Live Without Regrets... and Wish upon a Star... and One day, your dreams really will come true!
Friday, 4 January 2013
Photo a Day challenge: Day 4- Weather
The weather outside is.... Dreary! Eurghh hate it when the sky is more white/grey than blue. Bring on spring!
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Photo a Day Challenge: Day 3- Breakfast
I am on my healthy eating plan again to lose the baby weight so I'm eating cornflakes or wholemeal toast for breakfast... Yes, it is labelled. I live with my 17 year old brother who eats anything and everything in sight so have taken to labelling my food!
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Planning our Wedding: Amazing Bargains in the Sales!
I have a confession to make. I have bought a lot of stuff in the sales. Before you judge me though, I only bought things for the wedding... And I got some amazing bargains!
I bought Carly's flower girl dress and headband in the Monsoon sale for £22- total bargain! I also bought my bridesmaids dresses online from china but have since had to return them as they were totally unflattering on which is a shame. I got a pair of heels for me for £11 from new look, benefit makeup for myself and my bridesmaids for £20 and £13, necklaces for the three of us for £5 each from accessorise and beauty and hair treatments in the boots sale for £14 in total.
It hasn't just been the sales I've been hitting either. I have also been on Amazon and to craft shops to buy things for making our invites and save the dates as well as material to make our favours and decorations for our venue. I now have pretty much everything I need to make out wedding unique and personal for us.
I would totally recommend using the sales as an opportunity to stock up on items for your wedding. By doing it a year in advance I've made sure I have everything ready and can relax throughout the year safe in the knowledge that I have most of what we need!
I bought Carly's flower girl dress and headband in the Monsoon sale for £22- total bargain! I also bought my bridesmaids dresses online from china but have since had to return them as they were totally unflattering on which is a shame. I got a pair of heels for me for £11 from new look, benefit makeup for myself and my bridesmaids for £20 and £13, necklaces for the three of us for £5 each from accessorise and beauty and hair treatments in the boots sale for £14 in total.
It hasn't just been the sales I've been hitting either. I have also been on Amazon and to craft shops to buy things for making our invites and save the dates as well as material to make our favours and decorations for our venue. I now have pretty much everything I need to make out wedding unique and personal for us.
I would totally recommend using the sales as an opportunity to stock up on items for your wedding. By doing it a year in advance I've made sure I have everything ready and can relax throughout the year safe in the knowledge that I have most of what we need!
Recipe a Week Challenge!
I watched Julie and Julia with my mum and nan yesterday and really liked the idea of posting on my blog about new recipes I've found. Rather than working my way through one cook book I've decided to just choose a different recipe from a collection of books and websites. I wanted to learn to cook more meals anyway and by posting weekly I feel I will stick to it. Look out for my first attempt next week!
Photo a Day Challenge: Day 2- Nails
These are my sparkly New Year's Eve nails. I never get a chance to do my nails with a newborn so this was done very quickly, not my best work!
Photo a Day Challenge: Day 1- You
Nice and simple... this is me, late last night/early this morning with my mum celebrating the new year!
January Photo a Day Challenge
I saw this challenge on a friend's Facebook today and as I haven't done a challenge on the blog in months and months I thought I might do this one to try and get back into the swing of things.
1. You
2. Nails
3. Breakfast
4. Weather
5. Eyes
6. Favourite Perfume
7. Outfit of the day
8. Cozy
9. Something your reading
10. Morning sky
11. Light
12. Black and White
13. Cuddle Buddy
14. Upside Down
15. Flashback
16. Night time
17. A smile
18. Peace
19. Favourite Candy
20. A smell you adore
21. With the Nashville
22. Time
23. Something you love
24. Candle
25. Nature
26. Animals
27. Your bedroom
28. Jewellery
29. Hairstyle
30. Quote
31. You, again
If you do the challenge too, leave a link in the comments to your blog!
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
Welcome to 2013!
So, another new year is upon us and I know people get fed up of seeing or hearing about resolutions, feeling that they are a waste of time and people never stick to them, but I disagree. I think that even if people don't stick at a resolution for the whole year, they are at least finding something that requires change in their life. Fair enough if you don't have anything you want or need to change in your life, but for a lot of people the end of a year and beginning of a new one is the perfect time to reassess and realise what they can improve. 2013 is set to be a good year for me with Tim moving in next week and preparing for our wedding next February. I have a list of things I want to achieve this year:
1. Lose 1 stone by April
This one is simple. I have a further 1 stone to lose before I am back to (just below) my pre pregnancy weight. I have a huge motivation to lose the weight this time round as I am not allowing myself to go Wedding dress shopping until I have lost it..... torture! I also set the deadline for April as we are having Carly's Christening the end of April and my birthday is the beginning of May, so it will mean I can be a yummy mummy again in time for those events, perfect! I plan to lose the weight with healthy eating, smaller portions and allowing myself treat days at the weekends.
2. Tone up my 'Mum Tum'
Linked to the first, this one is also to help with fitting into a wedding dress and also to help boost my self confidence. Although I am only 23, with two young children, I find it hard to see myself in any way other than mummy at the moment and I want this to change! I am so excited to be starting my old exercise class back up this month, as well as doing plenty of walking with my mum (who is also trying to lose weight and tone up) and getting the good old wii back out of storage for a bit of Zumba.
3. Only drink on special occassions
To be fair, this will be pretty easy as the only real reason I have been drinking more than I would usually lately is because of Christmas and New Year, which are special occassions anyway... It is so much hassle to drink whilst breastfeeding anyway (for those who don't know, it involves using a breast pump to express before and after drinking as well as sterilising bottles you wouldn't usually need to sterilise). For the sake of having a couple of glasses of wine, it just isn't really worth the effort. I also know that by not having the odd glass of wine I will also find it easier to lose the weight so all in all a win win situation.
4. Pay off our wedding
This one will take a little time, but rather than leave all the balances that need to be paid until just before the wedding and being left with a massive bill, we have decided it would be better to spread the cost out over the year and pay off something every couple of months. First on our list is the photography!
5. Take lots of Photos
I love taking photos and having something tangible to look back on in the future. I got a new camera at Christmas from my nan so I plan to take a lot more photos, especially of the kids as they grow throughout the year.
6. Start my business
This has been on the agenda for some time now. Due to having the kids, my career never really set off after graduation, but hopefully this is the year that will change. As soon as Carly is a couple of months older, I plan to start up my own business, and hopefully by the time I am able to have her in nursery for a little while, I will be able to start making it a proper success. I can't wait to be able to work again. Although I love being a mum, sometimes it's nice to use your brain a bit more.
7. Visit people more
This is very dependent on how much money we have as we are going to be on a very tight budget with the wedding. I really miss friends and family who live in other parts of the country and aim to visit as much as I can this year.
8. Get another tattoo
I have had my next tattoo planned for a few months now and can't wait until I can have it done for my birthday. I have a tattoo of a feather with the word believe which is for my grandad who passed away when I was 12 on my left wrist and I want to have a rose on my right wrist with the word love for my nan.
9. Make new friends
To be honest, I am fed up with the way I have been treated in the past by so called 'friends'. 2013 is definitely about getting rid of the people who haven't been there for me in the past, and finding people who actually give a damn.
10. Demand a Smear Test
I know this isn't the done thing, but I actually really want a smear test done. Apparently the risk of cervical cancer increases when you have children, and having now had two and with my mum having had an abnormal result in the past I am really reluctant to wait it out until I am 25 (another year and a half!). I'm not sure whether they will allow me to have one or not, but I am definitely going to try my hardest! I don't understand the women who are allowed to have them and don't go because they are 'scared it might hurt'. I would take a bit of discomfort over a risk of leaving my children alone any day...
1. Lose 1 stone by April
This one is simple. I have a further 1 stone to lose before I am back to (just below) my pre pregnancy weight. I have a huge motivation to lose the weight this time round as I am not allowing myself to go Wedding dress shopping until I have lost it..... torture! I also set the deadline for April as we are having Carly's Christening the end of April and my birthday is the beginning of May, so it will mean I can be a yummy mummy again in time for those events, perfect! I plan to lose the weight with healthy eating, smaller portions and allowing myself treat days at the weekends.
2. Tone up my 'Mum Tum'
Linked to the first, this one is also to help with fitting into a wedding dress and also to help boost my self confidence. Although I am only 23, with two young children, I find it hard to see myself in any way other than mummy at the moment and I want this to change! I am so excited to be starting my old exercise class back up this month, as well as doing plenty of walking with my mum (who is also trying to lose weight and tone up) and getting the good old wii back out of storage for a bit of Zumba.
3. Only drink on special occassions
To be fair, this will be pretty easy as the only real reason I have been drinking more than I would usually lately is because of Christmas and New Year, which are special occassions anyway... It is so much hassle to drink whilst breastfeeding anyway (for those who don't know, it involves using a breast pump to express before and after drinking as well as sterilising bottles you wouldn't usually need to sterilise). For the sake of having a couple of glasses of wine, it just isn't really worth the effort. I also know that by not having the odd glass of wine I will also find it easier to lose the weight so all in all a win win situation.
4. Pay off our wedding
This one will take a little time, but rather than leave all the balances that need to be paid until just before the wedding and being left with a massive bill, we have decided it would be better to spread the cost out over the year and pay off something every couple of months. First on our list is the photography!
5. Take lots of Photos
I love taking photos and having something tangible to look back on in the future. I got a new camera at Christmas from my nan so I plan to take a lot more photos, especially of the kids as they grow throughout the year.
6. Start my business
This has been on the agenda for some time now. Due to having the kids, my career never really set off after graduation, but hopefully this is the year that will change. As soon as Carly is a couple of months older, I plan to start up my own business, and hopefully by the time I am able to have her in nursery for a little while, I will be able to start making it a proper success. I can't wait to be able to work again. Although I love being a mum, sometimes it's nice to use your brain a bit more.
7. Visit people more
This is very dependent on how much money we have as we are going to be on a very tight budget with the wedding. I really miss friends and family who live in other parts of the country and aim to visit as much as I can this year.
8. Get another tattoo
I have had my next tattoo planned for a few months now and can't wait until I can have it done for my birthday. I have a tattoo of a feather with the word believe which is for my grandad who passed away when I was 12 on my left wrist and I want to have a rose on my right wrist with the word love for my nan.
9. Make new friends
To be honest, I am fed up with the way I have been treated in the past by so called 'friends'. 2013 is definitely about getting rid of the people who haven't been there for me in the past, and finding people who actually give a damn.
10. Demand a Smear Test
I know this isn't the done thing, but I actually really want a smear test done. Apparently the risk of cervical cancer increases when you have children, and having now had two and with my mum having had an abnormal result in the past I am really reluctant to wait it out until I am 25 (another year and a half!). I'm not sure whether they will allow me to have one or not, but I am definitely going to try my hardest! I don't understand the women who are allowed to have them and don't go because they are 'scared it might hurt'. I would take a bit of discomfort over a risk of leaving my children alone any day...
My Christmas in Pictures!
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| Carly's first christmas! |
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| Christmas morning beach walk and visiting Grandad's bench |
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| Cameron opening pressies |
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| Christmas Dinner with the family |
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| Me and my babies <3 |
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| Cameron being introduced to Cookie Monster |
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| With my lovely fiance :) |
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| Christmas cocktails and lunch with my dad and sister |
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| New Years Eve with my gorgeous daughter |
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| Great nan cuddles |
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| More fooooood! |
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| "Mummy, my hat doesn't fit!" |
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| Popping down to celebrate at midnight with my cousin and his fiancee at their restaurant |
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| It's New Year! |
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| New Years Day walk along the beach |
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| Me and my not so little man |
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| All wrapped up warm and cosy! |
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Back to Blogging...
Hi everyone, did you miss me?
With the new baby things have been extremely hectic around here, as you can imagine. Carly has settled in really well but as she is still so little I am getting many a sleepless night. I nearly cried with happiness when she managed 6 hours straight last night! Fingers crossed for more of the same. Cameron has understandably been a bit jealous but he adores his baby sister and gives her lots of hugs and kisses. Carly is now 5 weeks old and she is already growing up too fast! I weighed her yesterday and she is now 10 pounds, so has gained two pounds in just over a month, not too bad!
Meanwhile, I have managed to lost two and a half stone of my pregnancy weight through healthy(ish) eating and breastfeeding alone which is great, although I am well aware I may put a bit back on over Christmas! I plan to take it easy over the next couple of weeks (I mean, seriously, who diets over Christmas?!) and then come back in the new year and get my pre baby body back!
I will be doing the healthy eating/treat exercise plan I did when I had Cameron as it worked really well. I want to ideally get down to 9 stone, which means probably around a stone to lose once I have gained 'holiday weight' next week. I am also starting back at my old exercise class which I am actually totally looking forward to as I missed the class over the last 10 months (expect to see lots of posts on my new year goals and weight loss journey in the new year).
Talking of wedding dresses, the wedding planning is coming on leaps and bounds. Having already secured our venue for the ceremony and the evening reception, as well as our photographer, we are now moving onto the more creative side of things and have been buying supplies to make our own save the date and wedding invitations in the New Year. I am also making our wedding favours and have already bought the material and ribbon for the bags. I will be putting up some posts in the next month on our DIY wedding including a step by step guide on how to make Save the Dates, Wedding Invites and Favour Bags.
Once I have toned up and lost that pesky last stone I am looking forward to going wedding dress shopping with my mum who has very kindly offered to buy me my dress! I keep seeing beautiful dresses in shop windows and having to restrain myself from going in! Once I allow myself to start looking, expect to see my dream dresses on the blog (must remember to make sure Tim doesn't look on here!).
Also coming up on the blog expect to see the return of regular posts such as 'Plans for the Month', 'Cuddles with Cameron' (now of course joined by Cuddles with Carly!) and 'What I did this Week'. I will also be hopefully doing some product reviews in the New Year of all things mum, toddler and baby. The blog will be taking on a couple of different angles as I want to write both about being a mummy and all that entails as well as wedding planning, which is very relevant for me at the moment and also links in with my degree of Events Management. I hope my readers enjoy the changes coming to the blog! Please feel free to send in any suggestions you may have for blog posts.
Hope you have an amazing Christmas and a very happy new year 2013 lots of love (Not so) Yummy Mummy (I'm working on it!)
With the new baby things have been extremely hectic around here, as you can imagine. Carly has settled in really well but as she is still so little I am getting many a sleepless night. I nearly cried with happiness when she managed 6 hours straight last night! Fingers crossed for more of the same. Cameron has understandably been a bit jealous but he adores his baby sister and gives her lots of hugs and kisses. Carly is now 5 weeks old and she is already growing up too fast! I weighed her yesterday and she is now 10 pounds, so has gained two pounds in just over a month, not too bad!
Meanwhile, I have managed to lost two and a half stone of my pregnancy weight through healthy(ish) eating and breastfeeding alone which is great, although I am well aware I may put a bit back on over Christmas! I plan to take it easy over the next couple of weeks (I mean, seriously, who diets over Christmas?!) and then come back in the new year and get my pre baby body back!
I will be doing the healthy eating/treat exercise plan I did when I had Cameron as it worked really well. I want to ideally get down to 9 stone, which means probably around a stone to lose once I have gained 'holiday weight' next week. I am also starting back at my old exercise class which I am actually totally looking forward to as I missed the class over the last 10 months (expect to see lots of posts on my new year goals and weight loss journey in the new year).
Talking of wedding dresses, the wedding planning is coming on leaps and bounds. Having already secured our venue for the ceremony and the evening reception, as well as our photographer, we are now moving onto the more creative side of things and have been buying supplies to make our own save the date and wedding invitations in the New Year. I am also making our wedding favours and have already bought the material and ribbon for the bags. I will be putting up some posts in the next month on our DIY wedding including a step by step guide on how to make Save the Dates, Wedding Invites and Favour Bags.
Once I have toned up and lost that pesky last stone I am looking forward to going wedding dress shopping with my mum who has very kindly offered to buy me my dress! I keep seeing beautiful dresses in shop windows and having to restrain myself from going in! Once I allow myself to start looking, expect to see my dream dresses on the blog (must remember to make sure Tim doesn't look on here!).
Also coming up on the blog expect to see the return of regular posts such as 'Plans for the Month', 'Cuddles with Cameron' (now of course joined by Cuddles with Carly!) and 'What I did this Week'. I will also be hopefully doing some product reviews in the New Year of all things mum, toddler and baby. The blog will be taking on a couple of different angles as I want to write both about being a mummy and all that entails as well as wedding planning, which is very relevant for me at the moment and also links in with my degree of Events Management. I hope my readers enjoy the changes coming to the blog! Please feel free to send in any suggestions you may have for blog posts.
Hope you have an amazing Christmas and a very happy new year 2013 lots of love (Not so) Yummy Mummy (I'm working on it!)
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