Period Panties

I recently ordered these from littlebooteek.co.uk and they are fab for using in conjunction with your CSP.  They are not your normal dingy, 'orrible period pants.  They're colourful and funky.  Made by Harebrained, they are 95% cotton 5% elastane so they have just the right amount of stretch to them.

Unlike most pants the gusset is stiched right from the top of the pants to just behind where the wings of your pad would sit (the seam).  This means that there is no slippage or moving about of the pad.

How to live on a budget

Because of my health, money is very tight at the moment.  I've decided to write a series of blogs about living Eco friendly and not breaking the bank.  For me, this is a big issue and I often have to compromise.  A lot of the time it does mean a bit of extra effort is required.

I grow my own veg for the cost of the seeds and compost and use dishwater and the water butt for watering.  This means that when the time comes I'll be able to freeze produce for the future if I have too much. I use white vinegar instead of rinse aid in the dishwasher and for getting smells out of nappies. I use a few products for a multitude of tasks around the house which means I don't have to get loads of  different ones when I'm out.  I bought some Eco balls a while ago which means I don't need washing liquid/powder and it's safer for the environment.  Bicarbonate of  soda is a good for cleaning the bathroom.  Make it into a paste and leave on for a while then scrub it off.  It is also a fab deodoriser. I make my own shampoo, rinse and soap. I make my soap in large batches so I only have to cough up money for ingredients once in a while.

All this being said, I shop at Aldi and Lidl for the majority of our food as we can't afford to eat organic.  I will in the future be posting about the cost of living from local shops instead of the supermarket as this is definitely something that I believe in and I would like to swap if we can. 

My Favourite Things. 2- Tea

When Jo from Boobalou asked me to review some reusable tea bags for her I jumped at the chance and was also intrigued.  I love tea, any type.  The teabags are handmade by Made by Gutice and they are very, very cute.  Made of food grade muslin, organic cotton string and a wooden bead (which is functional as well as looks pretty)

There are two sizes, small and medium.  The small is perfect for one or two mugs of tea and the medium was great to use in a tea pot for a couple of uses.  I filled them up using a tea spoon, tightened the drawstring then used it in place of my normal tea bag.  Afterwards I just turned them inside out and gave them a rinse to get off any tea leaves and to get the residue out.  I also had a go at washing them after a few uses.  I used ecoballs and put the bags in a mesh laundry bag to protect them.  You don't want to be using detergent with them as you'll end up with really nasty tasting tea and lets face it.  Who really wants to eat detergent?

As you probably know already, tea does stain so they do come out looking darker than when they went in which is to be expected.  I used jasmine green tea in mine, it was given to me by a friend who came back with it from holiday and I didn't have a strainer or anything to put it in until now, so I'm a very happy bunny.  I wasn't paid for this review.

My Favourite Things. 1- Music

Music is a huge part of my life.  When I'm happy I sing, when I'm sad I just listen.  From hard, industrial heavy rock to classical, I'm very eclectic.  I listen To Emilie Autumn, The Stone Roses, Enya, Clannad, Ludovico Einaudi, Muse and in the car at the moment I've got Pendulum.

Today I'm focussing on Einaudi.  My favourite track is I Giorni, because it takes me to a place where I can really relax.  His chord progressions are completely stunningly beautiful and I love how his music builds and builds and then changes and I can get lost in it.  So lost that I can listen to it at bedtime.

I also play the piano so I really appreciate how hard it is to do things which are different in each hand.  As well as being a really talented pianist he also uses orchestral instruments on his newest album "In a Time Lapse" which gives a different dimension to his music.  I listened to his album recital broadcast from home and it sounds so different but amazing just using the piano.

Daisy Rock Designs-The Poppy Pad

A few months ago I volunteered to review the Poppy Pad by Daisy Rock Designs (found her on Facebook) Daisy Rocks designs is a WAHM that creates beautiful dresses, dungarees, bandana bibs and CSP.

The pad consists of a cotton pad backed with fleece with another smaller pad poppered into the top.
The bottom pad is 10.5 inches long, 3 inches wide with a wider nearly 4 inch flare at either end.
The Poppy part of the pad is 2.5 inches wide with a slight flare at either end of  about 3.25 inches at the widest point.  This part is 10 inches long and backed with cotton.

I am really excited by this pad and I love the idea.  The pad is really comfy, I couldn't feel the popper when I was wearing it and it didn't move about in my knickers.  It is a lovely design and is great for times when you are going out and want to do a quick change as you can just take the topper off.  Also, there are seperate toppers available you could just swap one topper for another if you wish.

I thought the seller kept in contact with me really well and I will be buying from Daisy Rock Designs again.  Sorry for the poor picture quality the pad had been used and washed quite a few times and I wasn't paid for this blog post.

Uses of coconut oil

There are many uses of coconut oil.  I thought I'd write about a couple.

1. It can be used in cooking and baking  instead of  using butter to create dairy free recipes.  In the past I've made some lovely dairy free biscuits by replacing the butter with coconut oil and my friends said they were delicious.

2.  Coconut oil is very moisturising and can be used to moisturise the scalp (especially popular with Afro hair) and it can also be used on the skin.

3.  It can be used to make deodorant on its own or combined with other ingredients. Eg baking soda, shea butter.

4.  It can be used as a skin cleanser, to do this I rub it on my skin then take it off with a reusable make up pad.  This is great as a cleanser and moisturises your skin at the same time.

5.  I use it in my home made soap, it creates a really rich lather and is very moisturising and cares for sensitive skin.

I guess you know by now that I have a real soft spot for coconut oil and I always have some in the cupboard.

Eco Dreams

I recently bought 2 Butterfly cloth liners (7in) and a Uterus cup pouch from Eco Dreams (www.ecodreams.net).  I also got two free cup spots and some information about cloth pads.  I was really pleased with how they kept in contact with me.

Now for the actual liners, they were absolutely beautifully made.  They were made of cotton with a fleece backing and the stitching was perfect.  The poppers matched the colours on the fabric and they were really comfortable to wear.  7 inches long and 2 and a half inches wide in the middle.  They have a slight flare at the ends.

The cup pouch was crocheted by Lucy at http://thepiepatch.wordpress.com//  I love it cos it's fun and quirky and made well, very unique. 

Wheat Free Diet

Someone suggested I try a wheat free diet for my pain and fatigue.  After researching on the subject I decided to try it for a while.  So this week I've tried making wheat free bread. The bread was dry, didn't have the right texture and didn't taste right at all, it looked nice though. Next on my list will be cakes.

Today I went to a BBQ and a kids party and I broke.  I've had some things I'm not meant to have and I'm paying for it now.  I'm really bloated  (a friend asked me if was pregnant) and feeling pretty pukey.  So I think being wheat free is the right thing for me to do. 

Does anyone have any good wheat free recipes for me to try?

Low Poo

The subject of many of my online conversations this week has been the Low Poo and No Poo shampoo method.  Basically using hair washes and rinses that are low in chemicals or have no chemicals in.  I'm doing this as I'm trying to lead a simpler life and use less chemicals, I also need to use things that don't leave residue in my hair otherwise I'll end up with mouldy hair.  (Sounds nice doesn't it?)

I have tried a couple of different methods.  First I tried a coconut milk and castile soap mix with nag champa oil.  I find this works really well for my hair. (I have dreads)  It leaves it really clean and smelling lovely.  I then tried using aloe gel and coconut milk.  I found that with this my hair got greasy quicker and felt quite waxy after I'd washed it. 

Next I tried a rinse for afterwards.  I used jasmine green tea but you can use green or black tea.  I find it makes my hair really soft and smells lovely.  I have yet to try apple cider vinegar but it is on my 'to try out list'.

Fleurcup Review

Time for my first ever review...

I chose the Fleurcup as I didn't get on with other types of menstrual cup and I was recommended this by some lovely ladies on facebook. I have had a baby so I chose the larger size. I kid you not, this is brilliant, great value for money and looks pretty. (it was £8 when I got it)  It's just the right softness for me and has four diagonal holes in it to help with the seal.  I found that I didn't even need to trim the stem as it was quite soft and didn't get on my nerves. It popped open well once it was inside. (I just folded it in half) As I said, I've used cups before and this is definitely good for me.  Functional and pretty, what's not to like?

I wasn't paid for this review

Coconut oil soap

This afternoon I decided to make coconut oil soap. I think it turned out ok for my first attempt but I could have done better.  I combined the lye (sodium hydroxide) and water first. Then dissolved it and added it to my melted coconut oil in a pan on a low heat and stirred it til thick.  I added more water at this point as I wasn't sure if the lye had dissolved.  (This I probably shouldn't have done) I kept it on a very low heat till all the water had evaporated out of it and it didn't 'zing' on my tongue.  I added nag champa oil then let it set.  I'll know whether it's any good after 3 weeks of leaving it to rest.  Apparently one of the problems with this method is that it creates a lot of foam, I live in a hard water area so let's see how it goes and I'll let you know.