Earlier in the year I shared my thoughts on a couple of things that had happened to me since I wrote the post describing how I was struggling being back at work full time and leaving Ettie at nursery. There were many things that contributed to me not feeling myself at the time, the main thing being that we were struggling to conceive after losing our second baby to a MMC at 12 weeks. One of the measures I took to help me relieve some stress was acupuncture to improve fertility and so I thought I’d share my experience with you. I’ll start by saying I didn’t go into acupuncture this time as a newby. I had had it in the past on the lead up to our wedding when the stress of wedding planning, working long hours and renovating our first house had resulted in this ugly puffy eye thing. The Dr’s thought it was an allergy and I had all sorts of tests, but the creams they prescribed made it a million times worse. A quick consultation with Dr Google recommended acupuncture and after a few sessions, the puffiness started to clear up and it has never returned so I was already a convert. My treatment this time was with the same lady. We had a quick consultation and I explained what had happened with the MMC and how we’d been struggling to conceive ever since (at that point it had only been 4 months) She checked my tongue and my heart beat and concluded that I was too cold and needed to eat more lamb! (sounds strange but I never eat lamb so perhaps she had a point!) After a quick massage, she stuck some needles in my tummy and behind my ears, then lay me down…
D esigning Ettie’s room been my favourite part of our renovation journey to date. Creating a beautiful little girls room that really captures the imagination is something I’ve always wanted to do and when we moved in here I was given a completely blank canvas which was perfect. When designing her room I wanted to create a space that would grow with her. She was 10 months old when we first moved in and so past the newborn nursery stage. Because of that I wanted to create a space that was perfect for a little girl, somewhere we could play together, but also that she could enjoy with friends when she grows a little older. Since posting Ettie’s Room Progress, a couple of months ago, we’ve already made a few changes to the decor including changing her cot into a big girls bed. She loves having a proper bed … although I’m sure she thinks it’s for bouncing on at the moment because she hasn’t managed to spend a whole night sleeping in there! My favourite part of the day is jumping in bed next to her in the evening to read her a bedtime story then giving her a little cuddle as she falls to sleep. It’s so much easier than having to clamber over the sides of the cot (yes I used to jump in there with her too! ) Cot Bed: Silver Cross Notting Hill Decor The theme for her room kind of evolved over time. When she was first-born, we were in the process of moving house so she didn’t have a proper ‘nursery’. I bought a few token bits for the guest room which sat on a shelf above her clothes rail and one of these was a little wooden stacking rainbow from Pixistuff. I loved the pastel…
I don’t know what’s happened to me since becoming a Mum, but I’ve suddenly become obsessed with the passing of time… the general feeling being that it flies by far to quickly and if I don’t document every single moment, then I’ll somehow forget just how perfect these early years of motherhood are! With that in mind, I think its safe to say that I’m a pretty compulsive photo taker!! I can’t really think of an occasion when I haven’t had a camera in my hand and I can’t see that changing in the future. Photography is such a passion of mine. I just love how you can re-capture the memories of a day by looking back through photographs and I think that’s why I’ve filled so many hard drives over the years! Last year we took an impromptu visit to the woods for Halloween, with Ettie dressed in a little witches costume and I think the images I captured are some of my favourites photos ever. Not because they are particularly good photos, but because they capture the memories of a really special day, with some spooky magic thrown in. Because of that (and also because Halloween is one of my favourite holidays) I thought it would be nice to make our trip to the woods a little Halloween tradition (until Ettie thinks its no longer cool to run around the woods with her over excited Mum!) I think it will be really special to return to the same place every year to see how our little family has changed and what better place than a beautiful woodland doused in lovely oranges and reds ready for autumn. So Witches costume and pumpkins at the ready we picked a sunny day last week and headed down to Sheffield Park in…
It’s been a while since I run this feature but I’m determined to bring it back as I absolutely love promoting small brands and sharing the best of my finds with you. There’s something pretty magical about buying and item that has been lovingly created by someone else, knowing its relatively unique and there aren’t hundreds of others out there donning the shelves of a department store. I also have to give a HUGE apology to Michelle as she contributed to this post months ago but her words got lost in my inbox as I fell into the depths of pregnancy and baby brain. So without further adieu I bring you the lovely Freya Lillie… I was lucky enough to discover Freya Lillie when Ettie was around 9 months old. She was beginning to pull herself up onto furniture to move around and so I wanted to find her an outfit that was special enough to wear to a party, but which wasn’t going to restrict her movement. As we all know frilly dresses are ever so pretty, but they can play havoc with the determined nature of a crawler! Having a search through Instagram one evening I discovered a beautiful black velvet romper made by Freya Lillie and it was exactly the outfit I was looking for. Luxe enough to be worn to a special occasion, but not too frilly or fancy, it was extremely versatile. The way it was designed also meant that the straps could be adjusted as she grew and so she was able to enjoy wearing it for months. Since then Michelle’s company has gone from strength to strength with her recently winning a Pirouette Award for ‘one to watch in 2019’. Her collection is beautiful and classic and home to a stylish array of pieces for…
Ok so perhaps not every day but ‘a facial every 4-6 weeks as recommended, keeps the doctor away‘ really wasn’t as punchy a title!! Last Saturday I was invited to sample a bespoke facial treatment with Juliet at the Skin Studio in Hove and I’m not exaggerating when I say I think it’s one of the best facials I’ve ever had! Having had Ollie only two months ago, taking time out for me isn’t really something that’s been high on my agenda, but with sleepless night and breastfeeding all taking their toll on my skin, a lovely relaxing facial was absolutely something I needed and I walked out of her salon feeling energised and refreshed. Juliet started her career working in a skin treatment centre in Australia learning how to treat patients with skin cancer and severe burns. She then went on to study Advanced Skin Therapy before opening her own salon in Wimbledon in London. So without wanting this to sound like I’m listing off her entire resume, I think all I really need to say about Juliet is that she knows about skin! She recently opened her salon, ‘The Skin Studio’, within one of the treatment rooms of Clinic 33 in Hove and offers a range of services from Electrolysis to waxing and tinting. The treatment I sampled was a bespoke facial lasting 60 minutes. Rather than a one size fits all approach, this facial was completely tailored to the needs of my skin. We had a short consultation before hand where I highlighted my problem areas and she was able to devise a treatment tailor-made for me. I’ve always had dehydrated skin and although I have ramped up my skincare routine in recent months, she could still tell that I don’t drink enough water and so spent a lot…
Over the next few months I’ll be working with Taf Toys to bring you honest reviews of a couple of their products. Ordinarily toy reviews aren’t my thing because I’m quite fussy about the toys I let into the house (they do take up all the space after all!) But after having a quick look over their website I knew instantly that me and ‘Taf’ were going to get along just fine! A far cry from the usual neon colours you find in most toys, Taf Toys use a lovely pastel colour palette of yellow, turquoise and grey which is not only unisex (great for handing down between siblings!), but also suits my decor perfectly – and you don’t need sunglasses to look at them! With the market so full of options for toys to aid your little ones development, its easy to become overwhelmed about what you actually need, especially if you’re a parent for the first time so I’m hoping my reviews will give a little guidance to help you decide what is worth investing in. Taf Toys Musical Newborn Cosy Gym The first of my reviews is for the Taf Toys Musical Newborn Cosy Gym. A 4 in 1 playmat and activity gym which Ollie has been enjoying for the past few weeks. I’ll be honest and say of all the toys we were sent, this was the only one I thought we’d probably end up passing on to my brother who’s recently had a baby girl. N ot because I didn’t like it, but because Ollie is almost three months old now and already has an Activity Gym, therefore I thought two would be a bit overkill. However (and it’s a big however), we’ve actually found that he likes this one better than the one we had,…
I shared an Instagram story yesterday pointing people in the direction of my Shop My Style page because I’d recently updated it with my favourite breastfeeding friendly outfit choices. When I checked my inbox later that evening, it was full of messages from people saying they really struggled to find stylish outfits they could feed in, and that they found my list useful. Its probably my most popular IG story in that it received the most engagement and it wasn’t even all 15 seconds long! Now I’m no fashion blogger and would never pretend to be, but I do like spending money and I’m on first name terms with my ASOS delivery driver so hopefully that gives me some credentials to write the following post… its also my second time feeding a wriggly, arm thrashing baby! When I began feeding Ettie, I struggled to find stylish outfits that were breastfeeding friendly because I didn’t really know what to wear that would give me quick access to my baps without flashing innocent passers by at every feed. I could never get on with those cover up things and would end up in a right tangled mess if I try to use a muslin, so clothing which allowed me to discretely pop out a nipple was definitely more my thing. Luckily for me, Ettie was born in summer so I was able to stick on some shorts and a baggy t-shirt and there wasn’t too much faffing. She was small so I could pop her up my shirt at a moments notice and if I was clever enough to wear a V-neck that day, I could even look down through the neck to see that she was latched on properly. Skirt | Jumper | Lipstick As time went on, my confidence grew and so…
N ow the title of this blog post sounds very swanky doesn’t it!? A private chef in our home, how very bourgeoisie! But don’t be fooled, I wouldn’t want you to think we’d gone all fancy pants since putting up some dangly lights in our kitchen. Actually the title of this blog post came about on account of this here little blog and as with everything I get to experience, it’s something I’m abundantly grateful for! So if you’d like to hear more about how a top Brighton chef ended up cooking up a storm in my kitchen, then grab yourself a cuppa, sit back, relax and I will begin. A few weeks ago I was contacted by a company called La Belle Assiette asking if we’d like to host a dinner party to validate one of their new chefs. Whilst all very experienced and well established, the company like to ask someone to host ‘validation dinner’ for each new chef before letting them ‘loose’ on the public (that sounds a bit sheepish doesn’t it). This gives the chefs an opportunity to showcase their skills and I guess prove they know their kidney beans from their cannellini beans (Ok Foodies there are probably better analogies out there, but lets stick with what we know!). Similar to my reaction when we were asked to go to Hamburg, I pretty much had to catch my phone to stop it spinning into the air while I fast-tracked a reply…. so you’re offering me the chance for an award winning chef to cook in my kitchen, shop for all the ingredients and he’ll even do the washing up!! Let me think about this one for a moment….erm YES!! As luck would have it, it was also my birthday a few weeks later and so we chose a date…
