Body hair is a subject of concern for everyone, especially when it grows in unwanted areas. You can remove it yourself at home in most cases. The question is should you? The answer is not necessarily, especially if it is growing in an area that is difficult to see or reach. You also may be fed up with home hair removal techniques like waxing or shaving. After all, they are time consuming and no always completely accurate. If you are looking into clinical alternatives, one to explore is laser hair removal.

Laser Hair Removal Functionality and Popularity
Laser hair removal is simply the process of using focused light to treat hair follicles. Follicles are better thought of as hair roots. When particular types of light are used and the laser is properly calibrated, entire strands of hair are treated. That includes parts you cannot see, like the follicles.

Laser skincare procedures first started to reach a level of mainstream popularity in the United States in the 1990s. Laser hair removal has emerged as one of the top forms not only of laser procedures, but also of cosmetic procedures in general. That is due, at least in part, to the ease of undergoing laser treatment. There is very little preparation required. Also, most laser procedures do not require hospitalization or at-home recovery periods.

Why Laser Hair Removal is so Useful
Laser hair removal is useful for a variety of reasons. For example, top laser hair removal tools are known for their speed. When you go in for a laser appointment, the technician points the laser device at your skin and uses very fast pulses of light
to treat it. Each pulse lasts for less than a second and can treat an area about the size of a quarter. The speed of laser treatment means the longest you should spend in the laser clinic is approximately an hour. If you are having a spot treatment on a small area, you might be done in a matter of minutes.
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Lasers are also known for the ability to surpass shaving and waxing in terms of accuracy. Not only do they treat every hair in the chosen area, they also do so without harming the skin tissue in the surrounding area. That is, as long as you select treatment with the right laser device. You must also make sure your treatment is performed by a trained technician.

Getting Ready for Your Laser Hair Removal Appointment
Getting ready for your laser hair removal appointment is a fairly simple process. First you must schedule an appointment at an accredited clinic with a positive reputation. You must also avoid any treatments that remove or damage hair roots for about six weeks before each procedure. Such treatments include plucking hairs or waxing them off your body. Leaving the roots, or follicles, intact is essential so the laser device can treat them.
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Another important aspect of laser hair removal preparation is staying out of the sun. It is widely recommended that you do so for six weeks before the procedure, but your clinician will give you exact instructions. Avoid too much sun exposure for a similar time period after treatment is also important. The laser procedure makes your skin temporarily hyper sensitive to sunlight.

Scheduling and Having Laser Hair Removal Treatments
Laser hair removal is not a one-time procedure. For the best results, you have to repeat the process several times. You may also need future maintenance treatments. Your clinician will schedule your appointments several weeks apart. At each appointment, your skin is numbed or cooled during the procedure to keep you comfortable. You should also receive a list of things you cannot do the day of your procedure, such as wear perfume or lotion.

In my little city, we have a ton of things to do for families. That's actually one of the reasons I am so incredibly grateful to be raising my kids here. There's still a sense of community for the most part, and there are oodles and oodles of things to do and places to go that the entire family can enjoy. 

One of our favorite things to do as a family, especially during the nicer months, is to visit one of our many local parks. We have over 25, and they offer wonderful ways to be active, appreciate nature, and just enjoy being with the ones you love the most. 

Now that winter is (finally) over here in the Cleveland, OH area, it's time to get our gardening on....Okay. I confess....I actually don't really have a lot of gardening experience, and am totally new to the idea of growing our own herbs, flowers, fruits, and veggies. In fact, it seems a little intimidating to me, if we're being completely honest here. 

Even though it's new territory, after watching a good friend have a very successful garden on via her Facebook posts, we've decided to attempt to hopefully grow some things of our own this year. 

We've planted a few Lilac bushes, some Blackberries, and some Strawberries, too. I also hope to grow some different peppers and an herb garden, too. Yes, I have high hopes here, and we're going to do our best to be successful in our new gardening endeavors. 

Does anyone have any food allergies or sensitivities in their home? Or perhaps just picky tastebuds? Maybe members of your household have a special diet and are avoiding or eliminating certain products, or swapping them out for healthier choices? 

Let's be real here. Prepping, cooking, and serving your family a nutritious meal that suits everyone's tastebuds, allergies, and mood can more than just take extra time... it's exhausting at times! 

Thanks to a Pinterest recipe gone wrong, Gail Becker founded CAULIPOWER -- America's #1 better-for-you pizza. Gail's desire to feed her family a celiac friendly, easy and tasty meal lead her to create one of the crispiest, most delicious cauliflower crust pizzas on the market. 

After seeing the success of the-little-pizza-that-could, she decided to expand her veggie empire, creating Sweet PotaTOASTS and CAULIPOWER Tortillas. All ready to eat in 15 minutes or less, CAULIPOWER's suite of products are a simpler way to get your family to be veggie-first.

We recently received an assortment of CAULIPOWER's best selling products, and I'd love to share our experience. This was our very first time taking on a cauliflower-crust pizza, and we had questions....And doubts. How did it go? Well, keep reading and find out.....

My kids like a lot of excitement. They're kind of adrenaline junkies like their Daddy, and it's becoming obvious that, even at a young age, my kiddos have a definite need for speed. They both love coasters and thrill rides, and my daughter will go on rides that even I won't attempt to go on. 

Oh boy. I'm going to have my hands full in a few years when they start learning to drive real vehicles. 

Anyway, since we love adventure and things that go FAST, when I learned about the new Crazy Cart Shift from our friends at Razor Worldwide, we couldn't wait to check it out. This is similar to a real go-kart in feel, but it's designed specifically with the kids in mind! 

If there’s one thing I know it’s that life happens when you least expect it. Ask any adult where they thought they’d be and what they thought they’d be doing by this stage in their life and I’m willing to bet zero people would say they’re living the life they planned. But, if there’s something else I know about the way that life gatecrashes your plans it’s that wonderful things can happen and unexpected twists and turns can lead to bigger and better dreams than you ever dared imagine. Take me, for example. The way my perfect family life has pieced together nicely was never something that I sat and wrote out and planned on paper, but here we are, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Children require life lessons from you that could leave you scratching your head, because if you’re honest, you’re not an expert in absolutely everything! Money is something you can’t ignore. That’s something I’ve been looking into teaching my children about, because teaching good financial planning skills will set your children up for a lifetime.

Consult online free help
Free is my favourite pricetag. These days, you can teach yourself to pass entire university courses using nothing but online resources. So advice on teaching your children how to plan their money is sure to be widely available. See here for a great list of guidance on the topic. Some advice is quite straightforward, such as teaching your children to handle money and appreciate the different values of coins (also a fantastic method of helping your child to learn basic maths!). Some of the other advice goes into slightly more detail regarding money matters, such as teaching your child to associate your digital bank balance with physical money.

Set saving goals
Your child will develop a negative relationship with money if every time they ask for something you give it to them. Instead, create a lifestyle for them whereby they understand that they will receive a certain amount of pocket money each week, and that this must be saved towards a bigger purchase of their choosing. The wait for the money to be saved up will not only help them to understand that there is not a constant flow of money available to them at all times, but will
also help them to appreciate their purchases much more.

Incentives - give to charity
If you feel that your child has too many toys and that money is simply being wasted on new toys that will sit in the corner, have a conversation along the lines of giving to charity. Ask your child to select toys that they no longer play with, and explain that some children who have very few toys would benefit from donations to charity. This method won’t necessarily boost your child’s savings habits, but the stark realisation that some people do not have very much money should help to instill mature feelings of responsibility and careful planning towards money.

As busy parents, my husband and I don't get out enough....Well, we get out plenty. We just rarely have the chance to relax and unwind as a couple, without any kids in tow.

Now don't get me wrong: We absolutely love doing the family thing, but sometimes it's important to do things together as a couple. Ya know, to keep that spark alive without hearing that so-and-so hit so-and-so, or that the dog had an accident....Again. 

Couple time is important. 

Couple time paired with food and wine? Even better. 

When our wonderful friends at Romano's Macaroni Grill invited us for an exclusive Wine Tasting Dinner event, we jumped at the chance. A 4 course Italian meal, complete with expertly selected wine pairings?

Yes, please! (Full disclosure: I do not drink....Ever....Like, at all...I guess I'm not much fun at parties. However, the hubby is a bit of a wine snob and loves to enjoy wine with a nice meal.) Despite the fact that I don't partake in the drinking of alcoholic beverages, I was SUPER excited about this event. After all, I could take tiny sips to see how they paired with the food and give the rest of the glass to the hubby.

See, I concocted the perfect plan to ensure maximum enjoyment for all! Dan thought so, too! 

I have to admit, I am the "weird lady" in my neighborhood. 

I am 100% cool with that designation. If my purple hair, tye-die, funky music choices, and overall colorful life makes me strange? Well, I'll wear that badge with complete and absolute pride.

Who wants to be plain ol' vanilla, anyway? Life is short, so we should have fun and do what makes us happy, regardless of the things social norms tell us we need to be, or what anyone else may think. After all, opinions are like....Okay. I'll quit while I'm ahead here. I'm sure you're familiar with that old adage, so for the sake of decency, I'll skip the rest....

Anyway, I'm the weirdo. The kook. The quirky, hippy lady in the big blue house with the blue car in a blue world...And if I'm going to be the colorful weirdo on the block, it would help if I dressed the part, too. 

Thankfully, I know where to find the coziest, comfiest, most quirky gear, no matter what time of year: UglyChristmasSweater.com. Yep, they've got more to offer than just Christmas wear, and they're open all year long! 

So what do you do on a rainy afternoon?

Here in the Cleveland, OH area, spring is a very wet season.....With some snow mixed in, just to keep us guessing. 

On days that Mother Nature isn't on our side, we like to spend the day together as a family indoors, doing things like having dance-offs, karaoke parties, and of course, playing good old fashioned board games together. 

With varying ages, from elementary to young adult, it's hard to find games that keep everyone's attention. After all, what a 19 year old finds fun may go wayyyyy over a 9 year old's head. 

That's why we love these game selections from the folks at Authentic Agility and Thames & Kosmos. These games are creative, loads of laughs, and bring people together no matter what the age gap may be. (Older kids who can read, of course. These aren't preschool games. Just thought I should be more specific.) They even get the heart pumping and cause some anxiety, too, if you're into that kind of thing. Don't worry, I mean this in a good way! 

If you'd like to experience rainy days with family like never before, keep reading while I tell you more about these awesome games. Oh, and there will be a chance to win a couple, too! 

Most people like to think of Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial kickoff to summer. The three-day weekend is the perfect opportunity to get away, even if it’s just a day trip to a nearby city. While traveling, we all rely on our smartphones for directions, looking up destination spots or places to eat and for capturing memories in the form of pictures and videos. 

One travel necessity to never leave home without is a quality portable charger so you can stay in control of your trip! myCharge makes a variety of portable chargers that will fit anyone’s needs from the Hub Series chargers, that include convenient built-in charging cables and wall prongs on the back of the unit to charge it, to the Razor series that offers ample extra battery life and a sleek look. Whatever you’re looking for, myCharge can provide the battery life to power your trip.

Why myCharge?

myCharge devices integrate built–in charging cords that emphasize portability and versatility, and powerful lithium polymer batteries that allow you to quickly charge your smartphone, tablet, eReader and other devices so they’re ready when you need them. From power banks to power cases, the diverse set of innovative myCharge solutions ensure you’ll never be stranded again. Ditch your dependency on cables and wall outlets – and let myCharge make your life a bit easier.