Gratitude List Week 1

I am trying out this positive thinking lark. It can be so hard on days where I've hardly slept or I'm just having one of 'those days'. 

I am extremely lucky. I've learnt lately that life really can be too short, and can be snatched away from us at any time. I need to make the best of it and notice all the little things that make me happy. I decided to write a weekly gratitude list to reflect ten things per week that made me happy or that I am thankful for.

This weeks gratitude list: Week 1

1. Hearing my two babies make each other laugh
2. Feeling excited about my blog writing
3. My husband and how we are two peas in a pod
4. Buying myself a top that isn't black
5. Having a healthy family
6. Being proud of my friend for writing such a beautiful eulogy for our friends funeral and being brave enough to read it
7. Baby learning to wave
8. Enjoying music with my son
9. Getting some sunshine
10. Having a holiday to look forward to

That's my ten for this week!

Thanks for reading...

Wafflemama

Linking up with the Enchanted pixie's 52 weeks of gratitude.

How To Cope With A 'Threenager'

Slim Treats

I want to give my motivation a little mid month 'boost', or rather a mega kick in the proverbial.

I've had a low few days following sickness (all of us, plus a teething baby, plus no sleep) and need to focus on the good things, particularly with a holiday and birthday on the horizon and goals I need to reach!

I thought I'd write a little list of all the positive things that have come from losing weight so far. I'm just short of two stone so not a great deal really as its about a third of what I have to lose to be deemed 'healthy'. Garrrr. Enough though for some differences you may not (I didn't) expect so early.

Face is as much as I'm sharing today!

I can run up our hill

We live on a really steep hill, right at the bloody top. Before this journey began, I would walk up better than most people after years of practice, but I still needed at least one quick breather. I forgot my purse the other day and we were late and I actually RAN up it, this blew my mind. I may have felt like I wanted to die right there and then buts its still a massive achievement! I felt like a chubby Forest Gump, proud.

I have gone down to a high street size

I've gone from being either the biggest size, or too big in some normal shops. I have gone down a couple of sizes in most shops and can now be excited about clothes again.

I have already kicked bad habits

I used to have treats every day, at least once. This behavior was rubbing off on my toddler - not good. I felt totally irresponsible but we are both eating better and having the treats as treats and not every day snacks. 

My shape has changed

It's changed so much! My legs are literally about half the size and my waist is back. My tummy has gone down, my bum has halved (it had its own postal address before - huge) and I am feeling a whole load better about my general shape. I'm not even dreading swimming on holiday, that's a pretty big deal for me.

I feel happier when I look in the mirror

I was avoiding the mirror before, now I take a sneaky look all the time. My clothes are hanging better and I am so much happier with what I see.

I feel healthier.

Health is my main reason for doing this and it feels good to feel better. I cant explain exactly why I feel healthier - other than breathing a little easier, I just do. If i get a good nights sleep I even have a little energy and my mood is generally better and more positive.

That's enough for now to keep me going. I hope I can keep this up as I am excited to see how good it feels to be super fit and healthy, I'm not sure I ever have been! So far soooo good.

Thankful for the wet stuff - love it.

Thanks for reading!

www.wafflemama.uk 

Our Spring/Summer Fashion - Baby & Toddler

I've always loved dressing my son up and although the novelty of washing tiny clothes has worn off quite a lot, OK completely, the shopping and putting his little outfits together hasn't.  

A lot of their clothes are pre-loved (missing my fuller wage packet) but it's still easy to put awesome little looks together and mix old with new. I love to have a little splurge when I get chance and get them some lovely new bits. A's always been very choosy about what he wears himself, he definitely has his own style.

The babes - A in his favourite floppy hat...

I've now got a daughter too and I am loving dressing her, especially in all the colours and patterns that I can't get away with myself! (I'm porky and most patterns make me look like a sofa or a badly dressed sugar pig). I got her some amazing leopard print sunglasses today in Primark, I just need her to be as excited as me, then maybe she will actually keep them on her head!

Baby S - dreamy!

Looking to summer and all the excitement of sunshine (minus the fact we are all paper white and sunburn capital) I'm excited for all the new things they can wear.

For him

A is 3 and a half and looks a total dream boat in everything he wears. I'm loving nautical colours and patterns and always classic checked shirts and tee-shirts. He has a sun hat from last year that he just won't give up so we will be seeing that floppy straw affair for another summer but it is very very cute so all is good in this hood. I have seen a nice trilby in Primark which we may have to invest in, just in case. We as parents are of the ex skater/rock/hip hop/ska/punk/god knows what else persuasion and there is a definite streak of this in his wardrobe too.

For her

Baby S is such a happy little squish. She really suits floral prints, polka dots and all things girly. Think more Kidston than Barbie though. My plan of her wearing her brothers hand me downs has mostly gone to pot except for his pjs, vests, band tees and jeggins. 

The thing I just can't get enough of are the head wraps/bands. I've got a few in but I am starting to make my own too so the worlds our oyster, and sorry (not sorry) I may even make us matching. In fact I think we may end up with a lots of matching things once I can brave something prettier than my normal head to toe black!
Shopping

H&M has my tastes down to an absolute tee, and always has done. I am using their latest collections of beautiful baby/kids clothes in my wish list shop to show my chosen looks.
They are so reasonably priced in there we have already managed to grab a few of these bits from our local store, and earmarked the rest.

Here are my wish list items for this spring/summer! Enjoy!

(Thank me later and send my sincere apologies to the wallet!)

Clockwise, Cat hat, sunnies, kitty shoes and polka dot romper. Floral 
harems, striped vest, cardi and hairband. Floral jumpsuit (love!). Floral 
Coat, grey harem pants, kitty tees and pink cat hat (older girls range.)

Clockwise - Pirate swim set, hat, slip-ons and sleeveless hoodie for an
extra layer. Striped vest and shorts with trilby and sandals. Triple denim, 
woo-hoo! With an amazing octopus tee. Some wardrobe staples with a 
cool tee and high tops.

What looks are you loving this year? If you see anything you think we would like please comment and let me know...

Thanks for reading! 


To view these items in full detail you can visit the H&M website by clicking here.

                     www.wafflemama.uk 

Blogging: It's Love.

I'm pretty new to having a blog but I love it. I'm pretty certain I'm already addicted, but if not, I'm certainly well on the way.

I have started to 'think in blogs' which I know sounds weird! I see things, or do things, or take pictures, always thinking about how they could fit into a post or make a memory. I take notes on paper, I make notes on my phone and I have drafts of a million posts, some of which will never see the light of day. 

I lose sleep to write something 'quick', I write between baby feeds, between meals and sneakily while the children are occupied and I should probably clean.

Blogging helps my stress and anxiety. I spill my guts and in turn read other posts and it helps. 

I feel like I always have someone to talk to. I don't publish posts sometimes or even really know if anyone's read them when I do, I'm just happy to have offloaded, it's great therapy.

I feel like I have something I will be proud to look back on and it's a really nice way to help document my life as a mother and my children's early years. 

Blogging has made me feel like I am a person again, I care about myself and even the way I look when I haven't in years. I have a new love for everything, home decor, fashion, food and getting healthy!

I may not be the best writer In the world but I love talking (waffling) and really want people, especially other parents to realise that the things they are going through are normal, and to make them feel good too.

Other bloggers are lovely, helpful supportive people who are nice to be around (even if only on a screen so far).

It's all pretty new this blogging business, but right now its pure 100% love.

www.wafflemama.uk

Insta Natural Vitamin C - Youth Express Night Cream - Product #Review

I'm 31 in two weeks and have two children, neither of which want to sleep well at the moment. I'm a tired, sometimes stressed, ex smoker (boo) with a very basic beauty regime.

When I was offered a trial of Insta Natural's night cream I jumped at the chance.

Who better to put a beauty cream to the test? I certainly liked the sound of it and what it could transform me into. I didn't know what to expect, because I've used various products before and wasn't very familiar with the Insta Natural brand.

"Night Cream Moisturizer Treatment for Face - Infused with Vitamin C, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Matrixyl 3000, Rosehip Oil & Argan Oil - Made With Natural & Organic Ingredients".

After 3 days my pores were visibly reduced and skin vastly improved,

This product boasts a lot of exciting results, some of which are; Anti-ageing benefits, soothing acne and blemishes, deeper hydration and a reduction of redness with irritated skin. This cream had me interested from the get go. I could see and feel a difference after one day and I was intrigued to see what could become of my rapidly increasing wrinkles and giant pores that I thought I had to just live with. It was genuinely exciting to see my face appear smoother and younger within only a few days. I was pleased to put the claims from the amazon listing to test, which to be fair were completely true. I would say this product 'Does what it says on the tin'.

 "Reduces the Appearance of Fine Lines, Wrinkles, Hyper Pigmentation & Uneven Skin Tone - Guaranteed to Improve Complexion!"

I also have blotchy dry skin and however much I cleanse, it feels like I'm putting my makeup on an old dish cloth. This product has changed all that in just a short time and I am so pleased to review such a genuinely great product. My makeup is easier to apply and I have probably halved the amount of foundation  I use each morning as my skin just doesn't need as much coverage.

My smoother more 'youthful' skin to apply my make up to.

Product details

• Cost £17.95 (free postage)
• Where from? Amazon 
• How much is in the bottle? 100ml
• How you do apply it? Apply to face and neck in a circular motion with fingertips from the nose outwards. Let the cream absorb into the skin.
• Packaging.
  The cream arrived from amazon in one of their cardboard cases with a see through plastic cover. The labelling is clear and gives all the details of the products advantages.The bottle has a satisfying smooth pump action allowing you to get as much or as little out as you'd like.
• Texture

  The cream is white,  light and soft and feels thick but not greasy. I guess you'd see the difference here as the more budget creams have a cooler, thin, wet like texture. 
• Application 

  When applying this, I cleansed first with a general Micellar water then applied this liberally to my neck and face. Paying particular attention to my forehead, crows feet, eye bags and cheeks. There is no strong smell to the cream just a very very light fragrance. I have very sensitive skin and had absolutely no issues. It feels quite lush and thick but it is absorbed very quickly, leaving the skin almost rubbery (in a very good way!) smooth and dry leaving it feeling healthier and moisturised! This feeling is still there in the morning too. When makeup is applied the next day it goes on noticeably smoother than normal. The instructions do state to cleanse and tone first but as I have only recently been using micellar water I didn't want to introduce a toner which may distract from any positive results from the night cream.
• Continued use

  After a few days I felt the pores on my cheeks appeared reduced. In fact I could see clear results in the mirror too. My skin had plumped a little and had a generally more youthful look to it than before I began using his cream. The whole of my first week of trial I felt so much better about my skin, this continued. The pores seemed to shrink by the day and I felt a lot healthier looking and even had a comment to say I was looking really well. My skin looks so much more even and less dry now.

I am intrigued to see what else the brand has to offer. I will carry on using this nightly and will be restocking when this runs out, or at least dropping heavy hints as a birthday gift!

I was given this product in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts and words written in this review are my own and in no way influenced by Insta natural.

www.wafflemama.uk