D-I-Y: Cornstarch Paint

Credit to Trish Kuffner for this lovely Cornstarch Paint that I made two weeks ago! The link to this particular recipe (and five other paints to try with your kiddo) is here.

I've made cornstarch paint before in the form of, well, basically coloured oobleck a.k.a. liquid sidewalk chalk. My problem with it is that it separates when left overnight and is a little difficult to shake and mix the following day because of the settling.

The Postpartum Recovery List

Well, we're almost there.

I swore to myself that I would be a more fabulous mom this time around. My first task was actually to choose pretty clothes to wear for the duration of my hospital stay. I hadn't known before that I could actually already change out of my hospital gown as soon as I'd returned to my room after giving birth. I'm prepared this time.

I must say Victoria's Secret is officially my new favourite place to shop for pretty sleepwear. I picked out slips that are actually on the bigger side just to be sure that they'll fit but I know my proper size now and I fully intend to get my hands on more of their slips after I've given birth.

This is it!

I had my check up last Tuesday and apparently we are almost there!

It's something of a double-edged sword, to be honest. It's exciting and frightening at the same time, not knowing what adjustments we will be making and how.

So if there's an extended silence, we all know why. Let's hope it's only silence this time and not dropping off the face of the blogosphere like I'd done before.

In the matter of discipline

So far, I believe it's working, this attempt of mine to try and spread out my writing, whether for blog purposes, work, or fun, throughout eight hours in a week. It doesn't feel like it's something I need to do; spreading it out and being flexible with how long I do it keeps it fun. And I'm one of those people who needs to keep seeing work as something fun.

I first got the idea of writing a little something every day from a college professor. It's not an exercise for everyone but if it works, then by all means, right? And it works well for me.

Aside from writing though, I've also been organising and editing some old pieces. I shan't be reproducing them here. They're frankly too much of an embarrassment although I know that once upon a time, I thought they were great. (That was just a little over ten years ago.)

My co-writers and I have had our laughs and moved on. ^_~

D-I-Y: Adventures in Play Dough

I'm a typically crafty person. I love poking around the house doing little crafty projects for various purposes (storage, home spa, art), the most recent one being to make non-toxic, occasionally edible, play materials for my kid.

I don't have the photos of the original set of playdough I made for him on me--I may have them locked up in my old hard drive which I still need to unlock somehow--but this one for Homemade Rubbery Goop, which I got off Learning4Kids is, so far, my favourite out of three different versions I've tried.

The link I shared shows the whole step by step process but behind the cut are my own pictures plus a few comments from when I made it a few days ago. I still need to make more--I only have two colours so far but I realised I need more containers to store them in before I present them to my little one!

Product Review: Olay Deep Moisture Body Wash with Honey

Last week I received this lovely little surprise care package from Belle de Jour and Olay Philippines. I said I would begin using it over the weekend which, truth be told, the use for which began Sunday night. I've been a late afternoon to evening bather lately so commentaries and observations will stretch from the afternoon or evening of the previous day to the morning of the next. Mornings I tend to just do a quick shower to wash my hair so effects of products I use the night before tend to linger.

Here we go.

Pen and Ink Adventures Review: Elias Pad

First time I'll be talking about my return to art!

Allow me to dive right into what I've been obsessed with of late: watercolours, mixed media, and the aforementioned Elias Pad.

Now, normally I would pick up either a Corona or Canson sketchpad for my art. I'd been using the former since I was eight and the latter beginning college. But I needed something that would serve two purposes: doodling and actual writing since I do carry around at least six fountain pens on an average day.

Getting the feeling back

Last Sunday, I submitted the first feature article I've written in a very long time...two years if memory serves. Complete with photos, too, which is part of what I aim to train for as a writer.

I've been doing freelance work for various clients for a few years now. It's not been my steadiest work--my involvement in our businesses and investments has still been the greater focus along with the care of our firstborn. This time around though, I'd like to give a little bit more attention to the "Career" part of my tag, "The Career Housewife".

Another one for "What's not in the books"

I am an only child with limited chances to observe real-life siblings. For most of my life anyway. But I did always think that having siblings would be a wonderful thing, despite all my friends' complaints about theirs.

I understood that there were a lot of things different between myself and my friends who grew up with siblings. I don't believe I missed out on anything but even as a child, I liked the idea of having more than one kid when it came time for me to become a mother. (Yes, I was already thinking along those lines even as a kid.)

The one thing I didn't count on is all the wondering if I would be able to give my second child the same amount of attention that I gave my first.

Product Review: Olay Products via Belle de Jour Power Planner

I received these in the mail today.

FULL DISCLOSURE: These products were received as free items, I believe upon answering a Belle de Jour survey. (I know, I know--I'm terrible for forgetting, mea culpa.)

I have had a thing for sticking to cruelty-free products as much as I can but I've never freebies just to say that I gave them a chance.

I intend to begin using these this weekend and compile my comments on a weekly basis for a month before posting about them again. At the very least, I'm hoping that I'll be able to complete that task successfully whilst waiting for and eventually dealing with my newborn.

Here's hoping we get favourable results from the testing. I used to be an Olay user before I made the decision to stick with only cruelty-free cosmetics and personal care products and both Olay and Ponds worked very well for me.

Voice

It's been a very long time since I was last here regularly. I'm trying to find mine again.

I restarted as I always have: rather shallowly, speaking of whatever is "of the moment", whether the thoughts were complete or not. It something that I learned from being in Creative Writing: JUST WRITE.

Yet another new beginning

Each time I start blogging I realise I almost always start with focusing on what I know best: myself.

I look at older posts and I feel like most are so self-centered, sometimes, repetitive. It speaks quite loudly of where my mind goes whenever I am overwhelmed by everything going on around me. I close into myself and just keep moving forward, talking almost randomly about whatever comes to mind.

Isn't it always like that though, that one needs to reflect upon the self before speaking of what's going on outside?

At some point we'll begin moving on to other subjects.

For now, please allow me the vanity of just getting my thoughts down. There will be better points to discuss at a later date and we will strive to keep moving from here to there.

The one thing I take back

Reorganising and re-classifying some old posts has made me realise there actually is one thing that I take back when it comes to things I said I refuse to deal with as a parent: strollers.

It's not that I gave up on baby carriers in fact, I have a whole collection of baby carriers. We did find out something very important about our first child that I did not count on: he didn't like most of his baby carriers.

Was I surprised? Yes. I was very much surprised by the fact.

When you can't stand not working

I had a prenatal check up last week and one of the most interesting things that came up in conversation with my regular obstetrician's reliever was the recovery time it takes post Caesarian section.

This is not to say that I will definitely be getting the operation done. But I am preparing myself for the possibility anyway.