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June 17th, 2010
With the holiday season looming and the prospect of showing off more flesh becomingly increasingly scary, I realised that I hadn’t shared the wonders of my brown sugar body scrub with you. If, like me you’re 30 something and beginning to notice that your skin sin’t quite so elastic and springy as it once was then you should definitely give it a go. It does a great job of exfoliating really gently as the sugar contains AHA’s, but the olive oil leaves your skin really smooth and supersoft, it’s gorgeous. Best of all, it uses just two ingredients (three if you’re feeling flush) which you’ll probably have in your kitchen store-cupboard already!
I started using this because I found commercial body-scrubs to be way too harsh for my sensitive skin. I immediately saw an improvement in how my skin looked and felt – particularly over my chest where it’s really dry because of eczema.
I used the last of mine in the shower this morning, so made another batch this afternoon which took me all of 15 seconds. Here’s how.
Ingredients
1 cup Soft Brown Sugar (not demerara)
Olive Oil
Essential Oil*
Method
Take a clean wide-necked jar and add your sugar to it
Add oil and stir well. You want to have a little excess oil floating on top as per the picture
Stir in a few drops of essential oil* of your choice – this is optional but makes it smell great
*I’ve used our lavender and chamomile oil blend before and it’s lovely, but today I went for May Chang which is an astringent (will hopefully help the dreaded cellulite!)
I keep my body scrub in the shower and it should stay fresh for ages, although I always end up using mine quite quickly. It’s not as if it costs a lot to replace though!
Even if you don’t normally make things like this and think I’m a bit weird for even trying it, please give this a go and let me know what you think – I know you’ll love it!
Tags: body scrub recipe eczema, body scrub recipe sensitive skin, brown sugar body scrub recipe, brown sugar olive oil scrub recipe, natural baby wipes soaking solution
Posted in Home-made Gifts | No Comments »
June 15th, 2010
Inspiration today from Josie over at Sleep is for the Weak and The Moiderer who wrote a lovely piece about being a ‘magic mummy’.
I too am a ‘magic mummy’. Â I can do better magic than Harry Potter, Dumbledore or Gandalf.
And I can prove it. Â On any given day, come to my house and watch me conjure:
- a scrumptious meal from two limp spring onions and some leftover chicken
- missing toys / laptop chargers / cuddlies from thin air
Each morning watch me transform:
- three  sleepy, scruffy, semi-naked monkeys with bedhair into three beautifully attired, smiling faced cherubs, ready for nursery and school
Each evening watch me as I do my disappearing act:
- making all the mess of the day (toys, odd socks, random plasters, single piecs of jigsaw) vanish into it’s rightful place
- …and the biggest disappearing act of them all, is me off to bed by 10pm because I’m knackered!
Tags: bamboo baby wipes, bamboo washable baby wipes, magic mummy
Posted in Writing Workshop | 2 Comments »
June 10th, 2010
At last our new bamboo washable baby wipes have arrived. Â It has taken a while but finally we’ve got the lovely supersoft luxurious fabric that we’ve been waiting for. Â But it does raise the question ‘What’s the difference between bamboo and terry towelling?’
Terry Towelling is better for poo
One of the best things about Cheeky Wipes is that they make cleaning your baby (after a poo, or their dinner) a faster job, because rather than just spread the mess around, they get it off in one go. Â Now don’t get me wrong, bamboo is super for getting poo off. Â But, in my opinion, nothing quite matches the grip of terry towelling on squidgy poo. Â (Excuse me if I’m being too graphic!) Â Terry towelling is a great all-rounder and it’s what I’ve used for the past 6 years before this new-fangled bamboo came along….
Bamboo is perfect for hands and faces
Bamboo is really, really soft. Â Feel it dry and it’s really hard to avoid stroking it (like the top of a newborn baby’s head….) Â When it’s damp and ready for use, it retains much of that silky texture and still feels much softer than terry towelling.
Also, bamboo wipes are less likely to become ‘crusty’ through limescale so if you live in a hard water area this is something to consider – although a capful of white vinegar in your wash will solve this problem anyway.
In terms of price, you will pay a premium for bamboo wipes, priced at £7.50 for 10, or £17.50 for 25, although they’re on offer for the next month at £7.00 for 10 or £15 for 25.  So if you are interested in picking some up, just jump right in there – and let me know what you think.
Tags: bamboo baby wipes, bamboo cloth wipes, bamboo reusable wipes, bamboo washable wipes, terry towelling baby wipes
Posted in Washable Wipes FAQ | 1 Comment »
June 8th, 2010
The lovely Josie over at Sleep is for the Weak inspired me today. One of the writing workshop prompt this week is about ‘Time’ and with my eldest boy fast approaching his 6th birthday it made me think about the relativity of time. My take that is, rather than Einsteins.
Did you know that in the quantum world it is possible for an object to be in two places at the same time? Or that time isn’t always the same, it changes depending on where you are? To demonstrate, imagine you have a twin. You stay on earth, your twin goes into space on a fast rocket ship for 10 years; when they come back, they’re a couple of years younger than you are. Bizarre.
I reckon that this same quantum theory is responsible for changing time when you have children. My eldest little boy will be six next week and who knows what happened to that time? But it starts before they’re even conceived…..
If you’re ‘actively trying’ for a baby, the period between ‘doing the deed’ and waiting for your period to come. Reality: two weeks. Helen’s quantum theory: A LONG time.
Doing a pregnancy test, after weeing on the stick. Reality: 1 minute. Helen’s quantum theory: Neverending.
Pregnancy Gestation. Reality: 9 months give or take a few weeks. Helen’s quantum theory: depends on whether it’s a first child or not. First pregnancies seem to take forever, second/third pregnancies fly by because you don’t have time to think about it….
Pushing your baby out. Reality: Could take a few minutes to a few hours. Helen’s quantum theory: Given that you’re inhabiting a different ‘I’m giving birth’ universe, time is suspended, so just make up any length of time that seems appropriate, depending on how many drugs you’ve taken.
First cuddle. Reality: minutes or hours. Helen’s quantum theory: Doesn’t matter how long it lasts, you’ll remember it forever.
Potty training. Reality: one week to 6 months. Helen’s quantum theory: When your toddler appears at the bottom of the soft play slide, sans pants and trousers because they’ve wee’d in the ball pool, your walk of shame makes it feel like an eternity.
6th Birthday Party. Reality: 6 years. Helen’s quantum theory: feels like the blink of an eye, how can my baby be a big boy of six?
Tags: baby wipes, bamboo baby wipes, cloth baby wipes
Posted in Writing Workshop | 2 Comments »
June 3rd, 2010
I’ve just received the most fabulous phone call and follow-up email from a customer that I had to share with you.
Sometimes I wake up in the morning and wonder what on earth possessed me to start a new business with three small children and a looming recession. Emails like this make it all worthwhile:
Helen, Thanks so much for your help today! I wanted to offer a written testimonial on Cheeky Wipes.
I was a little uncertain to begin with as I thought they were a bit of a novelty item that seemed quite expensive if I’m honest.
Having used them now for 3 months I can assure everyone that they are amazing and totally worth the money – I haven’t bought any disposable wipes since – the two packs I had before using Cheeky Wipes are still in the drawer unopened!
My little boy Alex is now 4 months – we’ve been using them since he was 3 weeks old and we absolutely love them! He had a lot of nappy rash when he was first born (we gave up on the cotton wool and water very early due to hassle and an irrational hatred of cotten wool!) which cleared up totally as soon as we started using the Cheeky Wipes because the essential oils are so gentle and effective on wiping poo off rather than around, which is what we found the disposable wipes did.
We have also used cloth nappies from early on (also highly recommended!), so washing the Cheeky Wipes has never been a problem as we just throw them in the wash with the nappies each day. Some great advice I have been given on getting them white again once going grey or poo stained is to put them out on the line rather than bleach them – the sun bleaches them beautifully white again within a couple of hours!
Cheeky Wipes were recommended to me by another mum who had had them recommended to her – I have so far not met a mum who has used and not loved them, my friend and I even accosted a poor unassuming couple at the Cheeky Wipes stand at the NEC Baby & Toddler Show last month to rave about how wonderful they are!
I love them so much I have just bought a second set as Alex is now weaning so I wanted a set for his face to keep by his highchair downstairs!
Thanks so much for such a fab invention! Claire M, (Proud mum to Alex, 4 months)
I’m so chuffed, I had to share, so excuse me for blowing my own trumpet. Â But if you’d like to read more, then visit my testimonials page.
Tags: bamboo wipes review, cheeky baby wipes review, organic wipes review, review cheeky wipes, washable wipes review
Posted in Buying For Baby | 3 Comments »
June 3rd, 2010
As I may have mentioned before, my husband plays in a band part-time called Carnival Collective and over recent years he’s been lucky enough to play at Glastonbury.
Last year was the first year that I was able to go with him, as in previous years I was either pregnant or due to give birth. I wasn’t sure what to expect having only his viewpoint on the whole 4 day extravaganza that is Glasto, but I can honestly say that nothing prepares you for it, there’s just so much to see and do everywhere you turn, it’s almost overwhelming.
Last year I suffered mini-agonies trying to work out what to bring clothing wise (which is a whole other post!) but in terms of essential kit you’ll need, I thought it was worthwhile doing a list….see if your list compares!
Essential Camping Kit
- Tent – preferably a pop up version which doesn’t require major guy ropes which piss everyone around you off when they’re trying to make their way back to their tent in the dark
- Torch / torch on head – invaluable
- Blow up mattress – the self inflating ones are fine and save you having to blow them up
- Sleeping bag
- Camping stool / chair – essential if it’s muddy and you want a seat
- Toilet roll
- Baby Wipes – I took Cheeky Wipes last year but soaked them in mucky wipes tea tree lemon oil which meant that even after 4 days without a shower I still smelled great!
- Rucksack – for carrying from car / coach to the campsite
Optional Extras
- Depending on your budget you might want to bring along a small stove (even for doing coffee and tea). Packet noodles are so easy to cook up on one of these and they’ll save you a fortune if you can be bothered to carry it.
- Booze – again if you want to save yourself some dosh, bring in your own booze in a plastic container and then just buy mixers. Or bring a wheelbarrow and wheel in some beers!
Other essential kit
- Wellies. Because chances are at some stage it will rain and it gets very muddy very quickly.
- Poncho – as above., will double as a ground sheet for sitting on
- Paracetamol / Condoms / Tampons – you can buy them at Glasto but they’ll cost you a small fortune
- Suncream – if it is sunny you want to avoid the lobster look at all costs
- Hat & sunglasses
If I’ve missed anything, feel free to drop me a line…..
Tags: baby wipes festivals, baby wipes glastonbury, festival kit list, glastonbury kit list
Posted in Green Living | No Comments »
June 1st, 2010
I haven’t done a foodie type update recently but thought I’d share two lovely new chicken recipes which I tried over the weekend – and probably will do again next weekend too! We don’t eat much chicken in our house aside from roast chicken as I usually only buy free-range chickens rather than nasty supermarket cheapies. However I made an exception last week to try out these yummy dishes which were really easy to prepare and very tasty.
The first is a lovely light, healthy Parmesan spring chicken which is served with potatoes, spinach and peas (pictured above). I used the recipe from the BBC Good Food website which is a mine of great tasting family suitable recipes. I served it to my sister who is dieting because at just 339 calories per portion it was a pretty healthy option, although to be fair we probably had twice as many potatoes than the 400g quoted in the recipe. She’s a reasonably fussy eater too but it got the thumbs up from both her and her partner who likes to eat like a king.
It was easy to prepare and didn’t create loads of washing up which is always a bonus.
On the same night I did Nigellas Ritzy Chicken Nuggets for the children. I made a few changes to the recipe however:
- I didn’t have buttermilk to hand for the marinade but used 284 ml of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice added instead.
- I also didn’t flatten the chicken breast, because I forgot, but it didn’t make any odds to the finished meal- I guess it would have shortened the cooking time.
- When I pulverised the ritz crackers in the bag, I just dropped the chicken strips into the bag to coat them which saved on washing up!
This was really tasty and better for the littl’uns than processed chicken nuggets. Â Next time I might try cooking the nuggets in the oven – it will take a little more time, but use less oil.
As always, if you try any of the recipes, let me know what you think….
Tags: chicken recipes for children, nigella chicken goujons, nigella chicken nuggets
Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »
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