mummy bloggers dubai | Seashells on the Palm

Too busy for a spa on Mother’s Day?

Sometimes, I am too tired to get in the car to drive to a spa. I just want to be in my pyjamas especially after a long day with the kids and work. I love doing, on occasion, chemical free treatments to my skin – there are some who say that you should only put on your skin what you would eat. Here are some of my time out treats that you can usually find in the store cupboard and fridge.

Face – Honey and Lime scrub.

Massage some runny honey – with a squeeze of lime for astringent purposes or some ground oatmeal if you like a coarser texture – into damp skin for 15 minutes. Rinse your face with warm water to leave it feeling soft and peeled.

Body – Almond oil moisturiser or massage

Buy some almond oil from the supermarket and rub it all over your body. This lightly scented nutty oil is suitable for pregnant mums to rub on your tummy. It is rich in proteins and vitamins and is nourishing, light and softening for dry hands, eczema and irritated skin. It is a good lubricant, so blends well with other oils as as excellent massage base.

Face – Honey and Cucumber Facial

To scrub use 1 cup of runny honey and 10 drops of fresh lime juice to lightly exfoliate the skin. Leave for 15 minutes. Use a warm towel to wipe it off. Then place thinly slices of cucumber patches all over the face and neck, including the eyes. They cucumber slices will feel cool while they tighten the skin and replenish moisture. Use a light moisturiser if needed.

Egg White Mask

This can help with lacklustre complexion and you only need 1 egg. Take the egg white, beat the egg for 1 minute. Gently apply to the skin and let it harden. Wash off with warm water. The egg white draws toxins from the skin’s surface and tightens the pores as it cleans.

As the mother of three children, and with another baby on the way, I had to crack the food code. Dinner time used to be a really stressful time for my household. Please don’t get me wrong, there are still foods that my children resist at all cost but it is much better now than before.

I try very hard with organic and super foods especially when it comes to meat and the dirty dozen group of vegetables so my children face challenges like lentils, quinoa and brown rice. My 4-year old son now has raw oysters, salmon sashimi and raw carrots as some of his favourite foods.

After my experience with three children, here are some of my simple tips that you can try to broaden your children’s palettes.

1. Cook with your children. It helps them understand the process of how foods are prepared and if they have made the effort to prepare it, they are quite proud to eat it.

2. Stop with the snacking. Supermarkets often provide many types of healthy snacks but I realised that my children were not the least bit hungry when it got to dinner time. Since I cut out the snacks at least 2 hours before dinner, I had hungry munchkins who were much more enthusiastic about quinoa.

3. Talk to your children. We often under estimate children’s ability to understand healthy and unhealthy foods. My children are allowed cakes and sweets in moderation. (most people tell me I am stricter than most mums) but I also make sure that my children understand the health impact of their decisions.

4. Introduce new foods to the children. If they don’t like it at first, don’t give up. Many foods are an acquired taste even to adults, and if the children try it a couple of times they may just learn to eat them. The most important thing is to teach children to try.

5. Add spices to the children’s food. Often, we don’t think of adding cumin, paprika, rosemary and other herbs and spices to our toddler’s diet. They are superfoods and it makes a bland vegetable mash a little more exciting.

Edwina Viel

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Homemade Beauty Treatments for Mother’s Day

Dubai | Food appreciation for children by Edwina Viel