it cleaned out because he had been in it.  The gut wrenching feeling he experienced at that particular moment cannot be described, He said, these were officers he knew, officers he worked with and smiled at him, laughed and joked with him but felt he was dirty and not fit to sit in back of their patrol car, merely because of the color of his skin.

(photo by Savannah Morning News)

In spite of everything, Lt. White remained strong, continuously fought battles of discrimination and racism.  During the Civil Rights Movement, he often found himself arresting the very people who were fighting for the civil rights of every African American to include him.  As he explained to me, it was one of the hardest things he had to do, but he also realized that it was his job to treat those protesters with the up most respect and kindness. 

His retirement brought on commendations from Senators and President Ronald Reagan in 1984. When SGT. White retired he was promoted to from Sergeant to Lieutenant. 

Is it better now in law enforcement because of Lt. White’s actions?  YES, it sure is, but there is still much work to be done to eradicate the stench of discrimination that has pledged our country and continues to diminish the quality of life and even end the life of so many good people, like the young Trayvon Martin, who could have been a future doctor with the cure for cancer, another black president, or another astronaut. (the key word here is ANOTHER)

With the election of our first black President, we have seen the resurrection of racial hate groups to indicate that racism is far from dead.  However, there are plenty of African Americans who have achieved because of their hard work, dedication, determination and their willingness to never back down and fight the fight. 

Whenever I talk to my seven year old son and my five year old daughter about the contributions of their people, I cannot only mention the famous and most celebrated African Americans but I also the ones who are not so famous like Lt. John White or my wife’s mentor and friend, Judge Tammy Cox Stokes, who was the first African American Woman to be appointed as Recorder’s Court Judge in Chatham County.

We take our hat off, bow our heads and have a minute of silence in to remember those famous activists that pave the way for future African Americans but let us not forget those that suffered alone in silence. Those who were not cheered for by the thousands but who paid the price, sometimes with their life, so their children and grandchildren could have a better life.  So If you are blessed with someone like Lt. White in your community, which there are at least one in every community, take the time to honor them in your local paper, radio, and/or T.V. but most of all honor them with your work and when you see them, tell them thank you for a Job well down.  

"The Original Nine: Pioneers of Law Enforcement"

Lt John White;Retired Officer Alexander Bryant, Jr.;
Howard Davis;
Milton Hall;
Stepney Houston;
Frank Mullino;
James Nealey;
Leroy Wilson.

Small Business Spotlight: FoxyMango

Small Business Spotlight: 

Hello Readers and welcome to another Small Business Spotlight, today we are spending some time with Cheryl!  Her online store is growing and is now offering a lot of things that I think we will enjoy....

Hello Cheryl and thank you for sitting with us to talk about your new and improve online store.  It has been a while since we had our one on one interview when you first opened the store.  (to read Cheryl's first Spotlight you can click here: Small Business Spotlight: Strands & Company) Now, What can you tell us about it, why the changes?

Hi Elena! We’re very excited about the new shop site. Our shop has been open since May 2013 and near the end of the year, we had several months under our belt to see what shop areas our guests were most interested in, what areas were hard to navigate, etc. We redesigned the site in December to re-categorize our products for easier shopping and to better showcase new products and hot movers that sell out fast. We also have a new section “About Our Brands” which tells our guests a bit about the brands on our site and their story. We support a number of small brands that may be relatively unknown and I think it’s nice for guests to know who/where the products are coming from and that there are some really wonderful makers behind these brands, who are truly interested in providing healthy and safe-ingredient products to the public.

Somethings have not changed, like your fast and low $3.99 flat rate shipping, your offer of free shipping for all orders over $49.00 and my favorite.. "Free Samples".  We all have to admit we do love to get some free samples!

   

When we started the shop, our goal was to provide natural, organic, and safe-ingredient products that were affordable (everything in the shop is under $35) and accessible. That included offering a low, flat shipping rate so there was no guessing what the shipping rate would be and no surprise costs in your cart when you go to check out. And it included offering free samples – where you don’t have to buy anything else to get samples – because we wanted guests to be able to try items before they commit to a full-size purchase. While we don’t have samples for every item, we have a selection of about 40 samples that will let guests experience many of the quality brands we offer.

The one thing we couldn't help noticing is the new "Foxy Reward Program" you are now offering, can you tell us what the program is all about?  (i.e. how to enroll, how to accrue points and what can we do with points accrued); 

The Foxy Rewards program is a great way for our guests to accumulate points towards free products! It is easy to participate – a FoxyMango shopper simply has to have an account with us and they are automatically enrolled. Guests can get an account by signing up on our website or signing up when they place an order. Guests earn 10 points for every dollar they spend and there is also the opportunity to earn more points if they refer a friend to our shop and their friend places an order. Currently, we have four products that guests can get for free by redeeming their earned points – Nourish Organic Wild Berries Lotion, Brown Butter Beauty Facial Mask, Shea Terra Organics Hair Masque, and S.W. Basics Body Scrub. When a guest is ready to redeem points, they simply go into their Rewards account area and select the reward they would like. Our system will send a coupon code that can then be used in our shopping cart to get the desired item for free.

You have added some great products to your already amazing store, let's talk about the "Au Naturale Cosmetics" you have now available and what made you add them to your store?

Over the months, we’ve had requests for natural make-up and so I’ve been keeping my eye out for a brand that we could bring in to start off our make-up collection. During my research for brands, I came across Au Naturale Cosmetics and I also saw them featured on Organic Beauty Talk. I liked their story, their philanthropic giving (they support an educational program in Zambia with a percentage of their sales), the positive reviews about the products, the product price-point is affordable and on par with other natural make-up brands, and they offer a range of color selections for foundation. While we don’t carry their full line yet, I wanted to be sure to partner with a brand that offers a range of shades for women of color because that can be difficult to find in current natural make-up brands.

I understand make-up can be hard to purchase online and no matter how many swatches are out there, everyone’s skin tone is different so it’s a bit of trial and (hopefully not too much) error. We’ll see how the make-up does in our shop and grow the selection as our guests want to see more options.

Besides adding cosmetics to your store, what other new items is your store now offering? 

We have a new deodorant brand, Schmidt’s, which we’re really excited about. My husband and I have put this deodorant to the test and it really works great for us! Keeps us dry and smell-free all day and we find it performs just as well as any conventional deodorant – all without the harmful aluminum.

We also have a new Juniper scent of spray deodorant from Blissoma – another brand we like using.

Additionally, we have new items that expand our offering from two of our popular brands, Orange Thyme and Soultanicals. 

Now, I will take the moment to say that I've experienced the Soultanicals For Goodness Aches Bath Salts (Soultanicals Bath Salts) and I have no words to express how good my body felt after that bath!

We have new soap and perfume oil scents from Orange Thyme, and we have new hair care items on the way from Soultanicals (should be in stock the week of 2/3 at the latest).

For the future, we are researching more natural hair care brands – including brands from the UK, we will continue to expand our Soultanicals collection, and we’re researching nail polish to add to our cosmetics.

Overall, we continue to try our best to bring safe-ingredient beauty options to our guests. Sometimes people are curious why we don’t carry some popular natural brands – particularly in hair care. We’re not product ingredient experts and we’re always learning and researching but we have a philosophy of caution. We check ingredients against a variety of databases including referring to European standards which are much more strict and cautionary than in the U.S. While our high standards may limit the selection of brands we can offer, we feel great about the brands we support and we know we didn’t compromise our mission of offering safe, effective, affordable beauty options.

Wow!!  Cheryl's online store has a lot to offer and one of the many reasons we love her is because she offers the best natural products.  

Foxy Mango has a sale going on:  Foxy Mango's Valentine Day Sale- now through February 7th! Makes sure yourself or someone close to you....

To be part of our Small Business Spotlight, please contact us at caramelcurlznswirls@yahoo.com