June 2017 / Tea and blush

Getting back into yoga

Sunday, 25 June 2017

Back in 2016 whilst I was pregnant I decided to take up yoga; I needed some time out of my busy week to just focus on my body, forget all the day to day stresses and keep myself off the sofa for even just one evening a week.

I utterly loved my yoga classes at Yoga At The Reach in Sheffield; I got to mingle with other pregnant ladies, learn some breathing techniques to use during birth, stretched out my body like i'd not done in months and most importantly for me, spent an hour or so connecting with my unborn baby... thinking about how she was positioned in my tummy and focusing on the love I had for her even before she was here! As you can see from the photo at the top of this post (by Grace Wong Photography) our pregnancy yoga classes were just so relaxing!

When the baby arrived my life turned upside down and even thinking about taking an hour out to continue yoga once a week was a no-go for me; I was getting to grips with life as a mother and looking after my own body came way down in my list of priorities.

Many places, including Yoga At The Reach, do mummy and baby yoga but that wasn't what I was after. I longed to go back to yoga classes for the calm, for the opportunity to connect again with my body and to help me build up my body confidence again. But, being time poor in the early days I just forgot about it for a while.

Now, 9 months on, we're getting more into the flow of things in the evenings. Baby in bed by 7pm (apart from tonight of course....) and I'm free to spend time thinking about the things I want to achieve for myself. My brain conjures up lists of things to do but after a day of baby care I quite often end up retreating to the sofa to watch a film.. but I think this is where yoga could fit in quite nicely; helping me relax, keeping me away from screens, stretching out my achey body from the constant bending over and giving me that hour back to focus on me.

Of course, now that I'm thinking of starting up yoga I've been browsing through some of the yoga wear out there.

First up, a good pair of yoga pants are essential...whilst I was pregnant I opted to wear just some cheapy black leggings and on a weekly basis I regretted it; they constantly slipped down and I was always slightly worried you could see my knickers through them! Although yoga pants can be more expensive its a investment worth making as they are bound to feel a lot more comfortable and longer lasting than leggings. Here's some of my favourite pairs I've come across whilst browsing-

(From left to right)

Sweaty Betty Zero Gravity run leggings - £90

Fabletics Salar Capri Pants- $64.95 ($22.47 with discount)

Ivy Park Topshop Full Length Leggings - £25

Victoria's Secret Ultimate High Waisted Leggings -£59.05

To go with some snazzy new leggings I'm in desperate need of some workout tops; again, when pregnant I just wore a cheap t-shirt from Primark so I think its about time I spent a bit more money on something actually designed for yoga wearing. As much as I'd love to wear a yoga bralette I'm not confident enough with my body (yet) to brave it so I'm on the look out for loose fitting tops-

(From left to right)

Fabletics Sandy 2-in-1 Tank -$54.95 ($19.97 with discount)

Newlook Black Monochrome Mesh Racer Back - £12.99

Victoria's Secret Campus Open Back Tee- £34.50

Sweaty Betty Medina Drape Back Top- £55

Last up I think its about time I bought a yoga mat so that when I'm practicing at home I've got the right kit. Here's a few I've found whilst browsing-

(From top left clockwise)

Manuka Life Linen Yoga Mat - £38

H&M Patterned Yoga Mat- £15.99

Adidas 3 Stripes Blue Yoga Mat- £20

Fabletics Jade Yoga Mat- $34.95 ($12.47 with discount)

So, there you have it; the bits I'm currently lusting over.. ranging from high street brands to the more specialised brands like Fabletics (Who's co-founder is Kate Hudson!) and Sweaty Betty.

Although having a fancy kit isn't essential of course but I find that if I invest in the kit then I'm more likely to carry on with the activity to make sure I get my moneys worth!

Do you do yoga?

Which items do you like best from my wishlist?

XOXO

*This post is in collaboration with Fabletics; as usual, all words and thoughts are my own!

Tuesday, 13 June 2017

Having children is a big step, this is undeniable..they have such a huge impact on everything and there are a number of things that you didn’t realise mattered until a baby arrives! For some it could be the simple thing such as not appreciating what sleep actually once was, or how messy mealtimes become when you start your weaning journey at 6 months. When we started with baby led weaning I had no idea how thankful I'd be of the laminate flooring in our dining room and also how much of an absolute life saver it is now she's starting to crawl around the place.

What is laminate flooring made of?

Laminate flooring is constructed of 4 layers, with the bottom layer known as the ‘backing’ which acts as a sort of barrier against moisture to prevent the floor from warping and becoming damaged. Next up from that is the ‘inner core’ which is made from something called fibreboard (an engineered wood made from wood chips, plants fibres, sawdust and other recycled materials) this layer helps to provide the stability and durability that laminate is renowned for. The third layer is called the ‘design layer’, this is the layer that gives laminate the look of real wood which is created using a high-resolution photograph being pressed on to the material and then a clear layer (the ‘wear layer’) is applied on top of this to ensure that stains and fading are kept to a minimal.

The benefits of laminate flooring

For me, laminate is the perfect kind of floor to have. It’s surprising how much mess a little person can make so I need something that’s easy to keep on top of and won't take up too much of my time. I also don’t have to worry about any damage, my floor seems to be able to withstand anything at the moment and long may this continue.

Laminate is often described as a ‘cheaper’ option for your home, although it is a bit more budget-friendly, it is by no means less appealing in looks, in fact there are some pieces of laminate flooring that could be mistaken for real wood!

How can I protect my floor?

Over time your floor will have the usual wear and tear, unfortunately this is something that’s unavoidable, but you can put things in place to reduce the damage over time. Here are a few handy tips from the gang at Luxury Flooring:

• Lay down rugs/runners as an assigned spot for your children to play with their toys to protect your floor. We tend to just chuck down a large blanket as its quick to pack away come dinner time and means no food ends up getting trodden into it.

• Clean up any spillages/mess as soon as it occurs (or as soon as you’re aware of it - I know too well how much work is involved around mealtimes and sometimes cleaning up is the last thing on your mind!)

• For families with older kids make sure your little ones remove their shoes - of course this doesn’t apply to tiny little baby feet, we know they don’t pose too much of a threat and, really, who's baby actually manages to keep shoes on for more than 5 minutes?!

• If you’re thinking of placing a highchair or child's table and chair on the floor consider using felt pads on the legs, this will help protect your floor from scratches when the furniture is dragged along at clean up time.

What’s the best way to keep my floor clean?

As mentioned earlier, laminate floors are incredibly easy to maintain which contributes to why they’re such a popular choice in the family home. Unlike carpets they don’t need to be vacuumed on a daily basis, in fact you would only need to vacuum on a weekly basis, it just depends how messy the floors get. When mess does occur then all you need is a soft bristle (indoor) brush, or dustpan and brush to get rid of it. If it’s more than a few crumbs then a deeper clean will only require a warm damp cloth and hey presto! Just make sure that if any liquids are spilt on the floor, its important to clean it up as soon as possible to avoid any damage to the floor itself.

So there you have it, a bit of an insight as to why I love my laminate floor so much! Do you have laminate flooring in your dining room?

*This post is in collaboration with Luxury Flooring and Furnishings but, as always, all views are my own.

Wednesday, 7 June 2017

I've not blogged for two months.. how has this happened?

Each day I've been thinking up ideas of things to blog about, taking photos of products I want to talk about and meaning to sit down in the evenings to start writing posts. But, life has just happened and nothing has come of my ideas. Having a baby to look after is hard work! We usually get up at around 6.30 each morning and by 7pm when she's in bed I just want to cosy on the sofa and watch some mind numbing TV.

But, things have got to change if I want to continue with my blog work; I've got to pull my finger out and get on with it. I've got to learn to use my time more effectively and not let myself get into these blogging breaks too often!

I'm setting myself a specific evening per week to focus on blogging; I'm luckily in the position where I can quite easily take photos during the day whilst Aria naps so now I just need to get going with the writing.

I know if I let my blog go I'll regret it in the future so things are going to get going again; I'm going to start working on posts about things I'm passionate about, topics that excite me, products I love, experiences that make me smile and memories I want to document and look back on.

Although maternity leave isn't a holiday whatsoever it's a special year I'll never get back and as well as raising a clever beautiful little girl I also want to come out of it thinking I've achieved something for myself. Blogging will help me with that and it's totally part of who I am now so there's no way I'm letting it go so easily!

I've been decluttering our lives, finding new ways of saving money, experimenting with cooking, getting crafty, learning about child development, observing and adapting our style of parenting, reading more books, letting go of worries I once had, powering through with breastfeeding, organising childcare and so much more so I've got plenty to write about. I just need to do it. And, I'm going to.

There, I said it.

I may have had a break but that's it, it's over.

Keep an eye out for a weekly blog post every Thursday and check out my Instagram for daily updates on our adventures and just day to day goings on.

SLIDER

Getting back into yoga

Sunday, 25 June 2017

Family-Friendly Floors

Tuesday, 13 June 2017

Life just happens

Wednesday, 7 June 2017