I have a lot to be thankful for, particularly for my daughter’s improving health condition from April ’19 onwards. So here’s hoping in 2020, our health continues to flourish so that we could live life, fully.
-Hanna-
Happy New Year 2020!
Category: family
Joy Amidst Diapers
. ..that’s the title of the book I’m currently reading. It’s the fourth book for my ‘12 Book Challenge‘, and the first local female author I’ve chosen for this reading challenge.
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, ( @mascarasandmotherhood ) you might have recalled my post on a memoir by Amy Tan, Where The Past Begins. Which, to be truthfully honest, still has a few more pages for me to finish. Urgh, sorry Amy! It turns out this Asian lady isn’t really cut for your memoir. I had a rather hard time finishing that book compared to the previous book I’ve read.
So what have I been up to since my last blog post in February? Plenty. In March, I started to get back again on my fitness routine; I changed my trainer (the previous one was great. But I feel like, for 2018 I need to step up my game and boy, the current trainer is incredibly fun to train with! 💪💪💪😄)
In March and April, I keep revisiting and discovering more cool cafes with cool coffees;
Then of course, some teeny-weeny budget beauty buys:
Not forgetting that one time my outfit of that day perfectly matched my meal from dahmakan :
And the highlight of it all is; my sister’s wedding recently! But I guess I’ll wait ’till in the next post to talk more about it. It’s such a big deal for our family, it deserves a post on its own. Ha!
Happy April everyone!
Let December comes
December.
The last month of the year. The last remaining few weeks of 2017. The last chance, before 2018 greets us.
For me, December is simply my favourite month in all of twelve months. Well hey it’s my birthday! Coincidently, my daughter’s birthday falls in early December, a couple of days early from mine. So it’s no surprise that for four years now, we’ve been sharing birthday cakes and celebrations. 😁
December is also the time when I usually stock up on beauty supplies. Ah, those pretty holiday sets and stuffs, coupled with ‘birthday reward’ and special ‘birthday discounts’ whatnot. My wallet hurts the most during this festive time of the year. Haha!
-Hanna-
Progression, not perfection.
These are the words I keep repeating to soothe myself. As some of you might have already known, in mid-February I started committing myself into what I hope would be a life-long commitment; fitness & nutrition.
The first three months were incredible. I ran, I struck, I circuit-trained and I lifted weights like a beast. I was damn proud of my achievements. However, as months went by, other commitments and a recurring challenge came back; my daughter’s eczema. Big time.
Being a parent is already challenging enough.
Being a parent with an eczema child makes it even more challenging.
Being a parent with an eczema child while trying to workout and eat right consistently is plain, f***ing difficult.
Of course, then the classic mommy guilt trip. I feel guilty for feeling great after a training session at the gym, then come home to Aida with flaming, weepy cheeks. Sometimes, I feel guilty for being in the studio for yoga at 8am on Saturday, instead of laying in bed with her while she’s still asleep.
And now, as her eczema is currently accompanied by fever I have no choice but to let my fitness commitment take a back seat. That doesn’t mean I don’t exercise at all. Rather, I’m reducing my personal training sessions from 3 to 2 weekly and focus more on eating healthily at the moment (which, to be honest is a challenge for this foodie). This means it’ll take me even longer to achieve my fitness goal. Honestly, a part of me isn’t exactly happy with this but well, I guess a mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do. After all;
-Hanna-
Family
Love. Laughter. Support.
These are what family is all about. A family that lifts its members up. Not bringing them down.
A family that acts like glue that binds everyone together. Not tears each other apart.
A family which members complement each other. Not competing with each other to be the ‘best’ sibling/parent.
A family that values the goodness in someone. Not magnifying the single flaw he/she has which makes him/her human.
A family, through thick and thin, remains a family. Through and through.
-Nur Hanna-
December, baby
Here comes my favourite month of the year! What’s not to love about December? It’s a month of holiday seasons, be it Christmas or for us Muslim folks in Malaysia, it means month-long school holiday! It’s also the month when sales are everywhere so if you feel like some tropical vacation to end the year, please come over to this country, shop ’till you drop and help boost our economy. *ha!*
Most importantly, December is the month I a turn a year older. Being a December baby does have its perks; you are eternally a lot younger than your peers. And because December is the end of the year, a birthday in December doubles as a time to recap the year and prepare us for the following year to come in January (translation: New Year resolutions).
Have a blast in this final month of 2016!
Disclaimer: I do not own both of these images featured in this post.
November nicknacks
How come it’s already November? Too much iflix binging coupled with workload make October went by so fast for me. Oh, last month was also the month I caught up with old friends; from good ol’ schoolmates to my best friend from college. Regular meet ups with friends is getting more and more impossible as we grow up. Please say you feel the same way too, or else I’ll feel like I’m the most pathetic friend on earth!
Anyways, here are a couple of pictures before I end this post. I hope November treats you well. Till then,
|Eczema 101| Moogoo Cream Conditioner
The second part of my Moogoo hair care post, this time we are looking at the other half of the duo; Moogoo Cream Conditioner. Months before using this, I noticed that using shampoo alone wasn’t enough for my daughter’s hair. Soon enough, her scalp started sweating and we all know what would happen next. *sigh*
But ever since she uses both the shampoo & conditioner from Moogoo Value Pack almost daily, her hair is noticeably smoother and manageable. In addition, her hair smells yummy too! I usually don’t expect nice scents from eczema-friendly products but I’m so glad this conditioner comes with a lovely, coconut candy-like (?) scent which still lingers hours after my daughter’s bath time. Honestly, I’m not really sure how long the scent could actually stay as my girl is pretty much active, with a scalp that sweats just as soon as I sweat after I have my makeup on. Them genetics. *second sigh*
Here’s the list of the ingredients I got from the website:
Ingredients:
Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol (Plant Emulsifier), Behentrimonium Methosulfate (Canola Based Detangler), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Piroctone Olamine, Allantoin, Hydrolysed Milk Protein, Fragrant (Phthalate free).
I tried this product myself too a few times. I’d say it is as effective as any other generic hair conditioners I’ve tried. However due to economical reason, Moogoo Cream Conditioner is reserved exclusively for my daughter. My husband and I still prefer chemicals on our hair, thank you.
-Mascaras&Motherhood-
Middle of Nowhere
It’s been a little over a week since my last post so I thought, why not some update? I’m currently attending a course which spans over five days. It’s nowhere fancy. Rather, I feel like I’m in the middle of nowhere with greens, greens, and more greens. But why complain when you got fun ‘dormmates’ ? They remind me of those fun days of campus life.
I miss my girl terribly.Sobs! This is my first time being away for over four days without her. On the first night I had trouble trying to sleep without her by my side. However it’s a relief to find out how she is easily adapting to be home minus her mama. My parents & husband were great for helping me out while I was away from home.
I have a few reviews coming up soon. I hope you all have a decent week so far. 😊
-Mascaras&Motherhood-
|Eczema 101| ScratchSleeves
My little Aida’s Scratch Sleeves have arrived! Major thanks to my friend Gio for ordering these from the UK for me.(have you checked out her brilliant blog BeautifulWithBrains?)
Mommies with eczema children may be familiar with these sleeves. For those with no clue, Scratch Sleeves are one of those anti-scratch sleeves designed to help young eczema warriors to keep scratching during bedtime less disastrous. They gonna scratch anyway, even without realizing it themselves. Many times, during Aida’s long term flare ups, she woke up in the middle of the night, face, pillows and bedsheet already covered in blood. That could happen if their fingers are left uncovered during their sleep.
I’m always a fan of ScratchMeNot (SMN) sleeves. The quality in general is superior in my opinion. However, now that Aida’s eczema isn’t as bad as it used to be, it’s time to find new anti scratch sleeves that are more affordable. SMNs are never cheap, especially with our Ringgit dropping low. So if your little ones have mild eczema or you simply want a cheaper alternative, Scratch Sleeves products is the answer.
To find out more about Scratch Sleeves and Scratch Me Not, check out their websites down here. Who knows, you might find a solution to your family’s eczema problem!
Mascaras & Motherhood 