My Life in Mono...

Tackling Nits and Lice for First Time Mums

Last week, my little girl came into my bedroom telling me that her head it itchy.  I brushed it aside telling her that it might be the summer heat that is making her head sweaty and prickly.  The next day, I noticed that she was constantly scratching her head and that is not usual.  I calmly told her to sit in front of me and with my hair tied back, I scanned her head for confirmation.  HOUSTON WE HAVE A CASE OF NITS AND LICE.  Sigh.  My worst nightmare and pet peeve has come true.  I guess it is a right of passage for school age mums.  In my case, I got it at the end of the "school year", well technically the Lil' Tiger is not in Big School yet but she is in Montessori School and we are on a Christmas to New Year Holiday, which means that she got "infected" by it when she was still IN SCHOOL! 

I had a whole flood of bad memories coming back in my head, having personally dealt with Nits and Lice during my wee years, I remember the ITCH. Owh the itch, the constant scratching and bleeding of the scalp. The smell of the treatment that mum used and my grandma combing my hair with a red double sided fine tooth comb.  I personally hate them with a passion.  

Jumping up and down  trying not to panic, as we were meant to go to the beach that afternoon, my good friend, Kelly, confirmed that we do have the case of Nits and Lice and told me to get to head to the Pharmacist at once to get a bottle of treatment. Now,  although I am all for doing it naturally for my little girl, I was not prepared with how I was feeling that moment.  Panic started to sink in and I wanted to get rid of it as quickly as possible.  I am thankful for my friend for calmly telling me that everything is okay, all we need to do is treat it and go off on our merry way.  

We got a bottle of Moov Lice Treatment and a metal blue fine tooth comb. Ahhhh the comb.  So we meet again.  We sat down in Kelly's bathroom with the Lil' Tiger and started combing her hair.  It was horrible.  It took me back to the time where I had to do the same.  Poured the treatment on her hair and drove home.  The treatment said that it only takes 10 minutes but I made sure that it stayed on for at least 30 minutes just to be sure that I nuke the little buggers!  

We are now clear of Nits and Lice so I am now on preventative mode.  I will need to treat it one last time before my paranoia will allow me to calm down.  

THINGS THAT I HAVE LEARNT SO FAR

1. Remain calm and try not to attempt to burn every linen and clothing items that have been in contact with your child.  Instead, strip the bed down, put everything in the washing machine, wash it in a hot cycle with your usual laundry detergent and add a few drops of Tea Tree essential oil during the last rinse cycle. 
2. Remember, they hate Tea Tree and Lavender Essential Oil. So make them  your best friend during this time of need. These are only used as a preventative measure. Meaning, I would only use them to help me prevent the Lil' Tiger's head from getting them.  If you have an "infestation", I would strongly suggest you get a treatment from the pharmacist as usually the lice would have laid eggs and eggs are a bitch to get rid off. 
3. Now there are two train of thoughts with this but, one train says that Lice do not like dirty hair.  They live and breathe in clean hair.  The tip is to not wash your hair thoroughly every day but do it every other day or wash it during the weekend. This may go against my instinct but they say it works.
4. If your child has long hair, and by long I mean below the ears long, tie it up.  Braid it up and make sure there are no fly aways. This is where you become a ballet mum.  Everything in a nice neat bun, hair clips and HAIR SPRAY! I may or may not send the Lil' Tiger to school in a bun the next time but Hair up and some sort of deterrent hair spray, which I will share in another post, is my first measure. 
5. Call and let the school know.  Don't be a dick and send your child to school with Nits and Lice in their hair.  Once you have confirmed that your child has an "infestation", be the responsible parent and call the school and FOR GOODNESS SAKE TREAT YOUR CHILD! I know of parents who send their child to school sick and this is not the time to be reckless.  Lice spread fast and usually silently as it usually takes at least 6-7 days for an infestation to be detected and by that time it's too late.  So do the right thing and CALL THE SCHOOL.  It is okay to be known as the parent with the child who had lice.  It is not okay to be known as the parent with the child who infected the whole class with Lice! 

 

NATURAL HAIR DETANGLER & CONDITIONER (AKA THE SECRET LICE PREVENTER)

 

I adapted this Natural Hair Detangler & Conditioner from Live Simply to suit my needs.  

Ingredients

• 1 tbs Aloe Vera Gel (make sure it is 100% aloe vera gel.  I use Sukin Brand Aloe Vera Gel)
• 1/2 to 1 tbs vegetable glycerine (you can get them in most pharmacies, health food store or baking stores.  Lil' Tiger's hair is fairly long so I used 1 tbs.  you can half that amount if your hair is short)
• 5 tbs of boiled or distilled water 
• 10 drops of Tea Tree essential oil
• 10 drops of Lavender essential oil
• 10 drops of Peppermint essential oil (this also help repels those pesky buggers)
• small spray bottle

How to

• with a funnel add all the ingredients above in the small spray bottle and shake well. 
• use on damp hair and comb through.
• I have used it on my own hair, again with my paranoia, and it works well just as well. 

I hope to God that you do not have to deal with Lice but I was told that every mum will have to go through it in some form or another.  Now, if you would excuse me, I am off to wash my hair from the treatment.  YES.  I DID IT ON MYSELF AS WELL.  Again, PARANOID ANDROID. 

Have you been through an "infestation"? Share your tips and stories! 

 

New Beginnings

"The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made." - John Schaar

Two months have gone by since I last wrote.  A lot of things have happened since then.  I got a new job, my gorgeous little niece was born and lots of food have been consumed.  I learnt a lot in that short amount of time.  Learning to take things slow and not be too hard on myself.  Learning to let things go, again, and not take things for granted.  Learning to not take myself too seriously and just step back and let things unfold.  It is still an on going process.  Some days I am good, some days I don't want to get out of bed. Mostly good.  Most days I hop out of bed. 

Spring is finally here.  I think Pixel has been hanging out for a warm day.  The poor pup have been in jumpers all winter long and would probably need a summer hair cut soon.  Spring also means that I am outdoors a little more. I feel so good to be able to run outdoors again after a winter of hibernation.  It feels great that the days is a little longer and that it is not dark when I go pick up my little one after work.   

Between God and I

 

This is my simple religion.  There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.  - Dalai Lama

I was asked if I believed in God the other day.  He was quite concerned that I have never mentioned I believe in God anywhere on Social Media or in real life.  It got me thinking. Do I?  I do.  I was born into a Christian family.  I was baptised and I do go to church occasionally. Is that enough? It is. I believe there are many forms of believes in God.  Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jewish. They have the same core belief.  The trust and faith in God. I love religion.  I try to learn a little about different religions.  It makes us understand and hopefully enough to respect each other despite the differences in our believes.  My relationship with God is simple.  Just between myself and Him. That's it.  

 It's been really cold in Perth the last few days.  So cold that my bones froze.  Ok.  I might be over exaggerating but it felt like it.  I went to see the doctors last Friday.  Was diagnosed with a chest infection.  She was surprised I was still up and walking about.  I told her it was one of the perks being a working mum.  You have to do what you have to do. I took Friday, Saturday and Sunday off though.  Resting, sleeping and eating well.  I am feeling much better now.  Thank goodness. 

After a year of starting my business as an ENJO consultant or ENJOpreneur, I have decided to call quits.  It was not an easy decision for me though.  I had to think about my small database of clients that I have accumulated within that year.  It was getting too hard for me to manage my time between being an ENJOpreneur, a mum, a runner and a full time working employee.  I am happy that I have introduced the wonderful world of ENJO to my friends and family though. I have not bought any chemically made detergent to clean my house in over a year and a half. The best thing that came out of this is I have not bought kitchen sponges for a year and a bit because the ENJO sponges are the best! If you have a chance to change something in your home, get those sponges.  I guarantee you that you will not regret it.

Last week, I posted about the stress that I have been dealing with work.  Towards the end of the week, I was told that I was made redundant.  I do have another job lined up though so I don't have to worry about finding a job.  Morale at work has been really low this past few weeks.  Everyone seems to be so lost and most have the "Can't Be Fucked" attitude towards work.  Even I have the case of the CBF.  I am lucky thought that I do have something else lined up.  It's the same job that I have been doing but on a smaller and much lesser scale.  Which in my books in fine by me.  It means that I can go home at the end of the day and not worry about work. 

 Lots of practice this week with writing and pretend play.  We have a blackboard set up in our dining room and school has been in session for the past few days.  Dolls lined up all in a row and in a circle for line time.  Chopsticks have been used to tell the children that an Ice Cream is not everyday food but a treat as it is full of sugar and sugar is not good for you.  What is good for you is an apple.  A big juicy apple.  Writing alphabets and numbers is also one  of her current favourite thing to do.  I was told by her class Directress to practice the proper way of holding a pencil.  Concerned that she might fall back when she gets older if not corrected now.  I asked if me being a leftie would matter because she has picked up that I write with a different hand to hers.  Nothing to be concern too much about.  In fact it was better as my hands will always mirror hers.   It's just that I will not be able to correct her when I have to guide her hands because it will not be comfortable.  Ah well.  That is what M is for I guess.  

We are also learning a lot about bees these days.  She was upset that she accidentally stepped on a bee the other day.  I told her that it was an accident.  We can't help ourselves if it was an accident.  All we can do is say I'm sorry and let it go.  She proceeded to ask me again why bees are important and why we shouldn't step on them if we see them.  We need bees to help us us grow food. of course.  Without them pollinating our flowers and plants, we will not have any fruits or veggies or beautiful flowers to look at.  The world needs more bees and it is our job to make sure that they are safe and continue to pollinate our flowers.  OK Mummy.  I will be careful next time and will tell my friends to not step on them when we see them.  Bless. 

 

 

Staying warm

“Music brings a warm glow to my vision, thawing mind and muscle from their endless wintering.” ― Haruki Murakami  

I am down with the flu this week.  My mind is cloudy.  I tend to get a little short tempered when I am not well.  I can't taste or smell anything.  I tried my very best not to  succumb to using any medication but I lost.  I went to the pharmacist yesterday and begged for cold and flu tabs.  I have been sipping hot green teas and making my own herbal teas.  Ginger, lemon and turmeric with a dash of honey is my current favourite at the moment. Sweet, sour and spicy all at the same time. They say the combination is good for me. It has antibacterial properties.  I just drink it because I love the taste.  

Been dealing with a lot of stress from work at the moment.  So much so that I took a week off because of stress.  Stress leave as my doctor calls it.  I have never taken one in my entire professional life. I was not sleeping well and threw up every morning. My body was telling me to take a break.  It was a break that I welcomed though.  I get to sit down and think things over.  I have a plan.  I hope it works out but you know what they say "When we plan, God laughs".  I just hope not too hard though. I don't do well with anxiety.  It stops me dead in my tracks. I am coping better these days. Surrounding myself with positive thinking people was probably the best thing I have done. That and running.  

Recently I found out that a friend is on a 6 months trip of her dreams.  I don't know her that well.  She was one of my friend's girlfriend.  They have since broken up.  She started a blog journalling her trip and introduced me to 8tracks. Usually I don't listen to indie music.  I am more of a mainstream kinda girl but indie music is not so bad.  I listen to it while writing blog posts or reading.  Perfect as I do not know the lyrics so I won't get distracted.  I do hope said friend is having one hell of a time.  Maybe one day, if I am allowed to share her blog, I will post it here.  For now, I just want to keep it to myself. 

We are thinking of gardening again this spring. I miss the garden so much. After a year's hiatus and neglect, we have decided that we need to get back to doing what we love.  Being outdoors, playing with dirt and water, harvesting our hard work and teaching the little one all everything we know about gardening.  We are also hoping to get our worm farm working again. I know M miss watering the plants early in the morning before work.  He use to do it every single morning without fail. Except for rainy days of course. Wish we could have chickens.  It would be so awesome to have fresh eggs as well. Didn't really think of that when we bought this place.  We do what we can. For now, we can garden. 

Fortnightly trips to the library is a must now. She just loves the place. The books, the puzzles, the quietness.  We spend 1/2 an hour perusing every single shelf and every single cubby hole of books. Each time I hear, "This is nice" or "I have not seen this one before". Every time we go, it's 2 puzzles and 2 books we check out.  She has her own library card and is now quite good at checking out items at the self check out counter. Here is to hoping that her love for books and the library last a long time. 

Weekend Recap: Chinese New Year Edition

Trying to revitalise my Weekend Recap posts once again.  :)  I think it is a good start for me to continue writing on the blog. 

Happy Chinese New Year to all my readers who are celebrating! Quiet one for me this year.  We did have our reunion dinner and joined in the festivities in and around our beautiful city.  

Friday

We had our yearly family reunion dinner.  We decided to try something different this year and went with Western Food.  We went to this little place called Hub Grill in Shelly.  It is run by a small family. The service is very good and the food was amazing! I had the pork and it was cooked to perfection!  The mushroom sauce and the squid, was a good combination.  I give it 4/5 finger licking good! 

Their contact details are:-

The Hub Grill Cafe-Restaurant 
Shop17, Shelley Hub Shopping Centre,
Tribute Street West, Shelley, WA 6148.

Operating Hours: 5:30pm to 9:00pm - Tuesday to Sunday 

Ph  :08-92595595
Mobile :0449776954
Email: [email protected]

 

Saturday

We had the usual ballet and swimming classes on Saturday.  After swimming, my little girl had her very first hair cut.  I was feeling all nostalgic about it and kept telling myself that she needed it. The ends of her hair were dead.  Sob. 

We went to a friend's place after that for Chinese New Year Celebration and had yummy food.  When we got home, the Lil' Tiger (or in this case, lion) fell into a food coma.  We took a really long nanna nap. LOL. 

Sunday

We braved the crowds and went down to James Street Northbridge to join in the festivities.  We ate dumplings, watch lion dances and to cool off, we went to visit the WA Museum.  So lucky to have something this amazing and free in my city. After the Museum, we went to a local play ground just to let the Lil' Tiger burn off all the sugary food that she had.  :)  It was the perfect way to end a perfect weekend. 

Montessori Update

About 2 weeks ago, M and I had our very first Parent Teacher meeting.  I was really looking forward to the meeting as I have not had any real feedback from her class Directress.  I was also curious to know how was she progressing and adapting at Montessori "school".

A little bit about the Lil' Tiger.  She is turning 4 this year, she goes into full time daycare with Montessori "school" Cycle 1 in it.  She loves going to Montessori and is very happy in it.  Before going to Montessori, she went to a Reggio Emilia inspired centre.

Her class Directress is amazing.  You can see that she is so passionate about what she is "teaching" and really believes in the teachings. Her feedback was amazing and she keeps telling me that she can see the changes in the Lil' Tiger and how fast she is picking up things.  I did tell her that I try to do Montessori style jobs at home so it flows from home to Montessori. 

There are a few areas that the Directress said that the Lil' Tiger could improve on, one was her "calling" her friends from one side of the class to the other side.  Oppps... I think this is partly my fault because at home, we usually "call" each other from one room to come into the other room. I think I need to work on that too.  I can't really remember what the other one was but it's something small that I am not too worried about.

The LT could recognise a few letters and numbers now and I am really happy with that.  She can count up to 30 without any hesitation, a major milestone for me since she only could count to 10 this time last year. She excels in her math skills, pictured above where she is making geometric paterns from wooden shapes.

I am quite happy with her progress there and I really wish I could send her to a full time Montessori school next year but, that is really out of our budget.  So, in the meantime, I will still try to have Montessori jobs/activities at home.

The 52 Project - 11/52

Having her face painted for the first time.  She never was interested in having it done at birthday parties before.  I am so proud of her for being brave to try. 

 

Joining talented girls over at Jodi's

The 52 Project - 5/52

Portrait of my child once a week for 52 weeks

So happy running outside while daddy does gardening. 

Joining talented girls over at Jodi's

.::Stills: A Weekly Collection::.

 

//blowing bubbles on our driveway

//chalk drawing on our driveway

//Pixel checking the garden is free from snails. 

//Friday dinner.  Spicy Szechuan fish hot pot. 

//menu planning from my favourite to go cook books. 

//a little colouring before bedtime. 

 

Joining Em over at The Beetle Shack. 

Catching up… The 52 Project.

Late to the party as usual, my first two photos for the 52 Project this year. Better late than never I think. 

1/52

//new year sparkles

 

2/52

At her best friend's birthday party.