Hot Air Balloon Festival

Taiger and Uncle B at the Hot Air Balloon Festival 2009.

SOooooo, Taiger and I are doing something completely crazy this 4th of July weekend.

Every year, my family goes to the Teton Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival. At some unbelievable hour of the morning, we roll out of bed and pile in the car with blankets and sweatshirts. We drive maybe 10 hours....okay, okay, FINE! The truth is, I have no idea how far we drive because I am always asleep. Anyway! I think we drive, like, an hour and a half. ANYWAY. We reach our destination as the sun is showing its first rays of light over the Grand Tetons. We park in a field along side other cars owned by equally idiotic people. We pile out and watch up close as dozens of hot air balloon fill with heat and slowly rise from the ground and lift into the dawn. It is incredible. It is amazing. It is beautiful.

The truth is, I usually wake up some time along the road on the way to Victor. I love the scenary. The landscape is breathtaking, going from farms and small towns, to wide open fields dotted here and there with houses, to forest so beautiful you could be in a fairy tale, to the majesty of Teton Valley. The drive alone is worth the early morning wake-up call. But watching those beautiful balloons lift off is spectacular.

So, I found out today that for $5.00 a person you can "ride" in a tethered hot air balloon the night before the launch. Okay, so I am not expecting great things...maybe just a few feet off the ground. But hot air balloons have always fascinated me, and I always wondered what it would be like to ride in one, to be close to that powerful heat that can lift something so huge in the air, to be lifted into the clouds by that fragile, yet enormous balloon...the whole things sounded so frightening and wonderful and beautiful. When I heard we could experience a small taste of that for only $5.00, I decided we HAVE to do it!

So, tomorrow night after work, Taiger and I are driving to Victor and riding in a hot air balloon. Then, we are sleeping in the car at the launch site, then waking up the next morning in time to watch the hot air balloon launch.

I don't know what to expect. Will we take our "ride" and then be competely bored the rest of the evening? Are we going to be freezing cold at night? Eaten by mosquitos? Going potty in an open field? Each of those guesses is probably about right. Will it be worth it? OF COURSE! We need a little change of scenery, after all. And besides... little mini-adventure never hurt anyone! ;)

Tavaci Teacher, Breclyn!!

BEST NEWS EVER! I am going to be the instructor for Tavaci in Shelley!!!! YEEEHAW! (did I really just say, "yeehaw"? Hmmm. )

So, what is Tavaci anyway? It is a music and performing group for students, preschool to sixth grade. I used to be in it when I was younger. (Much younger ;))

Something REALLY COOL? We are doing a THREE DAY, FREE summer clinic! I know, right?! FREE!!!!! To register, go here. It will be August 15, 16 and 17. I know it is right before school starts, but it will totally be worth it! Your kids will have a BLAST, AND they will get to do a performance when the clinic is over! You can register at tavacishelley.blogspot.com.

Friends in the Idaho Falls area: Remember Harmony Kids? Maybe you were in it, or you knew someone who was. Anyway, Harmony Kids is the name of the Tavaci group in Idaho Falls! So, what I am teaching is basically Harmony Kids, only in Shelley...with ME instead of Terri Lent! Fun, right?! I KNOW!

So, some of you who don't know me so well, might be reading this and wondering, "Why would I trust this crazy lady to teach my child music?" You can read below for a very unprofessional description of why I qualify to teach your little musical munchkins :).

Okay, so go register for the FREE CLINIC, start singing those scales, and come have singing time with ME in Shelley! We are going to have LOTS of FUUUUN! :)

What qualifies me to be a Tavaci teacher?

I have taken private vocal lessons since I was eight years old. I have studied opera under one of the best teachers in the world (literally), Rebecca Shupe. I have been in plays and performances both in America and China. I performed the part of "Cosette" from Les Miserables with the Colorado Mormon Choral. I have studied violin and piano, and have taught violin, piano and singing. I was in Saturday's Children for three years and Harmony Kids for four years. I was assistant director one year for Harmony Kids. I was the president of the Women's Choir at Idaho State University.

Those are my "musical" and "performing" qualifications. What makes me qualified to teach anything to kids? Well, like I said, I have taught music. Aside from that, I ran a preschool and daycare, I ran a private school for students ages 3-10. I spent two years teaching English in China. I was a substitute in the Shelley School District. I taught Chinese to adopted children and their parents. Oh, and I'm a Mom ;) :P.

New Haircare Products: Update

NOTE: MY SPELL CHECK IS SAYING "DETANGLE" ISN'T A WORD. WHAT THE WHAT? OKAY, FINE. SO MAYBE IT ISN'T. BUT I AM USING IT ANYWAY. DO YOU ALL KNOW WHAT IT MEANS? IN MY LANGUAGE, DETANGLE IS A WORD USED TO DESCRIBE THE ACT OF REMOVING TANGLES FROM HAIR. THERE. WORD. OH, AND I THINK IF I ADD A HYPHEN IT *IS*, IN FACT, A WORD. THERE IS NO WAY I AM DOING THAT. OKAY FOLKS, DETANGLE = DE-HYPHEN-TANGLE, OKAY? OKAY.

OH. MY. GOSH! I just have to say...Taiger's hair is SO SOFT!

Today, I used the spray on, leave-in conditioner. A little bit went a LONG way, which I was thrilled about because it was so expensive. Anyway, his curls were FAN. TAS.TIC today.

Friday, I washed his hair and didn't do his usual hair routine. Last night, I didn't do anything with his hair before bed AGAIN! Tonight, I did his hair routine. It was SO tangled, as can be expected. However, once the tangles were out, his hair was amazing! It was much more moist than usual, AND it was so much SOFTER! As far as the routine went with the new products tonight, the new coconut oil is a miracle. It goes on so much more evenly, and the texture is great. It really helped with detangling, too! I love it!! I did a little of the new detangling technique I learned, so it took SO MUCH LONGER, but I really feel it was more thorough and efficient. After detangling with the coconut oil, I used the shea butter and worked it in to the section of hair as well. Oh man, was his hair feeling so soft, manageable and healthy!! I am IN LOVE with these new products!!

OH! Another thing I love!! Before church, I like to put coconut oil on Taiger's face. When his face is moisturized, it just GLOWS, and looks so nice. Church is the one thing I really try and get T all fancied up for. I don't freak out if it doesn't work out that way (last week when we got to church, we had to stop at the drinking fountain in the foyer and wash Taiger's face with a kleenex because I had failed to do so before leaving the house, and I wasn't going to go walking in to Sacrament Meeting with drool stains on his cheek and a milk mustache from breakfast. I know. I am horrible.), but I do try. So, I (usually) put coconut oil on his (freshly washed) face so he looks very nice. HOWEVER, the coconut oil is so greasy and usually doesn't get rubbed in all the way, so if anyone holds him at church, they end up with a coconut oil spot on their church clothes from where he put his head. Well, today I washed his face (yay!) but instead of coconut oil, I used the shea butter. WOW! It is NOT greasy so it wouldn't rub off, but his skin looked GREAT!!!!! I think that stuff is going to be my new fav.!

NEW HAIR PRODUCTS!

SOooooo, I went to Salt Lake this week, and I was SO EXCITED to get to go to WHOLE FOODS market! I had done lots of research and taken notes and considered and reconsidered, and it was time to sell my soul and use all my life savings, and get Taiger some real hair products. I can't tell you how excited I was! This is what I got:

Everyday Shea brand shampoo. Doesn't it just SCREAM moisture?


Beautiful Curls brand spray leave-in conditioner. (This is the only picture I could find online...sorry for all the other products in the picture!) It says it refreshes the hair's curl pattern! FANTASTIC!



I had heard about this from a different blog. I ALMOST didn't buy it. I actually put it back on the shelf, and picked it up, and put it back, and picked it up several times before finally deciding to get it. The ONLY reason I hesitated was the price, and thinking I could "just get by with something else". Finally, I realized, "DUH! The conditioner is where most moisture will be replaced at washing time, so this is possibly THE MOST IMPORTANT hair product! " And, I sucked it up, crossed the "t" on me soul-selling signature, and put it in my basket.

This picture is MUCH larger than the actual jar, and I am not exaggerating. This tiny little bottle was a pretty penny, too, but I had decided that without a doubt I was going to get Shea butter. When I saw they had this brand, I was so excited, as I had read great reviews on it. I had no clue it would be so pricey, though. :( Anyway, they didn't have any of the PURE Shea butter in stock, so I ended up with the Shea butter that had some essential oil mixed in.

The first time I bought coconut oil for Taiger, it was eleven dollars, and the coconut aroma was very strong. I LOVED the oil, but I did NOT love the price, OR the very strong scent. On skin, the smell is fine, but in Taiger's hair, it gets dirty between washings (as it would in anyone's hair!) and smells bad. Well, I found another coconut oil that is good, but it was only ten dollars at the grocery. Well, when I was at WF, I found this one for just over eight dollars! I was so excited. When I opened it, I loved the texture even better than the other brands, BUT...it has such a strong scent. I love the smell of coconut, but it makes T's hair smell yucky! So, I will use this on his skin (AND MINE...have I told you I have started using coconut oil rather than lotion on my face?) and get a jar of the other kind for his hair.

SO... we used all of the products last night (it was Friday, and, therefore, Take-Out-Cornrows-And-Wash-Hair day). So far, I LOVE them. But I will write a full review after we have tried them each a few times. But I will say this: I WAS IN LOOOOOVE with Taiger's soft, wonderful curls last night after washing his hair! :)

A Mother on Father's Day

The wind is cold and I am shivering. The sky is overcast. I turn to the mom next to me on the bleachers and say, "He is NEVER playing football! If I am this cold in June, imagine how I would be out here in November!" I turn back to watch Taiger warming up out on the field. I see him through my "Mother Eyes". His pants are getting short, I need to go get him some new ones. Is his hat staying on over his cornrows? Maybe I should have redone the ends. I am so glad his t-ball shirt was out of the drier in time for today. I wonder if he is too cold...he said he was okay, but maybe he needs a jacket on top of his long-sleeve shirt under his shirt...but three shirts plus a jacket? Would that just be a bit much? He is so cute out there...by FAR the cutest on the team. Look at that cute smile!

I see the coach walking toward me. I know what he is going to say. I kind of want to just stay sitting still and try and keep warm. I am the only Mom on the team who goes out and helps coach on the diamond during the games. Usually there are a couple of Dads out there, too. But no moms. The moms sit on the bleachers chatting and cheering. Today, they are wrapped in blankets staying warm. Moms watch. Dads help. That is where Dads are meant to be. Out there, doing boy things.

My hands are like ice. I stuff them in my hoodie pocket and stand up as the coach looks at me and says, "You ready?" He counts on me now. At the first practice he asked if anyone could come out and help. I jumped up and hurried to third base to help. There were no dads at that practice. It was at 5:00, and I guessed they were all still at work. But when coach asked for help,I was the only Mom who went out. I guessed the t-ball field was the dad's place. I was the only mom on the field. I talked to the boys, told them they were doing well, reminded them to catch the ball or run to home.

I nod at the coach and hurry to first base. Now, I am a Dad. It takes me a second to get out of Mom mode, and as the first little player hits the ball and starts running in the wrong direction (OF COURSE!), I shout, "Run this way, darling!" I freeze! Did I just shout the word, "Darling"? Dad mode, Dad mode, Dad mode. The next player runs to first. I give him a rough "good job" pat on the back. There, much more masculine. I remind him where to run next (it is hard for little players to remember which way to run!), over to second. I have my red ball cap on. I look like a coach. I jump up and down to get warmed up. I look at the moms on the bleachers. Some aren't even watching as their kids play. Sure, they pull out the camera when they are up to bat, but they are busy. They are doing Mom-ish things...watching their other kids, talking on the phone, talking to the other moms on the bleachers about swimming lessons and dance lessons and I see them chatting and laughing.

I move off of first base so the little first base man can more easily catch the ball. The little boy who just hit the ball runs off course and into my arms for a big hug. For a second, I realize they are used to seeing me there. Standing on first base, clapping as they hit the ball three inches off the tee. They know to run to me. They don't know to run to "first base". If I am not on first base, they go where I am. I hurry the kid over to first base and remind him he has to touch the base with his foot. As each little runner runs to first, I get a high five, a hug, a smile, a "did you see that swing?!" I tell them they did well. I pat them on the back. I give them hugs. I show them where to run next.

When we are in the field and not up to bat, I stand between first and second base. One boy who is supposed to be on first whines and says, "Awww, but I wanted to be by YOU!" I show them how to put their hands on their knees and watch the ball like "real baseball players do". They are pretty busy digging in the dirt, and look at me like I am crazy, because they have never actually SEEN a real baseball player before, and don't really trust what I am saying. Playing in the dirt is much more fun. I laugh. One boy wants to tell me about all of the rocks in his pockets. He misses the ball as it rolls past, and I grab his shoulders and turn him toward the ball and tell him to "go get the ball!" The three pounds of rocks in his pockets aren't helping him run any faster.

I tell them to watch the ball. I clap and shout, "'Kay, here comes the batter! Let's watch the ball. You guys ready?" I am shouting. Pointing. Patting. Directing. Coaching. Being a Dad.

Sometimes, at my house, I am a Dad.

I am a Mom. I love and hug and nurture. I cook and clean and give baths. I braid hair and iron clothes and make sure he has two socks.

I am a Dad. I sword fight. Dig in the dirt. Throw rocks. Go to work. I promise summer camping trips, which will be fulfilled. I look at sticks and rocks. I helped him catch his first fish. I tell him not to be scared of spiders and spider webs and bugs.

I am a Mom AND a Dad.

As father's Day nears, at first I feel a slight twinge of sadness. I regret that Taiger doesn't have a Dad.

Then, I think....in a way, he does. :)

I know there are a lot of Moms out there who are being Dads, too. So, to you I say, Happy Father's Day. :) You are doing a great job.

Tears

The tears well up in my eyes and it is hard to breathe as I read her blog post. I have been following M's blog for a while now. I have grown to love their family. Their life full of God and courage and love and a greatness I cannot explain, and a peace that is something I strive for.

About two days ago, their home was broken in to and robbed...while they were home.

The fear. That heart-stopping, knee-buckling, mind-numbing fear. Their computer and $30.00 were stolen, along with their security. Their world is shattered.

I cry because I know the fear.

I cry because I know if Taiger and I had left KFC in China at the time we planned, we would have been home when our home was robbed and we could have been the ones with guns pointed at us when our computer wast stolen.

I cry because this family has been through other experiences similar to my own, and I am heartsick we now share this similarity as well.

I cry because they have the grace to remember in the fear that God loves those men who broke in to their home, and I remember trying to remember that in the middle of my fear, too.

I cry because they cannot return to that house to live, and I remember staying the night at a friend's house the night we were robbed. That family is moving to a new house, they simply cannot live in that house anymore. I remember feeling so afraid to stay at our house, too. Those two weeks between the robbery in China and the plane flight out to America was horrible and I am glad that family is able to leave NOW and not have to wait those two horrifying weeks like we did.

I cry because someone understands how I felt.

I cry because of God's mercies.

I cry for what this family has suffered and lost.

Cornrows AGAIN! (Are you sick of reading about them yet?! Hee hee.)

Okay, so I just wanted to post and let you all know, I redid Taiger's cornrows using all the tips from the Happy Girl Hair blog, and his cornrows look SO GOOD! AND, I DID leave them in for Church! AND he looked SO HANDSOME! He stood up in the front and gave his little talk and I LOVED his hair!! SO, thank you to everyone for saying that you thought cornrows were fine for church because, guess what? They are!! :) I just didn't really think about it. :)

So, here are some pictures of Taiger's hair right after I did it yesterday. (I used my sister's ipod to take these pictures. THANKS, BEQIN! :) )

Two "Hair Do Darn It"s

I have TWO "hair-do-darn-it"s to share with you.

So, as I already mentioned, Taiger's hat wouldn't stay on over his afro at his last t-ball game. I decided I had better cornrow it for his game today (thursday), so his cap would stay on.

See how Gerald from Hey Arnold looks with a bike helmet?

That is about how T looked with his baseball cap on!

We cornrowed it yesterday so it would be all ready for his game today. He cried, and it hurt and I felt badly because he was hurting and crying. It just was no fun. AND I knew I would have to take it out for church Sunday (he is giving a talk in primary), so it was already disheartening that the tears and stress were over something that would be short lived. BUT, I felt it would be worth it so he could wear his cap at his game and not have it flying off when he ran. WELL...I did his hair Wednesday so it would be done for his weekly Thursday game today. About an hour before game time, I realized today is a "bye" day for his team. No game. Now, all the cornrowing was for nothing because I will take it out before his next game on Tuesday. That is my "Darn It" number one.

Today, I was not so busy at work and had time to look some things up on one of my favourite blog for black hair (see it HERE). I had time to search the archives and found some great information on products! YAY! I took notes and I am ready to spend hours in the Whole Foods in Salt Lake when I go to Utah the end of this month (why don't we have a Whole Foods in south eastern Idaho?! Oh...because it is SOUTH EASTERN IDAHO! All we need are scrunchies for our hair and meat and potatoes to eat, right?! :( ). As I was reading and learning about products and haircare, guess what I found?! A whole post (COMPLETE WITH A VIDEO!!) of how to do cornrows!!!!!! ALL of the things I have done wrong and tried to fix, I could have known from the very first and never have done them wrong! Now that I am older and wiser, I am ready to take out his cornrows and redo them so they look good! You may ask, "Why would you put your child through the tears and angst again?!" Here is the real kicker. The number one rule she gave for cornrows is that they SHOULD NEVER HURT OR CAUSE STRESS for the one getting his hair done, nor for the one doing the cornrows!!!!!!! WHAT?!?!??! She showed how to do it so it doesn't even hurt! In the video, her little girl just sat there looking at a book while her mom did the cornrows. No crying. No running away. (That is real. Taiger begged me to take a break just for a second and as soon as I let go of his hair, he bolted!) When I saw the video I felt so badly I had caused him stress unnecessarily!! :( So, that is my second, "Darn It".

Wedding and Hair Update

So, Monday my little brother got married! I know, right?! It was just a small reception with family, and it was BEAUTIFUL!

Little T was the Best Man. And oh! was he so. dang. cute! He took his job VERY seriously!! As SOON as T woke up in the morning, he reminded B. to NOT FORGET THE RING! Taiger kept asking Bryndon how he could help him. T even wore "boy perfume" (cologne!)! The best part was when Taiger stood up on his little chair at the luncheon, tapped his cup with his fork, and gave a "speech" to the new couple, complete with thanking everyone for being there, and welcoming April to our family. Darling. (He wouldn't let any of us help him prepare what to say before hand. He insisted that he knew just what he wanted to say.)

I know everyone wants to know how I ended up fixing his hair for the big day. Well, the night before I took a risk and COMBED out his hair before puting it in ponytails for bed, rather than just using my fingers to work out the tangles. It didn't hurt him (YAY!), so that means that the routine is keeping tangles under control AND starting to add the moisture he needs! Well, the risk of combing it proved to be a minor mistake. The next day, his hair wasn't so "coily" with long, curly locks as it was "poofy" with less defined curls. :( I didn't make an issue of it, or try and "fix" it though (don't sweat the small stuff!). Although his hair wasn't JUST how I wanted it, it DID look SOO cute! Taiger looked so handsome standing up in the front next to Bryndon.

Last night, T fell asleep without doing his nightly hair routine, and today I could tell! His hair was more matted, had less shape, and was quite dry. :( I decided to do his hair in cornrows today. He has a t-ball game tomorrow and at his last game his hat wouldn't stay on over his afro. I am hoping the cornrows allow for his hat to fit better on his head. Well, thanks to missing the hair treatment last night, his hair was SO DRY and tangled today! So, cornrowing was a tearful experience. I was trying to hurry, so didn't put in as much coconut oil as I had wanted to to replenish the moisture lost over night. I only did 5 cornrows because I was in a hurry, AND T was crying and it really was hurting...his hair was just SO DRY and tangled! :( Anyway, he came to work with me today and right across the street is a park...with sand. I HATE sand parks! (I LOOOOVE the ones with the rubber!!) Whenever T comes home from that park, his hair is SO FULL of sand! To avoid him bringing most of the sand home in his hair, I made him wear a bandana today (he was NOT happy) over his cornrows. We will see if that helps keep the sand out.

So, that's a bit of a hair update for Taiger. Lesson learned? DON'T COMB OUT HAIR unless you want to have more of a puffy afro rather than coils. We will see if the bandana helps with keeping sand out of his hair, too, and I will let you all know. :) OH! I will post pictures of the wedding soon (I hope!). :)

Taiger's Hair Routine

GOOOOOOD NEEEEEEWS!

I am SO EXCITED I can't stand it!

Okay, okay...calm it down! This will NOT be exciting for ANY of you, so just stop getting excited now before you get your hopes up that something exciting is going to happen to YOU! I am not giving away millions of dollars, or inviting everyone to my mansion by the sea for a week-long party. Sorry, folks.

BUT... This is exciting for me, okay? So I want to share it. With someone. Anyone. (Anyone? Yeah, you have all stopped reading now. Now that you know there isn't money or a mansion. SIGH.)

So, what is exciting? (HOW I WISH I HAD PICTURES TO GO WITH THIS!)

After five painful years of Taiger's mystifying hair, I have finally figured out a basic haircare routine!

(Sorry! I know, it really is NOT all that exciting! Well, it IS for me...so humor me and smile.)

You guys, I cannot...CAN NOT!...even begin to tell you how ridiculously difficult it is to find haircare suggestions online, or to find people out and about to ask. It just ain't happenin'. You can go search a million blogs, and NO ONE will actually come right out and tell you what product, how to use it, how often to use it, etc. for your black child's hair. And don't bother asking at Sally. They look at you like, "Did you see the name of the shop? It is SALLY beauty supply...NOT LAKISHA beauty supply!" Yeah. They have NO idea what to do for those beautiful, curly locks that are getting more and more damaged even as I stand there debating between "Pure Olive Oil" and "Pink Hair Lotion". (They had pictures of black people on the front, okay? Don't blame me!).

Soooooo....I have searched online. I have asked hair supply stores. I have asked beauticians and hairdressers. I have asked poor unsuspecting white mothers of black kids in airport bathrooms (I kid you not!). All to no avail.

If you are in the same predicament with your black child's hair, here is some advice. GIVE UP! No, I am just kidding. :) There MUST be information out there SOMEWHERE. I just haven't found it. BUT...to hopefully start the trend of sharing how to care for black hair (and I mean more than, "use a good moisturizer"...yeah, THAT helps!) I am going to share here EXACTLY what I do with little T's hair!

*Ideally, I only wash T's hair a couple of times a week. HOWEVER...I have washed his hair TWICE in the last two days, simply because the weather is warm and he has been outside playing and it gets so dirty. Yesterday, he had sand in his hair from the park. Today, he had grass in his hair from playing in the yard after Grandpa mowed the lawn. So, I wash when it is dirty.

*I have used several different shampoos and conditioners. The one I use now is "BIOSILK" brand, the ones that say, "Hydrating Shampoo" and "Hydrating Conditionar". They are really good and I like them a lot, although I am still searching for something made specifically for African-American hair.

*I have learned SOO MUCH lately through experimentation about how to just wash his hair! We have had five years of crying (from him and from me!), and now I FINALLY have figured it out! Okay, so I have him lay back and get his hair wet in the bath. Then, I drizzle shampoo all over his hair and start to scrub with my fingers, getting his scalp nice and clean. The hair is ridiculously tangly at this point, but don't panic! Just try not to smash and scrub his hair all over the place! Just get deep in and get the scalp. Then, I run my fingers through his hair, GENTLY de-tangling as I go. (The first time you do this, your child will SCREAM! And he will scream every time after if you don't do the "before sleeping" routine I have FINALLY figured out! So, keep reading!) I work AROUND his head, so I am pulling the curls DOWN as I go (bangs down to eyes, back down the neck, etc.). I have a towel on my lap during this entire process for him to reach over and use to wipe water off his face and out of eyes. Just do it. Your life will be SO MUCH BETTER...and your clothes drier. Trust me.

*I rinse T's hair under the faucet (an act of faith by T, who is so scared of the water! We hold a towel over his face) to be sure and get ALL the shampoo out, as well as grass, sand, etc. (When he would lay back in the bath to rinse, the shampoo would cling to his hair, and all of the dirt, etc, would become re-trapped in his curls, so putting his head under the running water keeps that from happening.) This can also help keep the curls from getting tangled again.

*I used to leave the conditioner in after washing and conditioning, because I read on some blogs about leaving conditioner in hair...then I realized they meant a special kind of LEAVE IN conditioner. Anyway, so I stopped leaving conditioner in his hair, but this week I have started doing it again. I don't, however, use as much conditioner as I used to when I leave it in. Just so the hair feels lightly coated. I can't see it on his hair when he gets out of the bath.

*When he gets out of the bath, I have learned NOT to rub his hair to dry it! NOR do I wrap the towel around his hair while his head is upside down. BOTH of those lead to tangles. Instead, I wrap the towel around his hair and lightly squeeze the ends of his hair to squeeze the water out (and yes, it does remove some of the left in conditioner).

* Next, I melt down his coconut oil by putting the bottle in hot water. I have found Spectrum Pure Coconut Oil to be THE BEST! You can get it at the grocery store over by all the health food stuff (yuck! I know!). You know, where the gluten free things are, and the soy milk. If you can't find it there, you can check in Whole Foods or another health food store over by the cooking oils. Spectrum brand is my favourite because it is cheaper (yay!) AND it doesn't smell like coconut. (I know, you are tempted to buy the yummy smelling one! Don't cave! That yummy smell turns quite terrible after one sweaty day of playing in the sun!!) I rub that coconut oil ALL OVER HIS ENTIRE BODY! He is all slippery and shiny when he is done. :) I have to be sure and have jammies ready to put RIGHT ON so he doesn't sit anywhere or rub against anything and get coconut oil on anything!!

*Right before bed, I section out one quarter of his hair and clip the rest back with a HUGE hairdresser clip. (I was lucky to find some with rubber/foam on the bottom so they don't get tangled in his hair! Look for some for yourself. They are great!) The part left out, I spray the heck out of with warm water. (I wrap a towel around T before doing this, because he is SURE to get SOAKED during this part!) I then part that hair in half horizontally and spray in between to make sure the "inside" of the sectioned off hair is wet, too. I then put some coconut oil in my palm and start working it through his hair in the same direction I did the shampoo. Always down! I use my fingers to "rake" through the top of the section. (My fingers are shaped like a rake when I do it. I am not going deep in to the hair, just on the very top layer to get those tangles out and to start shaping the hair and training it DOWN.) Then, I re-part the hair horizontally and apply MORE coconut oil to the "underneath" part and spend a while detangling that part. I go deeper down in to the hair with my fingers and really work out the tangles here. Sometimes, I pour the coconut oil directly on to the hair at the root, and work it down through the hair. I spray my hands with water to keep my fingers moving smoothly through his hair without snagging or getting caught on tangles. I then lay the top layer of that quarter of hair back down, apply MORE coconut oil, and detangle that section with the bottom section, going deeper and really working out the tangles. When that quarter of hair is very smooth and very oily, I braid it, always keeping it close to the head and gently pulling it DOWN. Some nights, rather than putting braids in, I just wrap a FABRIC hair band LOOSELY around the quarter of hair. T likes the "pony tails" better and says they hurt less. I do this for all four quarters of hair. The ONLY thing I do differently is if I am doing PONY TAILS, I pull the pony tails up high and to the sides so it doesn't hurt when he lays down. If I do braids, I try and direct them more to the side as well, but still directing them DOWN.

*Once all of the hair is braided or tied off, I apply a bit more coconut oil to the scalp between the braids, since it is so clearly exposed. I also run some along the smoothed down hair, just to make sure everything is very well moisturized.

*In the morning, I take out the braids/pony tails and spray the hair again with lots of water. Then, I work through it, NOT to detangle, but to reshape (as the hair still tries to hold the quartered off shape with four crazy sections of hair sticking up in amazingly insane ways!). I pull the hair down again, but sort of "puff" up the top, so it doesn't look like he has a flying saucer around his head. :)

* I (try and) leave his hair alone during the day. At night, if he doesn't bathe, I still do his hair the same way, only without washing and conditioning.

So, that is his hair routine (MY SON HAS A HAIR ROUTINE! I AM SOOOO HAPPY!)! I hope if you are struggling with your little sweetie's hair, this will help you! (Sorry, no pictures! Someday I will have a digital camera again. :) )

PRODUCT LIST WITH PICTURES

Spectrum Coconut Oil

Biosilk--Hydrating Shampoo/Conditioner

Large hairdresser clips

Fabric elastics
Cheapest spray bottle from the grocery store (Mine has a place to park if contents are toxic :) I really bought it in the hardware section!)