'The Kings Speech' has been the best movie I have seen so far this year. Not only is it entertaining and funny, but it is also a true story!
'365 Days of Nothing New'. Done!
Last year I posted about my '365 days of nothing new challenge' now that the 365 days have come to an end I cannot claim complete success, but I can claim a greater awareness as to how I spend my money.
This awareness is not solely about saving some pennies, because although the majority of the time I am choosing the thriftier option by buying secondhand or making something myself, there are times when the ethical option is a more expensive option, such as buying New Zealand made, handmade or opting for higher quality items in order to last the distance therefore reducing landfill and excessive consumption.
Here are a few tricks for buying secondhand and handmade that I've picked up during my year long challenge and some great resources that I would love to share with you……
Op Shopping:
This one has no rules, just get stuck in and see what you can find! it can be daunting walking into some of the op shops as they initially come across smelling of dust and looking like a pile of rubbish in some cases. But there are gems to be found such as…..
These Leather McKinley Shoes for Jacinda
A Children's gardening Set
Retro Sheets that I made into a Change Mat and Place Mats
An Autumn Scarf for me
Vintage Children's Books
And these Vintage Sewing Patterns and Frames that I put together and hung up in my sewing corner
When it comes to Op-Shopping I have been guilty of getting a bit carried away and coming away with things I don't really need, so to prevent this I now keep a running list in the back of my diary of things I need, although not straight away, and I can pop in to my local op shop every couple of weeks to see whats on offer. At the moment this looks a little like this….
Online e.g Trade Me or Ebay
I found that online auctions are better when you know exactly what you want, down to the brand, size or colour as well as bigger, more expensive items. It is really useful to place a search that emails you when new listings appear as many of the best deals get snapped up fast and it saves you from getting side-tracked while trawling through all the adverts.
A few online bargains I got this year have been…..
Chuck Taylors
Nature Baby Moses Basket (unused)
Raincoat for Jacinda
and cosy merinos that needed some minor repairs
P.S To avoid hassle, remember to check feedback ratings and postage prices
Handmade from Craft Markets
Craft Markets are splendid! I love looking at the goodies made by the array of creative people in my community and they make great gifts for friends and family. They goods aren't exactly cheap (if they were to make them the same price as in the mall these talented people would be working for nothing, maybe even a loss!) but by buying these crafts you are supporting locals to do what they love doing, as well as getting some original pieces of top, handmade quality. Check out Felt too, as this is just like a craft market, yet online and New Zealand made.
Handmade Online
Etsy is the creme de la creme of online vintage and handmade goodies from all over the world. I could literally spend hours looking through the listings and getting very excited by what I see (which also makes it a good source of inspiration for my own projects!). Although I love Etsy dearly, I would have to call her an "occasional treat" a " guilty pleasure" because she is, at times pricey and not the greenest of options due to the worldwide shipping in most cases (although, in saying that you are able search within your region)
What Etsy is best for is sewing and knitting patterns, as there are many users with beautiful designs from beginner to advanced and they can be sent to you as a PDF file, which is nice and easy.
Here are a few of my Etsy treats this year
Felted Wool Slippers
Handmade Waldorf Dolly
A Todos Los Dias Grises Raincoat
And a Leila and Ben Dress Pattern
Go on then, I challenge you to '365 days of nothing new' !!
This awareness is not solely about saving some pennies, because although the majority of the time I am choosing the thriftier option by buying secondhand or making something myself, there are times when the ethical option is a more expensive option, such as buying New Zealand made, handmade or opting for higher quality items in order to last the distance therefore reducing landfill and excessive consumption.
Here are a few tricks for buying secondhand and handmade that I've picked up during my year long challenge and some great resources that I would love to share with you……
Op Shopping:
This one has no rules, just get stuck in and see what you can find! it can be daunting walking into some of the op shops as they initially come across smelling of dust and looking like a pile of rubbish in some cases. But there are gems to be found such as…..
These Leather McKinley Shoes for Jacinda
A Children's gardening Set
Retro Sheets that I made into a Change Mat and Place Mats
An Autumn Scarf for me
Vintage Children's Books
And these Vintage Sewing Patterns and Frames that I put together and hung up in my sewing corner
When it comes to Op-Shopping I have been guilty of getting a bit carried away and coming away with things I don't really need, so to prevent this I now keep a running list in the back of my diary of things I need, although not straight away, and I can pop in to my local op shop every couple of weeks to see whats on offer. At the moment this looks a little like this….
- Small forks and plates for Jacinda
- Winter Clothing for Jacinda
- Good quality fabric for sewing (in the form of tablecloths, sheets or large sized clothing)
- Good Quality wool (either in balls or clothing/blankets that I can unravel)
- Sewing Patterns
- Cot Sheets (or big sheets that can be cut down to make cot sheets)
- A Soup Ladel
Online e.g Trade Me or Ebay
I found that online auctions are better when you know exactly what you want, down to the brand, size or colour as well as bigger, more expensive items. It is really useful to place a search that emails you when new listings appear as many of the best deals get snapped up fast and it saves you from getting side-tracked while trawling through all the adverts.
A few online bargains I got this year have been…..
Chuck Taylors
Nature Baby Moses Basket (unused)
Raincoat for Jacinda
and cosy merinos that needed some minor repairs
P.S To avoid hassle, remember to check feedback ratings and postage prices
Handmade from Craft Markets
Craft Markets are splendid! I love looking at the goodies made by the array of creative people in my community and they make great gifts for friends and family. They goods aren't exactly cheap (if they were to make them the same price as in the mall these talented people would be working for nothing, maybe even a loss!) but by buying these crafts you are supporting locals to do what they love doing, as well as getting some original pieces of top, handmade quality. Check out Felt too, as this is just like a craft market, yet online and New Zealand made.
Handmade Online
Etsy is the creme de la creme of online vintage and handmade goodies from all over the world. I could literally spend hours looking through the listings and getting very excited by what I see (which also makes it a good source of inspiration for my own projects!). Although I love Etsy dearly, I would have to call her an "occasional treat" a " guilty pleasure" because she is, at times pricey and not the greenest of options due to the worldwide shipping in most cases (although, in saying that you are able search within your region)
What Etsy is best for is sewing and knitting patterns, as there are many users with beautiful designs from beginner to advanced and they can be sent to you as a PDF file, which is nice and easy.
Here are a few of my Etsy treats this year
Felted Wool Slippers
Handmade Waldorf Dolly
A Todos Los Dias Grises Raincoat
And a Leila and Ben Dress Pattern
Go on then, I challenge you to '365 days of nothing new' !!
Tropical Smoothies
This Smoothie is great for hot afternoons and you can even freeze it into ice block moulds for the kids!
Ingredients:
1/2 a can of coconut milk
1/2 a can of crushed pineapple (drained)
A few ice cubes
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Good quality whey protein (optional)
Few Mint Leaves (optional)
The 'Primal', 'Paleo' or 'Caveman' Lifestyle, What is it?
Before I became a Mother, I was a Personal Fitness Trainer and a Competitive Rower. During the past two years, I have stepped back from the fitness industry and the world of competitive sport in order to raise my children, but I have continued to read and research the subject as it still remains a great interest of mine.
Maybe it's because of my absence from the fitness industry or that I now have freedom to read my choice of material (as opposed to what I was required to study to keep my P.T registration up-dated) or that I no longer have to adhere to a pre-set training plan regardless of my energy levels, but my perspective on what health and wellness is has definitely changed and I am now 100% sure that the majority of what I previously learnt about Exercise and Nutrition is incorrect.
What I now believe to be the most effective way to achieve optimal health and well being is to follow what is known in various circles as a 'Primal', 'Paleolithic/ Paleo' or 'Caveman' Lifestyle. The deeper I venture into the subject the more I am amazed by how intricately our bodies are tuned to the earth and the more I realize I need to write about what I have discovered in order to spread the word about this ridiculously simple way to achieve an abundance of health and energy.
Being such a broad subject, I am going to start off with a brief overview. I also welcome any questions that you may have or suggestions for blog posts that would be of interest to you, you can do this by posting in the comments box below.
So, What is Primal Living?
Once upon a time, us humans only ate what we could hunt for or forage for with our bare hands (or maybe if we were lucky, a stick!) This hunting and gathering was also one half of our physical exercise, the other half was protecting ourselves from larger species that were hunting after us for their food!
The result of our ancestors lifestyle was a body free from the diseases and ailments so common today, a physique that would match that of an Olympian and an energy level unknown to most of us who now live with the malaise that results from the overtired, overstimulated, overstressed world of today. To live a Primal Lifestyle in 2011 is to replicate within our culture the life our paleolithic ancestors lived and thrived on.
What is Considered Primal Nutrition?
In short…
- Meat
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Coconut
- Eggs
- Seafood
- herbs and spices
- Water
- Limited dairy
- Preferably local, organic produce
What is NOT Considered Primal Nutrition?
- Anything that comes in a Packet
- Grains
- Legumes
- Margarine
- Hydrogenated Oils
- Sugar
- Alcohol
- Artificial Sweeteners e.g nutra-sweet, Equal
- Anything that wasn't around for your great grandparents to eat
What Is Primal Exercise?
Our paleolithic ancestors exercise was purely hunting and gathering for food as well as protecting themselves from becoming food! To hunt, paleolithic man would of walked around looking for his prey and then attacked using his maximum capacity of speed and strength in order to make the kill. To Gather, he would of walked around looking for the produce the current season had to offer by climbing trees and lifting up heavy things such as rocks and branches in order to locate his next meal. Therefore, Primal Exercise in 2011 is replicated by lots of low level intensity such as walking at a comfortable pace interspersed with short maximal efforts that utilize sprinting, heavy lifting and body weight exercises.
What ISN'T Primal Exercise?
Our paleolithic ancestors did not jog or power walk (unless it was a life and death situation) because it was not efficient and would leave them fatigued, therefore more susceptible to becoming prey for the animals who were higher up the food chain. They did not repeat isolated exercises within small muscle groups e.g bicep curls or crunches because it was unnecessary and they did not use exercise machines.
I hope to share with you the things I am continually learning about this way of living, my personal experiences as well as some of the more practical solutions to modern day Primal Living such as recipes (most of the recipes I have previously posted are Primal), what to look for when buying food, dealing with social situations that offer non-Primal food, Children and a Primal Lifestyle and deciphering the way your body tells you if it likes or dislikes your food and/or your exercise regime.
Loving......Etsy Rainwear.
Last year, when I was in New York during their 'Fall' we had a few rainy days. The people of Manhattan don't have the luxury of driving everywhere in their cars, many of them commute on foot even when the rain is falling, and I have to hand it to them, they do so very fashionably! with funky rain coats, gumboots and umbrellas.
Here's a snippet of some Etsy finds that remind me of New Yorkers in the rain.......
Here's a snippet of some Etsy finds that remind me of New Yorkers in the rain.......
Vintage Rain Coat from Max and ChiChi
Yellow Rain Jacket from Todos Los Dias Grises
Pink Rain Coat from Just Kitsch
Vintage Umbrella from Vandylee Vintage
Vintage Waterproof Black Rubber Wellies from Vintage Darling
Happy Rainy Days!
From Old T-Shirt to Dolly Sling (No Sewing Required!)
Only 7 more weeks now until Jacinda becomes a Big Sister!
She loves playing with her Dolly, she also loves imitating me! So, I am getting her prepared for our new arrival by showing her the ways I'll be caring for her new brother or sister, and giving her some little handmade items, such as this sling, so that she can 'Copy Mama' by looking after her baby too.
You Will Need:
- A old, adult sized T-Shirt or Singlet, in a stretch material (to avoid fraying and make putting dolly into the sling easy for little ones)
- Scissors
To Make:
- Place the T-Shirt on a flat surface and cut off the neckline and sleeves so that you are left with only the body.
- Choose a side seam and cut down either side so that you are left with a single layer of fabric.
- Place the Fabric diagonally around your toddlers chest and back, securing with a knot on the shoulder. Adjust if needed.
- Pop Dolly in the sling for a cuddle!
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