Daily Archives: July 23, 2012

Jul23

April-July GOC Update: Mershauna (#14)

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by Mershauna of The Dancing Optimist

Summer is going by so fast. I cant believe that we’re practically halfway through July! I’m enjoying time off from school, but I’m missing my dance classes. A lot of changes have been going on as far as fitness and hair. I also moved into my own apartment! I will say that I am definitely ready to be back in school. Summer is making me lazy, lol.

Hair
I’m so excited, because I’ve reached goal of MBL before september! I’m hoping to be full MBL by then.


It feels like it has taken AGES to reach this mark. It’s probably because I’ve always based this off my sports bras, since that’s what I’m always wearing, and they come down pretty low. I want to be waist length by 2013, which should be easy. Since I barely have a torso, my waist is about 3 to 4 inches away from MBL.

Because of this lofty goal that I’ve set, I’m really buckling down when it comes to my regimen. No more down and out styles for me. I will be rocking twist or box braids since I can wash my hair easily without having to take them down. I’m also trying to strengthen my hair, so I bought Aubrey Organic GPB conditioner and their J.A.Y. shampoo. I haven’t tried them yet, so my fingers are crossed. I’ve also been using Aussie’s Split End Protector since I’m prone to split ends. But, I haven’t been using that long enough to tell if it’s a keeper.

Fitness
I’ve been really slacking lately. I’ve been working out only twice a week. That really has to change. I’m maintaining my weight of 136, which is good, but I want to be down to 120 by next year.

My diet has changed a lot. Jon and I have cut out red meat to only once a month and he’s lost around 20 or more pounds! I’ve been eating mostly vegetarian in hopes to get healthier and help with the weight. It’s also a way to force myself to eat more vegetables. There’s free yoga at a farmers market here on Saturdays, so I’m hoping to start that soon.

Goals

  • Drink more water.
  • Walk more.
  • Workout more (gym and dance).
  • Stick to my regimen and diet.

♦

Check out Mershauna’s initial GOC – The Sequel submission here.

Want to see where it all began with the first GOC? Find Mershauna’s entrée into the first GOC here.

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Jul23

Waste Not, Want Not!

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Oh yeah, I told you that this is how I get down ;)!! *lol* So, I mentioned in the post earlier today that I pre-pooed with a combo of Aubrey GPB and Honeysuckle Rose conditioners mixed with Vatika oil. And, although I have new bottles of both under the sink (‘cuz you know I always have my HGs and staples “in stock” :)), I also had open bottles of each. The thing is, neither had enough product in the container to shake out. Enter the butcher’s knife! I’ll cut open a bottle in a minute! You see how much was in there?!?! Bump that!!

But guess what? There may be a better way that’s still pretty economical!! When I posted this pic on my Hairscapades FB page with the caption, “I’m getting ALL of my conditioner” (btw, 128 ladies have liked this pic so far! LOVE it!! *LOL*), Tiffany Divalocks wrote:

I will be doing the same thing when mine is low, I was just thinking of that when I used this same conditioner today on my daughter’s hair. You know they sell these things called beauty spoons and you stick it in the bottle and scoop out the product that you can’t reach.

Beauty Spoons?? Who said what now? You know that I immediately went on the hunt! Well, I found the tool and site immediately … because they are both called, Beauty Spoon!

Ummmm, so yeah, it’s already done. I placed my order within an hour of learning about the tool. The spoons are $9.99 for a set of two (7″ and 10″) and shipping is FREE (that’s what sold me). Also, for a limited time, you can get two 1 oz. “Beauty Bowls” with every order.

So, stay tuned for the full review coming soon … *looking around for an almost empty bottle of product*.

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How do you make certain that you get your money’s worth out of your products? Have you tried the Beauty Spoon?

Jul23

Weekend Road Trip

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This past Friday, we hit the road for my family reunion down in the dang near southern most point of Virginia … Virgilina, Virginia … it’s so close to North Carolina, it has “lina” in its name *lol*. It’s so deeeeeep in the country that it takes 30 minutes to get to the nearest grocery store, reception on a cell is almost non-existent and wireless internet access is a dream for the future. *lol* It took us 12 hours to get down there on Friday (we made a pitstop in south Jersey to pick up my dad and his friend).

This reunion is for relatives on my paternal grandmother’s side of the family and we have it every year. It’s ALWAYS the Saturday before the third Sunday in July … except this year. *lol* Someone must have gotten mixed up and booked it for the third Saturday instead … but, I wasn’t complaining, because that gave us a weekend in between our return from vacation and the reunion.

My future in-laws made the trip up from North Carolina to attend (I love them :)) and many of my cousins, aunts and uncles came from parts unknown. We ate, we laughed, we dodged the intermittent rain, we suffered the humidity, we reminisced, I got asked about “a date” a few times, we ate some more and that was it.

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Yeah, I was NOT the best photo journalist ;). Hopefully, I’ll get some better pics from my uncle and sis to update this post.

It took us 9 hours to get back on Sunday (we hit the road a little after midnight to avoid the nightmarish traffic that made the drive down super painful). I was pretty exhausted when we got in around 9:30 am … driving 21 hours in less than 3 days is a BEAST! However, the first things I did was check in online (woooh, withdrawal symptoms alleviated), watch a couple episodes of Pound Puppies (*lol*) and slept for about 4 hours.

Oh, actually, I did one other thing. I pre-pooed. See, I had planned to wash my hair on Friday before we left, but it never happened. Instead, I just put it into 6 braids with a little diluted Aubrey HSR conditioner sealed with JBCO. The braid-out did NOT fare well in the humidity and my hair felt even more wretched than it did last week!

After getting the pre-poo applied and playing around on the computer a little longer during an Avatar mini-marathon, I passed out at 8 pm on the couch. Wei, who was working on his computer on the couch next to me, finally woke me up at 1 am to get in bed. So, as I type, my hair is saturated in conditioner and I need to hurry up and finish a couple posts for the day so I can hop in the shower to do something with this mess.

Welp, that’s my weekend in review! Now time for you all to return the favor! What did you do this weekend :)?

 (p.s. And, no I didn’t get to see Batman: The Dark Knight Rises yet:(! I wanted to see it yesterday, but that joker [no pun intended! *lol*] is 2 hrs 44 min long!! I knew that I would pass out! So, the plan is to avoid all reviews and spoilers to the extent possible and see it Tuesday. ***Nananananana**** I don’t want to know!!!)