What to Wear?

Everyone says it, and I don't think you fully understand until it happens to you, but finding time to put together an outfit when you're a new Mum is actually really hard!

After spending my pregnancy in leggings and oversized tshirts I couldn't WAIT to be able to wear my normal clothes again. However, one week after giving birth and I realise I am still grabbing a pair of leggings and a tshirt, as I simply do not have the time to think about what I'm going to wear.

This is when I decided I really needed to pick up some basics that would refresh my wardrobe and make me feel pulled together without having to give it too much thought. 

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), none of my pre pregnancy clothes quite fit me anymore. This gave me the perfect excuse to go and do a bit of shopping, online of course! Much easier when you have a new baby at home to contend with.

These are some of the things I have picked up recently and have found are perfect wearing for my life as a new Mum.

1. Oversized Cardi Topshop 

I love oversized stuff, I just do, but it needs to be paired with something skinny on the bottom. I'm still breastfeeding at the moment and probably will be throughout winter so I've decided that for easy access, sweaters are out and cardies are in this season. Slouchy and with the sleeves rolled up...perfect.

2. Sheepskin Boots Isabel Marant 

Ok, these are basically my treat to myself for not being able to buy any nice clothing while I was pregnant, plus my feet are a size bigger now (I think). Regardless I always like to buy one item per season that is a little bit pricier providing I know I will get the wear out of it. These boots are sooo comfy and with her trademark hidden wedge inside are much more flattering than a flat UGG (sorry I really hate UGGS). Lucky for me I still get my discount at work while on maternity leave :D

3. Cashmere Beanie Cos

I love a good beanie for when it gets cold, the slouchier the better. This one from Cos is super super soft and not at all tight and clingy, so no itchy foreheads! It's also lightweight and comes in loads of different colours.

4. Loose V-Neck Tee American Vintage

I am always on the hunt for the perfect loose tee. It needs to feel lived in, while having a good shape and preferably skimming over my hips and bum. With my ginormous boobs at the moment I find a V-neck most flattering. Best to keep it simple with no logos, in colours white, charcoal, burgundy or khaki.

5. Oversized Checked Shirt Topshop

Again, love a good old oversized shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I would normally button all the way to the top but this isn't so flattering with my new busty figure, so best just to the neckline or open with a tee underneath. I've also realised that checks are great for disguising any baby stains ie. milk, sick, poo...

6. Ripped Skinny Jeans Topshop

I used to hate buying "distressed" denim (why buy something new that's damaged?) but now I LOVE it. I feel like a pair of ripped jeans adds just a little more interest to an otherwise, lets face it, fairly dull outfit. They also make me feel like I'm that little bit cooler and not so 'Mumsy'. Also, they still look great with a pair of heels and a blazer if you want dress them up a bit. Rock on!

Speaking of heels, I love these ones from Office. They are basically a Valentino Rockstud rip off but who cares when they do the job for £59. The heel is also super low so still Mummy practical.

Thanks for reading xxx

My Super Easy "Amazing Grass" Green Smoothie

I don't know if I'm the only one who's noticed, but EVERYONE seems to be obsessed with 'green' smoothies at the moment. Combining ingredients such as apple, cucumber, spinach, celery, kale, wheat grass, spirulina, avocado, etcetera etcetera. If it's green you can put it in a green smoothie and they are meant to be super amazing for your health.

Personally, since becoming a Mum, I've found I really don't have time to shop for or decide which green ingredients I should be putting in my smoothie. Luckily I have found this amazingly quick and easy way to get all my greens in one hit, and all I need is 3 simple ingredients.

1. 250 ml Almond Milk
2. Banana x1
3. (And the secret ingredient) Amazing Grass Green Superfood x 1 scoop

Chuck it all in a blender and Voila! A delicious and nutritious green smoothie.

This stuff is amazing. I used to drink it before I was pregnant but stopped as it contained wheat grass, which I believe should be avoided during pregnancy. I'm happy to say that I am back on the stuff and thank god because the rest of my diet these days is absolutely atrocious. Since Sebi was born I struggle to get dressed most days let alone prepare myself a nutritious meal. So I am thankful to know that this gives me everything I need for the day, plus it does wonders for your digestive system.

Look at all the good stuff it has!!

If you want to try Amazing Grass Green Superfood, I recommend you buy from Amazon as it is a LOT cheaper. 

Also please note that I have not been paid to endorse this product in any way. I just love it and thought I would share x

Learning to Live with Baby

4 days old

On the 3rd of August 2014 at 16.01 I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy Sebastian Noah Ian Francis. I waited in excitement for 9 long months just desperate to meet him and now that he is here he is simply more amazing than I could ever have imagined and I love him to pieces with all my heart.

This is however, one of the biggest emotional roller coasters I have been on for a long time. It's almost like being a teenager again!

2 weeks BEFORE giving birth I started to panic. What have I done? This is such a huge responsibility, am I ready for this? My life is going to change completely, will I like my new life? And I felt guilty for having these doubts and began to hate myself for having them. It became a vicious cycle, but one that I knew was all down to my crazy hormones rushing through my body. Luckily for me, my mum was always on the end of a phone to calm me down and knock some sense into me.

2 weeks AFTER giving birth was a completely different story. I was (am) utterly in love with this tiny person and literally just spent hours watching him sleep to see what kind of cute little face he would pull next. The lack of MY sleep did get to me though, and if anything I felt like that was one of the main causes for randomly bursting into tears when my husband would arrive home after a long day of work.

The thing that upset me the most was the way I gave birth. My husband and I had decided to try for a home birth, but in the end I was taken in for an emergency C-Section (that's another story)! I suppose I felt slightly cheated after reading Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin. These womens' birth stories sounded amazing and I visualised my own amazing birth. Little did I know you can never EVER plan a birth no matter how hard you try. In the end I knew that all that REALLY mattered was that my little one was here safe and sound.

7 weeks old

And how grateful I am that he is! After 8 weeks together we have settled into a nice little routine. We have been out and about meeting friends for coffee, going for walks, taking the train into London to visit Granny and do some shopping. He is an absolute dream and I couldn't ask for more, but lately I find myself wondering...where am I? WHO am I? I am scared to loose my identity and I can see myself focusing all my attention on him. I can't help it I love him so! But I also need to love me, and I love the life my husband and I have built for ourselves. I don't want to live my life vicariously through my family. I want to add something to it and feel like a whole person who can inspire my son to want to do things for himself and be creative.

This is why I have come back to my blog. After 3 months or so away I can see why it is so important for so many to have that outlet. And although it is nice to have readers and receive comments, it is essentially about pleasing me and not about pleasing others. So my aim is to write about whatever I feel like in this space and to see what it turns into, if anything.

Thanks for reading x