30thirty : It's a wrap!

So I completed my 30 day Challenge this week and fulfilled the tasks I'd set last week ; (all except the walk to work - there was such a  yukky couple of days of hail, rain & windy horridness I just couldn't bring myself to do it!)

Hoorah! ★

So all in all, I completed :

* 4 hrs running/walking
* 380 minutes of Yoga
* x6 15 min Nike+ routines
* 3 hrs other exercises

This totals 890 mins which divided over my 30 days = 29.66 mins. Close enough to my 30 min a day target!

(I do love sums that work out)

And how was it? 
Did it change the way I feel about exercise?

Fantastic & a big fat YES!

The introduction of regular exercise into my daily schedule definitely took away that weekly dread of doing something that I know is going to take a lot of effort & I don't really want to do.
And I've begun to enjoy it.
It's good to feel energised & stronger as a result of performing daily exercises.

28 days to the ultimate mind & body makeover can start so easily at home with a simple change in mindset.

I am now very good  friends with these, (and not just because they're a lovely shade of blue & look hot).

The only regret was that I ended my Health Month with an epic party at our advertising awards, and went so huge that it took me 3 whole days to fully recover. So I was left feeling like a bit of a loser for undoing all that hard work.

BUT, there's no point beating myself up over it. It was fun. I've learnt that moderation is also fine (hopefully I'll remember this lesson the next time there's a party), & I've just got to get back to feeling good.

So to get back on track, besides setting a new regular work-out regime to continue the good work of the 30 Day Challenge, I've decided to do a detox.

I was following Bri @designlovefest 3 day juice cleanse a couple of weeks ago which uses a product called Moon Juice from LA & was wondering if there was a  local version I could try. Then after my heavy weekend, it felt appropriate to do something similar & my hangover repent has fuelled my desire to tackle something similar even more! And it's funny, once I decided to do a short-term detox, I've been inspired from all different sources. My friend @angel7007 introduced me to the Paleo way of eating today & then the latest post on Goop includes a 7 day detox.

I'm actually pretty excited about these two 3-day Detox programmes I found here & here, and I've convinced Warren to join me in the challenge which makes any sort of diet or eating plan a 100 times easier.

How delicious & refreshing do these look!
You can just see the goodness floating in little green love hearts out of them
1st day starts tom
♥

                                                         

                                                      

Playdough Fun ♥

Playdough is such fun for kids to play with. Squidgy & colourful, it really is amazing stuff for moulding & creating all kinds of shapes with, & it's managed to keep children entertained for decades. I remember having a Play-Doh Barber Shop & loving the texture & flexibility of styling the little characters by squeezing the clay through their plastic heads so they sprout crazy spaghetti hair.

At home though, Lula's always ends up getting mixed together into a big brown blob (which seriously messes with my OCD) or left to dry out in to a crumbly mess & I never get around to buying more.

It was apparently originally created as a wallpaper cleaner in the 1930's. It evolved over the years & was eventually marketed at children in the 1950's. The original trademarked modelling clay recipe is obviously a closely guarded secret, like the Coke formula & KFC seasoning,  but you can buy it ready-made all over the place, BUT....

It's actually so easy & fun to make at home. After making this batch I'll definitely make more rather than buying shop versions.
We had a whole rainbow selection of gel food colourings leftover from Lula's 2nd birthday rainbow cake to use & added glitter to one of them too. Neon colours would be very cool to try I think.

Most Playdough recipes seem to require Cream of Tartar in the list of ingredients (whatever that is?), but there are some that I found online that don't. They either simply leave out that item or replace it & change the formula up a bit.

I found this one which uses vinegar instead & it worked just fine (just remind your child that it's not like normal baking & licking the spoon is not recommended!)

1 Cup plain flour
1/4 Cup salt
3Ttsp vinegar
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 Cup water
Food colouring (glitter optional)

Measure out your dry ingredients in to a pan

Add water & stir together over a low heat until you get a doughy texture. 

(The instructions said to whisk the water into the dry ingredients over a low heat - but I managed to break the whisk in the process. It's a little like trying to whisk cement, so I'd suggest using a spatula to be safe.)

Meanwhile choose your colours!

Once it's the right consistency, squish it together & knead.

This recipe makes enough for 3 decent sized balls of dough, so divide it up.

Add a  drop or 2 of food colouring

And work the colour through the dough until it's all mixed in.

Next we did purple.....

with extra sparkly glitter bits!

Tah Dah!

Gorgeous blobs of bright dough ready to play & let little imaginations go wild.

This was one of Lula's creations. A bakery selection : cup cakes & sweeties for the teddies x

Lula loves using biscuit cutters & making play food from her colourful doughs & made such a cute little man sculpture too. But here's a whole lot of ideas to inspire your little artists & build those fine motor skills. It would also make a sweet pressie for little friends. Put them in jars decorated with washi tape or stickers.

Get mixing

x

Show & Tell

* wa ha ha Substitute Teacher 

* Cronuts? How could I have missed this croissanty-do-nutty sweet delight craze! Off to find my nearest supplier immediately.

* Amazing photos from this years Burning Man

* LOVING this brother/sister duo.

* Ballet Dancers in everyday situations.

* Box. Projection

* I had a monster hangover this weekend. Big enough to know that I don't want another one for at least a year!

And we haven't had a joke in a while, so here we go...
A three-legged dog walks in to a saloon in the Old West. He slides up to the bar & says "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw". Boom. Boom

♥

Carol & Luca's Beautiful Baby Bump

It's been such fun and an honour to experience & photograph our good friends Carol & Luca through some of their special life moments together. I've known Carol for 10 years we recently calculated, & it's been just amazing to be there to celebrate her engagement, wedding & the imminent arrival of their baby boy (as well as all the younger crazy years of course - no pictures there luckily)

Sunday morning in Cape Town was like monsoon season in Bombay, but Carol & Luca's home was so warm & inviting. We joined them for brekkie & a catch up and to see the newly decorated nursery.

Their home is absolutely gorgeous, designed with a clean simple palette of warm whites, creams & soft greys with beautifully placed personal pieces & gifts from their loved ones.

Special friends.
Special moments.

Such a lucky little boy to have these incredible parents & to devoted furry sisters Bubble & Grappa.
We can't wait to meet your little Babarelli.

♥

                           

* and it seems we captured these moments just in time as a perfect little Nico arrived on Thurs.
A new love story begins...