Reviews
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Dressing the bump: Yummy Mummy Maternity {WIN!}
March is the month of #dressingthebump. Yep, I’ve claimed it! And I am totally enjoying the beautiful maternity and body positive clothing that I get to showcase while doing so. This week I model the very stylish and comfortable Yummy Mummy Maternity capsule collection. Made of high quality fabrics, with that growing mummy belly in mind, the capsule collection is a mix of four basic maternity wear items. (Wana win one? Stay tuned!) -
Books that made me appreciate life
Whenever my birthday comes around, I find myself valuing the gift of life, love and family. We are so blessed! All of us. Yes, even without Kim Kardashian hair. I’ve been enjoying a few amazing reads from Christian Art Media, that made me appreciate life even more. These books helped me to self reflect, clear my head space (which is usually difficult if you have a spreadsheet brain) and realign my thoughts. They say you are what you think. It’s the TRUTH! I’ve found that when I focus my thoughts on that which is good, my mood is instantly lifted, my goals become clearer and I am able to face challenges with a smile on my face! So, to say happy birthday to me, I’d like to give some of these amazing books to one reader. But first, more on the books: -
Books that help you parent like a boss!
If you have kids, I’m sure you’ll agree that a large chunk of your life goes into being a parent. It’s a serious job (no one tells you about the fine print) and we are a bit hard on ourselves sometimes. I don’t know about you, but I never feel like I’m doing it right! But parents, we need to cut ourselves some slack! For starters, if you love your kids and want the best for them, you’re already doing a great job. *pats self on back* Secondly, there are so many amazing resources available to empower and guide you. I’ve been getting into some books that help you parent like a boss… you know, efficiently, effectively and with wisdom! And I want to give some of them to you! But first, more on these books: -
Tricks for curly chicks: DIY twist out curls
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love curls! And I love that my one and only daughter has a mop full of locks that puts my “sleek” hair to shame. In my previous ‘tricks for curly chicks‘ posts, I spoke about various ways to maintain that curl. But this time around, I want to show you guys how to do super easy twist out curls, using my current, favorite curly girl product: Aunt Jackie’s. Let’s just say Aunt Jackie’s is to curly chicks what GHD is to straight haired chicks: The bomb dot com!
(BTW this is not a sponsored post, I just really love the stuff!) Even with my limited knowledge of curly hair, I knew that I didn’t want my kid to end up looking like the electrocuted version of Tina Turner. Fortunately, my very own curly hair guru, JustEllaBella, saw my pain and introduced me to this wonder product. Auntie Jackie’s makes hair care for little girls so easy! It is sulfate-free, paraben-free and has no mineral oil or petrolatum additives. I mean, you could drink the stuff. Well, not really. Please don’t drink it. But it IS super loving towards your hair.
I started off by giving her mane a good wash using Aunt Jackie’s Girls ‘Heads Up’ moisturising and softening shampoo. It makes a good amount of foam and smells delish. Oh and most importantly: It doesn’t strip hair of its natural oils yet still gives it a thorough cleanse. Rinse and repeat, and we were good to go!
Next, I applied a few dollops of the amazing Aunt Jackie’s ‘Baby Girl Curls’ curling and twisting custard. The thick, creamy formula is enriched with coconut oil, shea butter and extra virgin olive oil. It’s designed to combat that frizz and help give your curls definition. Totally legit! I applied and combed it through her hair.
The next step takes a bit of patience (from her side and mine). I popped on some Mickey Mouse (on the TV, not on her hair) and started twisting out strands of her hair. Depending on how full you want the hair to be, you could make the twists thicker or thinner.Once that’s done (it really doesn’t take that long), I simply dry her hair on low heat. As you can see (above) my girl was not keen that I was messing with her Mickey Mouse time. But she soon got over it when she took a glimpse in the mirror! She loves her twist outs! They eventually “untwist”, but that’s okay, because the curl has been formed and the product helps to keep it defined.
So, friends, what do you think? Would you give my Aunt Jackie (she’s not really my aunt… or a real person) a try? What is your curly hair regime?Clip note: Moms, I get mine at Clicks! They usually have sweeet 3 for 2 deals, every now and then. So that’s a great time to stock up! The range has a variety of different products, like hair oil and conditioners. But I’ll chat more about those later on.
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Books that help you keep your marriage lit
Yes, I referenced the word “lit” in my heading.It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been married for, when February comes around you’re kinda hoping that something special will go down on the 14th. Fire! Explosions! Dynamite! Okay, calm down, maybe not fire. I mean, with all the logistics we need to deal with – and by logistics, I mean children – getting any sort of “marital burning” going on comes with its own challenges. So I’d settle for a small flame, even. But the beautiful thing about marriage is that you have your whole lives together to get (and keep) those sparks flying. It is with this in mind that I pulled out these 3 great reads for relationship month. And yes, I’m giving some away, in case you’d want to, you know, keep your marriage lit, and stuff. The 14th of February is just one day. And I’d like to have my marriage around a bit longer than that (try: forever). How about you?
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Books that help you get rid of that stinking thinking
Is it December yet? No? It’s still January?! Boy, this year is just draaaagging by! But hey, this means that there’s optimal opportunity for us to get our growth on. This year, I’ve decided that I am going to work towards WINNING in every area of my life (remember, I ranted about it last week). And that means thriving on a mental level as well. My goal for January is to get rid of that stinking thinking by dropping crappy habits and picking up some really legit ones. Christian Art Media sent me a bunch of books that will help me do just that! And I’ve got a few to give away to you. But first, more about the books. -
Preggy update: How to look less tired
I checked myself out in the mirror the other morning and man, I looked SO tired! I blame it on the pregnancy but truth be told, looking tired is not just a pregnancy thing. It’s probably not even a mommy thing (although, let’s be honest, we do try to claim it, don’t we). Between juggling work, family and everything else, life can get pretty darn draining. But thanks to Essence and a little bit of make up, you can look less tired and more fabulous in no time. And this is coming from a girl who is NOT a make up expert at all! -
More festive nail art inspired by Christmas and Essence
I’m going to be honest (because It’s my blog and I can if I want to), my brain has morphed into a big ball of mush recently. So much so, that when I thought “ooh festive nail art!” it was immediately replaced with thoughts of “but nap rather” and “does cooked pasta go bad after 3 days?” But festive nail art I must! So I pioneered on, for the sake of the world and my readers and most definitely my atrocious looking nails. Fortunately, Essence was there to help! -
Stikbot unlocks your kids movie making skills!
It takes a lot to impress my teenage son. I mean, everything is “boring” now a days, well according to him anyways. So I was quite chuffed to see his excitement when he learnt about Prima Toy’s newest sensation: #Stikbot!Stikbot is the world’s first social media sharing toy. By using the Stikbot figurines, you are able to bring your imagination to life, by creating stop motion videos. And this, dear readers, is what my kid is so pumped up about. He loves creating mini movies with his cellphone and fancies himself quite the film maker!
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Oh So Heavenly gift ideas
Hands up if you often find yourself in the ‘Oh So Heavenly‘ bedecked aisle at Clicks, oogling at the pretty boxes and products. Yep, I’m a huge fan like that. But do you blame me? Everything looks and smells yummy! And with prices that are affordable and treats that cater for everyone, these Oh So Heavenly gift ideas are a no brainer when it comes to gift giving this festive season:
