Category / swim

Mermaid with green hair and scaled tail swimming over coral reef with various fish
by Kelly Mattei

Birthday Trip Souvenir

Birthday Trip Souvenir

I returned home yesterday from a lovely week in the Bahamas with my family. We had a great time celebrating my husband’s 60th birthday. 60! It’s hard to believe, but he is, indeed, 60 years old…or young, however you want to look at it.

I might be the only one from the trip who brought home a souvenir…green hair. Yes, you read it right…green hair.

While we were there, we swam in the Sea of Abaco. We swam in pools. We visited different islands. We rode in the boat. We ate too much. We stayed up late at night talking, drinking, and laughing. And on Thursday before we returned home on Saturday, I spent some time swimming in a pool at a resort on one of the islands. We all swam in it, but I’m the only one who came home with green hair.

Frankly, if anyone had to come home with green hair, I’m glad it was me. My 22-yr-old daughter would have been horrified. Let it be me. At 58 (I’ll be 59 Wednesday!), I didn’t really care all that much that my hair had a green tint. In fact, I was a little amused by what I called my “mermaid hair.”

However, no matter what you call it, it is not attractive. It was mostly on the ends and in one section of my hair. I say “was,” because I have already remedied the situation. I searched all over the internet for the best solution, and I read that ketchup is the way to go. My brother dates a lovely woman who is a hairdresser, so I confirmed it with her before I saturated my hair in cheap ketchup from Publix. The red color and acid in the ketchup is supposed to counteract the green color from the copper/chlorine. This afternoon, I got to work. I put on a button-up shirt I was willing to part with, and I saturated my hair in ketchup and waited 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I washed my hair.

As soon as I realized I had green hair, I placed an order on Amazon for a special shampoo called Malibu C Swimmers Wellness Clarifying Shampoo for Chlorine and Hair Build Up, and that’s what I used to remove the ketchup from my hair. Just as I had been told, it worked. So if you ever find yourself or your child in a similar predicament, I highly recommend ketchup, followed by the Malibu C shampoo.

If you’d like to keep it on hand this summer when your kids are spending lots of time in swimming pools, you can get it from Amazon here. I purchased the large bottle, because we have a pool at home, and since I wash my hair regularly anyway, I might as well use this fantastic shampoo. It smells great and made my hair super soft.

Next time I go to the Bahamas, I hope I will return with a better souvenir.

***As an Amazon associate, I earn commissions for items purchased through my links.***

by Kelly Mattei

Enjoy Memorial Day Weekend

Enjoy Memorial Day Weekend

When I was a little girl, Memorial Day weekend marked the start of summer for me. School usually got out around Memorial Day, and I had the extra bonus of having a birthday at about the same time, so I loved the end of May…still do! And this year will be no different.

I have written before about how we need to remember the reason we celebrate Memorial Day…to honor those who lost their lives defending the very freedom we enjoy every single day. I have written about how my parents always made sure, when we were gathering with friends and family, that we remembered the meaning behind the day.

Does that mean it can’t be fun too? I like to think those who lost their lives would be happy to see us enjoying the freedom they made possible. We tend to have a pool day at our house. Sometimes we have friends over, and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes, our daughter invites friends over, and sometimes she goes somewhere else. This year, we will be fortunate to have some houseguests over the holiday weekend, and we are excited to hang out in the pool, cook out, and relax.

In fact, I’m ordering a few things from Amazon to help me be sure we have fun and stay safe at the same time, and if you order today, you can probably get them in time too! Even if you don’t want them for Memorial Day, these items can be great all summer! My new necessities for starting summer with some fun (and safety in mind):

  • Fun Boy Mesh Floats. I love being outdoors, but when it’s really hot, I need to be in the pool. And I don’t mean I need to be floating on top of something. I need to have some of my body actually in the water. These inflatable mesh floats from Funboy are perfect for relaxing and staying cool. Priced at just $39 for a mint colored or yellow one, and the pink ones are $41 each. Or you can get two pink ones or two mint ones for under $67. I just ordered two pink and two mint. They’ll add a little color to the pool and keep us all cool. Of course, on Saturday and Sunday, the weather isn’t likely to be cooperative, but it’s supposed to be pretty warm Monday. Purchase here.
  • Backyard Blast. When our daughter was a little girl, she and her friends loved to set up a Slip n Slide in our yard. They could play for hours. I even participated a few times. Personally, I think sliding water play is fun for all ages, so when I saw this Backyard Blast heavy duty waterslide for adults and teens, well…I had to have it. We haven’t tried it yet, but it’s 75′ long and 12′ wide! Priced at $159, it’s not cheap, but since it’s “heavy duty,” I hope to get lots of fun out of it. It gets good reviews. Purchase here.
  • Nerf Water Products. Nerf is a name we can trust in water toys, but there are so many to choose from! A good SuperSoaker battle is always fun, but Nerf also makes refillable water balloons for younger kids, and even ride-on floats for on-the-water battles! See what they offer here. The possibilities are endless!

  • Fun in the Sun Toys. In fact, there are lots of summer fun toys out there: Bubble machines, bubble wants, reusable water balloons, beach balls, splash pads…fun stuff to keep everyone cool and keep everyone moving! These toys are great for kids of all ages…including those like me who will be turning 56 this weekend! Amazon will ship quick and free if you have an Amazon Prime account. Check them out here.
  • Sunscreen. You have to stay safe in the sun! Sunscreen is essential. There are lots of different brands to choose from. Personally, I prefer Coppertone lotions when I’m going to be outside for a while, because they smell like my childhood. Other times, I like Hawaiian Tropic oils, because we used them when I was a teen, and it reminds me of some happy times. I do not like sprays, because one of the first ingredients listed is often alcohol, so while it’s easy to apply a spray, it actually dries out your skin! Not good. To purchase Coppertone lotions, click here. To purchase Hawaiian Tropic oils with different SPFs, click here. (You might have to scroll down a little.) And remember to protect your lips, which can burn fast. We use Coppertone Sport Lip Balm with SPF 50. Purchase here.
  • Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Products. Don’t forget you’ll need something to soothe your skin after you’ve been in the sun. In our house, we swear by Sun Bum Cooling After Sun Gel. Purchase here. They offer lots of products to choose from: lotions, gels, body butters.

Summer’s almost here! Let’s be ready for some fun! Happy Shopping!