Homeschool College Expectation vs Reality

Your boy (O&O) has jokes, but launching him to college has probably been one of our most challenging seasons as parents.

We had full confidence in his academic abilities, sense of responsibility and social skills but we felt so many conflicting emotions in watching him spread his wings.

Bottom line is that we really enjoy his presence.

I have spent so many years asking O&O to turn his music down, and to stop drumming his beats on my walls. Those crooked paintings and wall hangings were such a big deal to me at the time. Can I tell you that I missed all of that?

The differences don't stop there. Every family member has a role to play and when one member shifts, we all shift and renegotiate our roles. Change is necessary and we adapt, but a certain level of grieving is inevitable. Interestingly, O&O didn't need to go very far for the change to be felt. Though his college campus is relatively close, by not being in our home functioning in his familiar role we have become a new Mocha Family. We're thrilled for him, we miss him and will forever treasure the memories we've made homeschooling him.

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Please leave that baby's hair alone!

I'll never forget the first time I saw Mocha Girl One (HmG). She was an emergency c-section, and had to spend several days in NICU. She was born four days past her estimated due date and looked huge in her incubator. I imagined her to be especially delicate and feminine. I couldn't wait to frill her up, and more importantly to do her hair! The only reason she wasn't sporting a barrette the day we took her home from the hospital, was because the one I brought to match her lacey outfit, slid right out.

Mocha Girl One's baby hair was silky straight and fine. As the weeks rolled by, it became wavier until she had a lovely curly fro. I washed it all the time. I brushed it several times a day. I tried snap clips, and moved to velcro barrets when the clips slid out. I bought a different head band for every outfit. Meanwhile her curls continued to wind tighter and tighter.

I kept everything in a pretty box, dubbed the hair bin. I was really frustrated at not being ab…

How to Burn Ends of Braid Extensions With No Flame

If you try this tool out, be sure to hold the braid ends for at least 15 seconds. It will not burn the ends off completely either way, but by releasing too soon the yarn fibers may not melt enough to hold long term. I have really loved the smooth finish and so far we haven't noticed the ends snagging on Mocha Girl 2's clothing.

Since publishing this video, I have learned that there actually is a tool made for this with multiple reviews on YouTube. I must have watched one of these reviews in the past and forgotten, because as I said in the video, I fully expected Sally's Beauty Supply to have something. It's called a Braid Sealer and I ordered mine on Amazon to make a comparison. Same mechanism, however, I expect the Braid Sealer to be hotter and leave a rougher finish. I'll definitely be back to let you know what I discover.

Both tools may be found on Amazon if you are interested.

*This post contains affiliate links.

Why Braidlocks?

If follow me on Facebook and watch my YouTube videos, then you already know that I recently started a set of locks for Mg2 by braiding up her hair. I've recently been asked why we chose to start with braids and thought I would spend some time explaining it in more detail here.

There are multiple ways to start locks, perhaps more ways than we will discuss here. Choosing which way works best for you will depend on your personal situation. Consider your lifestyle, hair texture, sizing, and the way you would like your mature locks to look.

Most people are familiar with comb coils and twists. However, people also start locks by freeforming, backcombing, interlocking and braiding. Let's have a closer look.

1. Freeforming involves letting the loose hair clump and matte in whatever formation it likes. This may yield locks of various sizes and shapes depending on hair texture and performance.

2. Comb coils or finger coils are installed by coaxing sections of hair into forma…

Cherish My Daughter

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