Tuesday 24 April 2012

I'm on a hair mission

Ever since I uncovered (not discovered) a book called The Science of black hair I have been on a hair mission. The goal of this mission is to return my hair to BSL or Bra Strap Length in a healthy state.

If you have looked at the quest to healthy hair (also part of the mission) then you will have seen the length of my hair when flat ironed. Well I had to chop off about 2 inches of damaged ends and I am continuing to do so.

Three weeks ago I embarked on this new regime with my new found knowledge and have been treating my hair better ever since, with a weekly deep condition and daily moisturising and sealing. In my normal style I've also gone way over board and purchased about 30 hair products. My favourite line is called CURLS, I'm loving the whipped cream and cleansing cream. Best of all it's high quality ingredient with no sulphates, parabens, mineral oil or lanolin; all of which are cheap product fillers or preservatives.

I am also taking homeopathic remedy to help with my hair falling, kali sulphur and silica. Vitamins, MsM, biotin and sometimes a vit B. It's too soon for mr to confirm that they are working for me.

However, what I can say is that I have had some growth over the last 3 weeks. As you can see from the picture my curly hair is growing out, you can see the texture difference between my natural curl and chemically straightened hair.

My biggest issue is hair breakage.

I hope to report weekly on my hair journey and it's progress.

Pic are of a few new hair products, my current hair length in two strand twists, I'm collar bone length and my hair growth over the past 3 weeks.

Becoming Equestrian...

Oh yes I feel a Riverside walk coming on, not that there is much decent Riverside in London.  In my case it would be good old Camden lock!  Or perhaps a day at the stables?  No, ok shooting pheasants...no.  Who am I kidding?

I am sure I'm not the only person who thinks it strange when Ole English cult brands become commonly fashionable, like Barbour and Hunter.  Well, I decided a while go that I needed Hunters in my life. I couldn't have my son splashing about in puddles when he is bigger and not be able to join him. 

My wonderfully beautiful mother has an eye for these things and selected for me the Regent Carlyle.

There is something strangely sexy about these wellies.  I haven't had wellies since I was about 4 and I was never one to splash about anyway.  I can't wait for these beauties to arrive, there's something Gucci-esque about them.  They better last for the rest of my life, bloody expensive for slippery boots!

Thursday 19 April 2012

I've gone wean-ey mad- Munchkin babyfood grinder review

Wean-ey mad, get it?  No, not funny?  Anywho, yet again I became obsessive about buying, this time it was weaning stuff; cuos, bowls, spoons.  Don't say the words Brother Max to me ever again.  Oh I love it really and I will post a pic of all my weaning delights in due course so you can see how over the top I can get.

But this post is all about my latest weaning toy; The Munchkin baby food grinder

In my household we do not have a microwave (I don't like to nuke my food) and I generally shy away from too much electrical preparation when it comes to baby's food.
I do own a blenders/choppers/juicers but in an attempt to give my baby's food the human touch I thought I'd invest in something manual.

I've been eyeing this up for while, I think the RRP is £10 but I thought a fork would do just as well.  Untill this week when I poped into Wilkinson and it was £5.98, fab, it was mine!

Since I have used it twice; on a kiwi which didn't go to well.  I should have chopped it into 2/4 but instead I put the whole thing in the inner tube, silly me.  I used it yesterday to puree some fruit I had steamed, a pear, plum and apple. I could have done them together but decided to grind each one seperately, put them into the Brother Max weaning pot and mix from in there.  The result was good, nice consistency, not too much waste or bother and very easy to clean.  It also appeals to me because it is portable and light, not like the oxo one which is massive and looks like a victorian tourture tool.

I would recommend this for half price but in my opinion it isn't worth a tenner when you can use a potato masher or something if you don't which to sell out.  But it is function and I like it and can see myself using it often.  Hmmmm, 4 out of 5 stars from onelove.

Baby post: Our approach to weaning

My son is 20 weeks and I considered weaning and eating solids to be a good thing to do round this age.  As if I was fearful that he wouldn't learn to eat at some point in his life?

What was the reason to rush?

Coupled with mainstream advice and literature and the past experiences of others I made a decision that I would try giving him some food. 

I am never going to be the type of mother that is happy giving my son what I call 'Jar food' which what you probably refer to as prepackaged/preprepared baby food.  I can't stand the stuff, I mean as an adult I wouldn't eat preprepared or microwave dinners every day, in fact I don't eat them at all so why on earth would I give it to my son?  Convenience, laziness, who knows but it definitely isn't an option for us.  Even if it 'organic', is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and cleverly marketed here are the top 5 reasons we are staying clear:

1.  It is processed food and not therefore not whole food

Which means the so called organic foods in some of these products have gone through some kind of process that has altered the molecular structure of the food it contains in order for it to be packaged, have a longer shelf life, taste so much unlike what it is supposed to be, which in turn affect the nutritional value. 

2.  It's full of preservatives

This stuff can stay on the self for up to 3 years in some cases, not something I want swimming round in the belly of my baby whose digestive system is so young and still developing.

3.  The taste like ______ (fill in the blank)

I'm amazed at the amount of parents who are happy to give their children something they would never eat themselves.  I actually find it quite funny.  I'd never eat baby rice so I'd never give it to my son, besides white rice is simply a refined starch that is largely bereft of its original nutrients. You can read more about rice here.

4.  We don't buy into clever marketing strategies

You'll have noticed that even baby food is now carefully marketed to different demographics.  There are the regular brands that have been around for years, then I've also noticed some other brands that seem to be carefully marketed towards middle class mums with prettier and posher packaging, which can make one think that the ingredient is of a high standard than the cheaper brands.  When the truth is they are probably all produced by the same companies and distributed in the same way but just packaged up differently.

5.  You get more for your money making your own

Look at a small jar of baby food, which typically may have about 3-4 foods combined (i.e parnship and butternut squash) and now look at a packet of parsnips.  At one popular supermarket (rhymes with fresco) you can get a bag of 6-8 parsnips for £1.  Go figure!

I could go on but you get my mode of thinking.  It's very much a personal choice and I can understand as well as appreciate why parents do opt for using baby foods instead of making their own.  My aim in the choice that I have made is to ensure that my son is healthy and encourage him from a young age to value his body and be mindful about have he puts into his mouth.  I want him to make better choices than what I have done.  I have done this by go out there and seeking information so that I can make better choices for him and he in turn can do the same for his children.

Our approach

Recently, I have had a re-think about this and will wait a bit longer to give him food on a regular basis.  The reason for this is recently I learnt about how giving food to early can lead to future problems when the digestive system isn't fully formed.  We started with fruit and vegetables.  I let my son taste/lick a few different fruits that I was eating; kiwi, pear, apple.  I will continue with fruit and veg once in a while.

What's your approach to weaning and how do you feel about pre-prepared baby foods?

Tuesday 3 April 2012

April: Organising baby clothes/storage

I alway get a bit over stimulated (bit like a baby) at the beginning of a new month and want to achieve goals simply because the first of the month feels like a good time to kick things off.

I've got a few things on the go this month. Staying healthy, dropping baby weight, growing out my hair (this is a big one for me) and organising clothes and bits in the home.

The biggest issue in terms of organising for me is clothes; mine and my sons. We both have more than the space we've been allocated to put them in! I've become attached to some of his stuff, like his first outfits and presents from relatives and I really don't want to throw these out.

I have sorted through all of his 0-3 months pieces and split them into two piles, stuff I'm keeping and stuff that gots to go. It'll be charity shop or carboot sale for them. I'm really impressed that my mum has retained my childhood clothes and even some toys. How do you think things become vintage sweetie?

I started with the large drawers of the baby's clothes yesterday. Tackling bedding and towels tomorrow. Here is what it looks like post inspiration from Ikea. I'm not a big fan of Ikea furniture as I think it looks obvious and isn't built to last. I prefer older looking furnitures like good old strong pine from those random shops that sell it by the dozen. But they are the best for clever storage solutions, one off storage boxes and candles. Plus I can't stand the lay out of the store, annoying that you have to walk the entire store to get to one thing. Enough complaining here goes

Super tidy, my mother will be proud

The dividers

Storage boxes for hair products

Monday 2 April 2012

I simply believe this bag is beautiful, not much else to say really.  Except thank you to Jaeger







That is all.

Sunday 1 April 2012

M&S Limited collection S/S 2012...

Is actually very fashionable, believe it or not.  I literally stopped in my tracks at some of the colours, brights and pastels and cuts, some tailoring and some form fitting.  I'm not sure if they have recruited new designers or something but it looks good and I even brought something and took these pics to share with you

Got myself this top, love the colour combination


Cute with Jeans (on the wish list)






This one is Per Una I believe
Needless to say I am impressed with what they have to offer, although some of the piece are a bit expensive for what they are.  The hooded top with yellow neon chiffon set me bay £40. 

I'm not really a S/S kind of woman I mush prefer winter fashion and find it difficult to pull myself away from dark colours and I'm not as in love with dresses as I used to.  I look forward to see what they have on offer this winter and if it's of the same calibre.