Witch Cake X Lace and Whimsy "Divine Feminine" Vegan Candles

In a feat of perfect timing, today some candles arrived in the post from Witch Cake's "Divine Feminine" collection. I have shopped Holly's beautiful creations before and love them: everything is vegan and cruelty free and handmade in small batches.

Cloth Nappy Hacks

Using cloth nappies is actually incredibly simple (see previous posts for reasons to make the switch, how to wash them easily, etc) but there are a few things I like to do that help make it even easier and integrate seamlessly into our day to day living. Ready for some cloth nappy hacks?

Vegan Raspberry and Cacao Rice Pudding

I've had one of those elusive, very productive mornings: I baked sourdough and put out the nappy wash I prepped last night. I've made Eden some oat bars and put dinner in the slow cooker. I've done the dishwasher, put on more laundry, but most excitingly, I made this raspberry and cacao rice pudding.

Purflo Maxi Nest Review

I really stand by the fact that you don't NEED loads of "stuff" for a baby, their needs are simple and they are not materialistic as much as you naturally want to give them the world. But something I really didn't expect to become indispensable for us was a baby nest! (I'm going to chat about our sleep journey today, please remember to follow all safe sleep guidelines, this is our own personal experience.)

The Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play by Laura Brand

The  Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play by Laura Brand: my current bedside reading, this book was a birthday present for Eden via me, as I felt a one year old isn't that into "stuff" but is super into learning and exploring - I hoped the ideas in this book would create far more fun over a long time than any one toy or item. I see a lot of supermums on Instagram sharing excellent structured play activities and games, but as a first time mum I honestly rely on Eden to teach me what she's capable of and what she'd like to do - I've never had to entertain a little one before so I'm a total novice. I hoped this pretty book would spark a few creative ideas we can try out, in a relatively easy and inexpensive way.

One year of breastfeeding

Eden's birthday, also marked another milestone: one year of breastfeeding. I've been thinking about writing this post for a while now but have struggled to find the words, namely because I am still taken aback at how emotional the whole topic of breastfeeding can be for a parent. It still feels like there's a lot of stigma when talking about it.

Foraging for Nettles / Stinging Nettle Pie

This might sound mad but stinging nettles are incredibly nutritious, tasty, and are lurking in many of our gardens for free! When Eden was born we brought a big batch of vegetable pasta with nettle pesto into hospital in with us as there wasn't much vegan food available. It was delicious and really kept us going through the first hazy newborn days, so I like them even more now.

Fern Sanitary Pads

It upsets me greatly to think that one day I'm likely to be telling Eden about how when I was young there were more fish than plastic in the ocean. For this reason I feel very passionate about reusable sanitary products. Considering
 that those who menstruate could use up to 16,000 disposable sanitary products in a lifetime, it is shocking to think of the waste that just one person can create. Sanitary pads are made of up to 90% plastic, they're uncomfortable, full of chemicals and they don't biodegrade.

Not a LUSH "haul"

Back in 2012 I started a blog that was kind of the opposite of this one. I had no concept of the impact of fast fashion, thought more was more, and posting "hauls" from going shopping was an in thing. Now "hauls" are NOT a thing because being wasteful and accumulating loads of stuff, often for the sake of having something to post online, is rightly no longer perceived as good content. However I received this LUSH Cosmetics delivery this morning and it took me back to those early blogging days (this would be called a "mini-haul") except luckily there's nothing wasteful in here - everything can be reused or recycled, down to the paper tape on the packaging. I placed a LUSH order because I wanted to try one of their shampoo bars but I got a few other treats as well that I thought I'd share.

Vegan Carrot Cake

 We had another first in our house on Eden's birthday yesterday: the first cake J has decorated! I was assembling the cake (as the icing is best done at the last minute) and a tired birthday girl decided she couldn't wait a moment longer for a feed. So J finished it off and did a lovely job - and Eden very happily ate all of her slice (no walnuts on her bit!) I thought I'd share this recipe for anybody else that needs a good vegan carrot cake in their life.

The Organised Mum Method

So is anyone else here part of #TeamTOMM? I guess a year ago I'd have considered owning a book about housework a peak low, but then Hinching became trendy and now here we are. ..

World Maternal Mental Health Day

It's World Maternal Mental Health Day and raising awareness of this is so important. I chat a fair bit about mental health in a roundabout way in my posts on Instagram but it's not something I've addressed directly.

Cloth nappies: the different types

Can you tell the difference between these nappies from the outside? Okay, some have poppers and others have Velcro, not to mention the gorgeous different prints, but it's the way they work on the inside that makes them all really different.