luluextra

 The holidays are around the corner, and for some of us, the school gates have already closed, which means more food, more snacking, and more thinking! 😅 Let’s be real — the cost of living these days? E choke. With three kids and one hungry husband (lol), I've had to become very intentional about what I buy during grocery runs. Some things that used to be "staples" in my house don’t even make it to my list anymore. Why? Because I've found smarter, more affordable, and even healthier alternatives. Let’s dive into some of them 👇🏽 ❌ Cereal Yes, it’s quick and convenient… but not filling at all. I mean, one box is gone in 2-3 sittings and nobody is truly full. Plus, prices are skyrocketing. These days, I go for oats or homemade pap with milk — more filling, nutritious, and cost-friendly. ❌ Instant Noodles Another convenient option, but it takes a lot to feed my tribe! Imagine using 10 packs of noodles (₦3,000), just for one meal 😩. Now, I do pasta (₦1,000) instead — a...

 As parents, we often think about what skills our kids need to succeed. But what if they could start building real-world skills that might even bring in some money down the line? Teaching kids skills they can actually use to make a little extra money builds confidence, independence, and financial awareness. Here’s a list of some awesome skills that kids can learn today – and potentially monetize tomorrow! 1. Writing and Content Creation Blogging: Starting a blog to share thoughts, reviews, or stories can grow over time. If they become popular, they can earn from ads, affiliate links, and sponsored content. Freelance Writing: As they get older, platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and writing apps can help them offer writing services. Social Media Content Creation: Learning how to make short-form videos or posts that engage an audience can lead to brand deals or sponsorships. 2. Art and Graphic Design Drawing and Illustration: Kids can start selling their artwork as digital downloads, on ...

Hey there, decided to share my pot of Gold with y'all my lovelies. Starting a side hustle in Nigeria can be one of the most rewarding decisions for anyone looking to supplement their income or gain financial independence. With the digital age in full swing and the rising cost of living, diversifying income has become a necessity. The great news is that you don’t need a huge capital or extensive experience to start; there are many side hustles you can launch almost immediately. Here’s a list of 10 side hustles that can help you make extra money in Nigeria today. 1. Freelance Writing With platforms like Opera News Hub, Minipay, Upwork, and Fiverr, freelance writing can be an excellent source of income. Nigeria has a demand for skilled writers, especially with the growth of digital marketing and content needs. If you have a good command of English and can meet deadlines, this might be a lucrative option. Topics like lifestyle, news, personal finance, and travel are especially popular...

 Living your best life as a mom involves balancing self-care, relationships, and personal growth. Here are some tips to help you thrive and look great doing it: Self-Care: 1. Prioritize sleep (7-8 hours) 2. Exercise regularly (physical and mental well-being) 3. Healthy eating habits 4. Relaxation techniques (meditation, yoga, deep breathing) 5. Schedule me-time (reading, hobbies, etc.) Style and Beauty: 1. Dress for confidence (comfortable, flattering clothing) 2. Skincare routine (cleanse, moisturize, protect) 3. Haircare (style, trim regularly) 4. Makeup (enhance natural features) 5. Accessorize thoughtfully (jewelry, handbags) Mindful Motherhood: 1. Set realistic expectations 2. Practice mindfulness (present in the moment) 3. Positive self-talk 4. Embrace imperfection 5. Celebrate milestones and achievements Relationships: 1. Nurture your partnership (date nights, communication) 2. Foster meaningful friendships 3. Prioritize quality time with children 4. Build a support network ...

Cheating, or infidelity, in marriage is often seen as a betrayal of trust, yet it’s a more common occurrence than many might realize. While society often paints men as the primary offenders, research and real-life scenarios show that women also cheat, and for a variety of reasons. Understanding why women cheat on their husbands requires a look beyond simple explanations. Here, we’ll explore some of the more complex, underlying reasons why women may be unfaithful in marriage. 1. Emotional Neglect and Loneliness One of the most common reasons women cheat is due to emotional neglect. Many women desire not only love but also consistent emotional connection and validation. If a woman feels unheard, unappreciated, or emotionally isolated within her marriage, she may seek comfort elsewhere. When a man fails to show interest in his partner’s thoughts, dreams, or struggles, she may find herself drawn to someone who does. 2. Lack of Intimacy and Physical Connection Physical intimacy plays a vita...

 Hey luluxtra lovers welcome back to another blog. This blog to some would be hilarious while for others it's the other way round. I'd let you know how I feel at the end though. So Thursday 25th May 2023, I had just gotten off the phone with my man, he'd just left church and headed home as at 7:00pm NB: we are at different locations at the moment because he's working, so I at my end was trying to make dinner and I noticed I'd ran out of gas ; the time was 7:35pm. So I decided to call him back to complain to him because I just got gas less than a week ago so there has to be some leakage or the gas attendant just pumped air into my gas cylinder. So here I am calling my man but he's not picking up for over 20mins. Thinking about it right now 20minutes is not enough time to start panicking but for some reason alot of negative thought was going through my head, thoughts like "it's unlike him, he'd at least text me back", "he should be home by n...

Corper Wee! Another memory from NYSC . So if you're Nigerian who's gone through the (NYSC) process I bet you could relate to how terrifying your (PPA) could be, especially villages or underdeveloped parts of Nigeria. For the purpose of those who don't know what NYSC is or about; NYSC is an acronym for "National Youth Service Corp" , so if you're a Nigerian, it's expected of you to serve the country (Nigeria) once you're done from College/ the university, sometimes people go ahead to acquire their masters  first. So in the process of serving your country you first of all apply to the NYSC portal which you can only serve once, you're expected to stay in camp with other Corp members for a specific duration of time before you're then posted to your (PPA) which is your "Place Of Primary Assignment". That been said, so my PPA was 'B-dere community primary school Gokana, Rivers State ' it's resident to the ogini tribe. During cam...

 Wow, NYSC @50 just brought back loads of fun memories that I'm more than excited to share. Hey there it's been a while I posted here, forgive my inconsistency, I never stopped writing I just haven't had the guts to share my thoughts on here. I promise to do better henceforth. Moving on, so during my NYSC days I was nominated by my platoon(four), to represent my platoon for Miss NYSC Rivers State (2017), I was really honored amongst many other girls in my platoon plus I thought participating in Miss NYSC would enable me get posted to the city of portharcourt (Rivers State) but that's story for another blog. During the days and weeks of preparation I could have sworn I'd already won the pageant and every other thing was formality, I got a lot of compliments from my platoon, other platoons, infact I was popular before the D-Day; the other girls contesting some saw me as a threat and three others became friends with me. Fast forward to the night of the event, our first...

Our Potty Training Story As at the time I'm writing this blog my baby 'Vida' is two years old and she's potty trained. Initially she got potty trained at about 21 to 22months old officially even though before then she'd indicate when she needed to use her potty but i choose to say 22months old because she decided independently on her own to stop wearing diapers, whenever I wore her diapers she'd remove it and that's when I came to the conclusion that we were potty trained! So initially I introduced potty to my daughter quite early, I think somewhere around 8-9 months; reasons because the bath my mum gifted us came with a potty and also she (my mum) engineered the idea of how nice it'd be if I started potty training early. So I do as told even though I wasn't doing it consistently, reason because it was difficult to tell when she needed to pee or poo, it just happens plus I wasn't always into it, so it was off and on for me. Fast forward to when s...

Pap popularly known as Akamu (in Nigeria) is made from fermented maize, it has this unique sour taste that gets you craving for more, pap could be enjoyed with bean balls or bean cake(akara), moimoi, bread or even the famous agege bread etc. Pap in Nigeria can be taken by both Adults and babies ready for weaning. As a matter of fact growing up Pap and Hot Akara was a Saturday morning staple. I remember going to buy Akara on Saturday mornings with older cousins living with my immediate family then in Warri, the crowd was often baffling. Now I made the decision to learn how to make pap from scratch in the comfort of my home when it was time for weaning my baby 'Vida' at the time, for hygiene reasons. I could only trust myself to make her meals. Pap is highly nutritious, especially when you decide to throw in guinea corn and millet in addition to your maize. Items you'd need Two clean bowl and or a see through bucket with cover.  Muslin bag or a chiffon cloth.  Siev...

Hey guys, welcome to my blog; I'm lulu from Nigeria, please feel free to like, share and subscribe to my blog. So as you can see from the blog title, some of us aren't lucky to know what or who we want to become, for some they knew what they've always wanted to do and become right from childhood while for others they're clueless; this inspired me to do this blog. I personally, when it was time for me to go to college (university) I  wasn't sure of what I wanted. Back then at high school I was very sure I had no business been in the science department because I've always been more passionate about Arts, my favourite subject then was English and literature, as a matter of fact I'd had dreams of becoming an actress or even a musician even if my dad wanted me to become a Doctor. The funny thing about  me becoming an actress was that I was a very shy person, I could act or play roles, sing and dance inside my house but no audience please...(lol). Now gainin...

Hey guys, Its been a while I blogged and trust me I've missed it,  alot has been going on with me lately,  from planning and celebrating Vida's birthday, to finding out I was pregnant as the title of this blog have it and to loosing my mum; this past year (2019) has been quite a roller coaster.  Well as you have it I'm back and not going anywhere, Meanwhile Happy New Year!      It's a Girl!  To be frank guys there's this feeling of greed and guilt that comes with gender reveal after having an Ultrasound. It's like a child unwrapping his or her present with very high expectations of wanting a particular gift but gets something else, either ways you just have to be grateful for your gift.                                 I had gone in for my ultrasound scan during my second trimester, I am not quite sure of how many weeks I was at the time but it was my second trim...

Motherhood is overwhelming . I mean all what I think about is ensuring a sustainable and bright future for my baby girl. For me having a baby girl is like recreating the mini version of yourself and doing anything possible to avert her from making the same mistakes you made and encouraging her to do things you wished you'd have done but was too scared to do. Now that's my truth, I can't say for any other person. Fact is I can't manipulate my daughter's future neither is it right to dictate her life, but here are things I'd love to teach her.  Your Gender Doesn't Define What You Should Do,  Become or Love:  Growing up as a young girl society made me believe some certain things are meant for the male and also for the female; from career choices to hobbies, even as far as to politics, TV shows or entertainment etc.Now this is not a sexist blog but I'd love for my baby girl to know that the things she loves and is passionate about isn't and shouldn...

it's been a year already? How time flies. Seems like it was just yesterday I and hubby drove down to the hospital, I was overly anticipating to meet her. Although the truth is I'd lost myself right during my pregnancy; from the food I ate, the manner in which I slept and how I indulge in my daily activities were not me anymore. Everything had suddenly revolved around her and now I'm on a  journey to finding myself again. Although if I'd be fair, things would never be the way they were before conception, not even my body, my friends nor lifestyle. Motherhood is indeed beautiful. I'd never had imagined loving some other person more than myself. Suddenly I get cold feet considering Working. No I'd rather be an Entrepreneur I say, I definitely don't want to be a stay at home mum, not like there'sanything wrong with that but it's not for everyone.  I'd be miserable if i tried. I want to earn money taking care of my baby. I'd spend hours ...

Before He Pops The Question! I'm sure we all are familiar with the saying " Well you can force the horse to the river but can't force him to drink." Same applies with men and marriage. Unlike us women we see getting married differently; we believe ones we're in love with him then he's the one. Well for the Brother's it's not the same and yet they think we're complicated? Well let's not dwell on that for now. Men put a lot into consideration before taking that Bold Step of popping the question; meanwhile if  we were to analyse who's giving most things up it's us female's . Yet they make it seem like they are doing us a favour. Okay straight to the point, it's one thing getting a guy, it's another thing getting him to commit and taking the relationship to a whole other level and finally been married is entirely another level. So we want to make sure we're not just going to get married and run out or get married w...

This is very funny and sensitive you know?! I mean before I had my baby all I knew about breastfeeding was that it was mum and child bonding . I thought once you had your baby, you just breastfeed them immediately. Well yes, its recommended that you breastfeed your baby during the first hour of baby's life but what you might not know is that most cases there's no milk. What's been produced is a thick yellowish fluid called 'colostrum' for the first few days until the breast milk comes. Now some mum's like myself gets impatient and even tear up because we want to nurse our babies. That's where we look out for what would boost our milk supply. Well in my case 'Gulder' beer was suggested which I took second day after delivery and it worked for me. I also took Palm wine and I was lactating. Other suggestion would be lactating cookies which I'd post the recipe soon on the blog. Now one thing  that really got to me during my first two weeks...

Motherhood has been fair to me; from pregnancy to birthing my gem, it has been a beautiful journey and I simply can't remember what life was without her. Although I didn't feel the sudden gush of butterflies in my Tommy just immediately and it was weird.  I had watched tons of vlogs on birthing and read books and blogs and most of the mum's would swear they'd instant butterflies in their Tommy and fell hopelessly in love immediately they laid eyes on their newborn. As I watched the nurse clean my baby all that'd come to mind was 'She was a stranger that'd just become mine'. My lo weighed 3.5kg at birth. I was really determined to watch the weight because I was scared of the blade (lol).  She'd arrived as at 10:54pm with two good push😂😂😂. Amazingly I completely forgot what contractions were or felt like. To every soon to be mum's every birth story is unique and I wish y'all a beautiful birth experience. love LuluXtra

Been Married for Three months traditionally and two months legally and in the sight of God. I tend to see and listen to many single ladies drowl and gush on the thought of getting Married. Now don't get me wrong there's absolutely nothing wrong with that if only it's for the right reasons and with a proper understanding of the word "Marriage". During school days i was opportuned to have several amazing friends who'd gush and fantasies on their dream wedding mostly when they go online and check out videos and stories on some of the top Nigerian weddings via Instagram. Back then for me I wasn't really all blown away by the thought of having a fabulous wedding and what not; I was rather more of a  " I am happy and that's all that counts".  I had my boyfriend then back in school and we were really happy but never for once did I allow the thought of marriage sink in because quote me wrong but I felt marriage would ruin everythin...

The term Domestic Violence has been misunderstood. Campaigns to earnest awareness regarding domestic violence has proven to be a complete failure. On social media, blogs and etc we only see and hear stories about women been a victim of domestic violence and the irony of this is that women are still on the fight to be equals with men, to be heard and believed in but then playing the role of the weaker sex. The whole essence of this blog is not to take sides with either of the sexes. As a matter of fact I've been a victim of domestic violence before now, as much as I don't deserve to be molested, I also have to take responsibility of contributing been a cause of that incident. Okay chill! I know you'd be saying so I should stick to a man who abuses me at every slight opportunity? No! What's Domestic violence? Like stated earlier laymen without proper research understands  'Domestic Violence' as a woman been a victim of physical and emotional abuse. ...

So the most intriguing, hilarious and fascinating thing happened to me yesterday. I know I'm going to get slammed for sharing this guys but then I'm still in shock. I was invited to go out on a lunch date yesterday 23/05/17 with some David from Rivers State . No Lies guys but the invitation had come many times before but I've always been reluctant due to my busy schedule. Finally I agreed. I'm a corper and not very familiar with the places around so I asked him to suggest a place instead which he suggested charcoal.... At GRA. I'm sorry I seem to have forgotten the name but that's not the gist. So we met and we ordered for drinks and also chicken and chips, he took just chicken and I myself chicken and chips. We got talking, he claimed he's twenty six and went ahead to give me details of his ex who's now married after a year of their break up. We talked about school and I didn't fail to emphasize on my passion for interior designing and how m...