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Mommy Monday: 22 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

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How far along? 22 weeks today!
Total weight gain/measurements: Weighed in at 133lbs this week so up 2lbs from last week.  That's a total of 18lbs gained since pre-pregnancy. Holy moly. But it definitely shows...this bump is way bigger than the last one! 
Maternity clothes: In this outfit, only the jeans are maternity but I do feel like I need to go shopping for some more tops as I'm running out of things that fit! 
Stretch marks? No new ones, although I do think my bellybutton ones from last time are looking more visible as the skin stretches!
Sleep: Perfectly fine. I still don't need a pregnancy pillow! This is amazing! 
Best moment this week: There was no specific "best moment", but feeling the baby kick & move more was my favourite part :)  
Miss anything? Not really.
Movement: Lots - and it's getting stronger everyday which is very comforting. I love feeling the baby move, it's such a bonding experience for me.
Food cravings: No but I'm definitely still liking savoury things over sweets.
Anything making you queasy or sick? My iron supplement is making me feel a bit queasy but I do take it in the morning so that's probably why. I also have quite low blood pressure especially when pregnant and had a dizzy spell this morning which was a bit scary. I just need to drink more water and eat regularly...it happened at about 9am when I was finishing up my makeup and I hadn't eaten since I'd woken up an hour prior.
Gender: Boy!
Labour signs: Nope!
Symptoms: Heartburn. I get it the most after I have soup, which is annoying because I love eating soup & bread for my lunch! My leg hair has stopped growing again like last time which is such an amazing bonus of being pregnant! My boobs are absolutely huge and I'm so sick of them already...ha ha. I actually had a very vivid and weird dream about breastfeeding recently. I was panicking because I hadn't breast fed in over 2 months and I didn't know if there would be any milk left for the new baby...it was so strange! 
Belly button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody most of the time: Moody this week, sorry! I am so emotional at the moment and everything is making me cry!
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving this week!

Check out my 22 week bump update from my last pregnancy here! 

xoxo
Anna

Beauty Tuesday: November Favourites 2013

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Here are my favourite beauty products from this month!


Aussie Take the Heat Shampoo & Deep Treatment


Toni & Guy Classic Shine Gloss Serum


Clarisonic Plus


Nivea Lip Butter Caramel Cream


Rimmel Airy Fairy Lipstick


L'Oreal Top Coat Carat


...and my one non-beauty favourite, For Every Body Sugar Cookie Candle!

Check out the video here!

xoxo
Anna

Blogmas is Back! My Week in Pictures #1

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Happy 1st day of Advent! And welcome to Blogmas 2013! Some of you might remember I did Blogmas last year (blogging everyday in December) - well this time I'm doing it again but kicking it up a notch by doing Vlogmas too. It will be a challenge but I'm definitely up for it. I hope you guys enjoy and will come along for the ride, whether you prefer blogging or vlogging ;)

To start things off, I've decided to bring back My Week in Pictures on Sundays to round off the week nicely. These are my Instagram snaps from the week! 


Tuesday
A rather boring shot of my breakfast, but not much has changed! I am still loving my porridge, almond milk, banana, blueberry & cinnamon combination! :) My mom got me the Barbie cup from TK Maxx.


Friday
The day after Thanksgiving I started decorating for Christmas already! I just couldn't help myself...I put out our Christmas placemats (they were a wedding present from Germany), our runner, a couple of small decorations, our stockings and we put up our tree. We haven't quite gotten it decorated yet though...it's huge so it's a big task getting it all done! My bowls in this picture are from Meadows & Byrne and the mug is from TK Maxx.


We went to Nando's for lunch yesterday and Emilia did her new favourite thing...colouring! She loves it - I need to buy her some colouring pencils or crayons for at home. Right now she just uses markers that I have lying around the house which isn't very practical! I can't get over how big she looks in this picture! She is almost 15 months...the time is going so fast!


Sunday
Emilia has decided she prefers watching Peppa Pig on the grown up sofa from now on! She gets into a fit of giggles everytime she's allowed up on her own (we surround the place with cushions) and has learned how to get off by sliding backwards. We even put Albi & Sina's old steps that they used to use to get to our bed so that Emilia can climb up on her own! Who knew those little doggy steps would come in useful for toddlers too ;)

See you tomorrow for more Blogmas fun!

xoxo
Anna


Mommy Monday: 23 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

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How far along? 23 weeks!  
Total weight gain/measurements: Weighed in at 135lbs this week - which means I've gained a grand total of 20lbs since pre-pregnancy! Omg...I only gained 24/25lbs with Emilia! I think this time I will definitely gain more!
Maternity clothes: I'm wearing maternity jeans here and a regular top/tank top.  
Stretch marks? Still no new ones! I went and bought myself some more Bio-Oil just to be on the safe side though!
Sleep: Fine, when I get enough of it! 
Best moment this week: I went to the spa this morning for a lovely pedicure. It was only for an hour but it was a much-appreciated relaxation time.
Miss anything? Nope I love being pregnant!
Movement: Yes, tons!! This boy is very active! He kicks a whole lot, to the point where I sometimes get a fright when it comes out of nowhere! But this is still my favourite part of the pregnancy. Feeling the baby move is so special :)
Food cravings: Nope!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Any kind of pills, prenatals, iron supplements, etc. It's horrible :(
Gender: Boy!
Labour signs: Nope!
Symptoms: I have low blood pressure anyway (always have, even in my last pregnancy) and when we were in Sorrento I almost fainted & had to call the hotel doctor to get it checked out. (I was pregnant but didn't know it yet!) Lately I've been having dizzy spells and feeling really light-headed & out of breath anytime I'm standing for too long. I also know my iron levels are low so I'm supposed to be taking a supplement (which I am) but it makes me feel so nauseous and sick! So I've started taking that at night instead of the morning. Another side effect of all that is that I'm constantly tired and feel like even the simplest of tasks take a huge amount of effort. It's very frustrating! But I hope it won't last long. 
Belly button in or out? In - but I feel like it might pop out this time!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody most of the time: It's a mix really - I'm happy most of the time but I'm moody when I'm feeling tired/exhausted!
Looking forward to: Our trip to Galway - we will be seeing my Oma & more family. It's Emilia's second time meeting her and the last time she was only 3 months old!

xoxo
Anna

Beauty Tuesday: Holiday Nails!

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Today I filmed a nail tutorial on how I give myself an at-home manicure, using my favourite holiday polish - Essie's Leading Lady. My nails are sadly not in the best condition right now as this pregnancy has brought on more splitting and breakages than I've ever experienced before! It's strange because usually my nails are quite strong & healthy and when I was pregnant with Emilia they looked their best. I was able to grow them really long...this time it's completely the opposite!


My nail routine hasn't changed all that much over the years...here are my favourite products to use: 

Nail polish remover (I just get mine cheap from Tesco - not pictured here) 
Cotton pads
 Orange stick (you can get these from Boots or Sam McCauley's)
Cuticle oil (I'm using the Red Carpet Nails one)
Glass nail file
Barry M Topcoat Basecoat and Nail Hardener (I use this as my base coat)
 A good quality nail polish like Essie's Leading Lady (my favourite brands are Essie & OPI)
OPI's RapiDry Top Coat (a must for quick drying, shiny looking nails!)


Two coats of polish will usually last me about 3-4 days and three coats can last for up to a week. I love Leading Lady for the holidays as it's a very festive red with just the right amount of sparkle! :) 

xoxo
Anna

What I Ate Wednesday

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I know it's been a while since I did one of these...and after about 70 billion requests I've decided to bring back What I Ate Wednesday! :) So here is what I ate: 


Breakfast
Flahavans Hi8 Muesli (our family's new obsession!) with light soy milk and a decaf nespresso. As you can tell I started the day off diligently trying to drink my water...like always that situation got progressively worse! I always start with the best intentions and then end up forgetting all about it!


Lunch
We ate lunch at Jam today, as we had gone to Hanley's Seasonal Shop & Garden Centre to pick up some more Christmas lights. I got the butternut squash soup which came with brown soda bread. Yummy!


Snack
When we got home at about 4:30pm I was really tired so had a quick snack of an apple with some peanut butter. I'm loving peanut butter at the moment for some reason...I can't get enough of it! Emilia loves it too :) 


Dinner
Mixed pasta (spinach penne & regular fusilli) with ground turkey bolognese and lots of grated parmesan cheese. This was actually really good - we only mixed the pasta to use up what we had in the cupboard but it turned out to be quite delicious! :)


Dessert
A few Cadbury's Roses. These aren't even my favourite Christmas sweets but it was all we had in the house in terms of treats! Anyway it's not like I'm complaining!! I personally like all the nut or caramel ones the best :) What's your favourite?

xoxo
Anna

Throwback Thursday: The Life of A Mom

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This picture was taken around Christmas time when I was 4 years old and my sister Emma must have been about 6 months old. I think this speaks a thousand words...my poor mama looks exhausted, Emma looks adorable (she was the cutest baby) and I look like a total ham. Ha ha ha! I feel like I need to keep this picture just to look back at when Junior arrives...I just know this will be the three of us, Emilia will be a big ball of energy completely oblivious to the fact that I'm struggling to stay awake! 

Ahh the life of a mom...but I am grateful for mine every single day. I never remember her for being tired (even though she did get really sick after giving birth to my sister and barely had any energy left), or for splitting her attention in two once the new baby arrived. I remember the bedtime stories, the special moments we shared and all the wonderful things she did for us to make us each feel equally loved. They say that you appreciate your mama more when you become one and that is so true. 

xoxo
Anna

Fashion Friday: Sad Hair Day!

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Jumper/Heatons, Maternity Jeans/ASOS, Boots/London Rebel, Earrings/Orelia, Necklace/Swarovski

Today was a sad day for my hair, as my trusted friend of six years finally gave up and died on me...yes, that's right my pink GHD is no more! :( To be fair, she did last a very long time and we made many happy memories together! So now I'm on the hunt for a new one and as it's been six years I'm a bit out of touch with the GHD world...all recommendations are welcome!

I hope you guys had a wonderful week! Ours was ridiculously busy...what with the T-shirt packing & signing coupled with getting so sick on Wednesday, it's been pretty hectic! I'm looking forward to a relaxing family break this weekend to unwind, it should be fun :) See you guys tomorrow! 

xoxo
Anna


We're in Galway!

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We are in Galway for the weekend! We arrived here for a big family get-together on Sunday which I am so excited for as my grandmother has not seen Emilia since she was 3 months old (this time last year!). I know she can't wait to see her either & it will be a huge difference from a year ago! When I asked on Twitter & Facebook about hotels in Galway a few weeks ago this was the one that the vast majority highly recommended. We are staying at The G Hotel and we could not be happier - it is beautiful! Here are some pictures of our room. 


Plenty of room for working mommies & daddies ;)


Our bathroom!


Good night from Galway! 

xoxo
Anna

Family Christmas Gathering!

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Today was our family get-together in Galway! We had a big reunion lunch with all of my mom's side of the family...and this is what we wore! 

Dress/Benetton (Maternity), Leggings/Heatons, Shoes/ASOS, Bracelet/Dyrberg Kern, Necklace/Swarovski, Earrings/Orelia, Nails/Zoya "Asia"

Emilia's Outfit: Blouse/Loveaboo, Leggings & Socks/Zara, Bow/Layniebug Designs

Hope you guys had a lovely weekend! 

xoxo
Anna

Mommy Monday: 24 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

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How far along? 24 weeks!
Total weight gain/measurements: Weighed in at 134lbs this week -- lost 1lb from last week. This is most likely due to the fact that I was so sick and had food poisoning/some sort of 24 hour bug. So that's a total of 19lbs gained since pre-pregnancy. 
Maternity clothes: Everything here is maternity! Both the jeans & the jumper are from ASOS.
Stretch marks? Still no new ones! I'm using Bio-Oil every night before bed.
Sleep: Sleep is always good, although I'm still not getting enough!
Best moment this week: Spending the weekend at the lovely G Hotel. It was amazing :)
Miss anything? I could definitely do without the heartburn after almost every meal. That's never fun!!
Movement: I feel like this baby is so much more active than Emilia but maybe I'm remembering wrong. To me, it does feel like everytime I'm idle or sitting still he is kicking like crazy!
Food cravings: Nope!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Well, not really except for when I was actually sick this week...then everything made me feel queasy!
Gender: Boy!
Labour signs: Nope!
Symptoms: Heartburn, pregnancy fatigue (this never seems to go away!), and nausea from the iron supplements I was put on :( I have a doctor's appointment this week though so I will raise this issue with my midwife as my body seems to be rejecting any kind of pills at the moment! 
Belly button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody most of the time: Both, we had a very stressful week!!  
Looking forward to: Seeing the baby again in my next ultrasound :)

xoxo
Anna

Beauty Tuesday: What's In My Makeup Bag!

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Here's what I keep in my makeup bag! These are my must-have products for everyday, and the ones that I will take with me whenever we travel. 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer - It's no secret that I struggle with blemishes, hormonal acne & under-eye circles. This conceals all of these problems! It stays in place all day and helps give the illusion of a flawless base.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - My absolute holy grail foundation. This will stay put through anything...crying, being rained on, sweating, giving birth!! (Yes I wore this in labour with Emilia and it actually stayed on the entire time ;) 

Urban Decay Primer Potion Eden - While I love the original UDPP, I actually like this shade better as it matches up with my foundation & concealer. This is like foundation for my eyelids as it covers all veins & purplish/blue hues to make a base for my eyeshadow. It also ensures that my shadows stay in place all day.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder Transparent - I have oily/combination skin and whenever I apply this over my face makeup I never get oily patches or need to touch up at all throughout the day. This is a life-saver for me! 

HD Brows Bronzer - This is what I wear and carry in my makeup bag right now, but it compares very well to Benefit Hoola. They are similar in that they both stay in place, they don't look patchy on the skin and they are completely matte, which means they are perfect for contouring.

NARS Orgasm Blush - My absolute favourite blush! This is just the right shade of peachy pink which goes with any lip colour or outfit. It has golden undertones so brings a lot of warmth to the face and gives a healthy glow. I have been using it non-stop for about a year! I use my pink Sedona Lace Midnight Lace kabuki brush to apply this.

LA Creative Illuminating Powder Stardust - I love this as a highlight on my cheekbones as it's a beautiful soft pearly pink with gold undertones so it works perfectly with my blush.

HD Brows Kit Rich Brown - I don't think I can ever go back to using anything else on my brows after this. It's so good, it keeps my brows in place all day long no matter what! Even if I accidentally smudge them or rub my face with my hand it doesn't budge.

Dior Eyeshadow Earth Reflection - Words can't express how much I love this palette! The shadows are both highly pigmented & silky, they do not cause much fall-out, they blend together perfectly and create a really easy natural smokey eye.

Be A Bombshell Onyx - I am so fussy about eyeliners, they need to be very black, withstand smudging and/or creasing, and they should stay in put all day. This one ticks all the boxes, as well as being super easy to apply with the felt tip pen.

Diorshow Waterproof Liner Carbon - I use this in my waterline. I can't stay it stays totally intact all day...like most pencil liners a certain amount of it does come off throughout the day with the moisture of my eyes. However it does remain very pigmented, especially in the outer corners and does not bleed or smudge underneath the eyes which is a huge pet peeve of mine.

CoverGirl Lashblast Volume Mascara - This has been a firm favourite of mine for years. My lashes like lots of volume...I will take volume over length any day but this gives them both! It's not waterproof but I have never had a problem with it budging and I am pregnant at the moment so I do cry a lot!! 


I hope you found this post helpful! What are some of your favourite products?

xoxo
Anna

What I Ate Wednesday

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Breakfast
Flahavan's Hi8 Muesli with light soy milk (I used hot milk this time - super yummy & comforting for cold mornings!). No coffee but I did drink my water.


Lunch
A new Subway opened up in our area...woo hoo! We were also sans Emilia today as she had lunch in her Oma's house while we were at our doctor's appointment. So we treated ourselves to some delicious subs. I got the tuna sub on Hearty Italian bread with cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and lettuce.


Snack
We had a pretty busy day of running around doing errands so when I got home I was starving and ate a quick snack while Jonathan was preparing dinner. I had half a pink grapefruit and one of Emilia's organic fromage frais in strawberry & apple flavour!


Dinner
I was so hungry when we sat down to dinner that I completely forgot to take a picture of my plate! Sorry!! So here's one of Emilia looking cute eating her dinner instead :) We had stir-fried beef (trying to get my iron up!) with black bean sauce, red peppers and these new gluten free noodles we tried. This was amazing! My midwife told me today that while I'm pregnant I should aim to eat red meat 3 times a week...this is a LOT for me as we normally never eat it but I'm not complaining! My body has been craving it this pregnancy anyway so I think it knows what it needs.


Dessert
For my little naughty snack I had a Twix and Nespresso Caramelito with whole milk. Our frother wasn't put in correctly so my coffee didn't froth properly :( Boo! Usually it looks a lot more impressive than this! But it still tasted good!

And that's it! What did you eat today?

xoxo
Anna

Throwback Thursday: Daddy's Girl!

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Last week I shared a picture of me with my mom so this week I thought I'd share one with my dad! Sadly this is one of the last pictures that was taken of the two of us together. I keep it framed in my house as it's very special to me. I was about 19 or 20 here, so it was about a year before he died. We were in Kinsale for the day with my family & brother Stefano who had come to visit. What I remember the most about this day is how FREEZING cold my dad & I both were! We always had a lot of things in common, and feeling the cold was no exception! I remember spending most of this walk huddled together in our matching trench coats! We both felt the cold more than anybody else in my family...and I am always thankful that Emilia inherited her warm blood from her daddy, as she always seems to be nice & toasty :) 

xoxo
Anna

Fashion Friday: Visiting Santa Claus!

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Today was Emilia's first visit to Santa Claus! We didn't bring her last year because she was so tiny and probably would have slept through it but this year she actually got to enjoy it! We went to Fota Island's Believe which we had heard was the best place to go in Cork. It definitely didn't disappoint...I don't think I've ever experienced a more magical or well-organised Winter Wonderland! Emilia got to meet the elves & Mrs. Claus first, before being brought on a train ride up to Santa's cabin. We got offered hot chocolate & mulled wine, we were showered with fake snow, she got to hang a candy cane on the Christmas tree and we even met a 10 week old husky puppy!! This was the highlight of the day for me - I'm the kind of person who really shouldn't be allowed around puppies...seriously, it's dangerous. I think I would have 20 dogs if I could. Something happens to me when hold a new pup, I get a whiff of his fluffy adorableness and before you know it I'm smuggling him into my bag. :-/ 


Here's what Emilia & I wore to our Santa visit! We made sure to wrap up warm as the train ride is quite cold. She is wearing a purple, pink & turquoise fleece set (top& pants) from The Children's Place, her bow & headband are from Layniebug Designs and her shoes are from Clarke's. My cardigan is from Vila, the leggings are by Selected, boots are Chinese Laundry and my scarf is from Soaked in Luxury.


And here is our Santa photo! I can't decide whether Emilia looks more petrified or just totally unimpressed!

xoxo
Anna 


Style Saturday: Christmas Gift Wrapping!

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I decided to go with a more rustic, homemade look this year when it came to wrapping my Christmas gifts - here's how they turned out! 


I bought the recycled snowflake wrapping paper, matching gift tags and sparkly gold/silver/plain white ribbon from Paperchase.


You can watch the tutorial on how I wrapped my Christmas presents below. It's nothing fancy, but I share a couple of tips I've learned which I hope you find helpful!


xoxo
Anna

My Week in Pictures!

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To round the week off, I like to give you guys a little look-back on what I got up to through my Instagram shots! Here's my week in pictures from Dec. 9th - 15th!


Tuesday
I got my anatomy scan (which was actually pretty tough going...the doctor has to lean really hard on my belly when he's getting a good look at everything on the ultrasound! At one point I thought I might cry!). But everything turned out perfect & we got a good shot of the baby's face (above - creepy!!) and another confirmation that he is definitely a boy (below - ha ha!). 


Tried out a new look on my nails this week which I love! White with gold accents. I used OPI's Alpine Snow for the white and a Barry M nail paint for the gold. (It didn't have a name, but I think it's from their foil collection as it has a gold top - I got it last Christmas!)


Friday
As you know we went to Fota Island's Believe to visit Santa! Before meeting him we got to ride on his sleigh :) 


Sunday
Happy 3rd week of Advent! It's going so fast...I actually got confused this morning and thought it was the 2nd week because we weren't home last Sunday. Oops!! Our wreath is from Dunnes Stores - I got it last year. I also did a bit more decorating in our house yesterday now that the bulk of the T-shirt stuff is out of there. I will do a proper blog post on our Christmas decor when it's all done.

Hope you're all having a relaxing Sunday and a wonderful Advent!

xoxo
Anna

Mommy Monday: 25 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

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How far along? 25 weeks!
Total weight gain/measurements: Weighed in at 134lbs - same as last week. That's a total of 19lbs gained since pre-pregnancy. 
Maternity clothes: Actually nothing in this outfit is maternity, the leggings are just way too big for me so I like to wear them when pregnant and the top stretches out! I have been living in leggings lately though...anything that's comfortable! 
Stretch marks? Still no new ones.
Sleep: Going really well this pregnancy...I feel so lucky! No need for a maternity pillow/extra cushions, no leg cramps...nada.
Best moment this week: Seeing our baby again on the ultrasound! :)
Miss anything? Not really.
Movement: Lots of movement, today in particular he felt very low down/close to my bladder & I kept feeling like I needed to pee every 5 minutes even though I didn't! 
Food cravings: Ham & cheese wraps...what?! I don't know...
Anything making you queasy or sick? Thank god, no! For the first time in this entire pregnancy I actually feel well & the nausea is gone. This is because I'm off all pills (prenatals & iron supplements that were making me sick) and am now taking Spatone twice a day for iron instead. It's working so much better.
Gender: Boy!
Labour signs: Nope!
Symptoms: Heartburn, hormonal acne (never seems to go away), shortness of breath.  
Belly button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!
Looking forward to: Travelling to Dublin this weekend!

Check out my 25 week pregnancy vlog featuring a special guest below!



xoxo
Anna

What I Ate Wednesday {A Bit Late!}

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Here's what I ate today! I'm sorry for the lack of posts yesterday but I was home alone with Emilia for pretty much the entire day and didn't get a spare minute to film or blog :( Unfortunately today didn't really go as planned either but better late than never right?!


Breakfast
This morning Emilia & I both had Flahavan's Hi8 Muesli with hot milk (I had almond, she had whole milk) and 1/2 banana. I also had a decaf Nespresso & my Spatone which I'm taking now as my iron supplement. It is working wonderfully! No more nausea - thank god!


Lunch
I had a panino with tuna, mayo, cherry tomatoes, cucumber & babyleaf rocket salad. Nothing special but this is what I usually have when we're at home!


Dinner
Dinner was super late...but we had chicken stir fried in some olive oil with some veggies (these are the Luxury Stir Fry ones from Green Isle), black bean sauce & basmati rice. 


Snack/Dessert
Decaf latte with almond milk and a Snickers bar! I loooove my Barbie cup so much! My mom got it for me in TK Maxx. It has a little white poodle on the back :)

And that's it! What did you eat today? 

xoxo
Anna

Throwback Thursday: Sister Bathtime!

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This week's throwback is brought to you by a 4 or 5 year old me & my baby sister Emma! We always took baths together...sometimes my mom would bathe with us and I have such fond memories of that! I actually have yet to bathe with Emilia (I'm not really a bath-taker anymore) but I have taken showers with her & I think it's such a wonderful bonding experience! On a sidenote - how cute was my sister Emma when she was a baby and how curly was my hair?! I wonder will Emilia be curly or straight?!

xoxo
Anna

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