• Home
  • Life Style
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Beauty
    • Food
    • Style
    • Travel
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Download

║today my way║

trim-hair-at-home-tutorial-todaymywayblog










































Her hair would always give me emotions. Naturally curly and luminous had tendency to fizz and stick out, break on ends while still being soft and thick. As I didn't have experience with hair other than mine and the perfection is still yet to achieve, this journey has been nothing short of fascinating. Given her scalp to kiss, bury my face in, I was handed full responsibility over its each follicle. Between washes and occasional conditioning sessions it needed all the affection I was there to give. And trimming. Started early on and continued until Rapunzel came along followed by Elsa in natural shade of nylon. Scissors were banned, hair elastics had hard time sticking around. But as we know some things are unavoidable and only right attitude can save us from occasional meltdowns so one afternoon we sat down and discussed the options. Nothing too drastic and unfamiliar, nothing overly routine-changing for most days. Nadia was kind enough to spare a minute and sit through the photos taken to document the process of trimming her locks which turned out better than we anticipated (the trimming not the sitting). Since a tiny pea that she was, her hair had tendency to grow in layers and I wanted to keep it that way or as more like it as doable.

hair-cut-tutorial-four-easy-steps-trim-your-hair-todaymywayblog

Soooo in four easy steps... after washing (1) and combing (2) wet hair, tie it reasonably tight in a ponytail so that it hangs to the front (3). Gently loosen it by pulling the elastic down and choose the length that you want to achieve (4). Using sharp scissors (very important as you don't want to mess the cut by trimming extra inches here and there and then some more) make one, confident cut. Steady hand and good posture is essential. And it's done and voila and you've just created volume by simply doing nothing extraordinary. It felt great! Accomplishing this special assignment gave me thrills and looking back on it I'm glad that we did.

And here are some behind the scene photos for your viewing pleasure. As a disclaimer nobody got hurt playing with the scissors used in photos below. Completely safe and harmless no matter how ridiculously big and striking they may look. Made of pure cardboard paper and coloured lovingly with non-toxic crayons. Used with care. Happy end of summer, friends!

behind-the-scenes-cardboard-paper-scissors-fun-todaymywayblog
fun-with-cardboard-paper-scissors-tutorial-trim-your-hair-todaymywayblog

behind-the-scenes-cardboard-paper-scissors-todaymywayblog
wet-hair-trimming-hair-tutorial-todaymywayblog
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
4 comments
yellow-top-kid-bournemouth-beach-fun-todaymywayblog
fun-beach-bournemouth-what-it's-like-summer-todaymywayblog

















































Anytime you look out the window you have to decide whether to close it and suffer or leave it open and have wet marks on the wall. Still so humid but no one can take the amount of rain we've had this month rationally.

Days are getting shorter so candles and weekly firework displays over the beach brighten up the scene for us.

Things finally get done after two weeks of trips near and far - laundry folded, plants watered, hair trimmed, jobs delegated to others. There's still a decent percentage of loafing about and admiring the sea in the arms of late summer sun.

Seasonal fruit is expensive and difficult to drop out of mind so we turn to peach, plum and pear until there's no second guessing what exactly tongue is searching for.

There are foreign languages hitting our ears everywhere. I pretend to think they're tourists but the weather forecast is clearly telling me they are exchange students exploring the town. It's not easy to become weather-dependant, not another year, not another summer.

Everything we need is found within a walking distance - the beach, play areas, shopping centres and the coast comes forward when the sky rages like silly startling tourists and their smartphone lenses.

Bournemouth wakes up late especially on weekends. Driving those too suspiciously sleepy roads at dawn leads to the most relaxed experience. And as you know learning to steer is a clear antonym to anything relaxing.

Footwear is a confusing indicator of changing seasons. Never believe in sandals after second week of school and boots before the first appearance of moths. Or turn a blind eye at the festival of shoes leading you nowhere because most probably it's leading you not in the direction the weather steers.

The air understands those with allergies and lets them go out more, individually or in groups.

Finally there are no roadworks on every major road on our paths which is a big deal when time consuming commuting becomes even bigger shock to the system. And speaking of the streets, I can still see some of the beautiful hydrangea in full bloom, dipped in rain and cocoon of spiderwebs. Having a year-round permission to admire the views that change and those that remain still is a gift. Whatever the rain.

sea-worship-yellow-top-bournemouth-beach-todaymywayblog
playing-with-waves-bournemouth-beach-summer-todaymywayblog

orange-sandals-tanned-feet-white-pedicure-bournemouth-beach-todaymywayblog
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
2 comments
thoughts-on-things-little-face-girl-in-pink-todaymywayblog
girl-in-pink-morning-edition-todaymywayblog
I started cooking yesterday so my kitchen smells of garlic and combination of a few new spices. It's quite early to be awake with my unhealthy routine but holding onto a hot mug of chamomile tea sweetened with a little honey I contently dive into this settlement thinking what today will be like and what Nadia will come running to tell me first thing when she wakes up kissing my eyes open. It's quiet (and I can just recognize the shapes of trees outside from where I'm sitting), just how I like it - content and relaxed for as long as my tea is hot and I can tell the arrangement of toys on the table across from me by heart. The floor looks tidy but the somewhat mess of a few crayons, plastic toys, a stapler used for yet another book she made using Stabilo pens and her imagination, pair of scissors, her empty water bottle with Elsa and Anna looking at me curiously at first seem impossible to come to terms with. Abundance of paper and plastic that feels like growing unintentionally overnight. I take it for granted, a view that needs no special explanation filling me with joy there's an artist indoors that lays dreaming as I type this, a personality yet not shaped but loved unconditionally, still a lot unknown yet proving excellent in its making. I know I'll find all of this scattered here or elsewhere for the mornings to come. I fool myself the dawn will always come with familiar repetitions - the presence of a child will not be fading, how could it, not yet, not for a long, long time. I glance at the pebbles she lined up on the windowsill last night and can't help but smile. A satisfying smile I don't have to search for it through the alcoves of my memory but take it in with all five senses right here, right this very moment. So happy.

It's beginning to get brighter, I can now see the stilled leaves perfectly. It's unusually dry, calm and inviting after days of rain and dreariness. My eyes are brimming with excitement for once looking out the window. I drank my  tea, sneezed several times assuring myself there's nothing to worry about and keep warm socks at bay for little longer. My back doesn't ache as most mornings that I can barely put my feet down and begin the race of time. I don't handle pain well even though I put on a brave face at witnessing my sciatic nerve collapsing. It yells for a plan of action, ongoing treatment or just occasional acknowledgement this body changes and becomes less predictable. I've no idea what I could do about it other than let my child climb over me with her arms pulling and slender legs wrapped around like a pretzel countless times every day. This is something one cannot let go away easily. The bending, the twisting, the ordinary. My back goes through a lot in a week but as things turn out it's a combination of everything - satisfying and not, such life. It's something I haven't learned to do well, to take good care of myself the way I look after multiple things without even realizing. Through energy put skillfully in crafting each word, folding laundry with neat and precise movements, applying second, more defined coat of mascara, in things important but not crucial, I thrive. A packet of crisps beside me, essential.

smiling-girl-sofa-time-morning-todaymywayblog
sweet-feet-morning-edition-sofa-time-todaymywayblog
girl-in-flowery-pink-morning-on-the-sofa-todaymywayblog
 It's almost morning, time spent on writing becomes less productive. Busy mind starts its daily race bouncing off idea after idea, chore after chore. I still have those quiet moments to myself for less than an hour so it's worth squeezing them like wet hair. I like this room a lot. Particularly I like to stay indoors (though you may not believe me seeing this excessive amount of outdoor escapades I document) so a place requires nice areas to occupy my eyes with pretty things. Not always useful or easy to reach but so attractive to the eye at each passing that my life could be easily spent on doing just so - silently applauding. It's the spots, corners or shelves that keep this abode together. It's not plain magnolia walls stained in ink or unattractive carpeted floor that gets rearranged in my head daily. Those we've never come across to tackling. I have no idea why. Those are our walls after all, this is our home - rented or owned, this is insignificant. What's truly important is to make it ours every way we can. At 6 years old I believe Nadia is incapable of telling what's changed here apart from the arrival of new sofa and a bushy rug in a happy hue. It's almost like we've been tearing along on our own not merging with the dynamics of this space and yet it will define Nadia's perception on a happy place, lively place, a home.

My mum let me draw on the wall of my tiny space when I was 10 or 12 - I still remember the sad wing of an angel I drew way too close to the ceiling disappearing under the leakage every time it rained. It kind of developed its own features over time - the old house was collapsing gradually allowing all kinds of deformations in plaster, faded paint and the leakage blurred out the lines. It was far from pretty but I was happy to add a signature to my place no matter how temporary my residence or how poor the resources. And I kept adding a touch of personal wherever I went over the years. Sometimes it scares me how easily this idealistic, happy child inside is pushed aside once we grow older, how what we've learned to pursue with persistence and eagerness is given up without fight. Nadia's bedroom walls are adorned in her artwork, images of princesses or heroes she currently resonates with. It is busy. It is a happy place. Today I'm worn out of dreaming of organizing a space once it's mine. Tomatoes will grow anywhere, rented soil makes no difference to the ripeness of fruit and if she remembers a crazy wallpaper her mama tweaked between meals, the better (already bookmarked a navy one with drawings of boats, talk about the urge).

It takes time for me to implement a new idea into a well-known routine or philosophy but I'm eager to try even if I may only be great at trying. The present is all we've got, the pebbles I will not move from the windowsill but to dust around them, the over-talked about plain boring paint that keeps me in a state of panic - this is happening. I've reached the point I no longer want to explain why a coffee lover like me is not in a possession of a high technology piece that comes with 16 capsule-assortment -- yes, those cabinets are frustratingly low to accommodate one but let's do it anyway. Let's look for friendlier kitchen and make it work. That's the plan. But first the coffee because days centered around a good brew are essential.

I get up slowly, that first perfect stretch. I hear the bed next door creaking and the rhythm of a new day entwines for good. Upon typing up the last words I smile gently at the thought how lucky I am. To not only dream of changes but to make them happen. Right now because it's all we're in the possession of.

pebbles-windowsill-morning-drawings-rain-todaymywayblog
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
4 comments
bournemouth-beach-reading-book-on-the-sand-todaymywayblog

















































raeding-on-the-beach-lolita-jane-bowles-todaymyway.com

The pile of books next to my bed is constantly growing but instead of having unfinished stories by my side, I’d rather have a bookcase full of favourite literature to pick whenever I feel I want to go back to that story. Adding more words to my daily routine seems like the day will never be long enough. On the positive side – there must be at least half an hour break between chores to get wrapped around an exciting plot (and I don’t mean making a shopping list). I think I can do it. So a couple of weeks back I tested my ability to concentrate on things other than little garments and rainy weather. Here's the result.

blue-sky-blue-sea-todaymyway.com

 Recommending Lolita is like promoting great aunt's pie - everyone knows it's good even though they've had too much of it already. On this occasion I read it in original half-guessing the words but I nearly know it by heart so it didn't really matter. One of my favourite novels, the kind of novel that stops you and forces you to take sides but in the midst of fantastic vocabulary and even more astonishing sequence of events, this is not easy thing to do. Nabokov told the BBC that Lolita was his special favourte. It was his most difficult book - the book that treated a theme which was so distant, so remote from his own emotional life that gave him a special pleasure to use his combinational talent and make it real. I'm definitely drawn to controversial material, the more distant the story, the deeper the connection?   ☻☻☻☻☻

If you want to be introduced to original prose with a big bunch of unexpected and slightly terrifying decisions made in a daylight, Two Serious Ladies will not disappoint you. I reached for it thanks to a brief review claiming this novel being the only one written by Jane Bowles and becoming a classic. That's pretty impressive. I had to read it, as an aspiring writer myself I couldn't overlook another writer's first attempt that became a hit also named by Tennessee Williams as his favourite book. Simple language, rapid action, tropical destinations, interesting characters. Every novel needs help with somebody drifting to places off the beaten path and if there's two of them, the better. Playing it safe is absent from the pages. What's the worst that can happen from escaping a boring life? Multiplying encounters with (strange) people, getting swallowed up by forbidden world and finding new strength? I kind of think it's one of the coolest things to experience. Her women are not interested in bearable life, they pay close attention to their needs however crazy and condemn by the society decisions they make. They adapt well and are willing to try everything out - if there's a will, there is a way, right? 'I have gone to pieces, which is a thing I've wanted to do for years.' - a heroine declares. Summer read with a big dose of thinking to do. A definite thumbs up.   ☻☻☻☺☺

Coming up for Air is not terrible but can be depressing at times. I loved its humorous parts, interesting associations, words I had to look up for better comprehension. It's definitely one of the deeper reads I talked about vaguely here but the retrospective part when the main character describes the place of his childhood - a village he remembers as a rural haven of peace and tranquility - won me over without a doubt. I'm a sucker for long descriptive paragraphs you have to read over and over to get the point and - God forbid if I'm interrupted mid-sentence as the page can last me hours on most days. Would I go back to this story? On a deserted island or stuck on the airport overnight, yes but some books are meant to be absorbed once.   ☻☻☺☺☺

what-I've-been-reading-lolita-george-orwell-jane-bowles-todaymyway.com
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
2 comments
crocodile-creek-sealife-weymouth-todaymyway.com
splash-crocodile-creek-sealife-weymouth-todaymywayblog
crocodile-creek-sealife-weymouth-splash-todaymyway.com
► This is definitely a happy face!
family-fun-crocodile-creek-weymouth-sealife-todaymyway.com
For many of us, the words 'fun' and 'theme parks' always go hand in hand - no matter if you're four feet tall or not at all but you can still reach the highest shelf in any bathroom. I think they are fun - acres featuring objects tailored to satisfy everybody with a valid entry ticket and good grip shoes. Partly it's the child accommodated in all of us waiting to decrease the balance between well dressed & respectable and untamed and ready to shake the neighbourhood. Can be achieved any kind of way but never so appreciated if holding a little hand - for courage or pleasure. Sometimes both.

The Crocodile Creek was a hit we had a go at twice. Nothing like a good splash out. What interesting here is -- in the process of going down the water slide everybody knows exactly what they are going to be a centre of (ton of water splashed without notice) yet they come out surprised and a little disappointed? The faces I witnessed after getting wet were an explosion of mixed feelings. But yes, the excited and fully satisfied exceeded. You could also get a printed photo of such explosion painted on your face as there is a hidden camera in a relevant spot to keep you haunted at night but I made sure I took enough photos of everybody I recognized, there was no need of paying for something an adult would never allow to go public.

swimming-penguin-sealife-weymouth-todaymyway.com
penguin-area-sealife-weymouth-sea-creatures-todaymyway.com
kids-exploring-the-sealife-weymouth-penguins-todaymyway.com
► Calling penguins by their names, it's how easy she makes friends these days.
underwater-aquarium-sealife-weymouth-kids-family-fun-todaymyway.com



penguin-cove-sealife-weymouth-todaymywayblog
Theme parks are scattered around in our area like supermarkets and off licence shops. For any kind of experience and age group however everybody will find a thing or five to get transformed from humble straight-walking citizen into a screaming pair of shorts while holding a candy floss for a full experience. This particular place I believe will become our long time favourite - accommodating a great portion of sea creatures (penguins, otters, silly behaving seals, sharks and selection of tropical fish) breaks the experience into educational and wild, breathtaking (seaworms that actually respond to hand motions from behind the glass tank) and heart-stopping (any kind of carrousel or drop tower moment delivered in a sequence of emotional breakdown). Anything else is fun too. Eating in the open in the full view of a few local seagulls trying to intimidate us to give up or share the meal when neither option works well if both parties are hungry and have to pay attention. Or shopping in the gift shop but in the midst of plush, plastic and too much sugar it is the last place a parent wants to visit voluntarily.

heart-punding-experience-sealife-weymouth-todaymyway.com]
up-and-down-the-high-sealife-weymouth-todaymywayblog
► They figured out what makes them happy a long time ago
seal-water-carrousel-sealife-weymouth-dorset-todaymyway.com
gokart-track-for-toddlers-sealife-weymouth-todaymyway.com
► Let's do more adult things, shall we? ;)
crazy-carts-pink-race-car-sealife-weymouth-todaymywayblog
racing-in-gokarts-sealife-weymouth-todaymyway.com
► Some of us are braver than others
two-of-my-loves-favourite-faces-sealife-weymouth-todaymyway.com
But just as much as we like to explore each and every noisy attraction within the park, there's no stopping us from chilling out on the outskirts of any place for well needed, totally relaxed time with no one waiting for us to order, move or calm down. Sometimes I feel this is the best time of any visit. But it only works like that after we've come out exhausted, sweaty and barely moving our legs forward. Or wanting to be picked up every five steps if we're talking our offspring. It's the time to catch up on what we missed while having fun, tell a few jokes, talk over weird wardrobe choices of people queuing behind. Eating leftover sandwiches or giving them to the seagulls. You've got to allow for a bit of a quiet sphere after a mad experience, a stepping back to enjoy the day. And teaching important lessons is essential too - why only a handful of tries could be the winning ones and that lucky not always means the outcome but the attitude. We'll get those minions next time! x

happy-explorers-coca-cola-sealife-weymouth-todaymywayblog
roaming-around-kids-todaymywayblog
kids-on-the-loose-fields-summer-activities-todaymyway.com
toddler-summer-activities-superman-tank-todaymyway.com
union-jack-grass-after-the-adventure-todaymyway.com
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
2 comments
white-top-Asos-skirt-todaymyway
asos-skirt-windy-parking-white-top-todaymyway
Top: unspecified Polish designer, Pencil skirt: Asos, Cardigan: George













































































































Not all summers are made equal. Everybody's got their favourites they look forward to on each tea break in canteen and it does help if the weather cooperates but occasionally no plans means just as much as over scheduled and pre-booked two seasons ago. Exciting, a little lazy on some mornings, intent on finding interesting spots to look about, purposefully or otherwise. Before I came to this conclusion I quite forgot not everything has to turn into an event. I'm happy if it does, fireworks and stuff but staycation has its definite charms among occasionally feeling out of place in my own town.

The plans were big, so was the size of our luggage but a week before the departure date the car decided to play up. Brash beast to put it lightly. Stubbornly I refused to unpack. Days subtracted one by one in which our holiday shrank almost like a dry leaf I still hoped to stride utterly ahead - in altered transport, with less baggage or none at all but ending this unrest we lived in awaiting not really knowing what. The car eventually got exchanged for a new set of wheels while some tribulations between French illegal immigrants and UK's government prevented us from believing in taking off in no time. To admit defeat in the middle of a pear and plum season with the heat absentmindedly reaching record breaking temperatures (all of it admittedly happening in Poland) is like settling on something less likely to become a great summer. But the more you get to know yourself and the place you live in, the more options come to shake your opinion on having a good time. Becoming a tourist in my own town sounds blatant but it's got its advantages -- I exactly know where to put my foot and what high-peak attractions to avoid. I'm the tourist that retires one day on an island of her choice as she already knows her tracts and the vibe of the place.

I guess I'm not the person that is making the most of what she's got, that's why the universe is always on its feet to teach me a lesson. To be grateful even for the silly behaving English summer not to mention family grocery shopping and lots of exploring around the area before autumn hits us again. And we have a seaside under our nose, any kind of beach you strove to visit, here it sits wide, windy and inviting.

In the meantime I'll occasionally dream of a ridiculous weather far on the continent and thank for the sky I've been given to appreciate taking advantage of each intriguing shade of steel blue at a time. If you ask me, everyday is a good day to enjoy myself, home or away. Have a great summer, friends!
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
2 comments
Newer Posts
Older Posts

About me


Photo Profile
Hi, how are you?

I'm Eli, an optimist in training collecting an awful lot of ballet pumps and spending too much time admiring the sea. You'll find me writing about the joys of parenting, fashion, simple pleasures that all together create a beautiful life. xx

Read More

Connect & Follow

Popular Posts

  • A DAY WITH A GREAT DOSE OF MAGNIFICENT
  • START THE DAY HAPPY - BERRY AND KIWI SMOOTHIE
  • COLOUR IS THE STARTING POINT

Blog Archive

  • ►  2016 (46)
    • June (9)
    • May (6)
    • April (12)
    • March (10)
    • February (4)
    • January (5)
  • ▼  2015 (72)
    • November (2)
    • October (5)
    • September (4)
    • August (6)
    • July (11)
    • June (3)
    • May (12)
    • April (10)
    • March (7)
    • February (7)
    • January (5)
  • ►  2014 (109)
    • December (9)
    • November (4)
    • October (8)
    • September (4)
    • August (11)
    • July (3)
    • June (12)
    • May (15)
    • April (10)
    • March (10)
    • February (11)
    • January (12)
  • ►  2013 (149)
    • December (14)
    • November (12)
    • October (16)
    • September (15)
    • August (4)
    • July (9)
    • June (10)
    • May (14)
    • April (12)
    • March (14)
    • February (15)
    • January (14)
  • ►  2012 (43)
    • December (4)
    • November (10)
    • October (1)
    • September (7)
    • August (6)
    • July (1)
    • June (3)
    • May (3)
    • April (7)
    • February (1)
  • ►  2011 (3)
    • December (2)
    • November (1)
  • ►  2007 (12)
    • July (2)
    • May (2)
    • April (4)
    • March (2)
    • February (2)
  • ►  2006 (19)
    • December (2)
    • November (1)
    • September (1)
    • August (3)
    • July (3)
    • June (1)
    • May (3)
    • April (5)

Search This Blog

FOLLOW ME @INSTAGRAM

Created with by BeautyTemplates