Category: family

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 curcuit 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 out 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-

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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

Middle of Nowhere

Cute gazebo

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. 

The view from my window. 😂
Aida’s second appearance on M&M!

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-

On By HannaIn family, random thingamabobLeave a comment

|Eczema 101| ScratchSleeves

On By HannaIn eczema, family, health2 Comments

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!