Budget Beauty Buy: T.N.Dickson's Witch Hazel

Now that I am getting used to being back at work and have my routine down pat.  The girls at work and I have set a special project for ourselves #projectlookgoodforsummer which you will probably start to see our posts popping up on Instagram.

One item that our lovely office manager swears by is T.N.Dickson's Witch Hazel. To be honest I had seen it mentioned on beauty blogs but knew nothing about it.

On Tuesday and Wednesday Priceline had 40% Off Skincare and I thought I would take advantage of this opportunity and buy some amongst other products I had never tried before - which you will see featured on this blog in the coming weeks.

I thought washing my face with a facial scrub and having a shower at night would be enough to get all my make up off - boy was I wrong.  This morning when I woke up I thought I would give it a go before applying my make up.

I could not believe that there was there were remnants of my makeup.  After applying the witch hazel my skin felt fresh, clean and light.  I waited about a minute before doing my normal make up routine.

It is a nice gentle toner and for me a person who has break out prone skin I found this product not to cause any reactions.

Working in an office building with the air conditioner on all day I would notice when I looked at myself in the work bathrooms that my skin, especially my face would dry out.  Today I did my daily check in the mirror and my skin had not dried out and my make up was still looking good - which is a bonus. 

Witch Hazel comes in liquid form  or pre soaked applicator wipes 

I purchased it in the liquid form and I use those round cotton wipes to put the Witch Hazel on then apply to my face.

I have also discovered that there are many uses for Witch Hazel.  A link to the uses can be found here

How much?

At Priceline you can get it for $6.59 (I purchased it for $3.95 during the 40% sale) for the liquid.

Where do I get it from?

Priceline, Chemists

Do you use Witch Hazel? What do you use it for? Tell me about your experience! 

Parental Leave Over

My apologies for the lack of blog posts recently I was preparing to go back to full time work after just over 7 months of parental leave.

When I first went on parental leave prior to V being born I thought it would be a type of leave that would never run out and it would be all relaxing, catching up on tv series, having coffee with other mummies and just an all round good time. Oh how wrong I was!

At the beginning, I actually found being on parental leave so hard that I was thinking over and over what have I gotten myself into and I was so afraid of being the worst mother in the world. I thought going back to work was the best option in the world and that way I wouldn’t be such a bad mummy.

As the weeks went on, things got better and I actually felt like I was doing the best job I could I began to feel the confidence growing then....  BAM!

I realised it was 3 weeks left to go on my leave and I began to feel depressed and I cried all the time because I felt guilty that I had to return to work, that I had to leave my baby everyday and go to work whilst someone else would look after him.  I cherished every day more and more and I just wanted to stop everything (including the housework) and just be with him because there would never be another moment in my life where I would be able to spend time with my son as much as I did at this age.

I loved my parental leave even though we had the same old routine and we would do the same things I actually loved spending so much time with my son and developing this unbreakable bond with him. 

 

So now I am back to work and I think I have never ever been this organised in my whole life. My Sundays are now spent cooking for the whole week. Cutting, grating, slicing, chopping, cooking everything for the week and having all things like snacks prepared in advance, one day when I was in Aldi they had these containers which I have found really helps in storing stuff to make sandwiches and snacks. I got them as a special buy and I really do rate them.

A run down of my day is as follows:

4:30am wake up get make up on, get dressed

4:50am give the place a quick tidy up, pack anything that has been left out, make sure V has everything for care including bottles, enough nappies, thermals (as it is winter), singlets

5:20am have breakfast (so early I know but this is my only chance), brush teeth

5:30am be dressed and ready to go, warm bottle up as V wakes up between 5:30am and 6:30am for morning feed

6:00am change V nappy, feed V, change V clothes and nappy

6:00am – 6:45am spend time with V and M before going to work

7:00am drop V off

7:12am leave to go to train station

7:25am on the train

8:00am at work until 5:00pm (first week only as my bosses are super nice to let me go home :) )

5:12 train

6:10pm home time and straight into bathing V and bedtime routine

7:30pm V is asleep, shower time for me and dinner, sterilise V’s bottles and prep formula for the following day.

8:30pm bed

So into day 3 so far and it has been working really well. I have to admit that M has been helping me so much with the before work and after work, especially with making sure I eat dinner and doing all the little things which really helps alot.

When I am at work I use V as my motivation to get my work done and just not fool around and socialise as much. I just want to get home to see him and I know that every dollar I make will go towards saving for a house to grow our little family in the future :) It will be all worth it to see little V run around in a backyard rather than be stuck in our tiny little unit.

To be honest, prior to going back to work I was judged so harshly for going back so early, but I believe that there is too much pressure on mothers to be the perfect mothers and everyone can just be the best they can be.  Every mother has that special bond with their child and they are doing what works for them. Whether this is working in the home or outside the home or both, I think women have not been given enough credit for how much they actually do. 

Since having V I honestly have a new found respect for mothers, being a mummy is bloody hard work and doing it day in day out without a please or a thank you or just that 5 minutes peace or a day off is amazing. You ladies are amazing xx

Tried & Tested Thursday: Playgro's Activity Friend - Roary Lion

Disclosure: I have been provided with the Playgro's Activity Friend Roary Lion for the purposes of review. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

Since we received our lovely package from Playgro Roary has always been a great toy and a favourite when calming little V down when he gets a little cranky.

Playgro's Roary Lion is part of Playgro's Activity Friend Range.  The whole range can be seen here.  Roary Lion is designed for O months + and I agree with the classification.

I remember the first time I saw Roary I was actually in Hawaii on my honeymoon and I was buying a present for my flowergirl! 

Playgro have definitely hit the nail on the head with this toy - not only is it super cute but it is easy for little hands to hold. V loves the bright colours that have been used to design Roary which appear to hold his attention.   The various textures allow for your child's sensory skills to develop.  The Roary Lion has a crinkly main which V seems to love and whiskers made of little ribbons.

The hands and feet of Roary are great because they are not only a nice green colour but are made from satin so there is another texture involved right there.  

Roary has a knotted tail which is made of felt.

The ball inside sways from side to side and has an enjoyable roaring noise for children which is not digital nor scary so it is nice for little ones as they won't get scared.

Roary also features a nice large white hook and is great for hooking onto the pram or in the car when going for a drive.

Roary is a great toy for babies at all stages especially those little ones who are putting everything in their mouths there are no pieces which are small that would get caught in your little one's mouth so it gives parents piece of mind :) 

Want another opinion? check out Mizz Mummy's review of Playgro's Roary Lion

Roary is available from all major Playgro stockists.

Don't forget to "like" Playgro Australia on Facebook.

Tried & Tested Thursday: Playgro's Loopy Loops Ball

Disclosure: I have been provided with the Playgro's Loopy Loops Ball for the purposes of review. All views and opinions expressed are my own.


This is our third Playgro review and we are looking at (playing with more like it) Playgro's Loopy Loops Ball.

If there is one toy that all children should have I believe it is this one.  It is only one of V's favourite toys it is my favourite toy! 

Playgro's Loopy Loops Ball is designed for those children 3 months + and I agree with the classification.

What I love about this ball is that it has different colours for each panel of the ball (which keeps their interest) and they are all different textures which is important for kids.  An added bonus is all the little loops are different textures as well and makes it easy for your little ones to grab onto the ball and shake it.  In fancy terms this toy helps with your little one's sensory development.  

The ball has a great little chime to it and when it is time for quiet play before bed time this toy is great for calming your little one down.  Or, if you are teaching your little one to follow noises it's a nice chime for your child to follow :) Improving their auditory development.

Playgro's Loopy Loops Ball also provides for recognition skills as the bottom of the ball has a mirror so your little one gets a bit of a surprise when you turn it over.

I find if you like to play "rolly polly" with balls this is a cute manageable ball for little ones to roll back to you and enjoy.

I also love the fact that it is a great toy for children to crawl towards as it provides a good focal point.

From what I have read it terms of child development books a lot recommend that children have a ball with a bell in it and I find this is a great toy that fits the description.

All in all I highly recommend this product because it helps your child not only with sensory and auditory development it is a great little toy to have when your child needs a calm down and it's cute and lightweight and does not take up too much room in the nappy bag when going out :)

I had a quick search on the internet and this toy is available at a lot of the major Playgro stockists.


Does your child own an activity cube or activity ball with a bell in it? Would you consider buying the Playgro Loopy Loops Ball?

Tried & Tested Thursday: Playgro's Safari Sounds Musical Tag Along Rattle

Disclosure: I have been provided with the Playgro's Safari Sounds Teething Rattle for the purposes of review. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

This is the second Playgro review we bring to you :) 

Today we are reviewing the Safari Sounds Musical Tag Along Rattle.

Playgro's Safari Sounds Musical Tag Along Rattle has been designed for 0 months + 

Just like the Picture Pal's Teething Book, I have never seen a rattle like this on the market before so we were keen to give it a go.

The top of the Playgro Safari Sounds Musical Tag Along Rattle has a zebra print which fits in nicely with the safari theme. The clamp was able to be hooked onto the pram and car seat with no problems and I knew it was not going anywhere. However,  V decided that it would be the perfect carry around item and put it on his arm.

I love the fact that this toy is so brightly coloured and appeals to the eye.  There are 7 balls inside the rattle and they are all different colours so if you are teaching kids about colours this will help out.  The balls move from side to side and is great for travel since it rattles along the way and kept little V entertained on drives as he would watch the balls go from side to side.

I like the shape of the green clasp which holds three detachables.  V thought it was the perfect teether. Maybe it is the shape that allows him to get it further inside his mouth and manipulate more.

I think it is great that Playgro have designed this rattle with two detachable characters and a teether as I put these on V's Playgro Dinosaur Gym (which I received as a gift from M's Aunty) and they hang great and still in reaching distance for V.

The first detachable character is the Zebra.  To be quite honest I did not know it was a zebra until I looked it up on the Playgro website! I suppose it has been designed with kids in mind so the bright colours would appeal to them.  When you press the Zebra it plays twinkle twinkle little star.  Unfortunately that is the only song that it plays.  For the future Playgro could consider maybe putting "the lion sleeps tonight" or some other safari themed songs or maybe just more songs than twinkle twinkle little star.  On the other hand though V loved it but has yet to figure out how to press it for the music to come out.

Now to V's favourite, the teether.  The shape is a star (which links in with the twinkle twinkle little star music).  

What I love about this is the different textures so V could turn the star around in his mouth to have different sensations.  V automatically put the star in his mouth - this kid knows what he is doing

The last of the detachables is the tiger - which I had been calling a leopard to little V - my bad.

The tiger is brightly coloured and has three ribbons which provides a different texture and is easy for little ones to grasp. 

The back of the tiger is a mirror which helps kids with recognition skills.












Whilst I can appreciate that it could be used from 0 months + I think that little ones maybe 3 months + would be able to get more use out of the product.

All in all another great product from Playgro - so if you are looking for something that is nice, different and unusual as Kath Day-Knight would say, I would recommend this product.

To purchase Playgro's Safari Sounds Musical Tag Along Rattle you can on sale at Baby Bunting for $13.56 here

Tried & Tested Thursday: MooGoo Scalp Cream

When I took a visit to my local health food store to pick up some regular products that we used in our household I never really noticed what other products they had.

I usually picked up some teething powder for V but being a mother the goal is always to get in and get out. However, something caught my eye. There was a sale on MooGoo products. To be honest I had never heard of MooGoo before.

I had a look to see what products our health food store stocked and it was interesting to see that they had a specialist cream for cradle cap in infants and seborrheic dermatitis in adults.  When I saw this I knew I just had to get it as V suffers/ed from cradle cap and I do get dermatitis on the scalp line.

The amount of appointments we would go to whether it be pediatrician, baby health clinic or GP they would all make the same comment to me - "oh do you know he has cradle cap?" in my mind I would think to myself are they serious? of course I know he has cradle cap - but the way it was said was like as if I was an idiot and it should not have occurred in the first place.

I took everyone's advice and tips on how to remove the cradle cap like putting a full moisturiser on V's head and then trying to comb out the cradle cap and wash it with shampoo afterwards, olive oil, massage oil, specialist shampoos, making a paste with bicarbonate soda, everything! nothing seemed to work - they would remove the cradle cap for one night but it would be back the next day. I felt so sorry for V, sometimes I would see him in his sleep scratching his head and I would literally scratch it for him I was so upset! This was an ongoing battle for about 4 months.

So I thought well let's give this product a shot it wouldn't hurt since I had tried everything under the sun.

MooGoo's Scalp Cream works. It actually works and does everything it says it will do. I honestly wish I had taken a photo of a before and after shot of V's cradle cap. After one week the cradle cap was gone and he was not scratching his head anymore at night :)

So how did I use this product? The first thing I did was wash V's hair then after washing his hair I put the MooGoo Scalp Cream in his head and massaged it and left it over night. It did not leave his hair feeling greasy or anything.  I applied it again morning and night for 2 more days washed his hair and it was gone!

To this day I still apply the cream around the scalp line but I cannot believe how well this product works.

What else do I love about this product besides the fact it cured my son of cradle cap?

• It is actually made from ingredients I can pronounce there are no hidden nasties
• It is Fragrence Free, Mineral Oil Free, pH Balanced.
• The product can be used by both children and adults.
• It's Australian made! 

I would honestly say with my hand on my heart this product is worth the money. Now I only wish I bought the other products that were on sale. I am kicking myself now! 

I have not tried it on myself but when I do I will make sure there are before and after photos! 

If your child suffers from cradle cap and you can't seem to get rid of it I would HIGHLY recommend this product it is fantastic.

The MooGoo Scalp Cream RRP is $17.95 a list of stockists can be found here

Have you heard of MooGoo before? Have you used any of their products? Let me know your success stories! Or does your child suffer/suffered from cradle cap what did you do to stop it?
 

Walk It Wednesday: Bicentennial Park

Sydney has been giving us some lovely weather lately which is great considering that it is nearing winter and I am not sure what we are going to do if the weather just suddenly becomes cold, miserable and gloomy.

For today's walk we ventured out to Bicentennial Park.

Bicentennial Park is located in Sydney Olympic Park.  It's great as there is apparently over 35 kms of bike trails, walking paths and scenic boardwalks.

I love walking around the wetlands area - there is plenty of park space for the older kids to run around as well as play equipment and look out spots.  There is also the added bonus of no birds trying to steal your packed lunch.  As my little V has just started solids it was a nice change from sitting him in the high chair for us to have a mini picnic outside.

For those who have older kids and wish to make a day of it - there are free self guided activities

There are so many paths you can take for your walks so a visit more than once is a good idea.  If you have never been before or are interested in finding out the walking trails I suggest you take a look here.