Tuesday 19 July 2016

As if I couldn't love Aldi anymore!

I don't normally fall victim to Aldi's special buys, I can easily get in and out with just my weekly shop and little more than a 'oh that's a nice picnic basket/ book case/ drill', but this week it is all about the kids bedroom, I just couldn't resist.




They have 4 designs, and considering Fionn has bunk beds in his room I got to pick two of them.
Dinosaurs and Safari Animals. A single bed duvet cover and pillow case for £6.99, yes please!

Then came the sheets, spots, stars or stripes? £3.99 each, you can't go wrong. But here's the clever bit, the fitted sheet comes with a matching pillow case, so even if you're little one is attached to a blankie/ still in a GrowBag and so doesn't need a duvet cover, their pillow and sheets can still match.

My favorite part of the whole thing?! Dino and Lion throw cushions! I just couldn't leave them behind, I mean look how cute they are, and only £5.99 each.

Lion and Dino Cushions £5.99 each

Curtains (£19.99-£24.99)
Rugs (£14.99)


I managed to pull myself away from the rugs (£14.99) and Blackout curtains (£19.99-£24.99), but I just had to get some bunting for £2.99 to hang around the top of the bottom bunk. They've also got throws and drawer towers in coordinating colours.  I've already got storage sorted from Ikea so there was no need for any else...Although there's always Daithí's room...




Conveniently, they all fit perfectly with my existing colour scheme, and I just can't get over the price for the quality of the everything!! Aldi have knocked it out of the park again. I can see myself falling for the Circus print if they still have them in stock next week. They have a Pretty Princess one too for the little girls (or boys) who prefer  pink!!


Fionn was happy anyway and
jumped into bed, shoes and all while
I was trying to take the picture




Friday 15 July 2016

Adulting the Shit Out of Life



This week was fueled 100% with coffee

Most of the time I'm not fully convinced myself that I am actually a grown up. Despite Shane being certain I was never a child, but rather was born in my mid 20's and my age has only recently caught up. But I realised in a few stages, that this week I most definitely am a fully functioning, adulting adult.

So what convinced me? Well, while simultaneously keeping two children and a husband alive, dressed and fed, and a house hold in clean dishes and bedclothes I did the following;

See. . .All alive!!
I went to a committee meeting. For me growing up with parents who loved a good oul' committee meeting, nothing screams 'adult' more than attending one. I've always known organisations like my football team, don't just run themselves. It's always the same handful of volunteers who organise and arrange everything. I may not be able to keep my home in order most of the time but I am one of those people.
Organising, running, writing.  Adulting.

Daithí

I booked Daithí's Naming Day. (In a social club, that I have a fully paid-up, family membership to.) A Naming Day is a non religious alternative to a Christening/ Namaran/ Shalom Zachor. So requires all the same planning. Booking a venue, inviting people, writing a ceremony, sorting out catering, decorations, picking readings, etc. etc. etc.
All in a different country, without my Mammy. Adulting!







Romantic <3
We celebrated a wedding anniversary. In Pizza Hut. With a tantrum throwing toddler, and a baby stuck to my boob. We laughed about how things have changed. I'm not saying the romance has died after 4 years, far from it, it's just taking a break. And Shane did send a beautiful bouquet of a dozen red roses.
So, ya know. . . Adulting!








Mamam and Fionn Aprons
But what really did it for me was when I was in Ikea (there's a surprise) with the boys. I picked up some cupcake cases for the baking I'm planning on doing at the weekend, then thought about the Christmas apron I have hanging in the kitchen and said to myself, 'no, you're an adult, you need a seasonally appropriate apron', so bought Fionn and I matching ones. 
Coordinated Adulting! 




I also arranged for an estate agent to value our house, sorted out my pension after being made redundant, and commented on the fantastic drying out.

Adulting. The. Shit. Out. Of. Life.

Family Winning

Friday 8 July 2016

5 Things I've used Breastmilk For

Everyone knows your breastmilk is tailor made for your baby, and provides all the nutrients they need. It's amazing how it changes to suit your babies individual needs. But there are SO many other uses that you might not think of.

So here are my top 5 tings I've used my breastmilk for, that haven't involved feeding the baby.

1. Conjunctivitis;
When Daithí was born, like most babies, he developed an annoying case of sticky eyes. For about two weeks I was cleaning his eyes with cooled, boiled water on cotton wool. It wasn't clearing up, if anything it was getting worse. So one night, after a conversation with my health visitor, I sprayed a bit of milk in his eye during a feed. Low and behold, it was practically gone the next morning. One more squirt, and we have't seen icky eye gunk since.

2. Cradle Cap:
Again, like most babies, Daithí developed a bit of cradle cap at about 8 weeks old. I wasn't going to do anything about it, because it wasn't bothering him, but at 15 weeks it was starting to flake and get a bit red. I washed his head with breastmilk, combed out the flakes, and applied some more milk. His head has been perfect since.

3. Molluscum Contagiosum:
Don't let the name scare you, it's quite a common rash many toddlers develop around 18 months. It can last up to 2 years (!!!) They normally develop an immunity to it by themselves, but if it becomes a problem, a GP can prescribe a steroid cream to get rid of it. Well Fionn got a bad case when I was pregnant, months and months of creams yielded no results. As soon as Daithí was born and my milk came in, I decided to give it a try. After two days of applying milk to the rash it started to clear up, and after a week it was gone altogether.

4. Nappy Rash:
This goes for both of them, but Fionn mostly. He got a nasty rash on the drive back from Dublin (12 hours traveling, none of us fared too well after that one). Me being the paranoid Mother thought it was something worse, as the spots looked like measles, and didn't fade under a glass. The GP prescribed a steroid cream, but I don't really like using them, so I tried breastmilk. You guessed it, the rash was gone within 24 hours.

5. Donated It:
Ok, so this isn't really me using it, but my excess milk is definitely going to good use in children's hospitals, feeding very sick and pre-term babies. Read a bit more about that here.



Friday 1 July 2016

Product Reviews :-)

Indulge me while I talk about silly, pretty, frivolous, girly things.

While we were home, we attended the wedding I was stressing about an outfit for.
I finally decided on a dress I had in the attic from my days in Coast, circa 2009, Even after a week of eating and drinking in Ireland it fit! Hooray. 

Lux_Lashes
I had tan and nails done, and managed to get a last minute appointment with Shane's cousin at Lux Lashes to get my eye lashes done. Seriously, I can not recommend her enough, I was so impressed. Between them and the tan I didn't need to wear make-up for the rest of the week.






For the wedding I did need make-up though, it was a chance to finally use some of my new make-up, and brushes, I got for my birthday but haven't really had the chance to play with. The brushes are my new favorite toys. Who knew Wilko would do such amazing quality brushes, and the prices are even better!! £1.50-£4 per brush. I built a full 13 brush collection for under £40. This coming from the woman who often spent €40+ for one from MAC and Inglot. They're so soft, ridiculously full, and don't shed, even when washed.

These are my top 4
(shop on line here)

The Powder Brush £4 It's huge!And super soft. I love it, for everything!!
The Stippling Brush £4 I've got two, one for foundation and one for concealer. It's light and doesn't clump together like some other far more expensive stippling brushes I've used.
The Short Stippling Brush £3 It's super, super packed, perfect for powder contouring.
The Eye Liner Brush £3 The tilt in the brush is so clever. It makes it so much easier to get to your eye at the right angle.


The Make-up
Over the years I've sworn loyalty to so many different brands and products. These are some of my new favorites.

Kiko Milano Unlimited Foundation SPF15 £15
(shop online here)

I tried this on a whim while on my way to refill my MAC collection and I have to say I was very impressed. It smells like, goes on like, and lasts like Dior's Forever extreme wear foundation. Only half the price. It's light, full coverage, doesn't cake and lasts for ages. The only thing I was disappointed about was the pump didn't work, so I have to open the bottle each time, but the shop was WAY too far away to bother going back to exchange it. I'd presume it was just one faulty bottle, but still annoying!!

I wear Warm Beige 15



Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Kit £35
(Shop online here)

This was bought for me as a birthday present, and I was initially disappointed that it was a powder, as I had never used powder to contour before. Once I tried it though, I loved it. At first the dark powder scared me, but once I ditched the brush that came with it and started using the super packed short stippling brush from Wilko and properly blended it out with the bronze and light colors everything came together perfectly. Having the little instruction card on the mirror was a nice touch, it would definitely be a help for beginners.


Soap and Glory Archery DIY Brow Bar £12
(Shop online here)

I've only recently started using Soap and Glory, beyond the annual purchase of their Christmas Gift Box, and I have to say, I'm always impressed with the quality of their cosmetics.
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this one. One one hand I hate the highlighter and have never used the darker colour, and the tiny little brushes are the bane of my make-up application existence, but boy do they work.
I love the wax, and the lighter colour, I love how compact it is. The instructions were perfect too, for someone who always wanted to but never ventured into eyebrow sculpting. (Seriously, how can you keep up with EVERYTHING?!)


Inglot Body Sparkles £13

These can technically be used anywhere, lips/ nails etc. but I've only ever used them on my eyes.
I literally can not do my make up without adding a dusting of sparkles to the inner eye, and Inglot do the BEST glitter there is. I find them lighter than any other glitter I've tried, so even with a lid full, it doesn't feel like you're wearing much at all.
Dust them on with a light brush for a subtle sparkle, or press them on to a lid prepped with Duraline for an intense spotlight.  I use 56 and 53, either by themselves or mixed and every time I love the result.