Potty Training an 8 month old (say whaaat?)

I recently shared a post on Insta of Freddo dropping a log in his potty, don’t worry it wasn’t graphic but my DMs soon filled up with people asking questions about him sitting on his throne because he’s so young (8 months). This time people weren’t being shitty (see what I did there) so I’ve decided to answer some of the questions I’ve been asked as well as share my experience of ‘potty training’ Freddie. 

this post is in collaboration with Freddie

Skincare honesty

Let's be real here, too often I sleep with a full face on and for no other reason than I'm downright lazy and pretty much every day I use baby wipes to remove my make up (I hear a beauty blogger loses their soul every time this is admitted) but we all know I am brutally honest around these parts so if you're looking for a seventeen step skincare routine you're in the wrong place hun.

Date night with McDelivery #AD

Date night, it wasn’t even a thing for us four years ago. Every night was date night. We were in the first stages of love and every weekend was a night out / in with too much wine and our week nights consisted of a well thought out meal cooked by one of us or both of us because we were just that cute back then. These days we’d love a date night, we often talk about date night and how amazing it would be to go out out and drink and dance, laugh and creep in in the early hours and spend the morning (whole day) in bed watching films and napping. 

This post is in collaboration with McDelivery

BLW and why it's not for us

BLW (baby led weening) is the way we're supposed to ween our little ones and get them used to exploring food and developing their hand-eye coordination. When Freddie was tiny we I looked into Traditional and BLW and decided that we were going to use a mixture of both. In theory this seemed like a wonderful idea but the reality was very different, here's why BLW just isn't for us.

5 ways to save money (when you have none)

Saving money is hard especially when you have no money to save but somehow, I've actually managed to save a decent amount of money for Christmas whilst on maternity leave and living on the literal breadline. When you're pretty much always broke it can be hard to find the motivation to save and this can cause a negative attitude to develop when it comes to finances and that can have a detrimental effect; I wrote about this here. This post includes some of the ways that I've managed to save a couple of hundred quid in time for Freddo's first Christmas.

This post is in collaboration with Cash Lady 

Autumn Style

After losing my mind a bit (catch up here) I'm happy to announce that I am pretty much back to normal. I've not been horrible to Luke for a while, my hair is the shade of blonde I wanted, I'm back in my pre-preggo jeans and I'm starting to actually have a life. I've even booked my return to work date, enrolled Freddie into nursery LEFT THE BABY WITH PEOPLE, got a bit drunk and have even been a bit Hinched.

Money and Relationships

When I was young and my relationships consisted of having a cheeky snog behind the maths block my main concerns were, my Mum finding out and getting dumped for Kat (again). I always wanted one of those forever and ever 'til death do us part kind of gigs and thought it must be pretty easy when you're an adult but man, it's even harder. I don't have to worry about Kat anymore and my Mum knows Luke and I have kissed but there's so many extra stresses when you're in one of these proper forever types. 

This post is in collaboration with Ferratum Money 

Babies F you up

Every parent I've spoken to about this has said they they or their partner lost their marbles after having a baby so why don't we talk about it more? Well, luckily for you I am here with my brutal honesty about to spill the tea on how having a baby has sent me totally bonkers and brought my relationship to the brink of destruction. Yay. 

RWL Update

It's been just over 8 weeks since I started working out with the Results with Lucy programme and I've noticed some amazing results not just physically but mentally too. I thought it was about time I shared my progress on here as well an answered some questions I've had about the programme too. 

How to complain

We all get pissed off by something at some point, for me it's daily and mostly at Luke but that's a different story. Sometimes we receive a poor customer service or feel let down by a product and with the wonder that is social media it is so easy to reach out to brands and business and share our disappointment and frustrations but there is a way to do this to ensure that your complaint is understood and rectified.

I'm not a "Mummy Blogger"

I always wanted to blog abut our parenting experience but I never wanted to be a "Mummy Blogger", I just don't have that whole wholesome advice giving yummy mummy vibe going on nor do I follow a specific parenting technique unless of course completely winging it counts? I've also found that some Mummy Bloggers can either be a little smug with their advice and methods and not be open to anyone else's or it often be a competition over who has it worse when it comes to teething, sleepless nights feeding issues. Without meaning to come across as smug; I've been blessed with a wonder baby who sleeps through, eats all his milk and doesn't seem to be suffering too much with teething, yet. I'm under no illusions that this could all change at any time. 

Wanderlust: Dreaming of Barbados

I haven’t travelled for a while now and I’m starting to get itchy feet; I hadn’t really had much wanderlust before I met Luke as I am a solid little home bird but every now and then I dream of soft sand, cocktails and the sound of the sea lapping on the shore. I used to watch this holiday programme when I was little and these sandy beaches and palm trees were a world away; these days I find myself planning my dream holiday online and looking at the hottest places with the most luxury resorts and accommodation. Luke served in the Navy and travelled to the most amazing places such as New York, South Africa and Barbados – I hadn’t thought about Barbados much before but the photos and stories that Luke has always told me make me look at areas to stay and houses for rent in Barbados.

this post is in collaboration with Luxury Retreats but all thoughts are my own 

3 month old in his own room

When I first found out that I was pregnant I was convinced that I was going to miscarry, I barely wanted to move incase something happened; I was shocked at every scan to find that everything was ok and it wasn't until around 26 weeks that my worries subsided but then a new worry took it's place, stillbirth. As soon as Freddie was kicking I began to notice his pattern and religiously count his kicks, any decrease in his kicks sent waves of panic deep down in my tummy and I had to seek reassurance from Luke. When my little bundle of joy arrived, alive and kicking I was overwhelmed with happiness, we made it and he spent the next three months sleeping in his moses basket getting gently poked and prodded throughout tonight so that I could make sure he was breathing. Things are different now, Fred is three months old has to go in his own room and once again I have those waves of bad butterflies fluttering around my tummy every time I put him to bed. 

Train Travels with a Three Month Old

I am the queen of making stupid decisions, I'm not competitive but I like to challenge myself and seeing as this parenting lark is going quite well I thought it'd be a good idea to take a three month old baby on a three hour train journey with three changes a suitcase, a nappy bag and all the other heaps of shit these tiny little beings need to cart around with them at all times. Here's how it went. 

The Hair Secretz JoJo Siwa Brush

When Hair Secretz offered to send a brush from the JoJo Siwa collection I knew just the person to ask to help. My friend Tali is the biggest JoJo Siwa fan I know and has the most gorgeously perfect hair to put it to the test and that is exactly what she did. 

This brush was gifted but all thoughts are mine and Tali's 

Why Natural Cycles is Bullshit

Ahhh this is a post I've been meaning to write for a while. If you follow me on Twitter you'll know that every now and then I clamber up on my high horse and get a little ranty over Influencers promoting the nonsense that our pals at Natural Cycles keep coming out with. It's a shame that influencers continue to endorse this utter claptrap but I hear Natural Cycles have a very big budgets and a strict brief and I guess we've all got bills to pay but here I am, offering you the counter-argument to Natural Cycle's 'certified' claims all for free. Aren't I a good little egg. 

10 Things to expect at a Blogging Event

I've been to a few events over the past couple of years and particularly  Scarlett London events such as, Blogcon, The Bloggers Ball and The Bloggers Festival which have become big calendar events in the blogging world. In the weeks up to the big day twitter is awash with excited bloggers planning outfits, meeting up and generally looking forward to the fun. For some, events like this can feel daunting, even if you're going with pals the thought of networking with brands, meeting people IRL and not being awkward in front of those big bloggers can make your tummy feel iffy. Here's 10 things to expect at a blog event. 

The Izmi Baby carrier

I've always been a bit funny about baby carriers and worried about their safety, it's hard to get a baby into a carrier without thinking that you're going to drop them, or is that just me? When Freddie first arrived my my Mum bought us a great carrier that Luke loves carrying Freddie around in but I find that it squishes my boobs and pulls on my back which completely put me off. This was a shame as I didn't want Freddie to spend every time we go out in his pram not actually seeing what was going on around him. But that's all changed thanks to the Izmi carrier that Cheeky Rascals sent us.

Current Skincare Routine

My skincare routine has lapsed lately and my skin definitely let me know that I wasn't doing enough. I was guilty of using baby wipes to remove my make up and we all know how bloggers feel about that *brb whilst I shut down my blog and never come online again* luckily I also wasn't wearing much make up so I didn't entirely ruin my face. I'm getting back on track but the hit that my bank balance has taken with my maternity pay drop means that I'm looking for more affordable drugstore brands to keep my skin on my face and frugally using old high end faves whilst dreading the day that they run out.

The Taboo of Infertility

This post was written last year for the Olive Fox online magazine when Luke and I were going through fertility treatment, the Olive Fox has unfortunately closed down but I wanted this post out there still so, here it is. 

Why is infertility such an awkward thing to talk about? Even though I discuss it regularly on my blog, there are numerous occasions in public when the admission just won’t come out of my mouth. Recently I was looked up and down by an older woman and presented with the statement of “you’re probably too young to have any” rather than replying with “actually I’m going through the first stages of fertility treatment because the last two years of trying have amounted to nothing but disappointment and my ovaries might not work, Hun”, I simply nodded and shied away behind my screen in shame.

A full* face of Revolution Makeup & I Heart Makeup

Ok so first of all, my brows, mascara and eyeliner aren't Revolution Beauty but everything else on mah face is. I thought it'd be fun and a little different to do a full face post of the same brand rather than focus on just one product. After seeing people rave about the stick foundation, I decided to treat myself to a little haul from Tam Beauty (which took an absolute age to arrive). Keep scrollin, scrollin scrolling to see what I got and whether I think it was worth it. 

We need a post-partum pamper

I think most new Mums will tell you that there's nothing you want more than a post-partum pamper but these kinds of things don't come cheap and for most of us, maternity pay is more of a budgeting test than actual help. Pregnancy really takes it out of you and having my bits ruined wasn't the only part of me that suffered during the growing and birth of our little bundle of joy. 

This post is in collaboration with Groupon

Don't call me a full-time Mummy

I'm not denying that babies are hard graft sometimes and being a Mum can be exhausting, lonely and overwhelming but it is not an occupation or profession. I am a full-time project officer who is currently on maternity leave - if I didn't work I wouldn't consider myself a full-time Mum either; I'd say I was unemployed, a stay at home parent or even a housewife. Full-time Mum implies that Mums who do work are part-time Mums which isn't fair, whether you stay at home or work 40 hours a week you're just as much of a Mum as anyone else, we do't have to clock up the hours and compete.

HOW WE GOT OUR 2 MONTH OLD TO SLEEP THROUGH

Lack of sleep was the main thing that I was dreading when Fred arrived I had got used to having naps throughout the day as well as a full-nights sleep when I was pregnant that I was worried how I'd actually cope if the baby kept us awake all night every night. I'd also started watching some family YouTubers and noticed that some were taking 'shifts' throughout the night as their baby wouldn't settle - I winced every time I saw them standing in the kitchen at 3am. Whilst Luke and I have a relaxed approach to parenting and didn't have any high expectations of how newborn life was going to be, we knew that getting into some kind of routine that worked for us and the baby ASAP was important.

Getting fit with RWL

Having a baby pretty much wrecked my body; in retrospect I could've exercised more (at all) throughout my pregnancy but I spent the first 16 weeks lying on my left side for hours on end as I was convinced something terrible was going to happen if I lifted a finger and I spent the following weeks binging on Real Housewives of New York and diving into baked Camemberts. The time has finally come where I want to get fit again - I used to go to the gym around the corner 3-4 times a week but crappy maternity pay, a baby and my poorly bits mean that this isn't an option anymore. So something better has come along - Results With Lucy! 

The ABH Soft Glam Palette

At around ten days overdue I went a little mental and decided to treat myself to ALL the beauty products online unfortunately for my bank balance, this happened as the new Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam palette dropped and I swear to god you've never seen my order something so fast. Surprisingly Soft Glam is the first ABH palette that I've invested in and I am so glad that I did, I think this is my favourite go-to palette and the day I his pan on any of these days will be a sad, sad day indeed. 

Breastfeeding and why women can do better

We live in a time when women are again proudly declaring that they're feminists, men are trash and they're going to fight the patriarchy so why oh why are we judging one another over what we decide to feed our babies and do with our boobs?

10 Truths about becoming a Mum

Being a parent is great, I wouldn't change it for the world. It's definitely life changing and whilst most new parents gush about how complete their lives are, here's ten home truths about becoming a Mum.

Putting Pick 'n Melt Wax Melts to the test

Do you ever get so excited about a brand that you kind of lose your sh*t a bit and don't stop banging on about them all over social media and to your real life pals and fammo? Because that is exactly what I've been doing with Pick 'n Melt. I just cannot get enough of these guys and in this post I am going to tell you why. 

This post contains gifted items but all thoughts are my own 

Episiotomy and Tear Care

For those that don't know, an Episiotomy is a surgical cut made at the opening of the vagina during childbirth, to aid a difficult delivery and prevent rupture of tissues. Not only did I get an Episiotomy but also tore (ruptured some tissues). This lead to me getting some pretty snazzy stitches all over the place and those of you who follow me on Insta will know how my down there bits are doing thanks to my Faj Updates. Episiotomies and Tears usually heal well and easily with stitches but due to the awkward location of my tear (scroll down for my brilliant diagram) I burst my stitches...twice, ended up with two infections and pretty much hated my life for a couple of weeks but this post is going to be a  guide on getting over a butchered faj and tips on not getting it infected because sharing is caring.

Latest In Beauty: A Beauty Box The Way A Beauty Box Should Be

I'm a sucker for a good Beauty Box but I often find that the novelty soon wears off after a couple of months and I'm left with a load of mini products I'm not interested in using. When Latest in Beauty offered to send me a box I was a little skeptical but was soon surprised to find a decent sized box packed to the brim with a range of amazing products, none of which I'll be casting aside.

Rediscovering Fragrances

During the first stages of my pregnancy I went off so many fragrances; the usual dessert scented candles that I'd love suddenly made me sick followed by fruit fragrances, bacon being cooked, the green Radox bubblebath, my favourite perfumes and my shampoo. This wasn't ideal during the festive season when you expect all the gift sets and I was worried that I would be permanently put off my favourite smells.

This post is in collaboration with Clive Christian

My Birth Story (It's not cute)

If you're squeamish and don't appreciate descriptions of open wounds, smelly pus, poo explosions and the worst pain imaginable then I suggest you go and read one of my beauty reviews because boy have I got a horror story to tell you. This is my birth story, the gruesome tale of how the most beautiful baby came into the world. I never had a birth plan which may come as a shock to those who know how organised I am and how much I enjoy planning; I don't know anyone who's birth plan has gone to plan and I didn't know what to expect so decided not to bother having any expectations at all, when Luke and I rocked up to the Delivery Unit at 3am on the 10th March 2018 the Midwife asked me what my birth plan was, I said "To do as I'm told and get this baby out as safely as possible" - I think it went to plan, all things considered. 

BECCA 2 Piece Ultimate Coverage Complexion Collection

I've been desperate to try Becca foundation for a while but never got around to it - when I was being naughty and indulging in the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream I spotted this little set and accidentally ordered it. I've heard great things about the coverage of this foundation and as my skin has finally settled and I tanned and I have a shopping problem I decided I had the perfect excuses to put the ultimate coverage claims to the test. 

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Serum

Full coverage Colour Correcting cream? Nah, you're having me on mate. Turns out It Cosmetics are not pulling our legs with this one and have successfully created a CC cream that is a lot more than a tinted moisturiser, which is what I have found most CC and BB creams to effectively be. 

7 things you shouldn't do at 9 months pregnant

I'm stubborn, but I'm also really stupid, combine this with being 9 months pregnant, having a serious case of baby brain and terrible balance and spacial awareness and weeks of maternity leave with not much to do at all and you're pretty much asking for a disaster. I've done some pretty stupid things during this pregnancy, nothing that's harmed the baby (I'm not that stupid) but stupid nonetheless. Here's a collection of some of my most stupid endeavours over the past nine months.

A Guide to my Pinterest Account

Pinteret is bloody brilliant, it's like sneak peak at people's schematic thought processes; you can almost see what weird stuff they've searched for and how quickly they've fallen into a Pinterest hole and come out with seven different boards dedicated to things that you'd never expect them to be into. My Pinterest is just the same, it highlights my obsession with cleaning routines (that I never follow) and my deep desire to get a cat tattoo. I do try and use it professionally to promote my blog but Pinterest hooks you on as soon you land on your homepage and there's a plethora of images similar to the ones you've already added to your boards and suddenly you're frantically pinning away and before you know it you've created 6 more boards for 'inspo' and it's 6am and your eyes hurt and you need to stop. With all this in mind, I thought I'd give you all a little guide to some of my boards and explain how I ended up creating them at 4am on a Thursday morning.

Trying out The Ordinary

Oh it's a bit of an iffy time to be writing about these guys isn't it? Deciem R U Ok Hun? Will you ever get some Hylauronic Acid in stock mate? For those of you who don't know, The Ordinary is a brand owned by parent company Deciem (who is having some erm, issues atm) The Ordinary is a beauty brand that focuses on the chemistry and biochemistry involved in creating skincare and cosmetics for specific issues and areas that allow you to create a skincare routine based on your skin's direct needs. 

Did you get on the Vero Hype?

Aaah, I do love a good bandwagon - I can't remember the last one that people so eagerly jumped on in their droves or, where it started but last Saturday night my twitter feed become a torrent of people sharing their Vero user names and / or people asking what the hell Vero actually is. With that that there also came some discrepancies about their Privacy Policy (that, credit to them they soon amended) as well the fact that the app experienced technical difficulties due to the amount of people signing up (I bet they were buzzing at Vero HQ) I finally managed to get in myself and have a good nosey around as well as read the Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and smartly named, Manifesto. So here's my first impressions of what has been hailed the new Instagram.

Preparing for a baby on a budget | The Nursery Furniture

Babies cost A LOT and lets not mention the elephant in the room called childcare - I'm still hysterically lolling about how we're going to afford that but that's a problem for another day. When we first found out we were preggo I was overwhelmed with exactly how much a baby needs and how much it all costs. It's also very easy as an expectant parent to get lost in knowing what your baby needs and what is just very clever marketing.

BADgal BANG by Benefit review

This little tinker has being causing a right scene across beauty land hasn't it! If it's not people being annoyed about that Maldives trip it's clumpgate. I love a good old Benefit press release and the hype that always surrounds a new product launch especially when its a new mascara; I wasn't keen on They're Real but loved Roller Lash, I didn't try the OG Badgal but was keen to try out the re-launch. Once I'd seen some of those lucky PR list bloggers try it out first of course. 

Lip Skincare Routine featuring Elizabeth Arden and Clinique

Dry lips have been the bane of my life for a good couple of years; to the point where I’ve developed an unhealthy habit of peeling and picking them and making them worse than they were when they were just dry. I’ve tried a plethora of products over the years from balms to creams to oils and nothing has helped. It’s got me down, lip products are probably my favourite piece of make-up and whilst I’ve been treating myself to odd limited edition piece I’ve barely been able to justify wearing anything because of my dry lips. Most days I’ve not work anything on my lips because everything was drying after a while and every product simply highlighted the dry patches of skin on my lips.

Out and About: Albero Lounge, Bedford

Last year Bedford saw a variety of new restaurants open up on the new Riverside North project and whilst I thought it was great to see so many jobs coming to town as well making space of a beautiful area and bringing more income, I was a little disappointed with the range of restaurants. Don't get me wrong, I am a die hard Nando's fan but that's pretty much where it ends when it comes to big chain restaurants, the rest just seem a bit...samey and not my cuppa tea at all. I'd kind of avoided the whole new complex for this reason until I started hearing the buzz about the Albero Lounge based at the old Cowper Building next to the courts and old town hall. 

Impress Press On Manicure

I’ve got a thing about nails; whilst I love having them painted, I hate it when they chip / break and have to paint them all over again. I went through a phase recently of getting acrylics done but with a baby on the way I don’t think it’s hygienic and I’d worry about scratching him, not to mention the fact that my natural nails have basically died and fallen off – cheers hormones. I was dead chuffed when I got some Impress Gel Nails from Kiss Nails to review, press on nails seem to be the new thing for a quick and easy manicure and I was keen to put them to the test. 

38 Week Pregnancy Update

38 weeks pregnant and feeling it. 

I am so ready to have this baby, it’s funny how at the start of pregnancy I worried about the logistics of giving birth and now I don’t care…just get him out. I thought now would be the apt time to share some more of my brutally honest pregnancy updates before he arrives so, here goes. 

Making room for baby | The Living Room

I started nesting at about 6 weeks pregnant, I think the excitement made me want to start getting ready immediately so one very hot day in July I decided to simultaneously paint the kitchen and cook a roast. I looked like a mad woman climbing over boiling pots of veg, brush in hand manically splattering paint everywhere. I’m surprised Luke stuck around because I soon flaked out on the sofa too over heated to eat the roast or finish my dodgy paint job. Thankfully (for Luke and our deposit) morning sickness soon kicked and the sofa became my permanent residence giving me time to plan making room for the baby sensibly.

Makeup Revolution Re-Loaded Palette Iconic Division

Makeup Revolution are officially the gods of budget palettes and when I say budget you’re looking at less than a fiver for a palette that is the equivalent of Joe’s technicolour dream-coat and their recent offerings are nothing short of heavenly. I first noticed the Reloaded Newtrals on Anoushka’s Instagram and had decided I needed it but then the Re-Loaded Palette Iconic Division was quite literally screaming my name and begging me to buy it for it’s earthy hues and tones that would make my hazel eyes pop like a pop star. 

Review | Boohoo Cosmetics High Pigment Eye Shadow Palettes

Yeah, you read that right - BOOHOO DO COSMETICS  I think I noticed some the of the collection on their Instastories last week and couldn't resist buying a couple of bits to see how they shape up. Due to my diverse collection of eye shadow palettes I think I'm better at working out what is a bargain and what is a heap of 💩 in comparison to other products. As with all Boohoo products, the cosmetics collection is more than affordable which made me more intrigued to check it out in person. 

Soap and Glory Favourites Old and New

I've been a big old fan of Soap and Glory for a while now, for the past five years my Mum has always got me the Big One for Christmas which keeps me stocked up in products for a good few months. Even Luke has become a fan, he used my Sugar Crush Shower Gel the first time he stayed at my house and ordered himself some as soon as he got home. My cousin has also become a die-hard fan and got a massive haul of goodies for Christmas and her raving reviews sparked me to blow the points left on my Boots on some new S&G wonders and write a post about my trusty old faves and impressive new buys. 

Review | Jamie Oliver 5 Ingredients - Quick & Easy Food

I was half-tempted to buy Luke this book back during Christmas time when I half-noticed a Youtuber mention it. More recently we went to Luke's parents who had got the book for Christmas and both had a look at some of the recipes and were really keen to try a few. We're definitely lacking inspiration in the kitchen lately and tend to go for the same, very basic meals of spag bol, wraps, chilli or pizza. We also both have very different preferences when it comes to food, where I go for hearty northern stews and roasts, Luke prefers fajitas and well, Nando's. With this in mind I decided to snap this up on Amazon for £11 and see how our pal Jamie O creates meals with just 5 ingredients.