HACK: Paint your toes without messing up your gel mani

Ok, I'll admit this one may be a big "duh" but took me a little bit of trial and error to figure out.

I always get shellac gel mani on my fingers but like to paint my toes myself with regular polish because it lasts longer for me. But the nail polish remover can easily damage the gel mani.

I tried the disposable rubber gloves I use for self tanning but the remover would eat right through them. My solution is dishwashing latex gloves, I have these and they work great!



Playtex Rubber Gloves

QUICK HOME FIX: Blonde Extensions Turned Orange

Over the years I have had extensions (both microbeads and Hot Heads), I have had three different experiences where my blonde extensions have turned orange:

1. Rusty pipes from an outdoor bathtub
2. Self-tanner
3. Moroccan/jojoba/coconut oil (orange in color and containing red dye)

All three times I have easily removed the orange at home, even when they couldn't remove it at the salon, using some packets I picked up from Sally Beauty Supply.

Here's what you'll need:

1. Ion Crystal Clarifying Treatment (2 packets for long hair, $2.99 each, I like this one best because it removes rust)
2. Color Applicator Bottle (1 bottle, $1.49)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wet hair (this is important and isn't in the instructions)
2. Combine 1 packet with 2 oz of warm water (or 2 packets with 4 oz of warm water) in color applicator bottle and shake (do not use your hand as it suggests, unless you have monster-sized hands it won't work)
3. Be careful taking your finger off the lid as it tends to explode out of the top a little
4. Apply to hair, saturate very thoroughly
5. Leave on for at least 20 min (cover with a shower cap) or longer, depending on how intense your orange color is
6. Rinse

Now the orange is out and it cost you less than $10!

Executive Overnight Retreat Ideas Near Kansas City

Stop thinking about going to some boring hotel for your next executive or corporate retreat. If you have a small group (under 20 people), want to combine teambuilding, business meeting, corporate retreat and relationship building getaway all in one, here are some ideas!

I found a few great Bed & Breakfasts not far outside of downtown Kansas City with an idea for teambulding either onsite or nearby. Cost is approximate as of 2015 for 7 people, each with their own room.

1. Woodstock Inn B&B ($1000) + Indoor Rock Climbing at Apex ($105) - Independence/Blue Springs MO (20 min from KC)
2. Inn on Crescent Lake ($1000) + Hiking Trails and/or Wine Tasting - Excelsior Springs (30 min from KC)
3. Cedar Crest Lodge ($1200) + Boccie Ball, Horseshoes and Hiking - Pleasanton KS (1 hr from KC)
4. Flint Hills Flying W Ranch ($600) + Horseback Riding ($700) or Cowboy Day ($1400) - Cedar Point, KS (2 hours from KC)

The best part is that you can stay on site for your business meetings, get breakfast, snacks and lunch and really spend some time together as a team. The relaxed, cozy atmosphere will be great for ideation and relaxation. Then head off for a few hours to a teambuilding activity with an easy location to return to for the rest of your executive retreat.

Indoor Activities for Toddlers in Wichita, KS

Not sure what to do with a young child in Wichita, KS? Whether you are home for the holidays or a permanent residence, here are some ideas for when it may be too hot or too cold to be outside (a frequent occurrence in the Midwest!).

Active Activities for Kids in Wichita

• My Gym - Open play times plus age-specific classes
• Pump it Up - Pop in playtime for Pre-K
• Chuck E Cheese - Special area for toddlers, plus big games for everyone else. Go early in the day. All games are only a quarter.

Musical Interludes for Children in Wichita

• Music Together of Wichita - Try a free demo class or sign up for ongoing sessions
• Kindermusik - Try a free class or sign up for an ongoing session

Love the Outdoors, Indoors

• Cabela's - Toddlers will love the large fresh-water fish tank and the stuffed deer, bears and elk
• The Aquarium in Old Town - Technically a marine aquatics store, but great salt-water fish to view in their tanks (plus other pet supplies)

Educational Activities for Toddlers in Wichita

• Wichita Public Library - Storytime, puppet shows, crafts and even family pajama-rama night
• Museum of World Treasures - Children's Activity Center with a climbing area, games and a castle
• Exploration Place - Various travelling exhibits plus TotSpot for toddlers

Holiday Events and Holiday Lights for the Whole Family in Wichita

• Illuminations at Botanical Gardens - Hundreds of thousands of twinkle lights and themed displays (this one is outdoor)
• Spots Party Bus Holiday Lights Tour - Everyone gets a great view of the holiday lights
• River City Trolley Christmas Lights Tour - Beautiful trolley ride for viewing holiday lights
• IBEW Holiday Lights in the Park - Drive through holiday light experience
• Lights on the Lake - Drive through holiday light experience

Fertility Clinic Success Rate - Find the Top Performing Clinics Nationwide

Fertility Clinic Success Rate information is readily available on the CDC site, but is only lets you search by clinic name. If you want to sort clinics by performance, it is difficult. I have developed a rough, but working, dashboard so you can filter and sort by the fields important to you.

The Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act (FCSRCA) of 1992 mandates that clinics performing ART annually provide data for all procedures performed to CDC. CDC is required to use these data to report and publish clinic-specific success rates. The first report, the 1995 Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates Report, was released in December 1997.

Data from U.S. clinics that provide Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) services to treat infertility are a rich source of information about the factors that contribute to success—the delivery of a live-born infant. The Report, and related materials on this Web site, gives potential ART users an idea of their average chances of success.

Use this interactive dashboard to sort and filter ALL IVF clinics in the country. 

Find the Top Performing IVF Fertility Clinics in the Nation

Where to Donate USED Hair Care Products in Kansas City

A lot of shelters aren't able to take used hair care or used beauty products for various reasons (space, hygiene, etc). With my difficult fine hair and sensitive skin, I buy a lot of products that end up not working out but it is too late to return them. I give what I can to friends, but I don't want to throw away good salon quality products just because they have been opened. 


I found a shelter in Kansas City that will take used hair care products. I contacted many shelters until I found one that will take opened hair care items. The Lazarus Ministries at Grand Avenue Temple is focused on helping the urban core of Kansas City. Hopefully the products will go to good use and even provide them just a moment of sweet smelling escape from their daily worries. I bet they will be more than happy to take all those hotel samples off of your hands, too.

Checklist for Buying an Android Smartphone

Thinking about buying a Droid smartphone? Wanting to upgrade your existing Droid and think all the phones are the same? Keep in mind these tips when getting a new smartphone with the android OS.

• Not all phones with the android OS are the same. They are similar, but each manufacturer has the ability to customize the OS.
• Be sure to check the default search engine. This may surprise you, but some manufacturers, like Samsung, using Bing as their search engine. You can't uninstall it either. If you want Google as your search engine, you won't want to buy the Samsung Continnum.
• Be sure to check apps that are installed by default with the phone. HTC let's you uninstall their preloaded apps, but again Samsung doesn't. You will be stuck with a Blockbuster app and City ID app that you will not be able to get rid off. The biggest downfall here is that apps suck up your battery life. You will be forced to install and actively use an app killer. Not a bad idea in general to have an app killer, but better that you have the choice of which apps to have on your phone.
• Check call quality. They are not the same.
• Check the security features on the phone. Some have simple tools to lock the screen (like a puzzle) but not true security to help keep nosy friends from peeking into your phone. 
• Like to use your pictures as your background image? See how the phone treats these pictures. HTC is terrible at translating pictures to backgrounds, you end up with a out of proportion, zoomed in reproduction of your photo. 

These tips will help you know what to look for when you buy your next droid smartphone, aside from size and keyboard options. Overall, all these phones are a huge improvement over any kind of BlackBerry or regular phone but there are varying levels of features between manufacturers.