Birthdays

I am a little late with this, however it is better late then never. My youngest had a birthday in April and my middle child at the beginning of the month. For the youngest I did not do much since she is still young, just a small cake with her sisters, grandmother, aunt and great grandmother. That is it, nothing fancy or elaborate. 

For my middle child I was going to have a party like I usually do but I sat down and thought about it; it would bring out the worst in her and she would have a terrible time on her day of celebration. She would be around people who are not normally around her and are not used to her every day meltdowns which would be even worse, she would be stressed and would most likely get into trouble. So I asked her if she wanted to go someplace special instead of a party.We chose to go to a place called Kimballs which has arcade games, pony rides, ice cream, and yummy food. She had a blast ! No melt downs, no crying and it cost me less than it would have to throw a party. 

I think going forward I am going to continue to do this with the girls, let them choose a special place and call it a day. No more parties for us,it is less hassle. No more invitations, messes,or prep and they get to feel like they had some control over the day. I call it a win in my book ! 

Darling Vox Box

Ah yes, Influenster included me in their Darling Vox Box and I am so happy they did ! This box was truly fantastic, one of my favorites really. Ready to read about the products ?!

First I will start with the Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask
It retails for $14.99 at CVS or Ulta. It can be used as a deep conditioning mask,you would leave it in your hair for 20 minutes if you were going to use it this way OR you can use it as everyday conditioner. I chose to use it as every day conditioner. This stuff made my hair incredibly soft, easy to comb even when there are lots of knots from when I let the kids play with my hair. a little bit goes a long way even in with my thick hair. The only thing I do not like is the scent, it's not a big deal since it does not linger. 

Next up was a chocolate treat for me. It was the Duncan Hines Perfect for 1- Chocolate Lovers Cake.This retails for $2.50 for a box of two cakes. The cake was so easy to prepare, you could choose your liquid, I opted for milk and you just mix it with the already packaged dry ingredients. Be sure to mix in the mug you plan on using so there is less mess and dishes. Oh and let's be safe and use a microwave safe mug !! A minute later you have a warm cake. You can then top it with whatever your cake loving heart desires.

The next items were for my girls; We got Baby Gentle Moisture Tearless shampoo and wash - retails for $5.99 along with the Baby Gentle Moisture Baby Lotion which also retails for $5.99 from Live Clean. What I love about these two products here are the amazing ingredients which include certified organic botanicals of chamomile, lavender and aloe. It was nice and gentle on their skin which is quite sensitive especially Gina's. And it smells so good and it is soothing. The lotion was not greasy at all and sunk right into the skin. I used both the shampoo and lotion on myself I was pleased with how soft my hair was, it felt like I never ever used product in it.


I also received a coupon for a free 15oz Country Crock Buttery Spread. Retail value is $1.81-2.99. Now I used to buy Country Crock all the time and use it in everything. Then I learned about a terrible ingredient called palm oil, which is used in this spread. It is not gross or a chemical but it puts Gorillas at risk of becoming endangered, by harvesting palm oil it destroys their habitat and they are just left to die. I cannot buy a product not just this one but any product knowing it has palm oil in it. I did use my coupon so I could complete my tasks for the vox box though. I have always bought the calcium one but stumbled upon the "churn style "so that is what I went with. It is delicious, creamy and packed with flavor. It even makes toast taste good. It is especially good on veggies and for cooking fish with.

So far I have liked everything out of this box right ? Well there is one thing that did not go over too well with me; Nature's Bounty Energy Gummies retail for $7.99. They are supposed to converse the food you eat into energy with it's unique blend of herbs. I took it in the morning with my coffee followed by breakfast and felt no different so I tried taking them with breakfast. Honestly I feel like it was just a gimmicky thing. I did try posting an honest review on their website and it was not approved ! 

I saved the best product for last..drumroll please......Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Face Moisturizer retails for $29.50. The texture on this is like velvet and sinks right into my face. It gives me this lovely glow which is great since I do not wear makeup often during the week. And it still works great when I do wear makeup acting as a primer. A little goes a long way, this tiny vial lasted about 3 weeks. I do plan on getting a full size bottle. I have boughten many moisturizers in my day, from Indie vendors, to drug stores to department stores and this right here is a winner. 

I am truly thankful to be part of the Influenster community. Every product you read about I received for free, and all the opinions and thoughts are mine and only mine ! 

My visitor

The other day was the anniversary of my uncle/godfather's passing. And every year since Carlos left us,( keep in mind it has only been three years ) he visits me. No, I am not losing my mind and no it does not scare me.

I do believe in spirits. This year I was driving my girls to group on Tuesday afternoon with the windows down, wind blowing the the car and me singing at the top of my lungs as if I were Mariah Carey when BAM Carlos popped into my head. Mid song there he was, maybe he liked my singing or maybe it was so bad he came by to shut me up 🤣 I racked my brain for the date and it hit me the anniversary was coming up.

The actual day of the anniversary I found my tv remotes on the floor. Now I am like clock work, when I go to bed I put my remotes in the same place on my desk..every single night. Well the morning of those remotes were on the floor!  

I do miss him a lot. We used to go visit him pretty much every Friday night when I lived with my parents. He had such a good heart, I take comfort knowing he comes to visit. Wonder what else he has in store for me ❤️