Save Your Do!

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I lost 50 pounds from the end of 2009 to mid 2010 and living a healthy lifestyle is extremely important to me. I have personally never had any reservations about exercising relating to my hair, however there are numerous African American women who cite their hair and maintaining it as a hinderance to working out. I completely understand this, if I had a hairstyle that required going to a salon and a weekly basis and my style would be ruined by a workout, I’d be hesitant too. That is why actress Nicole Ari Parker devised the idea of the Save Your Do GymWrap which is now available at Walmart.

The Save Your Do Gymwrap  “uses a patent-pending proprietary “Edge Control Technology” that consists of three layers of materials that wick away moisture from your hair, allow heat to escape, and when properly applied keep hair pressed down during a workout.” It is machine washable and has open ends so it is adjustable no matter the size of your head. This weekend I had the opportunity to visit a local Walmart and see Nicole Ari Parker and her handsome husband Boris Kodjoe meet consumers and answer questions about “Save Your Do”.

One thing that really impressed me is that 10% of the proceeds are donated to the Sophie’s Voice Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to spina bifida research, improving the lives of children and adults with spina bifida and raising awareness about prevention.  Nicole and her husband Boris founded the non-profit after their daughter Sophie was born with the disease.  The Save Your Do not only saves hair, it saves lives!

I am currently in the process of determining my next hairstyle and there is a high likelihood that it will be a straight style. A definite change for me, I haven’t worn my hair straight for any length of time since high school! But I am glad to know that the Save Your Do is available so that I don’t join the numbers of women claiming they can’t exercise because it will mess up the “do”!

American Cancer Society Celebrating 100 years and honoring caregivers

Today is the 100th anniversary of the American Cancer Society and they are determined to finish the fight against cancer. Sadly this is a fight that millions of people grapple with on a daily basis. In celebration of the anniversary, I would like to honor the often unsung heros in the fight against cancer, the caregivers. As I sat down to write this post, I struggled with identifying one person. As is often the case with cancer, especially in the black community, in many cases the cancer was identified late stage and the caregivers were there to make the patient comfortable and prepare for the worst.

In these instances, I’ve found that communities come together to pitch in and help. Some provide transportation to and from the hospital for treatment. Others prepare food. And there are those who simply provide a listening ear, frequent visits and conversations. All of these caregivers deserve to recognized and honored. However, these are the same people who look for no pat on the back for simply providing love and kindness to someone they love.

Today I ask that if you know a caregiver for someone who fought cancer, is fighting cancer or perhaps lost the fight that you give them a big hug and thank you. Watching a loved one go through this experience is difficult mentally, spiritually and physically. Today please honor those who have quietly led the charge in the battle without asking for anything in return. They deserve it!

My story is just one and this year, starting today, the American Cancer Society would like to collect 100 stories of caregivers. They want to shine a light on people who work so tirelessly to help loved ones through their cancer journey.  If you have a story you would like to share, please click here.

Smart Snacking - gimMe Seaweed!

One of my favorite snacks is seaweed and after a couple of tries my son has developed a fondness for seaweed too.  If you aren’t familiar, I am talking about the seaweed that you find wrapped around sushi (which I absolutely love). When using it for snacking I have eaten the small sheets that are delicious and I also use the larger sheets to make my own salmon nori wraps. My son takes the small sheets to school for snack and if I don’t watch him, he will eat several packages from the pantry!

I was recently introduced to GimMe Seaweed which is now available at Walmart. They sent me a box full of this tasty goodness - including seaweed in a form I’ve never tried before, crumbles. The gimMe seaweed crumbles are available in honey dijon and cheddar flavor. One of the best things about the packs is that they are 100 calories each so you can enjoy this savory snack (cheddar) right out of the bag and eat the entire thing with no guilt. The honey dijon is sweeter and I have to say I like the cheddar flavor much better.

The crumbles can be also be used as a topping for salads, I’d like to add it to my nori rolls just to give them a little more flavor. I can also see myself adding the crumbles to rice, as I mentioned, as a big seaweed fan, I think this would add great flavor to rice and I could add some smoked salmon for a really nice dish. A word to the wise - this is seaweed, so expect to have a briny taste. For some people this is an acquired taste, some like it immediately and others just don’t like it at all. But you can try gimMe seaweed for just $1.37 a pack to see if you and your family enjoy it as much as I do. And if you don’t, well you aren’t out very much money!

As I mentioned, gimMe seaweed is now available at your local Walmart and I am happy because I usually have to travel to a store 20 minutes away to get my seaweed fix! 

Minnie Mouse Nail Art

Today I am returning home for a marvelous trip to Disney. It was jam packed with opportunities for me to gain information to help further my business and of course there was a ton of fun! Prior to my trip I was tasked by Walmart to be creative with a manicure that included nail art using Sally Hansen products. Although I’ve only ever done basic manicures because I knew I’d be visiting Disney I was immediately inspired to do a Minnie Mouse manicure. After searching the internet, I found a few ideas and as soon as my polish arrived I immediately set to work.

I started with a base coat to help the color to adhere to my nails and also keep from staining my nails. I followed with a red insta dry polish. Although I am not a big fan of red polish, Minnie is well known for her red dress so I decided to go ahead and use red as my base. I painted four of my nails red and painted my ring finger white.  Next I used the nail art pen to place polka dots all over my red nails.

Using free hand, I tried to make a little Minnie using black polish on my white nails. I think for a first attempt I did a pretty good job! The final step was to add a red bow. Again, I clearly need practice but for a first timer I impressed myself.

Of course, I wasn’t satisfied with my first attempt so I ordered some nail art tools and tried again. This time I used pink as a base, made larger polka dots with a nail tool and on my ring finger painted Minnie’s ears with a bow. I’m still in need of practice but I am happy with the results - especially since this was a quick manicure done moments before my ride picked me up to go to the airport.

If you are talented with nail art, I suggest you enter the Sally Hansen -  I Heart Nail Art contest. There will be 1 winner monthly through June and each winner recieves $500 and a trip to New York City to compete for the $2,000 grand prize and a chance to have their look featured on a display in Walmart. Each month will have a unique theme which contest entries must follow. Get all of the information here: http://sallyhansen.com/i-heart-nail-art

I have more nail polish to try and tons of ideas so please be on the lookout for more posts from me featuring my creations!

Run Disney Fun Run at #DisneySMMoms #runDisney

Me crossing the Run Disney Fun Run finish line dressed as Mulan! 

I am a huge fan of Run Disney events. My second race ever was the Disney Princess Half-Marathon when thousands of Princesses gather to celebrate my birthday. Okay, not really but the event just happens to fall on my birthday weekend and last year was on my birthday! Anyhow, these event weekends are absolutely amazing and include runs not only for adults but for the entire family.  For instance, during the Disney Princess Weekend last year I attended a meet up with Jeff Galloway (be sure to stalk the Disney Parks blog for details on meetups the spaces get filled quickly) we did a fun run and there were special guests in attendance. There was also a Tangled 5K fun run for the entire family. In this untimed event you can stop and meet Disney characters, you know I took full advantage of that! And of course there are running events for the kids. Adorable and so much fun! 

Me, Mulan and company

And my favorite added bonus of running Disney is wearing a costume or a tiara or both! It adds to the fun factor and I think motivates me too! 

Over the weekend I attended the Disney Social Media Moms Conference and was elated when I learned a Run Disney Fun Run was being organized for us. You know I signed up immediately, right? If you've been following my blog lately, you know that on March 18th I had major surgery which entailed a 6 week recovery. Needless to say my only exercise was walking and honestly, I didn't do much of that. So, this fun run was my first time attempting to run since January! I figured the best place to run is Disney because Mickey wouldn't let me die out there! LOL! 

The run was GREAT! I actually did more running than I expected with a healthy dose of walking too. I had time to catch up with my good friend Jennifer and it was so fitting because my very first trip to Disney in life was with her! Love you girl! And at this moment I realize, we didn't take a photo! Boo! 

Anyhow, the event was a lot of fun. Ali Vincent winner of the Biggest Loser joined us and led the walk/runners - I went out with the runners because, well, I always challenge myself! I loved the added touch of having a finish line - which I crossed alone and it really made me feel like a winner. 

Of course I had to strike a pose before crossing the finish! 

If you are interested in running or maybe never thought of it I highly recommend Run Disney! I promise it will be something you will never forget! 

Disclosure: I attended the Disney Social Media Moms Conference and received a special discount rate for accommodations and activities related to the event. All opinions are my own.