I suppose it's a practical name... kinda

Who hasn't Googled the meaning of their own name? Or names they like for their babies?

For instance, Emma means universal.

Everyone wants to give their baby a name that means something deep. Like miracle or treasure.

There must be a bucket load of names that don't have any recorded meanings, simply because people have made them up. Names like Yashonda.

But I had to wonder how many people would name their son Bankole. It's an Egyptian name that means "help me to build the house". What the...?

If the shoe fits... you'll be shod

Today I learnt that the word for wearing shoes is shod (not shoed, as I'd said before being corrected!)

What a cashew in its shell looks like

I guess these would be hard to squeeze into the little string bags along with the shelled peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and brazil nuts.

The thought occurred to me out of nowhere that I'd never seen a cashew in its shell and had no idea what they looked like or why they were always shelled.

Turns out there's quite a lot of chatter on the www about why cashews aren't sold in their shells, and the reason isn't just because they're big and bulky. I've learnt that the cashew is actually related to Poison Ivy and there's a toxic liquid found both in the leaves of the plant and between the shell and the nut itself. It seems if you get this liquid on your skin it can cause an itchy, painful rash the way poison ivy would if you rolled about in it.

I wasn't expecting that!

Brown noser!

My sister-in-law reeeeeeally wants a Labrador puppy. Specifically, she's after a female pup with blonde fur, a black nose and brown eyes.

Until last night, when I was chatting to her about it, I had no idea that labrador's noses came in any colour other than black.

It seems that, while black noses are the most common colour, brown is the other option. Kinda like mascara.

Oh and as they get older, their noses may actually start to turn pink!

"Oxi" means "No" in Greek

I learnt this from today's Sydney Morning Herald, reporting on the situation in Greece. It was the overwhelming response to a referendum deciding whether or not to accept a financial bailout package.

My (very) high-level understanding is that the majority of Greeks (like, 61 per cent of them) reject the package that could save them because of the strongs attached to the bailout, which I assume would be in the order of spending cuts, tax increases and lay-offs.

It's being referred to as austerity. Second lesson for today:

1. In economics, austerity is a set of policies with the aim of reducing government budget deficits. Austerity policies may include spending cuts, tax increases, or a mixture of both.

Nobody likes Spearmint Leaves

I read today that Allens has stopped making their Spearmint Leaves and green Frogs Alive. Good riddance, I say!

I've never liked either of them. Spearmint leaves tasted too much like toothpaste and the red frogs are much tastier.

Now if I only I could campaign to be rid of those horrible gummy teeth and the unnaturally yellow Bananas (incredibly, two of my husband's favourites). Bluk! I've never gone much on Minties either.

Looking through the list of Allens treats, there are a few in there I'd be sad to see go: Snakes Alive!, Killer Python, Pineapples, Strawberries and Cream, Redskins, Fantales and Freckles. 

On writing this, I was struck by the name Redskins... I thought the wrapper also used to feature the stereotypical native American Indian in full feathery headress. 

The wrapper doesn't include any pictures anymore but I wonder how the name has stuck, and not been replaced with something a little more PC. 

I have Irish ancestry, so I'm not personally affronted by it but I'm kinda surprised others haven't raised it. 

Especially given the history of Arnotts' Scallywag biscuits, which were originally named Golliwogs in the 19602 until claims of racism prompted the company to change the name in the 1990s. 

A quick Google search reveals a couple of articles about the potential racism of Redskins and Chicos (which I hadn't thought of but has been suggested as offensive to people of Latin-American descent).

I also came across an article from 2009 about another chocloate flavoured biscuit, this time Coles brand, that was called Creole Cremes and was considered offensive to Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people. The argument was that the word "Creole" was often used to describe a person of mixed European and African ancestry (the implication, I suppose, being it was a reference to the white and brown/chocolate parts of the biscuit).

And of course there were the old musk falvoured cigarettes originally named Fags in the 1940s but renamed to Fads in 1990s, when the term had become used as a homosexual slur and research showed the damaging effects smoking had on health. The name change served the dual purpose of avoiding offence and steering the product away from being seen as cigarette lollies for kids. To distance the association with smoking even further, the name was changed again in the 2000s to Fads Candy Sticks. 

Orangic Surge - a product I'll proudly support!

I'm always trying to find products that aren't tested on animals and it can be tough sometimes. I've got a couple of tried and tested favourites outlined below but today's learning is a new product I've just discovered, which has moisturisers, facial cleansers and hand wash:

Organic Surge! Not only are they cruelty free but they give a bunch of their profits to charities. As a new Mum, I'm particularly won over to learn that they've sponsored the Baby Care Unit in Kenya Children's Home, Nairobi since 2009. The Baby Care Unit cares for 48 sick or abandoned children, from newborns to 2 year olds and Organic Surge funded all costs for nursing care, food and staff for the full year.

Read about them here: Organic Surge against animal testing.

Yes, they're a UK brand (I prefer to support Australian products where I can) but they ship internationally and I found them on the Brandsexclusive website.

My other fave cruelty free products:

Palmer's: I have the Olive Oil pump body for legs and arms, a small tube in my handbag for dry hands and nails, and who can go past the delicious smell of their Shea Body Butter? Read about them here: Palmer's products are cruelty free.

Fudge hair products: I haven't found many shampoos and conditioners that are cruelty free, are easy to find in mainstream stores and still leave your hair feeling lovely. Fudge does it! 

GAIA: I use the baby wash when bathing my son and have baby moisturiser for him too. I hadn't seen their adult products on the shelves so didn't realise until now they did stuff I can use too! (another learning). Read up here: GAIA for the whole family.

I've downloaded the Choose Cruelty Free app on my smartphone, which provides a list of companies/products that do not test on animals.