Saturday 22 March 2014

Good Morning

It's 6 am on a Saturday morning and I am wide awake. This is mainly because Wednesday the cat fancies herself an alarm clock and thinks it's an excellent idea to wake mommy up for breakfast at this ungodly hour.  Usually she wakes me up much later on the weekend,  but I have things to do today and places to go that will make me tired,  so, you know.  The reason I didn't just go straight back to sleep is heartburn.  It's the bane of my existence and won't leave me the hell alone!
I virtually sit up in bed, but alas, nothing frickin works and all I feel is this delightful burning sensation at the top of my stomach.  I am going through Gaviscon like crazy and that is saying something because that stuff is hard to get down.  It has the worst texture and I have to really make an effort and concentrate.
Sorry, I had to share my tale of woe.
I'm going to try give this sleeping thing another go cos I'm trashed.
See ya later.

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Rimmel 60 Seconds Haul

I know that most of my posts have been baby related lately, but that doesn't mean that I've given up on buying makeup.

There have been a few bits and pieces bought on a semi regular basis.

As I mentioned in my last post, many of my polishes need to be culled as they are no longer up to the job, so my most recent purchase has been to stock up on some new nail polishes.

I did avoid nail polish for a while, but I'm over it now. My nails are looking good thanks to the baby and I want to make the most of it.

I bought a Rimmel polish last year and was worried that it had gotten somewhat thicker, but I tried it recently and it still applied reasonably well and dried fast, so I went to Boots and got nine more (on 3 for 2).

From left to right: 210 Ethereal; 262 Ring a Ring 'O Roses; 405 Rose Libertine; 440 Sun Downer; 506 Central Love Heart; 503 Mind the Gap, Victoria; 844 Out of the Blue; 843 Midnight Skinny Dip; 800 Black Out
To be perfectly honest, I have a feeling that Rimmel 60 Seconds has spoiled me for all other brands of nail polish. I really get on with this range. The brushes make application really easy and the colours just pop. The polish dries as fast as it says and lasts really well - longer than anything else I have tried.

I've only used one of the colours so far. I wore the first colour for over a week. It could have lasted longer, but I took it off today so I could enjoy my another lovely shade.

I really love this brand!

Everyone seems mad over Essie polishes, but I have tried a few and I didn't really get on with them.

I must also confess that it gives me quite a thrill to apply brand new nail polish for the first time and I truly love the way my hands look with nail polish; and I said I would never be a makeup addict. Oh well, who knew?

I still don't have the best base or top coats, which I am going to research and buy next.

Do you have any nail products you love or quick drying tips to share?
Please comment below!
I'd love to hear your thoughts.

A little update to my little update - The Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain I bought is really nice when i first put it on, but I don't recommend it if you have dry patches on your lips as it just clings to them. It also stains/dries and gives you that granny lipstick look. Don't get me wrong, I still like it, but I need to get my lips in better nick, I think.

Also, the Soap & Glory sharpie style eyeliner is terrible. It smells like bug spray. I can't even bring myself to try it a second time. I do like the Rimmel Scandaleyes sharpie eyeliner. It goes on well, has reasonably good colour pay-off and is easy to apply, even for an minimally coordinated, like me.

Sunday 16 March 2014

Play Gym Dilema

As is natural with first time parents, Mr C and I want the best for our precious little Bean, but we are prudent folk and do not want to go completely overboard. Also, we know pretty much diddly about child development, and to be honest, it's not something I want to delve into or get obsessed with. She will do what she will do and I don't want to be freaking out about mile stones and such. (I say that now, but I know myself and that will change.)

Naturally as we progress through this pregnancy, and knowing that it is unlikely that we will get any baby gifts or baby showers, we are accumulating a range of baby essentials and nice-to-haves. (except clothes - we are holding back on those).

One of the items we have decided to purchase is a baby gym. The only problem is that we feel a little bit overwhelmed by the range, from the basic to the ridiculous. (we = me. Mr C says whatever I want is fine - very sweet by not overly helpful!)

We looked at Boots, checked Mothercare, Kiddicare, Amazon, Argos and more. We have a few theories but I am not sold. We definitely do not want to spend the earth on this as the baby will most likely outgrow it within six months or so.

In our search, we have tried to narrow choices down to play gyms that may have a more extended lifespan, greater interactivity or that can be converted to something useful later on. I like the gyms with lots of fabric hooks along the arches so we can add toys and things for the little one to grab, kick and reach for.

Mr C quite likes the Fisher Price Kick & Play Gym which has a keyboard at one end. I am not sure.

In fact, that is my main problem - I have absolutely no idea which play gym to buy for my little growing baby daughter.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I need help!


Thursday 13 March 2014

Little Update

Hi.
Tomorrow I will be be  25 weeks pregnant.



In the last few weeks the little bean has really blossomed (read blown up -like a beach ball in my belly).
She moves and kicks and pokes and bares down on my bladder. I have tried to have a calm, rational discussion with her about sharing space and compromising, but nothing doing. She wants to stretch out and she will.

I can also actually see her moving now, which is pretty cool, but she doesn't do it on demand, so Mr C has not had the good fortune to witness the little miracle as of yet.

My heartburn is as bad as ever and, more likely that not, my fault. Coffee is really not my friend any more.
I occasionally get cabbage patch doll feet, but then I just lie down with my feet up and the swelling goes down.

I go to yoga on Tuesdays with InJoy Yoga at Beanie's Cafe, where, surprise surprise, I talk too much! *sorry ladies* I am working on the problem. It probably irritates me more than you, since it's an impulse I struggle to control. I am benefiting from the exercise but my back (right side) has been sore lately and is so unfun! I think the pain is more related to the increased baby size and lack of muscle tone/strength rather than from the increased activity.

I have taken up a few other little activities offered through the Depression Alliance. I made a coaster in the mosaic class this week. it was fun and creative, so why not!

The Vertbaudet stuff arrived and while the clothes and towel were pretty, the store is decidedly over-priced and we won't be buying from them again. The change bag is super tiny - cute, but tiny, so the search continues for an appropriate baby change bag. (I am secretly tempted to just use a backpack, as I currently do.)

We've bought a few more baby things. I am somewhat tempted to do a video to show all the stuff we've got so far. Let me know what you think. Might be fun.

Ooh, and we opened the pram and carry cot boxes. The Babyzen stuff is just as it appears... Totally Amazing. The manuals were sealed in their own bags so we used the YouTube videos for opening and closing instructions (worked a treat) and they are really easy to use. The pram and carry cot are sturdy (I was afraid they wouldn't be) light-weight and the prams is smoother than any of the other prams I have tried. I did three-point turns in our teeny tiny lounge and I was amazed.

FYI - Kiddicare is having an added extra sale type of thing where the pram (white) which was £400 when we bought it, is now 15% less (so £340). Don't worry, we didn't let the £60 slip away from us. I know it may sound a bit cheeky, but the pram was still sealed in the box, so we took it back to the shop and they gave us a voucher for the difference. (We had called their call centre who said there was nothing they could do. According to the people in store, they could not understand why they could not help us.)

On the beauty front, my nails are looking long and fabulous (thank you baby!), so I am letting them grow as long as possible (I will have to cut them when baby comes so I am enjoying it while I can). I am going through my nail polish now and testing them out to see what to get rid of. The Rimmel 60 second polish lasted me a whole week with a top coat and I was super happy with it and want to get more shades, but I want to get rid of all the others that don't cut it as well.

I have also bought a few bits from Boots - some sharpie style eyeliners that I have yet to try, some eye shadow from Soap & Glory and the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 001, which I LOVE! Mr C is not sold on the colour but I am in love with it. It feels and looks lovely. It should be considering what I went through to get it. I went to Boots and bought it. I got on the tram and looked at it. It had been used - how gross! so I turned around and went back. They had none in stock and tried to sell me other stuff. Don't you hate it when salesmen do that. So I rummaged through the drawer at the bottom and found one unused tester - just one. Problem solved (it took almost an hour to do this and it is way too hot in that shop.)

Last little thing. I have become obsessed with the Bits and Clips YouTube channel. she is good friends with one of my favourites, SprinkleofGlitter. I watch Marie endlessly.

Nothing else to share, I think.

See ya later.




Baby Show Haul

Last week Mr C and I went to the Baby Show at the Excel Centre to start our epic shopping journey into parenthood.

As a FTM (First Time Mum), I feel wholeheartedly unprepared for the experience, which is ridiculous since I am actually rather good with babies and kids, and labour holds neither mystery nor terror for me as it does many others in the same boat.

Oh, and did I mention that at 23wks, I now look like I swallowed a boat?

Look. I'll show you...

Big Mama
 Since we don't really know what we're getting ourself in for, we decided to make a shopping list, Cheerin-style.

Mr C is a very logical fellow, and I am rather fond of logic myself. I am also unable to trust my brain at the moment. As such, our little list (this was my idea, just so you know) turned into a spreadsheet, which included all the items we may need to buy and their price point from various common household retailers.

I did not go overboard with this as we simply wanted to arm ourselves with a comparative price guide for the Baby Show. We have been to similar shows before, here and in South Africa (The Rand Show - oh the memories) and we are well aware that many stand holders will claim that their product is being sold at a hefty discount for the show, only to discover that most of it is utter bullshit.

We think we did rather well and so we took pictures.

Here's a good one.

Cool Stuff
We did get just a few little freebies, but not many.
Here is a list of our haul:
Baby carrier - MaByLand Trek - £30
Sangenic Hygiene nappy bin - £10.00
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature new born starter set - £15.00
Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottles - £13.00
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Electric Breast Pump - £52.77
Chilli Peeps multi-purpose teats - £10.00
Milton dummy steriliser + 50 mini steri tabs - £7.00
13 Funky Giraffe Bibs - £20.00
Baby grooming kit - £12.00
Fluffy duck toy - £5.00

We also recently bought our pram and carry cot from Kiddicare.
Behold the Babyzen Recaro Pram:



Amazing, don't you think?

We did not buy a microwave steriliser at the show because we got it cheaper at Kiddicare.
This Friday, we went to Kiddicare and bought the few little things we wanted that were on promo and therefore cheaper than the show - a mobile, the steriliser, and few other little bits.

We have not bought a baby bag. they are ridiculously over-priced and besides, we went onto this lovely little website called Vertbaudet. They sent us a catalogue with some rather cute baby things.  They are quite expensive, but with your first shop, you get £15 off your order of £20 or more plus a free changing bag which is very sweet looking and ... I'll take a picture when I get it and show you. To get this deal, we bought a hooded towel  and a set of babygrows. The total after discount was a whopping £11.99!

So it's all good and we're doing well. 
Baby is doing well too and that's all for now.