Ghoul's Gone Child Presents... PEEK A BOOO!

The following video is really just the scariest. Watch at your own risk!



Happy Halloween!

GGC

Why We Shop Honest (Sponsored & Giveaway)

The following post is part of a series sponsored by Honest, of whom I have been a paying customer since the twins were bitty babes. Thank you for being behind us, Honest. Keep rocking. 

One of the more frequently asked questions when I was pregnant with Bo and Revi was whether I planned to use cloth diapers. Clearly there was concern over the double diaper duty equating to double the landfill...ing, which I understand and felt similarly guilty about. Having four children meant I would have to work that much harder reducing our carbon footprint as a family. I made it my mission to waste less, buy resale when possible and drive my car only when absolutely necessary.

The truth is, while I flirted with the idea of cloth diapers, I knew, from the get it wasn't going to be for us. Not that I don't think cloth diapering is AWESOME, I just didn't see how doing more laundry (we do QUITE a bit as it is) would be our bag. Enter HONEST, biodegradable, non-toxic, natural diapers that were as cute as they were absorbant, functional, not to mention subscription based and BAM = sold. That was last year and we've been monthly subscribers ever since.

Here's how it works:

Every month we get a box full of sustainable (plant-based) diapers and wipes a la the Honest Diapers Bundle, updating when the babies grow and/or if I want to change up the diaper prints. ED: They recently added some ADORABLE new patterns to their diaper repertoire and today, for example, the girls are rocking these 80's-esque "heart print" diaps which remind me of a pair of KEDS I used to wear when I was five. In a good way. 

Then there's the Family Essentials Bundle which is equally as cool and full of (organic! non-toxic!) household necessities. For just under $36 a month, you get to choose five environmentally friendly toxin-free products for your fam. I especially love their conditioning mist, sunscreen, detergent and stain remover, all of which we use here at home.

It's been a joy shopping with Honest this past year. They're a good company full of good people creating good products for the better good. Happy Anniversary, diapers. Let's have some cake. 

Interested in giving Honest a whirl? Check out their FREE trial and see if it's for you. Honest is also offering free shipping for first-time subscribers. Use code GGCFreeShip between now and 11/13. I also have a free one month diaper (OR family essentials!) subscription up for grabs! To win? Leave a comment below. I'll pick one winner next Wednesday, November 7th. Good luck!

UPDATED: Congrats to commenter, Traber for winning the free HONEST trial and thank you to everyone for your comments! Much love!

GGC

141/100

This is from several years ago but it's still amazing. For everyone who is weathering a storm or dealing with the aftermath. 

P.S. Denmark knows how to party.

141. All You Need is Love: covered by... a lot of awesome people.

(love to all.)

GGC

Yesteryear's Bang Trim Tutorial: Updated

Last week I trimmed Fable's hair and after several inquiries, decided to re-post a bang trimming tutorial for those who might have missed it years ago. And also, to update it with some tips on how to apply the same how-to bang-trim-action on your child's hair, specifically, into a Fablesque bob, which by the way, after cutting Fable's hair, Archer was like, "Fable! You look like yourself again!" which is all I needed to hear to know the haircut was a success. 

I digress. Behold, a repost of my bang tutorial from two years ago. With updates for those looking to tips on trimming their kids' hair. Specifically bangs for girl children. 

1. Straighten and Dry

Make sure your bangs are dry (the worst thing you can do for a bang trim is cut wet hair. Your bangs will end up FAR shorter than anticipated and you will be disappointed and probably sad. You'll also want to straighten your bangs with a flat iron so that they hang over your eyes like so:

UPDATED FOR CHILD: I have no experience cutting a curly-haired child's hair. Yet. Fable's is so straight it shows EVERY cut so I cut her bangs slowly and one section at a time, starting from the middle and working my way out to either side. I make sure her hair is parted properly before I cut but other than that, no need for straightening. Her bangs are a lot shorter than mine - more practical and far more suiting. 

2. Divide and Conquer!

Divide the center part of your bangs with two fingers, leaving the sides alone (for now):

Pull bangs down as hard as you can, pull up slightly and with a steady hand, snip straight across at the bridge of your nose. (If your bangs aren't long enough to pull over the bridge of your nose then your bangs probably don't need a trim. Not yet, anyway.)

Once you've snipped the excess, carefully trim the straggler-hairs, but ONLY in the middle. Keep the sides of your bangs alone. For now.

UPDATED FOR CHILD: I trim Fable's bangs straight across, all the way to the end of her eyebrows. 

3. Shape your Sides!

Once you have your length established, trimming the sides is actually quite easy.

Follow the curve of your eyebrow with your scissors. Be sure to trim downward until you reach the edge of your ear. DON'T FORGET TO USE YOUR EYEBROWS AS A MAP! Bangs (at their shortest) should hit slightly above the brow.

using brows as a map

...Same goes for the other side. Feel free to trim any errant hairs and GO SLOW. Very slow... until you're satisfied with a (somewhat!?) symmetric, curved-at-the-eyebrows bang.

(Ed: your bangs may be of the straight-across variety. If that's so, just follow the length you have established all the way to the end tiny piece by tiny piece to be sure you're staying level.)

UPDATED FOR CHILD: Once Fable's bangs are finished, I cut the rest of her hair, piece by piece, starting with the front sides and working my way to the back of her head. I trim by pulling her hair up and cutting at an angle and then working with the length I've established to trim length and layer on the back and sides.

4. Smile!

Congratulations! You can see again! Go look at pretty things and have wondrous adventures! 

ED: And If you should completely botch your/your child's hair, FRET NOT! Bad haircuts are not only rites of passage but can be easily remedied at a salon near you. 

Happy trimming!

GGC

Got curly hair? Check out this awesome tutorial c/o my amazing sister, Rachel. 

TOTW: Esperos Tote Bags & Packs (Giveaway!)

This week I got an email from a company called ESPEROS and was instantly blown away by the awesome, not only of their totes and packs (see above and below) but this: 

At ESPEROS, we are dedicated to two things: making great products and providing children in need with access to an education. Following the design trends of our backpacks, our new tote bags are minimalistic, functional, and feature a beautiful aesthetic. As part of our ongoing effort to build up the communities in which we’re working, we have sourced the leather for our tote bags from a small tannery in Haiti and, with every bag we sell, we will send a child in Haiti to school for a year.

I love everything about these bags and the cause they carry and immediately pre-ordered a tote for myself.

For more on ESPEROS go here and here. 

***

I'm giving away two purchased bags/packs (winner's choice) this week to two readers. To win? Tell me what education means to you. I'll pick two winners next Saturday, November 3rd via disqus randomizer. P.S. I know it's early for holiday shopping but please consider Esperos for your gift guides and lists because they rule. Super cool folks doing awesome work. 

***

UPDATED: Congratulations to Home Sweet Sarah and Sarah (Smileyfish) for winning bags to benefit education in Haiti! And thanks to all for your comments. Some of my favorite comments ever in the history of GGC. You amaze. xo

GGC

Every Time is the First Time (Sponsored)

The following post was sponsored by GRACO and their new SnugRide Click Connect 40, which I wrote about, here and plan to use through the twins second birthday so that I can continue to NOT wake them up when they fall asleep in the car, and instead, carry their carseats quietly into the house via tiptoe. (Thanks, GRACO!)

***

Eight years ago I was newly pregnant with Archer, flying blind. Being a younger first-time mom, I was pretty much expected to know nothing which made knowing nothing less scary. (When everyone treats you like a fool you’re allowed to feel like one.)

with Archer, Christmas '05

I was just like every other freaked out first time mom, whatayagonnado, eh? None of my friends had kids back then, so I was even MORE relieved. I could do whatever I wanted and nobody was going to say, “you’re doing it wrong” because none of my friends knew how to do it either! Liberating! And yet, somehow, that didn’t stop strangers and extended family and people who sometimes babysat to lend unsolicited advice as to how to feed, diaper, care for and love my child.

Four years ago, I had just given birth to Fable, my first daughter, once again, flying blind. Being the mother of two children I was expected to know a lot more than I did the first time and I kind of sort of did, and maybe if Archer had the same birth as Fable it would have mattered. Maybe if Fable was the same baby as Archer it would have made a difference. But that wasn’t the case because that is never the case and everything Archer “prepared” me for was useless to me with Fable. Sure, they were both little people, but other than that, every single variable was different.

And it made me realize that if I couldn’t give myself parenting advice, even as a seasoned professional, nobody could! NOBODY! Liberating!

This was only made more apparent, last year, when my doctor sliced me open and pulled two perfect (albeit slightly small) babies from my body. Once again? Completely blind. Blind and numb from the neck down and puking from panic attack. (I had no idea that C-section would numb my WHOLE body up to my arms. I completely freaked! FA-REAKED.)

It was my first C-section, my first pair of twins, and everything I had learned from parenting “two children at once” did absolutely zero to prepare for me “parenting two infant children at once” which also made me realize that nobody should be allowed to give anybody unsolicited advice on anything ever. Again, LIBERATING!

My point being – every child is different, and no experience will fully prepare us for the experiences that will follow. No matter how much practice we have, how many births we survive, infants we care for, birthdays we celebrate, when it comes to children and relationships and pretty much everything else in life, we’re all flying blind. We’re all, no matter the what and the who and the how, first-time moms.

***

As one of Graco's Ambassadors I'll be hosting my second takeover on Graco's facebook page next Friday, November 2nd. Join me as we discuss what (if any) advice we'd give our first-time mom selves. And by first-time mom selves, I mean selves. Me? I would like to give myself advice on how to be better at getting up earlier (go to bed earlier!) and also better at remembering important things. (Go to bed earlier!) And with that, I'm logging off and going to bed... earlier. 

GGC

Liner Notes, 10/24

Oh hello, Fall. Hello babies first pumpkin patch! Hello, boots on feet and hats on heads and... okay, so it's still pretty sunny here, but pumpkins make it feel very festive around these parts. Pumpkins and those cinnamon scented brooms that Hal keeps bringing home from Trader Joes even though they smell like taxi cab air fresheners. In a good way, baby. We love your scented brooms!

I was in New York much of last week doing a Sattelite Media Tour for ChildStyle (which goes live with ten new episodes November 15th.) A media tour, I now know is when you speak with a couple dozen cities within a very short time frame, all in a row. It was my first experience doing live television, let alone twenty-two cities worth of live television in a row. Exhausting and slightly terrifying but also kind of a little bit fun. 

The set they built was amazing, based on one of the spaces we featured in our first batch of eps and I feel super fortunate to have been able to partner up with HGTV on this series. We shoot our final episode of this season Friday and it's been, just, the best. Such a good time.

I was fortunate enough to get to see a handful of friends and family while visiting NYC, even though I only had a day to do so.  It was kind of like speed dating with loved ones. First stop? Fifteen minute coffee with my cousin, Pearl, master storyteller, woman of  my dreams, who was able to hang with me for a few minutes before setting out to shoot another story for the paper. Leaving me to wander across the street and into the arms of the boyfriend of my teenage self. Not, like, "into the arms" into the arms, just into the arms. As in, let's hug for twenty minutes and I will cry in your shoulder because of time.

***

The night Cheyne and I met, 4798890 years ago, he fell off my friend's tire swing and into a pile of cactuses. It was one of my most heroic teen moments. Surely, this boy needed me! HE NEEDED ME! So? I flung myself on top of him to save his life! Threw him over my shoulders and with a bottle of my friend's mom's antiseptic and a pair of tweezers, nursed him back to health. Next came love (obviously) and a summer filled with frolicking on beaches and making out in my parents' backyard while watching meteor showers with my entire family. Awkward.

We don't make out anymore, unfortunately, but we do talk about those days. We talk about remember this and remember that and then he orders me a beer and then I order him a beer and when we play pool he wins by, like, a million, and like, I keep talking like this because that's, like, how I used to like, totally talk when we were together and I have a disease called Regression and it's, like, totally chronic, especially when I get together with people from ye olde army days.

Our lives are hilariously different now. He tells me about his life traveling the world and I tell him about my life traveling the hallways and we're both as shocked and awed by the lives we have created for ourselves - happy lives, exciting lives, lucky to be here lives but WHOAAAA so different. 

I see Cheyne every now and then on billboards around town. He was discovered in high school, bagging groceries at our local Ralphs. He had braces back then so he had to wait to get them off before they put him on the cover of Abercrombie & Fitch catalogs and since then he's been everywhere. In every magazine and catalog, paper, place. And every time it's like, oh hi. What are you doing here? Is that... Oh, um... hello. Like running into a reality in the middle of a fantasy except the reality is dressed like a fantasy and smells like perfume ads.

We stayed in touch throughout the years. Crashed at each other's apartments when we needed a place to stay. It always strikes me as odd that we have these relationships with people and then go our separate ways and then find our way back to each other for an hour or two and then we're off again.

Before last year, we'd gone eight years without seeing each other in person. I was pregnant with Archer the last time we met up. He was in LA for a shoot and I was swollen with pre-eclampsia and somehow nothing had changed then either. We were sixteen then and we are sixteen now and we will always be sixteen when we're together.

Time travelers riding two different sides of the coin.

In a good way.

***

with Maggie and Ashley who are wonderful. 

(Maggie is doing some really incredible things and I'm so totally excited for her and in awe of her awesome. GO, Maggie!)

This is Rob. He is my friend. I will write more about him soon because there is so much I want to say and it will not fit in this post so I will write a new post with the whole story which deserves its own post and time to sit down and write it. Also the neon piece behind him? Rob made that. He makes incredible things. He makes incredible friendship. Incredible. Everything is incredible amazing incredible. 

New York City is amazing.

Airplanes will never stop blowing my mind.

Home is amazing.
Babies.
Big sisters in boxes.
Bo's curls.
Love.
Life.
Rainbows.
Accidental belly shirts.

Everything.

GGC