Tips and Feedback

Christmas Shopping Online

I have just been looking at the calendar and I cant believe that we are now more than half way through the year.  Anyway, my thoughts then turned to Christmas.  I am never organised and always leave my Xmas Shopping until the very last minute.  I am determined not to put myself under that pressure this year. 

Now if you thought I was just being conscientious then I’m afraid you are wrong.  My main motivation is this… I am going to be living in New Zealand this year and will need to ship most of my gifts off to the UK, the USA and South Africa so I need to be more organised than usual.  Also, if I shop online I will have time to do some interesting shopping like the two sites I have just come across now… See below.

Let me share this with you. I have never really taken the time to get to know what feng shui is all about but I do find some of their goodies interesting, so I am going to read about it, match the gifts to the meaning and then match the meaning to the person.  Then I can send my little gifts to my family and friends along with the interesting stories attached to the items.  I think that’s a great idea and different.  Look at: feng shui shop in Australia and feng shui store in the UK. 

Or if you want to stick to what you know, you can shop online with Pinkfridge for the usual stuff like perfume and jewellery.  We also offer information on things like unique and unusual gifts to give you some ideas if you are looking for ’different’ Christmas gifts.

If you find anything really different and interesting out there ladies, let us know please.

by Angela

Baby clothes

If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy you will need to start thinking of lots of things.  One of the nicest things for me when I was pregnant was to shop for baby clothes.  I loved those little tiny bootees, shoes, vests and socks.  I could not imagine a human being so small that they would fit into those clothes.  I used to take them out on a regular basis just to look at them.

One of the things that was difficult for me to decide on, was whether to use disposable nappies or towel (cloth) nappies, so I used both.  I must admit that I preferred cloth nappies for many reasons but used disposable ones sometimes too. The things I took into consideration was: Convenience, price, waste disposal, environmental issues and washing needs. 

I did not find cloth nappies difficult to use or wash.  I simply got into a good routine and it certainly saved me a stack of money too.  I used two buckets for cleaning, one for wet nappies and one for soiled nappies (first empty the poo into the loo).  I simply emptied the nappies, water and all into the machine and put them through a spin cycle to get rid of the dirty water.  I also added lavender or tea tree into the fresh water as a natural disinfectant and for a good smell. I got organised for when we went out.  I used a waterproof nappy bag to keep wet nappies separate.  It really is easy and a lot better for the environment.  Also, fitted cloth nappies were only just coming out when I had my babies but now they are widely available and very easy to use - just like disposables.

by Angela

Keep those nasty toxins off your skin!

Most people are aware of what they put in their mouth and work hard to eat healthy organic foods to avoid pumping their body with nasty chemicals and toxins.  However, a lot of people are not aware that they are filling their body with chemicals through their skin. 

Skin Care products such as Moisturizers, cleansers, eye creams, body lotions, shampoo, soap and even makeup usually have nasty chemicals in them.  If a product does not say chemical free, then it isn’t.  Most commercially available skin care products are laced with harmful chemicals.  These chemicals also affect the environment.  A recent survey showed that a variety of chemicals from personal care products were very prominent in the USA waterways, with 95 waste water contaminants coming from personal care products.

You may be wondering how skin care products can affect your health, so here’s the answer: the body has about six pounds of skin on it and the skin is porous which allows nasty toxins to enter your body.  Did you know that most personal care products are not checked for health and safety because there is no company that regulates the ingredients used by skin care manufacturers?  So its all up to you to keep that nasty stuff off your skin.

My suggestion is that you look for Natural products.  There are a lot of them on the market and don’t forget that chemical free skin care products is not new to man.  Ancient people used herbs and plants to make natural oils thousands of years ago.  Cleopatra bathed in goats milk to keep her skin supple.  Today you have a range of natural and Aromatherapy skin care products as well as massage oils, candles, pot pourris and bath salts widely available to the general public.  You can even make your own natural skin care products if you have the time and inclination.

Pinkfridge has a good section on Aromatherapy.  We have a few recipes for you to follow and if you are not into doing it yourself, we have a recommended list of suppliers.  We also offer information on taking Aromatherapy courses.

If you have any suggestions of your own or recipes that our readers can benefit from, please let us know.

by Angela

Whats in a name?

When I moved from South Africa to the UK I had to learn that what I called a costume was just not the same thing in my vocabulary as it was for the people of England.  We called a swimsuit a costume for women, men and children.  My children quickly learned to use the correct words but I still have trouble today. I guess the old memory is holding on to my past for dear life. 

My poor kids constantly reminded me not to embarrass them in front of their friends.  I had to say swimming trunks for the boys and swimsuits for the girls.  I also had to learn that boys wore board shorts and that girls wore bikinis, tankinis, and one piece swimsuits and not just swimsuits.

No sooner did I get the terminology right in the UK, when we moved to New Zealand and I had to learn a new term again for boys swimwear.  Boys need to take their swimming togs to school or a party.  Now I had start using different words again.  What a pain.  At least the term for girls is the same.

Tell us what you want to see on our site?

by Angela