Snow Day with the Carmichael's

Today we had our first official (by my terms) snow of the year.  So I told CJ and Maise that we would be having a pajama party.  Well, my day didn't go quite as planned.  I had wanted us to watch Happy Feet and then go and bake cookies but....CJ wanted to watch YouTube for Kids.  (We love that app...YouTube but with extra security and no inappropriate advertisements.  S/N we have YouTube Red so we don't get any advertisements anyway.).

After getting tired of the two of them fighting over the iPad, I took it from them and took them downstairs where I had already prepped all of the ingredients.

Then that's when we started to bake.  Here we are in the kitchen:

Currently, my iPad serves multiple functions and so I did not have enough storage space to record the entire experience but we had some great dialogue while making the cookies.  CJ enjoyed demonstrating for the camera.  Mason wanted to assemble to mixer.

Finally, here were our cookies we made.

After baking, Maise took a nap while CJ played with his whales and then watched the iPad.  We were trying to pass the time while Maise slept so that we could go out in the snow together.  When he woke up, we all got dressed and spent a little time in the snow.

I hope you enjoyed your Saturday or Snow Day (if you have one)!  We did!

My Next DIY Product

Hey, Everyone!
What should I try next?

• Homemade DIY shampoo
• Styling my hair with hair jewelry

I'm interested in both.  You can help me decide.  If I don't receive any responses I'll toss a coin and you'll have to wait for me to reveal the look.

In the meantime:

Shop With Me

African Black Soap

Gold Leaf Hair Jewelry

The African Black Soap will be needed for the DIY Shampoo.  Obviously, the Hair Jewelry will be used for the second option.

If you know of any companies that make a greater variety of hair jewelry then please share.

I'm Following the Right Path

So, I was talking with my sister-in-law, Ly'chel and I was saying how THIS blog may actually work.  Well, this is not my first blog that I have started.  This is at least my 5th attempt.  My first blog was just a way for me to try to vent about different topics but I never committed the time to it.  Then I tried several smaller topics.  When finally it clicked.  I needed to do one blog about everything--"Everything Michele".

I realized that my "everything" is several things, I cannot isolate myself as the roles sometimes mix.  So with "Everything Michele" I can just share me and all the things about me.

Yesterday, I received confirmation that I am doing the right thing with this blog and some of the other things that I want to do.  In yesterday's post (http://everythingmichele.blogspot.com/2017/01/you-would-not-believe-my-day.html), I wrote about my day, basically, I went to work in high spirits and faced several challenges, the major one being that my classroom windows were broken by blocks.  Now overall, I was very optimistic about my day.

Today, on my way to work I realized something.  Yesterday, I found a rock in my classroom, on the floor right in front of my whole group chair.

The reason why this, for me, is confirmation that I am on the right track is because even though I was not at work, I can see that God had protected me.  If I had been in the classroom when the rocks had been thrown in the classroom, the rock would have landed at my feet.  I would have been fine.  The rock that landed where my feet usually are was the largest rock that I discovered remaining in my classroom.  So although I was not the actual target metaphorically I was and I would have been fine.  I need to continue on this process, continue to work on the things that I want to work on.

So publicly, I wish to thank God for my life, my family, my blessings that I have today and that I will receive tomorrow.

You Would Not Believe My Day

Today has been a day.  As a teacher, today was my first day back to work after being home for Winter Break.  It was quick but relaxing at the same time.  Last night, I stayed up late working on lesson plans I have completed plans for January 3rd until January 17th.  If I get inspired today, I will also have plans for at least until the 24th and if I'm really ambitious through the 31st.

I digress...

This morning I wake up, I'm trying to get myself in a positive mindset.  Overall it's working.  I get to work at 6:40, walk into my room and I see my furniture out of place.  I'm like okay that's fine they did some cleaning over the break, it's cool, I'm early.  I'll put my lunch away, print my lesson plans, and then I'll fix the furniture before the children get in.  Before I leave I notice my blinds, that are in the area where my furniture was moved, are not the way I left them before the break.  I pull up my blinds and find.

I leave out to go find someone to talk to but the Principal isn't there yet.  I go back inside to find.

I was so shocked but I didn't let it get the best of me instead I just told myself just go on ahead and copy your lesson plans.  So I go to the copier and the red light is on and the message for service is on.  Okay, fine, I'll just go to the teacher next door and print to her classroom, that shouldn't be a problem.  It wasn't.

I go back to my classroom and the principal is inside surveying the damage.  She tells me to keep the children away from the carpet, use the tables fine.  So I'm looking over the plans and trying to find out what I am going to do.  She comes back and says okay you need to combine with the other prekindergarten teacher.  So I sit there and I try to figure out what I needed to be ready to take my students into the classroom next door.  I can't figure anything out so I just go next door and try to settle in.

The other teachers in that room are asking me how we were going to do it.  I was just like we're going to wing it because our classrooms have not been set up for 22 students, even though technically that makes one full class.

All in all, I'm still feeling happy, hopeful, a little shocked but mostly I'm concerned for the people  children who did this.  One thing I will say is that they have a good arm, they should look into baseball because they have to be throwing fastballs or curveballs.  But if they find the children, what will the outcome be?  Will they be suspended? expelled?  For me, it's a double-edged sword.  These children clearly need some attention, help, and support.  Schools should be a pillar of the community, a place to cherish and value but instead, it was vandalized.  Even when things happen that shouldn't we should be able to provide some sort of support to these students.

Mirrors & Windows Part 1

In terms of my hair, my hair has been natural for most of my life except for the time between my senior year in high school and my junior year in college.  Once I reached my junior year, I stopped relaxing my hair only because I was starting to do more student teaching and it was cutting into my money because I could not work as many hours at my on-campus job.  By my senior year, I was no longer relaxing my hair.  (Interestingly enough, neither were a few of my friends at the time.  Although for different reasons.)

Even though I was no longer relaxing my hair, I was still straightening my hair.  As a child, my mom often used the hot comb on my hair.  So, all I knew was applying heat to get "good hair".  Finally, I realized that I could embrace my natural curls.  I owe this to Janelle Monae, what she did at the time was different--hairstyles paired with formal black and white wear.  I think the black and white helped me to see her as a blank slate and her hair could shine.

First I started working on the pompadour but then I ended up getting married and getting pregnant so I transitioned into the bun.  After this point in time, I was confused about my natural hair.  Why did Janelle Monae's curls look so good? Why did Naptural85's curls look so good?  Hair envy sunk in.  Luckily, I had my sister-in-law, Ly'chel, who wanted to save my head from hiding in a bun.  She started doing my hair, flat twists and then Marley Braids.

While she was busy saving my head and working on many others, I was watching and learning.  I watched her and I continued to watch other vloggers especially Naptural85.  I then realized that I had heat damage.  Now, each time I do my hair, I realize that my hair even though it is "shrinking" it is actually longer if I straighten it.  Also, while doing my hair it is getting fuller.  What this all tells me is that it is getting healthier.  I am learning my hair and I'm not trying to replicate what others are doing but instead watching other successful "natural hair vloggers" I'm learning what works and doesn't work for me.  I use their experiences to experiment, if it works it works but if it doesn't, it doesn't.

Mirrors & Windows Introduction

In a post I made, last January in my blog Talks with Tots, I wrote about my thoughts on the comments that Stacey Dash made (see the link below for details).  Now, I am going to from time to time reflect on my mirrors and windows to help me and you to understand how our experiences shape who we are.  I want to create a dialogue where we can feel comfortable expressing who we are based on the images that are made in our likeness and the images and the images that are different.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3945586688496690721#editor/target=post;postID=5637255938893319473;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=4;src=postname

My Homemade Conditioner

So for the past few months I have been using a homemade conditioner which compliments the Shea Moisture Shampoo that I use.  I tend to get compliments on my hair any time that I use this conditioner so I will share it with you in case you want to try it.  New Year's Eve was no exception (see photo below).

Back Story

I could not figure out for the life of me why I could not achieve the looks that I see many bloggers and vloggers wearing.  Well, let me first warn you, my hair is not the same as someone else's hair.  My hair needs different things (that's why there's so much variety out there).

Recipe

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup honey

apple cider vinegar

olive oil

egg* (optional)

cinnamon* (optional)

messy t-shirt
conditioner cap

Directions
Melt the coconut oil, add in the honey, put in just a little apple cider vinegar & olive oil.  Optional: add in one egg.  Sprinkle in some cinnamon.  Mix all ingredients.

Wash hair like usual.  Apply the conditioner.  **Conditioner will make you sticky.**
Option 1: Let the conditioner sit in hair with a conditioning cap.  Then rinse thoroughly.

Option 2: Rinse out the conditioner.

Shop for the ingredients on Amazon.com:

Coconut Oil: http://amzn.to/2iXzAg7

Honey: http://amzn.to/2iYiGOx

Apple Cider Vinegar: http://amzn.to/2hLrLfZ

Olive Oil: http://amzn.to/2iCdwLw