Frost Bite Hair

Hi Friends! Happy holidays! Some of you may have noticed a few hairstyle changes in my Instagram photos.

I'll first start by saying  my husband is a hairstylist- I AM NOT.
Because of this "safety net" I love experimenting with my hair. So in a sporadic decision to go from black to white I took to Youtube to investigate the most effective and least damaging way to push these extremes.

Thanks to months of babying my hair with hot oil treatments, deep conditioning, and transitioning hairstyles my hair was already pretty strong to begin with.

Step 1: Bleach
A lot of people on Youtube choose to bleach their hair 2-3 times but Hubs did a fine job the first time around so one bleach bath was all it took. Helpful hint: lather your hair and scalp in coconut oil to minimize damage.

Step 2: Ion Hi-Lift 
This product is amazing- it got my hair to that pale yellow (inside of a banana) color you will often hear about if trying to go this color (or gray) on your own.

Step 3: Tone
I'd read a lot about the Manic Panic White Snow toner but this did nothing for me. So instead we toned my hair using WellaT14 and viola! White I was.

Now for the box braids:

Hubs and I recently took a much needed 7 night cruise to the Western Caribbean. But because my new hair requires so much maintenance I decided to try out box braids.

Like most things we only ever want the end result without putting into consideration the growing pains. 30 minutes after the stylist had left my house I had a massive migraine. Again I hit Youtube and realized it was caused by too-tight braids. I took 2 Tylenol every few hours, tried all
the methods including oils, steaming hot showers, hot towels and eventually just ended up staying in bed for 4 days leading up to our vacation.

While on vacation I received several compliments; and when sharing my woes with other braid buddies I realized this was the norm. Their advice was to take an Advil prior to getting their hair braided and to brace yourself for about a week before feeling 100% again.

I definitely understand the convenience behind the braids, and their versatility. But after only 2 weeks Hubs was more than ready for me to take these down, so we did. I was devastated when I detangled my hair and clumps came right out. My hair was thin, fragile and in many areas broken. So after a few days of letting my hair soak in coconut oil and deep conditioning I re-toned and dried my hair eager for its natural oils to start the restoration process.

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Zombie Turns 4- Disney Style!

Each year for Zombie's birthday we host pretty wicked parties. This year since we know virtually no one here in Georgia we decided she was old enough to take her to Walt Disney World! This wasn't without its bumps though. On the drive to Florida our tire blew and we were stuck for 3 hours until finally getting to an after hour mechanic shop and continuing the drive down. Taking a normally 7 hour trip to an excruciating 10 hours.

To my mom's disappointment even calling twice a day there were no openings for the "Be Our Guest" and "Cinderella's Castle" dining. That was of no importance to me however as Zombie's currently obsessed with Stitch- which was perfect since I was able to score breakfast seats for the Ohana restaurant at the Polynesian Resort. 

We were fortunate enough my mom gifted us a few nights at a Disney hotel which saved us on parking but everything came to a halt when we arrived 2 hours early for our reservations (per the confirmation page!). The reservations line was no help since there were no openings but Hubs was able to sweet talk us in an hour early after 4 families cancelled last minute!

Once we were in I couldn't stop staring at her face of excitement! Zombie was ecstatic at seeing her favorite characters live and up close. They even gave her a birthday card signed by Stitch, Lilo, Mickey and Pluto. 

The breakfast itself was great- Mickey Mouse shaped waffles, bacon, fresh fruit, potatoes, fluffy eggs, biscuits and Hawaiian sausage with passion fruit/orange juice. We conga danced around the restaurant with maracas and took photos with the characters before heading back to Magic Kingdom via the metrorail. 

Since it was a Monday and not a holiday the park was as empty as you're ever going to find it. The lines weren't excessive and we took our time through the park as 4 year olds can't ride the rides with high wait times. 

Post tea cups we headed towards Dumbo when we stumbled upon a circus tent titled "Storytime with Goofy- 25 minute wait" instead it was a photo op with none other but Minnie Mouse and Daisy! I couldn't believe it! Just this  morning I disappointed Zombie when I told her I refused to wait an hour to take photos with Minnie beside the Christmas tree and here we were- in a 15 minute line to meet Minnie Mouse! Our luck just kept getting better and better. 

Having been dosed up on medication Zombie was out for about an hour while we ate- since we were in no rush we let her sleep and planned the rest of the night. We watched some great shows, ,had some overpriced snacks and found spots around the park for perfect memory photos. The Frozen castle light up finished our magical day at Disney and we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

Having lived in Orlando a very long time we always dreaded going to Disney because of the large crowds. Here are a few tips that made our trip easy-going and enjoyable!

1. Download the My Disney Experience application- this app gives you waiting times on rides and shows, a live GPS, character experiences, dining, and parade times. This was insanely helpful in getting us front row seats at parades and shows!

2. Pre-plan dining for brunch! For lunch/dinner alone we spent $40- on chicken fingers and pasta! At our character dining we spent double that and got a buffet style meal which filled us up till late afternoon. 

3. Get to the parks early to grab your pins! As it was Zombie's birthday she got an "It's My Birthday" pin, but just for kicks hubs and I grabbed "First Timers" pins. 

4.  We avoided the rides and characters we knew Zombie had shown no interest in. For example the Dumbo ride which goes up and down we knew she hated because of previous trips to the fair, so we avoided those and used the time to do other things. 

5. DO ALL THE THINGS KIDS GET HYPED TO DO. What I mean by this is wear your Minnie Mouse headbands, stickers, glitter, outfits, you name it! This is just one more way you can make their their Disney experience memorable. This day isn't about being cool- it is about showing your child you're still a kid at heart. Zombie loved that I wore a headband just like her and that I danced in the street during the parades, this was literally one of her highlights of the day.

Thank you to everyone who made this day possible! It couldn't have been done without you!

If you don't already- follow me on Snapchat! Sloanofthemoon

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My Love-Hate Georgian Relationship: Hiking out of misery

I'm back among the living and boy has my life changed significantly in the past few months.

Georgia has been anything BUT easy to get used to- beginning with their business operation hours. I miss the convenience of 11:00pm food truck runs and an endless selection of cuisine choices; specifically Twistee Treats ice cream and Tako Cheena Cod tacos.

Lucky for me Georgia's got mountains- lots of them! I first fell in love with hiking when I went to San Francisco last year with my girlfriends. So in an effort to mend this love-hate relationship we've hit the North Georgia mountain trails. We started on a smaller hike- the Tesnatee Gap to Cowrock Mountain, a 2.25 mile to test Zombie's (and to be quite honest Hub's) endurance.

[Dukes Falls]

I was worried about how to entertain her during the walk- not really  knowing what to expect other than whining and pleas to be carried. So I got creative- I hit the Dollar Tree and purchased a bug inspector kit, batteries for an old digital camera for her to take photos once we reached the top and snacks. It turns out my daughter is not only an aspiring photographer but a rock enthusiast! So on our second hike I packed a plastic baggie for her to store her favorite rocks from the day's hike.

On Monday we headed to Tallulah Gorge and started off at the museum. Zombie loved the snakes and train and miniature town displays. Once outside we were greeted with an endless staircase none of us were really ready for. 1,099 stairs and a suspense bridge was enough to keep us there for 4 hours. This was definitely the hardest of the hikes we've taken so far so we really paced ourselves on this one- there was no way we were carrying a 50 lb. baby UP 1,000+ stairs! We took frequent breaks, made sure Zombie stayed hydrated and packed her backpack with LOTS of snacks.


After finishing the Hurricane Falls Loop Trail we contemplated continuing onto the South Trail but fear of the unknown (unknown number of stairs that is!) we went on to Outlooks 4 & 5, which thankfully was all trail, and headed home.

This form is exercise is not only a great [and challenging] all around workout but an amazing chance to bond with your family- no cell service! Hiking has offered us great educational opportunities with Zombie and has really given me a chance to see a better side of my new home-state.

Georgia, there might be hope for us yet.

[Tallulah Gorge Falls]

 [Dukes Falls]

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