Help! My Three Year Old Is A Liar!

My kids have a real issue with food.  Since they are still pretty young, the problem is not what I’m sure to face when they are teenagers (eating me out of house and home) it’s just the opposite.  They DON’T eat.

While my six year old IS getting better and FINALLY starting to try different foods other than macaroni and cheese, hot dogs and chicken nuggets, my three year old is the absolute WORST.   He will take a drink over food any day, any time of the week.  I am so over trying to get him to eat.

Well, I have finally figured out that everything comes down to a battle of wills.  Dennis is constantly testing me and trying my patience (of which I have very little left to begin with).  He will ask for juice over and over and will not stop until I cave in and give it to him.  Unfortunately, I usually do too because it’s just easier and I don’t want to hear it anymore.

Well those days are over.  Today, I have decided to FINALLY stop letting him work me over to get what he wants no matter how hard it is -for me.   He needs to know that I am the one in charge.  Wow.  I am SO ashamed of myself for letting him get away with this crap for this long already.

This is how the juice thing went down at lunch time today.

D:  Mommy can I please have juice?

Me:  No.  You can have water.  After you finish your sandwich then you can have juice.

D:  I don’t want to eat, I just want juice!

Me:  Too bad.  You need to eat first and then you can have juice.  If you are thirsty, then you can have water.

D:  I don’t want water.  I want juice!

This went on for at least 45 minutes.  But, I NEVER gave in and gave him the juice.  Yay me!

After realizing that he wasn’t going to get that juice he sooo wanted without eating first, he finally said he would eat.

Here’s where it gets good.

Dennis walked over to the table where his plate had been waiting for him for the last 45 minutes.   He picked it up and walked away from the table and into the other room.  The Boss and I were sitting in the family room which is right next to the kitchen so when Dennis walked away, we couldn’t see him anymore.  I thought maybe he was mad (he has a tendency to sulk and pout when he doesn’t get his way) and decided to go eat in the playroom on the little table that is in there.   But it was quiet.  Very quiet.

The Boss and I looked at each other and we both knew that it was much too quiet and that Dennis HAD to be up to something.

The Scene Of The Crime

We have a love seat  in that room and it has a throw pillow on it (see photo above).   The Boss got up and walked into the playroom and snuck up behind Dennis.  There, he found our son attempting to HIDE his plate of food.  He was putting his plate behind the pillow to hide it when my husband walked in the room.  Not aware that his daddy was standing there behind him, Dennis proceeded to brush away the crumbs on the couch and smooth down the pillow.  He took a step back to check out and admire his “cover up” work and to make sure everything looked in order.

Then he turned around and saw Daddy standing there.

Knowing that he was full-on busted, he looked at his dad with a big smile and sweetly said “I ate it all.”

OMG!  MY THREE YEAR OLD IS A LIAR!!!

Dennis lied right to my husband’s face!  He’s THREE for crying out loud!  I thought kids didn’t even know how to lie at this age.  Why do I get to be the lucky one?  My kid is a…gasp… liar.  OMG!

The Evidence Unveiled

In case I lost you somewhere let me recap it all for you.  My three year old son walked his lunch plate over to another room and hid it behind a pillow, made damn sure it wasn’t obvious what he had done, and lied to my husband’s face about eating it.  All so he could have a sippy cup of JUICE!  Are you freakin kidding me?

So here’s how we handled that one.   As soon as we stopped laughing our asses off about it (we made sure to walk away from Dennis first), we very calmly but sternly explained that what he did was wrong and lying about it was worse.  We did our best to explain WHY it was wrong but ya know what?  I’m pretty sure Dennis didn’t even give a crap.  I have no doubt that what we said went right  through one ear and out the other anyway because after all of that, all he wanted was that damn juice!  Still!

I am happy to say that we did not give in and he didn’t get SQUAT.

I will admit that it IS much much easier to just cave and give him what he wants so I don’t have to deal with the tantrums.  But in the long run, am I doing myself any favors?  Hell no!  I created this little monster because I took the easy way out so now I have to suffer the consequences and figure out how to fix it.  However, I absolutely will NOT take the blame for his premature lying!

I do have to give him credit for originality though.  The whole hiding the food behind the couch pillow was pretty good since he could have taken the easy way out and just slipped it directly to the dog.   I guess I’ll know who to blame when my little dog starts to look like Porky Pig since I have no doubt the next time Dennis does not want to eat, our dog will get first dibs!

Summertime Fun: The Plunge Inflatable Water Slide

Summer is definitely in full swing and boy is it a HOT one!   Having been born and raised in South Florida, I am no stranger to the heat but that does not mean that I like it.  No no.  Not even close.  In fact, the year round heat is one of the main reasons the Boss and I decided to move out of  Florida to begin with.

However, the fact is that in the summer time it is hot EVERY where so I’m stuck with the heat and unbearable humidity until September.  Oh well.  At least now that I no longer live in Florida I know the heat WILL eventually come to an end so I just have to suck it up for a couple more months.

Sooo…since the neighborhood we are currently living in does not have a community pool and we definitely need something to cool us off, we went deep and decided to buy one of those mac daddy inflatable water slides.  The cost of the slide would have been as much as the cost of a pool membership for the summer and it’s something we’ll be able to keep and use over and over.

But, before doling out a few hundred dollars, I did my homework.  I extensively researched the various water slides out on the market, and believe me there are a lot.   In fact, there are so many, my head actually started to hurt from reading all of the reviews.

The most common complaint for the inflatable water slides as a whole was the durability factor.  A lot of people said that after one summer of use, the stitching on the slide started to come undone.  Well I’m sorry but if I am going to shell out some good money for a water slide, it better not rip.  Unfortunately, most, if not all reviews I read said they had problems with the stitching.  I guess it’s a hit or miss thing.  This is an issue with all types of inflatables it seems (bounce houses, slides, etc.).

However, my husband and I decided we would try and find a slide with the least complaints and after weeks of investigating them all, we settled on The Plunge made by Banzai.

I opted to purchase the slide at a store instead of buying it online in case for some reason, I needed to return it.  That way, I wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle of packing it up and shipping it back.  I found The Plunge on sale at Target one week so that is where we bought it from.

After three uses, these are my thoughts on The Plunge water slide.

Set up: Fairly easy.  The slide comes packaged in a tote bag all nicely folded and small.  But please be advised that once you take the slide out of that bag and set it up, once you are ready to put it away, there is absolutely NO WAY you will ever fit it back in that tote bag no matter how small you manage to fold it.  It’s impossible to get it back in the bag so don’t even bother wasting your time.  We bought a decent sized plastic bin to put everything in.  It has wheels on it too so we can roll it out from the garage to the yard which is nice because it’s NOT light!

Once you set the slide up it takes no time at all to inflate.  Maybe two minutes max.  There are stakes included but they are not the strongest so don’t be surprised if they break.  Not a big deal since you can buy new ones at a sporting goods store or anywhere else that sells camping gear.  Ours have not broken yet, but that was one of the complaints people had.  The most important ones are the two stakes toward the back of the slide where the kids climb up.

It does take a long time to get the pool filled up.  It probably takes a good hour to get to a point where the pool is at least half full and it does take a lot of water.   You need to have enough water in the pool for the end part of the slide to float and have enough cushion for bigger kids to not hit the bottom of the pool when the come off the slide.

Take Down: Somewhat of a chore.  The slide deflates easily and quickly so that is not the problem.  What is time consuming is DRYING the slide.   Since there is a pool at the bottom, once the water is drained, there is still some left over in the pool.  Unless you leave it inflated for SEVERAL hours in the SUN, there is no way the pool will be dry when you are done using it.

The best way that I have found to dry the entire slide is drain the pool, hose off all of the dirt and grass that is sure to be left all over the slide, and then keep it inflated for an hour or two.  This gets the slide part dry - not the pool.  Then, when the slide is dry and while still inflated, I go back out with a bunch of large towels and get in the pool and wipe it all down until the pool is dry.    I then deflate the slide and begin to fold it starting at the bottom with the pool.  I fold both sides of the pool over and wipe the bottom of it with a towel as I go.  Each time I roll a section over, I dry the bottom.  It is extremely important that the slide is COMPLETELY dry before you store it.  Otherwise, not only will it smell of stale plastic, but it will also end up getting mold and mildew all over it.  The drying of the slide is what takes so long to get it put away properly.  THIS is the only thing I hate about the take down process.

Plus, the underside of the landing part of the slide hardly ever dries because it is attached to the pool by a mesh panel on each side.  Therefore, there is no way to get it dry and it is also sure to collect tons of grass under the slide that is impossible to get out.  They should have had those panels attached with Velcro instead of sewing them down.   It would make drying and cleaning it much much easier.   I assume there is some safety reason for the design (probably so no one can climb under the slide and get crushed when someone slides down).  However, the mesh holes should have at least been smaller so the grass doesn’t go in and get trapped so easily.

We tried to alleviate this by putting tarps under and around the area where the kids climb out of the pool and walk back to the slide.  However, with the summer sun the tarps can get hot and with the water coming from the pool it can also make it slippery.  Banzai has many different models of water slides and some of them allow you to go back up the slide without the need to exit the water.  Those models would prevent the buildup of grass in the landing area.  The design of The Plunge does not allow for that so be prepared for grass and dirt in the pool.

Durability: In my opinion, this could have been better.   So far we have used this slide three times and already, I am seeing some of the stitching coming undone.  I’m sorry, but for this kind of money, this should NOT happen!   I still have another month left on Target’s 90 day return policy so depending on how bad it gets I may have to take it back.  However, as I stated before, many reviews that I read before I purchased this slide said that they also had issues with the stitching.  You’d think that if people are complaining about it so much, Banzai would find a way to remedy the situation but apparently, they have not done so yet.

Also after only three uses, the plastic tube that the garden hose attaches to has become unglued from the plastic connector.  This tube attaches to the top of the slide and sprays water down to keep the slide wet.  We temporarily wrapped some stretch wrap around it to keep it connected, but it certainly should have lasted more than 2 times.

Fun Factor: There is NO denying that this slide is a MAJOR hit with all of the kids that have come over to play on it.  The pool is a great addition because since the kids have to take turns coming down the slide, the ones who are waiting or who do not like to wait, can hang around in the pool.  The pool is also good for the younger kids to splash around in.  The manufacturer age for The Plunge is 5 and up.  I have a 6 and a 3 year old.  My 3 year old wants NOTHING to do with the slide but he absolutely loves being in the pool and hanging with the “big” kids.  There is a section on each side of the slide where he can play safely and out of the way of the kids coming down on it.

So far, we are generally happy with The Plunge although we think there is room for improvement (outside of the durability concerns) should Banzai decide to upgrade this model.

MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT for this particular slide is the way the pool is attached.  The pool AND the slide are all attached, therefore they are on the same fan blower.  Why is this such a problem you ask?  Because once you fill up the pool (which again will take a good hour if not longer), you CANNOT turn the blower off  and keep the water in the pool.  Let’s say you want to take a break for lunch and want to deflate the slide for a while.  You would think that would not be a problem, however the instant you turn the blower off, the pool starts to deflate and the pressure of the water collapses the side and allows all the water to flow out.

If they could figure out how to keep the water in the pool without the need to keep the blower running (perhaps by having an air plug that you open and close to let air in or out of the pool section) it would be a huge improvement.  Otherwise if you plan for a day of using The Plunge you are going to need to keep it plugged in and running all day long.

Bottom line: If you are thinking about investing in a water slide, The Plunge may a good choice since it is the only one (that I have found) that has a large pool at the bottom allowing several kids to play on it at once.  However, just like the rest of the water slides out there, The Plunge is not without flaws.  Keep in mind that chances are you will not be 100% satisfied with the construction and quality of it and there is probably a very good chance that depending on how frequent you use it and how well you take care of it, it may not make it to another summer.

UPDATE: 7/18/09 - I wanted to update this with the current status of the slide.  The stitching was coming apart at the seam even more and we decided that for the price of this slide it was NOT worth it to take the risk so we returned it.  We were disappointed because it was fun and everyone loved it, but it should last longer than it did.  Again you would like to think that they should be aware of the durability issues with the stitching and have some way to improve it.  While others may have a different experience than we did, we found that seeing the stitching on The Plunge water slide start to come apart so badly after a few uses along with the broken water tube was not something we could live with.

Wordless Wednesday: David After Dentist

Okay so this isn’t exactly “wordless” but I’m not saying anything so doesn’t that count?

You may have read one of my previous posts about my six year old son Alex having recently had his tonsils removed.   One night after he had his pain medication, I noticed how dramatically his mood changed and that he was most definitely “feeling good”.   I posted a status update about it on my Facebook page and a friend of mine replied with this video by asking if my son was THIS bad.  My answer?  Umm…not even close.  Thank God!   This video has been around a while so you may have already seen it but it’s still always good for a chuckle.  Happy Wordless Wednesday all!

I Will Never Look At A Hot Dog The Same Way Again

Hope everyone had a nice Forth of July weekend!  We had a great time with the standard July fourth festivities but what I want to know is if any of you happened to catch the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating competition on television? It is held every year on the forth of July at Coney Island Amusement Park in New York.  If you have never seen one you have to check it out on You Tube.

But prepare yourself.  Watching people shove hot dogs and buns down their throats one after the other is not a pretty sight.

OMG!  How utterly disgusting!  The winner, Joey Chestnut ate 68 hot dogs AND buns in 10 minutes!   Think about that.  He averaged almost 7 hot dogs and buns a minute.

I still cannot believe that there are people who actually choose to do this.  The winner gets a “Mustard Belt” and $20,000.   Are you kidding me?  You could not pay me enough to do that.  In fact, after watching that contest, I myself, have no interest in eating a hot dog any time soon.

Oh and competitive eating is considered a “sport” believe it or not.   These people train for events such as these.  Most of them come into the Nathan’s competition as the Eating Champion of the World of something.  This one lady was a mere 105 pounds and is the Cheesecake eating Champion of the World.  She ate 11 pounds of cheesecake in eight minutes. Ugh.  Just the thought of that makes me want to hurl.

The Boss watches this every year and it’s kind of like watching a train wreck.  You don’t want look, but…

Surprisingly, after devouring 68 hot dogs, there wasn’t what they call a “reversal”.  I’ll let you figure out what that is.

Introduce Your Blog July Blog Hop

A Mom Is A Job is proud to be a part of the first MckLinky Introduce Your Blog blog hop!

When someone asks me what I do for a living or if I work, I always answer yes.  When they ask me what I do I tell them I’m a Mom.  I may not bring home a paycheck every week for my kind of work but I can assure you that being a Mom is in fact, a job. My children are my employer and taking care of them in addition to everything else I do IS my job.

I am a thirty-something stay-at-home mother of two boys ages 6 and 3 and they are polar opposites. My 6 year old has the personality of Alex P. Keaton (you remember- Michael J. Fox’s character on the classic ’80’s sitcom Family Ties). Then there’s my 3 year old whom I should have named Dennis -as in the Menace.  Ahh yes. It’s never a dull moment in my house!  Alex and Dennis consistently keep me on my toes but hey…if nothing else, at least while they’re testing my patience and sanity, they are giving me tons of material to post about.

A Mom Is A Job has rants, raves, and reviews of all things Mom.  Take a look around, then check out the other blogs who are sharing the link love with the first Introduce Your Blog MckLinky Blog Hop.

Problems Getting Your Child To Sleep: Indigo Dreams Relaxation CD

Have you ever had a hard to getting your kids to sleep?  No?  I hate you!  Seriously…it’s hard to believe with as much as the Boss and I love to sleep (I’m convinced he was a bear in his previous life) that our kids have so much trouble falling asleep.  It’s ridiculous how many books we have bought and read on how to get our kids to fall asleep.  And although every one of them seems to have their own sleep solutions for kids, none of them have really worked for ours.

I hear these stories from my friends about how right from day one their babies fell asleep and by the age of four to eight weeks old they were sleeping through the night.  Must be nice.  What’s that like because unfortunately, I wouldn’t know.   I’m guessing  most of you have probably played lullaby music to your babies at some point.  Maybe you played classical music because it’s supposed to help stimulate your baby’s brain.  But what do you do as they get older, like when they are 3 or 4?   Do you need help getting your kids to fall asleep or just help them to wind down at the end of the day?  Well, I found something that helped us and our kids and maybe it can help your kids with this “sleep” issue too.

At first I was suspicious, but I read a lot of positive reviews about it so I thought I would try it myself.   What I am referring to is a CD called Indigo Dreams: Relaxation and Stress Management Bedtime Stories for Children which is a combination of music and relaxation stories for kids.  Each night, after we give the kids a bath, they are supposed to wind down for the night (like most kids do), but ours always seem to get more amped up.  It’s as if the bath actually works in reverse.    So, I bought this CD thinking maybe it would help calm them down before bedtime.  It is geared for kids ages 4-9 and has stories to help them relax.  The narrator is a female voice which is very soothing.  I’ll admit, the first time we listened to it in the living room, I think the Boss (he went down in a few minutes) and I both fell asleep before the kids.  What is great about this CD is that even if your child isn’t old enough to understand the story, the narrator’s voice is so smooth and relaxing, it would probably help calm him down just listening to her.

There are 4 different stories that incorporate meditation techniques:  breathing, muscle relaxation, and visualizations.  The stories are also geared toward positive reinforcement, self esteem building, and stress relief.   Each story has a message so they help build a positive effect on your child and are not just meaningless nursery rhymes.  They include a story about a boy and a turtle, a caterpillar, a boy and a bear, and a story with many animals giving positive affirmations.  The stories are told with soothing background noises of nature.  There is also a music only track.

My kids really like Indigo Dreams and it does seem to help them wind down.  If your kids have problems falling asleep (or even if they don’t), this CD is a great way to deliver positive messages to your child and to help them and you get a good night’s sleep.  I’ll admit, it has put me to sleep more than once as well!

Wordless Wednesday: Mom’s Time Out

This Wordless Wednesday comes courtesy of my friend Kelle who saw this in her grocery store.  I’m hoping to score a case of it because I’ve been bad…very bad!

One Piece Of Advice For New Moms

Do you ever think back to how far you’ve come as a Mom?  Remember the FIRST time you were pregnant?  I remember vividly.

I was a neurotic mess.

“Can I eat this?  Wait, it’s soft cheese.  I’m not supposed to eat that.  Oh I can have tuna fish.  Oh yeah.  Can’t have that either.”

“I really want a cup of coffee.  Wait.  Caffeine isn’t good for the baby.”

“Maybe I’ll ride my bike so I don’t think about what I can’t eat.  Oh right.  The doctor advised me not to do that in case I lose my balance and fall off of it.”

“Okay then I’ll just go and get those things down from the attic that I’ve been meaning to go through and organize.  Crap.  Can’t do that either.  I might fall down the stairs or lift something too heavy.”

“Man an ice cold beer sounds really good to me right now.  Damn!  No alcohol allowed when you’re pregnant.” (which is too bad since I’m starting to get depressed over all the things I’m not supposed to do and a drink might take the edge off!)

“Geez what in the hell can I do then?”

“You know what?  My butt  is getting bigger by the second so screw it.  I’ll just eat.  And eat.  And eat.”

Nine months and fifty-five pounds later, I delivered a healthy, beautiful baby boy.  And yes.  It was ALL worth it.

It’s almost funny really.  When you are pregnant with your first baby, you are over the moon and want to do everything “by the book.”  But if and when the time comes that you are ready to give your first child a sibling, chances are that you will approach your second pregnancy much differently.  Well at least I did.

Having already been through it, I knew what to expect so my second pregnancy was actually much easier and less stressful on me (and everyone else that was close enough to me that had to put up with my raging pregnancy hormones).  I didn’t freak out over every little thing like I did the first time.  In fact, since I already had a little one to take care of, I sometimes even forgot that I was pregnant believe it or not.

So I have a question for you:  If you could give any new or expectant mother advice on anything, what would it be? Obviously there are tons of books available relating to pregnancy, child birth and parenting but I’m talking about things you wouldn’t get from a book.  Things that you would only learn from having a first-hand experience.

I’ll go first.

I say Forget the books on the growth and development of your baby-let your OB take care of that.  Read the books on how to get your baby on a good sleep schedule.  That was my BIGGEST problem with my first son.  Maybe if I had a plan in place it wouldn’t have been as difficult for me.  I talk about that more here.

Okay.  Your Turn.  New and expectant moms out there are counting on us!

Tale of A Tonsillectomy

Yesterday I mentioned that my son Alex had a tonsillectomy last week.   His recovery has been unpleasant (to say the least) for ALL of us.  The first few days he did great so I was hopeful the whole process would go rather smooth.

His doctor told us not to be surprised if by day five, Alex gets very cranky and irritable.   He said that for some unknown reason, kids always get really moody and cranky around the fifth day and that no one seems to know why this happens but it does.

Well apparently my son was no exception.  WOW!  It was like a switch was flipped and he completely freaked out.  This episode happened when I tried to give him his pain medicine.  Up until that point, Alex would whine and complain that he didn’t want to take it because it tasted “disgusting”.   It has been a full on battle to get him to take it every single time.  But on day five it was more like a nightmare.  I don’t know what happened but as I was trying to give him his medicine, he starting shaking and screaming and was crying incessantly.  He would not stop.  If you have ever witnessed a child having a night terror, that is what it looked like.  Scary.  It was almost like he was having a panic attack.  He absolutely did NOT want that medicine and was doing everything he could to avoid taking it.

I finally got him to calm down by speaking in a soft gentle tone and I told him he could wait and take it later.  I suggested that he take a few deep breaths and stop crying and then I would let him take a nice warm bath in the whirlpool tub (which he loves) to help him relax.  It worked.  Thank God.

Forty-five minutes later, Alex was calm enough for me to try again and after begging and pleading with him, he finally took it.  Ugh!  And to think I have several more days of this battle ahead of me.

So yes, it’s been a week now since the tonsils came out and my son is still suffering with a sore throat.  This seemed a little odd to me considering just a few days ago he said the pain was “almost gone.”  So naturally. I thought it would be a good idea to take a look in his throat to see what was going on in there.  Let me first say that when we met with the doctor right after he did the surgery he warned us NOT to look in Alex’s throat.  He said “Really. You DON’T want to look because it is not pretty trust me.   No. Don’t look.”

So what did I do?

I looked.

OMG!

What I saw was completely and utterly disgusting.  Ewww!

Where Alex’s tonsils used to be are now huge white cauliflower looking patches.  So so nasty!

Why in the hell did I look?  The same reason you can’t help but look at a car wreck on the side of the road - morbid curiosity.  I’m an idiot!

Seeing those “things” did clear up the question I had as to why my son’s breath smelled so rancid since the surgery.  Again.  Gross.  Sooo so GROSS.  The smell is something I couldn’t even begin to describe.  So I won’t.

But, now that I have already looked, I knew what to expect when I looked in his throat again so it wasn’t such a shock like it was the first time.   The good news is that those white patches are getting smaller and the stench of his breath is finally starting to diminish.  I’m serious it was THAT bad.  I know I must sound like a horrible mom for saying that but believe me, I DO realize that all of this is a small price to pay.  I would put up with all of it for a month as long as Alex having the tonsillectomy gives us the result we are hoping for - less sickness, coughing and strep throat infections.  Keeping my fingers crossed that it works.

Oh and if ever your kid needs a tonsillectomy for whatever reason remember my story and consider yourself warned because believe me…it’s not pretty!

CHI Flat Iron: Is It Worth the Money?

Recently, I got my hair highlighted for the first time ever.  I’ve always wanted to do it but I thought it would be too damaging to my hair and I wasn’t prepared to keep up with the cost of getting it done every few months.  Then the grey hairs started coming in fast and furious.  I needed something to help keep them covered a little longer so I decided to go ahead and try highlights.  I am now hooked!

I’m a brunette so I had to make sure whomever I chose to highlight my hair was good with color.  Thankfully, the girl I went to was referred to me by a friend and she did an awesome job!  But this post isn’t about highlights.  It’s about the flat iron she used.

I have been using a flat iron on my hair for at least six years.  Before flat irons became all the rage I would use a fat curling iron to try and straighten my wavy hair.  It worked okay I guess, but my discovery of the flat iron made doing my hair much easier and quicker to do.

I bought a $30 1 inch Ceramic Tools flat iron from Sally Beauty Supply.  I had heard a ceramic kind was the way to go because it was less damaging to your hair.  And at thirty bucks, not a huge investment -  so I bought it.

What I didn’t know was that you are supposed to put a heat protecting type product in your hair BEFORE you blow dry it but more importantly, BEFORE you flat iron it.  I had no idea that for six years I had been damaging my hair so badly that it would just break right in half.  It was so bad that when I tried to get my hair highlighted last year, the hair stylist advised me NOT to do it because she was afraid there would be nothing left of my hair after that. So I waited and starting using the right products in my hair.  But I still had my same cheap flat iron.

Fast forward to April this year when I was finally able to get my highlights.  After all of the color was done and my hair was washed, my hair dresser styled my hair.  Let me just say that every time I get a haircut I tell whomever cuts my hair not to bother blowing it out because nine out of ten times I never like the way it is styled.  Ever.  But, I went ahead and let this girl blow dry and style my hair anyway.  I figured I may as well give her the benefit of the doubt since she did come highly recommended.

Wow!  When she was done I was amazed at how awesome my hair looked!  I NEVER like the way someone else styles my hair so this was a true first.  I asked her to please write down all of the products she used in my hair and asked her what kind of flat iron she uses.  She told me it was a CHI Flat Iron.

I had heard about CHI Flat Irons before and that they are supposedly really good but also very expensive.  After I found out how much they were I decided that I didn’t really need to buy it since I already had a flat iron anyway.  I did however, buy all of the products my hair dresser used on me that day.

I was all excited to use my new hair products and was fairly confident I could get my hair to look the same way it did after I got it done.  Between the blow drying and the flat ironing, I spent a good 45 minutes trying to achieve that same sleek, shiny look.  Ummm no.  Not even close.  My husband looked at me and said ”You must not be styling it right because it looks nothing like it did when you had it done.”  I used every product the hairdresser did so what was the deal?  Oh.  I bet I know.  I bet it was the CHI Flat Iron she used.  That was the only thing I did different -I used my cheapie iron.

When I explained this to my husband he didn’t believe me.  Or at least he chose not to believe me since I know he didn’t want me to go out and buy a $100+ flat iron.  But, Mother’s Day was right around the corner so I figured I would drop a few not so subtle hints as to where to buy the CHI.

WoooHooo…Hubby came through!

I finally had the missing piece to my hair puzzle.  At least I hoped that was what was missing.

Once again I used all of the products my hair stylist used the day she did my hair and now the true test - the flat iron.  I made sure to put the heat protector in my hair before the 360 degree CHI flat iron touched it.  What happened next was truly amazing.  My hair was becoming super straight AND shiny.  It was starting to look the way it did when I left the salon that day.  IT WAS THE FLAT IRON!!! Even my husband admitted he noticed a huge difference in the way my hair looked when I used my old iron vs. the way it looked after I used my new CHI.  Night and day!

So is the CHI flat iron really worth the money?  Definitely!  After asking around in several different hair supply stores and researching the CHI online, I have learned that what makes this iron so different from their cheap inexpensive counterparts is the heating element itself.  The CHI ceramic plates are heated evenly whereas the one I was using are not causing more damage to my hair.  THAT is why my hair kept breaking (plus the fact that I never used any product in my hair then).

Now keep in mind there are several different models of the CHI flat iron.  I bought the most inexpensive one called the Original CHI.  My husband got it on sale at Target but if you do your homework, you can find them even cheaper online.

The only thing I don’t like about the model I have is that there is no temperature adjustment.   It is always on the same setting and and there is no way to turn it up or down.  The temperature for this model is 36o degrees and it is HOT so be very careful not to burn yourself.  Even when I touch my hair after running a section of it through the iron my hair is super hot and it actually burns my hands.  Not so bad that I can’t touch it but it IS really hot.

There are other CHI flat iron models that do have a temperature adjustment but be prepared to pay at least $30-$40 extra for one.  The advantage to having a temperature control is so you can customize the iron to your hair type.  The courser your hair is, the higher the temperature you’ll need and vice versa.  The original model I have does a great job straightening my hair which is considered normal and somewhat fine.  I don’t need anything hotter nor would I want it any hotter.

Bottom line is if you prefer to flat iron your hair regularly and want the least amount of damage, go for the CHI.  After using a crappy more inferior one for so long  I have seen the difference first hand and I can honsetly say without a doubt the CHI flat iron IS definitely worth the investment!

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