blondies.

Hi lovelies! 
This post of for all of ya'll blondies out there (whether it be natural or not, I still love you all). 

I just wanted to provide some of the tips I had for keeping my hair nice and blonde, while still keeping it healthy and manageable. 
I know we all run into that issue where our hair begins to look brassy, and just not as bleach as you want it to look.
I'm the type of girl that wants my hair so blonde, that some of it starts to look white. 
I know, it's an issue, and I'm working on it. 

But here are a few of my tips and tricks that I use to keep my blonde as blonde as can be! 

FIRST: USE PURPLE SHAMPOO.  Oh my gosh, this stuff does wonders. Seriously.  The purple supposedly is the opposite color of the blonde which makes the blonde stand out more and blah blah blah.  I don't know the specifics, all I know is that it works. I wash my hair with this purple shampoo about twice a week and it has kept my hair from getting brassy for a long, long time! 

SECOND: Lemon juice. It's easy as pie, I'm telling you, it works.  If the purple shampoo isn't doing it for you, go with this easy go to. Put some lemon juice in a spray bottle and apply some head (hair dryer) and you will begin to notice a little blonde in your life. 

THIRD: Wen I know if you watch QVC you have seen this stuff. But let me tell you, it is a life saver for my hair. Since my hair is bleached, it gets a litttttle ratty at times. Understandable, and shout out to my hair for dealing with all of the stress I put it through. But think of this Wen stuff as a spa for your hair. It moisturizes it and keeps it healthy and shiny. 

FORTH: Cornstarch What? Cornstarch? I know. Weird. But, this stuff is what I use when I happen to skip a shower and my hair is a little bit greasy. BOOM CORNSTARCH. Guys, it works so much better than dry shampoo and it is CHEAP. Trust me guys. Just trust me.  And for you brunettes out there, add some cocoa powder. You'll thank me later.

And... I had to include one of the cutest blondes out there. Just for the fun of it.:)
What do you guys use for your hair? Regardless if you are blonde or not, I want to know! 
If you like this post, share it! Follow me on any of the social media accounts listed over here ----> 
I want to hear from you! :) 

oh! i know what speech therapists do. they help the kids that stutter.

As many of you probably know already, I am enrolled in graduate school pursuing a degree in speech-language pathology. 
And as many of you are probably thinking, what the heck is speech-language pathology? 
Well, this post is designated to helping everyone fully understand what a speech-language pathologist does, and basically simplifying it just so you can understand fully why I love this profession so much. 
So you all have heard of a "speech teacher" or a "speech therapist" in schools right? I mean many of you probably had one back in elementary school when you were rolling your "r" sound. 
And this is where the confusion comes in as to what our profession actually starts. A lot of people think that we are just here to help that little kid sound "better". The kid goes into the speech room for a few minutes, and comes out with a surprise after we drill him with "r" words. 
rat, red, ran, road, rake.  poor, care, fair, core, fire. 
You know the deal. 
Well I am here to say that we are not only here for those "r" sounds. We do SO MUCH MORE. So, you are about to get educated on what an SLP does. 
First off, let me explain to you what our national speech-language pathology organization defines an SLP as. 
"Speech-language pathologists serve individuals, families, and groups from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Speech-language patholgists address typical and atypical communication and swallowing in the following areas: speech sound production, resonance, voice, fluency, language, cognition, and feeding and swallowing."
Ok ok ok, let me break that down for you. Speech sound production = those "r" sounds you always hear about, slurred speech, basic motor speech issues.  Resonance = know someone who has had cleft lip/palate? Well we will help get rid of that nasality they are exhibiting.  Voice = Someone talking to quiet? Too loud? Breathy voice? Oh, yea, we can help with that too.  Fluency = The stuttering that some people exhibit, or whenever someone talks........realllllllly...........slow or talksreallyfast.  Language = understanding what people say, expressing yourself, understanding the meaning of a sentence, social skills, reading, writing, focusing attention, eye contact, a lot guys. Just a lot.  Cognition = memory issues? Problem solving? executive functioning? You know all of that important stuff to live a  successful life. Once you lose it (stroke? brain injury?) we are there to help you out.  Feeding and swallowing = The food aversions that many children exhibit? Your grandma in the nursing home that can only eat pureed veggies? We help them to grow their swallowing strength, and if they cant, we provide them a way to get the nutrition they need. 
So obviously this is extremely BASIC as to what our scope of practice includes, but it will at least give you all a better idea of what our job entails. 
We see individuals from the age of 1 day old to 101 years old. Our experience with different types of people is vast, and the types of clients we see is even bigger. 
We see those premature babies, those drug babies, see those with autism, down syndrome, and other developmental disabilities, we see those kiddos with cochlear implants (the things that make the deaf hear? yea. God is amazing.), those with dental issues, cleft lip/palate, those with respiratory issues, those with vocal nodules, those with neurological disorders (Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, cerebral palsy, etc), those with psychiatric disorders (psychosis, schizophrenia), and many... many... MANY more. 
So, as you can see, we don't just sit in an office in a school and help those kiddos out with the articulation issues. Though, we do help that out, that is only a small part of what an SLP does. 
We evaluate, screen, consult, diagnosis, treat, collaborate, and most importantly counsel and provide some hope for individuals and their loved ones. 
Ultimately, we are responsible for bettering the lives of people who have become so down on themselves because of their communication issues. 
We are there to show that patient with a brain injury, that they will get better, and that if they try hard enough they will be happy. We are there to remind them of their strengths and to show them that they will be okay. We are there to provide hope for not only that patient but for that patients family as well. We are there to provide compensatory strategies to help that individual live as normal of a life as possible. We are there to provide some extra hope, support, and ultimately love. 
We are there to help you. We are there to help you grow as a person. We are there to make you happy. 
Nothing has taught me more about compassion and love than my schooling and clinical experience as an SLP has. I have had the opportunity to help others, to see their face light up when they remembered what day it was, when they remembered who their nephew was, and when someone actually understood them when they were conversing with them. 
It really is the most rewarding job in the world.
I hope I have explained everything simply enough to help you understand what all we do in speech therapy, and I hope you understand the importance that SLPs have in this world. 
So, sorry for the long post, but I felt like I needed to explain everything a little further. If you have any questions, personal stories, etc please leave a comment below. I'll make sure to respond. 
Have a wonderful day, lovelies. 

maple holistics.

Hi everyone! 
Today I am going to talk about a wonderful company that I have had the opportunity to review some products for. 
That company is called Maple Holistics. 
First, before I start the review I wanted to mention how wonderful this company is in general.  This company focuses on all natural, pure, healthy products.  Each and every product I reviewed, I could pronounce the ingredients. This is so important and I believe should be an essential part of your beauty and health routine. 
With that being said, these products were not only all natural but they also worked SO WELL. So... to explain more.. Please read ahead... 

I received 3 products. Winter blend conditioner, sage shampoo, and a clay mask. 

Each and every one of these products were absolutely wonderful. They smelled great, they felt great, and they all left my hair and face feeling healthy. 

First lets focus on the shampoo and conditioner. 

The conditioner I received, called the Natural Winter Blend, was a conditioner that was made with 18 different silk amino acids that conditioned my hair. This conditioner was developed to help out dry, and broken hair (which I fall victim to due to dying my hair blond). It not only conditioned my hair extremely well, but it also left my hair smelling like peppermint the rest of the day. 

The shampoo that I received was the Sage Dandruff shampoo. Like I said before, I have really dry hair and because of that I suffer from dandruff every so often (which is nasty I know, that's why I have this shampoo). This shampoo helped my hair stay healthy and smelled wonderful as well. And I have had no dandruff since using it! 

Lastly, I received the Ancient Clay Facial Mask. 

This mask literally came in a powdered clay form, and you just added water to make the mask. It was so easy and you can tell that it was extremely natural. And let me tell you, this thing actually tightens your face! It was kind of crazy how well it worked. Even after the first time I used it I noticed a difference in my face, and it was awesome! This mask is made from french green clay and absorbs impurities from the skin while hydrating and tightening it at the same time. I must say, it was ahhhhhmazing. 

Please, make sure to check out this amazing company. You will not regret it! 

Have a great day! 

jamberry.

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone has had a great weekend and are enjoying their Monday as much as they can, even though I know that it is probably hard after the short week we had last week. 
So, if you are having a tough Monday, let me brighten it up with some super CUTE nail art. 

That makes everyone happy, right? 
Wellllll, let me introduce you to a wonderful brand that has taken my small town (and I'm sure many other towns) by storm. 

It's called Jamberry nails. 
I was offered a couple samples to try out these nails, so of course I jumped at the offer because I have been seeing these adorable nails all around town. 
First, let me explain what they are. 

Jamberry nails are basically nail stickers on steroids. You get sheets of these sticky patterns, place them on your nail, apply heat (I used my hair dryer), and it will adhere to your nails. After it is adhered on your nail, you then take a nail file to round out the end of the nail and WAH-LAH - a beautiful manicure. 

And guys. I kid you NOT these things last forever. 
Here is a picture of the first day I had them on. 

And here is the picture of them now, over a MONTH later.

As you can see, my nails have obviously grown out, but look at the sticker? It is STILL PERFECT. 

I don't know about you guys but I think that is pretty awesome. 

Make sure to check out the hundreds of patterns they have, and if you are interested in purchasing them you can do so here. 

Have you guys used Jamberry nails before? How did you like them?