Now that we still have some sunlight hanging aroun Now that we still have some sunlight hanging around after the kids go to bed, my new thing is sipping a glass of wine on the back patio while making small talk with Josh and praying the kids stay in bed.
 
I've been obsessed with cleaning our house recently but I've been so good about it, I have nothing left to clean or tidy right now and I'm left to face the things I don't really want to think about like the fact that I miss my kids when they're at school or how I really want to fill this house up with some more of them 😅 

At any rate, one of my simple pleasures in life is decluttering and purging unused things and I feel like I've accomplished a lot!! What about you?
Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growin Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growing up, I thought it was pretty much all I was cut out to do, which ended up being false. But even though I've learned that I'm capable of so many other things, being a mom is still one of my highest aspirations. As we're getting our home ready for fostering, I can't help but think of how the little one(s) entering our home will feel but also how David and Evy will feel. How will they react if we parent slightly differently? Will they understand that we're working to build trust and connection or will they feel indignant? These are the things I pray about and also speak to the kids about in the days leading up. We're all excited but I have the feeling of heaviness that we don't and won't understand the burden until we're all already carrying it together.
Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over here and I think it might be working 😉 Today the kids had TWOsday at school and they were so sweet. David wore a tie (I don't exactly get how it tirles in to Twosday but the kids were happy so..) and Evy "twinned" with a couple of sweet friends in her class. It's so sweet when you see your own kids building their own friendships. It just loosens a little piece of anxiety I've had about parenthood since David was still in my tummy. How did you spend your TWOsday??

Sandals @naotfootwear 💕
Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Jos Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Josh in a quiet house - the kids slept over my parent's last night. Got up, raced to clean the kitchen as fast as I could while my coffee was brewing. The coffee won this time. 

I recorded a Reel while getting ready. Went to the place where we were going to meet my fam a bit early so Josh and I could get in a walk. Then we got coffee, went to a huge antique store (sadly left with nothing but took pictures of my faves so I can remember to come back) and went to lunch with the kids and my parents. Love easy-going and fun days like these 🖤
Back in the day,I was talking with someone about m Back in the day,I was talking with someone about marriage.Josh and I had been married for a few years at that point but this guy was still single. ..

He told me he was studying to get his masters in counseling and he wanted to be a marriage counselor one day.I thought "Hey that's pretty cool" but, curious,because,you know, he was single. 

Anyway, after we'd been talking a few minutes about our interest in helping married couples, he leaned in and said, "You know, I have this theory on marriage.." "Oh yeah?" I said (pretty curious to hear what theories this guy had for all of marriage for everyone everywhere). 

He said, "I believe that every single problem in marriage boils down to communication."

At the time, I didn't really know what to say. I'm more of a *reflector* and then I come up with what I wish I had said later.

Here's what I wish I had said: "Um. Yeah I don't think so. I mean sure, communication helps with a lot of issues. But what about selfishness,⠀addiction,⠀past hurt and trauma, etc? Communication will help people work through those issues but they're connected to much deeper issues that concern the heart--not just your communication skills."

We are all broken, very human, beings and when left to our own devices,⠀we don't have all the tools necessary to "fix" ourselves or our spouse's problems. We can talk until we're blue in the face but we just can't fix ourselves. 

What we do need, is to lean on the Creator who made all things good and makes all things new. To understand that we are not the main characters here. The whole world and everything in it points to Christ and His redeeming power. And yes, he often works that out through us and often through communication. But it's not communication that saves marriages. It's Jesus.

I was just thinking about that today and wanted to get it off my chest. What role do you think communication plays?
Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁 Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁
So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 Love my littlest niece, Eva ❤️
Let's hash something out together: what's somethin Let's hash something out together: what's something you do or used to fight about in your marriage/relationship regularly?

Do you feel like the issue is/was pretty cut and dry? 

Or was there an underlying issue that bubbled up in different ways?

Curious to know your thoughts. 

When Josh and I were first married, we fought a lot. We were pretty low-income, didn't have great jobs, and had a wee baby. While our fights were often about the grocery list, the real issue was that we were SCARED. 

Scared of the adult life we had just stepped into. It was kind of like jumping into a puddle you don't think is that deep until after it's too late and now your socks are completely drowning 🚣🏼‍♀️ 

Luckily, though, they dry off over time, don't they?

After lots of learning and working really hard (both at our jobs and relationship) things started to ease up. We started to see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and even though we weren't there yet, it gave up hope to carry on together ❤️
Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. O Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. Or if you can't leave the house, sit in the kitchen with a glass of wine. Make time to talk. And make it easier by doing things together. It's so so important ❤️
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Beauty, Motherhood, Sponsored · December 27, 2018

3 Quick and Easy Braid Tutorials for Date Night

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hot Tools for IZEA Worldwide. All opinions are 100% mine.

Before I became a mom, I was so finicky about my hair! I used to wake up EVERY morning, shower, blow-dry, and style it. Of course, when the babies moved in, they seemed to think the morning would be a great time for diaper changes and feedings, so the daily shower routine went out the window. 

After being forced out of my daily hair-washing routine, I was able to see that I didn’t actually have to wash my hair every day! This seriously changed everything…

Except the fact that I still didn’t have any time to do my hair, even if I did want to…

Every mom knows that the first several months after a baby is born is mom-bun central. But after a while, the mom bun look starts to get old and I wanted to feel more like myself again!!

So… I started to get creative.

Since the prenatal vitamins I’d been taking had done wonders for growing my hair, it was finally long enough so that I could braid it without looking like I had two short pieces of rope sticking off my head #thickhairproblems.

When Josh and I go out on dates, I know I don’t have a ton of time between setting the kids up with a snack and getting myself ready and out the door, which is why I LOVE to stick my hair up in a quick and easy braid for our night out! 

Here’s the first braid:

Viking goddess

I call this hairstyle the Viking woman because, well…

You get the point.

I start this off by using my Hot Tools Signature Series Digital flat iron, 1 inch and straightening all of my hair. I then start to Dutch braid my hair and gather all the hair around my face up until I get back to about my ears. Then I continue the braid without gathering any more hair into it. Make this braid as long as you like, I made it a few inches down the back of my head. Tie it off with a rubber band or hair tie and you’re golden!

via GIPHY

Next up is the…

Crowning glory

This hairstyle is made up of two Dutch braids on either side of the head and then joining them together in the back. 

First, I part my hair to the side so that I’ll have a significant portion left on top of my head to tease and pin back later. 

Then, I start Dutch braiding by my temple and continue to gather hair into the braid until I reach halfway to the back of my head. Then I continue the braid without gathering any more hair for several inches.

via GIPHY

Then, do the same thing to the other side while leaving a large section of hair free on top of your head.

via GIPHY

Next, you’ll tease the back of that section of hair, brush the front so it looks smooth, and then pin it back on the back of your head.

via GIPHY

Lastly, take the braids and crisscross them behind your head. Secure them with bobby pins, doing your best to hide them. Then take the hair ties out of your braids and spray with a little hairspray.

via GIPHY

Lastly, we have the 

The Whirlygig

For this last set of braids, I’m going to start by curing my hair with my Hot Tools Signature Series curling iron.

via GIPHY

Then, I’ll comb my hair down the middle and split my hair into two halves.

Grab one half of hair and begin braiding just below your ear. Do the same to the other side of hair. For each braid, you’ll want to leave 3-4 inches of hair after the hair tie.

via GIPHY

Next, we’re going to grab the ends of our hair and pull outward so that the braid is crunched upward, making for thicker links. I’ll also pull gently on pieces of the braid to make some of the links larger.

via GIPHY

Of course, these hairstyles wouldn’t look nearly this good without my trusty Hot Tools Signature Series!

Seriously, I have never been more happy with my hair styling tools. I’m very protective of my hair and am always cautious when it comes to using heat on it. When I use my Hot Tools Signature Series, I never feel any pulling or breakage. 

I especially LOVE the Hot Tools Signature Series blow dryer! My favorite feature has to be the heat settings. I can blow dry my hair on a cool setting the entire time (without having to hold down a button) and afterward it feels just as healthy as if I had let it air dry!

I can’t recommend the Hot Tools Signature Series more! Shop for the tools at Amazon, Target or Walmart!

What’s your go-to date night hairstyle? Leave your tips in the comments below and let me know what you thought of these braid tutorials! 

Visit Sponsors Site

Shop The Hot Tools Signature Series!

In: Beauty, Motherhood, Sponsored · Tagged: braid, braid styles, couples, date night, hair, hairstyles, long, mom, momlife, noads, quick, sponsored, thick

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Comments

  1. Chelsea says

    December 27, 2018 at 7:04 pm

    These photos are gorgeous!!! I love your hair.

  2. razena says

    December 27, 2018 at 7:05 pm

    I wish I had known how to braid my hair like a viking instead of chopping off my tresses. Fortunately its growing back so i’m saving this!

  3. clare @ oh these are the good old Days says

    December 27, 2018 at 8:33 pm

    chelsea i love them all, but the viking is especially sexy! pinning for date night. 🙂

  4. Annaliese says

    December 28, 2018 at 12:38 am

    Oh I love all three!! I am not great at braiding hair and it’s actually a goal of mine to start doing more fun hairstyles!

    xoxo A
    http://www.southernbelleintraining.com

  5. lisa alfaro says

    December 28, 2018 at 1:11 am

    Your hair is beautiful! I love these ideas, especially the viking!

  6. MarciaF says

    December 28, 2018 at 1:25 am

    I’m so impressed that you can do this. I’ve never been able to braid, not even on someone else’s hair let alone my own. Your hair looks so stylish like this.

  7. Lily says

    December 28, 2018 at 3:39 am

    Love all of these on you!! I wish I was better at doing my hair.

  8. Kelsie Corbett says

    December 28, 2018 at 9:22 pm

    I LOVE all of these! I don’t have super thick hair so my braids don’t look that great, but i still love to do them! I like the first one best! I do that with a pony tail for the gym!

  9. Jasmine Hewitt says

    December 28, 2018 at 9:43 pm

    ok, i need to try All of these! I can’t do much with my hair as far as heat styling, but these are sooo cute and you make it so easy

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Hi! I'm Chelsea and we're the Damon's. We spent the last two years in WA state paying off student loans and just bought our first house in SC! I love a smooth black coffee, Josh's first love is the Seattle Sounders. Our kids are huge dorks and constantly make us laugh and we all love spending as much time outside as possible.

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Now that we still have some sunlight hanging aroun Now that we still have some sunlight hanging around after the kids go to bed, my new thing is sipping a glass of wine on the back patio while making small talk with Josh and praying the kids stay in bed.
 
I've been obsessed with cleaning our house recently but I've been so good about it, I have nothing left to clean or tidy right now and I'm left to face the things I don't really want to think about like the fact that I miss my kids when they're at school or how I really want to fill this house up with some more of them 😅 

At any rate, one of my simple pleasures in life is decluttering and purging unused things and I feel like I've accomplished a lot!! What about you?
Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growin Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growing up, I thought it was pretty much all I was cut out to do, which ended up being false. But even though I've learned that I'm capable of so many other things, being a mom is still one of my highest aspirations. As we're getting our home ready for fostering, I can't help but think of how the little one(s) entering our home will feel but also how David and Evy will feel. How will they react if we parent slightly differently? Will they understand that we're working to build trust and connection or will they feel indignant? These are the things I pray about and also speak to the kids about in the days leading up. We're all excited but I have the feeling of heaviness that we don't and won't understand the burden until we're all already carrying it together.
Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over here and I think it might be working 😉 Today the kids had TWOsday at school and they were so sweet. David wore a tie (I don't exactly get how it tirles in to Twosday but the kids were happy so..) and Evy "twinned" with a couple of sweet friends in her class. It's so sweet when you see your own kids building their own friendships. It just loosens a little piece of anxiety I've had about parenthood since David was still in my tummy. How did you spend your TWOsday??

Sandals @naotfootwear 💕
Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Jos Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Josh in a quiet house - the kids slept over my parent's last night. Got up, raced to clean the kitchen as fast as I could while my coffee was brewing. The coffee won this time. 

I recorded a Reel while getting ready. Went to the place where we were going to meet my fam a bit early so Josh and I could get in a walk. Then we got coffee, went to a huge antique store (sadly left with nothing but took pictures of my faves so I can remember to come back) and went to lunch with the kids and my parents. Love easy-going and fun days like these 🖤

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Follow @chelsealeighdamon

Now that we still have some sunlight hanging aroun Now that we still have some sunlight hanging around after the kids go to bed, my new thing is sipping a glass of wine on the back patio while making small talk with Josh and praying the kids stay in bed.
 
I've been obsessed with cleaning our house recently but I've been so good about it, I have nothing left to clean or tidy right now and I'm left to face the things I don't really want to think about like the fact that I miss my kids when they're at school or how I really want to fill this house up with some more of them 😅 

At any rate, one of my simple pleasures in life is decluttering and purging unused things and I feel like I've accomplished a lot!! What about you?
Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growin Being a mom has always meant so much to me. Growing up, I thought it was pretty much all I was cut out to do, which ended up being false. But even though I've learned that I'm capable of so many other things, being a mom is still one of my highest aspirations. As we're getting our home ready for fostering, I can't help but think of how the little one(s) entering our home will feel but also how David and Evy will feel. How will they react if we parent slightly differently? Will they understand that we're working to build trust and connection or will they feel indignant? These are the things I pray about and also speak to the kids about in the days leading up. We're all excited but I have the feeling of heaviness that we don't and won't understand the burden until we're all already carrying it together.
Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over Doing my gosh darned best to manifest spring over here and I think it might be working 😉 Today the kids had TWOsday at school and they were so sweet. David wore a tie (I don't exactly get how it tirles in to Twosday but the kids were happy so..) and Evy "twinned" with a couple of sweet friends in her class. It's so sweet when you see your own kids building their own friendships. It just loosens a little piece of anxiety I've had about parenthood since David was still in my tummy. How did you spend your TWOsday??

Sandals @naotfootwear 💕
Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Jos Today was a sweet day. Woke up at 8:30 next to Josh in a quiet house - the kids slept over my parent's last night. Got up, raced to clean the kitchen as fast as I could while my coffee was brewing. The coffee won this time. 

I recorded a Reel while getting ready. Went to the place where we were going to meet my fam a bit early so Josh and I could get in a walk. Then we got coffee, went to a huge antique store (sadly left with nothing but took pictures of my faves so I can remember to come back) and went to lunch with the kids and my parents. Love easy-going and fun days like these 🖤
Back in the day,I was talking with someone about m Back in the day,I was talking with someone about marriage.Josh and I had been married for a few years at that point but this guy was still single. ..

He told me he was studying to get his masters in counseling and he wanted to be a marriage counselor one day.I thought "Hey that's pretty cool" but, curious,because,you know, he was single. 

Anyway, after we'd been talking a few minutes about our interest in helping married couples, he leaned in and said, "You know, I have this theory on marriage.." "Oh yeah?" I said (pretty curious to hear what theories this guy had for all of marriage for everyone everywhere). 

He said, "I believe that every single problem in marriage boils down to communication."

At the time, I didn't really know what to say. I'm more of a *reflector* and then I come up with what I wish I had said later.

Here's what I wish I had said: "Um. Yeah I don't think so. I mean sure, communication helps with a lot of issues. But what about selfishness,⠀addiction,⠀past hurt and trauma, etc? Communication will help people work through those issues but they're connected to much deeper issues that concern the heart--not just your communication skills."

We are all broken, very human, beings and when left to our own devices,⠀we don't have all the tools necessary to "fix" ourselves or our spouse's problems. We can talk until we're blue in the face but we just can't fix ourselves. 

What we do need, is to lean on the Creator who made all things good and makes all things new. To understand that we are not the main characters here. The whole world and everything in it points to Christ and His redeeming power. And yes, he often works that out through us and often through communication. But it's not communication that saves marriages. It's Jesus.

I was just thinking about that today and wanted to get it off my chest. What role do you think communication plays?
Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁 Merry Christmas from the Damons! 🎁
So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 So much joy in one photo! Ok, maybe 4 photos 😜 Love my littlest niece, Eva ❤️
Let's hash something out together: what's somethin Let's hash something out together: what's something you do or used to fight about in your marriage/relationship regularly?

Do you feel like the issue is/was pretty cut and dry? 

Or was there an underlying issue that bubbled up in different ways?

Curious to know your thoughts. 

When Josh and I were first married, we fought a lot. We were pretty low-income, didn't have great jobs, and had a wee baby. While our fights were often about the grocery list, the real issue was that we were SCARED. 

Scared of the adult life we had just stepped into. It was kind of like jumping into a puddle you don't think is that deep until after it's too late and now your socks are completely drowning 🚣🏼‍♀️ 

Luckily, though, they dry off over time, don't they?

After lots of learning and working really hard (both at our jobs and relationship) things started to ease up. We started to see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and even though we weren't there yet, it gave up hope to carry on together ❤️
Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. O Go on a walk with your spouse before Netflixing. Or if you can't leave the house, sit in the kitchen with a glass of wine. Make time to talk. And make it easier by doing things together. It's so so important ❤️
Top knots over crop tops 😜 Top knots over crop tops 😜

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