Sleep

For most of my life, I thought of sleep masks as something only Edith from Overboard wore to bed.  Never did I deem them something negative, just never something that was for me.

Call it old age but over the past year or so, light has began to REALLY bother me when I am trying to sleep.  I don't mean lights being turned on; of course that would bother anyone.  No, I am talking about the small light on our television that shines even though the television is turned off.  My husband laughs at me over this but I swear it feels like a neon light is shining in my face.  And then there is the hubby.  I love that he is motivated enough to wake up at 4:30am to workout.  I do not love the light that he turns on in his closet that seems to travel out of his closet, turn a corner, through our bathroom, around another corner and hit me in the face.  How I notice this, I do not know, but it still wakes me up.  Light at night annoyed me enough that I decided I would try a sleep mask.

MIRACLE PRODUCT.  I am now understand why so many people use them.  I cannot tell you how much better I am sleeping now that I wear a sleep mask.  Sure it took a few nights to get used to having it on but now I cannot even think about going to sleep without it.  Just image a Vegas hotel room with the blackout shades.  That is what I get to experience every night.  No understanding of day or time.  It is WONDERFUL.  I am now sleeping so deeply that my children have been forced to wake me up over Christmas break at 8:30am or 9am because they were hungry.  I am sure there are a few people out there reading this that already use one (you were smart from the start) but I am a new convert.  Best $26 I have ever spent.

My favorite ones are by Mary Green.  They are 100% silk with cute and simple designs and extremely easy to sleep with.  You can find the selection below.

Weekend

via

This week seemed to just fly by.  With Monday spent traveling back from Chicago, I felt as if I was simply trying to catch up with life.  It felt so good to get home to see the kids but I must say, I was not ready for school on Tuesday.  It would have been nice to have another week with them.  The countdown to Spring Break has begun.

I told myself at the end of 2013 that for this upcoming year, I was going to be better at saying no, slowing things down, not overcommitting and making sure I have some "me" time and "simple family" time.  This is apparently easier said than done.  Of course the start of the years brings numerous events, sports, dinners and such and I am trying to take my time, not respond immediately and figure out what I can really do without stretching myself too thin.  There are certain things that are priority and so many things that are not necessary.  It is about time I start identifying each and only committed to the priority items.  Everything else needs to take a back seat to time with family and the husband.  Let's see how I do.

I also began thinking about Juggling in Heels at the end of the year.  I had sort of come to a stand still with regards to what was next.  So many things have happened since starting this blog that I never even imagined would and I have allowed myself to sit in the passenger seat, lets these great things happen and not really think about what the next steps would be.  Riding my own blog's coat tails.  Suddenly, I found myself at a place where I had to take the reins again and really decide what the future of Juggling in Heels was going to be.  I have never been a person satisfied with the status quo and I started making lists of potential changes and improvements.  After a lot of personal reflection and chatting with the hubby and friends, I am excited to say that I have figured my vision out and cannot wait to begin working on where Juggling in Heels is going to go next.  I am not going to share anything now as there is a lot of behind the scenes work that needs to be done but I think you are all going to like the end result.  It has given me a new drive for expansion that I have not been ready to take and I am loving the challenge I have placed before myself.

So, it seems that even though the year is only a few days in, it is going to be an amazing 2014 with a lot of changes both personally and professionally.  And now I am ready for a glass of wine.

Happy Weekend.

ALTERNA Caviar Repair Duo

Yesterday I mentioned that my feet need a break after all the heel wearing this past month but the damage I did to my feet is minimal compared to the damage I did to my hair.

For someone with thin hair that damages easily, the holiday season can absolutely cause chaos on your hair.  And it did.  

With numerous holiday parties, dinners, and celebrations, I styled, curled, straightened, and loaded my hair with products A LOT over two months and toward the end of December the damage was apparent.  My hair had become extremely dry and not it's normal, shiny and soft self.  I took my normal first steps of repair by not blow drying my hair all week and using a mask to help give it some hydration but that was not enough.  I really had put my hair through the ringer.

After a visit to my local beauty supply store, I came home with the ALTERNA Caviar Repair Duo.  

Though the salesperson raved about this system, I still wasn't sold.  I have tried numerous products over the years and yes, they have been okay, but nothing that has blown me away.  After reviewing my other options though, this seemed like my best bet.  It was worth a shot.

I am now officially obsessed with this shampoo and conditioner.  After only one wash, I could already feel a difference in my hair.  I know that this is absolutely not believable because nothing works right away but I promise it was true. (cue infomercial before and after photos now)  I have now used it over the last few weeks and my hair is back!  I also took it with me to Chicago where I knew it would be extremely cold and dry (hello Polar Vortex!) and it kept my hair moisturized and soft through the harsh winter weather.  There is now a high probability that I will never use another shampoo and conditioner again.

I must state that I very rarely like a shampoo and conditioner enough to write about it.  In fact, I do not think I ever have.  You may not really care about that but it does say something about how much I like this stuff.  If you did some damage to your hair over the holidays, you may want to pick some up for yourself.

Flat

After spending what felt like the entire month of December in heels, my feet need a break!

Tis the month for flats... at least for a bit!

Chicago

Heading Home

After the perfect long weekend in Chicago, we are headed back to Orange County today. The last few days were spent enjoying some much needed time with my Best Friend and her family, along with some nice alone time with the hubby sans kids. Such a good reminder that we need to step away just the two of us more frequently than we do.

After a couple flight changes we are going to be able to return home and even though the weather has been amazing to experience, I am looking forward to a little California sunshine.  Time to pack up and head out!

Happy Monday.

Heading to a real Winter

What a start to 2014.

Yesterday the family and I spent the day on Balboa Island in Newport in what I would consider a perfect 75 degrees.  We ate at our favorite Mexican food, visited our favorite candy store, walked the islands, perused a used book shop and of course, indulged in our favorite Balboa Bars.

It was perfect and I could not have asked for a better day.

I hope your first day of 2014 was just as enjoyable.

As we come to the end of this Christmas break, the hubby and I have one last trip to squeeze in before the the reality of life sets in.  Tomorrow morning we are headed to Chicago to visit my Best Friend and her family.  I am SO excited not only to see them, but to have a few days with just the hubby.

The big question is, how is this Southern California girl going to pack for a weather report that ranges from 17-33 degrees with snow showers on Sunday?

The truth is, I am extremely excited.

For someone who rarely gets to pull out a coat, I just can't wait to get a taste of real Winter for a weekend.  

Though I am not sure what will actually make it into the suitcase, these items are a definite.  The boots I just received for Christmas, the turtleneck that wear ALL THE TIME, the best shampoo and conditioner to help fight the dry weather, the coziest poncho I own, my favorite gloves and beanie, and of course the faux fur coat I have not been able to wear in California yet.

I will be warm with this, right?...

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