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! 💪💪💪😄)

Post-workout selfie!

In March and April, I keep revisiting and discovering more cool cafes with cool coffees;

Affogato with TWO scoops of coconut ice-creams @ Sangkaya.
Gingerbread Latte @ Gula Cakery.
Bombshell @ Brew & Bread.

Then of course, some teeny-weeny budget beauty buys:

Half-priced SEPHORA lipgloss & the ever budget friendly Catrice mascara.

Not forgetting that one time my outfit of that day perfectly matched my meal from dahmakan :

Monochromed makan!!!

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!

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On By HannaIn body, family, healthLeave a comment

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! 

December babies be like…
Seize the last days of 2017 before the new year comes.

-Hanna-

On By HannaIn event, family, random thingamabobLeave a comment

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 what a mom’s gotta do. After all;

-Hanna-

On By HannaIn body, eczema, family, healthLeave a comment

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-

On By HannaIn familyLeave a comment

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. 

On By HannaIn family, random thingamabobLeave a comment

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,

Lunch with friends at Tony Roma’s. It was my first time here and since I brought along my daugther, I ordered this Mojo Chicken so that she could share the rice and chicken, which neither are her allergens.
The Internet has a creepy way of luring you back to your past. A Photobucket email sent to an abandoned email was what got me into this photo. It was taken ten years ago. TEN years! The British girl on the left in Sakina; a friend I met on Crunchyroll. Yep, before iflix binging, I used to anime-binge on Youtube & Crunchyroll. Sakina was also an anime fan and coincidently had her holiday in Malaysia in 2006. Unfortunately, we both lost contact. I wish her well though.
On By HannaIn family, health, random thingamabobLeave a comment

|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*

Can I have your hairstylist’s number?

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-

On By HannaIn eczema, family, health, reviewLeave a comment