Dry Shampoo Love

I've been doing hair for over 5 years now & I am always looking to help my clients feel great, look great & to personalize their hair routine. Some of mt clients have a real love for product, some want to keep product to a minimum. For me, personally I love product, but hate the feel of a ton of it in my hair. I am a firm believer in a thermal protectant & will forever be a lover & advocate of dry shampoo. 

I get clients telling me that they hate washing/drying/styling their hair every day & ask what I do. Well... I don't. ;) I don't wash my hair every day. It's kinda terrible for your hair. I can go about 4-5 days without washing my hair & it's the perfect "mom hack." 

Funny fact - Matt almost died when I hopped out of the shower without my hair washed. We were newlyweds & he had no idea that I didn't wash my hair daily. I believe his words were, "gross." I think he appreciates the time is saves now ;)

I have used plenty of dry shampoo products & have fallen in love with the one I'm currently using. AG Dry Shampoo is perfect for my fellow brunette friends. Most aerosol dry shampoos spray a white film onto your hair - not cool. So when I was introduced to the colored line I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it! Never fear blondes, AG has a blonde colored dry shampoo as well. It's perfect for a root touch up, too. Double win!! 

Simply Dry//Light Brown//Black

If aerosol dry shampoo isn't what you're looking for - don't panic... I've got a little something for you, too! Alterna Caviar powdered dry shampoo is perfect for that minimal product feel! It is white - so keep that in mind, but it does blend into the hair really nicely. Alterna has been once of my favorite product lines since I was in hair school & I don't see that changing for like ever. ;)

Here's a little secret about dry shampoo... I honestly feel that no matter how expensive, inexpensive, professional or nonprofessional your dry shampoo is - you have to know how to use it properly. 

1. Spray/sprinkle your dry shampoo throughout your hair - I use 1inch-ish sections.

2. BRUSH YOUR HAIR OUT. Really. Take a paddle brush & thoroughly brush your hair from roots to ends. This will distribute the product & eliminate the oils produced by your scalp. 

3. Style hair to your preference.

4. You look beautiful!

I'm loving the messy/beachy wave look lately. It's super easy to achieve & really easy to replicate on dirty hair. 

Dry Shampoo for every budget...

Not Your Mother's//Batiste//Alterna Bamboo//Living Proof

Do you use dry shampoo? What is your favorite brand? 

Toddler Meals

Kess hasn't ever been much of a picky eater. She's actually more picky now than she's ever been - I chalk that up to being old enough to have an opinion & a say in what she wants.

She took pureed foods like a champ & once she could pick up small pieces of food I felt like the possibilities were so fun! She loved small noodles, peas, raisins, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, chewy granola bars, little squares of cheese, etc. It was so fun to see what she would enjoy eating. As she got old enough to eat what we were eating her likes & dislikes became more clear. If she didn't like something I never pushed it. I stopped giving it to her & would eventually try it a few weeks/months later to see if she changed her mind. Sometimes she did, sometimes she didn't. 

I absolutely love to think of new meals for Kess to try. I think it's so fun. Not sure if that makes me weird, or just a mom. ;)

I have found it hard to not let "mom guilt" destroy my love for meal making. Do you ever feel like if your child's food isn't kale, quinoa, organic or triple washed in unicorn tears then it just isn't good enough? I do. Honestly I pride myself on feeding Kess wholesome good foods, but let's remember that she's a kid. Kid's love macaroni & cheese, chicken nuggets & what have you. It's ok to feed your kids kid food every once in a while. 

Below are some of our favorite Kess meals... 

1. Mandarin oranges, strawberries & cut up granola bar

2. Diced pears, cheddar cheese & Costco Dino Nuggets with "wanch" or ranch ;)

3. Greek yogurt with agave, diced pears, & cinnamon sugar toast

4. Cheddar cheese, veggie straws & PB&J bites

5. Jello, mozzarella cheese & mini corn dogs with "chup" or Ketchup ;)

6. Diced pears, pretzels & grilled cheese sandwich

7. Strawberries, diced pars & scrambled eggs

8. Corn, french bread & spaghetti

9. Laughing cow cheese with pretzel sticks, green salad & pizza

Can you tell she likes diced pears? I just buy the little cups of them.. I usually grab the ones that are in 100% juice, but sometimes they're out so I'll get the ones in light syrup & rinse them. Kess loves cheese (got that from her momma) so I bought these super cute mini cookie cutters & used them a lot. She has never been a huge fan of pb&j, so I cut them into mini heart shaped to see if that helped. It so did. I had to make 2 more sandwich that day. Jello is usually a treat & she loves it. She always asked for "mo' je-o?" Sometimes I make a big batch of jello if I'm feeling like it, but we usually just buy little cups of jello & they last for quite a while. Spaghetti is a fan favorite at our house... does anybody else eat corn with their spaghetti? I sure as heck didn't, but Matt loves it. And now so does Kess. Pizza is another favorite at our house. We usually grab a take&bake after a long day & then have the left overs for lunch the next day. And no, Kess definitely did not eat that green salad. A mom can try, right? ;) She did like some ranch off the lettuce though... baby steps?

Some other favorites of ours are Annie's Mac&Cheese, grilled chicken, rice, green beans, skittles ;), greek yogurt covered raisins and much more.

These RePlay Recycled plates are amazing. They wash up so nicely & endure the constant fork-stabbing skills of a toddler. RePlay Recycled kindly sent us an entire set in purple that included the plate, a cup, silverware, a bowl, a sippy cup & a snack container. I am in love with them & want to order more. I love the divided plate for different foods & all the colors are so bright & fun! I can't wait to order more!

What are your go-to meals for your kids? Give me all the ideas! 

Kitchen Sneak Peek

We have our kitchen selections made. I'm so giddy I can hardly stand it. These are our cabinet, counter top, flooring, & back splash selections.

Matt & I both really love cooler tones when it comes to wood. We fell in love with these grey washed wood floors & we able to plan our kitchen around them really easily. We knew we wanted white perimeter cabinets (wish us luck with those through the next few years of raising toddlers) & I was set on a dark stained island. We went with a simple, clean quartz counter top & a simple gray subway tile backlash to tie into the floors. 

I can't wait to see it all come together. I thought these selections would be super stressful to choose, but it was a blast. What is stressful is thinking about your selections until they are actually placed into your home. We have a few more weeks until our kitchen is finished. I'm glad our builder told me to snap pictures to remember everything we chose. Being able to see our choices has helped so much when purchasing furniture.

Now that we have this new kitchen in the works - it needs new furniture.

We have purchased most of our furniture through Overstock. They have great furniture, great deals & even better customer service. This is not an ad. This is my humble opinion! :)

The furniture we have now is either from craigslist, a family members hand-me-down or a gift. It will still be used in our home, of course but we have more space to fill now. It's so fun to be able to buy something new. And scary... furniture isn't cheap. We've been hunting & researching for weeks to make sure that we not only find something we both love, but to make sure we are finding the best deal, too! Not the easiest thing to do. We've definitely has some "win some-lose some" moments, but we have been able to stay on budget & furnish the house with things we both love. I'm sure Matt is getting tired of my "Your wife is a bad ace!" texts informing him how much money I just saved us by scouring websites to find the best furniture deals, but he deals. ;)

Chairs (in steel) Table  (similar) Barstools (in steel)

Kaiserman Hair Design

In July of 2011 I graduated hair school with all sorts of hopes & dreams. My husband had just been accepted into the MBA program at Boise State so we had 2 hard years in front of us. I planned on working my tail off to put him through school!

 I figured I had the wherewithall to start a small business & just do things on my own. Significantly easier said than done, folks. Plenty of tears, lack of clients & heartaches later...

My husband was blessed with a stressful, but wonderful job/career opportunity so he took that & I balanced our finances out with hair. I was only working a few days a week, so I was home enough to take care of everything. My goal was to make sure that Matt had to do nothing but work & school. No house work, no yard work - nothing. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think I did a pretty good job of that besides the occasional, "Do I have clean underwear?" ;)

Throughout my career I wondered if I had made the right decision to start my own business instead of working for someone. Honestly, no it probably wasn't the right decision. Looking back over the last 5 years... we struggled. But for our "now" little family - it worked. Matt taking the career opportunities he did made a huge difference of our family. It catapulted him into a career position that we didn't ever see ourselves in before the age of 30 or 40. I have a big enough clientele to work 2 days a week, yet spend the majority of my time with Kess. & it's perfect for us.

1 year ago TODAY I started Kaiserman Hair Design. By the beginning of October I will be home full time. This has been a dream of mine since before I started hair school. We added a little salon into the home we are building & it could not be more perfect!

It shares our mudroom & it's right off our kitchen/family room so I can see my kiddos watching a movie, playing, etc. I will still working 2 days a week, mostly half days while Kess naps, or while she plays. She's actually come to the salon with me a few times already & handles it will so I feel comfortable with it being in our home.

Here is some of my "at-home-salon" inspiration...

The paint color is the color that is going throughout our whole house. It's Sherwin Williams in Agreeable Gray. We love it. It's lighter than the swatch shows. The flooring isn't exact, but it's the closest I could find the the flooring we actually have picked out. It will be throughout the kitchen, dining room & mudroom/salon. I can't wait to hang my huge mirror. It will be hung between 2 windows that face the backyard (for watching my little kiddos play.) I've been dreaming about this salon for years now & it's so fun to see it all come together.

I'l' be taking clients at home starting October 6th.

You can check out Kaiserman Hair Design on Facebook.

I'll be posting some of our home selections soon! 

XO

Balance

Over the last few months I have really struggled with blogging. Like really struggled. Blogging is competitive, yet bloggers are a dime a dozen. I really struggled with the fact that I need to "brand" myself & run my blog as a business. I've watched people that I'm not sure I "get" or relate to gain follower after follower. I find myself wondering "what does she have that I don't?" I see them post things that I wouldn't, but it seems to be working for them. I'm all for "keeping it real," but I have noticed that that's all some bloggers & influencers seem to talk about? Like, who are you trying to convince?

I can honestly say that you just see snippets of my life. You see the moments when Kess is being funny, cute or witty. You see the moments when my husband & I finally get a date night. You see the new house that we are building. You see moments when I actually get dressed for the day.

What you don't see is our morning routine. What you don't see is Kess throwing a fit because I won't let her eat Skittles for breakfast. What you don't see is the long hours my husband works in a week. What you don't see is the fact that we prayed, cried & worked to be in a place where we can build this home. What you don't see is that Matt & I lock hands every night & thank our Heavenly Father for everything we have & tell him that we recognize that all of our blessings & gifts are from Him.

Social media is a super fickle thing. Every body approaches it differently, I guess. I try to keep my feed & blog real, honest, but positive. I'm not sure I'm succeeding, you guys. I'll be completely honest - I thought this blogging business would be easier. I thought people would just love me (because I'm adorable) & my following would take off like wild fire. I never imaged that I would notice that I lose 5 followers in 1 day. I never imaged that it would hurt my feelings.

I'm a big believer in balance. I believe in finding a spouse that helps you balance out & visa versa. I believe in eating quinoa & cupcakes (not together, of course.) I believe in finding your own balance. I'm not sure I've found mind. I think it will constantly change. But, I can't help but wonder if I'm making the right choices. Am I finding the right balance? Do I spend too much time worrying/thinking about the blog. I'm constantly worried about content, about how many views a post got, about how I come across to other people. Are these the things I should be worried about? Am I focusing enough time on the people that mean the world to me. Does Kess know that I love her more than anything? Does my husband know that I love him? Does he know that I love that I get to be home with our daughter? Do I even want my blog to gain more attention? Will it take my attention away from my family? Do I focus enough of my time on Kess? Are the perks worth the time & effort? Am I chasing after perks instead or focusing on my main mission? Have I "branded" myself? Do I want to "brand" myself? Have others "branded" me? What do my readers think of me? What about the readers who have never met me?

Even as I type this out I get a little sad. I had no idea this much was weighing on my mind. Is my focus in the right place? One thing is for sure, I love writing this blog. I like having my own little place to write my thoughts & to share... but I would let it all go for my husband & for Kess. in.a.heartbeat. 

A few weeks ago I decided to read Kess a different book that our usual. I grabbed "Oh, the Place's You'll Go" by Dr. Suess. I have heard this read at graduations & little blips here & there, but I have never sat down & read the whole book. As I read it to Kess I started to tear up...

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself 

any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.

About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, 

you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any

you'll want to go down.

In that case, of course,

you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there

in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen

and frequently do

to people as brainy

and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,

don't worry. Don't stew.

Just go right along.

You'll start happening too.

OH!

THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!

You'll be seeing great sights!

You'll join the high fliers

who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.

You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.

Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.

Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.

Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so

but, sadly, it's true

that Bang-ups

and Hang-ups

can happen to you.

You can get all hung up

in a prickle-ly perch.

And your gang will fly on.

You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch

with an unpleasant bump.

And the chances are, then,

that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,

you're not in for much fun.

Un-slumping yourself

is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.

Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.

A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!

Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?

How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...

or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?

Or go around back and sneak in from behind?

Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,

for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused

that you'll start in to race

down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace

and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,

headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or the waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for the wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

NO!

That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape

all that waiting and staying

You'll find the bright places

where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,

once more you'll ride high!

Ready for anything under the sky.

Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.

And the magical things you can do with that ball

will make you the winning-est winner of all.

Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,

with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't

Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times

you'll play lonely games too.

Games you can't win

'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not,

Alone will be something

you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance

you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.

There are some, down the road between hither and yon,

that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go

though the weather be foul.

On you will go

though your enemies prowl.

On you will go

though the Hakken-Kraks howl.

Onward up many

a frightening creek,

though your arms may get sore

and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,

And I know you'll hike far

and face up to your problems

whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,

as you already know.

You'll get mixed up 

with many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step.

Step with care and great tact

and remember that Life's 

a Great Balancing Act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.

And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...

be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray

or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,

You're off the Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So...get on your way!

The bold passages hit me hard. I find myself struggling to find who I am sometimes. I have often talked to Matt about the big dreams I had when I first started dating him. Those dreams were everything. I could feel my own heart beat faster when I talked about them  Those dreams have changed, so does that mean I failed? I had big dreams to open my own salon, to make tons of money, to be the boss.

Now I'm the boss of a tiny little human who tests every boundary like it's her job (because it is.) Now I am gearing up to run my small cosmetology business out of my house so I can be home with my best girl & future babies. Talk about a dream come true! So no, I didn't get to be the big boss of a successful salon, but I get to be home with my babies. I get to be there for everything they need. I get to be there for their "firsts." I get to make their lunches & cut their cheese into star shapes. I get to make some extra money for my family, I get to write my feelings out for the whole internet to read (yikes.) I get to make "Instagram friends."

 I find myself just posting about the things I love, just in case you might love them, too. I'll be over here, posting the things I love - which will mostly consist of  Matt, Kess & more Matt & Kess. I'll throw in the occasional outfit post, I'll share the ins & outs of building our home, I'll post a favorite recipe & I'll share products that I'm in love with. Heck, I don't even know. But thanks for following along & making me feel loved.

Cheers to finding balance. 

#NSALE

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale opened to the "public" this morning. That just means that if you don't have early access, it's not open to YOU! I'm pretty sure I'm gunna need early access next year! ;) Last year my sister & I were shopping this sale (baby-free) in Salt Lake City. It was so perfect & I left with some great staple pieces that I still wear! 

I'm going to share a few pieces with you that I loved. You guys know that I love a good deal about as much as I love a good staple piece! It's all about versatility, you guys! We don't budget a ton of money for clothes and fancy things, but my hubby is a sweetheart & let's me buy a few things from time to time (even now that my birthday money is spent)

My sister bought these leggings that year. She had just found out that she was pregnant & was on the search for something comfortable & fashionable. These are it. They are perfect for working out & going out. Plus, they are thick enough that they won't show your undies (or cellulite, in my case.) I didn't buy them & totally regretted it. You better believe they are in my shopping bag right now. 

These distressed jeans are perfect! I'm praying they restock them. They aren't in my size, but they're totally what I've been looking for. I love the raw released hem & the distressing. I struggle with distressed jeans because I don't want my garments to show through. I have found a little trick that helps with that though. Grab an iron on denim patch from any sewing/craft store & iron it onto the inside of the jeans to cover the distress. That way you get to rock the distressed look without feeling too exposed. *Update - I found these jeans on Nordstrom Rack, they're the same jean minus the distressing. More sizing choices. Same price! Boom. Bought! 

I love a good striped tee for the fall. This cute tee is on sale for $15, but it has a high neckline, which is great if you don't like to layer (like I do.) It comes in 2 colors. I give you permission to buy both! ;)

This cute to boot fall cardigan is a must have. It comes in Oatmeal or Gray. Both are great for brightening up your fall wardrobe. I love a good cardigan/white tee/jean/bootie combo. Perfect fall outfit. Not to mention it looks so put together, but it's easy to throw together. Perfect mom-on-the-go outfit! 

And last, but not least... booties. Can't get into fall without a solid pair of booties. I have a pain from Aldo that I bought during a 50% off sale. Matt almost died that I spent $65 on boots. Boys!  $65 for booties is practically free! ;) I digress, I tried to find you some under $50, but I couldn't. So under $80 is ok, right? These blocked heel booties are perfect. I love the wrap detail on the ankle, too! 

There you have it friends. The non-fashion blogger Nordstrom Sale round up!

What do you have your eye on?! Tell me!

Kess is 2

Two feels like such a milestone, not sure why, but it does. I'm loving 2 year old Kess. She is talking more and more, I swear she learns something amazing everyday & she truly is so sweet (even is she isn't the greatest sharer.) 

Kess loves to watch "shows", she loves her Kane dog "Tane." She thinks "jumpeeeen" on the tramp is the best thing ever & loves her daddy. She thinks scooping dog "poo" is awesome. She even says, "Poo, yuck yuck!" She points out everyone's car in my parents driveway & loves to cuddle before bed. We are loving all of her new words and mannerisms. I get so excited when I hear her say or do something new. We bought her a little kitchen for her birthday & she's loving it - even if she did put her stuffed puppy in the microwave. Oops. 

For Kess' birthday day I was still in desperate need of a swimming suit I felt comfortable in since we were planning on taking her to Roaring Spring Water Park later than afternoon. I didn't have much luck at a few stores the day before, so we hit up TJMaxx & I found 2 that I really loved. I settled on a black/black mesh one with some tummy control (mom win) & scored it for $30. I definitely didn't feel like a Victoria's Secret model in it, but I'm about 5 lbs down & am starting to feel pretty good. I decided to suck it up, not wear a cover-up or shorts & just have fun with my girl & you know what... we had the best time in the kiddie pool at the water park. 

After finding a suit, we ran home for lunch & nap time. She conked out & Matt came home a little early from work so we could spend a few hours at the water park. Kess was pretty nervous at first. She's like her mom like that - always a little apprehensive, but then she found a floaty tube to play in & she was set. We convinced her to go down the yellow kiddie slide once. Once & only once. She seemed to have fun when we went, but she was not having it any other time we tried. Kess lasted about 2 hours before we decided to head home for dinner. We gave her her present then! She was pretty dang excited about it, but was mostly excited about the little telephone that comes with it, "He-o?"

(A little nervous to post this ^, but this is real life folks, I'm a momma - not a VS model.)

It wasn't much longer before she was all sorts of cranky from having a super busy day. Believe it or not, Kess isn't always smiling & happy. Girlfriend has a cranky side, too! We got that cute girl all snuggled up in a new pair of jammies that I swore looked way too big for her, but they totally fit just right, & off to bed! I felt a little sad as I dressed her for bed. She's growing so quickly, it's hard for me to wrap my mind around it. Matt & I wrapped up the evening by hot-tubbing (We will miss that when we move out of my parent's house) & finishing off Kess' birthday cake like the stellar parents that we are. ;)

Thanks for celebrating & for all the birthday wishes for our sweet girl! XO