Me Time Is Important Too!

 Hey Guys,

I hope you guys are having or had a great Thursday!

This week has been a germy one for the Gaskins' household. The hubby is out of town and I am here with two sick kiddos. My oldest has the flu and with his asthma the two aren't a good mix. I have to give him treatments every 4 hours around the clock and continue to watch his respirations and breathing so I haven't been sleeping too much. The baby had his flu shot so he just has a cold, needless to say its a been a lot going on here.

Of course as a mom, our first priority tends to be our kids and we always put them first no matter what we may need for ourselves. In the midst of whatever is going on with the kiddos, it's important to take a little time for yourself even if its just 15 minutes out the day. I promise taking time for yourself will make you a better wife and a better mommy.

Here are a few quick things I like to do for a little pick me up:

1. A facial mask: I have been loving doing a mask to remove and one to replenish after. Lately, I have been loving the Origins Clear Improvement Mask followed by the Origins Drink Up Mask (not sponsored just love them).

2. My hair: I have a friend that always says whenever she feels bad she washes and does her hair. I really agree, washing my hair and then blow drying it always makes me look fresh and in turn helps me feel better.

3. Doing a short workout: A quick 15 minute workout on the treadmill always makes me feel better. Lately, I will do 5 sets of this if I only have a few minutes to spare:
2 min run at 6 or 6.5
1 min sprint at 8.5
Pick an incline that is challenging for you but you can still finish.

4. I love writing lists, journaling, or writing in my planner. I try to keep a notebook by my bed so I can take a few minutes to write a little something before bed. I love the 5 year one line a day journal. Such a cool way to write a quick note about the day and compare over 5 years when you're all done.

I know there is always laundry, dishes to be washed or something to clean,  but Rome wasn't built in a day so give yourself a break and make sometime for yourself. You will be a better person because of it.

My New Hair Color

Hey Everyone!

 Happy Tuesday! As most of you all know from Instagram, Ive lightened my hair and have been progressively getting it a bit lighter each time I get it done. A lot of people have been asking me details about my hair like what I ask for, who do I go to, and the upkeep so I decided to tell you guys here :). When I first went in to get my hair done, I had a picture of the hair color I had in mind and we have made it to custom to my hair and my skin tone. So find a picture of the color you think you want to get the ball rolling.

First of all, I get it done by Julie at Pika Pika Hair Salon in Duluth Georgia (IG: touchedbyjuels) . In order to book an appointment with her you will have to email a picture of your current hair and what you are trying to do and she will go from there. That brings me to my first point, if your stylist doesn't want to know the condition of your hair before you go in, that should be a red flag. Your stylist should care more about the health of your hair then making money from your appointment. When Julie saw the picture of my hair and I told her that I had dyed it black about a year ago, she told me to start washing my hair as much as possible with purple shampoo for at least 3 weeks to help pull the black and make it less damaging on my hair to go light. I loved that she told me to wait, it showed me that she wanted to get the best results possible while still keeping my hair healthy.

Second, if your hair is black and you are wanting to go super light. Be prepared for it to take a few treatments. If you go from one end of the spectrum to another with your hair color in one sitting, 9 times out of 10, you are going to end up with damaged hair. Be patient, healthy hair is better than having to cut your hair off because it's damaged.

Third, you have to take care of your hair in between appointments. Blonde hair has to be trimmed regularly because it tends to split easier. You also need to be prepared to have the best conditioning shampoo and conditioners that are sulfate free to keep your hair hydrated and conditioned. I also keep pink/purple shampoo on hand to tone down any brassiness before my next appointment. Contrary to popular belief, don't use the pink/purple shampoo unless you need it, too much of it can cause your hair to get dried out and cause it to break.

I hope this helps you guys and if you have any other questions, please let me know.

Find Your Own Motivation!

Happy Monday Everyone!!

I hope you guys have been doing well. I just got back from spending a week in LA with my boo thang. He had one day of work there so we decided to take advantage of it and spend the week there for our 9 year anniversary. I know 9 years, craziness!! Time flies when you're having fun and in love <3 .="" p="">
It's Sunday night while I am writing this,  I am sitting down with a mask on my face preparing and motivating myself for next week and I decided I would share some of the things I do and tell myself.

The first thing I do is make myself mini goals for the week. I try to keep it realistic and manageable. I usually pick three or four things that can be accomplished in one week. So for example these are my goals for this week:

1. Work on my patience this week - take a second to pause before I say something or do something

2. Be more consistent with work and social media: blog at least three times and post each day on social media

3. Get at least 5 hours of sleep at least 4 nights this week

4. Consistent working out and healthy eating M-F.

Now that I have set my goals and have written them down, its much easier to focus and work at these goals each day. I always make a to do list before I go to bed each night and it helps me stay on track and gives me a sense of accomplishment to tick off each thing on my list during the day.

I also find things in my daily life to keep my motivated during the week. For example,  if I need motivation to work out or eat healthy, I will go on instagram and look at some of the people who motivate me in fitness and after a few minutes it will help me get up and get it done.

I hope these small tips help you get motivated this week. Lets keep each other accountable, I know you can do it! Have a great and productive week!