Tuesday, March 26

my monday: oil and vinegar



monday is my cleaning day. i go through the entire house until it's spotless. and i really love doing it. this week, i started experimenting with natural cleaning products (with the help of the world wide web). who knew you could get a brilliantly clean toilet with only a splash of vinegar? or that stainless steel gets a great shine from a bit of olive oil? our grandmothers probably did but i certainly didn't. for me, cleaning without using any junk makes the whole thing even better.
unfortunately, i made up for my reduced impact on the environment by subsequently going through the house with a pot of white paint to brush over all the little areas that needed a fresh coat.

Sunday, March 24

poorly



we are blessed with a very healthy little imp. nothing more than the odd runny nose, and a nasty cough with a bit of a temperature at most. but these past few days, for the first time in his little life, imp was truly sick. he couldn't keep anything down and all he wanted to do was sit on the couch with us or lie in bed with us. we resorted to watching too many episodes of pingu on the computer. i didn't get anything done except endless amounts of laundry, hardly finding any space to hang it up to dry. onesies and blankets and cuddly animals were hanging all over the house. now things are taking their normal course again. little imp is happy and wilful and adventurous once more. i'm folding the laundry. time to catch up on sleep. but what strikes me most now, is how i didn't mind it. of course i wanted him to get better as soon as possible, but i didn't mind the poop and the puke and the big discoloured stain that is left in the couch and the fact that the house formerly known as the grey house was turned into a laundromat. that's motherhood for you (although i do regret that stain a bit now).

Friday, March 22

finished~17



~ weleda almond oil ~ still a favourite for removing make up: gentle yet efficient.
~ biotherm aquasource superserum ~ another old favourite that i keep returning to.
~ rituals cool kami deep sea minerals & japanese mint strengthening shampoo ~ i think this is actually a product for men (it smells very traditionally masculine) but i liked it.
weleda skin cream ~ apparently, this is a favourite with all kinds of stars and famous people. well, i love it too. it's simple and it works really well on dry skin.
~ rituals water bar green tea & cherry gentle soap bar with scrub ~ this was lovely. with a very gentle scrub and a heavenly, fresh scent.
~ nivea calm & care deodorant ~ a simple but fine deodorant (with bad stuff like aluminum unfortunately, i still can't find a good all natural replacement).

Monday, March 18

duplo days



i'm not sure who plays with these brilliant blocks more often: little imp or me.

Thursday, March 14

simpler



i took to the brilliant idea of getting rid of something when getting something new. an easy way to make things simpler. i bought this little vase because i loved it so very much (it now stands in place of the tv that we gave away - a much, much prettier thing to look at), and in exchange i took out two very old vases that i really didn't use anymore. i gave away a few books (and made other people very happy with them) in exchange for the new ones i bought. i donated some clothes to charity that i hadn't worn in years when i got new ones. our house is getting emptier and it somehow feels lighter. it's easy and it's calming and i'm very pleased with it.

Sunday, March 10

oh well...



sometimes it's better - and a whole lot easier - to just go with the flow...

Thursday, March 7

march



looks like spring has arrived. i sort of forgot how wonderful it feels.

Sunday, March 3

blooming



a beautiful walk followed by an afternoon with hot chocolate and comfy couches, a delicious dinner with special friends and an early morning with happy babies at the breakfast table. there really isn't much more to wish for.

Friday, March 1

the story of stuff



do you know what is the food at the top of the food chain with the highest level of many toxic contaminants? human breast milk. that means that we have reached a point where the smallest members of our societies - our babies -  are getting the highest lifetime dose of toxic chemicals from breastfeeding from their mothers. is that not an incredible violation? breastfeeding must be the most fundamental human act of nurturing. it should be sacred and safe. now breastfeeding is still best and mothers should definitely keep breastfeeding, but we should protect it. 

from: the story of stuff (an animation of the consumerist society by annie leonard)