On Friday I decided it was time to cut Lilah's hair. I set up mommy hair salon in the kitchen. It included the following hair cut menu:
Lilah picked curly hair. I cut it exactly as I planned to (slightly shorter than it was)
We are not a big TV family. We watch half an hour sometimes before dinner, and sometimes a little more if we are watching a film in parts. Although I have a tablet the kids have never seen me use it and I've told them that our tablet doesn't do TV. I have a kindle which Lilah has tried and failed to play music on (somehow she did factory reset it once??) I debated letting lilah watch TV while I cut her hair since daytime TV is a general no... but I decided there is no reward for cutting a kids hair while they flail about. I put on Bluey and she sat SO STILL and I was able to actually measure and cut and it turned out pretty OK (I mean, it looks basically the same, but it way easier to comb). Next time I do Isaac hair I will definitely be using tactical TV.
[Also, If I cut both kids hair, and Andy's hair, then I can *definitely* spend more money on my hair. I'm also wondering whether my hair cuts (at £35) or colours (at £80 - but I've only done this once as I'm trying to grow out my natural colour now) should be going under a different budget category. It currently sits in Rachel Hobbies... but is having decent hair a hobby or a requirement? I do enjoy some parts of the hair cut, but if Andy could make my hair look as good as the hair dresser then I would be happy to not spend the money. Things to ponder.]
Saturday was a rough morning. We are trying to get Audrey to sleep longer and I'm trying to drop the 5am feed. on Friday she did great. On Saturday she decided she did not want to drop or shorten the 5am feed and she let the whole house know. Everyone was awake from 5am onwards. And I had foolishly tried to go back to sleep after she woke me at 4:30, which meant that when I was awake again at 5:30 I was extra annoyed. My mantra is "there is no sleep past 4:30" because at 4:30 or 5:00am it's so easy (especially on a Saturday!) to think "if only I could have another hour of sleep!"... but realising there isn't another hour to be had takes that decision away.
I don't look at the sky at 9:30pm and ask for another hour of light. I can't look at the clock at 5am and ask for another hour of sleep.
Also, there are always earlier bedtimes! There have been a slew of bedtime related posts recently on the internets which I am very much interested in. Apparently 9pm is not the terribly early adult bedtime I thought it was. For some reason I've always felt 10pm is a good solid adult bedtime. But maybe 8-9 is the way forward. Maybe evening social activities are not a thing of the late thirties and early 40s era of lots of young babies.
But back to Saturday. Because everyone was in a terrible state we all stayed home, the babies went down for a nap early, and I decided to go to Parkrun - a free local 5K. This is my first 5k since having the twins, and part of my goal of doing 4 5k races this year. It went way better than expected, mainly because I ran right behind two runners who had a perfect 11:45 pace which kept me from going out too fast and then walking. I didn't walk. I actually felt good the whole way, and picked up the pace for the last quarter of a mile.
I came in at 35 minutes, which is basically the same time I had on my last Parkrun (early March 2023... right before I found out I was pregnant). It's also the same time I had when I did a Parkrun 3 months postpartum with Isaac. At least I'm consistant?
It's been a while since I've stuck a meal plan on here. So why not?
Sunday: Fish Pie
Monday: Chicken & Mushroom Risotto
Tuesday: Tray bake (Aubergine? Chickpeas? Onion? Mushroom? I should have got tofu)
Wednesday: Toad in the hole
Thursday: Jacket Potatoes and Tuna or Beans
Friday: Macaroni and Cheese
This is a very aspirational meal plan, and I highly doubt we will actually make all these things. Often one night becomes leftovers or something else easy. The later in the week meals (Jacket Potatoes and mac and cheese) can always be moved into the future.
Also, although it's June, its raining and 65 degrees. I bet you can tell it's not warm from that menu.
What are you eating this week? Is it raining where you are? If you do a budget, where do you allocate your haircare?
I don't do a budget, and my husband and I keep our money separate, so I'm no help whatsoever in categorizing it. I just had my cut/color/highlights done on Friday, and it's embarrassingly expensive, and I sometimes look back fondly to the days when my husband used to color it for me from a box, which saved a TON of money, but sometimes when you have long blonde hair it can come out looking a bit like a calico cat. 'nuff said.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your run! That's wonderful! I wish it were 65 and drizzly here. I guess I need to move to Wales. It was in the low 90s here, though that's not as bad as it sounds as it is not humid here, and we have air conditioning. Meals this week? Likely some salads, not sure what else yet.
I have regrets about what I spend on hair and skincare. I'm a woman living in the world and the world has expectations. Also, it feels nice to be pampered once in a while.
ReplyDeleteSo awesome you did the 5k! -rachel
ReplyDeleteI love how you did a menu!!
ReplyDeleteHair... I use Great clips salon (a cheap chain) for everyone. I used to buzz R's hair but then he got older and decided he doesn't like it anymore. The hair cuts at Great Clips run between USD15 and 20. If I take the kids to Cookie Cutters, then it's $25 or more! I like to get a hair cut seasonally - May/September/January. I am very, very low key when it comes to my hair.
Yay for the park run. You're amazing. I feel like goals like this keep you going.
ReplyDeleteIt's been pretty hot here this week so we've had a lot of salads (nothing wrong with that, I love salads).
And I've cut my own hair since the pandemic. Since I keep my hair long, I've not seen the need to go to a hair dresser (where I would easily have to spend over $100).