On To Hair

On to my hair…I think it’s my best feature. My world ends when I get a bad haircut. I’m sure you Mami’s feel the same way. Shoo, we barely have enough time and money to get our hair done so we better not come out of that hair salon less than satisfied! My hair is one thing I don’t scrimp on. My hairdresser is pricey considering the area I live in but I gladly pay the $40-$50 for a cut and blowdry. I always feel like a modelo (model) when I leave her salon. I’ve been going to her for years and her customers are like an exclusive club. You either know someone who goes to her or you’ve taken a class she’s offered. She doesn’t advertise she’s not even in the yellow pages! Yet she still manages to make over 30,000 a year.

I do have some tried and true products I use for my hair. My mami is also a hairdresser so I’ve learned mucho (a lot) from her. Don’t sleep on Ms. Clairol’s cholesterol! It’s around $3 at local drugstores and I use it twice monthly to maintain shine. Especially after hair coloring and bleaching I do recommend doing this or a hot oil treatment. The V05 is pretty good too and you can get those hot oil treatments for $1 at your local beauty supply store. I actually let it sit over night with a du-rag and wash it out in the morning. I always have it in my bathroom. Another thing I can’t scrimp on is shampoo. I tried Dove once and it fried my hair. It took weeks to get it back to normal! Lots of cholesterol and hot oil treatments!

I tend to be very brand loyal if something works I stick with it. And I always go for the products I know my mom used while I was growing up. What’s a product you’ve used for years?

 

The Best Eye Makeup Remover!

I’m sitting here waiting for my ELF to come in the mail (I love waiting for packages!) and I was thinking of eye shadow since my fellow Mami Lisa said the ELF eye shadow has great staying power. So I’m wondering….what do you use to take off eye makeup? I made the mistake of buying Revlon’s eye makeup remover a few years back and it stung my eyes!!! And I got the sensitive kind! Then it hit me: Contact lens solution! DUH! It works great! Plus if you have an FSA through work you can use it to buy the lens solution tax free. Or save the receipt for your taxes. J I’m a contact lens wearer (usually when I’m not too lazy) so I always have some in stock. It’s perfect to take your eye makeup off! I’m just upset I didn’t think of it sooner.

Speaking of eye makeup: Don’t you think it’s strange that we open our mouths as we’re applying mascara? Think about it you do it too mija!

What Does Mother’s Day Mean to You?

As Mother’s Day is getting closer and closer I want to ask you this question? What does Mother’s Day mean to you? What do you think it should be about besides the obvious? As we get prepared to celebrate the important moms in our life I reflect on the different feelings it can bring up in people. I know to hubby it’s a bittersweet day because his mom passed a few years back. But he feels he should be celebrating it because I am now a mom. If you’ve read some of my previous posts we’ve had two losses before having our son so to me last year was my very first mother’s day. Before that it was just a day to remind me of the losses I’ve experienced. Yet last year it was nice to be able to celebrate that day with my son and husband. Not sure what we’re doing or what he’s thinking of giving me as a gift but to me he’s given me the best gift: my beautiful baby boy.

Another thing is that now being a mom, it makes me more appreciative of my mother. You’ve read about me scrambling to get the scrapbook done for her. I know that the album would be more special to her than any gift I can buy her. I have started it but it’s no where near done! I’m in the middle of doing so many things that it just seems like I can’t complete one task!

What about traditions? I know when I was younger and living in NYC we would take my mom out to eat at Sizzler. Her best friend and her family would also join us. Also with being involved in church growing up they always did something special for Mother’s Day whether it be a play, taking them out to eat or cooking for them. They would sometimes have a whole service dedicated to moms. As much as we do on any given day it’s nice to be appreciated once in a while. What would be the perfect gift for you?

Wedding Season

As soon as you hit your 20’s it seems like there’s at least one wedding you get invited to every year! And if you’re friends with the bride it’s also the bridal shower the engagement party the bachlorette party. It can get out of control. I have two weddings to go to this year, one in summer and one in fall.

So what do you give as presents? Etiquette says you should at least pay as much as your plate. You can figure that out depending on what type of wedding it is and where it’s held. But what about Mami’s on a budget? The summer wedding I’m invited to, the groom is a friend of hubby’s. I’ll be taking a look at the registry and basically picking something that falls within my budget and what I’m willing to spend for a couple I barely know. But if you do know the couple it would be a nice touch to do something special for them without it breaking the bank.

For example do they like to watch movies? Make a nice gift basket with a movie or two you’d think they’d like and some movie candy and popcorn. Throw in a popcorn bowl too. What about baking/cooking? Along with a small appliance of your choice why not give the newlyweds some tried and true recipes? This would also be a good idea if they’re not that experienced in the cooking department. You can decorate the recipes real nice if you’re crafty enough. To save time worrying about whom to get what you can always just get the same gifts for every wedding. Like a pair of nice wine glasses or champagne flutes. Especially if you can find them on sale! Something generic like glasses can be your signature gift that you give at every wedding. That way you don’t have to worry about whom to gift what. And if you’re going to go with the tried and true small appliances a nice touch would be a note with a tip or recipe of what you can make with it. Hopefully my tips have made it easier for you to shop for any upcoming weddings. I think for hubby’s friend I’m definitely going with some glasses or flutes!

This Week’s Hottie….Amaury Nolasco #3

Today’s hottie is Amaury Nolasco of Prison Break. Of course Wentworth Miller is absolutely gorgeous but don’t sleep on this Latin cutie! He plays Sucre and the Puerto Rican actor has been linked with Dayanara Torres Ex Miss Universe and Ex. Mrs Marc Anthony. He was born on Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) 1970 in Puerto Rico. I think his accent is to die for especially when he speaks Spanish on the show! Even though he was born in Puerto Rico his parents are actually Dominican (this is what Wikipedia is saying I’m not so sure about that) He’s guest starred in TV shows like CSI and ER. Here’s the eye dulce for the weekend!
Side note: I do love his name and if I ever have another child and it’s a boy it’s a possible middle name! My son’s middle name is Anthony his initials are the same as hubby so I’d like to keep that going. And I just love saying Amaury Nolasco!

Today’s Respect

I was taught growing up to respect your elders. I would never call someone older than me by the informal “you” which in Spanish would be tu instead of usted. There was a level of respect that just isn’t there anymore. I was also taught to ask family members such as uncles aunts, grandparents and parents for their blessing when I saw them and when I was about to leave them. That has been so instilled in me that right now at 27 years old I got off the phone with my mother and still asked for her blessing. That’s my hello and my goodbye. They are currently raising my neice and never taught her that. Growing up that was what I told them when I went to bed as well as when I was coming and going. There is such a difference in culture now.

My brother and his kids live in the Dominican Republic which is where my family is from. They have been taught that same etiquette and when I speak to them on the phone it’s auntie this and auntie that and asking for their blessing. Yet my niece that lives with my Mami calls me by my name and never says auntie. I’m such a stickler for that but I just gave up on her. I still call my aunts and uncles tia and tio with their name respectively. And I am teaching my son to call my brothers ‘tio’ and to call my brother and sister in law tio and tia as well. But again on hubby’s side none of his nephews call him tio they call him by his name. That bothers me. I don’t know. Something about calling an uncle “uncle” to me gives them a level of authority and respect. I would ask my son’s friends when he gets older to call me Ms. Jai or whatever but it can’t just be “Jai”. It sounds so disrespectful to me! But I was raised by very traditional people and I’m usually very open minded but with something like this it’s very important to me. I know of some people that have their children call them by their first name because they don’t want to feel old. What do you think of this?

Spring

Spring has finally caught up with us here in the Northeast US and I’m so excited! The first signs of spring are coming up in my front garden. Mi jardin is still a work in progress but I’m excited to begin work on it. It’s a nice and relaxing way to spend some time outdoors and a properly planned garden would increase the value of your home. I am a Better Homes and Gardens reader I subscribe to the magazine and spend time on the web site. They have great design planners online where you can enter how big you’d want the garden and what shape and what you’d like to plant in your garden and have a handy little printout.

I’m a huge lily fan. Not only are they beautiful (in my opinion) and come in so many different colors, but they also are very hardy. They multiply for you year after year. Especially if you’re a first timer you should stick to hardy plants that might be ok with a little abuse or neglect. Once you’ve graduated (and haven’t killed anything) you can move up to more difficult plants.

Here are this Mami’s tips for Gardening: Remember your zone! All parts of the US (and everywhere else) are zoned for planting. These zones are universally used. I’m in zone 5 so plants that can only survive in Zone 6 and on would not be ideal for my garden. They would die with the harsh winters. I try to get plants that are hardy to Zone 4 so that I know they’d be ok in my garden. Wear protective gear. I protect my cabello (hair) with a handkerchief and make sure to wear sneakers when I’m outside. I also make sure to have good gloves on. Only buy from reputable stores. To get the best plants you should definitely stick to gardening stores. I made the mistake of buying two shrubs from Walmart last year. Sure they were cheap but they both died on me and I know it wasn’t anything I did. I have bought online from Springhillnursery.com and am very impressed with their quality. When they show up the plants might be a little smaller than expected but they sure do grow quickly! I bought a beautiful purple butterfly bush and it was not even a foot tall when I got it. By the end of summer (three months later!) it was twice as big! I also like to get something that’s not as popular or that you wouldn’t see in everybody’s yard. And I’ve never seen such a dark colored butterfly bush. I will definitely post before and after pictures of my casita so you can see what a difference a little gardening makes. Feliz Gardening!

Hottie of The Week! #2

Today’s hottie is Eduardo Verastegui. He’s so fine I had to post two pictures of him! He’s a gorgeous reformed Cassanova. At six feet tall this Mexican model singer and actor sure makes me drool! His eyes alone are to die for. He’s the tall dark and handsome we all think of when we say that. There’s a Spanish saying that says “El esta como el quiere” Basically he’s fine as hell. Lol! He was born May 21 1974 in Mexico and his full name is Jose Eduardo Versategui. He studied law here in the US and used theatre to pay the bills. He was in telenovelas and most recently in the movie Chasing Papi (which I thought was cute. I also like the song with the same name written for the movie). You should check that movie out! He’s also in a more serious movie called Bella out in DVD soon. For more info check out his site. So ladies, what do you think of this week’s latin hottie? Have any guys to nominate?

 

Looking your best

It’s a great feeling when you know you look good. When you take the extra 5 or 10 minutes to put on some makeup and wear those high heels you feel unstoppable. I know when my son was a newborn and I was just returning to work, my goal in those days was having a clean shirt. He had reflux and was constantly spitting up. I am lucky that even though I work in a corporate office it’s a very relaxed setting and we’re allowed to wear jeans and t-shirts. I remember walking in to work and thinking to myself well…at least my shirt’s clean. Only to go to the bathroom an hour later and realize that’s definitely not true!

Now that my son is older I can take that time in the morning when I feel up to it and get “dressed up” for work. Today I actually put my contacts in I have some makeup on, a nice top, jeans and stiletto boots. I’m “doing it” today if I don’t say so myself! LOL! As mami’s we need to do that once in a while. It’s unrealistic of me to think I can get “done up” like this every day but it doesn’t have to be a special occasion. Once or twice a week is fine with me. And I’m sure my hubby doesn’t like to see me in hoodies and t-shirts daily!

Spring has finally arrived up here in NY and it makes me want to break out my stilettos. My son is now 13 months and walking so it allows me to wear them. And I have a nice collection! Last year I would wear flipflops to drop him off at daycare and then change into my high heeled sandals when I got to work. I can spend the entire winter in timberlands and sneakers. But as soon as the weather starts to look nice there goes the stilletos! Here’s a pic of today’s pair. I got these in NY a few years back and they are like butter on my feet! They look uncomfortable but believe me they are not! I hope I’ve encouraged my fellow mami’s to look their best at least once this week!

Guayaberas

These shirts remind me of my father. He’s got a huge collection. There are so many different styles of this type of shirt we call guayaberas or in my country chacabanas. (pronounced cha-kah-bah-nah and gooah-yah-bear-ah) People have used them for weddings instead of the traditional black tie. This would be nice for a wedding by a beach with a tropical theme. They have stores that sell them online now. (Of course, everything is sold online now!)  I got this picture from Guayabera Shirt. Side Note: I’ve never bought from them before so I am not promoting in any way just wanted to give credit for the picture.

I guess my mind has been on latin traditions lately. My dad actually bought three of my nephews matching chacabanas and they wear them to church. They look adorable the four of them! Que Lindos! Wish I had a picture to post but I think my Papi would kill me! I remember a shirt he had when I was around 4 or 5 it was dark blue. My father is the hard at work type constantly even though in my opinion he should be retired. But when he’s wearing the shirt it’s like he’s on vacation. I do have a picture of him at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens about 15 years ago. It was a beautiful day and you can tell by the picture. And he has this beautiful chacabana on in a light color. It’s one of my favorite pictures of him! I have a copy in one of my scrapbooks.

My mom has bought my hubby an updated version of this shirt and he likes to wear it layered. I guess it’s his way of updating a look. This would be a nice gift to buy for someone who’s retiring or who just loves this style of Caribbean shirt. Father’s day is not that far away!

 

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