What Mama Wore - Tiffany Rose

I have got to the point in pregnancy where the most important aspect of an outfit is comfort.  I can still wiggle into my maternity jeans and put on some socks, but all I want to wear are dresses and slip on shoes with no waist bands and no reason to struggle and reach my feet.  The weather isn't quite warm enough to live in summer dresses yet, but we are well into Spring now so I am holding on to it warming up soon.

Luxury British designers Tiffany Rose sent me a couple of their maternity dresses and they are by far the most comfortable things in my wardrobe right now.  They specialise in occassionwear, but with nothing to dress up for on the horizon I opted for a couple of dresses that I could dress down enough to get away with as day wear.

Maxi dresses are the ultimate summer maternity item and this one is just beautiful.  It is lined which helps it hang well (and stops the white becoming see through), comfortable and amazing quality.  The cut is flattering throughout pregnancy and would last from a tiny bump until after baby arrives - I don't think I will be packing this away just because my bump has gone.  I often find that this style of dress comes up short as I am 5 foot 9, but this one is a great length that I am not tripping up over it, but it still is nice and long.  

I love how this dress can work for so many different occassions, on its own it would look wonderful for a summer wedding or Christening, but paired with a denim jacket and flipflops it is casual enough for everyday wear.

The second dress was a shorter length but a similar style with the same crossed over top and empire line cut.  As the weather wasn't as nice I wore it with tights and flat shoes but my plan is to wear this with just sandals and a cardigan or jacket to dress it down in the summer, but maybe put on some low heels if I want to wear it out too.  It felt wonderful to wear and I had so many compliments.  The rich blue colour is really stunning and I found it incredibly flattering on my changing figure.

 Tiffany rose are proud to be designed and manufactured in the UK and their dresses are made to the highest quality and come beautifully packaged too.  These dresses are currently £84 and £89 which I think is great value considering the outstanding quality.

Thank you to Tiffany Rose for sending over these beautiful dresses.

Read more ⇨

The Baby Box Company Review

The Baby Box Company make lovely gift boxes for new babies and we were lucky enough to be sent one to review.  I chose the 'really useful' medium box as I loved the contents and it arrived beautifully packaged.  Unfortunately, I left the box, thinking I would photograph it in the morning when the light was better and two small boys found it first, so you don't get to see it looking lovingly wrapped but I can show you what is inside.

Read more ⇨

Maternity Skincare

Without a doubt, our bodies change shape during pregnancy, some earlier than others, some in more places than others, but as our skin stretches and our tummies grow, it is important to look after ourselves on the inside and out.

I have been testing a variety of maternity skincare products over the last few weeks, and wanted to put it all together in an easy post, so if you are looking for a little treat for your growing bump then look no further.

Love Boo

I was sent a lovely Marvellous Mummy Kit from Love Boo which has perfectly sized miniatures for travel.  I took this away for our week in Rome and it was great to fit in the suitcase.  The body wash smells sweet and the body smoother is a very thick cream that dries in surprisingly fast.  With shea butter the smell is not overpowering but still soft and feminine.  The miracle oil takes much longer to dry as is common with oils but is a lovely bedtime treat and left my skin feeling lovely and soft.

Read more ⇨

Back to Work

11 months is a long time - Long enough to enjoy most of a baby's first year, first smiles, first laughs, learning to roll, to sit, to stand, to crawl.  First tastes, first night in their own room, first Christmas.  11 months is long enough to find our way, establish a routine of playgroups, outings with friends and quiet afternoons building, and knocking down lego.

After eleven months of maternity leave, last weekend saw me return to work part time, something I had been both looking forward to and dreading in equal measure.

I haven't left Archie for more than a couple of hours in the day before and he won't take milk from a bottle or beaker.  He is a mummy's boy, wanting me in his sight at all times, there to pick him up when he falls, feed him on demand and give those special cuddles that only a mother can give.  

I rarely leave Dylan either, and whilst he is a relaxed and independent little boy, I am used to having him here with me, my little sidekick, every day.  The idea of leaving both my beautiful boys for a whole day at work, and then for 2 shifts every week following, was a little daunting, and I worried about how they, and I, would cope.

On the other hand, 11 months is a long time to have never spent more than a couple of hours alone, never switching off fully from the role of Mummy.  11 months of feeding my baby several times a day (and several times a night), carrying him in my arms or a sling and having constant companionship is both a privilege and a little tiring and I felt ready for some time away, time for me in an odd kind of way.

11 months was just the right amount of time for me, not too soon that I was upset about leaving my baby, and not too long that I was desperate to return.  I felt ready, apprehensive but ready, and it went smoothly.  Archie  fed just before I left the house and managed to go the rest of the day with plenty of solids but no milk.  Dylan enjoyed time with his Daddy, building walls and then pushing his trucks down the slide to crash into them.  I came home to two sleeping babies, and only a little extra mess.  It was a success.

I am really lucky that I can return to work for just 2 shifts a week.  I will be doing around 10 hours per week which is the perfect balance for our family, giving me precious time away and a few extra pennies, and letting the boys have time with their Daddy and their Grandma, which they are going to love.  For us, this is what works and I am looking forward to carving a new routine from it.

Photos by the lovely Sharina from Ask Sharina Kent

It was physically hard work being back at work, I am constantly on my feet with no comfy sofas to fall back on when I need to put my feet up and have a cup of tea and I came home with aching legs, ready for a long soak in the bath.  The upside of this is that hopefully I will start to feel a bit fitter by the time summer comes and the oversized sweater is replaced with a strappy vest!

When did you return to work?  Where you able to do it when you wanted to or was it based on financial or family needs?

Disclaimer:  This post does contain a sponsored link 

but I put as much time and effort into it as any other post.

Read more ⇨

Maternity Wear in the Third Trimester

The first trimester was about loose tops and hiding the slowly expanding tummy.  The second Trimester was about adapting normal clothes to fit your new figure, but the third trimester is well and truly about maternity wear and comfort for me.  I am running out of things to stretch and other than my trusty leggings and cardigans I am mostly in maternity to accomodate my growing bump.  I thought I would share with you a few of the things I have been wearing.

Nothing is more important than comfort at the moment and I am not one to wear tops with leggings so I am loving oversized jumpers that keep me covered up.  I team them with leggings and boots and feel snug and warm and still comfortable enough to crawl around on the floor brumming cars with the toddler.  I love this oversized maternity jumper from Mamas and Papas and it brightens up my winter wardrobe.

I love to show off my bump in fitted tops and I love this one from Yummy Mummy Maternity as it is just about long enough to wear with leggings and also goes great with jeans.  I wear it with a big knitted cardigan to keep me warm and covered

It is not long until baby Squish will make an appearance so anything that will take me through the nursing stage is a great buy now too.  I love this breastfeeding top as it is suitable for maternity and afterwards as there are openings for discreet feeding.  The top is nice and stretchy and a great investment at any point in pregnancy and is from More4Mums

On the rare occasion I leave the house without child, I like to dress up a bit more and I love wearing a plain black vest with my skinny jeans and jazzing it up with some fun jewellery.  I have a few maternity vests now as they are so much more flattering and comfortable and don't rise up as I move around.  I think I may save them for after baby too as they have plenty of growing room for when I eat a huge sunday roast!

I put off getting a winter coat for as long as I could but there is no escaping the fact it is getting pretty damn cold out there!  I am so happy with my lovely black maternity coat as it is flattering, comfortable and most importantly warm and will last until the little guy arrives.  I usually avoid black coats and have quite a selection of colourful ones but as I cannot justify more than one maternity coat, black is the best option as it really does match everything!

There are a few of my maternity outfits that I am wearing in the third trimester.  I am trying my hardest not to buy anything else now as there is only 10 weeks until baby arrives but there are some lovely bits out there!

Disclaimer:  Some of the clothes mentioned were sent to me free of charge, but some were also paid for.  All views and opinions are my own and I only endorse products that I am happy with and honestly wear.

Read more ⇨

Making your Maternity Clothes Last.

Being due mid August in my first pregnancy,  my maternity clothes consisted of summer dresses, vests and shorts.  This time I am going to be big over the winter and so a whole new wardrobe is needed.  I have been trying to think of creative ways to make my summer maternity clothes wearable again, as buying a whole new set is certainly a cost I can do without!  I have invested in the staples - some comfy jeans, long sleeved tops and jumpers, but have been making the most of my existing maternity clothes and wearing them in different ways.

So here is a little summer dress (from Matalan) I wore during my pregnancy with Dylan, dressed for autumn.  I originally wore it on it's own with just some pretty sandals but this time have dressed it up with tights, a shirt, a belt and a cardigan.

I have a couple of pairs of comfy maternity shorts (from New Look), and again have used leggings and autumny tops to make them into outfits suitable for the

Read more ⇨

My Homemade Halloween Maternity Costume

Finding a Halloween costume suitable for a bump is not easy.  You can spend money buying something lovely or you can improvise.  I went for the second option and for under £5 made my Halloween costume for the year.

Take one cheap vest - (I found primark sells them for £2 and they are lovely and long and very stretchy.)  -Cut a large hole in the tummy area.

Paint the now bare tummy orange.  I tried face paint but with such a large area to cover could not get it to work well.  Next we tried a homemade fingerpaint concoction which again didn't look too good.  Finally I mixed PVA glue with food colouring and painted it on leaving a lovely shiny orange belly poking out from under my top!

Wait a couple of minutes for the orange to dry and then draw on your pumpkin face using whatever is at hand.  We used black paint with a little sponge and my newly popped out belly button was the pumpkin nose.

Read more ⇨

The Mad Blog Awards

II may not have been there as a finalist but getting to mingle with fantastic bloggers and dress up was not an opportunity to be missed so I was delighted to win a ticket.  The Mads took place in a swanky hotel in central London and there were people on call to do our hair and make up before the big event.  I was very impressed that the girls from Regis managed to curl my hair, and that they stayed in! This is a first and I am hoping that with the samples they gave me I can recreate the look at home

The awards were preceded by a delicious three course meal where I got to catch up with one of my favourite bloggers, Kate from Makeshift Mummy.  There were some fantastic winners including the brilliant Mamasaurus, and the wonderful Coombe Mill but all the finalists have such fantastic blogs that my google reader is now very full! 

Tiffany Rose, a company selling gorgeous maternity dresses provided me with an outfit to wear and I felt so elegant, despite having a rather large bump.  The dress was stunning and beautifully made, perfectly flattering for pregnancy and I had a lot of compliments.  Now I could really do with some more invitations to glamorous events before February so I get to wear it again!  

The Liberty gown is a gorgeous two layer deep blackberry coloured dress, floor length even with 5 inch heels on (and I am 5 foot 9)!  There is a removable sash that helps show off the bump and the cowl neckline hangs beautifully.  I absolutely loved wearing it and felt very glamorous! 

Before I had to run off to catch the last train home (next time I am definitely booking a hotel!), there was just enough time to climb aboard a giant red stag in the hotel lobby with fellow pregnant blogger Katie from Mummy Daddy Me.  Surrounded by cushions it was far too inviting and I know for sure we were not the only ones making the most of the photo opportunity!  

 Congratulations to all the nominees, finalists and winners of this year's event, and thanks to the wonderful orgnaisers!  I would love to go back again next year!

Read more ⇨

Crave Maternity Review

During my first pregnancy I put off buying maternity clothes until I had stretched many of my normal clothes beyond repair.  This time it was not an option as my tummy seemed to expand before I had even announced my news and I still had all my clothes from the previous summer in the back of the wardrobe.  This pregnancy I will be biggest over the winter however and so I have quite a bit of maternity shopping ahead of me!

Crave were kind enough to offer me some of their products and I picked some skinny jeans as well as a black tunic top  I loved them as soon as they arrived.  The material felt soft and thick enough for the winter and they looked stylish and well fitted.  I don't like the idea of losing my style just because I am pregnant so love finding pieces I would wear normally.  

I love the jeans and find that even after a couple of days wear they are still a nice skinny fit.  The stretch is in small panels on the side meaning wearing them after the baby, it is not noticeable that they are maternity.  They are priced at £75 which I think is great value for superb, comfy jeans.  They are a staple in my wardrobe and I know they will last until the end of the pregnancy.  

The top is easy to wear and I plan on teaming it with leggings in the autumn and the skinny jeans when it gets cooler.  Black is so versatile and I think it would be easy to dress up with tights, small heels and some colourful jewellery too.  Again, it looks good with a tiny bump but has plenty of space for my expanding waistline giving the flexibility to wear through pregnancy.

I am really impressed with both items and they are forming the staples of my winter pregnancy wardrobe.  I have been eyeing up several other pieces too and think this maternity dress would be so easy to dress up or down! 

Disclaimer:  I was provided with these items for the purpose of the review but all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Read more ⇨