FAVOURITES: September 2015

 

Autumn has well and truly arrived - the days are cooler, evenings are darker and the urge to have all things cosy is real. I love everything about autumn and this is the first autumn I'm a parent, so it's extra special.

ISABELLAS FAVOURITES: September 2015

September has gone so quickly, but has seen Isabella hit so many milestones. She can now sit up all by herself, has started weaning and got her first TWO teeth! Busy month for developing, so I'm hoping things will calm down slightly in October.

REVIEW: Whitbread Inns Butlers Leap Restaurant

Since becoming a family we have found it harder to eat out, especially in the evening. We want to make the most of the fact that Isabella doesn't crawl yet (I imagine sitting down for a meal will be almost impossible!) and go out for meals as a family.

BABY SYLE: A week of outfits #12

We started weaning this week, so really this should be a post of vests as we try to savour Isabella's nice (stain free) clothes. But in reality we just covered her in over sized bibs and crossed our fingers! It's a messy business weaning, but one that's also so much fun. The cooler days have prompted us to put the heating on and start the search for an appropriate woolly hat and mittens for Isabella - do you have any recommendations?

Day 1

BABY: Bobux Baby Shoes - keeping little feet warm

 

Now that we are entering the cooler months I am beginning to think about how to keep Isabella warm, but with the ease of being able to be cooler while indoors. I absolutely love autumn, by far my favourite season.

SKINCARE: NSPA Firming and Toning Body Cream

 

Since being pregnant it's not surprising that I don't have the most toned of bodies, not helped by a big pregnancy weight gain. I'm now in the process of losing it, getting more active and trying to get my body even slightly closer to the way it was prior to pregnancy.

BABY: Primark Autumn/Winter Baby Haul

 Gone have the days when I used to pick my favourite pieces from the woman's autumn/winter Primark collection. Oh no, now I'm far more excited by the baby girl section and picking up the latest pieces for Isabella.

WEANING: Innovative Products from Brother Max

I don't know about you but I've felt rather overwhelmed by the sheer number of weaning products available on the market. Brother Max is a company that stands out due to their unique, innovative and practical weaning products. Their range saves time, waste and makes weaning 'on to the go' a lot easier.

CHARITY: Hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning

 

 Last Friday I hosted a Macmillan Coffee Morning (read about preparing for one here) and it went really well. I spent the Thursday before baking away, which is one of my favourite things to do. I was so lucky because Isabella napped in her cot for an hour, so I could bake in peace! Complete heaven.

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #11

This week we saw Isabella's second tooth pop through and she sat up all by herself! Big week of developments and one that resulted in limited sleep. It always surprises me how little sleep us parents can function on - if I missed an hour of sleep before having baby I would be a grumpy mess. Now I'm lucky if I get a whole hour of solid sleep! 

Anyway on to the outfits - we've had to dig out the long-sleeved vests and warmer outfits this week...

Day 1

FOOD: Squash, Lentil and Goats Cheese Salad

 

This is a delicious, filling salad that is perfect as we enter autumn. I usually roast up a lot of butternut squash, combine it with the canned lentils and keep in an airtight container in the fridge. This means I can quickly whip up this salad at lunchtime, without the hassle of roasting butternut squash everyday! I'll also keep a little container of toasted pumpkin seeds - tasty to snack on, as well as adding a lovely crunch to this salad.

BABY: Deciding which travel cot to get

Isabella has now well and truly outgrown her moses basket - such a sad time and one that means we need a travel cot when we go away now, rather than just taking her moses basket.

WISHLIST: MijMoj Beautifully Crafted Home Accessories

   STEP Oak Sideboard 

We have been in the process of decorating our house for the past 10 months now - I can't believe it's already been that long! Yet only one room is finished, we're slow, steady workers to say the least. The kitchen, bathroom and our bedroom are nearly finished, but we still have lots of little jobs to do in each of these rooms.

REVIEW: EarlyBird Daily Snack and Tea Box

 

 EarlyBird are a fun, creative company that have developed a fantastic Taste Box*, which cleverly brings together food, music and art. Each EarlyBird Taste Box is filled with five snacks (one for each day of the working week, if you're disciplined enough to wait), unique tea, beautiful artwork and a chance to discover new music. 

WEANING: Making batches of stage 1 purées

 

Weaning begins for us at the end of this week, therefore I started making batches of purées in readiness. I was really nervous and feeling pretty overwhelmed about the whole thing, but after attending a local weaning class I feel assured that you can't really go wrong. As long as we know the foods that Isabella shouldn't have until she's older (e.g. honey) then we should be ok. In fact I'm pretty excited about it now, hence the purée making on mass! 

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #10

This week we started two new classes - baby sensory and baby massage, which has been so much fun. It's such valuable time that is completely focused on Isabella and not on the daily jobs that life throws at you. On baby massage days I've decided that Isabella is going to wear a babygrow, as it needs to be something we can quickly take on and off. She rarely wears babygrows nowadays, so I'm making the most of these days!

Day 1

NEW RELEASE: NSPA Grapefruit and Raspberry Skincare for Dry Skin

As I've mentioned on here before, since giving birth my skin has been challenging shall we say?! It's really dry in patches, yet still oily in other places and generally hard work.

BABY: Recent Baby Purchases #2

Surprise, surprise...I've been shopping for baby clothes again. Well actually I picked these pieces up over a good couple of weeks. Though the sales are quickly leaving the stores we've stumbled across some good pieces still left, so it's worth keeping an eye out. Seeing all of the baby girl autumn/winter clothes entering the stores has me so excited for this season! Isabella is going to live in dungarees, long-sleeved vests, peter pan collars and woolly tights and I can't wait :)

 

WEANING: Our plan of action

I can hardly believe that we are starting to prepare for the big weaning milestone. It feels like only yesterday I was trying to get my head around how to breastfeed, make a bottle and sterilising, yet my not so little baby is now nearly ready to start eating solids.

BABY: Cheeky Chompers Ditsy Chew Pack

We've begun the very lengthy teething journey with Isabella, she's dribbling like there is no tomorrow, putting EVERYTHING in her mouth and her first tooth appeared a couple of days ago!

REVIEW: The baby toy perfect for out and about from Hello Baby

We've just approached Isabella's five month birthday - can you believe it?! We still don't have any teeth we can see but are certainly having all of the symptoms - dribbling, chewing everything and her hands are in her mouth ALL the time! Recently we were kindly sent the Manhattan Toy Whoozit Textures and Sounds* (£11.99) from Hello Baby. It's a fantastic, multi sensory toy that is perfect for babies 3 months and over. 

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #9

Here we are into the first month of autumn and I couldn't be happier. I'm really not a fan of hot weather, so by the time September comes along I can be pretty sure that any 'nice' weather days we do get aren't going to be too hot. This month we will also start weaning Isabella, cue messy everywhere! Therefore I'm making the most of her outfits being clean and stain free, while keeping the darker coloured clothes for later in the month.

Day 1

50 THINGS: About Me

 I thought I'd do a different kind of post today, one where you can get to know me a bit more. Though I write about my life on here all the time I rarely talk about myself and thought it might be nice for you all to get to know me a bit better. So here's my 50 random facts...

GIVEAWAY: bravado designs! Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra

 

 Today I have a fantastic giveaway for you - a bravado designs! Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra in Limited Edition Silver Belle worth £30!

FOOD: Peach and Almond Tart Recipe

The other day I was in a 'baking' mood (I'm blaming Great British Bake Off!) so I hunted around the kitchen to see what I could whip up. We had a ton two packs of peaches and that was pretty much it - my options were limited.

LIFE: August Bank Holiday Weekend 2015

 Bank holiday weekends are always such a bonus...an extra day off as a family. I obviously don't need the 'day off' as I'm on maternity leave but it's always lovely to have my husband around too. On Saturday we decided to have a day out in Stratford-upon-Avon, a place we have been a lot but never with Isabella. It's the home of Shakespeare and therefore lots of tourists! There are so many beautiful old buildings, cute shops and cafes, as well as the picturesque river to walk down. We visited Pizza Express for lunch and were glad we had taken Isabella in the baby carrier, as most of the cafes/restaurants in Stratford are tightly packed with tables.

Saturday