Day Zero Project: 101 things in 1001 days!

If you read my recent post Countdown to...Holiday...Wedding...Baby No2! you will already know my life has taken a very positive U-turn recently. No it's not a bed of roses but I can definitely see a more positive light at the end of the tunnel these days! That's why when I read about the Day Zero Project on another mummy blog by Love In The Nest I was inspired to do things that a month ago I would never have dreamed of doing. So I decided to make my own Day Zero Project List.

        The aim of the Day Zero Project is to basically give you things to aim for. Achievable things like going on a roller coaster, which is actually on my list! Something that I would ordinarily avoid at all cost.

     How it works is you visit the Day Zero Project site and create a list of 101 things you are going to go in the next 1001 days. It can be anything from dyeing your hair green to getting married or having a baby. Losing weight or doing something like Race for Life.

You can see what I have put on my list here. Each Time I complete something I will blog about it. Fingers crossed I can complete all 101 things in 1001 days. I will achieve quite allot if I do! Things I never thought I'd do and all thanks to a new found confidence and a little inspiration x

Countdown to... Holiday...Wedding...Baby 2!

  It's amazing isn't when something in life just hits you like a ton of bricks. Like waking up from a 5 year coma and your entire life has changed, and some parts crashed around you without you even noticing.
  This is what happened to me about 2 and a half weeks ago. I have suffered depression for years and been of and on anti depressants since the tender age of 16 but something 2 and a half weeks ago made me snap. I suddenly realised that NOTHING in my life was panning out how I had planned. I wasn't being the best mother I could be nor the best partner to my husband to be. It felt like I had spent the last 5/6 years numb and the ice finally thawed and I realised that whilst I had been in my little coma everyone around me had just been plodding on. Well when I say everyone I mean the other half and Charlie. I realised our lives were boring and unfulfilled. And alot of it was my fault.
   So I suddenly snapped out of it. I NEEDED to perk up and find a way of being happy. I needed to fix some of the things that were  wrong. Of course there are some things out of my control. But there is one BIG piece of Negative baggage that IS in my control and that is my weight!
  I have been podgy for many years. Mainly from my later teens onwards but nothing compared to when I met my partner. I moved in with him and that was it. I entered the world of  having no parents around to tell me know. We both worked full time and so surplus cash was, not in abundance by any means, but it was there! Calling up and having a takeaway delivered to OUR house felt so grown up (stop laughing I was only 17!!). One take away a week turned into 2 and then to 3 until we were both working 4 /5 late shifts a week and although we would have dinner at work we would stop for something on the way home, stay up until 1am watching TV and then sleep in until 10am. The weigh piled on and falling pregnant in 2009 I put on another 2 stone in the 9 months I was pregnant with Charlie! By the end of my pregnancy I weighed a whopping 20st 3lbs.
   There are of course other things that have contributed to my weight gains however they are rather to personal to write on here.
   So 2 and a half weeks ago something in me snapped. I decided rather than continuing to continue our battle to add to our family which has been going on years I decided to go back on the pill to help regulate my cycles whilst I fought the mission to lose 9 stone. yes you read that correctly I am a whopping great 9 stone over weight! Even losing 9 stone would only just take me into the healthy BMI range! So in my bid to lose weight I needed some support. This came in the form of many friends who I have online who all have children the same age as Charlie but the most supportive of all has to be Mrs B who you can pop and say hi to over at Show and Tell as she, the last 2 Monday mornings has come and picked me up to take me to her Slimming World group. This couldn't have been better for me. I cannot put into words how much better it is to go to a group to lose weight. There is nothing like going with a friend for a bit of healthy competition and having everyone else's losses to celebrate and the sheer fear of having a gain read out ;D to spur you on!
               So in the last to weeks I have Lost
                            Start Weight: 20st 6lbs      Date: 15/8/11
                            Weight Now: 19st 11.5
                 Weight loss to Date: 8 1/2lbs in 2 weeks :D
I couldn't be happier but I really couldn't have done it without going to a group and having the right support network. I have also taken up exercise. Doing a fitness DVD twice a week and just having fun without anyone there to laugh at me is great.
Anyways i shall be sharing my weight loss journey with you all. My first aim is to lose 5 Stone before Our family holiday in April and 7 Stone before our wedding in August and 9 stone before the journey for baby number 2 begins all over again!
I'm excited about this journey. i hope all my lovely readers will help to keep me on my toes. I will Post again when I get my stone award which I hope to get in the next 2/3 weeks. So keep your eyes peeled. When I get my club 10 I will share some photo's with you........maybe :)



Wedding Tips - Don't forget about our Competition post. Just click on the link <<< and give us your best Wedding on a budget tips to be in with a chance of winning! x

Wedding Under £500? Give Us Your Tips and WIN!!!

Courtesy of
@LoveInTheNest

Little Charlie's Daddy and I have been together now since June 2006. We have our little boy and our own place so the next step really seems to be marriage, right? Well if you asked my Mother In Law she'd probably say 'no get popping out some more grandchildren!' ha ha. She loves babies. But I also know That she'd LOVE to see her only Son, her only child in fact, get married and be 'properly' settled down. I would also love to be married before we have anymore Children.

So how does a young family, on a modest budget, with only one wage coming in go about getting hitched! And is it possible to have a wedding with only a £500 budget?

Up for grabs are 4 beautiful Earth pure Facial Toning Spritzers worth £5.90 Each in Orange Blossom Fragrance.

To be in with a chance of winning 1 of 4 Facial Toning Spritzers all you have to do is 'Follow' our Blog and comment below with your best Wedding on A Budget Tip, Advice, Story or personal Experience. The Best will be published in a new 'Top Tips' Blog Post where we will then choose the best 4 pieces of advice etc given.

This Competition will run till the 30th of September.

You can Enter as many times as you like as long as each comment is relevant to the Comp. Anything deemed inappropriate will be deleted. This is Open to UK residents Only!

Good Luck :)

A big thankyou to loveinthenest.blogspot.com for allowing us the use of the gorgeous pic at the start of this post :D x

And The Winner is..........

Oh to be without the internet!! This past fortnight our internet has done nothing but drop in and out of signal CONTANTLY. So much so this Giveaway has taken a lot longer than normal to do.

So this morning when my little broadband b was blue I said '' Today is the day I am FINALLY going to get to announce the wonner of the giveaway!! And i will, so long as the internet doesnt vanish again in the next 10 minutes.......

So Ive popped all 4 contestants names into Random.org a fantastic little website that chooses a winner for you and he chose............

                                                       Jenna Keller

Congratulations Jenna. I hope you enjoy a lovely month of clean faces and hands :p! Please contact us using the PR contact form giving us your address. I will email you tonight if I havn't heard from you and you have 48 hours to claim your prize before we re draw. I look forward to hearing you.

Keep your eye out for our next competition from The Visionary Soap Company!! x

Review & Giveaway: Beaming Baby Facial Wipes!

It's giveaway time and my very first giveaway for this blog!

I LOVE Beaming Baby products. Organic and natural and perfect for my babies sensitive skin. We have been using a whole array of Beaming baby  products for a couple of months now and we love so much about them. We love the fact the are so green. The products on the inside are made with the best in quality organic products but their packaging is made from recycled packaging and they encourage you to recycle again. They do everything they can to reduce their carbon foot print where possible including printing their brochures on to Elephant poo paper - now that is dedication!
All products are suitable for Vegetarians/ Vegans as they do not use any animal by-products nor are any of their products tested on animals.

Another Fabulous thing is the fact that they give a whole 10% of their profits to Charity. Currently they are supporting SANCCOB and Baby Lifeline. Another fabulous reason I love my Beaming Baby products. Not only am I reducing my own carbon footprint but I'm also helping to support 2 fantastic Charities every time Charlie has a Bubble Bath :).

We have been recently road testing Beaming Baby Facial wipes on myself and Charlie (I apologise for lack of photo's I'm having some technical issues). I have been using them of an evening when I have been to exhausted to do my usual routine and have kept a packet for hands and face when out and about. Really handy for Cloth nappy users when out and about. These have now become a staple in my 'I need this child's face cleaned and I need it done now' kit.  Even the other half can use them to wipe his brow when digging in the garden (we have tried that to :D). They are literally suitable for anybody and extremely versatile - especially for that teenager that point blank refuses to wash that make- up off!!

Now onto the giveaway. I have here 3 packets of Beaming Baby Facial Wipes for ONE lucky winner! This is up to a months supply. There are 25 cleansing wipes per pack and entering this Giveaway couldn't be simpler. But please Read the T&C's at the end!

                                'Follow' this blog and comment below to let me know your in it to win it!

How easy is that?

Now for a few Terms and Conditions (Sorry)

This giveaway will open immediately and Close at 8pm on Monday the 22nd of August. All entries will be put into Random.org to decide a winner and keep things fair for everyone. This giveaway is open to UK Residents only. PLEASE keep and eye on our Facebook page as this is where we will keep you updated with the progress. Please leave someway of contacting you. A blog address or Twitter name will be fine.

Good luck everybody :) x

Who says CBeebies is bad for them??

He TALKS. I am finding myself having more and more conversations with my 20 month old munchkin. 

I will admit, until recently I was one of those mothers who said. TV is bad for them, get them outside, Sit and read or play blocks and use the TV for a bit of music in the background. That has all changed now though!

When Charlie reached the 18month mark my already lack of housework management took an all time plunge as Charlie decided to NEED my attention more and more. He needed his mind stimulating like never before and I began to find it impossible to keep him constantly entertained with toys that now seem to young for him, crayons and books!

I THEN decided I HAD to go against what everyone advised and get him into something he could do himself or something that could just distract him for a small amount of time whilst I ran the hoover round! CBEEBIES became my saving Grace!
At first Charlie didn't pay much attention to the TV when I first put CBeebies on for him!

He did stop to dance to the music and would occasionally pause to look at the bright colours. I was determined that one way or another I was going to find the time to Bake and prepare proper meals again and to do that he HAD to like something, anything, just ONE programme. Finally One day it just clicked, he fell in love with Mr Tumble (Something special)  and just sat cross legged with blocks in his hands. I took the opportunity to sneak out of the room and get stuff done. I did and was able to get back before he even noticed I was gone.

8 Weeks later he has developed so much. His speech is coming on at an incredible rate and he has recently started to recognise objects such as Duck, Clock and Car. Now I know he still has a bit of catching up to do, when I compare him to my friends daughter I'm like OMG he's so far behind. But he is now learning so many new things everyday it's just amazing! I know all the attention and effort I put in at the start had a positive impact on his development  but I honestly think that a small amount of CBeebies each day has helped him grow in confidence and help him learn new words and numbers and how to recognise objects. He now Loves to watch Show me Show me, Something Special and the Teletubbies (downside to that is when I read him his bedtime story at night I'm greeted with again again!)

Allowing your child a small amount of TV a day doesn't have to be followed with a lifetime of guilt. Watch it with them so you can carry on the 'learning' they have done during the programme or use it to have 15mins catch up on Housework or sit with a cuppa. It isn't the crime of the century that everyone makes it out to be. I only wish I had found CBeebies sooner.

Charlie 20 Months

My Baby Loves....

Weaning!

My Baby isn't actually such a baby anymore! He'll be 20 months old tomorrow ~ but he'll always be my baby of course!!
This blog post has been inspred by Love in the Nest who tagged me in thier version  talking all about what thier little girl, Evie, loves!

My little boy loves lots of things. Eating is one of them. Weaning was a breeze. Our doctor reccomended we started weaning at a very tiny 17 weeks. Our littleman was super hungry but he suffered with Reflux causing him to bring up most of his feeds and leave him crying for hours on end!
He took to solids like a duck to water. The pic to the left and up a bit is a pic of his very first taste of baby rice. He is an amazing eater now. He will eat anything and everything ~ even things with a bit of spice!

Co sleeping with mummy is most deffinately something he loves. We only recently got him into his own bed! Even now though he ends up in bed with me at some point!

He has co slept one way or another since he was about 6 months old- maybe before. When he's not sharing with us I fret all night and hardly sleep because im constantly worrying about him. There's alot to be said about co sleeping. It is safe as long as you follow the gudlines. No smoking, No alcohol, No deep sleepers. Im not a deep sleeper. Nor do I or have i ever smoked or Drink! Ever since I was a child I have easily been awoken by the smallest of sounds! Personally I love co sleeping too and i miss him now he's in his big boy bed!

Walking. Charlie NEVER stops moving. I mean never! Even Watching TV, on the rare occasion he notices it, he still jigs about or wanders in circles. We go for at least a 1.2 mile walk everyday and he just loves it. he hates it when we get home even if we stop at the park for half an hour in the middle of it all. You would think he would sleep like a log. But No. He still wakes 5 times a night. i think he's just gunna grow up an energetic Boy. Which is good because daddy wants him to be a Rugby star!

Eater 2011

CHOCOLATE! Well we did almost make it to his first birthday without him touching the stuff but not quite. Im so glad that he can't ask for it though. He doesn't seem bothered by it unless someone actually gives him some or is eating it infront of him. So we do mostly get away with it but he is older now, so we allow him the occasional pleasure. He does love it though. His little face lights up but he does share. Which is a good thing.

DADDY! Daddy id Little Charlie's everything. When he's here he wants to do nothing but play with him and when he's not - well all hell breaks loose to be honest. When Daddy is on a 6.30am start he leave's at 6am. So we miss him by an hour. On these days Charlie has what I call tantrums at Dawn! Seriously the kid goes wild. Crying and screaming for his daddy. I usually have to bribe him to calm down with a piece of toast to throw around. He does calm down of course but it does upset me that it upsets him this much just because daddy isn't here first thing in the morning. The day then proceeds with lots of Where's daddy? Daddy in the car? Daddy work?.

Charlie is very much a daddy's boy. I can't wait till I pack them off to the rugby together! :D

If your a blogger, continue this post on your own blog and tell us what your baby loves :) x

Getting to Know You!!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6.15

2. How do you like your steak? Well done. With Onion rings and Ketchup!

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Hangover part 2.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Gilmore Girls and The Soaps.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? by the Coast.

6. What did you have for breakfast? 2 Bourbon biscuits and a sip of Apple juice. (they joy of having a hyper toddler!!)

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Chinese.

8. What foods do you dislike? Cheese

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Angel Chef, Gloucester

10. Favorite dressing? a light squidge of lemon!

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? None at the moment!!

12. What are your favorite clothes? Jeans t-shirts

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? America

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full

15. Where would you want to retire? Not in the Forest of Dean!

16. Favorite time of day? bedtime!

17. Where were you born? Coventry.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? None

19. Who do you think will not tag you back? Everyone!

20. Person you expect to tag you back first? No idea

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Love in The Nest.

22. Bird watcher? No

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night

24. Pets? None at mine

25. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share? We are trying to concieve baby no2.....but then again we've been doing that over a year so not really new news!

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A midwife!

27. What is your best childhood memory? Going to the Social Club with my Nan and Grandad.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Neither if i can help it. More Dog then Cat though!!

29. Are you married? No

30. Always wear your seat belt? Always, absolutely

31. Been in a car accident? No

32. Any pet peeves? Men

33. Favorite pizza topping? None really. I rarely eat it as not the biggest fan of cheese!!

34. Favorite Flower? Gerbera!

35. Favorite ice cream? Coconutterly Fair Ben and Jerry's

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Burger King

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?  Once

38. From whom did you get your last email? A customer

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Mines maxed out!

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Bought a new pushchair without OH's permission. (I paid for it.... believe me!!!)

41. Like your job? Being a mummy?? Of course!

42. Broccoli? yes!

43. What was your favorite vacation? Butlins. We dont get to go far tbh!

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?  partner

45. What are you listening to right now?  Gordon Ramsey on Hell's Kitchen!

46. What is your favorite colour? Pink- I long for a baby girl to dress up in all pink things. Poor little mite :p

47. How many tattoos do you have? None

48. Coffee drinker? No, tis the devils necter

49. How many children do you have? One son - Little Charlie!!

50. Are you in love? Occasionally! :p xx