Fashion Friday: Getting Ready for America!

I'm getting a lot more use out of these riding boots than I thought I would! I also kind of love the camo colours in this outfit...the shirt/blouse was super affordable & from Forever21 (bought over the summer) and my trousers are by Selected. The boots I got on sale from ASOS and are Ted Baker. I'm still having a hard time getting in & out of them with those zips!! Underneath my shirt I wore a long-sleeve black nursing top by Boob Design as it's quite cold out! I also wore my long gold necklace from Gorjana as I liked how it tied in with the gold zips on my boots :)

As I look at these pictures I miss my doggies SO much...they are gone for the next week as we're off to Disney World on Sunday - eek!!! Packing is a total nightmare but I am getting through it! But the most difficult thing is not getting to see my dogs for such a long time. I know by about mid-week next week I will probably start to unravel a bit...ha ha ha! No, I'm not pregnant but I do get emotional about my furry babies. 

I hope you're all having a fabulous Friday!

Throwback Thursday: Bandana Baby

This is little Anna at about age 6 or 7! I can't believe I never noticed this before but it appears that my mum and I had the same idea with this "bandana" trend...evidently she liked to put them on me (worn as a scarf) and I now put them on Eduardo (worn as bibs though, ha ha!). I don't know why I find that so bizarre! To be totally honest I never even made the connection until now! I started out putting these bandana dribble bibs on Eduardo purely because he used to drool so much (and still does when he's teething!) so they were more functional than fashionable. But I do love them as a little accessory to his outfit...and as we can see here my mum obviously felt the same way! What do you think of the bandana scarf and/or bibs?!

What I Ate Wednesday {28.1.15}

Breakfast

Today started in a bit of a panic as we were rushing to get out the door so I didn't have time to eat a proper breakfast. We had meetings in Central London but between getting children organised, weekly grocery shops being delivered and putting the correct colour jumpers & harnesses on dogs of course we ended up running late! So I grabbed a Nutri Grain Breakfast Bake and a banana to eat in the car on the way to the train station! I also made sure to take a bottle of water with me...especially as I felt quite bloated today!

Lunch

After a morning of meetings, we went to Pizza East for lunch. I ordered the beetroot & goat's cheese salad but kind of wish I would have got a pizza instead as they did look amazing!! I also got a Diet Coke as I haven't had one in ages!

Dessert

I could not pass up dessert (especially after such a light lunch!), so I got the salted caramel & chocolate tart with cream. (YUM!) This was extremely rich but very good. Everyone else got donuts with an amazing chocolate mousse/sauce thing on the side which I was very jealous of! I had this with a cup of black coffee.

Dinner

This evening I made Jamie Oliver's Trapani Pasta which is one of Jonathan's favourites. It's actually more of a summer dish as it's made with a raw sauce of cherry tomatoes, almonds, parmesan, anchovies, chilli peppers, basil and garlic. Everyone loved this but I think next time I need to omit the chilli for the children :-/ I sometimes forget the Jamie's recipes can be quite spicy (which we love, but is a bit much for small kids). 

Snack

After dinner I tried to keep it healthy with an orange & cherry Fruitopolis yoghurt. I also drank 2L of water today...and that's it!

What did you eat today?!

Beauty Tuesday: Little Green Box!

I was recently treated to this little green gem - an all-natural and organic beauty box from Souk Souk. It works as a monthly subscription service, where you receive 5 little green beauty products & a magazine for £10 + p&p each month. By no means am I all-natural OR organic when it comes to beauty products but I am very open-minded when it comes down to things like this and I'm willing to give anything a try! I also really respect those who stick to the all-natural way of life. I wish I were that disciplined! Here's what was in the January box: 

Green People Gentle Cleanser

This stuff smells really fresh & clean. It's 91% organic and suitable for all skin types. 

Mungo Murphy's Nourishing Seaweed Mask

This is like nothing I've ever tried before! It comes in a green, smelly powder form and although it does stink a little I'm weirdly intrigued to try it on my face!

Bentley Organic Shampoo & Conditioner

I'm a bit skeptical about these because I'm normally of the opinion that all-natural shampoos & conditioners don't work that well but I'm willing to give these a go. They have a lovely citrus smell and are perfect for travel as they're just the right size, so I might pop them in my suitcase for an upcoming trip next week ;) 

Afyna Relaxing Body Lotion

Last but not least is this body lotion which seems nice & smells pleasant but what I like most of all is the packaging as I think it resembles an old-fashioned milk bottle! 

That's everything that I got this month! I do think this is a fabulous idea for people who are interested in going green with their beauty products and would like to discover new brands. I also love how the box & packaging is made from recycled materials...I feel like a lot of thought went into all the details of this beauty box. I'm keen to be introduced to more all-natural/organic products and am interested in seeing if they make a difference! 

Let me know what you think! Are you interested in going green with your beauty regime? If you'd like to sign up to Souk Souk, you can do so here!

*Disclaimer: Not a sponsored post. I was not paid for my review, nor am I affiliated in anyway with the brand. I was gifted this box however am under no obligation to mention it...this is just something I genuinely find interesting and wanted to share :)

Mommy Monday: Sharing & Doggy Friends

Here's what we got up to today. As you can tell, Eduardo is a fan of anything that Emilia deems "off-limits". In other words, her Doc McStuffins doll and doctor's bag...her Elsa & Anna dolls...these are her prized possessions. Things he is allowed to look at but not touch and when Emilia is out at her ballet class or playgroup I sometimes catch him tentatively touching her stuff with a look of excited disbelief on his face! Having said that Emilia is actually quite good at sharing her toys. Even if her initial instinct is to shriek in annoyance she will rarely refuse to share with her brother. 

Eduardo got his hands on Doc and parts of her doctor's bag (though he wasn't allowed to touch the stethoscope...never the stethoscope!!). And Emilia proceeded to change all of her toys' nappies. She went through a lot of imaginary wipes & nappy bags. It turns out her toys have many poo explosions.

Bianca got put in the red buggy which she quite enjoyed...she was pushed around by both Emilia & Eduardo until I found her parked into a corner in the sitting room, fast asleep. I like to think she appreciated the colour co-ordination of the buggy to her bow. Theo wanted to get in on the action too but unfortunately none of the children's toys could hold his weight. Ahh Theo...he's a real gem. I can't wait for them all to be groomed tomorrow! 

New Camera Fun

I originally bought this camera as a Christmas present for my sister but my mum got her the same thing...instead of going back and returning it I decided to keep it for myself! It's the Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 - of course I got it in pink. Today was the first time I took it out of its box and used it. I have come to the conclusion that these are actually pretty cool! Aside from the fact that the film is ridiculously expensive (I think it works out at about £3 a picture!), I love how the photos come out and they have that vintage look, like an Instagram shot but in "real life" form. Jonathan loves how they look on our fridge! Here are the three snaps we took today. Emilia & I were wearing matching velour tracksuits...I mean how much classier can you get. Also, if you are having a hard time getting your toddler to pose for pictures I recommend investing in one of these OR painting your own camera pastel pink. I think Emilia believed that this was a magical toy camera because I've never seen her give such a cheesy grin before! She was so pleased with herself! 

Style Saturday: Puppy Love

I went along with a friend of mine to see a new puppy today (not for me, for her!). It was an eventful afternoon involving a long road trip (long for nervous drivers like me = a 40 minute drive), a petrol pump disaster and dog poo. And this was all BEFORE we'd even seen the puppy!! I will leave it up to tomorrow's vlog for to reveal what happened. But this was what I wore! Complete with my shearling jacket because I'm actually freezing my bum off posing for these pictures. 

I wore my cream chunky knit Jack Wills jumper that I got from ASOS, army green Michael Kors skinny jeans and my leopard heels from Kurt Geiger. I will admit that I actually chickened out and ended up wearing a different pair for driving just because I'm not that confident about driving in heels yet! 

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! I want 6 more puppies!! 

Fashion Friday: Leather Look

This was my travel outfit when we flew to Ireland last weekend! I wore my By Malene Birger metallic knit jumper and a white sleeveless Vila shirt underneath. I also layered a black Boob nursing singlet underneath it all for comfort/coverage when feeding Eduardo on the airplane. A tad more daring than my usual style are these leather trousers that I picked up recently by Michael Kors. I actually had passed these up before Christmas as I figured they were too much of a splurge for such a trendy piece. But I couldn't stop thinking about them ever since then and while picking up my outfit for The Saturday Night Show, Jonathan surprised me by convincing me to get them. I'm not going to argue with that!! I finished off the outfit with my black wedge boots from Whistles.

 I hope you're all having a fabulous Friday! 

Throwback Thursday: Special Christmas Present

This week's throwback isn't actually of me, but I wanted to share a special Christmas present with you all that I don't think I've ever shown or mentioned before! My mum gave me picture of my dad that she had framed specially for me. He had it taken in Florence, Italy years ago back when he & my mum were first together (before any of us were born). I still haven't hung it up as I haven't found to perfect place for it yet but I'm leaning towards a little space over the armchair in my bedroom. I can't tell you how much this Christmas present meant to me...it was really special. As Emilia would say, her nonno looks "so ham-psim" ;)

What I Ate Wednesday {21.1.15}

Breakfast

Today's breakfast was a bit of a disaster as we hadn't gone food shopping since getting home from Ireland on Sunday so this morning we were down to our last drop of milk & our fridge was empty! We were due to get our Ocado delivery at 9am but the van broke down (of course it did...the one time we were all starving!) so I didn't eat breakfast until about 11am. Either way, it was the same as normal! Regular porridge oats with almond milk, 1/2 banana, blueberries & cinnamon. I also had a cup of coffee but that was earlier at about 9! 

Snack 

While the children were having their lunch I ate a quick snack. I had an apple with a peach & passionfruit Fruitopolis yoghurt. 

Lunch

Surprise, surprise...a bagel! I can't help myself - I look forward to a good ham & cheese bagel for lunch (almost) everyday! These New York Bakery Co. Limited Edition Seeded bagels are the best. The only downside is that you only get 4 in a pack instead of the usual 5. Another favourite of mine is the red onion & chive flavour...yum! We use really mature cheddar cheese, apple smoked ham and black & red pepper. Add some cherry tomatoes & cucumber slices and that's my favourite lunch!

Afternoon Coffee

I probably wouldn't make it through the day without this coffee...the perfect reward for getting both children down for their afternoon nap! Ha ha ha! 

Dinner

A friend of ours brought us this homemade Indian curry yesterday and I have no idea what it's called or how it was made but it was absolutely delicious! This was a lot spicier than what we're used to but we love spicy food so I was up for the challenge! It's made with chicken mince and that's a potato sitting on top! It also had onions in it. That's all I know! I put it with some brown rice and tasted a bit like a really spicy Indian chilli...so good. Plus it made me down a lot of water which is always a bonus!

Dessert

Lately I've been obsessed with these Joe & Seph's gourmet/posh popcorns...they come in a variety of different cool flavours and are totally decadent! This one is caramel & sea salt which satisfies both sweet & salty cravings in one go! I enjoyed this with a decaf coffee. 

To drink I had 2L of water (yay!) and that's about it! What did you eat today?!

Beauty Tuesday: My Everyday Makeup Routine!

Before

After

I finally got the time to film the much-requested everyday makeup routine I have been promising you guys for ages! Here it is from start to finish, including which products I am using currently which are basically all my favourites right now. I do this same makeup look almost every single morning and it has become a part of my routine that I actually love & look forward to everyday! It usually takes me about 15 minutes though I can do it in 5 when I'm in a pinch but I like to take my time and not rush. 

When I do my makeup I like to catch up on my favourite YouTube videos, relax & just take a moment to myself before the day starts to get crazy and hectic! With kids I think that it's important to still take 15 minutes for yourself...even if that means waking up a bit earlier than the rest of the family. I wake up at 7:30 every morning so that I'm showered, dressed & have my makeup/hair done before I start my day. I feel like something this simple can actually make a huge difference to how I feel & how productive I am. As a result of taking this time for myself in the mornings, I can do a better job as a mother & wife. 

Maybe that sounds silly but it's just how I feel!

Here are a list of the products I used from start to finish:

- Estee Lauder DoubleWear Foundation in Ivory Beige

- Estee Lauder DoubleWear Concealer in Light Medium

- Urban Decay Primer Potion Eden

- Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent

- Benefit Hoola Bronzer

- NARS Orgasm Blush

- Benefit Browzings Medium

- Bobbi Brown Old Hollywood Eye Palette 

- YSL The Black Collection Eyeliner Pen

- MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder

- Lancome Grandiose Mascara

- Lancome Rouge in Love lipstick 200B Rose Thé

- Tanya Burr Lipgloss in Daydream

Check out my everyday makeup routine from start to finish below!

Mommy Monday: Life Right Now

Organising her "big girl pants" (welcome to the world of potty training...eek)

This is what our life looks like right now! It seems like every time we travel, one or both of our kids gets sick. Unfortunately for Emilia, this time it was her. She got hit with a nasty cold so she has been sniffling & snuffling all day...although I did manage to bring her to ballet class this morning as she absolutely adores it and wouldn't miss it for the world! When I asked her if she still wanted to go she shrieked with excitement! 

Poor Eduardo wasn't spared either as he has been doing some major teething lately. Today it all came to a head (of course it did!) and he woke up from his nap with a temperature and in a rotten mood. Which, for a baby like Eduardo who is normally so happy & smiley is very out of character! The worst thing about all of this is that whenever Emilia gets sick she becomes extremely clingy towards me...and obviously same goes for Eduardo when he's teething. So today I basically had two miserable babies joined at my hip at all times! Hopefully tomorrow they will be feeling a bit better. At this time, Calpol, Teetha & Bonjela are my best friends. 

The joys of motherhood, eh? ;) And I wonder why my blog posts are always late...ha ha ha!