Friday reflections

I've decided to write a weekly 'Friday reflections' post dedicated to uplifting, rejoicing and reflecting. I'm finding that it's all too easy for me to forget how blessed I am sometimes.This morning for instance, I woke up in a good enough mood, but slowly things started happening which began to seriously throw me off course, you know the usual stuff; kids not listening, kids moaning, kids bickering, a certain somebody still sleeping. I was irritated that such minor incidents, in the grand scheme of things, can really, and I mean REALLY, upset my whole mood. That ain't right!

Choosing to remain upbeat and positive is precisely that, a choice. It is so easy to see the negative in a difficult situation, to let  it pull you down and ruin your whole day, week, month, year, LIFE. I say this because we all have people, weaknesses or scenario's who and for whatever reason seem to bring out the worst in us, throwing us off our positive stride. What I am beginning to realise however, is that whatever we feel has nothing to do with anybody or anything else and everything to do with ourselves. After all, we can only control and be accountable for our own behaviour, no one else's.

I am learning to lay all my anxieties and worries at God's feet and by this I mean conversing (praying) with Him in the midst of my trials. My prayers go something like this;

"Dear Lord, you know I'm struggling with keeping it together right now, please help me to remain calm and in control in this situation. I can not do this on my own. I lay this burden at your feet Lord and I give you all the glory. Amen."

If we really think about it what does fretting actually achieve besides giving us knots in our stomachs, aches in our heads and seriously bad attitudes? If we choose to remain focused on being joyful and allow God to take care of everything else, we come a step closer to achieving real inner peace.

I joined Instagram nearly a year ago and as with all things it took some getting used to, but as I've become more familiar with it I am growing fond of this social media tool. I especially like the uplifting word and picture messages I come across from day to day or that my sisters send to me. If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed I've been posting my own messages too. Below are a selection I thought I'd share. Along with praying, reading my Bible and listening to sermons, these little messages really do lift my spirits on a daily basis. I hope they do the same for you too.

Washed out at Legoland

At the end of August, the children and I had the pleasure of visiting Legoland Windsor for my nephew's ninth birthday. Well I say we had the pleasure, but it was quite a challenge to enjoy, because it rained non-stop for the WHOLE day. And it wasn't the kind of rain that you could ignore,  it was torrential,  it was cold AND we had four children to tend to. Not a good combination.

Since we paid £23 per ticket (li'l sis purchased them online several days beforehand) we were determined to make the most of the day, this was made even more apparent when we were queuing to collect our tickets and we overheard the party of 10 in front were paying £500 for theirs. *faints* - I think this included Q- Bot passes which are VIP queue jump type things, but even still........ 

..anyway, determined not to let the appalling weather get us down; we set about finding rides for the children to go on. Soon though it was obvious the rain wasn't going to let up AT ALL, so we had to purchase poncho's at £3.50 each to protect  us against the elements. I'm sure Legoland made a fortune in poncho sales that day, because everywhere you turned there was a sea of yellow.

As it was still school holiday territory, there were seriously long queues for the most popular rides and attractions, but in the main, most rides were quick to get onto purely because of the terrible weather.

One thing I will say is that I didn't expect Legoland to be a theme park. I'd always imagined it to be a lot like a model village, with miniature buildings and landscapes made up of Lego, but this really isn't the case. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because there is stacks to do, but I'd seriously suggest you plan ahead if you can because the place is jam packed with a variety of zones dedicated to particular themes; from Ancient Egypt to Atlantis underworld.

Atlantis underworld involved going underground in a submarine to view sharks, stingrays and other sea life. This seemed to be the one of the most popular attractions. My sisters and the children queued up for 45 minutes whilst I waited outside whilst my son slept in his buggy. (I guess this is where the pricey Q-Bot would have come in handy).

All in all Legoland has great potential to be a fun day out, but the weather did really put a dampener on things, excuse the pun. That being said I would definitely go again, but preferably when the sun is out and the torrential rain is not.

Welcome

The Mary Rose.
My eldest said it made her feel sick. My youngest loved it.

Strike a pose

Fun in the rain

Wash out

Sea life

Can you see who has had enough?

Pre-school girl

So happy!

This little girl has been patiently counting down the weeks, days and hours until she starts pre-school. Her big sister started reception three weeks before and in those early days she was not a happy bunny. She missed her big sister terribly, so much so she couldn't even bring herself to kiss and hug her goodbye as we dropped her off to school each morning.

As her own start date began to draw closer, I noticed a change in her attitude. She became happier and she even started walking her big sis to the school doors, giving her a big hug as she bid her farewell for the day.

Today it was her turn. Finally. She could hardly contain herself, my youngest daughter is transforming in front of my very eyes and there's nothing that can stop it. Every morning I'll be dropping off both girls now and it'll just be me and little brother for a few hours, until I pick little sis up.

They really don't stay little for long *weeps silently inside*

My big girls.

Twist-outs are not my friend....yet!

So yesterday my hair looked like a ball of frizz. A combination of being too pre-occupied to properly moisturise and the torrential rain left me with a dry looking, fluffy mop which was trying to break free from the mum bun. Thoroughly embarrassed with the state  my tresses were in, I set about lovingly restoring it's inner lustre. 

Firstly I spritzed with my trusty water and Extra Virgin Olive oil mix, immediately my coils came to life and felt supple and bouncy as opposed to dry and fuzzy. I then locked in the moisture by applying Coconut oil and BeUnique Mango twist.  Then I  flat twisted into approximately ten sections and bantu knotted the ends after sealing with Jamaican Black Castor oil. I was rather impressed with my flat twists and I had high hopes for the subsequent twis-out, but alas it was not to be. YET!

This morning I was in my usual rush, battling to get three children up, washed, dressed, watered and out of the door by 7.45am. I suppose that was my first mistake. I was in a rush. Taking out twists and being in a rush apparently do not mix! Despite oiling my hands and unravelling each twist from the end, they still seemed to snag or get caught up. 

I think this may be due to me not twisting with two completely separate sections. Sometimes a stray hair will creep in from the other section leaving a befuddled mess, which leaves the twist out susceptible to a lack of definition and subsequent frizzing. Maybe I need to introduce a bit of gel?? Who knows? It's all trial and error I guess, but I'll keep on trialling and erroring (that's not a word, but you catch my drift). Practice most certainly makes perfect. But until then I've always got my reliable friend the UPDO!! Thank you Jesus!

Last night's flat twists.
I had to achieve greatness with these babies right?

The twist-out. OK I suppose.
Beautifully moisturised, but not a beautiful twist-out.

Evidence of another failed twist out.
For now the updo is my friend. 

My faithful friend. The updo!

My baptism and a 200th post

Last Sunday my sister and I got baptised. The experience was amazing and left me feeling completely renewed, and revived and raring to continue my personal walk with my God.

I was christened as a baby, like many of us often are, but this baptism symbolised my conscious and 'grown up' decision to walk in faith and submit my life to the Lord. It has been just over eight weeks since I asked God for his salvation and so much has changed within me. I am still abstaining from 'that' (you can read all about it here) and praying for God's strength to lead me not into temptation and keep me on the narrow path until I am married.

I ask God daily to control my tongue because boy, there are so many things that go on in life that make you want to unleash some serious venom on people, but it solves nothing and just leaves you feeling worse than before, so that is something that is happening less and less. Thank God. It is not easy, but change starts from within. This scripture sums it all up;

'Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers'

Ephesians 4:29

So there you have it. If you have nothing good to say, don't say it. Words should be used to build up and uplift. I am learning this more and more each day.

This is also my 200th post, woah time has flown. I'm still finding my feet with this blog, but for now it is what it is, which is a reflection of me. I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU! to all of my wonderful followers who have stuck with me for the journey. I really do appreciate it. God bless you all x

My pastor and the church  Elder praying for me before I get immersed.

The immersion.

After the baptism. Happy as can be.

Little boys

Look at that face. Soo cute yet soo mischievous.
Love him to death.

I heard a rumour that little boys were mischevious, high energy, boisterous, unrelenting you know what I'm talking about. You've heard it too right? Well I never, ever believed it. Well that is until I had a little boy of my own. Wow-wee my son is all of the above and more. I don't ever remember my girls being such a...well a handful. Don't get me wrong children in all of their gorgeous loveliness are hard work, but this little man of mine is something else.

From the moment he opens his big, brown, bright eyes to the moment he goes to bed he is up to and into something and everything. Just to give you a bit of an idea, here is a quick list of the things he has been found doing;

Stabbing a banana with a pencil and proceeding to scoop out chunks and eat pieces of banana straight off the pencil.

Throwing his sister's clean knickers (from the clothes horse) and my full, unopened bottle of deodorant down the toilet. Oh he also tried to throw his Dad's pillow into the loo too. (He is obsessed with the toilet. Ewww).

Poking his eldest sister's puff (she had her hair up in a pineapple) with a pencil.

Turning off the TV a gazzillion times. *sigh*

Throwing his food on the floor and mushing it into the carpet. *joy*

Stopping the washing machine mid cycle several times. Each time the cycle had to be reprogrammed to start from the beginning.

Pouring his juice all over himself.

Jumping on the sofa, getting stuck behind the sofa and falling off of the sofa repeatedly.

Sneakily scribbling on the sofa.

Tearing a book

Any opportunity he gets to go into the bathroom (besides delving into the loo), he can be found running the cold water tap in the bath at full force, splashing about in delight and subsequently turning the bathroom into a wet room. Thank God for floor to ceiling tiles is all I can say.

Singing at the top of his lungs in the supermarket........

Ooooh this little one is only 15 months old and yet he is already such a larger than life character. I wouldn't change him for the world,  although the boundaries may have to step up a gear.......

Trimming my ends

I came across a lady called Ambrosia Malbrough via the Curly Nikki blog last week. I fell in love with her almost immediately because for the first time since starting my natural hair journey, I'd found a fellow naturalista who appeared to have the same hair texture as me. Woohoo.  Although Ambrosia's hair type seems to be identical to mine, her tresses are longer, (she's been natural for 4+ years) and seem thicker (I'm currently having issues with shorter hair around my hairline due to post partum shedding.) It's something I experienced quite badly with all three of my children and it is growing back, but the fact remains; I have quite inconsistent hair lengths all over my head - Pah!

Nevertheless Ambrosia's You tube channel got me very excited because suddenly I was presented with a whole host of styles that my hair type can achieve. My discovery couldn't have come at a better time as I was in desperate need of trimming my ends and I really wanted to do it myself. Well I needn't have worried because Ambrosia has a video detailing how to trim your own natural hair. Perfect. You can find it here. (I tried to embed the clip, but it completely confounded me o_0).

Last week I followed Ambrosia's method and trimmed my own hair and I was really pleased with the ease of the process as well as the results. I will definitely be using this method going forward, well until I can treat myself to a professional trim. 

Thanks Ambrosia.

A frizzy mess

Two thirds of the way though

All trimmed and twisted. Shame I haven't perfected the art of taking out
twists. The results were not good, so no pics this time. Soon though. I promise.

Products my natural hair loves

I've been natural for nearly two years now (well 20 months to be exact). In that time I have built an itinerary of products that really seem to work wonders in my hair. They are products I swear by and would recommend wholeheartedly to anyone else on the look out for hair products. Of course not everything I use on my hair will have the same results for yours, (it is trial and error after all), nevertheless I'd like to share in the hope that someone out there will benefit from my nuggets of information. 

Anita Grant - Creamy Cafe Latte; Vanilla:

I came across Anita Grant when I first started blogging nearly a year ago. I was perusing the fabulous Natural Belle blog and noticed that Anita's products are featured quite frequently. At the time I was on the look out for oils and butters that would help me with the dryness I was experiencing whilst I transitioned from chemically straightened to natural hair. I got in contact with Anita Grant on twitter and asked for a recommendation as to which products in the line would work best to combat the extreme dryness I seemed to experiencing. A representative was swift to get back to me and recommended the Vanilla Cafe latte butter. I was also really pleased to discover they have a whole range of samples that are fabulously priced, so I set about ordering around £30 worth of samples. It was like Christmas when it all arrived. Straight away I got stuck into all the butters, creams and oils. All of them were great and really nourishing but the vanilla Cafe latte really stood out for me. It smells devine (just like chocolate). Everyone I use it on completely falls in love with it. Even my fiance who prefers to use nothing on his hair or body (strange guy!) has been converted and lovingly applies it to his hair and skin most days (woop, woop!). I mostly use it on my hair when it's damp and it always leaves it feeling soft, nourished and supple. Not to mention smelling scrumptious.

Jamaican Black Castor Oil

Oh my, this stuff is amazeballs. Sorry to have to use this word, but I think it is rather appropriate - ha. When I first used this oil I was a bit put off by the thickness and the smell, but once applied to my freshly washed, damp hair it seem to penetrate every single strand and leave it feeling and looking ultra soft and shiny. I get the same results when I use on my children's hair too, although I do find it a bit heavy for my youngest daughter's hair (which has more of a curly/coily rather than kinky texture), so  the smallest pea size amount will suffice for sections of her hair when divided into four. When I use JBCO on my little boy, it turns his frizzy curls into a soft, nourished cloud of loveliness. I can't get enough of this stuff, not only does it soften and nourish but it has healing properties and stimulates hair growth and yes you guessed OH loves it too. I purchased my first bottle of JBCO from Akua Wood at The Shea Butter Cottage when she was exhibiting at the Curlvolution event in June. I also purchase JBCO from Hair9.

Pure Coconut Oil

Coconut oil I love it. It smells just like coconut, I'm sorry to state the obvious but for some reason I didn't expect the smell to be so rich. It also solidifies when cold and becomes a very runny oil when warm. Out of all of the oils I've ever used coconut oil is very temperature sensitive. I find it extremely light and nourishing and I use it on freshly washed, damp hair. It is not heavy like JBCO but it still leaves a fabulous shine on my hair as well as my children's. I also use coconut oil for pre-poo treatments if my hair is feeling particular dry. I'll apply it and leave in over night then wash my hair with conditioner (Co-wash), the results are a head of soft, supple coils. YES m'am. Coconut oil is also fabulous for use on the skin. I use on my kids after a shower or bath and their skin glows for hours aftrewards. Even my sister recently commented how good their skin looked and I let her in on the secret. lol. I buy my coconut oil from Holland and Barrett, it's quite pricey at  £14.99 a tub, but the tub is large and Holland and Barrett are great for their buy one, get one half price and buy one get one for a penny deals.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Like coconut oil EVOO is great for pre-poos. I also use on my hair when it's damp or mix it with water in a spray bottle, so I can revitalise dry hair daily with a a quick spritz. EVOO is great for skin too. I use it all of the time on all of my kids all over,  it is definitely a staple in our household. EVOO is really easy to find as it is available in all supermarkets, it is also really affordable if you are on a budget.


TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Conditioner

Where do I start? This is hands down the best conditioner I have used EVER.  There are other conditioners in the TRESemme line I use and they give me good results too, but I think the fact  this conditioner is silicone free and includes aloe vera and avocado make it top of the bunch for me. I hardly ever use shampoo to wash my hair these days, unless I've been for a swim or there is a lot of product build up. TRESemme Naturals conditioner is great for detangling and nourishing and it always leaves my hair feeling clean, soft and silk like. I use it on the kids too with the same amazing results. LOVE! I buy my TRESemme Naturals conditioners from Tesco, Asda, Superdrug and sometimes Willkinson, who all have great special offers on the TRESemme line from time to time.

Beautiful Textures Curl Defining Pudding

I used the Beautiful Textures Curl Control Defining Pudding a few months ago on my first ever wash and go. I was always a bit dubious about curl defining products in the past because I felt they over manipulated the hair, leaving it crunchy and dry. Not so with this product. I apply to freshly washed damp hair that has been oiled with either EVVO, JBCO or coconut oil, then I put the pudding on top. It really gives my curls a defined looked which I am confident enough to wear out in public. It also works wonders on my son's hair. I swear by it in fact. Whenever I use on his freshly washed, damp hair, his curls come to life and everyone always comments on how good it looks. Will have to post pics soon. I received the pudding in a goodie bag after attending the Beautiful Textures UK launch a few months back. I have however seen it sold in most black hair shops, so I'll no exactly where to go when I run out.

So there you have it, the products I'm currently using and loving. Which hair products are you currently relishing?

Thriving

source

My eldest daughter starting school and my younger daughter about to start pre-school has really given me the kick start that I needed.

When all three children were at home with me 24/7, mornings were lazy, (well as lazy as a morning can be with three demanding children in tow). If we weren't going to the library for story time or food shopping or to the park, the days would just unfold into a muddled blur of what would often feel like domestic nothingness.

Now with school starting, each day has a purpose as I wave my daughter (soon to be daughters) off for her daily dose of education. Every morning I'm up by 6.30/7am. 7.30 the latest (if I'm feeling pooped). Despite the early starts, which as a mum I'm more than used to, it feels so good to know that I have a set routine for each day. It's funny because when my children were babies the idea of a routine would give me the heebie jeebies. I was never one of those Mum's who strived to get their baby fed and asleep at certain times, not that there is anything wrong with those methods. I just didn't like the idea of being locked into a cycle of set times and procedures that I would struggle to enforce, especially since all three of my babies were pretty poor sleepers until they were at least a year old.

The realisation I am making is that where before I abhorred rigidity and structure, I am now finding that as my children grow older I am thriving on these very things. I couldn't feel anymore excited and motivated right now. I can't explain it but I definitely believe it's a combination of my faith in the Almighty and the feeling that as when one chapter closes another opens. Of course I still have my daily struggles, but I am pressing on and focusing on all that is lovely.

My children are becoming more independent and in turn more of my own independence is being given back to me. Oh how wonderful life is!

Fruit and vegetable picking at Parkside Farm

The weather over the weekend was glorious wasn't it? Talk about Indian summer. I was supposed to be going to a wedding fair with the OH, but he wanted to be outside, not inside, so I did a quick Google search and came across Parkside Farm located on the Enfield/Hertfordshire boarders.

I've wanted to go fruit picking in forever. The OH went a lot in his childhood, but I never have. I'm not quite sure what the appeal is, but I suppose I've always been drawn to wandering through meadows picking fruit from the land....ahhhhh.

Parkside Farm is lovely and they have a wide variety of crops to pick. We got there in the early afternoon, so we were a bit late for the strawberries, but there was so much more to choose from. First we picked cherry tomatoes and raspberries, then we moved onto beetroot and then juicy blackberries. There were lots of blackberries. The sun was beating down at this point and I was a bit concerned about the children because there was no shade. Thankfully I had some muslin cloths in my bag, so I wrapped them around the girls head to deflect the sun. I put my son in the buggy to keep him protected from the heat. Quick thinking Mummy alert!

All in all we loved the experience and we had a fabulous time. It wasn't too pricey either, each container we picked was weighed and cost £2 each (this was mainly because they were only a third full as the heat got the better of us!) They also have a little farm shop and picnic areas which were really handy. I was really pleased with our efforts and to top it all off on Sunday I made a delicious blackberry crumble which we had with ice cream. It was so sweet and tangy. Yum! We then used the beetroot to make carrot and beetroot juice courtesy of my Mum. It was gorgeous and so good for you too. *high five*

I'm glad I came across Parkside farm, it really gave me an insight into growing and picking your own crops and it was so liberating. We will definitely be going again.

Daddy and the girls picking cherry tomatoes

On the lookout

Look at what we've got...beetroooot!

Sweetcorn

Looking for the ripe blackberries

Blackberry crumble. Yummy!

So brave

Daughter number 2 had her immunisation booster injections today, and brave simply doesn't begin to cover how she handled herself.

She starts pre-school in two weeks time and yesterday it suddenly dawned on me that her boosters were due. Thankfully I was able to get an appointment for today. I was a little concerned because my eldest was a bit under the weather a week or so after her booster, so I didn't want the same to happen to little sis and for it to interfere with her first few days at pre-school.

Last night I told her she'd be having her injections like her big sister and baby brother had had last year. She wasn't phased at all and seemed rather excited by the prospect. She's at that age where whatever big sis is doing she wants to be doing and more. Since my eldest handled her injections so well last year, I wasn't worried, although I did have a nagging feeling at the back of my mind. She's been a bit unpredictable lately, which I think is due to the start of school and the changes to routine, so I wondered if she was putting on a bit of a front. I couldn't have been more wrong.

This morning we dropped big sis to school came home for a bit and counted down to when we'd have to leave for the doctors. She was so eager and kept asking; 'Are we going now Mummy?' 'Is it time yet?' I was so pleased she wasn't scared, because deep down, (I hate to admit) I had a smidgen of anxiety creeping into my heart.

When we arrived at the doctors we waited patiently for her name to come up on the screen. There was a beep, her name flashed up and off we went into room 3 to see the nurse. The needles were out ready and waiting and there was my little girl grinning confidently. I sat down and sat her on my lap. I took off her jacket and the nurse asked her to turn away, but she didn't and kept looking as the needle went into her arm. The nurse was completely surprised and commented on how strong she was. Even when it was time for the second needle in her other arm, she kept her composure and watched the needle go in for a second time. After it was all over the nurse put cotton wool balls and tape over the areas and my little girl beamed a hundred watt smile.

We headed straight to the shops to get her a big bag of marshmallows (her favourite). About 5/10 mins later her arms were a bit achy and she couldn't move them as freely as she'd like, but after some Nurofen and a bit of a sit down she's in the garden with her brother and sister laughing and giggling. 

Such a big, brave girl.

Emirates cable cars

I am so far behind with the posts I want to write for this blog it's unreal. There's so much that's been going on lately that blogging has taken a bit of a back seat whilst life shuttles along at full throttle.

The past few weeks have been full of activities with family and the kids. It's been great and I feel so blessed. The next few posts will probably involve me sharing the escapades so sit back and enjoy.

So where do I start? Well a few weeks back, slap bang in the middle of the Olympics, my sister and I took my nephew and kids to Royal Victoria Docks in the Docklands to experience the Olympic buzz.

It was a great day, lots going on and lots to see. I was particularly taken in by big clear balls bobbing on the water and for £5 you could get into one and run about on the river. It looked like a lot of fun. There were also young boys who had set up a stall selling real fruit smoothie drinks. We bought some for ourselves and the children. They were ice cold and delicious and at £1.50 for a medium sized cup, great value for money. It was so uplifting to see young black boys getting stuck in and enterprising in such a positive way. I would love to see more of that. Really inspirational.

We strolled along drinking in the great atmosphere and my sister wanted to go on the Emirates cable cars. Now I'm not a lover of heights, so I wasn't too fussed about going on one, but my sister was keen to, so I obliged (as you do).

We went through the barriers, it was a bit like going on the underground, only it wasn't underground but you had to touch in and touch out with your oyster card. The cars rotate slowly on a cable, they never stop so you have to hop on as quickly and carefully as you can. With two adults, four kids and a buggy this was no easy feat but we did it. We sat down and the doors shut. The cable car slowly began to make its ascent. My little sis who I thought was prepared for what lay ahead sat down confidently, then as it climbed higher she began to look unsure. The cars do wobble a bit and I don't think she was aware that would happen. As the car climbed higher and higher the fact that we were being held up by a cable in however many tons of steel bought my fear of heights to the forefront and I sang 'Yes Jesus loves me' whilst tightly gripping onto my one year old for the entire journey. Thank God for Jesus!!

The views were amazing, but the car does wobble quite a bit in my humble opinion and this wasn't a particulary windy day. My eldest daughter refused to let go of the bar inside the car bless her. She has definitely inherited mummy's dislike of heights. My younger daughter and nephew had a whale of a time, throwing their hands in the air and squealing with delight. My one year old was completely non-plussed. Ahhh the joy of infant innocence.

So the Emirates cable cars. I would recommend you go on one if you get the chance. The beautiful views across London alone make it worthwhile. If you are afraid of heights you may struggle a bit, but it's definitely an experience worth having.

View from below

These look so fun.

Cable cars across the river

Great views of London from the cars.
Beautiful sky and gorgeous clouds.

Nephew and daughter number 2 loving it.

Look at that face. She is grinning but she is scurred.....