My Babies

Just though i'd post some cute pics of my baby boys... ♥


Awww i love my boys!

Diary of a Weight Watcher: Week 2

 Week 2...

So far its been ok, im really getting the hang of the pro points and how they work etc - i do have the odd day where im starving hungry, and some days im not. So i guess i need to find balance where im eating the right filling foods, and not eating junk.

I've been tracking everything i eat and writing it down in the paper tracker. I could do it on-line, but i find that i prefer to actually have it to hand when i want to look at it.

I have been eating a fair bit of weight watchers food, but mainly Yoghurt, bread, wraps, chocolate. This is just to get the hang of what im doing, i dont plan on always eating it, because lets be honest, its a bit gimmicky and must have loads of additives as the sell by dates really long.

This is one of the fresh meals I've tried and it was surprisingly nice!

On the packaging
On the plate! Yummm
I was happy that it actually looked like it should, and not a pile of gloop.

Another life saver for me this week is the Hot chocolate sachets, i managed to get a box of six in the 99p store, but i happend to notice they are 35p each or 5 for £1 in Asda. I have had the milk chocolate one, and for a diet drink its on par with the Options hot chocolate! I am currently drinking the Mint chocolate W/W one, and its really yummy, Not bad for 1 pro point!!!


So this week i think i had one small blip which was at my friends house for lunch, they had a buffet kind of lunch and i ate too much, i took it out of my weekly points but i felt bloated by the end of the day.
Usually i would give in to temptation and gorge on bad food, but this time i have the motivation, i want to succeed.

I went into the weigh in thinking that if i lost 2lb it would be amazing, but i only went and lost another 3.5lb!!
I'm so happy!! got my Silver 7 already, and im only 2 points away from getting my 5% weight loss award!
My aim for the following week is to lose 2lb, as it will mean i get my 5% and im well on my way to getting off this extra bulk, and get ready to be healthier and happier.

My only tips for surviving this long is to bulk out all my meals with veggies, especially raw spinach! love it! ♥


Starting Weight - 12st 7.5lbs
Current weight - 12st 0.5 lbs
Total loss so far -7 lbs

Jem's Baby Shower!

Last weekend i was invited to Jem's baby shower, its so weird that my school friends are having kids, i still feel like were all 15.. lol (and i still cant believe were all 25 soon.. ahhh )

*deep breath*

Ok panic over about being 25 this year...

The baby shower was really nice, Her sister did some funny games, and Jem got some lovely presents!
You've already seen my present, which was the Maternity photos in this post. << click.

Nappy cake!

Cupcakes made my her sister!

First game...
Basically the first game was an ice cube with a little baby in it and the first persons baby to break free of the ice had to say 'My waters have broken' and they were the winner. I didnt win...

Present time!
Hamper one of her friends put together!

More presents! ♥
Another Game.. and the 'Mummy' to be.



I had a really good night and i cant wait to meet little Harley! :)

Diary of a Weight Watcher



I bit the bullet and signed up to Weight Watchers!

I have just completed my first week, and im really happy to say i lost 3.5lbs!

I think its partially to do with the two friends i have who have both been successful with weight loss on the Weight watchers diet and also because i keep seeing their TV advert all the time, its like its taunting me with pointing out im a fatty! :)

 I decided to have a look at their website first and read up a bit mainly to see if its something i could do with working 2 jobs, and having barely any money. It looked fairly simple, you get a certain amount of points a day, and you can pretty much eat what you want providing you stick to them. 
 I also noticed a promotion of a free registration & Meeting if you print off the voucher,  i love a voucher and a freebie! >>> Click here <<< for the voucher off their website.

 I then had to wait a whole week before the meeting so it gave me a good chance to think about what i was going to be undertaking...  (im talking about this like it was my last day on earth or something, but a diets bloody hard work!) 

On the night of my meeting a friend came along with me for moral support, i went in and noticed it was quite a smallish group but everyone seemed really friendly. I was told to wait for the Leader named Sam and fill in the form and sign the terms & conditions,  Then when she called me over she asked me why i was joining and a few basic questions like my height. Then i had to get on the scales... My weight one week ago was - 12 stone 7.5lbs. Not good when your only 5ft 1! - I stayed for the meeting, and had a getting started chat with the leader Sam afterwards, and it made me feel really motivated!

I was then given my daily points allowance and told i also have 49 weekly points to use as i wish, either one weekly feast, or if i go over my daily allowance etc. I'm on the Pro Points plan i get 27 points a day, and 49 weekly points. The most exciting bit was being given my folder with the starter info inside. I dont know why but i love folders, new bit of paperwork etc.. such a geek!!! :) 


Its a pretty cool folder, it doesnt scream IM ON A DIET!!!!! Its a nice colour and holds quite a few bits of information inside it. Which you can see on the right. The starter pack came with 4 booklets, a tracker and then you have my Personal Record chart. Every week i think i'll get a booklet and a tracker. Which im sure will give me plenty of ideas. 


I was a bit sceptical that it wouldnt work, as last week i hadnt been shopping and i barely had anything healthy in to eat, so come wednesday my first day of WW i thought 'oh crap this isnt going to work'
But i went to Tesco and spent £20 and got the following..


Selection of foods i can eat! yay!
I got alot of weight watchers products mainly because tesco seemed to have them all on offer for a £1 or multibuy. So i got alot for my £20. (You can also get the pasta sauce and hot choc in my local 99p store)
This has all lasted the week, and i still have some left, so all in all its lasted well! I also got fruit and veggies too! I'll do another post with a round up of the foods etc and photos at a later date. 

Seeing as i signed up for free, i figured it would be good to sign up monthly in order to get the access to the esource online & the app on my blackberry. (the app adds up nutritional values into points)
It cost me £14.95 for the first month, and it will be £19.95 for every month after. My monthly pass arrived in the post this morning, with some money off coupons! 




 End of week one!

Starting Weight - 12st 7.5lbs
Current weight - 12st 4lbs
Total loss so far - 3.5lbs

Product Review: Mia Tui Grace Bag & *discount code!!*

 I had the opportunity to review a Bag for Mia Tui, if you haven't heard of them then you should go over to the website and have a look at the amazing bags Charlotte Jamme has to offer!


Basically the bags are are totally functional and stylish from a busy working mum, to a business woman or even a photographer like me - on the Mia Tui website its quoted 'A bag for all reasons'
I have been on the hunt for a 'femine' camera bag, something i can use everyday or whilst on a photo shoot and not look like im carrying expensive equipment. What i love about the bag is that it looks like a large hand bag. Its incredibly deceiving at how large the bag actually is! I have always struggled to carry my camera around on a daily basis as its an SLR which is quite bulky, and as I've said before i dont want to get mugged, so it needs to be well hidden.

When i received the bag here is what it looked like straight out of the parcel -

So exciting seeing this parcel waiting for me!!

I was SO impressed when i first saw this bag..
The bag was packaged in lovely pink tissue paper, and i was so shocked at the colour of the bag, i chose Tan as i was given a preference. Now on the website the Tan is very Yellowy, it doesn't look at all like the colour i received, its very deceiving. I much prefer the look of the bag in person to what it looks like on the website. So my only thing i can really say about looks is that the website doesn't do the bags any justice.

Here is the Low down on the bag...

Inside The Grace it has many pockets, including a Pen holder, Mobile phone pocket, Drinks holder & a matching clutch bag. (Mine has the pink lining, but there is the option to choose Blue)


I have used this bag for a photo shoot and it easily fit my Canon 400D into it, the best thing is as this bag has the option to use it as an over the body bag it helps to take the weight of the camera and not give me shoulder ache. Also The Grace is what i would class as a 'large' handbag, but it doesnt look out of the ordinary to the general public, and it certainly doesnt look like a camera bag...

On Girls night!

As you can see it doesnt look bulky or even look like im carrying a camera bag! Its perfect for me as i like to be able to carry my camera with me 24/7 so that i can whip it out at a moments notice and not miss a photo opportunity. .


Everything in my bag including DSLR camera!
I am overall very happy with this Bag, and its going to be very useful for future photo shoots, and day to day camera use. Its definitely something that fits in with my style, and gets me lots of compliments!
Looks Stylish & you'd never know a DLSR was in the bag!
The only things i could say i would like to see added to the Grace bag is a Magnetic button/popper closure as i dont always like to use the Zip on my bag. I think they help if you have forgotten to zip shut your bag; if your shopping for example it makes it that much quicker and easier to grab your purse and chuck it back in your bag again. (I found that in a rush i couldn't get my purse into my bag as it kept going into the side pockets and then it meant i couldn't close the bag at all... I do however have a large purse so this maybe why.)

There is one other thing thats a bit annoying but not a permanent thing is the lining of the bag really smells when you first get it, it needs a good air before it smells normal.

I would definitely buy another bag from Mia Tui, there all so nice, and really well made if the grace is anything to go by.

If you want to place an order on the Mia Tui website, they were ever so kind to give me a 10% discount code to my readers & friends. 

All you need to do it click the photo below and enter the code at the checkout page.


*I wasn't Paid for this post, however i was perked with the product*

The Official Girls Night



We made a plan that every month we going out for Girls night, so far its myself, Amy & Niki. We all work together, and its just us at the moment, but i would imagine we will be adding more girlies to the group in the future once they realise how much fun we have!!


We decided to go to Wagamama as we haven't been there before ,and they do Japanese food (thats non sushi related)
Its such a nice atmosphere in there, really chilled. Kind of reminds me of a school canteen.

 
 The food was incredibly yummy.

I had Yasai Katsu curry. (Veg curry) and Yasai Gyoza for a side dish.  (veggie steamed dumplings)  (pic of my dinner is the 2nd row 1st pic.) lots of salad and stick rice with lightly fried veggies!

Amy Had Yasai Yaki Soba - fried sob noodles with lots of veggies! Niki had the Yaki Soba with chicken & prawns in it. Amy also had the Gyoza with meat in, and Niki had the chicken skewers. 

For all of that including drinks its was only £45, total bargain!

The funniest thing happened when paying, Niki was entering her pin number into the portable card machine, we were joking that the waiter would get a large Tip as she didnt have her glasses on, then for a laugh she put the machine to her ear (like the pic below) and Said 'Hello' - i cracked up, but the waiter just looked a bit puzzled, i think he was foreign and didnt get the joke! haha


Always the practical joker.. haha!


After we scoffed all the food, which non of us could finish as the portions were huge! (and stopped laughing at Niki being silly)


We headed over to... CHIQUITO'S for cocktails and dessert! 



Mine is the first one, a strawberry Daquiri! ♥ Niki had a Key lime cooler, and Amy had a sex on the beach.. i told her it was too cold, but she insisted to do it anyway... ;) lol


The pudding was amazing, chocolate brownie, with 2 scoops of vanilla icecream on a skillet, then they poor toffee sauce over it at the table and it sizzles away like crazy! 
i forgot to take a photo of it though as we were so excited and ate it! haha

 It was such a good night and i cant wait to do it next month!

Jem's Bump!

I was at my old school friend Jemma's yesterday afternoon having a good old catch up, She is expecting her first baby in a couple weeks, a little boy ♥

As her Baby shower present i took some Maternity pictures for her..




Im going to be attending her Baby shower next weekend, so ill try take some more photos then!

Product review: Soap & Glory Make up - A Great Kisser Lipbalm & Marvelips!

Here is the second part of the posts about the new Soap & Glory Lip products i bought..

A Great Kisser Lip Balm < click for the website info.


I wanted to get the Lip balm as soon as i saw it advertised on the S&G website, but it took such a long time for it to get in my local boots! So annoying!

The tin is pretty big, bigger than the Vaseline tins. I chose the Colour Juicy Peach, it smells so good!
I had a hard time choosing a colour as i wasn't sure how much colour would actually show, so i settled with Juicy Peach as i already have a Pink tinted Lip balm and fancied something different.

Just after i got home i was taking all my winter paraphernalia off, Scarf, Gloves, Coat etc - Then i noticed my dog eating something and though .. 'huh' on closer inspection i noticed he was chewing my Lip balm tin!!!
He only bloody helped himself to it out of my boots bag... I'm happy to say it wasn't damaged, only the lid has a few teeth marks..

Passed the Dog proof test!

So glad it passed the Dog testing.. i would have cried if it had got damaged before i had chance to even use it or look at the fresh new UN-used lip balm. This Balm is so nice when you have it on, it smells amazing, feels super moisturising and i dont think it has much colour, but it does have a nice peachy look and makes your lips look quite healthy.

The Peachy Natural look!
I have to say i do love this Lip balm loads and i am very tempted to buy the other two colours in Chocolate Cherry and Sweet Coconut. I dont think its bad either than they are £5 each as they are really good!

__________________________________________________________________________________


Next up is the Marvelips!

I cant remember when or how i saw a review on the marvelips, but it happened to be in stock when i was picking up the Lip balm and seeing as i had a voucher for £2 off i though i might as well treat myself to it. it was £8 which isnt expensive, but also isnt cheap for something you have never tried before..

Pretty packaging ♥
The back with a description & picture

The pencil looks pretty straight forward to use, double ended, a lid each end.. which dont seem that secure to me so im a tad worried they might fall off in my make up bag.

One end has the coloured pencil -

One end has the highlighter pencil -

Slightly sparkly highlighter
Its really simple to use this product, you literally draw an outline around your lips, then fill in with the coloured end, and then on your top lip draw a line along it with the white end. Its is supposed to give the illusion of fuller lips.

The one thing which bugged me a fair bit...

Residue from the coloured end!
I know it cant be helped, but this is so annoying as you have to clean it before you use it again or it wont have any effect. I felt like i had to put quite a lot on my lips for it to have any highlighting effect.

Here is the swatches on my hand..

Top - Highlighter / Bottom - Colour
And here it is on my lips -


 I really need to remember to moisturise my lips before i put things like this on... I LOVE this colour, its like the perfect lip colour i have been searching for. It smells really good too, kind of like Chocolate.

My only problem with this lip pencil is that i dont have a sharpener that it will fit in... So it would be beneficial for S&G to either give a freebie one with it, or sell a sharpener in the make up range.

I also wish they had another colour, maybe a nice bright pink colour... or a brown Nudish type colour..

If you go on the S&G website you can see the Marvelips and read more about it - click here

*I wasn't paid or perked for this product, simply writing it because i love the products*

Product review: Soap & Glory Make up - Super-Colour Fabulipstick!

I waited and waited for Soap & glory to be restocked in boots, i was near to giving up and going off to sulk, then i saw that the Lipsticks were on offer for £7, and they had the colour i wanted, so i though... What the heck!

Here are the products i bought -

Lipstick - Lip Balm - Lip Pencil (with built in plumper)

I have been on the hunt for a decent Lipstick as i currently have a really nice Estee Lauder one which is just the 'PERFECT' colour, but i cant seem to find it anywhere to replace it. (Plus is will probably be super expensive)
So as soon as i saw that the lipsticks were on offer for £7 each i was like... errr its meant to be!
I chose a lipstick in Naked Beige, hoping it would be the right colour... I had to guess as there were no testers, looks like someone tea leafed them from the display.. gah! >.<

Cute box
Love the plain packaging
As far as the packaging goes, i really like it, it feels robust and something that wont get battered in your handbag, or the bottom of the make-up bag. It feels kind of like metal packaging.

Perfect New Lipstick ♥
I love the Soap & Glory Logo on the actual lipstick, it makes it feel alot more expensive than some of the other highstreet  brands, and sounds silly, but it does give it the extra wow, which would make me buy it lol

  
The feel of the lipstick on your skins quite nice, it feels very luxurious, and creamy. Now the Smell of the Lipstick is absolutely unbelievably YUMMY!!!! The best thing is that the lipstick isn't really shiny, i prefer a matt lipstick as im not that keen on lip gloss. It amazes me how hard it is to buy a non glossy lip stick!

I'm not the best at applying Lipstick.. bit wonky there haha

This lip stick has Collagen Boosting enhancers with plumping Pre-peptides. Usually with this type of lip plumping ingredient i find that it stings my mouth and my lips tend to flare up and go red. This lip stick didn't feel tingly, or sting at all, but you could feel it doing something if that makes sense...

It did make my lips feel fuller, but i did find that the more you apply the lipstick throughout the day the more it ended up tingling, so i dont think its something you could wear often. I think maybe its suited to an older woman.. being nearly 25 i dont really have any lines or wrinkles near my mouth so nothing needs plumping too much. It is by far the best smelling lipstick ever, so nice you can even smell it whilst your wearing it. 

I do like this lipstick, but i think i would prefer a few more colours to choose from as 3 isnt really enough..

Check out their other colours here on the s&g website - Click!

Keep an eye out for the next post about 'A great kisser' lip balm & 'Marvelips'

*I wasn't paid or perked for writing this post*

Christening day!

Last Sunday we were invited to a christening for our friends Daughters, it was a lovely day and really nice to catch up with friends and fa...