Make your own baby purees

I was a bit nervous of making my own baby food, but one day I gave it a go and not only was it easier than I thought, Scarlett loved it too!  I think it gives you a good feeling of knowing you've made your baby her own dinner and you know EXACTLY what's in it and where it came from.  I also save a bit of money doing this as I can make between 4 and 6 portions of food for around £1 and keep them in the freezer to use as and when I want, where baby food in jars, costing around 50p each only last 24 hours or so, and then need to be thrown away.

You don't really need a lot of equipment.  I used a steamer to cook the fruit and vegetables which I picked up for around £12 from our local supermarket.  I know steaming is a healthy way of cooking things so I use it for general cooking now too, I even steam chicken in it, try it, it tastes so much better and it makes it really moist instead of all dry and stringy!  If you don't have a steamer of course, you could just use a pan with water and a lid on.  I used a small baby food blender to puree the ingredients, but you could use any other blender you may have, or even a potato masher or fork if you haven't got one of those, it's just a bit more effort!  You'll also need a sieve.  Even my blender doesn't seem to get every single lump out so I push the food through a sieve at the end just to make sure there's no lumps that Scarlett can't swallow properly yet.  It's handy if you have some small tubs or freezer bags to store the food in.  I found some small baby food storage tubs and I put these in the freezer and then I just defrost one on the day I want to feed Scarlett.  Food in the freezer will probably last around a month and stored in the fridge about 2 days.  Remember not to refreeze defrosted food and use on the same day.

I don't know a lot of recipes but I'm going to share the few basic ones I made for Scarlett with you.  Scarlett is six months old now so the following are appropriate to her age with foods she is safe to eat.

Broccoli and Sweet Potato Puree

Ingredients:
1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small cubes
A few broccoli florets, the equivalent in weight to the potato

1. Start by steaming (or boiling) your sweet potato for around 5 minutes and then add the Broccoli and cook for a further 5 minutes.  Check how soft the vegetables are by pushing a knife into them.  If they still feel a bit tough just cook them for a bit longer.  
2. Once your vegetables are cooked put them into the blender (or in a big bowl if mashing with a fork or masher).  Don't pour away the cooking water thats left as you may need this later.  My baby blender is quite small so I did this step in smaller batches with equal amounts of potato and broccoli.  Blend or mash until the ingredients are of a pureed, smooth(ish) consistency.  I found at this point my puree was quite thick so I stirred in a few teaspoonfuls of the reserved cooking water until I was happy with how think it was.
3. Put the puree into the sieve and push through with the back of a spoon.  I did this for extra measure as there were a few stalks of broccoli and bits of potato the blender didn't blend so well.
4. Divide up portions into freezer bags or small tubs and store in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for around 1 month. 

Pear and Banana Puree

Ingredients:

1 pear, peeled, cored and chopped into small chunks

1 banana, sliced

1. Steam (or boil) the pear until soft.  I found steaming was best as the pear seemed to loose flavour when I tried boiling it.
2. When the pear is soft, transfer into a blender (or bowl if mashing) and add the sliced banana to it. Again, my blender is quite small so I did small batches of equal amounts of pear and banana.  Blend or mash the ingredients until you achieve a nice smooth consistency.
3. Push the puree through a sieve to remove any lumps.
4. Divide up portions into freezer bags or small tubs and store in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for around 1 month.

As you can see from the methods, it really is that easy to make baby foods yourself and as baby gets older and develops taste, you could experiment with more varied foods appropriate to their age.  I've only listed two recipes here but other ones I've tried are pear and apple, avocado and banana, parsnip and sweet potato, carrot and sweet potato and just the fruits and vegetables on their own.  Just make sure to steam or boil harder ingredients and make sure avocados are ripe.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day!

Ni

xxx

No sleep tonight... Again!

Urrrrrrgh... My eyes hurt from phone glare! I rarely get a full nights sleep. I don't even know why I'm awake! There was no loud noise, Scarlett is sound asleep, no snoring from Bern, (although I did wake with his leg on my stomach?!) no noisy weather, no burglars, no cats having crazy time and no mad dreams. So why am I awake! Did I go to bed too early? Is 10pm too early?? Honestly if I blogged every time I woke during sleep there would be enough text to create a novel.

Bern has just rolled over and I'm now left with a few inches of bed space and some nice heavy breathing in my right ear. How very irritating! I can hear Scarlett shuffling around on the baby monitor now too. Too many distractions. The annoying song stuck on repeat in my head is Diamonds by Rihanna. I HATE that song and I really don't think much of her either. Such a bad role model for young girls. Never thought I'd hear myself say that before. Being a mother has changed me!

Bern's just elbowed me in the arm rolling back over, how dare he!

Did my Mam say she was coming tomorrow (or today even considering its currently 3.09am) to give me something for Scarlett? I've forgot what time she said, I have to take Rolo to the dog groomers tomorrow, I can't remember what time it was at though. Was it 2pm or 2.30pm?

Did I put the paintbrush in the white spirit? I can't remember that either. Its covered in gloss and i need it to continue the can of worms I've now opened by starting the glossing in the first place! I can't be bothered to go downstairs to look. I'm loosing my memory, I must be getting old.

Speaking of which, I'm 25 this year you know. Twenty five, quarter of a century. Why?! I don't want to be 25. I want to stay 24 forever! To be honest if I told people I was 18 they'd probably believe me, I really do look like I still belong in secondary school. But mentally I will always know, I'm really almost 25. Why does age matter? Because it means you get OLD. I don't wanna get old! I don't wanna get crows feet and grey hair, or have to wear clothes to suit my age. And if I get old, that's means Scarlett will grow up too. I wish she could stay the age she is now forever. She's so oblivious and innocent. I don't want her to learn about certain things and I don't want her to experience what our sometimes cruel world has to offer. I don't want her to have her heart broken and I don't want her to go through the trials and tribulations life's path has waiting. I wish I could just preserve her sweet little self as she is now and keep her that way.

Oh my God, in five years time I'm going to be thirty...

Arrrrrgh I can't sleep!

Ni
Xxx

Jamie Oliver's British burgers with zero fat mayo alternative

I watched Jamie Oliver make these burgers on Jamie's 15 minute meals last week. They looked so simple and tasty I had to give them a go, so I did! They really are the easiest things in the world to make and cook and the actual burgers are really tasty and juicy. Far better than any homemade burgers I've made before. There's no egg or breadcrumbs to bind the burger together so they taste much lighter and the addition of the beer gives them that extra zing.  The zero fat mayo alternative is made from yoghurt and Worcester sauce, which sounds like an unusual combination but you'll be surprised!

For the burgers you'll need:

• Beef mince.  How much really depends on how many burgers you want to make.  If I make too many I freeze the ones I don't need to use for next time.
• Whole grain mustard
• A good glug of beer.
• Salt and pepper

For the sauce you'll need:

• Zero fat natural yoghurt
• Worcestershire sauce

1. First of all you need to make the burgers.  Put the mince in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Add a tablespoon of mustard and a splash of beer.  Using your hand, squash the mixture together to bind and mix the ingredients.  When you're happy with your mixture you can form your patties.  Divide the mince and roll into balls, then squash them flat to make your burgers.  How big you want your burgers depends on your personal preference so make them as big, small, thick or as thin as you like!

2. Heat some olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and start frying your burgers.  You'll be able to see the meat turning colour up the sides of the patty and you can use this as an indication as when to turn them over.  If your burgers are chunky just cut into the middle during cooking to make sure they're not pink on the inside.  When you're ready to turn your burgers over make sure you swirl them round the pan a bit to soak up all the lovely flavours that have escaped. It gives your burger a nice crispy outside too!

3. While the burgers are cooking you can make the sauce.  In a small bowl put two tablespoons of zero fat natural yoghurt and to this add some Worcestershire sauce.  However much you add is up to you, taste as you go to find the amount perfect for you.

4. Plate up! Get your favourite type of burger bun or pitta bread to put your burger in, or just go mad and eat it naked if you like, without any bun at all!  I personally enjoy my burgers in whole meal buns, with a slice of little gem lettuce, the yoghurt sauce and finished with a slice of juicy tomato.  I serve them with really chunky chips, perfect combination!

And thats it!  Such a quick and easy meal for all times of the day which I'm sure you'll enjoy.  

Bon Appetite :)

Ni

xxx

Galaxy nail art tutorial

This nail art is so easy to do. I was surprised myself at how good the effect is with hardly any effort! It can get a bit messy so put tape around your cuticles first or have some nail varnish remover and cotton buds to hand to clean up afterwards. Here's how I did it...

You'll need a bit of sponge. I cut a small piece off a kitchen sponge. You could also use a makeup sponge or even tissue paper scrunched into a ball. If you use the tissue you'll need a few sheets. You'll also need a selection of 'deep space' colours. I used black as my base colour and then I used a silver glitter (for a starry effect), white, dark blue, light blue and bright purple. You don't have to use these exact colours though, just use similar ones or whatever shades of blues and silvers you have to hand.

Apply a base coat to your nails. If you don't have any use a very pale nail polish. You don't have to use a base coat but it stops your nails from being stained black and blue when you take it off! After you've done your base coat, apply a base colour. I used black but any other dark colour would work.

When your base colour is dry add small blobs of all your colours onto the nail. They don't have to be in any particular order and they don't have to be neat either.

When you've blobbed all your chosen colours onto your nail, dab all over with your sponge. Add more of your colours here and there onto your nail and keep dabbing until you're happy with your effect.

Finally apply a clear top coat or a glitter to finish off. You could even. Paint on a few individual stars with some white or silver polish on the end of a toothpick or dotting tool.

Happy days :)

Ni

xxx

Cesarean Section - My take on it.

When I tell people I had Scarlett via planned cesarean section, their usual response is "wow you're so lucky!" or something to that effect. I had no labour pain, no pushing, no stretching, no mutilation of my downstairs bits, no 'early stages of labour', no being covered in gooey bits afterwards and no sitting around waiting for it to happen. Lucky me! I thought I'd share my experience with those women who might be waiting for their cesarean or who have just had one. If they're anything like me it might be nice to read and know that someone felt the same as them.

A part of me is glad I didn't have to go through with that but actually it definitely wasn't an easy thing to do, there was a hell of a lot of pain and discomfort afterwards, I've got a nice big scar and emotionally it was a bit of a nightmare to be honest. In fact it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life.

Scarlett was probably breech for ages but it wasn't really confirmed till about 37 weeks. The only reason we found out was because we kept trying to go for a 3D scan but every time we went she was breech and it was hard for the sonographer to take the pictures. I mentioned it to my midwife who sent me for a presentation scan and she was well and truly breech. I was gutted I had this plan where I'd go to the birthing centre in Hartlepool and have a natural water birth. I couldn't have a water birth if my baby was breech!

The nurse at the presentation scan told me my options were either 1) deliver breech (not advised), 2) cesarean section or 3) try and external cephalic version (ECV). I opted for the ECV there was no way I was going to have a c-section.

To backtrack a bit, I'm absolutely petrified of needles. I don't know why I just can't stand them. And the thought of having a spinal with a section scared me to death. Over Christmas at the beginning of my pregnancy I was quite poorly and had to go to hospital and be put on a drip to replace fluids I'd lost. When the doctor told me I had to have a cannula fitted I cried my eyes out and the doctor who fitted it had a job too because I panicked so much. Bern had to calm me down.

So the ECV... I had it in week 38. I was so hopeful and positive it would turn her. I had an injection in my arm of a muscle relaxant and after an hour a doctor came and tried to physically move Scarlett round by putting his hands on my tummy and manipulating her. It didn't hurt one bit, just a lot of pushing on my bump but no pain at all. The first try was unsuccessful. The second try he managed to get her feet out of my pelvis and turned her quite far but she slipped back. I was determined and asked him to try again. It didn't work. So I asked again, and for the last time, it still didn't work. The doctor said he wouldn't advise a natural birth now, I'd have to have a cesarean. I asked if I could be put to sleep but he said its not something they would advise and he gave me a lot of reasons why I should be awake. I just burst into tears, why was this happening? I didn't want to have a section, I was petrified! I'd always said if I ever had to have a cesarean I'd freak out and I did! The section was booked for the following Thursday. Scarlett's due date was June 19th and I was booked in for 14th. She'd be 5 days early.

I was dreading that spinal that's why I wanted to be put to sleep first. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep calm for anybody's sake because the thought of it frightened me so much. I knew what it looked like and how they would put it in and that they would administer a local anaesthetic first. Even the thought of the local totally freaked me out. I didn't care about not being able to feel anything. The thought of that spinal gave me shivers.

I was so disappointed. My dream of a relaxed, natural water birth was gone. What if something went wrong? What if they cut too deep and cut Scarlett's arms or head off or something?! What if the scar looked horrible? What of the spinal went wrong and paralysed me? Oh my God what if I died! The day before we went into hospital I wrote three letters, one to Scarlett, one to Bern and one to my parents and brother and everyone else close to me, just in case the inevitable happened and I died. I told my good friend Hollie about them and where they would be and to give them to the right people if it happened. It sounds so stupid saying it now but I was genuinely scared about this!

We got to hospital at 11am on 15th June 2012. I tried to stay calm and positive. There were two other women booked in before me and the time was dragging on. Bern and me put our theatre clothes on at around 2.30pm. It was starting to sink in now. At about 4pm Gemma (a student midwife I requested to be present) came to collect us and we all walked to theatre. I gave Bern a cuddle. I didn't want to let go, I didn't want to give birth like this, I wanted a water birth!

Bern wasn't allowed to come with me while I got the spinal. I was under the impression I'd get it in a prep room type of place but to my horror I was lead into the theatre. The nightmare started, I completely froze. I turned around to walk back out and was faced with about 8 doctors and nurses all in blue scrubs. They were saying things to me but I couldn't hear them and I couldn't answer them. I completely lost it and started to panic like I knew I would.

I have to say those doctors and nurses were amazing. If it wasn't for them I don't know how I'd of got through the whole procedure. The next 20 minutes is a bit of a blur really. What sticks in my mind is the doctor who gave me the spinal telling me to sit in a certain way because I kept tensing up and slouching and it was making it difficult for her to administer it. I asked them not to tell me when they were starting and to not tell me what they were doing and I requested that when she was born and checked over she be passed straight to Bern. I didn't want to meet my baby in a state of fear and panic! I can only really remember bits and bobs of everything else that happened. At the end I was just glad it was over. Scarlett was born at 4.18pm.

I was taken to recovery. I suffered a side effect of the spinal, which was shaking. I couldn't stop! In between shakes all that was in my mind was that I was certain I was going home the next day. Bern had to go home at 8pm. He'd be back at 10am the next day but I didn't want to be stuck in a ward with our new daughter without him.

Up in the ward wasn't too bad but I felt like a burden because I couldn't get up to do anything. I had to buzz for a nurse every time Scarlett cried and I felt a bit hopeless. At visiting times the room was packed. It got extremely warm and I found I didn't have much privacy. The curtain kept opening and I felt like I had an audience when I tried to breast feed. I wanted to go home. I told a nurse and she said I had to eat, have some blood tests, get up and about and go to the toilet before they'd let me go. Thankfully I managed to do all of these things and just before 5pm I was allowed to go home. The walk to the car was the most painful thing ever! Sitting in the car hurt, going over bumps hurt, getting out of the car hurt, walking through my front door hurt, getting upstairs hurt, laying in bed hurt, trying to sit up hurt, everything hurt!

Bern did so much for me those 2 weeks he was off work. I don't know how I'd of coped without him. Emotionally I struggled to come to terms with the cesarean I think. I had dreams about it for weeks and i kept replaying it in my mind. I felt like I didn't get the instant bond is expected with Scarlett and I felt like I'd failed her for being so scared. I felt like I'd failed Bern for not being able to keep it together while I was there. I didn't feel like I'd given birth the way I was supposed to, why had my body let me down? We're designed to deliver, why couldn't I?

I still think about it now 11 weeks on and I think I'm still suffering some emotional effects too. I still have mad dreams about it and i cant stand the tightness across my back when i bend over because it reminds me too much of the spinal, but the positive is that I got a beautiful baby daughter out of it and I wouldn't change her for the world.

I guess the point of this is that it's okay to be scared and if you are scared then you're not alone. It's major surgery and you're awake, how is that not scary? It's an emotional roller coaster and it's certainly not an easy way out of a labour. It can be just as traumatic. The thing is though, I did it! I faced my biggest fear and even though I didn't cope too well at the time, I got through it and my Scarlett was born safe and well. I didn't die, Scarlett's head and limbs are intact, I can still move and my scar is nicely hidden and isn't unsightly. In hindsight I wish I didn't worry so much about it because it wasn't THAT bad, but it's just a situation that I personally couldn't handle very well through sheer fear.

I chucked those letters i wrote (in case I died!!!) in the wheelie bin not long after I got home. I didn't even open them to re read them or tell anyone I'd wrote them, I was just happy I'd got through the whole thing safely with nothing more than a long, but quite neatly stitched cut and brand new baby. I do have to say though, my scar is pretty cool!

Key lime pie recipe.

Me and Bern are key lime pie lovers! So last night I thought I'd give it a go myself and found it actually really easy! I had a good look online for a recipe that wasn't too complicated. There are a lot of recipes that involve cooking the pie but I found one on the carnation website that doesn't involve cooking at all, only chilling in the fridge!

So you'll need:
A decent sized greased pie dish or baking tin
Juice and zest of 5 limes
250g digestives
150g butter, melted
300ml carton double cream
405g tin of light carnation condensed milk

First bash your digestives into smithereens with the end of a rolling pin. Use a food processor if you've got one it's probably a lot quicker! When the biscuits are all nice and crumbly stir in the melted butter. Next, press the biscuit into the base and up the sides of your tin and put it in the fridge.

In a big bowl whisk your double cream and light condensed milk together. It'll be a bit watery still at this point. Next, add the juice and zest of your lines and whisk again. The mixture will now thicken!

Take your biscuit base out the fridge and pour your cream mixture onto it and return to the fridge for a good few hours or overnight if you can.

Finally, dig in! Thanks Carnation you've made making this pie so much easier! I've finally tucked in now Scarlett's having a nap. If you look closely you can see her asleep in the background!

Take care

Ni
xxx

Nail art tutorial - gradient/blended/ombré nails

This blended colour design is ridiculously easy to do!  Please give it a go because the results are fab and a real talking point.  Use any colours you like, in this tutorial I used blue and pink because I liked the clash and I thought it they would stand out a bit more for my pictures.  You'll need Base coat or clear nail polish, two (or more if you're feeling ambitious) colours of nail polish and a sponge of any sort...

 

 

So first you should apply your base coat or clear polish.  When this is dry paint your nail in the lightest colour.  In my case, pink!

 

 

Next you need your sponge.  You can use any kind of sponge you have handy to do this bit.  I used a makeup sponge.  A kitchen or bathroom sponge cut into smaller bits works just as good!  Paint a blob of each of the two colours next to each other onto the sponge.

 

 

All you need to do now is blot your nail with the nail polish on the sponge.  Move the sponge up and down the nail a bit so it blends.  You may have to re-apply more polish onto the sponge depending what sponge you use, as I found it soaked up some of the polish as I blotted! 

 

 

Repeat this technique on all your nails.  Don't worry if it gets a bit messy, nail polish remover and a cotton bud will clear it up when you're finished.  To save the hassle of cleaning up afterwards you could take the time to put bits of masking tape around your cuticle and the skin around the nail and you can just peel it off afterwards.

 

 

Apply your top coat and you're all done.  So easy!

 

 

Give it a try and don't forget to show me pictures of your efforts and variations!  You can use the hash tag #nomechompskinailart on Instagram or show me on Twitter @nomechompski :)

 

Take care

 

Ni

xxx

 

 

 

No sleep tonight.

So it's currently 02:40am and there's probably no chance of me getting any sleep! Typically I'll probably manage to drift off just as little legs is waking up.

We had a bit of a scary incident with Scarlett this evening before her bedtime. To cut a long, and quite frankly pretty frightening, story short, she was sick (out of her little nose and mouth bless her) and choked on it. The longest two minutes of our lives was spend rubbing her tiny back trying to get her to breathe properly again. It really scared us but eventually she got there and she was fine. What if it happened after we put her to bed though?! I don't even want to think about that. Anyway, tonight we've put her back in our room as a precaution to make sure she's okay, hence the source of not sleeping. She made a funny noise which woke me up, and now I can't get back to sleep with worry! It's strange how having a child affects you in this was. You get an overwhelming protective urge and instinctively you feel you'd do practically anything to help and protect your little one. Even if it means no sleep all night through sheer worry and lots of checks to make sure they're okay. She'll appreciate this when she's older!

Isn't it crap when you can't sleep? I'm lied here thinking pointless thought after pointless thought and I can't clear my mind at all, arrrrgh! My eyes don't even feel tired! But that's probably because I've been staring at my iPhone writing this for the last 13 minutes. Why am I thinking about stupid things?! I mean, why am I so concerned about what clothes I'll wear tomorrow, about when I should clean the oven tomorrow and about the sheets on the bed in the spare room I need to wash! I hate not being able to sleep. I'm dead warm now too... This is a one leg out job I think. Why don't humans have off switches? Scarlett seems to automatically switch off after 9pm no matter where shes stationed.

How annoying is it when you can't sleep and then you get a song stuck in your head and your mind kind of, has it on repeat? But the bit you repeat is the same part of the song over, and over, and over. I've got 'over my shoulder' by Mike and the Mechanics stuck in my brain and it's all I can think of in the background of mind! I don't even know all the bloody works!

I'm jealous of Bern, he's starfished sleeping like a baby next to me, as if!

Okay so I'm now officially boiling. The solution has been upgraded to two legs out of the duvet. This is getting serious now. Que Celine Dion, "this is serious, THIS IS SEEEERIOUS!!!" I'm gonna try and cleanse my mind and get some sleep.

And now Bern's starting snoring. Fan-!?@&£#%-tastic!!!

Goodnight, I think!

Ni
Xxx

Nail art tutorial - vintage roses

Start off with a base coat and a nice colour. A light colour is probably best so that your roses stand out more.

Choose two shades of a nice colour of your choice for your roses. I chose blue. With the lighter colour, dot some round shapes on your nail. They don't have to be perfect circles, rustic is good!

With the darker colour, ouline the edges of your circles in a broken line to make petals. I found this worked better if I did three seperate lines on the outside of the circle.

In green (or any other colour you fancy) add your leaves by drawing quite small linear shapes coming out away from your roses.

Finally finish off with a top coat or clear polish!

You don't need any expensive tools to do this pretty design, the edge of your brush works good. But if you've not got a steady hand, use a fine paintbrush. I invested in some striper nail art brushes from eBay and they were only £2, bargain!

Ni

xxx

Gorgeous nails are easy!

I studied beauty therapy sciences at college and learnt and adapted a lot of the things I know now from doing it.

It's so easy to restore damaged nails and a few easy steps can help you to repair them.  You don't need to spend lots of time giving your nails some TLC and you definitely don't need to spend a fortune!

Pay attention to your cuticles! Often they look unsightly when they grow up your nail bed and stick to your nails, the stuck cuticle also prevents the nail from growing.  To prevent this make a habit of pushing your cuticles back gently with your towel while your hands are still wet after you've been in the shower.  Your cuticles will go softer when they're wet and this will make it a lot easier to push them back. 

Olive oil works wonders! I swear by olive oil, not only is it good for your insides and outsides, its good for your nails too!  Massage it into your cuticles before bedtime.  It softens them and the stimulation of the blood around the nails encourages them to grow.  Another cool thing you can do with olive oil is make your own hand/foot scrub.  Chuck some salt (sea salt is best but table salt works just as good or even sugar!) into a bowl and add to this some oil.  Don't put too much oil in as this will just leave your hands greasy.  On ratio you should probably use two parts salt to one part oil.  If you have any handy you could add a drop of your favourite essential oil although the only purpose of this is to make it smell nice.  Mix the salt and oil together and that's it!  Scoop a bit into wet hands, rub together as if you were using soap and rinse off for beautifully soft hands.  Amazing what a blob of olive oil can do!

Invest in a nail file. You don't need to buy a flash one, just a normal nail file will do.  I prefer banana files (they're shaped like a banana if you hadn't guessed!) because their shape makes it easier to file the edges of your nail.  No matter what shape you like to file your nails, always remember, don't scrub your nails with the file. Just use a sweeping motion filing inwards, doing one side at a time until you achieve your desired shape.  If you've chipped your nail or it's snapped off, unfortunately it's going to be shorter than the others, this is one of these sad facts of life we have to deal with I'm afraid!  But even still, shape it with your file and at least it won't look tatty.  It will grow back eventually!

Strengthen your nails with top coat or clear nail varnish. Clear nail varnish or top coat is really easy to find. Paint your nails with it to help strengthen them. It makes them lovely and shiny too!

French manicures add length and the white bits are easily done with plasters! I love french manicures, it's such a classic, and it makes your nails look really fresh and clean so this is good for everyone and is brill for disguising discoloured nails, or if you're after a more natural, subtle look.  It also makes short nails look longer.  A lot of people tell me they struggle painting the white tips on, and to be honest I struggle a bit myself sometimes when I'm having a wobbly day.  You can pick up french manicure stencils for really cheap from ebay, or if you can wait for them, just make your own stencils by cutting the shape you want out of a plaster or some masking tape!  Try experimenting with the shapes and make pointed tips instead of rounded ones, or use different colours instead of white to spice up your manicure or to turn this daytime look into more of an evening or occasion one.

I hope this has rescued a few nails in the world!

 

Take care,

Ni

xxx

First post!

I've been sat staring at my laptop screen for almost 30 minutes now, trying to decide what to write on my very first post! I placed myself on the barstool in the kitchen with a cup of tea (milk, half a sugar), my 2 month old daughter, Scarlett, on my knee, and Rolo, our Cocker Spaniel at my feet, however i got distracted and painted my nails (we're at a wedding tomorrow), and then it was time for Scarlett's bottle, so I gave her that. 

I've finally decided this post should be a kind of introduction, so here goes..!

My name is Naomi, (people close to me know me as Ni) and im 24.  I live in Stockton-on-Tees with my partner Martin (also known as Bern), our Daughter Scarlett who is currently 9 weeks old, our dog Rolo and our two cats Manuel and Tabby.

I've always lived in Stockton however my oarents are both Maltese.  My grandparents on my Dad's side live over there along with all of his side of the family and a portion of my Mam's side, so I'm a regular visitor to malta.

Likes:
1. Nail polish.  I'm a massive collector of nail polish and own a growing rainbow of the stuff.  I love doing nail arty things to my nails and have a box full of tools to do it, so keep and eye out for pictures!
2. Perfume.  Oh my God I have an unhealthy obsession with perfumes! I don't even know why, I just love it!
3. Shoes and clothes.  I buy on impulse.
4. Animals.  Honestly, if I had a back garden big enough I'd have a small zoo!  At the moment we've got a dog and two cats but if we had the space both Bern and I would love more.  I used to have 4 geckos and a rebbit but unfortunately had to rehome them to a friend when I moved house.  I'd totally have them again though, and I'd really love to have a chameleon!
5. My family.  I'm totally in love with Bern and Scarlett.  In majorly different ways of course, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of posts about them.
6. Travel.  I like to visit different places in the country and around the world. 
7. FOOD!  I love cooking, if it didn't cost so much to buy the ingredients I'd cook "proper dinners" every day.  I'll try and cook anything I that I think looks nice, or sometimes for the challenge.  Although I do have a bad habbit of cooking Bern cakes, just so I can lick the bowl at the end... Anyway, my next venture is to try and make fresh pasta or ravioli from scratch so watch out for that one :D
8.  Cosmetics and beauty products.  I'm a subscriber of Glossybox UK so recieve lots of products to try every month and I can't get enough of them.  I'll be posting about some of these maybe in the future.

So there's a bit about me.  Hopefully it wasn't too boring! 

Scarlett, Rolo and I are off for a walk in the park soon with my friend and her son so that's it for now.

Take care!

Ni :)