I Love My Hair...too!

Well, it's no coincidence that Arianna smiles every time she sees the Sesame Street video - "I Love My Hair". This video, I believe, represents all things Montessori. I'm still a novice, but I wouldn't doubt that Maria Montessori would disagree with my passion for Arianna to love her natural hair. It's tough to grow up in a society that tells little girls they cannot be pretty unless they have long flowing hair down to their elbows. What do the girls think when they see Mommy's hair isn't like that? My hair is longer than average, but 99% of the year, it's up in a pony tail. So, am I doing a disservice by not supporting this "faux" long hair movement? No way.

Before last month, I was struggling to get Arianna's hair to grow; especially around the crown of her head. I had no idea that I should be applying nourishment oil to her scalp. Nor was I aware of the dangers of products with petroleum jelly and mineral oil. The same friend - Dr. C. James - that introduced me to the Montessori method, is my source for great hair products for growing healthy African American hair. Oh my goodness, you should see her daughter's hair. It will make you quote, "Repunzel, Repunzel! Let down your hair!"



So, I'd like to use this blog to post the products that I use on Arianna's hair; followed by pics of her wearing a beautiful baby afro:)

1.  Tui Herbal Shampoo by Carole's Daughter  - I wash her hair once a week. Usually on Saturday's before Sunday's Church Service. For those that don't know - it's an African American ritual.

2. Revitalizing Leave In Conditioner by Jane Carter Solutions - You can purchase her products at Target, too. I love this conditioner!!!

 3. Scalp Nourishing Serum by Jane Carter Solution - The label says to use 3 to 4 times a week. I use it about 2 to 3 times a week on Arianna. But I definitely use this immediately after the leave in conditioner.

4. Some of Marguerite's Magic by Carole's Daughter - I use this just about every day. First, I wet her hair, apply the cream, then wet comb before combing through. And the product last a really long time. Great deal!

5. Nourish and Shine by Jane Carter Solutions - This is actually a butter type substance that can be used on the hair and body. It's the most expensive item, so I use it sparingly. I definitely use it to lay down her edges. First, apply a little water, smear a tiny amount onto crown, then brush (with baby brush) down into a pony tail.

So, some may not believe me when I say Arianna's hair has done a 360. Below is a pic just 5 weeks before hearing about these wonderful products (all made by women of color, too!)

NOTE: ***Click the pics for zoom

BEFORE....

AFTER....taken a couple weeks ago.

Taken last week:

Here are two extra pics: one with her best buddy and today's baby afro pose

Nature and Natural Light

Yesterday, we were given a tutorial on using natural light by one of our fellow Stroller Stride mamas. I love Stroller Strides. It's a great opportunity to meet other moms and our children fellowship (have play dates). Beth is the owner of A.E. Wiley Photography in Clayton, NC. Our session was held at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC. We learned about natural light as the children explored nature around them. It's great to see children enjoy playing with rocks, twigs, hay, flowers, etc. and not have a fit because they couldn't find a button to press that makes a bunch of noise.

One of the first tips that I've learned from Montessori parenting is that the quality of toys should be along the lines of cognitive development and manipulation. I admit that as a first time parent, I wanted to buy everything that made noise (yes, I don't mind noise makers) for Arianna. Thankfully, those toys didn't interest her much. She'd rather take a comb and work pieces of plastic between the teeth of the comb - things like that. I believe she's a lot like her daddy. My husband is great with numbers, decoding projects, and putting anything together. Yes, I have a gem!:) While mommy is great at reading, writing, and arguing how "right" I am. Yes, I'm in for it!

Overall, we had a great time learning about photography and cameras. Funny thing was everyone had these really nice Cannon, Sony, and Nikon cameras. Guess what I brought? My iPhone 4G! LOL! Yes, but I think it takes great pics. I used an app called "Camera+" that gave me the grid to take great shots and other cool bells and whistles for just $1.99. 

Enjoy these pics of Arianna. DISCLAIMER: The best pic (below) was taken by Beth, our instructor. The rest are my iPhone pics. I'm available for services, too! HA!

First time with fork

This evening we rushed to Harris Teeter for some veggies and fruit for the week. I saw the toddler fork and spoon set and decided to purchase. I'm really trying to encourage Ari's independence and self reliance in the small things - laying down for a nap, potty training, preparing her meals and feeding herself (now with a fork).

Two days ago he prepped her own carrots. Well we accidentally added too much EVOO. So I steamed some broccoli and added to the container.

I was shocked to see her "go at it" with the fork. Check out the pics. I'm enjoying seeing her develop daily. God is so good!

Preparing meals...

Today was a fun day. Well, I'm speaking enjoyment into my entire day. It took Arianna 1.5 hrs to fall asleep for her nap. The day before, I purchased the sunblock curtains for her room. This is what went on for 1.5hrs - her reaching out to me. I don't know maybe this is why those Montessori beds work so well; no sense of confinement to go to sleep. Who rests well behind bars?

In the end, she slept almost 3 hrs. I had to wake her up. We then went to a cookout for daddy's job. We had fun on the swing and sliding down the big slide. Yes "we" went down the slide:-)

After the park, we ran some errands and came home. Arianna wasn't that sleepy so we began finger painting. She's enjoying paint more and more.

While we finger painted, her carrots were steaming in my Beaba babycooker. I use it when I can since she's growing up and doesn't like purée foods any longer.

Once the carrots were ready, I tried teaching her how to prepare her meals (another Montessori method of child development. Check out all the pics below:

Tough day...

Today, mommy had a tough day with trying to balance the house, school, quality time with Arianna, and the fact that she didn't want to take a nap. So, I kept her awake until her normal bath time. She was so sleepy! I realize that she needs to really get used to her crib, too, even if she wakes up in the middle of the night. I might sleep up here with her for a couple of nights. Things were kinda different since I breastfed until 11 days before her 1st birthday. 

But in the mean time I'm still enjoying our Montessori journey. What do Montessori mom's do to get some decent sleep?

Well, during our playtime she played with her Nesting & Building blocks by Melissa & Doug. Then we went to her favorite Eco friendly shape sorter game. Note: she loves circles! Lol!

Vegan Cupcakes for Daddy...

I decided to grate carrots today and make a batch of vegan carrot cupcakes for Daddy. Arianna enjoyed out time in the kitchen as she made music on two round cake pans and one of those barbecue sauce brushes used for marinades. LOL! I don't know why I didn't give her the wooden spoon. It was a lot of fun. I'm not far into my Montessori at home books, but I'm sure experimenting with sound via pans, bowls and spoons is Montessori-ish:) It just came natural for me to allow her to have fun while mommy was at work.

Eventually, she fell asleep while the cupcakes were baking. But this was around 4:45pm. What's up with these super late naps? We have to do better. But she'll get back on schedule as I'm waking up pretty early for Stroller Stride class tomorrow.  

While she slept, I iced all the cupcakes but one - for daddy. She added sprinkles and enjoyed a few crumbs from one of our daddy-size cupcakes. Arianna still dies not like to eat much, but I'm not complaining. Her pediatrician says that she's extremely fit and perfect for her size. Thank God for wisdom in being first time parent.

Currently, she's climbing on the couch, up stairs and able to climb back down on her own. All of this before walking. I'm so proud of her. Her current favorite activity (besides giggling) is watching and reading the alphabet; particularly the song and book - "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom":-)