Tips for baby care

Baby's care .Every new born babies are precious gift of god and their skin is so soft, gentle and beautiful that everyone desires to touch it. But this may harm your baby’s skin in many ways. The skin of a newborn baby is extremely sensitive. It is so susceptible and may cause several skin problems like dryness, eczema, acne and skin rashes so new baby needs a lot of skin care. While taking care of newborn baby skin, there are quite a few things to remember. Some steps to know about the best skin care you can provide for your baby.

Use only Baby products.

The most baby’s products are a reason for the development of bacterial infections in babies. All Parents should make sure that they keep their child away from harmful chemicals like hard soaps, lotions and anything that contains dyes and fragrances. Because these chemicals will decrease the bacteria and skin dryness, allergies and other infections.

Select good oils and lotions.

Oil massage is very relieving and effective for newborn babies, but some parents usually make mistakes in choosing the right baby oil. Some of the products like Herbal healing oils and lotions should be preferred over mineral oils, which can harm your baby’s skin. And also chamomile, olive oil, almond oil and aloe oils are best suited for babies.

Baby bath:

A newborn baby does not required daily bath. Too much soap and water can cause skin irritations and allergies, it is harmful advisable to only sponge bath your baby with lukewarm water twice or thrice a day. Always dry up the skin with a soft cloth to clean up any residue. In case of dryness, a baby moisturizer can be applied to maintain the natural moisture balance of the skin.

Baby Clothing:

Regularly baby’s clothing must be changed this would not allow dust to get in contact with your baby. And do not dress your baby in tight clothes.

Women's Foot and Nail Care.

Foot and Nail Care is the one of the best beauty care for every woman. When your feet are clean and soft, you enjoy the happiness of the world. Your feet become very hard and it shows the rough, calloused skin on the heels needs regular moisturizing or it may become dry and cracked. The moist skin between the toes is prone to athlete’s foot. Even the skin on the tops of the feet is vulnerable, it can get sunburned if not protected from ultraviolet radiation.

Simple tips for a foot care nail.

First keep the feet in warm water for at least 10 minutes with the help of mild soap clean the toenails and the skin around the nails. And when it becomes dry, then apply mild antiseptic or olive oil or tea tree oil. Gently massage the feet with these substances. Apply orange wood stick to push back the toenail cuticles. In this way also you would get relief from infection and bacteria. Don’t trim the toenails in a curved shape. Try to trim them straight across. Please avoid trimming them too short, otherwise you may experience ingrown nails. Keep the nails clean and free from any dirt.

Moisturize your feet everyday.

Put lotion or foot cream on as a part of your routine. One way to achieve soft, moisturized feet is to rub on some lotion or petroleum jelly before bed. When you wake up in the morning, you'll find that your feet are very soft and are free from dryness.

Taking good care of your feet will prevent you from getting foot conditions such as Athlete's foot or other fungal infections. No matter what the season is, it is always important to keep your feet and toenails in tip-top condition. During the hotter months, your feet are constantly visible due to footwear choices such as sandals and slippers, so it would be a good idea to keep them looking fabulous and presentable.

Tips: How to Apply Lipstick and Lip Liner

Lipstick adds the final touch to a woman in any makeup application. Lining the lips thats creates fine definition and perfect shape to the lips. 

• Select your lipstick color. You'll do well with colors that match the natural shade of your lips, opting for darker tones that complement your overall coloring. Matte lipsticks offer a muted finish complementary to workday makeup, while satin and gloss finishes offer appealing evening looks.
• Apply all other makeup while before putting on lipstick and lip liner.
• Apply very small amount of lip balm or petroleum jelly to give your lips a little moisture.
• Draw a thin line along the edge of your lips with a lip liner whose color is one shade darker than your lipstick, after that Start at the center of the upper lip and work outward. 
• Then Hug the very outer edges to open up thin lips, and then line well within the edges to downplay excessively full lips.
• Apply lipstick from the tube or by using a small lipstick brush. Coat the lips evenly. Pay special attention to staying within the lips' edges.
• Blot to remove any excess color and to even out the texture.
• Remember to touch lips up after a meal, as lipstick easily transfers onto cups, water bottles.

Recipe: Hoisin Turkey Noodles

This is an absolutely scrummy dish i made tonight, finally got the wok out again since moving into Nick's place (no, wait, it's OUR place now, heehee). Love it, but forgot how annoying it is to clean, considering I think mum cleaned it for me most of the time before. Turkey is really an underestimated meat. Most people will only eat it once or twice a year at Christmas time, but I plan to eat it all year round, because its just as cheap as chicken, it has less fat, and as long as you cook it right, it doesn't end up being dry- which I think is what puts most people off from eating turkey. Throughout this recipe, if you feel that the ingredients are sticking too much to the wok or pan, add a little drizzle more oil and that should loosen it up.

Hoisin Turkey Noodles (serves 2)

Sauce
120g blue dragon hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sweet rice wine (or sherry)
1 tsp curry paste
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp lime juice
Sugar and pepper

2 stacks Sharwoods fine egg noodles
3 tbsp rapeseed, vegetable, or sunflower oil (plus extra for noodles)
100g cooked turkey
5 spring onions, sliced
1 egg, beaten
80g julienned carrots
80g beansprouts
80g frozen peas
Fresh coriander for garnish

1. Boil a pan of water. Cook the noodles a minute less than what the packet instructions tell you- about 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, and mix in a little bit of oil (this helps to stop the noodles from sticking together later).
2. Mix together all the sauce ingredients, set aside, and make sure you have all the other ingredients prepared and ready to hand.
3. Heat a wok with the oil on a high heat. Add the spring onions and turkey and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add the egg and cook for 2 minutes (thereby ‘scrambling’ it in the wok).
4. Add the carrots, peas, bean sprouts, and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add noodles and sauce, and stir fry for 1-2 more minutes, stirring frequently to mix the ingredients well together.
5. Sprinkle the dish with fresh coriander and serve.

Monday Meeting: The Rubbish Diet Challenge Wk 6

Well, wash me down with some soapsuds. We've hit Week 6 of the Rubbish Diet Challenge, which means after taking time out this week for some much needed personal care, and getting ready for next week's declutter, we will soon be hitting the Zero Waste Week and it will all be over.

But before you can put your feet up and give yourselves a well-earned rest, I'm going to get you to mull over your beauty regime.

So if you've got time for spot of pampering while you ponder your waste reduction challenge, roll up your sleeves, take a deep breath and relax....preferably in the vicinity of your bathroom.

Week 6 is really amalgamating all that you've learned during the last five weeks and simply putting it into context in the bathroom.  There's lots of scope for introducing ways to cut waste, whether it's through reducing disposable items, recycling more or even extending your imagination to composting.

In addition to the mini-challenges shown below, more information can be found in the online guide that accompanies The Rubbish Diet Challenge. Be warned though.  This is the week where it really does get personal.

1.Don't use the toilet as a bin! Of course, I know that most people who follow the Rubbish Diet will not use their loo as an alternative to landfill, but there are some products out there that positively encourage you to do so.  Take "flushable wipes" for instance.  The news is, if you're a wipe flusher - even if it says so on the packet - this is the week to stop.  Don't take my word for it, take a peek at Water UK's Bag it & Bin it campaign instead, which includes a long list of things that should never get flushed into our sewerage systems.  My advice is not to bin it, but to find an alternative solution to creating that waste in the first place.

2.Recycle It! It's easy to forget that many of the containers found on your bathroom shelves can actually be recycled, especially if they are plastic bottles, which are now widely accepted around the UK.  In fact, toiletries are increasingly packaged in bottles that are made from recycled plastic.  And even if you can't put aerosols into your kerbside bin, most recycling centres will take them as part of their metal collection. If you find that you can't recycle the packaging easily, follow the advice from Week 2 and either look for packaging-free products or switch to alternatives that can be recycled in your area, if it fits your budget. For example, some toothpaste products are now sold in PET (type 1) bottles, which can be recycled easily.  Also, a selection of own brand medicines, e.g. Paracetamol, can be bought in plastic tubs instead of the more common blister packs that are tricky to recycle because of mixed material.  So do check your local supermarket shelves for alternatives.

3.Go naked! Not you!  Your products!  Of course, the great waste reduction mantra is to try and "Reduce" before you even have to think about recycling.  So even if you can recycle, you may wish to cut down on the amount of plastic you use.  In which case, shops such as Lush will be able to help with their wide range of package-free products including soaps, shampoo bars and even deodorant bars (Lush also has instore recycling points for customers to return their packaging).  There are also many artisan soapmakers across the UK, who will tempt you away from the plastic bottle, with products that last much longer than liquid soap.  Even if they are not packaging-free, the materials used are minimal.  My personal favourites are Royston and Hayes and The Bellingham Soap Company, which produce soaps made from natural ingredients.

4. Consider reusables: Shhhh, don't be shy.  If you're a lady who bungs lots of personal disposable items in the bin, there is a better way.  From cleansing wipes to the monthlies, ditching the disposables can save you hundreds of pounds, with no particular extra inconvenience!  Take make-up wipes for instance.  The Body Shop sells a neat little pack of muslin wipes, which are totally washable and can be used with make-up remover time-and-time again.  And as for that time of the month, there are washable pads and all sorts of finery to make sure you don't have to send disposables to landfill ever again.  A good place to start is Lollipop.  Of course, if you've got young babies or toddlers, you may wish to think about switching to resuables.  More information on this, including links to schemes that are available can be found at Go Real.  And chaps, don't think you can get off lightly.  Even when it comes to shaving, a traditional razor with replacement blades is far less of a burden on landfill than the disposable plastic alternative.

5. Compost it!  If you've been getting into home composting, there are all sorts of things you can do to entertain your own imagination and use as a conversation starter amongst your friends.  So in your efforts to reduce waste, you may wish to switch to cotton buds (Q-Tips), with paper stems, and bung these in your compost bin when finished.  Of course other natural products such as cotton wool balls can be put in your compost bin too, as can more interesting items, such as the Fairtrade condoms from Oxfam. Now there's a topic for your next dinner party - or not - depending on the nature of your company.  And we haven't even ventured into the area of hair from your brush, paper tissues and toenail clippings. Well that's what my composting friends tell me.  So, while I leave you to think about all things natural that could possibly be composted, here's one more nudge to weigh this week's rubbish.

And on the subject of weigh-ins, our bin slimmers are still going strong.  They've been very much left to their own devices over the last few weeks and have made fantastic progress.  And this week, I hope to catch up with them to find out what's left in their bins, in preparation for their Zero Waste challenge in a few weeks time.   They'll be reporting their Wk 6 results over the next few days and the results will be updated as they come in

1.  Terry-Anna.
Household: 2 adults, in Ipswich Borough, Suffolk. 
WK1 Weigh-in: 1.5 large bags, filling one third of a wheelie bin (fortnightly):  WK 6: 1 very small bag, the height of a HP sauce bottle! With a week to go until collection.

2.  Ness.  @NessyThompson
Household: 2 adults & 5 children, a rural village in Mid Suffolk
WK1 Weigh-in:  2 full wheelie bins (fortnightly).  WK 6: 1/2 wheelie bin - with one week to go until collection.

3.  Donna.  @Donna_De
Household: 2 adults, in Tower Hamlets in London. www.beatinglimitations.com/blog
WK1 Weigh-in: 1 30L rubbish sack. (weekly).  WK 6: 3/4 30L sack

4. Amy. @AmyMarpman
Household: 2 adults in New York City.   www.beyondthebluebin.com
WK1 Weigh-in: 2 bin bags - estimated 9kg / 20lbs. (Weekly) WK 6: 5.4kg/12lbs (covering two weeks)

5: Kate. @BusinessPlumber
Household: 2 adults, in a rural village in Mid Suffolk : www.businessplumber.co.uk
WK1 Weigh-in: 1 unusually full wheelie bin - incl Christmas waste. (fortnightly): WK 6?

6: Jax. @LiveOtherwise
Household: 2 adults, 3 children & a baby on its way, in Suffolk Coast. http://liveotherwise.co.uk/makingitup/
WK1 Weigh-in: 7 small bin bags - filling one third or half of a wheelie bin (fortnightly). WK6?

7.Melanie
Household: 2 adults, 2 children, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire
WK 1 Weigh-in:  3 large bin bags, almost filling a whole wheelie bin. (weekly).  WK 6: 2 bags.

8.Tim @Dotterel
Household: 2 adults, 3 children, Lincolnshire.  www.bringingupcharlie.co.uk
WK 1 Weigh-in: 1 full wheelie bin (fortnightly). WK6: 3 small bags, 1 week to go until collection.

Don't forget, just because the Rubbish Diet challenge is already in WK 6, it doesn't mean that you can't join in.  Just visit the online guide to catch up with everything you need to do.  There's also lots happening on Twitter too, so to join in the conversation just use the hashtag #therubbishdiet, or tweet @karencannard.

The Rubbish Diet, Wk 5: A cold, compost & Master Composters

It's a good job this week's topic was garden related, because I've spent much of the week thinking about how much compost I've been creating.

And trust me, I've been creating loads, mainly of the citrus peel variety.  All because I came down with a cruddy cold on Monday and I've been busy fighting it with, amongst other things, some decent doses of vitamin C.

Citrus peel is one of the many items that you can add to a compost heap.  However, unlike my lazy approach, advice is that chopping or tearing it up into smaller pieces will help it compost better.  But frankly, this week, I've only had the attention span of a gnat to dedicate to my composting abilities, so I'm certainly going to need to balance out the contents with some other material soon.

Composting has been on other people's minds this week.  Joanna Boardman, aka Rubbish Geek, will at last be able to use her new compost bins to help her with her Rubbish Diet and during a Skype session on Monday, Amy Marpman, one of our Rubbish Diet 8, was a lot more confident to give composting a go, and was looking forward to getting advice from a local organisation over in New York.

And that reminded me of a national scheme, which we have here in the UK, thanks to the network of Master Composters.

Master Composters are volunteers who are trained by Garden Organic to help raise awareness of composting skills in local communities. They give demonstrations at events and can also run sessions at schools, as well as publish advice in local magazines and newsletters. 

If you've been inspired to try your hands at home composting this week, but are not sure how to start, a good step would be to to get in touch with your local volunteers, either via your council or through the network coordinators in your area. 

Alternatively, you may already be experienced in the ways of composting and you might fancy signing up.  Training is free and you can expect to spend around 30 hours a year helping your local community. More information can be found at Garden Organic's Home Composting website.

And the highlight of the composting calendar year is Compost Awareness Week, which this year takes place between 6-12 May.  Do check out Garden Organic's Poster & Painted Bin competition to see how your family or school could join in.

In the meantime, here's another use for that fruit peel, before it even gets to the compost bin.  It fits in very nicely with this week's theme, for anyone who's thinking of planting up some seedlings.
http://lifehacker.com/5870971/repurpose-a-citrus-peel-into-a-seed-starter-pot

Recipe: Sausage and Bean Casserole

This was a really tasty, economical dinner that I made yesterday. I had another portion for my lunch today and froze another portion, which is great- Nick didn't have any of it because he's so fussy how he haw meat. He loves bacon, he loves sausages, but he wont eat it if it's "in" a dish. Honestly- he's as fussy as my little brother sometimes! This is a bit of a Heinz-fest i suppose, but of course i always haved these products in the house. I'm not one of these people that are obsessed with branding on products, but when it comes to baked beans, ketchup, and cream of tomato soup- it just has to be Heinz, otherwise it just tastes weird. I served this just with some brussel sprouts- it doesnt really need mash with it, because theres already potatoes in it.

Sausage and Bean Casserole (serves 3)

3 tbsp olive oil
9 gourmet chipolata sausages, halved or diced into 3rds
Knob of butter
1 white onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp dried thyme
500ml beef stock
1/2 tin Heinz baked beans
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 generous tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp corn flour, mixed with a little water
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. In a casserole pan, cook the sausages over a high heat in 2tbsp of the olive oil, for about 5 minutes (or until browned). Remove them with a slotted spoon and set them aside. Add another tbsp of oil the casserole, along with the onions, garlic and butter, and fry for 5 minutes.
2. Add everything except the corn flour, bring to the boil, cover, and put in the oven for 1 hour. Remove, stir, and put in for another hour.
3. Remove, add the corn flour, stir well, and return to the oven for a final 15 minutes. Season to taste and serve!