We Need Your Help!

Hey guys!

I didn't get a chance to workout yesterday so went this morning instead...the first workout after the weekend is always the hardest but I'm really happy with my fitness progress as I'm finding my routine a little bit easier each time! I meet back with my trainer in a week to revise my program and amp it up again! (Not gonna lie, I'm kind of scared!) My workout top & sports bra are both from Victoria's Secret Pink. 

Here's my outfit of the day, taken before the storm! It is quite literally storming rain right now...but this morning it was sunny! I'm wearing my new Maje cream jeans which I later realised when I looked them up on the website that they are supposed to be cropped. Ha ha ha...I guess now you all know how short my legs are because they're not remotely cropped on me!! The top half of my outfit is something I wore ALL the time when pregnant with Emilia! The brown tank top is from InWear (I think my mum bought it for me ages ago) and the cardigan is super old from Vero Moda. It actually has a rip in the side of it...oops! My sandals which I featured in yesterday's haul are from Carvela. 

And here's the vlog from today! I felt it was important to share this one with you guys because we are highlighting a cause that is very close to our heart! As I've mentioned before we are now officially working with the RSPCA and will be attending their Big Walkies event in Alexandra Palace on the 31st of May (with all six of our doggies!). We have set up a JustGiving page and would love for you all to help us reach our goal of raising £10,000 for the charity! (Thanks to your amazing generosity we are over halfway there!) Also the first 200 people to donate £20 will get to hang out with us at Alexandra Palace - I cannot wait to meet you all!

Mommy Monday: Spring Fashion Haul!

Hey guys! I finally filmed a video today - surprise surprise! It's a spring fashion haul featuring everything I bought when I was in Brown Thomas in Ireland last week! Here are the links to everything I bought: 

Carvela Lock Trainers

Carvela Kruise Sandals

Maje Morelle Jumper

Maje Loenie T-shirt

Maje End Jeans

Ted Baker Platt Jeans

I also completely forgot to mention that I got this pretty blazer as well - the Maje Vizir Jacket which I think will make a great basic for spring & summer! 

And here's the video where I show everything I got! Hope you enjoy and don't forget to give it a thumbs up if you liked it! :) 

Back to Normality

Yesterday was Monday which meant back to the gym! Surprisingly I was actually looking forward to it after a weekend of overindulgence! And this time I brought headphones too...Jonathan tells me I'm a weirdo for not listening to music during my workouts - I don't even have any on my phone! So I downloaded Spotify and stuck on the UK Top 40...incidentally it turns out I'm not such a grandma after all as I actually did recognise lots of the songs! (I'm not uncool I swear - I just hardly ever listen to music!) To be honest though, Jonathan was right as the music did make a difference and improved my workout 100x over! 

That afternoon I went to get my nails done. Initially I was going to go for a pastel lavender shade but instead I found myself drawn to the pinks! I picked a hot pink shade called "Suzi has a Swede Tooth" from OPI's Gel Colour range and I like it so much I think I might get it on my toes next time! 

And here's the vlog from today! You can see all that we got up to including my very healthy shopping haul...*ahem* ;) 

Back in the UK

Yesterday we left Ireland and flew back to London...it was bittersweet as we really miss my mum & family - Emilia especially was very upset saying goodbye to her Oma. But at the same time we've grown to love England as our home. So as much as we're happy to be back in our house & sleep in our own beds, we had an amazing weekend in Cork and it was a trip to remember! Travelling with a toddler & a baby is no easy task and getting through airport security is always a nightmare but thankfully the flight is very short so it wasn't so bad! Emilia & Eduardo managed to entertain themselves for a while by looking out the plane window!

We brought our Cosatto double buggy (it has the words "Sis & Bro" written on it) for our Ireland visit and it also came with us to Florida. It folds up really easily and all in one piece, plus it's quite small and lightweight for a double. I like it for travelling, even if it did get a little bit mangled on the plane (they always do!!). My travel outfit consisted of Primark jeans, my Bershka jacket, New Look shoes and a Maje jumper I bought while in Ireland (I will feature that in a haul video soon ;). 

Celebrating One Million!

Yesterday we were lucky enough that the sun came out! So we decided to head into town for the day to do some shopping! While we were in Ireland we actually hit 1,000,000 subscribers which was an amazing milestone we are both so proud of! It was quite symbolic that we reached the million in the same country where our daily vlog first began! Here was Emilia's outfit of the day - her jumper and jeans are from H&M, her trainers are by Cath Kidston and her headband was a subscriber gift! 

Jonathan spent the day mountain biking with his brother and the kids & I met my mum for lunch in Market Lane. I ordered the halloumi salad (which was delicious!! I'm obsessed with halloumi at the moment) and rhubarb crumble with custard for dessert! My only regret was not asking for cream instead of custard, ha ha ha! But it was super yummy nonetheless. 

To celebrate hitting the million subscriber mark we spoiled ourselves a little in Brown Thomas! (These aren't all my bags for the record...we just sent this picture to Jonathan as a joke to freak him out a bit! Ha ha!) I got some new shoes and a few pieces for spring/summer as well as sandals for Emilia, an outfit for Eduardo and some bits for Jonathan as well. If you'd like to see a haul video, let me know :)

In the meantime, these two slumbered while we shopped till we dropped! Emilia & Eduardo were actually wonderfully well-behaved & such little angels the entire time. I think the closer they get in age the easier it becomes in a way because they really have started to play together and have developed an amazing bond. It's actually more difficult when they are separated because that automatically takes away their entertainment! It's moments like these that makes me so glad we had two close together, even if it was exhausting in the beginning! 

Perfect Pool Day

One of my favourite things about Irish hotels is their breakfasts! Last time we stayed at Hayfield Manor I fell in love with their porridge. I don't know what they do to it but it always tastes amazing and far better than the one I make at home! And yes, I do eat porridge every single morning...I love it! 

It was absolutely pouring rain yesterday but we actually had a really relaxing day at our hotel! We made the most of the pool and everybody enjoyed a family swim :) Although Jonathan & I did have to traipse half-way around the entire town in search of armbands and a blow-up baby ring...bizarre! We went to about 3-4 different shops before finally sourcing them in Argos. (My bikini is from Floozie by the way - you can find this brand at Debenhams!)

For lunch we just ordered room service as the children were exhausted after their swim and the weather was so awful we didn't want to leave our hotel! I got the smoked salmon salad which came with the yummiest soda bread, capers, red onion and horseradish. 

Later that afternoon I booked spa treatments for my mum & me...here I am beforehand with Emilia (who unfortunately couldn't come!). She looked adorable in her little robe & slippers! And no, she's not that tall - she is actually standing on a bench in this picture! I got a full body massage which I hadn't had since being pregnant with Eduardo! I really needed it, especially after breastfeeding for a year! My mum opted for a mani/pedi (her first ever pedicure!) and she loved it...I'm trying to convince her to treat herself more often because she NEVER does!

By evening time the weather had cleared up so we ventured out to Jacobs on the Mall, a restaurant I'd only ever been to 7 years ago with my dad :( We had been celebrating my 20th birthday. It felt a bit weird to go there without him! We waited a very long time for our food but being totally honest it was worth every minute because it tasted amazing! I got the seafood tagliatelle which was possibly the best pasta dish I've ever had in an Irish restaurant. I was stuffed afterwards but somehow managed to squeeze in dessert...

Here's what I got for pudding! Pear & almond tart with cream (that is cream, not ice-cream!). Oh my god...I know I'm going to be paying for this when I get home & back into my whole gym routine but I don't really care! I enjoyed every last morsel :)

Happy Birthday Mama!

Yesterday was my mum's birthday and we planned the biggest secret surprise ever!! This was possibly the most difficult secrets I've ever had to keep...but about 2 weeks ago we planned to surprise my mum by arriving on her doorstep on her birthday. She had absolutely no idea and the look on her face when we appeared there was priceless! I took this picture at dinner later that evening when Emilia was being cheeky and devouring the entire contents of the bread basket before her meal even arrived. 

I took this picture in an effort to further convince my mum of the fact that we were NOT in Ireland...just in case she got any ideas ;) Actually our flight wasn't until later that morning and this was taken early on when I left Eduardo alone for about 5 seconds, returned into the living room and had a mini heart attack when I realised where he was. This child is a MONKEY!!!

And here we are in Hayfield Manor, Cork! We had dinner here last night and this was Emilia's outfit. I wish I could get it in my size! Her blouse is by Ralph Lauren, the leggings are Tommy Hilfiger and the shoes are H&M. Her bow is by Layniebug Designs. I am so obsessed with this outfit, I think it's one of my favourites she's ever worn!  

...and here's what mummy wore! My blouse & jeans are both Michael Kors and my shoes are Carvela (bought at TK Maxx). 

I ordered the arancini for dinner (fried rice balls...absolutely amazing!) and this warm apple tart with cream for dessert. It looked more like a pancake when it came out but it was delicious. It also originally came with ice-cream but I asked for cream instead - I am literally obsessed with cream, I would put it on everything if I could!!

This was the lovely end to a perfect day & possibly the coolest surprise I've ever pulled off!

Safari Park Fun!

Yesterday we spent the whole day at Longleat Safari Park with this beauty Zoe & her not so bad other half Alfie. It was actually Zoe's suggestion as she had already been and thoroughly recommended it. Although the weather started out quite wet & windy and by the end of the day we looked pretty bedraggled, we had an amazing time! 

One of the coolest things we got to do was feed & pet the penguins who were so cute, even though some of them tried to bite! Emilia was not phased by them at all...she is pretty brave and they make a lot of noise when they're hungry!! We also fed some birds nectar which was a little bit scarier as they land all over you and at one point I think I had two nesting in my hair. Thank god nobody pooed, that's all I'll say!!

Another incredible part of the day was seeing these big cats up close & personal! We took a safari where you can drive right up to the animals and we heard sometimes they interact with the car/truck. Unfortunately when we went, all the monkeys were asleep and cuddling (so cute!) so we didn't get many interactions. But the tigers looked so beautiful! 

Before going home we hung out for a bit in the playground where Eduardo & Emilia burned some energy prior to the long drive home! Eduardo was in his element, especially when he realised he was one of the only children left in the centre so he practically had the whole place to himself! Have you ever been to Longleat and if so what was your favourite bit? If not, which would be your favourite animal to see?! I think mine were the wolves...even though we didn't get very close to them they all remind me of our dogs and I want to cuddle them!!

Day in London

Yesterday we had some meetings in London so took the train in...here is my very windy train station outfit of the day! I am wearing all highstreet :) New Look shoes, ASOS shirt & jeggings, Vila blazer. Okay, all highstreet minus the bag which is Love Moschino! Getting the train into London is so easy & quick but pretty much impossible with the kids so we don't do it very often! 

By the time we ate lunch it was actually about 4pm and I was STARVING! We went to the nearest Pizza Express and I ordered the American Hot from their "Leggera" range which is basically a little bit healthier as the pizza itself has a hole in the middle where they put a salad! I like them, especially for a guilt-free lunchtime treat! The American Hot is good if you like spicy things, which I do plus that way I find you always trick your body into drinking much more water! 

Being quite honest we didn't see very much of London this time as this was more of a work trip and we were rushing both in & out...so here's a very boring picture of what I ate on the train home! By that time I was hungry again so we grabbed a quick coffee and I got a salted caramel muffin - YUM!! Totally worth the early morning workout I did that day ;) No gym selfies were taken as I was a mess and totally rushing to try & squeeze it all in before catching our train...but it happened and I'm so glad I made time to go as I felt better & more energised afterwards!

Playdate for Three

Yesterday Emilia had ballet in the morning so Eduardo & I hung out just the two of us...of course that meant taking some mirror selfies, ha ha ha! Good thing he likes looking at his reflection! I actually didn't even have to take most of the pictures - he now knows how to press the button! I wore my white Hello! Skinny jeans along with this red & white striped 3/4 sleeve top from Vero Moda. Eduardo wore his Levi jeans and a blue flannel shirt with a hood from River Island!

We had a lovely relaxing day with our friends Laura & Lily who came to our house for a playdate. Emilia & Lily had a blast on the trampoline! It's so sweet to see the three children play together, as they are all almost all one year apart! 

After Eduardo went down for his nap, the girls bonded over their cars! I think Emilia wanted this little playdate to last forever - she was so sad when Lily had to go home! Emilia's red tutu is from Belle Vintage, I get so many questions about her tutus and these ones are the best quality. They are super flouncy, really comfortable and don't weigh her down. 

I hope you are all having a fabulous week so far!

Building Forts & Baking Cupcakes

What better way to spend a lazy Sunday morning than reading books in your cosy fort :) I call this wonderful creation "the princess fort" as we made it in Emilia's room out of pink polka dot & purple Sofia blankets as well as a mixture of cupcake & cloud cushions! Emilia & Eduardo absolutely loved it...they didn't want to get out!

Although every fibre of my being was against working out on a Sunday, I powered through and actually got my bum to the gym yesterday during naptime as I know I've got a busy week ahead and I probably won't get to go very much if at all! We've got a full schedule everyday this week so I will do my best to get three days in but I'm not making any promises! (My CK t-shirt is from Urban Outfitters and my sweats are from GAP.)

Yesterday was also baking day and as we had some friends coming over today Emilia & I made cupcakes! For some reason I was kind of craving coffee cake as I hadn't had it in a while so these are Cappuccino Cupcakes (recipe from Keep Calm and Bake Cupcakes book)! They were absolutely scrumptious and made all of that exercising totally worth it! 

Last night while putting Emilia to bed, she took her little dolly and tucked her in beside her. Then she put her arm around her and said "Now let's take a picture with your phone mummy!" I actually laughed out loud - this girl is more on the ball than I am! She really knows how to get the good shots ;)

Pyjama Party

This cheeky grin never fails to make my day! Yesterday I had some one-on-one time with Eduardo while his big sister was outside helping her dad work on his bike. As girly as she is, Emilia also loves any kind of outdoorsy stuff which funnily enough is exactly how her mummy used to be as a little girl :) Eduardo's outfit today consists of light wash jeans from H&M that he is slowly growing into and this Mayoral raccoon top that says "I'm so happy" - ha ha, very fitting!

As you all know I'm obsessed with bagels & eat them almost everyday for lunch...I try to be good and eat the wholegrain, seeded ones but I would eat any kind of bagel to be honest! My favourite thing is to find new filling and sandwich ideas for them...I've even been known to stay up late at night Googling bagel recipes sometimes. Yes I really am that sad!! Anyway, yesterday I tried a new recipe. I bought halloumi cheese, fried it up in a pan and then toasted it in a bagel with roasted peppers. OMG...it was absolutely amazing!!! Halloumi is so good, I really recommend it especially if you are a vegetarian! 

I recently bought these pyjamas from the sale rack in Juicy Couture in Bluewater and then I remembered that Emilia had a pair herself which had been given to her last Christmas! Last night we both happened to be wearing our Juicy pyjamas so you know this called for a matching mummy & me selfie! She is so sweet when she poses for pictures now...she wants to look at them & approve them straight away! A proper little diva, ha ha ha!

Improving my Fitness

Check out the cuteness of Emilia's outfit as she went off to nursery yesterday! I was so gutted I didn't dress her in it the day before though as we would have been matching! Next time ;) These trousers & top are from Joules which have some amazing kids stuff (but quite pricey) and her shoes are from H&M! She got the pink Minnie watch as a gift in Florida and her backpack is from Pink Lining. Her bow is from Layniebug Designs.

While Emilia was at nursery I took the opportunity to squeeze in another gym session (went three times this week, woo hoo!) and Jonathan brought Eduardo to the pool. I've lost 2lbs so far although weight loss isn't really why I'm going anymore. Initially I did join the gym to shift a couple of pounds (not going to lie!) and in the first month I grew frustrated when I didn't see immediate results. In the first four weeks although I was going to the gym semi-regularly I wasn't breaking much of a sweat and because I refuse to diet I wasn't getting the outcome I wanted. Then I had my second personal training session where the trainer updates my program and makes it a little bit harder. At first I hated it and wanted to give up. I thought it was too difficult and couldn't reach any of the targets that were set for me. But I persisted and told myself that three times a week is doable...Jonathan convinced me that the fact that I was finding the program hard was a GOOD thing, and urged me to keep going. So I did, and now I'm kind of addicted! Two weeks on and my fitness has improved immensely - I can now reach all of my targets and am feeling stronger & fitter than ever. I love how accomplished I feel after a workout and even though there are some days I would rather stay home or spend an extra hour in bed than go to the gym, it's always worth it afterwards!

Big Walkies

I realise you've all seen this outfit before and I definitely need to get some new pieces into my spring/summer wardrobe but I LOVE these pink trousers, especially when the sun is shining! I bought them in a tiny Fiorucci boutique in Capri right before getting pregnant with Eduardo! The pink flats are also favourites of mine - they were really affordable from ASOS about 4-5 years ago. My jumper is from Jack Wills (last summer) and my bag is a very old Chloé Paddington. The sunnies are by Gucci and were an anniversary present last September! 

Yesterday we visited our nearest RSPCA animal shelter which was both a heartbreaking and eye-opening experience. I've visited dog shelters before, as we have supported PAWS in Ireland for many years...so I've become a bit better at dealing with it (meaning I don't bawl my eyes out the entire time!) but it's still upsetting, especially the cruelty cases. One that stood out to me the most was this absolutely beautiful labradoodle who was cowering in farthest corner of his kennel, looking completely petrified. The fear & hurt in his eyes reduced me to tears - I just don't understand why anybody would harm an animal, it doesn't make sense to me :( 

Having said all of that what really impressed me yesterday were the conditions of the shelter and the way the RSPCA operate their business. Everything was so organised, clean and efficient...the animals were extremely well looked after by the staff and volunteers and I'm so proud & happy to be supporting such a great charity. I'm excited to announce that we are going to be officially attending the RSPCA's Big Walkies event in Alexandra Park in London on the 31st of May! Jonathan & I will be there with all six of our dogs so if you would like to meet us (or them!) please register here! We would love to meet you and your pooches :) I will be smuggling as many puppies as possible into my handbag...only joking. Kind of.

After our RSPCA visit we went to Valentina for a yummy Italian lunch and I had the most amazing panettone bread & butter pudding! It was kind of like French toast, made with lots of egg and topped with a marmalade glaze. Of course the words "warm" and "served with vanilla ice-cream" are what really won me over!! This is why we go to the gym, ladies! So we can justify panettone pudding! ;)

Eduardo on the other hand, ate absolutely no pudding yesterday. Definitely not a chocolate one at any rate! Don't you just love how they always feel the need to rub their food-covered hands all over their hair THE VERY DAY after you wash it. Lovely. 

Farm Shop Playdate!

 Since moving here last summer I've found it quite hard to make other mummy friends, mostly because Emilia & Eduardo aren't at school yet and I don't leave the house that often (though I'm making more of an effort now!). I've also never really been the mum & baby/toddler group kind of person and although a lot of people have recommended that I do that sort of thing it's just not something I'm interested in. I did meet a lovely mum at our local playground a few months ago and we recently discovered we go to the same nail salon AND gym. She has an almost 2 year old little girl called Lily so we decided to meet up for a playdate! Luckily she knows all the best places for children and recommended this amazing farm shop/café with an outdoor play area for the kids. They had the most DELICIOUS scones and even though it was only 10:30 in the morning I couldn't pass these up...clotted cream is my weakness!! 

Emilia with her new "best friend" Lily whom she's only met twice in her life but insists that they are besties...so cute, ha ha ha! These two had a blast together though unfortunately it wouldn't stop raining so they didn't get a chance to make use of the play area or sandpit outside and poor Eduardo was a bit upset to be confined to his highchair...hopefully next time will be better weather! Emilia's Snoopy jumper that she's wearing here is from Zara, her grey skinny jeans are H&M and her wellies are from Jojo Maman Bébé. We had such a lovely day despite the weather - it's really nice to find friends when you move to a new place, even if it did almost take me a year!!

This is what I wore yesterday...all from Whistles! I love navy and stripes so this outfit is basically my dream, ha ha! The jumper is a lightweight knit with zips at the sides and the trousers are quite high-waisted cropped ones that are a nice thick material but unfortunately attract all kinds of fluff and hair. You know the kind...it's a love/hate relationship!

And here are my two babies looking far too grown up for my liking! :( They are so sweet together. Emilia took Eduardo by the hand and they did almost a full walk around her room! He is so close to walking on his own but not quite there yet. Eduardo's jumper is from H&M (this is one of my favourites of his...it's a gorgeous soft quilted cotton) and his leggings are Zara Baby.

Hope you're all having a great week! I can't believe it's already May...where does the time go?!