Hair, Skin & Nails Vitamins

Q: "Why won't my hair grow?"
I blow dry it, straighten it, curl it, tease it, color it....oh.

Q: "What can take to clear up my skin?"
There's a lot more solutions than not sleeping in your make-up.

 Q: "How can I strengthen & lengthen my nails?"
There's more than just kicking your nervous habit of biting them.

Let's start with hair.  I will be the first to admit that I was NOT blessed with beautiful locks, but instead fight with it every day to be curly, straight, or somewhere in-between.  Since this isn't ever really going to change I finally accepted the fact that I will have to harm work with it whenever I want to wear it down.

To make up for the damage I'm putting into it I decided to finally take my hairdresser's advice: 

Take Hair, Skin & Nails Vitamins. seriously.

While preparing for my wedding day, I wanted to do everything I could to get my skin it's clearest, my hair it's shiniest and my nails their thickest...even though I ended up using acrylics. ;)

I was on a mission to find what Hair, Skin & Nails supplements would work the best for me and I found my daily vitamin routine after asking a helpful worker at my neighborhood Chamberlins.  Cha-what?! Think of the Vitamin Shoppe or GNC as a grocery store and that's what makes up the Chamberlins Market & Cafe.  You can find great HS&N supplements at any of the stores I just listed, online, or even some at your local grocery store if it has a big pharmacy.

So you're saying you're blessed with long, un-breakable nails or thick, dye-free, "I don't need to straighten it" hair?
I'm not sure we can be friends.
There are still tons of benefits of taking hair, skin & nail vitamins.

First, nail vitamins can prevent hangnails and also thickens nails to prevent them from breaking.  Have you ever seen those crazy looking white stripes or bands on your nail beds?

 
These vitamins can also prevent whatever those are.

As for your locks, vitamins can transform your hair from dull to shiny, prevent breakage and thicken it in no time...not to mention give you radiant, even glowing skin:

Oh, hi perfection.

Vitamins do wonders, but you can always do other things to improve your skin, hair and nail health as well.  *TIP: Don’t leave nail polish on for too long, wash your face on a regular basis and use quality hair products.

In case you missed it, I shared my Everyday Skincare & Everyday Hair Care & Products routines earlier this month.  Maintaining healthy everyday routines produces healthy skin, hair and nails.

Now that I've sold you *fingers crossed* on HS&N Vitamins, here's a quick breakdown on my daily supplement routine:

I start every morning (after coffee of course) with a One a Day Women's.

Don't worry, guys...there's a One a Day Men's, or you can always stick with any other One a Day Vitamin.  The point of taking this is to make sure my body is getting all of the essential vitamins & minerals it needs, every day.

After my One a Day, I put 10 drops of Jarrosil in 4-8 oz. of water or juice.

I was torn between which all over HS&N supplement to choose, and my friend at Chamberlin's recommended this one the most.  It's main ingredient is silicon and it not only beautifies HS&N, it strengthens bones, joints and collagen.  After being on it for about 4 months now, I can already tell a  difference, mostly that my hair is stronger and looks shinier. *GO JARROW!*

The last component of my daily vitamin regimen is Omega 3 Natural Fish Body Oils.

Fish Oil Supplements improve the look and feel of your skin, and can even play a role in clearing up your complexion.  *BONUS: Not only is this great for your skin, but fish oil is great for your overall body's health, brain & eyes.

It's recommended to take 2 or more pills a day, but in my case I take 3 (directed again by Chamberlin's) because I never very rarely eat fish.

I'm pretty good about taking giant horse pills, but for those of you that get intimidated by them, you can also find the Omega 3 Liquid Supplement.

There it is: my best effort towards having Barbie hair, skin & nails.

Just kidding (kind of)...I'm a big fan of taking vitamins because they do a great deal to restore your health.  HS&N vitamins are very important to your general well being, and you will quickly see the benefits after you begin taking them.

Question:
What are some of your staple supplements?

Easy as 1, 2, Steam

For last night's dinner I had my usual job of being in charge of the veggies or "sides" while Scott was in charge of grilling.  As a newlywed, I'm just now starting to get the hang of putting meals together on a daily basis and I'm learning more every day...

For starters:

• I should never, EVER try to grill....ever.
• When cooking chicken, it can't just be pulled from the freezer, aka the "black hole".  Triple-check the date isn't from 2007: whoops!
• I should really just avoid cooking meat, unless it's for breakfast, ground or heated up in a microwave.

One thing I'm pretty good at by now is putting together sides for the main attraction that Scott will be cooking or grilling for us that night.  I like going to the grocery store and changing up the veggies we eat, since I try to stay away from a lot of startchy sides as much as I can.

Scott grilling meat + veggie sides = my favorite healthy meal to cook at home.

In doing so, I've become pretty chummy with my steamy side-dish cooker: The Black and Decker Handy Steamer Plus.

Granted, the exact model we have lived has been with Scott longer than I have, so it's not as fancy or Rico Suave as this one.  Regardless, it gets the job done and makes putting side dishes together as easy as 1, 2, STEAM!  Since the one we have at home is somewhat of a dinosaur now, you can find tons of newer steamers online or at kitchen supplies stores.  Bizrate.com is a great source to compare products and brands and you can find a ton of varieties of what you need.

It's so easy....
Step 1: Prep veggies or side of choice by slicing, dicing or peeling.

Step 2: Fill your steamer with water.

Step 3: Put your veggies in the container.

Step 4: Cover and set your timer. 

*TIP: there is usually a steaming time guide on the back of the steamer to advise you how long to steam what.

Step 5: (optional) add seasonings while steaming for taste.

10 minutes later...

Your fabulous side is ready to serve!

So easy a newlywed could do it...wait... ;)

Question:
What's your favorite side to steam?

Mine's definitely artichokes...bet you didn't think that, huh?

Adding a little Love, Laughs & Kisses

WEDDING PHOTOS are in!!! I've previewed them, shared them with family online & hopefully will receive the long awaited for "Hesington Wedding" CD in our hands within the next few days. 

I'm not sure how many of you have seen or have followed my WEDDING PLANNING BLOG:
Love, Laughs & Kisses...first miss now MRS. (anyone...? Bueler?)

From what I've noticed I have a stronger following there and really want to incorporate all of my hard work in the blogging world into one place.  Eventually, I will figure out how to organize & display my wedding info in an easier way, but for now you might have to do a little searching.

I haven't parted with my LL&K blog quite yet, because I want to have it there just in case what I'm trying to do doesn't work out.  It will though...I'm pretty determined to figure it out now.

Just for fun, I've decided to put together:

My All-Time TOP 5 LL&K posts:

1. "You're My Soul Tattoo": getting his & hers HBSH tattoos!

2. Our Honeymoon Album & Video Reel: a DIY scrapbook project & the what I think is hilarious video reel from our Honeymoon.

3.  Bridesmaids, Boas & Beaches: getting spoiled by my bridesmaids for My Bachelorette Weekend Extravaganza!

4.  DIY Bridal Party Tanks: determination to stay on a budget while making my bridal party cute.

5.  Making Those Wedding Day Shoes MINE: another DIY project to make my wedding shoes sparkle!

And the list could go on and on...but I'll just leave you with those.  Want more? They're all here...just take a little stroll in the CATEGORIES section on the right hand sidebar:

Questions:
How would YOU like to see all of my wedding posts organized?
What's your favorite LL&K post?

Happy Wedding Browsing!

WOW: Pray Together, Stay Together

During my 3 months of marriage, I can already tell you a few things.  One thing: nobody is perfect, and neither are relationships or even families.  Marriage is a joy, but it is also a relationship that requires work.  I am not here to bash my new husband via Word of Wisdom post, but instead I am going to do the opposite and give the guy some credit.

Scott and I have our good days and our bad days, just like any other family out there...(as long as the good days outweigh the bad right?!) ;)  We have had lots of GOOD days already in our marriage and I've noticed a common trend in our attitudes every time a really good day comes along...

Praying.  Together.  Not just before you eat, not just by yourself before you go to bed, but actually taking time to pray about something together at least once a day, every day.

Romans 12:12

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Do the thoughts: "Prayers are complicated," "I don't like praying out loud," or "I don't really have time," ever cross your mind?  At first Scott was the prayer leader and initiator.  I liked to pray with him, but I never really wanted to speak up and lead a prayer.  Over time, I felt more and more comfortable and realized there really isn't a wrong or a right way to it.

We learned in our P.R.E.P for Marriage is class just that: A couple that PRAYS together STAYS together.  After seeing our relationship with and without daily prayer, I couldn't agree more with the suggestion to find the time to do it.  Whether it's a quick goodbye "I Love You" prayer, or a "Welcome Home, you're finally here safely" prayer, there aren't really rules on how long you have to pray, or what you have to say.  Prayers are there for you to talk to God, and this is one of those things that can do wonders for you, and your family.

Whenever there's a bad day thrown into the mix where I'm stressed, Scott's frustrated about something or things just aren't going our way we pray.  Take a second, step back and reflect at what's going on.  There's just something about the quiet, calm talking that makes everything instantly better.
*Let God know your struggles and don't be afraid to ask for forgiveness. 

To show you how easy it can be to incorporate Prayer into anyone's crazy schedule, here's ours:

Morning: pray for each other

Whoever leaves for work first, that person takes a moment to initiate prayer before walking out the door.  If the other person is sleeping, pray softly by their ear and they'll understand what your doing without having to fully wake-up.  If you are on a business trip or out of town, a simple phone call will do.

Dinner: count your blessings
This is usually the time of day we give thanks for what we have.  We work hard for everything we're given, but at the end of the day none of it is really ours.  Dinner, or any meal time really, is a great time to think about all of the great things going on in your life.  You then feel inspired to think and talk about all of the positive things that happened that day.

Evening: pray for strength
Most of us feel very tired by the end of the day.  This is the time we reflect on what went right and what you need more guidance and work on.  You could also pray for freedom from everyday silly stresses, problems or tensions at work, or home.  Doing this with your partner or family helps them to understand what's really going on in that world of yours, which in-turn helps communicate any issues that need to be addressed.

Suggestions for family prayer time:

• Invite your spouse to pray with you, just don't be pushy.  Start leading prayer and eventually they will become comfortable enough to try.
• Pray out loud. There's no need to be shy here, since prayer is just talking to God. There's nothing to feel ashamed or to be embarrassed about, and they're isn't such a thing as not praying "well enough."
• Choose a comfortable prayer position.  We like to sit, hug, hold hands, drive, whatever. It really doesn't matter...the important thing is just to pray!
• Prayer for a reasonable amount of time.  Prayers can be 30 seconds, or they can be over 5 minutes long.  There's no need to have a prayer much longer than that, and eventually you'll feel how long is comfortable for you both.

Speaking of catnaps... ;)

What are some of the things your family does for prayer time?