Summer is here! Time to hit the pool and the beach in style -- But what about your hair? Along with summer comes chlorine and extreme heat, which is bad for your hair.

Here are some ways to take care of your hair during these hot months.

1. Cover up!Use a scarf or hat to cover your head when you’re out in the sun. Not only does this provide extra UV protection, but it also helps your scalp to retain moisture. A hat reduces damage caused by wind, especially if your hair is prone to tangling, and protects colour-treated hair.
2. Put your hair up in loose, comfortable stylesA messy braid is ideal for keeping your hair under control and minimizing exposure to the sun. Tight hairstyles can be damaging because they tend to pull and tear hair, especially if your hair is dry from the summer heat.
3. Wash less oftenFrequent washing strips your scalp of its natural oils, which in turn stimulates additional oil production and makes you feel the need to wash it even more. Try just rinsing in the shower after a day at the beach or pool, and see if that gets rid of some extra oil. Use a homemade or natural dry shampoo, such as cornstarch, in place of regular shampoo to go a bit longer without washing. Another quick fix is to dab a cotton ball soaked in witch hazel along your scalp to dissolve excess oil.
4. Reduce the heatTry to blow-dry your hair as little as possible. It is already exposed to a significant amount of heat on a daily basis in the summer, and it will probably air-dry quickly anyways, so give the blow dryer a break and go au naturel if you can. Avoid flat-irons, too, as they will do further damage to already-dry hair. Plus, a sleek hairstyle only makes that frizz stand out more.

If you live here in Atlanta, you'd know that summer has many days filled with rain, rain, and mre rain.
With a large family of six like mine, that equals to bored kids that can easily get on everyone's nerves - which is why I looked for some DIY activities to keep everyone entertained. These ideas were a blast, and here I am to share with you some that were favorites.

One, is a good old board game. We have many games stashed from years of traveling in the military, from Candy Land to classic Monopoly (give or take a few missing pieces.) This might keep them at bay for a while, but with those living in the now, this might get boring pretty fast.

For those with older children or teenagers, Cards Against Humanity is a good option for good uncensored fun. My kids LOVE this game and we all enjoy it for a good laugh. For those considering, this game can get offensive and VERY innapropreate,  so I don't reccomend playing with small children.

Another is crafts! We love making things, from tshirts to drawings, so this fit into my family's idea of fun almost immediately. Tshirts are often made in our home, almost every day, and they love showing off their creations at Six Flags or around the corner at Walmart. I love seeing them so hapy about their creations - and it boosts their confidence too!

With these few ideas, rainy days aren't a problem here at the Bowen household. We find ways to have fun, let it be designing a tshirt or laying around watching tv. Sometimes it's not how you spend the day, but who you spend it with; and I'm happy with my family rain or shine!

I would like to introduce everyone to my youngest daughter, Jaelyn. Jaelyn is 4 years old and loves music, watching cartoons on YouTube, and Mickey Mouse. She's very bossy ( as all four year olds are!) and has her Dad wrapped around her finger.
At first glance, Jaelyn looks as normal as a toddler can get.
But Jaelyn can't talk, or walk as "normal" toddlers can. And that's because Jaelyn has Retts Syndrome.

Jaelyn was born October 26th, 2012 in Savannah, Georgia.  Everything was "normal"- until Mother's Day the next year, when she stopped doing things a 6 month old was supposed to do. After almost a year of testing, Jaelyn was diagnosed with Retts Syndrome; a neurological disorder that effects mosty girls. Even though Jaelyn is nonverbal and non walking due to Retts, she is extremely smart - smart enough that she's exceeded her special need's cirriculum!

Some facts about Retts Syndrome are:

1)Retts Syndrome effects mostly girls and very rarely in boys.
2)Retts Syndrome is rarely inherited -  its mostly genetic. The probability of having two children with Retts is very low.
3)The skills mostly effected by Retts is Speech and Gross Motor Skills; like walking and using your hands.

Jaelyn has changed my family's way of thinking and treatment of special needs children. We're very sensitive of the words we say (the word "ret@rded is now banned in our household,) and we've learned that anyone could be special needs, even the ones that don't "look" the part like Jaelyn.
​And she also taught us the best lesson of all: That you should love someone no matter what they have or how they look.