Bump Update

Hello! I've been off here for practically all of my pregnancy and I can't tell you how busy I've been! I wish I'd have found a bit more time to post and I know I'll be very busy when the baby arrives but I have loads of things I want to blog about and I'm constructing a schedule!

I started taking a photo of my bump every 2 weeks so I could see how much I was expanding! And here they are from 12 to 34 weeks. I'm 36 weeks  at the moment so I do have another to add.

Only 4 weeks until my due date of the 22nd September although I'm hoping he comes before then cause I can't explain how uncomfortable the last trimester is!

Topic 7: Photo Challenge

So this is my day in pictures, to be honest this was hard as I kept forgetting to take pics!

(left to right)

1) Me: just woken up, I let my hair dry naturally and woke up with a right bushy barnett

2) Me: with make up and hair done!

3) My outfit for the day, leather leggings! I love these at the moment, they're perfect with my expanding waistline

4) Eddie asleep on the sofa

5) Me and Tom: we went into town shopping in the morning and bought new sunglasses

6) Eddie on his walk

7,8 &9) we went to a Pug meet in the afternoon, there were 10 or so other Pugs which was great, we got lots of pug snuggles!

 

 

Catching up: Topic 6 food

I love the idea for this challenge because I LOVE food; eating, cooking baking, mmmm especially the eating. If you have a healthy, balanced diet then you can eat whatever you want and not feel guilty about it which is certainly how I live. If I want a massive piece of chocolate cake I will have one because I don’t eat it every day and I balance my intake with exercise and activity.

Food has been a touchy subject as of late though with my morning sickness as I couldn’t keep anything down, all I wanted for a few weeks was carbs to replace all my lost energy and I have been rather grouchy to my other half who has been a saint putting up with me! I’m managing much better now and have found I need to eat every couple of hours to stop be from being sick (it makes no sense I know) but I’m determined to have a healthy pregnancy and not to put on any weight that the baby doesn’t need so it’s all about healthy snacking! Hence the topic for my post!

Here’s some of the snacks I’ve been eating:

1.       Veg and hummus: Hummus is one of my fav foods,  just make sure you’re eating a suitable portion; I have quarter of a tub which I weight out and put in a separate tub for work , this way you know you’re not overindulging and eating more calories than you should. I eat mine with carrot and cucumber sticks.

2.       Coconut Greek yoghurt: Again you need to watch your portion if it’s in a large tub, I love this so much I would eat the whole thing if I didn’t stop myself. With my taste changing at the moment this really is the only yoghurt I can stomach I don’t know why, I do intend to eat normal Greek yoghurt (I like Greek because it has a higher protein value and keeps me satisfied for longer) with fruit/ oats when I can stomach it again.

3.       Fruit: how simple is this! At the moment I love oranges, I think because I can’t drink too much otherwise I’m sick my body is desperate for hydration!  Also fresh pineapple and apples, simple and easy!

4.       Trail Mix: I’ve been making trail mix (cheaper to make than to buy and you can put in exactly what you like) out of raisins, nuts; cashews and peanuts, dried fruit mix like papaya and banana and Cheerios!

5.       Peanut butter and banana on Ryvita: Ok so Ryvita do taste a bit like cardboard but when you smother them in peanut butter and banana there not so bad and they’re low cal and high in fibre.

What are your favourite healthy snacks?

Sorry for the Absence!

I haven't been on here posting or even reading blogs for a really long time and there's a good reason.

I'm pregnant! and I'm sure all the mums out there will understand when I say I have been suffering quite badly with 'morning sickness' which actually does not happen only in the morning but all day and night so whoever came up with that term is a liar! So for the past 3 months (I'd say virtually from conception!) I've had my head down the toilet or I've been asleep in bed so blogging has really taken a back seat.

I'm feeling a lot better than I was (partly due to medication!) though so it's time to get back on here and I've got some major catching up to do!

I'm part of the 2014 blogger challenge and I intend to catch upon all the posts I've missed so far (sorry guys) and I've got some other posts planned too.

Ellie x

Blogger Challenge: Topic 3 Once upon a time

Apologies that this is a late post; illness, computer troubles and internet connection combined are responsible and I'm actually having to post from work!

 

Let me start by saying I am not a reader. I am not one of those people that ‘loves a good book’ and I haven’t read any of the classics. I find it difficult to firstly find time to sit down and do nothing but read when I have so many other things that take priority and secondly it’s very hard for me to keep interested. I will say that from my very limited experience of authors my favourite has to be Roald Dahl and I have actually read all of his books. I expect most people will have read something by him including my favourite – Matilda as he is such a popular children’s author. He also wrote a series of short stories for adults, some of which are rather chilling and defiantly more adult and I defiantly recommend giving them a go!

Post your links below so I can follow you in the blogger challenge!

Avon: Pore Penetrating Black Mineral Mask Review

 

I bought this before Xmas from Avon and with all my Xmas swag I hadn’t had chance to try this until now, plus with the cold winter weather wreaking havoc on my skin its a perfect time to try. I bought it for £2.50 when it was on special offer but its RRP is £5, if you fancy trying it out its on offer at the moment on the website for £3.

This mask claims to “Leave skin deeply cleansed, refreshed and matte and unblocks pores”

The mask is black and is a really nice thick consistency; you can really slather this all over your face without it dripping down your neck. Once you have applied it to your face or trouble zones then you need to let it set, the packaging recommends 10-15mins for this, when its time to take it off it will have changed colour from black to grey. I washed mine off with warm water and a muslin cloth and I have to say my face felt lovely once I’d taken it off, really smooth and soft. Obviously I can’t say it made a dramatic difference to my skin after just one use but I will continue to keep using it. Also I have to say my boyfriend has used this a few times on his T-zone and as it’s black it’s slightly more manly!

 Has anyone else tried this or has any other face masks they can recommend?

2014 Blogger Challenge: Winter Skincare

The next topic for the 2014 Blogger Challenge is winter skincare so today I'm sharing my skincare routine with you. I have a whole cupboard of lotions and potions but this year I'm not going to buy any more until I have used everything I already have, this is what I am currently using.

 

Left to right:

No7 Eye Makeup Remover, No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser, Cocobutter Vaseline, No7 Protect and Perfect Day Cream, No7 Protect and Perfect Night Cream, Burts Bees Hand and Nail cream, Sanctuary Body Moisture Spray, Soap and Glory Slender Body Contouring Gel.

 

1) I got a Boots No7 set for Xmas and I love it! I start off by removing my eye make up with the remover and a cotton pad, my daily make up usually consist of a black cat eye with lashings of black mascara so I find I need to take the excess off before I get to the cleanser.

 

2) I then use the No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser with a muslin cloth to take the rest of my makeup off and cleanse my face, I love this stuff and will defiantly buy this once I run out. I also use it when I wake up in the morning to wash my face with.

 

3) Vaseline is in everybody's cupboard because it's such a good staple, I have hundreds all over the house and in all my different bags, I use it before I go to bed mostly on my lips and on any sore areas on my face, lather it up and let it sink in while you sleep.

 

4) After I've cleansed my face I apply either the day cream before I apply my make up or the night cream before I go to bed. The day cream has SPF 15 in it, I ALWAYS make sure my face creams have SPF in because even in winter your skin can be damaged by UV rays.

 

5) I get really sore dry chapped hands in the winter especially so I have a constant supply of hand cream with me everywhere I go, this little tub is perfect for small bags and a little really does go far. Its a really yummy honey almond smell too.

 

6) I got this travel size Sanctuary Body Moisture Spray in another gift set for Xmas too, I've used it before and loved it to I was happy when I got this. I prefer to use oil sprays instead of cream moisturisers on my body after  a shower its just a personal preference on the texture.

 

7) Lastly (when I remember) I use the Soap and Glory Body Contouring Gel, It claims to minimise the appearance of cellulite and helps to tone the skin. Now there's only a very lucky few of us who don't have cellulite and I'm not one of them, I wouldn't say that this will get rid of cellulite or tone your skin but when it dries it does make your skin feel tighter and gives you that extra bit of confidence.

 

What's your winter skincare? If you've taken part in the challenge comment below so I can make sure I read your posts!