Beauty | Penhaligon's Tralala Eau de Parfum review

Last month I entered my Summer Fragrances post into a competition with Amara - a gorgeous, luxury home fashion company. And luckily for me, I won. Yay!

The prize - a bottle of Penhaligon's Tralala Eau de Parfum, worth £150.

Penhaligon's is an English perfume house founded in the 1860's and was Queen Victoria's perfumer. It has since become a firm favourite within the Royal family. This luxury perfume brand have created fragrances for both ladies and men over the years and Tralala is their latest release, a collaboration with fashion label and design duo, Meadham Kirchoff, from which the fragrance is inspired by.

Penhaligon's say...
'Tralala, is the latest fragrance from Penhaligon's inspired by the fantastical universe of Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff. An opulent, hedonistic blend created by Master Perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour.'

When the perfume arrived, in a huge box, padded up as though it was the crown jewels, I was super excited to see the contents!!

Look how cute the packaging is! The luxury box with velvet edges gives the impression of a dressing up box. On opening the golden clasp, the 'dressing up box' opens up to display the decadent glass bottle of eau de parfum in all it's fabulous glory, encased in a velvet and gold backdrop, with a mirror behind. I'm feeling glamour... class... dressing rooms of 50's and 60's icons such as Marilyn Monroe...

The bottle is decorated with the pretty Tralala logo and finished with an oversized purple velvet bow and a ladies face on the cap. 

Now for the scent. The fragrance includes...

Head notes of Saffron, Whiskey, Galbanum & Violet Leaf Absolute.

Heart notes of Carnation, Leather, Ylang Ylang & Incense.

Base notes of Myrrh Resinoid, Patchouli, Cedarwood & Musk Vanilla.

When I first take in the smell, I'm not a huge fan. It's quite strong and reminds me of something I'd find on my grandmothers dressing table growing up. It definitely smells like something from my childhood, maybe scented talcum powder or something?! I can't quite put my finger on it.

Once I've sprayed the perfume onto myself, I start to warm to it, there's still something there that smells very familiar, I want to say parma violets but I don't think it's that. But it's almost addictive. I can't stop smelling my wrists, especially as the fragrance lasts so long. I can still smell it later in the day. 

I think that it's a little too heady for a summer day, I can imagine wearing it with a classy outfit, maybe a little black dress, on date night, or for a more glamorous evening event. For that, it would be perfect! It's a fantastic addition to a dressing table, and would also make a great gift. I probably wouldn't repurchase it myself, it's not my everyday fragrance. But I'm pretty chuffed I won it and it's a lovely addition to my collection!

Penhaligon's Tralala is available to purchase from Amara.com, for £150.

Have you tried a fragrance from Penhaligon's before?

**Competition prize

Keep up to date with me & my posts 

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Pregnancy | 36 weeks

36 week bump shot | Jotting down some birth plan ideas

How far along? 
36 weeks.

Size of baby?
Bump is measuring a week and a half ahead this week. Midwife says he feels over 7 lbs already. :) I think he'll be the same sort of size Bradley was at birth, he was 8 lb 5 oz. 

Any news this week?
So I had a bit of a hormonal week, fed up, heavy and hot and really not coping well in this heatwave. And I was getting peeved at the silly, insensitive comments I was getting which led me to write my most popular post so far 10 Things You Should NEVER Say To A Pregnant Woman - if you haven't already, give it a read! :)
Our antenatal class was cancelled last weekend which we were gutted about! But we had a successful midwife appointment this week, I got a lot of questions and queries answered, we went through my birthing plan and James got to feel baby's head which is still at the brim of my pelvis. She even offered to come see us at home for an antenatal/parentcraft class as our private one was cancelled. I do love my midwife, we're very lucky!
This weekend marks our fully cooked milestone, so he can come anytime now! We're more than ready, but I'm starting to feel quite anxious about everything. 
I'm anxious and scared about the birth, I didn't have a very nice experience with Bradley and I have my fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly, quick and easy - that'd be nice! :)
I'm also feeling really anxious about the baby, I'm just hoping everything is okay with him and he's healthy with no problems or complications. And I've become massively anxious about the state of my body afterwards. I know my body is an amazing thing for growing this baby, but I worry that it won't be as easy to get any sort of figure back this time. 
It's a strange time at the moment, I'm no longer able to do much, I'm carrying heavy so I can't walk far or do anything too strenuous. I'm constantly tired and it's just a waiting game now. I really hope something happens sooner rather than later.

Clothes?

It's soooo hard to dress in this weather. If I'm at home with no plans to go out, I'll wear some PJ shorts and probably an oversized AllSaints top. Any other time I'll wear my New Look Maternity Leggings (£14.99 x2) and I have the choice of 3 maternity vests/tops from Beebies Baby Store. Thats pretty much all that fits nowadays. Theres no point in me buying anything else with only a few weeks left. I am struggling in this heat though! It's so frustrating that I can't just pop on a pretty summer dress when it gets too hot. 

Products? 

I'm still moisturising my bump daily with Palmer's Cocoa Butter Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks (£2.10). And I'm moisturising all over with Sanctuary Spa Mum To Be Collagen Boosting Body Butter (£10.25**). 

Symptoms: 

Tired. Heavy. Quite hormonal. Hot. Some random braxton hicks but nothing for a few days. 

Sleep: 

Sleep has been hard in this weather. I'm usually on top of the covers in my underwear with the tower fan on next to me.

Missing anything? 

I've been craving cocktails a lot this week ;) I've seen my friends enjoying a fair few this week and it's made me really fancy one.. or a few! ;)

Movement: 

His movements now he's full term are getting quite painful.

Any purchases?:

No purchases this week.

Best moment this week:

My midwife appointment, feeling better after asking a few questions.

Worst moment this week: 

Feeling tired and fed up. :(

Food cravings:

Cold drinks, cold ice poles.

Anything making you queasy or sick:
No.

Belly Button in or out? 
Out!

Mood:
Quite hormonal and fed up due to heat.

Looking forward to:
His arrival!!!

Can't believe I'm now 37 weeks - Happy fully cooked day! You may now arrive!! :) 3 weeks til due date!!

**Gift

Linked up to TheOfficialBlogGuide's Saturday Anything Goes Link party

Keep up to date with me & my posts 

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Pregnancy | 10 Things You Should NEVER Say To A Pregnant Woman!

Okay, so I'm going to start this post with a little DISCLAIMER:

I'm writing this an extremely hormonal, hot [and definitely not in the attractive way, far, FAR from that right now], heavily pregnant woman, just days away from being full term. I'm tired, sleep deprived, sweaty, grumpy, fed up and very uncomfortable. So, please bare with me and keep this all in mind whilst you read this post. I'm not always such a moody cow, honest.
And most importantly, if you've said any of these things to a pregnant woman lately, namely me [and you probably have, as it's pretty much ALL I hear nowadays] then please don't take it personal, you're definitely not the only one...

So, the following statements are things that have been said to me during my pregnancy, many of them within the past week! Things that I personally find SO annoying, and with agreement from my friends in my pregnancy groups, we've decided that these are 
10 Things You Should NEVER Say To A Pregnant Woman...

1. 'Wow, you're massive!!'
AKA 'OMG you're huge!', 'Look at the size of you!', 'You're SOOO big' and many other variations. Thanks. Yep, nothing like a compliment to take the edge of the fact that I can't walk properly and haven't seen my feet in months. Yes, I carry big. Yes, I am 'huge', but us pregnant women find it pretty damn insulting! We're women at the end of the day, we're sensitive about our weight, our figures and the way we look, and you're calling us 'massive'?! Nice.
NEWSFLASH 'friends and family', it makes us feel rubbish!! We're more than likely struggling with this extra weight as it is, calling us HUGE really isn't helping. Would it be acceptable to call an overweight person, or someone that had put on a bit of pudding the same? Of course not. So why is it okay to say it to a probably already insecure and hormonal female when she is carrying a baby? Personally, after what I went through to get here, I'm so unbelievably proud of my pregnancy and my bump. But I really shouldn't have to worry that every time I share my proud bump shots with my friends and family over social media, they are met with numerous comments about how massive I am! You're not wrong, but keep your comments to yourself. If you looked past the 'size' of me you'll see I'm an amazing woman, growing an amazing human being!! 

2. 'OMG I can't cope in this heat!!'
Oh can you not? Aw poor you, it must be awful having all those lovely summery clothes to choose from and be able to move around and go where you wish to cool down. Me? I'm carrying a full size baby during a heatwave. I can now only fit into maternity leggings and 3 maternity tops, no pretty summer dresses for me this summer! It is pretty common, yet dangerous, for pregnant woman to get heat stroke, the extra blood flowing around the body makes the body much hotter, so being pregnant in 30degree heat and unbearable humidity is awful. Carrying around the extra weight, feeling over tired, sleepless, restless nights, swelling and other pregnancy symptoms we come across at the end of our pregnancies are heightened in this heat. I can't seem to quench my thirst, I'm going through ice poles, ice cold drinks and ice lollies quicker than Aldi can stock them, I'm literally joined at the hip to my tower fan and the humidity plus a baby putting pressure on my ribcage / lungs is making it hard to breathe properly. I'm being advised to stay indoors, rest and stay hydrated as I'm at high risk of heat exhaustion, swelling, heat stroke, triggered contractions and dehydration. But tell me again how hot you are?

3. 'He's going to be a BIG baby!!'
Are you calling my baby fat? Would you look at my baby when he's born and say 'Oh wow, he's a BIG baby!!' Oh go ahead, but be prepared for a smack in the mouth. Just sayin'. 
Do you really think, this close to D day, that I want to hear that you think I'm going to have to push a BIG baby out of my... er... what's that thing called again?! I haven't seen it in so long!!
I know many people that carried big but went on to have a 6-7lb-er!! To be honest, I'm carrying very similar to how I did Bradley, who was born at 8 lb 5 oz and it looks as though this one will be about the same. Yes I probably am going to have a big baby, I am physically growing him all by myself, I see and feel how big he is without you filling me in on this fact in case I wasn't aware. That said, I'm still measuring pretty spot on so there aren't any worries size wise. And as long as my child is completely healthy, I don't care how BIG he is.
Oh and your kid's fat! No? Too far? Exactly. So SHHH!!

4. 'What have you done all day??'
Now I know James is joking when he walks in from work and says this with a wink, but I secretly see him scanning the house to see what housework has been done, or more to the point, what housework HASNT been done. :) Those things you left sprawled all over the bedroom floor grew legs and popped themselves into the bin and laundry basket, your wardrobe magically churns out a perfectly ironed [work with me here ;)] shirt every day for work, the pots wash themselves and the laundry does a little dance from the basket, to the washing machine then appear in everyones wardrobes dry, ironed and smelling fresh... all whilst I'm sat on my expanding backside watching The Kardashians. Cool huh? 
I am slacking a little, I could be doing a lot more and I am resting a lot, but all the important stuff is getting done. At this point, I'm constantly tired and seem to have no energy, I'm getting hardly any sleep at night nowadays, I'm struggling in this heat, I'm uncomfortable carrying this weight, I have torn stomach muscles and a human skull popping in and out of my pelvis. I'm feeling pretty rough and I'm under doctors orders to rest, I have better days than others and I apologise the house doesn't look like a show home every day but I'm managing to keep the house going, get everything ready for baby's arrival and attempting to keep Bradley amused now he's on holiday from school... All whilst growing a human being. THAT'S what I've done all day! ;)

5. 'Are you sure there's just 1 in there?'
Erm, yes. I'm pretty sure that I've got this far knowing how many babies I am carrying in my uterus! Thank god for modern technology, huh? 
See point number 1, I'm well aware that I'm big but thank you for pointing out to me that I look like I'm carrying half a dozen children!

6. 'You look like you're carrying a boy/girl'
Oh shush, really?! My mum is the worst for this 'If you carry a certain way, it means you're definitely, 100%, oh so matter of factly MUST be having a boy/girl'. Are you for real? It's an old wives tale. As if whether you carry all out front or spread all round is due to the gender of the human being you're growing! I put on so much weight all over towards the end of pregnancy, both times, and I've carried boys. So I'm afraid your theory is wrong.

7. 'Aw, I bet you wanted a girl didn't you?'
Wow, really? It took me 18 months to fall pregnant. I went through so much. I made a baby, that felt like a miracle in itself. Of course, it would've been lovely to have one of each, but as long as my child is healthy, I wasn't fussed about the gender. Nothing could've been worse than when we shared the news to our family and friends that our baby was a boy and my own mother actually wrote publicly on Facebook 'Oh I wanted a girl :(' Low blow. 

8. 'Whats wrong with you today??'
Ohhhhhh no you didn't!! Did you really just ask a 9 month pregnant, hormonal woman what's wrong with you?! I suggest you take yourself off to another room.

9. 'Wow, that's a big age gap, why did you wait so long?'
Well, since you asked. I had Bradley when I was 20. I didn't plan to start a family with someone for it not to work out 3 years later. But that's what happened. I met James when Bradley was 3 and a half. When we did make the decision to extend our family, Bradley was 8. Unfortunately conceiving proved more difficult than we expected and it took 18 months for us to fall pregnant. Hence the 10 year age gap. Yes it's a big age gap. But I'd like to think it was a pretty sensible decision. And it'll be lovely, Bradley is at a fantastic age that he's been able to be totally involved in the pregnancy and is super excited to be a big brother. He'll be amazing with him and help me out lots.

10. 'Hmm, I don't like that name'
How rude and insensitive? Luckily, it's MY child's name, not yours. You don't have to like it. While we're at it, I don't fancy yours much either. ;)

And breeeeeeaaaathe. 

Things we DO want to hear [even if you're lying... go on, just amuse us!!]:
'You look beautiful!'
'Aw you're glowing!'
'Your bump is amazing!'
'Here are your favourite chocolates'
'Would you like a foot rub?'
'I'm so proud of you'
'I've bought you your favourite Ben & Jerry's'
'You're doing a great job!'
'I'm so happy for you'
'I'm so excited for you!'

Linked up to SuperBusyMum's Mad Midweek Blog Hop ,  

Let'sTalkMommy's Share With Me ,

 TheOfficialBlogGuide's Thursday Family Link Party ,

 TheOfficialBlogGuide's Saturday Anything Goes Link party

& ComingFromCarsonsMummy's #BabyBabble

Keep up to date with me & my posts 

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Life | #100HappyDays #2

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, or you read my first blog post, you'll know that I'm taking part in the #100HappyDays Challenge, to take a picture each and every day, for 100 days, of something that made me happy. It's a great way to notice the little things in life that make you happy or feel more positive.

Read more about the challenge here - Life | #100HappyDays #1

Here are my 10 happy moments from Day 11 - Day 20...

Day 11 - My boy came 1st in all his races at Sports Day, except one. And got 2 gold medals. Very proud!

Day 12 - Strawberry smoothies & pregnancy yoga this morning. 

Day 13 - 35 week bump shot!!  If you look closely, you can see baby kicking my ribs as I took the photo! 

Day 14 - The reason I smile. 

Day 15 - Movie night with the boys & lots of treats!! 

Day 16 - Tucking into some strawberries & cream this afternoon!! YUM. 

Day 17 - Daddy is putting baby's furniture up! 

Day 18 - Playtime with my boy & my niece. 

Day 19 - Lunch with my bump buddies!! 

Day 20 - 36 weeks bump shot! 

Are you currently taking part in the #100HappyDays challenge? Feel free to leave me your Instagram links.

Don't forget to follow me at Instagram.com/Lianne84 to follow my challenge.

Linked up to TheOfficialBlogGuide's Saturday Anything Goes link party

Keep up to date with me & my posts 

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Pregnancy | 35 weeks

35 week bump shot  |  Daddy building the cot

How far along? 
35 weeks.

Size of baby?
My bump was still measuring 9 3/4 [almost 10 but not quite] pieces of toilet roll this week! ;), although my bump feels as though it's grown a lot this week. 

Any news this week?
This week I think I've reached the point where I'm feeling rather fed up, tired and huge. I feel constantly tired and can't do much or go far. I've just reached 36 weeks and feel like I'm ready now. We have everything now. Our Mamas & Papas delivery arrived, so we have the cot, changing table and everything up and ready for him now. Although I'm starting to feel really anxious and scared about the labour and birth now it's almost time. 
As with my last pregnancy, I've started to put lots of weight on everywhere else on my body over these past few weeks. Why do I seem to get so fat during the last few weeks?? I have a LOT of work to do afterwards!! 
These hot, humid nights have been a struggle. I've been struggling to breathe, get comfy, and having to wrap my hot feet in cold wet towels to cool them down. Not to put a downer on things though. I still feel very grateful that after everything we went through to get here, we're finally getting close to meeting our miracle baby!! :) It's getting pretty exciting now!!

Clothes?

So I'm down to 2 pairs of New Look Maternity Leggings (£14.99 x2) and 3 maternity vests/tops from Beebies Baby Store. Theres no point in me buying anything else with only a few weeks left. I'm massively struggling in this heat though! It's so frustrating that I can't just pop on a pretty summer dress when it gets too hot.

Products? 

I've continued to moisturise daily with both Phytorelax Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream all over [as far as I'm aware you can only get this in the US, unless imported into stores such as TK Maxx which is where I picked it up from; £4.99] and moisturising my bump with Palmer's Cocoa Butter Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks (£2.10). I'm still reaching for my Anatomicals Spray Misty For Me Facial Spritz (£3.12) to cool down my feet as they get so hot!! 

Symptoms: 

Extreme tiredness. Generally feeling huge and uncomfortable. 

Sleep: 

It's been hard to sleep in this weather, I struggle to breathe, I'm feeling way too hot and sweaty! :(

Missing anything? 

Being slim ;) And just feeling active and having energy.

Movement: 

Big movements now but he's quickly running out of room!

Any purchases?:

No purchases this week.

Best moment this week:

Watching Daddy put the baby's furniture up! :)

Worst moment this week: 

Feeling tired and fed up. :(

Food cravings:

Nothing too much this week.

Anything making you queasy or sick:
No.

Belly Button in or out? 
It's def more of an outy now!! 

Mood:
Extremely tired and fed up.

Looking forward to:
Our antenatal class this weekend.

Can't believe I'm now 36 weeks, 4 weeks to go!!

Linked up to TheOfficialBlogGuide's Saturday Anything Goes Link Party

& MyLifeAsAMummy's #WeekendBlogHop

Keep up to date with me & my posts 

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Book | Shoutykid by Simon Mayle - Review & Giveaway

On a school night, at bedtime we all get into Bradley's bed to share a book. We do 15 minutes of reading, taking turns to read a page each.

We were very excited to start Shoutykid by Simon Mayle*.
Since the World Cup was on, it was just Bradley & I for book time. :)

So, Shoutykid is based on a 10 year old gaming obsessed boy called Harry Riddles. His Dad loses his job. Scared that he may have to move schools if they lose their house, Harry comes up with an amazing plan. He'll make a Zombie movie. It'll be massive! It'll fix everything! But he needs help, and money. So he sets out contacting famous people. Surely Harry Styles will want to help? And the Queen must have loads of money to spare?

The whole book is written in the form of emails, letters, texts and forum messages rather than the usual narrative of a standard book, which breaks up the story and makes it much easier to read. It's also great for keeping the concentration on the book. This and the eye catching illustrated cover, I personally think it's a perfect book for 9+ year olds.

Myself, I enjoyed the plot and I thought the modern format in which it was written was a great idea but I was a little underwhelmed at the ending, I felt it was a bit rushed. But that maybe just a grown ups point of view :)

So, I'm handing over to Bradley [age 10] for his views on Shoutykid:

What did you think of the cover? 
It was eye-catching, it made me want to read it.

What did you think of the fact that the story was written differently; using letters, emails, messages etc.? 
I didn't really like the letters I would prefer it written as a story.

What is the story about? 
Harry's family has money troubles and so he asks famous people for help making a zombie movie.

What did you think of the main character, Harry? 
He was funny, especially when he was asking famous people for help.

What was your favourite part? 
I liked it when Harry's cousin kicked his enemy Ed Bigstock off the World of Zombies forum.

What did you really like about the book? 
Harry sounded a lot like me, 10 years old and loves his computer.

Is there anything you didn't like about the book? 
I didn't really like how it was written in letters.

Would you recommend the book to your friends? 
Yes, I think they would enjoy it.


Shoutykid was released by HarperCollins last month and is available in all good book stores, for £6.99.

But, before you splash out, HarperCollins have given the lovely readers of TheBrunetteSays... the chance to WIN their very own copy! To be in with a chance, just answer this question in the comment box below:

If you could write to ONE famous person, and were guaranteed a reply, who would you write to and what would you ask them?

Winner will be announced at the end of July. 

Read more about the book, and check out some Shoutykid resources at www.shoutykid.co.uk.

As Harry Riddles would sign out, Good Luck and Have Fun!!

*PR sample sent for our honest review

Linked up to TheOfficialBlogGuide's Friday Reviews Link Party

Keep up to date with me & my posts 

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Pregnancy | 34 weeks

34 week bump shot  |  My baby shower  |  Some of my fab friends at my baby shower  |  My amazing baby shower cake

How far along? 
34 weeks.

Size of baby?
I measured 35 weeks at my appointment at 34+4 which is still quite shocking as I look and feel so huge! Apparently baby is as big as a coconut according to my app. My bump was measuring 9 3/4 pieces of toilet roll this week! ;)

Any news this week?
I had my 34 week midwife appointment this week. Everything is going well. Measuring fine, feeling and sounding fine. He's still head down right at the pelvis ready to become engaged. 
I'm getting more and more exhausted as the days go by. My stomach muscles haven't been too bad if I don't do too much, if I walk too far or overdo it then I feel it. Hopefully the support band has helped. 
I've been getting some painful contractions this week. My body getting ready and preparing me for labour. I'm starting to feel rather nervous!! 
My friends threw me a surprise baby shower this week as I had to cancel the little picnic get together I had planned. It was super sweet of them, we played some fun games and I got some lovely gifts. My friend Donna is THE best at making cakes, and she didn't let me down with my baby shower cake!! It was gorgeous!!
Apparently by this week, his hearing is now fully developed, so I've been attempting to talk to him more, wondering if he can hear me. :)
I've started doing Pregnancy Yoga this week with Anna White's Yoga For Pregnancy app (£1.99 on iTunes*) which I've been approached to review, I'm enjoying it as I had been looking into doing some sort of yoga whilst on maternity leave but couldn't find any local classes.

Clothes?

So I'm down to 2 pairs of New Look Maternity Leggings (£14.99 x2) and 3 maternity vests/tops from Beebies Baby Store. Theres no point in me buying anything else with only a few weeks left. 

Products? 

I'm still moisturising daily with both Phytorelax Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream all over [as far as I'm aware you can only get this in the US, unless imported into stores such as TK Maxx which is where I picked it up from; £4.99] And moisturising my bump daily with Palmer's Cocoa Butter Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks (£2.10). I'm still reaching for my Anatomicals Spray Misty For Me Facial Spritz (£3.12) to cool down my feet as they get so hot!! 

Symptoms: 

The worst symptom has been hot feet. I get it when I lie down, this and restless legs have been a nightmare this week. James has been wrapping them in a cold, wet towel, although it doesn't help for long. As I mentioned, I've been having false labour pains / contractions which have been pretty painful and making me rather anxious. The 2nd time around is so much more nerve wracking as you know what is coming. I'm hoping it's a lot quicker and easier than my last labour, which was 28 hours!! :(

I've got a lot of pain down low, a bit of SPD still, I think its going to be pretty uncomfortable when he does finally engage.

And of course the usual aches and pains, tiredness and dizziness. I'm really struggling to cope in this heat!!

I've also had pins and needles in the tips of my fingers all day today, I've read this is a symptom of Carpal Tunnel.

Sleep: 

I did have a 2 hour nap 1 afternoon this week, but the majority of the time I'm staying awake all day, albeit exhausted all day, so I sleep well at night. I'm still sleeping on top of the covers every night, wrapped around my Argos Sleep Pillow (£11.99).

Missing anything? 

Being able to lie on my tummy, I can't wait to be able to do that!! Especially as I used to sleep on my tummy!! :)

Movement: 

They're big movements now he's quite a size and running out of room to move around. I'm getting lots of kicks in the ribs and his whole body moving across my tummy. 

Any purchases?:

I'm addicted to really fluffy blankets!! I found this Luxury 3D Baby blanket (£4.99) in Aldi. I cant stop touching it!

Best moment this week:

My friends throwing me a baby shower! And hearing everything is going well at my midwife appointment.

Worst moment this week: 

On the way home from my midwife appointment I walked home, it was such a hot day and I started to feel really dizzy and light headed, I couldn't seem to walk in a straight line and I kept having to stop. I was over heating and started feeling quite scared of fainting whilst out on my own. I felt awful when I got home. Luckily I had the house to myself for a few hours so went to have a naked lie down in my room to cool down :)

Food cravings:

Still loving my cereal and ice poles. Although I've been getting through a fair few fruit smoothies this week.

Anything making you queasy or sick:
No.

Belly Button in or out? 
It's def more of an outy now!! 

Mood:
Really tired. Sometimes quite hormonal, getting annoyed at people very easy. But thats more them than me! ;)

Looking forward to:
The delivery of my Mamas & Papas furniture this week. Then we'll be pretty much all ready for this baby to arrive! :)

Can't believe I'm now 35 weeks, 5 weeks to go!!

*PR samples / Gifts

Keep up to date with me & my posts 

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Pregnancy | Hospital Bags #3

This is the 3rd post of my Hospital Bags series.

At 34 weeks, I've had to start thinking about finishing off my hospital bags. They recommend you have your bags all packed ready before 36 weeks, just incase you need to go in unexpectedly. The last thing you want is to end up going in early and having nothing prepared!!

There are many recommended lists out there to help you put your bags together. And lots to think about. You may have a quick and easy birth and be home the same day, many mums stay in hospital for one night after birth or you may have to stay in for a little while, so it can be hard to work out what to take. You don't want to take too much, neither do you want to get there and realise you don't have something, so try to find a balance. It may also be a good idea to keep extras and spares in the car incase you need them.

Using all the research, tips and advice I'd gathered, I put together my own list to work from; including what you should pack for labour, essentials for afterwards, and what to pack for baby.

Check out the list here.

For my Hospital Bags series, I've been putting together 3 posts to show you the things in my hospital bags:

Hospital Bags #1 - Clothes [for during and after labour]

Hospital Bags #2 - Toiletries & other essentials

Hospital Bags #3 - Baby [clothes, essentials, feeding]

I'll also need to prepare a bag for Bradley as he'll need to be ready to go to my Mums at the drop of a hat when I go into labour.

So... Baby's bag.

So I went through baby's wardrobe to pick out some pieces for the hospital bag. I'm using my Babymel Ella Spot Changing Bag (£49.00) for baby's things.

2 blankets - 1 fleecy & 1 cellular.

2 newborn hats.

2 pairs of socks.

1 pair of scratch mitts.

Bear snuggle toy.

2 muslin squares.

2 bibs.

1 dummy.

4 first size vests/bodysuits.

10 newborn nappies.

Cotton wool balls.

1 romper suit [possible going home outfit]

2 first size sleep suits/all in ones.

2 0-3 vests/bodysuits

[also need to add a couple of 0-3 sleep suits/all in ones]

Is there anything you think I'm missing??