Top £5
Skirt £3 Both from Nutmeg.
T-shirt £2.50
Shorts (came in a pack of two) £5 for both.
Both from Nutmeg
Summer so far in pictures Part 1
Food Diary – Week 1
I had an amazing weigh in this week with. 4.5ib loss, and this is how I did it…
Day 1
Healthy Extras
a) 350ml skimmed milk
b) 35g Branflakes
First Thing
Pint of Water, Banana, Coffee, Green Tea.
Breakfast
Branflakes, Green Tea
Snack
Shortbread Biscuit = 5 Syns
Lunch
Spring Onion, Mushroom Omelette, Fry Lite
1 tbsp 70% less fat salad cream = 1 syn
Tea
SW Burger – 5% mince, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, chilli powder, bacon, rocket salad,
60g wholemeal bread roll = 6 syns
Strawberries and fat free Greek style yoghurt.
12 Syns.
Day 2
Healthy Extras
a) 350ml Skimmed Milk
b) 35g Shreddies
First Thing
Pint of Water
Breakfast
Shreddies, Banana, Strawberries and fat free Greek style yoghurt.
Lunch
2x Bacon, 2x Eggs, 2x Tomatoes, Beans, Mushrooms
Snack
Apple
Tea
Carvary – Turkey, Stuffing (3syns), 2x roast potatoes (2.5 syns), carrots, cabbage, cranberry sauce (1syn) mint gravy (2.5 syns).
Strawberries, sweetener, fat free Greek style yoghurt.
9.5 Syns
Day 3
Healthy Extras
A) 350ml Skimmed Milk
B) 35g Shreddies
Breakfast
Shreddies, Banana, water and coffee.
Snack
Apple
Lunch
Tinned Salmon, Wholemeal Bread Roll (6syns), Peppers
Tea
Ratatouille – Aubergine, Courgette, Pepper, Tomatoes, Onion, Garlic, Passata, Pasta
Ice Cream (9Syns)
Strawberries and Fat Free Greek Style Yoghurt
15 Syns
Day 4
Healthy Extras
a) 350ml Skimmed Milk
b)
Breakfast
Apple and Banana
Lunch
Jacket Potato, Tuna and Salad Cream (2syns)
Snacks
Mint Imperials x 15 (15syns)
Mushy Peas
Handful of Chips
Fish with Batter taken off
Tea
Chicken Salad, rocket, lettuce, onion, pepper, cucumber, tomatoes
Strawberries and fat free Greek style yoghurt.
17 Syns
Day 5
Healthy Extras
a) 350 ml skimmed milk
b) 60g Wholemeal Bread Roll
First Thing
Pint of Water
Apple
Coffee
Breakfast
Apple
Banana
Lunch
Tuna Mayo Sweetcorn (3Syns)
60g wholemeal bread roll
Banana
Melon
Apple
Tea
Poached Chicken
Chicken Stock
Carrots
SW Chips
Fry Lite
Mushy Peas
3.5 Syns
Day 6
Healthy Extras
a) 350 ml Skimmed Milk
b) 35g Shreddies
Breakfast
Shreddies, Banana
Lunch
Bacon, 2x eggs, 3x tomatoes
Snack
A tomato
jacobs mini cheddars 25g (6syns)
Tea
Pasta Carbonara
bacon, pasta, garlic, milk, mix (3.5 syns), salad.
9.5 Syns
Slimming World
So I joined slimming world, again, again again. This will be my third time, and hopefully my last, fingers crossed!
I first started last summer and lost about half a stone, then I ended up working every Monday (the day I went to slimming world.) I piled the weight back on plus some! Then I rejoined in January and lost just over a stone. Then in March I stopped going because my other half had to work late shifts every Wednesday ( the new day I went to slimming world). I managed to keep this weight off and I’m pleased that in the time off I had I only gained 2Ib. I am hoping that by documenting my progress, it will encourage me to stick to it.
My Starting Weight – 12st 12 Height 5’3 BMI 31.1
Starting Measurements Chest – 42″ Waist – 36″ Hips – 44.5″
Target Weight – 9st 7Ib.
A bad nights sleep = one cranky colleague
So last night I had one of the worst nights sleep I had in a long time. Ava woke up screaming the house down, think it was a bad dream, she settled back down when I picked her up but refused to be put back down. Ava loves her bed, she has even started to appreciate her sleep, so this is unusual.
I had a 12 hour shift to look forward to today, so I did a bad thing. I brought the little madam into bed with me, just to get some shut eye! Only problem was…
When ava gets comfy and snuggles up to me she likes to put her hands down my top between my boobs. I love that she does this.its our own unique way of bonding….until she starts nipping my boobs squashing them in her hands and twisting my nipples between her little tiny fingers.
At 3am Ava was flat out asleep, Oliver had sneaked into bed with me, I had a little foot in my back, a little hand down my top, two little people snoring and whimpering in my ears. I had no room to reposition myself. So I attempted to put Ava back into her cot.
Nope did not happen.
Again she woke up screaming, I was ready to cry from tiredness and the thought of the 12 hour shift. Again I brought my little lady back into bed, she tossed, she turned, she nipped, she twisted, she tried to prize my eyes open, she tried to tickle me!
At 5.30 I begged, “it’s an hour until I have to get up, PLEASE let me have an hour?! and the little monkey gave it me.
All I can say is it’s a good job I love you little lady!
Do you know what your doing ma’am?
I don’t know what I am doing….
I hold my hands up.
but do you?
If you do, you are a better mother than me.
When my son wants to run away from me in the street,
When he is pulling his sisters hair and won’t let go.
When my daughter won’t go in her pram and my son goes on strike and won’t stand up in the middle of the street.
I don’t know how to handle the situation.
* I try to stay calm
* I try to explain
* I try to reason with him
* I try to distract him
* And I admit I even try to bribe him with sweets.
While inside I am holding back the tears of frustration, biting my lip to stop me from shouting. I can feel the eyes staring at me. I can hear the tuts of disapproval, and feel the eyes rolling behind my back and hear the giggles, and all I want to say is…
Are you the perfect mother?
Do you have the perfect child?
If so write a bloody Instruction Manual, someone, please. I beg you.
Bedtime Stories – What we are reading this week!
My kids are huge fans of The Gruffalo, and The Gruffalos Child. These are probably their all time favourites. I love all the books that the creators, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler have produced. They are so easy to read to kids, they have great stories and lovable characters. My all time favourite is The Snail and The Whale.
This week I have treated us all to two more of these brilliant books, Room on the Broom, and A Squash and a Squeeze. These will feature as our bedtime stories for the next week or so, as we all love them.
Good Night
Love,
Us x
Sponge Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Spounge
115g Butter
115g Sugar
2 Eggs
115g Self Raising Flour
Few Drops of Vanilla Flavouring
Icing
225g Icing Sugar
85g Butter
1tbsp Milk
Method
Preheat Oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Rub the butter and sugar together,
Add the egg, flour and flavouring and mix together.
Put in a baking tray and spread evenly.
Put in oven and bake for 15-20 mins.
Allow to cool and decorate….
...the way I decorated was with smooth jam and buttercream icing…
mix the butter, icing and milk together til smooth and spread over the cake.
Place in fridge to set.
Gingerbread Recipe
Ingredients
350g Plain Flour
2tsp Ground Ginger
1tsp Bicarnonate of Soda
100g Butter
175g Soft Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
4tbsp Golden Syrup
Method
1) Preheat Oven to 190degrees Celsius or Gas Mark 5
2) Put the Flour, Ginger and Soda into a bowl and rub in the butter.
3) Add the Sugar and Stir in the Syrup and Egg to make a dough.
4) Roll the Dough out with rolling pin to about 5mm thick and using a shape cutter, cut out the shapes.
5) Place the shapes onto some grease proof baking paper, and pop in the fridge for 20 mins.
(This will set the dough and prevent the shapes from mis shaping while baking)
6) Place in the Oven and bake for 10-12 mins
7) Take out of the Oven and cool on a rack before decorating.
8) Enjoy!!!!
How I Like to Relax
Parenting is hard and stressful but no one said I would be easy did they. Constantly being on the go, fulfilling commitments, thinking up activites to keep the little ones entertained and stimulated, worrying if you are doing things right, worrying about the future and the past. Worrying if you should have done something different. All kinds of worrying and stressing. So when the kids go to bed, I like nothing better than relaxing and taking my mind off everything.
This is what I do to relax…
Clipper Snore and Peace Tea, I could rave about this tea all day long. I recommend it to anyone who loves tea. It’s a lovely blend of Chamamile, Lemon Balm and Lavender. You can feel your body sink and relax from the very first whiff, and by the last sip you will wish you were in bed ready to fall asleep.
Lavender Essential Oil, the first time I used Lavender Essential Oil was after giving birth to my son, when the physio who came to talk to me about pelvic floor exercises and looking after my ahem stitches recommended for soothing. Then the next time I used it was after my waters broke but before I went into labor with my daughter. It is fantastic for relaxing in the bath, I put 2-4 drops in some milk and pour the lot into my bath under the hot running water.
A Nice Hot Bath, i can sit in the bath for hours if the conditions are perfect. Nice hot bath, no kids awake, a nice hot cup of snore and peace tea and either a good book or the iPad with my Netflix, and sometimes I might even take some chocolate along with me.
Candles, i have a little white lantern I got from ikea and some lovely scented tealights.
Millie Marotta’s Animal Kingdom Colouring Book Adventure, I have just started with this and only completed two pictures but I do find it relaxing. It makes me concentrate opn the intricate detail and so pushes any worries or stress out of my mind.
Colouring Pencils, to go with above
Netflix, I love Netflix. I am addicted. At the moment I am watching The Good Wife. But I am waiting for Orange is the New Black to return. I also have Once Upon a Time waiting on my list.
A good book, I’m not reading anything at the moment but I have recently finished The Silver Linings Playlist, by Matthew Quick, and The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. I also have Room by Emma Donoghue waiting for when I’m in the mood to read again. I also have Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn on my wish list for my next book.
Love,
Vicki
Diary of A Tired Mummy 