New mum confidence tips

So I have been thinking bout what motherly advice I can pass on and to be honest there isn't much, I need more than I can give! But one thing I wanted to write about are tips that I have used for feeling like my old self and more confident.

Tip One - Buy new trousers
As soon as I had my baby I wished to be rid of my maternity clothing, I still wear them but it is nice to have some clothes that are not maternity. So as none of my pre-pregnancy trousers fit I tried to think of alternatives to my maternity jeans and leggings that I could add to my wardrobe. Whilst shopping at my local supermarket I found some jeggings and bought a pair to try (in the next size up) and after going back and buying more in other colours they are all I have been wearing. It is so nice having something else to wear other than maternity jeans and leggings. They are stretchy and have elasticated waist so they are comfy and make me feel more normal.

Tip Two - Pre-pregnancy clothes
I also dug out any of my pre-pregnancy clothes that I wore early on so the floaty tops, tunics and oversized tops. Wearing clothes that you haven't in months is a real boost in confidence.

Tip Three - Pamper yourself
Take time for yourself, go and get your hair or nails done, its nice to have some pamper time and if your like me I didn't spend a lot of my time on myself in late pregnancy and having someone else to wash your hair is luxury. Or if you don't want to go out ask your partner to be in charge of baby and take a long bath and relax. It is surprising what a nice soak can do for your mood and outlook on life.

Tip Four - Treat yourself
In the first few weeks of motherhood I didn't wear any make up but when I decided I wanted to it was nice to have some new make up to wear. You don't have to spend a lot buying  new everything, just a new foundation, mascara or lipstick can make a difference when you have time to do your face.

Tip Five - Look after your body
Try to eat healthy, obviously when you are recovering from labour and have a newborn there is nothing better than a cup of tea and biscuits or chocolate but after a few weeks start to think more consciously about what you are eating. Keep the biscuits and chocolate for a treat. Also remember to drink lots of water, it is something easily forgotten. This will have a great impact on how you feel and will also help clear your skin for those days where you don't get a chance to put make up on!!

Do you have any other tips for getting back to normal and feeling yourself?

Em x

Christmas gifts

I wanted to do a post on what we got for Christmas not to show off but we got some really good gifts and the ideas are ones I will be using for future years. Plus I want to keep Christmas alive for a bit longer, it goes way to quickly.

Considering we did not ask for anything specific our family and friends did very well, I seem to have years like that where I am so happy with what I have got people and had ideas and other years I have no clue what to get. Anyone else have that?

We got some joint presents for myself and my husband, the best were these retro sweets and Game of Thrones Monopoly from my parents. Here we are in the middle of the game, which is still ongoing (it's pretty even at the moment!!!) I think this is a really good present idea and will probably do some thing similar for others.

 

Some of my favourite gifts were more sentimental gifts like these elephant patterned trousers from my brother in law. I wasn't expecting anything as he only got back from travelling on the 22nd but he bought these in Asia, I cannot wait to wear them. I also got a Disney DVD from my best friend, she got me Sleeping Beauty which is one I haven't seen which she must have remembered. My main present from my Husband was a Wii U, although I expect it was more for him!! I am really rubbish at games I don't know why the only game I was ever good at was Crash Bandicoot on PS1!! But I seem to be pretty good at Mario Kart. Perhaps I will stick to children's games as my forte!!

 

We also got some amazing things for the baby as well. We got various toys to last her over this year. I have come to the realisation that our lives are now going to be full of colourful noise making plastic. The horror!! Although one noise maker that I don't really mind (yet) is a musical book that can either sing the songs with words or just the music. It also has buttons for colours and instruments, she is too young for that but does seem to love the music. She also received clothes, she had a 1st Christmas onesie with the cutest reindeer feet. Just take a moment for those feet!! Then we started our book collection, I love reading and really wanted some fairy tale stories and got this really amazing book with gold embossing and it is just beautiful. She won't know what the hell I am on about but I will read it to her anyway.

I hope that everyone got what they wished for this Christmas and aren't too depressed now it has gone. Only 351 days till next Christmas..... Ok sorry I will take that back.

Em x

Naughty purchase

A quick post about a naughty bit of shopping I have done which I received today.

I am working on a post about my beauty wants and was writing about the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit palette which I have been eying up for a long time. I knew it was limited edition and not sure how much longer it would be available. So I decided to buy as I would regret it if I didn't.

It came today!! I was so excited I waited like a little kid at the door for the delivery man to get out of the van!!

It is beautiful and made even more special by the packaging it came in from www.net-a-porter.com, here are a few photos of me unboxing. (I also bought a new eyeliner to try).

It's almost to perfect to use!!

Keep an eye out for a What I got for Christmas and my Beauty wants post.

Em x

2016 Goals

New Year Resolutions are not something I normally go in for as I am really bad at keeping them I get depressed and eat chocolate!!

However I need to make some changes in my life and feel like a fresh start at the beginning of the year will help me, so rather than New Year Resolutions I have decided to do a 2016 goals, so if I don't achieve them at the beginning of the year I won't get down as I have the whole year to achieve them.

Most of these are very cliché goals but I feel I need to write them down and I will update on them which I think may help me to get there.



Study
I have been studying AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) for a few years and I am on the last level. I struggled with two of the exams and the last time I took them I had just found out I was pregnant so I was not in the right frame of mind. I sort of gave up then to be honest but I want to get this done and hopefully being on maternity I will be able to fit it in whilst I am at home.

House

Our house is a real mess and still not finished. My Aunty saw it for the first time a few weeks ago and her words were "You have a lot of stuff" which we do. Neither of us went through our belongings before moving in and so we have just moved rubbish from one place to another and now it needs sorting out. Also we haven't finished decorating and I have no pictures up or curtains, these are the things that make a place feel homely and I want to get the house done this year.





 

Weight loss / fitness 

This is the most cliché goal. Having a baby just before Christmas meant that it was hard to start on a diet or exercise routine and I have put on weight since giving birth with all the Christmas food, I have no self control. I am not going to set myself a weight loss goal but am going to have a dress size goal. This is because I have always been quite heavy for the size I am so I don't really look at my weight, obviously when I get on the scales and it is really high I get depressed but I want to feel good in myself so I will aim to go down a couple of dress sizes. Also I do want to get fitter, I have gone through phases of exercise but never really stuck at them so I need to find the right exercise for me. I cannot run due to leg problems which is annoying as I do like running, also I am a bit of a loner when it comes to exercise so struggle in classes. I think a bit of research is needed to find something that is right for me. I do enjoy kettlebells so might look into that.

What are your resolutions or goals for this year?

Em x

Christmas Decorations

Standard obligatory post on my Christmas decorations!! This is something for me to look back on and hopefully will give some people inspiration for their decorations.

I have been a bit late in putting up the decorations this year, with a newborn I just didn't get round to it.

I decorated my kitchen first, the colour theme is mainly red and gold but I am not too fussy if some other colours sneak in. I decorate my welsh dresser. I am hoping to strip and paint this before next year so may have to rethink the decorations for next Christmas (excuse to go shopping!). This is where I hang all my delicate ornaments so that the cats cannot get to them (on to them later) also it houses my advent tree that my Mum let me take with me when I moved out.

I also hang baubles around my kitchen window, add baubles to my birdcage (I bought a few of these for my wedding) and put up my homemade star wreath.

 Another room I have made a little more like Christmas is our bedroom, I am thinking that for Christmas morning I will put one present for each of us under this tree to open in bed before my husband has to go to a work (he is a dairy farmer).

I have gone with gold / natural for this tree with gold glass angels (again the cats cannot get to this tree) and some nature ornaments I bought from Homebase along with the tree. I made the star to go on top as forgot to buy one.

Now onto the tree!! Last year I put it in the kitchen to stay away from our Bengal tiger cats. That wasn't possible this year so we decided to see what we could get away with. So we put the tree up and put the lights on, I used 480 lights!! My husband was mortified when I came home with this many lights but it looked amazing. Rather  than just stringing the lights round and round I went in and out of the branches to give some more depth. I read this on Pinterest and think it looked really effective.

The only picture I have is the tree on the floor after one of the cats took it down (apologies for quality the picture is from my phone), since then I have discovered the lights don't work, The cable has been chewed so that is the end of my lights!! I think I will put the tree up in the dining room.

So this is how the cats have ruined Christmas - well in my living room at least.

Does anyone have any tips on cat proofing my Christmas.

Em x

New Christmas Traditions

Now we have started our own family I had a conversation with my husband about our childhood Christmas's.

It got me thinking what I want our little girl to remember when she gets older. She is too young this Christmas but I want to start some traditions that we can do as a family each year.

Here is a list of things that I think I would like us to start doing.

Advent Calendar
I really want to create an advent calendar that isn't chocolate. A great idea is to wrap 24 books and each night unwrap and read one with the children. Another idea is to make an advent calendar to re-use each year out of perhaps felt or for a really long lasting one out of wood. There are lots of ideas on Pinterest. Then little toys or notes with days out can be put in each day. This is such a nice alternative to chocolate calendars.

Make decorations
Something good to do with the kids when they get a bit older is to make decorations. This could be anything from paper chains and paper snowflakes to more adventurous crafting like glass making. There is something for everyone. If the decorations are sturdy enough they can be used every year and new ones added each year.

Write to Santa
We all remember writing to Santa but now there are a lot of companies that actually write back. Royal Mail is an example of this. If your child writes to the address they get a response. This is such a cute thing for children as they get a letter back which hopefully keeps the magic alive.

Gingerbread house
Baking with the kids is always a good thing to do and as Christmas approaches there are lots of things that you can bake. One example is a gingerbread house. There are lots of kits available in the shops where the gingerbread is already made and you just assemble and decorate. This means that anyone can do it. Alternatively if you are a more able baker or just want to have a go then make your own.

Christmas Eve Box
This is something I am going to start this year even though the baby is only going to be 2 months. There are loads of examples of this on the net but basically it is a box that can be open on Christmas Eve and most examples have new pajamas, hot chocolate, sweets or chocolate and a film to watch. I think this is a great idea and gets the kids ready for bed and allows them to open a present early.

Christmas Story
Another thing to get the family together could be to tell the story of Christmas. A lot of schools and nurseries now don't do nativity plays or stories anymore to be respectful of other children's religions but you could do this yourself at home. This could be an alternative to the film on Christmas Eve, sit everyone down with a hot chocolate and tell the story of Christmas. I think this is good for kids as most nowadays just think its all about food and presents and aren't aware of the story behind the holiday.

Give to charity - Salvation Army
One tradition that I want to start to do is to give to charity and not just money. There are loads of charities that ask for things at Christmas. There are various food banks and charities that ask for donations, one example is the salvation Army whom are asking for presents to give to kids and adults. This is something we should all do, it is all to easy to get caught up in the Christmas whirlwind but it is good to think of those less fortunate and when your children are old enough to understand is a great way to get them to think of others.

These are a few examples of traditions that I have found that I may want to start. Do you have any traditions?

Em x

November Favorites

I have a mixed bag of favorites this month.

Baby favorites

I have two main favorites that have been very useful for me this month. Firstly are some bibs, sounds boring but they are really good. We have two lots of these bibs that do up on the side which are so much easier than the "dribble bibs" that do up on the back. One set of bibs are from M&S and the other F&F at Tesco. If you are thinking of getting bibs as a present or getting prepared for a baby I would really recommend any that fasten in this way.

The best thing by far that I have this month is my Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine. It is a godsend. I intended on breastfeeding but it didn't work out so we are having to bottle feed. This is such a chore especially as we are demand feeding and to make a bottle with the kettle everytime takes forever as your supposed to let the water cool a bit and then make the bottle. This is easier said than done with a crying baby. I did a little research and found quite a few people recommended the perfect prep machine.

It makes each bottle within 2 minutes and is the perfect temperature to give to the baby straight away. It is by far one of the best purchase I made for the baby. I will write a full review at some point.



Body favorites


With the cold weather coming my skin has become so dry I had to find some really nourishing moisturisers. There are two that I have found that have really helped.

For hands I use Atrixo Intensive Protection Cream, this is really thick, I tend to use it at night as it takes a while to soak in but I really feel the benefits. For the body I have recently found Nivea Rich Nourishing Moisturiser, this takes a while to work in as it has the consistency of sun lotion but once I work it in it makes my skin feel so nice and smooth, I really notice the difference especially to the eczema that I am prone to getting on my legs.


Beauty favorites

I haven't been wearing much make up this month but when I have it has been very simple and easy.

The main products I have been using are a bit of concealer, my favorite is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. Then some eyeshadow, I have been using my Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette which is really useful when doing an easy look as you only need the one palette to create the look. I mainly used shadows Skimp and Stark across the whole lid and then ran a bit of Cover through the crease. Then to finish the look I have been using a lick of mascara, I have been trying a few different mascaras recently so just use which ever one I fancy.

Television favorites

Now the nights are darker there is nothing better than snuggling on the sofa and watching some good tele.

There are a couple of programs I have been really loving.

Both my husband and myself have been really into The Hunt on the BBC. It is a wildlife documentary but the shots and picture quality are amazing. The basis is animals hunting and catching their prey. It also shows at the end how they got the footage and they spend weeks / months out waiting and filming to catch the action. I feel like I want to get into more documentaries, if anyone has any recommendations let me know.

A new show that I am enjoying is Scream Queens on E4, it is so good. I would say that it is a mixture of things like Mean Girls, 90210 and scary film parodies like Scary Movie. The basic storyline is there is a murderer on the loose and the targets are girls in a college fraternity. The script and story line is rubbish but that's what makes it funny and why I love it. The fashion in it is amazing, there is lots of fur and pink. A lot of the things you wouldn't wear but it looks amazing. If you haven't seen it I would recommend it just for a laugh.


That's my favorites for this month. Coming next is my Christmas series on decorations, craft and baking.

Mumma Milts xx