December 26, 2015

Reflecting on 2015

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Thoughts Reflections on 2015

Reflecting on 2015

A large portion of 2015 has passed. In a few days time we will be welcoming in 2016. Looking back a lot has happened this year.

I started off the year recording the 5 things I would do differently in 2015 After making my yearly resolutions I have been revisiting them frequently to chart my progress. Unfortunately the challenges that I have set myself for are still work in progress and I will continue them into 2016.

Here were the resolutions which I set in 2015. I’ve crossed out those which I have completed and will add those which I was not able to complete onto my next year’s resolutions.

I’ve come to the conclusion that certain things are really ongoing tasks and it can be impossible to finish it within a span of a year.

Tiger girl and me

Completing all my challenges . ( Healthy Eating, Weight lost and Declutter)- Still ongoing
Improving my photography skills.
~~Learn more dishes to try out with the kids.~~
Brush up on my French and Japanese
~~Going on a couple trip with R.~~
The kids being able to speak Mandarin and Cantonese more fluently.
~~Engage the kids more in bible reading and learning about values.~~
~~Do more crafts and outdoor activities with the kids.~~

Change

It has been a year of solo parenting for me and there has been many trying moments as I had to step out of my comfort zones many times just to ensure that everything was running smooth in our household. There were certainly lots of CHANGES which I had to deal with.

Within the house

Dealing with burnout of the main circuit board. The whole safety fuse box has to be replaced when it was found that certain plugs were burnt and electricity was tripping non-stop. It was the first time that I had to get in a 24-hr electrician to fix the problem.
Getting the air-con fixed after one set was found to be faulty. Luckily it was still within the warranty period and I didn’t need to pay for it to be fixed.
Dealing with a leaking faucet and having to get someone in to change the whole bathroom tap.
Changing the water heater after it tripped the electricity

For those that have known me for awhile know that I really dislike having to deal with such technical issues relating to the house. With no other adult around in our household I was forced to pick up the phone and contact the relevant people to seek help.

With the kids

I have been tweaking their enrichment schedule to see what fits them best. Enrichment lessons do not come cheap and multiply them by 3 the cost can be really staggering.

It would certainly burn a big hole in our pockets if we offered each child the same array of sports/ language, arts lesson which we started of for the eldest. Every child has his/her own abilities and interest and after letting all of them try out Swimming and Piano.

I’ve decided to discontinue swimming classes for Monkey boy as he has completed all the levels and does not wish to continue in their competitive squad as he is in his schools competitive badminton team. Having to cope with two competitive sports would be too tiring on him so we decided on dropping one and just concentrating on the sport which he likes better.

Doggie boy hasn’t really shown much interest in the Piano and after completed his Grade 2 we agreed on stopping Piano lessons for him while Tiger girl starts on piano lessons. He wasn’t showing much progress in his Chinese enrichment lessons so we stopped that too. Next year I will be giving him more one-to-one time as I try out new methods which I have learnt in tutoring him. The only enrichment lesson which he enjoys is swimming and has recently shown interest in the ARTS. I’m still looking around for a suitable class for him to attend. If any of you know of robotics or hands on crafting classes do drop me a comment. 🙂

Tiger girl is really excelling in her Piano, Swimming and Chinese enrichment classes and will continue them into 2016. She is loving the additional classes and learning quite a fair bit by attending them.

On a personal front

2015 has been a rather challenging year for me as I ventured into new areas which I have been rather unfamiliar with. I joined Mary Kay and learned more about skincare and makeup. Through research and trials I found out what is suitable for me and what is not. I documented some of my findings on the other blog- Rachel Dominique where I researched on the products that I had been using. I conducted makeup/skin class for friends and relatives and it was certainly an interesting experience.

I was rather apprehensive at first but after several practices I got more comfortable with doing makeup for others. Although I enjoyed myself conducting such classes I do not see it working out in the long run as it is simply too time consuming. Each makeup/skincare class takes minimum 3 hours from start to finish including travelling time. It is certainly a longer duration than I can afford to fork out on a regular basis without compromising the welfare of the kids.

I’ve been more in touch with my spiritual side and have been regularly doing my bible studies based on the suggested readings in the online bible group which I joined. Next year besides the suggested reading I will also be re-visiting some of the books on GOD and spirituality which were given to me by my spiritual guide and mentor – F.

R and Me

I’m really glad that I’ve managed to spend more time as a couple with R this 2015. Even though it has been extremely costly with the frequent flights from Singapore to where he is located I find that the time that we managed to spend together has certainly strengthen our marriage and relationship.

How has 2015 been for you?

October 13, 2015

Choosing the Right Sun Protection- Part 2

Dominique Thoughts sun protection, Sunscreen

Sunplay Sunscreen and Biore Sunscreen

From sunscreens which I’ve chosen for the kids I’m moving on to reviewing sunscreens which I have selected for myself.

In the previous part of this post I examined the sunscreens – Babyganics, Coola Organic Sports Mineral Sunscreen and Mary Kay’s Sun Care Sunscreen.

In this post I will be sharing my findings on the remaining sunscreens which I’ve have tested – Sunplay Clear Water SPF 50+, Coola Face Spf 30 and Biore UV Perfect Milk SPF 50

Sunplay Sunscreen

I picked this sunscreen out while shopping at Watson as it came in a small pocket size bottle which made it easy to bring around in my handbag. I like the fact that it had a water light texture and is easily absorbed into the skin upon application.

The Sun Play Sunscreen is the first ” hybrid” sunscreen that I have come across as it has both Mineral and Chemicial UV Filters present . Zinc Oxide ( Mineral ) and Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, (Chemical ) are found in the product.

Ingredients: (As listed in Codna.com ) Cyclopentasiloxane,C12-15 alkyl benzoate , Zinc Oxide, Polyhydroxystearic acid, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Alcohol, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, Triethylhexanoin, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Glycerin, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Lauryl PEG/PPG 18/ 18 methicone, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Methylparaben, Fragrance, Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Lotus Japonicus Symbiosome Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ectoin, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, water.

What is alarming about the product is that Methylparaben is found inside.

Studies have shown that parabens can affect your body much like estrogens, which can lead to diminished muscle mass, extra fat storage, and male gynecomastia (breast growth). Other studies have also linked parabens to breast cancer, as researchers found traces of parabens in every sample of tissue taken from 20 different breast tumors.

The EPA has linked methyl parabens in particular to metabolic, developmental, hormonal, and neurological disorders, as well as various cancer.

Conclusion = Not suitable as parabens are present.

Other brands which have parabens

Nivea Sun Kids Spray SPF 50+
Banana Boat Kids SPF50 Sunscreen Lotion
Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting UV Cream SPF 30
Bioderma Spot SPF 50+
Loreal Uv Perfect Even Complexion Spf 50

The Coola and Babyorganic sunscreens

Coola Face Sunscreen

I found this sunscreen easy to apply and love the scent.

Active Ingredients : Titanium Dioxide 3.2% ,Zinc Oxide 1.8%

Inactive Ingredients: Aluminum hydroxide, butyrospermum parkii (organic shea butter), cucumis sativus (organic cucumber) fruit extract, cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone crosspolymer, glycerin (organic), hydrogen dimethicone, isopropyl myristate, linum usitatissimum (organic linseed) seed oil, oenothera biennis (organic evening primrose) oil, plankton extract, polyamide-5, polysilicone-11, propylene carbonate, rosa canina (organic rose hip) fruit oil, silica silylate, stearalkonium hectorite.

My findings.

This is a great product. However it can only last the most 40 minutes so it will have to be reapplied more frequently. I’m wondering why it can’t last 80 mins too like the Coola Sports Sunscreen. I guess that I have to research more to find out the answer to this question.

Kao Boire UV Perfect Milk

Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Zinc Oxide, Alcohol, Water (Aqua), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Lauryl Methacrylate/Sodium Methacrylate Crosspolymer Polymethylsilsequioxane, Glycerin, Talc, Methicone, Polysillicone-9, PEG-12 Dimethicone PEG-3 Dimethicone, Aluminuim Hydroxide, Fragrance (Parfum), Silica, Phenoxyethanol CI 77492, CI 77891

My findings

The Biore Sunscreen was easy to apply and absorbed easily into the skin. The main grouse with it was it’s strong smell due to the alcohol inside. I also am quite skeptical about the amount of plastic within the product. Sillicone based ingredients can cause pores to clog and certainly not what I would like to see happening to my face.

Even though the products do not have any harmful ingredients I will give it a pass as it has too much plastics inside for my liking.

It is really important to know what goes into the sunscreen that you apply. To be able to do so is to understand what goes into the composition of each sunscreen by studying the list of ingredients religiously.

With conflicting information circulating around on the dangers of Oxybenzone I have decided that it would be best to error on the side of caution and use products which do not include it in their ingredient list.

Another factor which I will take into consideration is that the product is also paraben free as those too are harmful to health.

What are your considerations when you decide on which Sun protection for your family?

If you’ve miss it

Part 1 of -Choosing the Right Sun Protection.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are based on my personal findings. I am a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. If you are interested in testing out or purchasing any Mary Kay products you can contact me.