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Foodie Friday: What My Toddler Eats!

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I totally made up the Foodie Friday thing...ha ha ha! But I have got a ton of requests to do another post on Emilia's daily diet since my last one back when she was 13 months old. So here's an updated one for what she eats at 20 months! (It's not that much different!)


Breakfast
Ready Brek with mashed banana and honey, plus a cup of orange juice! Emilia went through a phase of being super fussy about her breakfast cereal but we finally seem to have found one she likes! Ready Brek now come in little microwavable sachets which are so handy...I mash 1/2 a banana up into it after it's cooked. I've recently started doing the same with blueberries. That way she eats them without even noticing! ;) She has her Ready Brek with whole milk - I give her Supermilk! And she drinks Innocent orange juice (the smooth kind :)


Lunch
Emilia's favourite lunch is a ham & cheese toastie with sweetcorn. This was a whole panino because we didn't have any small ones so she ate about 1/3 of this. I must add that Emilia rarely ever finishes a meal. She normally eats about a quarter to half of what is put in front of her! I chopped up some cucumber & tomatoes although she rarely touches the cucumber and I also gave her some sweetcorn which she is obsessed with! To drink she had a cup of milk.


After her nap, Emilia got more milk and some red grapes (her favourite fruit!) along with a strawberry Go-Yo...these are organic sugar-free yogurt pouches by Glenisk and they are amazing! Emilia stopped eating yogurts & cheese all of a sudden during one of her fussy phases so I started buying these and she loves them. They're so handy as she can eat it on the go without a spoon and they're fun for little kids!


Dinner
I feel kind of bad putting this meal in because it's really not a typical dinner for her! But on this particular night we were only having a very lazy dinner of ravioli and it was for 2 people...so I made Emilia a boiled egg and peanut butter & jam sandwich! I remember my mom gave me this whenever my parents were going out, or if they had separate plans for dinner. (Although I didn't get peanut butter - it was usually butter & jam!) Anyway, those of you that watch the vlogs will know that 90% of the time Emilia eats the same dinner as us and a whole variety of different things. She actually prefers it that way too...so this isn't a very exciting meal! Sorry!


Dessert
I always allow Emilia one treat a day and it's mostly after her dinner. I believe everything in moderation is perfectly fine...in fact it teaches kids about portion control and that sweets are okay if you don't go overboard. Also, I know of a lot of children that have never been allowed sweet things who go completely insane at birthday parties when they're finally introduced to their diet. So usually after dinner Emilia will get a bit of chocolate or cake or a cookie. But today her dessert ended up being a healthier option - we baked banana muffins! You can watch the video of us baking them here:



Emilia actually loves these, they were super easy to bake and she had a lot of fun helping me! They contain all kinds of healthy ingredients like dates & sunflower seeds which she never normally eats plus they're perfect for lunch-boxes or toddler snacks! 

With her dinner Emilia drank a cup of whole milk and that was it! I hope you guys enjoyed this post and be sure to check out the video version here!



xoxo
Anna


Style Saturday: Changes!

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Today marked the first real summery day of the year...finally! I woke up this morning with a smile on my face because I knew from the sun beaming through my window that it was going to be beautiful! 


The warmer weather also welcomes a lighter wardrobe which I'm very happy about! I bought these pants in Capri last summer and this is only my second time wearing them! I found out I was pregnant just after getting back from Italy and wore them once before the Irish weather returned to its usual dreariness & I got too big to fit into them anymore! We bought them in a tiny Fiorucci boutique and I fell in love with the colour...I love them with white although they are totally a summer piece! Today I'm wearing them with a white Boob nursing singlet and my white Havaianas.


Emilia's outfit is all from The Children's Place (leggings available in pink here!). She is wearing her Sofia the First headband from Heather's Bonny Bows with a lavender Layniebug Designs bow and her StartRite cupcake shoes (similar style here)! If this nice weather continues, she will need some summer sandals! :)

I also wanted to let you guys know of some changes that are going to be happening on my blog & YouTube channel here soon. As you may have noticed the past 2-3 months have been some of the most productive I've ever had with regards my posts, and this had a lot to do with my sister Erika minding Emilia weekday mornings for the first month and 1/2. Once she went back to school my mom has helped take Emilia a few mornings a week but with Eduardo here now too it's become quite difficult to find the time to do everything in the same capacity as before. Right now I am posting 5 videos a week and 7 blog posts and although I love & am passionate about my work it's gotten to the point where I'm getting burnt out and am finding that I have zero free time anymore. I spend all the time I have editing, filming & writing blog posts when I'm not feeding or looking after Emilia & Eduardo! 

At this point I feel like something's got to give and with the big move coming up I know things are only going to get a lot busier! So I've decided to cut down a little bit and from now on I'll be posting 3 videos a week instead of 5, and 5 blog posts instead of 7. I know some of you will be disappointed and for that I am sorry! But I do feel that in the long run it's for the best as I have a lot of exciting plans for my future posts & videos, however they require time & effort which I currently do not have. Hopefully with these new changes I will have more good quality time to put into making these plans happen :) I also want to ensure that I enjoy my family & "me-time" which is important too! 

For example over the past two days I've fallen behind on editing because I chose to take all the doggies on an hour long walk during the babies' naptime...but it made me realise that I need this free time, even if just to get some fresh air & step away from the laptop for a while! I do tend to have a bit of an obsessive personality and am a total perfectionist so once I put my mind to something I want to tackle it head on & full-force and will often put my life & soul into it until I have no energy left! I need to learn to balance things a bit better...and I think that this new posting schedule will hopefully improve that!

In the meantime thank you for always reading & supporting - I really do appreciate all of you so much! Without you guys I could not do what I do...and for that I am truly grateful! 

xoxo
Anna



Mommy Monday: Travelling with 2 Under 2!

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Ever since our trip to the UK with Emilia & Eduardo I've been asked to share my tips on travelling with "two under two". While I definitely don't think I'm an expert by any means having only done it once, it was a learning experience all the same and I am happy to share what I found useful!


Tip #1: Pack lots of healthy snacks & water
I packed a big bag of grapes, raisins, bananas, oat snacks & water for Emilia so that at least if we didn't have time to stop for a proper meal or if we were delayed in anyway she wouldn't crash or get too hungry. This also ensured that she had something healthy to snack on rather than the usual junk that you find on the airplane snack trolley! The only thing we didn't do very well with was water...we kept forgetting to restock the water and little people get very thirsty! Even if you are not thirsty yourself, you need to remember that the kids might be so it's important to bring plenty of water.


Tip #2: Plan around their schedule
When booking flights or planning your journey, try to make it fit with your kids' nap times. More often than not, babies and toddlers will sleep while travelling so this way if they do fall asleep on the plane or in the car, it won't disrupt the rest of their day. We booked the earliest flight and made sure to try and stick to Emilia's routine as much as possible so that she wouldn't sleep all day/be awake all night. There's nothing worse than that as I'm sure every other parent will agree!


Tip #3: Buy food when you can - you never know when your next pitstop will be!
If you are going to be travelling during meal times, make sure you plan ahead! This was a major fail on our part...since both Emilia & Eduardo were asleep on the plane and it was still very early, I didn't buy breakfast. We had figured we'd pick something up at one of the services outside the airport. Big mistake! Turns out our flight was delayed, which meant everything was behind schedule and we were in a huge rush to pick up our rental car. By the time we had left the airport we were stressed out and there were no good services nearby - by then everyone was starving! So we settled for McDonald's which I was pretty unhappy about. McDonald's is not exactly the best breakfast option for anybody... So in hindsight, buy food when you can (such as on the plane) even if you don't eat it right away at least you will have it when you need it!

Tip #4: Bring plenty of supplies (baby wipes, nappies, hand sanitiser etc.)
Perhaps a bit of an obvious one, but you can never be too prepared! So pack lots of extras just in case. And you will need a ton of nappies if you have 2 under 2! Baby wipes are lifesavers for sticky fingers, especially when travelling. And any kind of airport/train/bus station is generally filthy so hand sanitiser is a must!


Tip #5: Get a harness for your toddler
Some parents don't like harnesses and that's okay too! But personally I think they are great - especially if your toddler won't sit still like Emilia! She is always on the go and does not like to be restrained in a stroller anymore. So a harness is ideal for situations like big airports where you need to have a handle on them but they still want the freedom to run around. We had planned to get her a harness before we left but couldn't find the one we wanted in time. Next time we will definitely be prepared! 

Tip #6: Pack a suitcase/backpack for your child(ren)
I found this very useful for Emilia. I packed a little suitcase full of her toys, books & snacks so that she could wheel it around and feel important :) It seemed to work very well! Of course, you will probably end up carrying/wheeling it but it's good to have lots of distractions in case she gets bored (which happens a lot when travelling!). She loved opening it and taking out her toys, then putting them all back in again! It also made her feel like a big girl, which all kids love!


Tip #7: Bring a carseat for your infant
If one of your "under twos" is an infant, bringing their carseat is the way to go. You are allowed to carry it onto the plane and it's ideal for transporting them in & out of cars, etc. as they stay asleep and you don't have to disturb them. Also most carseats will slot into strollers now so although you will have to hand that over at some stage at least you can keep your carseat. 

Tip #8: Keep to a feeding schedule with your baby
As useful as the carseat is for keeping your baby asleep, it's also important to wake them for regular feedings! Otherwise you will have a scenario where your baby mixes up its days & nights as travel does tend to make them sleepy anyway. We were in and out of cars all day while house-hunting but every time we made a pitstop I made sure to wake Eduardo & change/feed him. This may seem like common sense but it's easy to forget when you're busy yourself or even neglect to do so due for the sake of convenience! 

Tip #9: iPads/DVD players are great for long car journeys!
I don't agree with just plonking your kids in front of a TV screen whenever they travel and I do believe that a certain amount of boredom is good for them to experience so that they learn to entertain themselves...however sometimes journeys are very long and even the most well-behaved toddler will get restless and fed up. We benefited hugely from an iPad we got from the relocation agency. Emilia was delighted that she had Peppa to keep her company on all the boring car journeys (and was rather put out when we had to give the iPad back!). I think if you use this as a last resort & perhaps don't turn it on the minute you get in the car, that's perfectly fine!


Tip #10: Keep to the same bedtime routine
I know I've mentioned this before but sticking to the same bedtime routine when travelling is so important when it comes to getting your baby/toddler to go to bed in an unfamiliar environment. We always try to keep everything the same at Emilia's bedtime...that includes bath time, lotion, pyjamas and a storybook. We bring all her familiar toys that she has in her bed including her musical doggy which she loves and she rarely has any issues with going to bed, even if we're in the same room! Of course Eduardo was still very little when we travelled with him but the same idea applies...we bathed the two together just like at home and he went to bed very easily. 


I hope these tips will help! Let me know if you have any tips to share on travelling with 2 under 2 or just travelling with babies and toddlers in general! You can watch my video here:



xoxo
Anna

Beauty Tuesday: Short for Summer!

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I paid a visit to the hairdresser's this morning and got the big chop! I had been itching for a change and wanted to try out a new style...so I went short for summer! This time we went for a sleek a-line bob, slightly shorter in the back and longer in the front with lots of soft & piece-y layers. What do you guys think?! I am in love with this style! It's so light & fresh - I feel like a big weight has been lifted. In fact I always do get a lot of the "weight" taken out of my hair whenever I get it cut, as it's so thick & heavy! 


I also got my colour refreshed - as you know the root colour is my natural shade, and then my stylist lightens the ends in a balayage style as well as adding a few blonde pieces at the front to frame my face. I can't tell you guys how much I love this colour as it's so low-maintenance! I'm really looking forward to trying out new styles with this new length. I like it so much that I want to keep it this way for a while, so I booked another appointment for 6 weeks time (thankfully we will be back in Ireland then so I can visit the same salon!).


For those wondering I always go to Staunton Byrne in East Village, Douglas and my amazing colourist is Shane. I will only let Shelly cut my hair - she is the best and puts so much time & effort into finishing the cut perfectly!

Let me know your thoughts below! What do you think of the a-line bob? Will you be going short for summer?

xoxo
Anna

What I Ate Wednesday {17.5.14}

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Breakfast
Same ol' same ol'. Organic porridge oats with almond milk, 1/2 banana, blueberries & cinnamon! Eaten with a decaf Nespresso coffee & big pint of water with apple flavoured Spatone. No, I will never tire of this breakfast! It keeps me full till lunchtime and is deliciously healthy :)


Lunch
I made a Caprese toasted panino in our sandwich press! It tasted amazing...all you need to make it is some buffalo mozzarella (I used half a ball), San Marzano tomatoes (any tomatoes will do!), a dash of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt! If you have some fresh basil on hand, add that too (I didn't). The multiseed ciabatta bread was fresh from our local bakery and I toasted this up until the mozzarella was just melted. Yum!!


I followed this up with a Pink Lady apple & vanilla kids yogurt. I used to get these yogurts for Emilia but she's more into the Go-Yos at the moment so I eat them myself! They are full size with no sugar or nasty ingredients like aspartame and all organic so they're super good for you! I like the vanilla & strawberry flavour best. I also drank another pint of water.


Emilia saying "cheeeeese!" at lunch :) Little monkey.


Dinner
I made chicken enchiladas for the first time ever! I thought they were okay...I made them using an Old El Paso kit I got and added chicken breasts, red pepper, onion and shredded mozzarella cheese. Being that the sauces all came from a box, the flavour was a bit bland. I'm sure "real" Mexican enchiladas are much better!! But it was interesting to try...maybe next time I will try them from scratch. With this I also downed another pint of water.


Dessert/Snack
This is my newest snack obsession! Tayto Bistro Gourmet Sweet & Salty Popcorn...this stuff is amaze-balls! Only 350ish cals for almost a full bag, and free from any artificial flavours. The only ingredients are maize, coconut oil, sugar and salt. If you're a fan of that sweet/salty combination like me (I love to mix Maltesers with popcorn sometimes!) you will love these! You can also get them in Jalapeno and Sour Cream flavour which Jonathan likes. I had this bowl with another decaf Nespresso and a pint of water.

That's it for this week! Let me know what your favourite snack/dessert is, and if you've tried the popcorn tell me what you think! :)

xoxo
Anna

Fashion Friday: Raspberry Stripes!

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Another dreary & grey day here in Cork made me want to pull out these grey acid wash jeans from Zara! I also like to wear this outfit in the summer with white skinnies for a brighter look but they were in the wash as I wore them yesterday! The pink striped sweatshirt is from Vero Moda (I also own it in blue & white) and I am wearing a raspberry Boob nursing singlet underneath. My lip colour is Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle and my ballet flats are from New Look (similar style here)!

My earrings are my Orelia hoops, I'm wearing my Alex & Ani bangles and gold Scorpio necklace from my dad. On my nails is Essie "Fiji" which I have been loving lately for spring/summer! I am also joined in this OOTD by a rather somber looking Bianca...ha ha ha :) 

Happy Friday! 

xoxo
Anna

Sweet Sunday: Watermelon Slice Cupcakes!

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Welcome to my new summer baking series! This is something I'm really excited about. Emilia & I are going to be inviting you into our kitchen for some mommy daughter baking fun every Sunday and sharing our favourite summer cupcake recipes! To kick things off, we've started with these super cute Watermelon Slice Cupcakes, which would be perfect for a summer BBQ!

(Recipe taken & adapted from Betty Crocker "The Big Book of Cupcakes")

To make the cupcakes you will need:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 packet strawberry flavour jelly (in powder form)
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup pureed watermelon (about 1 1/2 cups watermelon pieces
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting you will need:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons milk or water
1 tube green gel food colouring
2 tubes red gel food colouring

To decorate: 

1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Red muffin cases


For the method & to learn how to make these, watch the video here!



(P.S. I did forget to mention to preheat the oven to 350F/175C!)
This recipe bakes 24 cupcakes. 1 cupcake = 340 calories


As you can tell Emilia definitely approves! These are surprisingly fruity & tangy cupcakes...the jelly and watermelon keeps them lovely and moist and chocolate lovers will be satisfied too as they contain chocolate chips! 


Sorry for the creepy cupcake lady picture...ha ha ha! I hope you liked our first summer recipe - let me know if you have any requests for what you'd like to see next! I have a few lovely recipes planned but I am always open to new ideas! If you bake these Watermelon Slice Cupcakes be sure to tweet me your pictures with the hashtag #SweetSunday! 

Happy Baking!

xoxo
Anna

Mommy Monday: My Daily Routine!

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A lot of people have asked me to do a post on my daily routine as well as how I manage anything done during the day...well here is how I do it! Working from home with two kids under two can be hard & stressful at times but I find with a good routine in place, anything is possible! This is how I maximise whatever time I have and make the most out of my day. I know this will change as the kids grow & get older but here is our little family's routine as it stands right now.


7am: I get up & start my day. Eduardo currently wakes for his "first" feed at about 6/6:30am so I'm usually already awake by this time. Since he's fed & happy I am free to leave him in bed with Jonathan while I get the chance to shower, put on makeup, get dressed, fix my hair, etc. I make a conscious effort to do this every single day as I think it makes me feel more awake & refreshed, no matter how tired I am! I also think taking a little "me-time" out of my day to look after myself is important!


7.30am: Emilia usually wakes up when she hears me getting ready and gets into bed with her daddy & Eduardo for some morning snuggles :)

8am: Breakfast! I eat breakfast with Emilia while Jonathan gets to work (he usually works all morning on editing/rendering/uploading). Eduardo is normally happy to go in his bouncer after being fed earlier that morning. I try to eat all my meals at the table with Emilia as I think it's an important bonding time!


9am: After I clean the kitchen and put away the breakfast things, I get the kids dressed for the day. I also don't feel like I've fully started my day until all the beds are made! I then put on a load of laundry (which is normally everyday in this house!), and we come back downstairs where I feed Eduardo again.

10am-12pm: I try to schedule any doctor's appointments, playdates, errands or anything else like that for this time. It's when Emilia needs the most activity to ensure she goes down well for her nap and Eduardo is usually quite happy to sleep in the car/his stroller. Otherwise we try to organise something else for Emilia to do like go to her Oma's house or play with a friend.


12pm: Lunch time! Normally we eat at home but sometimes we do go out :) Again I always try to eat with Emilia & then feed Eduardo after. I clear up the lunch things while she finishes up/plays with her toys. Then her daddy puts her down for her nap!

1:30pm-3:30pm: Nap time! Emilia still sleeps for about 2 hours which is amazing. If I'm lucky, I have fed Eduardo by this time and he will go down for a nap too. This is my "free time" to film, edit videos, write blog posts, catch up on emails, walk the dogs and basically try to get everything done while the babies are sleeping!


3/4pm: Snack time! We try not to let Emilia sleep past 4pm at the latest so that she goes to bed that night. After her nap she drinks her milk, eats a small snack & watches Peppa Pig or Ben & Holly while I'm feeding Eduardo or catching up on some editing. 


4/5pm: The late afternoon is when we try to organise some sort of outside playtime for Emilia (and eventually I'll do this with Eduardo!). I think fresh air helps kids sleep better! Obviously this is weather permitting but if it is nice outside, Jonathan will bring Emilia out for some playtime with her friends on our road while I get started on dinner.


6pm: Dinner time! Recently I've been doing more of the cooking, whereas in the past it was Jonathan who prepared most of our meals. So far I'm really enjoying cooking for the family! Once again, I try to get Eduardo fed right before-hand so that he is happy to sit in his bouncer while we eat dinner together.


7pm: Bath time! Jonathan will usually start bath-time while I clean up the kitchen. Eduardo goes first, then I take him and put on his lotion & pj's. Emilia goes after him and I start the bedtime feed in her room so I can say goodnight after her shower. When she comes in for her lotion & pj's I give her a goodnight kiss & move into our room where I finish off the rest of Eduardo's feed.


8pm: Bedtime. Usually both babies are in bed (and hopefully asleep!) by 8, all going according to plan! Emilia sleeps in her room and Eduardo in the co-sleeper in ours. He will usually sleep until about 11 or midnight if I'm really lucky!


8-10pm: Party time for mom & dad! Jonathan and I usually take full advantage of our kid-free evenings by vegging out on the couch, watching our favourite shows & eating chocolate :) We try to go to bed at 10 so that we can get some sort of sleep before Eduardo wakes up for his night feeds. Then the whole thing repeats itself again the next morning! 

Feel free to watch my video on our daily routine here!



However I have to warn you that I'm very sniffly & congested...we've all been hit by a horrible cold! :( 

xoxo
Anna


Beauty Tuesday: May Favourites 2014!

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Sorry this blog post is a tad late, but with sick babies and all that we've been having a hard time getting them down at night! :( Anyway, I have a few new favourites this month that I've been dying to share!  Here they are:



As you guys know, I recently got my hair cut & the colour re-done. This is the shampoo & conditioner they use at my salon so I decided to pick some up! So far I love it. My hair type is dry & very thick so the Wella System Professional Hydrate range works well. I also love their LuxeOil which I featured in my favourites last month! The products smell amazing & I love how they make my hair feel. Soft & shiny!


May was also the month that I finally got to put my new Clarisonic Luxe Cashmere brush head to the test! I change my brush head every 3 months and was due to change it at the beginning of May. Prior to that I had been using the standard one that came with my Clarisonic. The cashmere head is soooo soft & feels incredible on your skin! It's like a little bunny rabbit or Maltese puppy...ha ha ha! I also love how gentle this is - so you can use it around the delicate eye area too. I don't know if I can ever go back to the other brush heads after this...it's just so luxurious!

(Sorry about the weird lighting in these swatches pictures...my hands are not orange I promise!)

While in the airport last week I picked up some new lip products from Lancome! I got their Lip Lover lipgloss in the shade Beige Adage. I love the packaging of this - it opens with a clicky button which is quite cool! This shade is definitely named wrong though...it's much more of a pink than a beige and I find it matches perfectly with my Estée Lauder Crystal Baby lipstick. A lovely neutral pink shade.


I also picked up one of their new Rouge in Love lipsticks - this is 200B Rose Thé. I'm so glad I tried these out because I love this colour! It's a beautiful brown-ish/peachy nude with warm undertones. Creamy and not too matte, this gives my lips enough of a sheen to be worn without any gloss at all. I originally had bought the lipgloss to go with it but the colours are totally different. Here's what the lipstick looks like on. I've been wearing it pretty much non-stop since I got it!


Lastly, we have the Real Techniques Modern Natural Palette. At first I thought this would be too matte/not enough shimmer for me but I was wrong! The eyeshadows are actually very pretty on, quite subtle and not overpowering but highly pigmented at the same time. I'm very impressed with the colour pay-off and have been wearing them on my eyes almost everyday since I got this in the post. I admit I haven't used the blush, highlight or lipglosses yet...so this review is just based on the eye shadows & liner. Here's a better look at how they appear once applied:


Those were my beauty favourites for the month of May! Hopefully you will find this helpful next time you're shopping :) I recommend all of these products very highly!

Now it's good night from me...I'm off to bed!

xoxo
Anna

What I Ate Wednesday {27.5.14}

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Breakfast
I started my day the usual way! With a bowl of porridge - made with Flahavans Organic Quick Oats, light soy milk (as we were out of almond), cinnamon, organic banana (1/2) and blueberries. I also had a pint of water with apple flavoured Spatone & a Lemsip to help me get over my cold! 


After my Lemsip I had a sneaky Nespresso coffee...how cool are our new cups?! I love them! 


Snack
At around 11 o'clock I was hungry again (we eat breakfast about 8am) so I grabbed a quick snack and a coffee. I had a Pink Lady apple and organic low sugar vanilla yoghurt. The Nespresso capsules I'm loving right now are the Santander ones from their Colombian range.


Lunch
Can you spot Albi in my lunch picture?! Ha ha ha! He wanted some ham & cheese :) Lunch was the norm...ham & cheese toasted panino on multiseed Panelto bread with a few San Marzano tomatoes & some cucumber slices.


Dinner
I invited my family round for dinner & whipped up this bad boy! Jamie Oliver's Chicken & Mushroom Spaghetti Bake. I've been really loving cooking for the family lately...this recipe was a total winner! It's not the healthiest though, sorry about that. But it tastes soooo good! Here's what it looked like straight out of the oven:


I definitely think I'll be cooking this again - Jonathan was in heaven! And this is the man who never liked pasta... ;)


Dessert
For dessert I had a bowl of Haagen Dazs praline & cream ice-cream (my favourite flavour!) and another Santander Nespresso coffee. It had actually been a long time since I'd had ice-cream so I really enjoyed this! Hopefully the weather heats up a bit so I can have more :)

To drink I had 2L+ water. And that's it! Hope you guys liked this week's WIAW. I'm finding them to be even more fun now that I'm getting more into cooking & trying new recipes! 

xoxo
Anna

Fashion Friday: Bright White!

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Happy Friday, lovelies! 
We've been lucky enough to get some good weather here lately so I've been breaking out the white jeans to celebrate the sunshine! These are my Hello! Skinny Jeans from The White Door, almost 3 years ago. My top is from Guess (I bought it on the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas cruise ship last October!) and I am wearing a turquoise nursing singlet from Boob. I got my ballet flats from TK Maxx (I don't remember the brand - sorry!). My accessories are all the same as usual - bracelets from Alex & Ani, gold Scorpio necklace from my dad and earrings from Orelia. On my lips is Lancome Rouge in Love lipstick in 200B Rose Thé.


Emilia (or "Biba" as she now calls herself!) is wearing a mint green cupcake t-shirt from Carters and pastel pink jeans from Next. Her mint bow-bow from Layniebug Designs& lace headband from Heather's Bonny Bows. She is also wearing her canvas cupcake shoes from Start Rite (very similar style here). She insisted on taking this dolly everywhere with her today...ahh the joys of toddlerhood!  

Have a great weekend, folks! We'll be back with another summer cupcake recipe on Sunday ;)

xoxo
Anna

Sweet Sunday: Strawberry & Rhubarb Crumble Cupcakes!

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This week we have a very special summer recipe - the Strawberry & Rhubarb Crumble Cupcake! If you like berry or rhubarb crumble you will love these. Jonathan has proclaimed that these are his favourite cupcakes I've baked so far (he is a big fan of crumble) - and they're pretty lo-cal too, so you can indulge without the guilt ;)


These are lovely & moist on the inside with contrasting flavours of the sweet strawberry & tart rhubarb. The crumble creates a dappled effect on top which looks impressive for summer parties or BBQs and the "frosting" on this cupcake is freshly whipped cream. The perfect summer treat!  

To make the crumble you will need:

1/2 cup plain flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, cubed

To make the cupcakes you will need:

14-15 fresh strawberries
1/4 cup milk
2 3/4 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
5 egg whites
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
red food colouring (as many drops as you need)
1 cup finely chopped rhubarb

To make the topping you will need:

fresh cream, whipped until peaks form (about 250ml)
5 heaped teaspoons sugar
a few drops vanilla extract
2-3 strawberries (mashed with a fork)


As you can tell, my little assistant was very impressed with these! Especially the whipped cream ;) To see how we made these cupcakes, watch the video here! 



The recipe bakes 24 cupcakes. 1 cupcake = 230 calories.

I hope you like this recipe - if you bake them be sure to send me your pictures on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram with the hashtag #SweetSunday! 

Happy Baking!

xoxo
Anna

Mommy Monday: Emilia's Harness Buddy!

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This week I wanted to share a "Mommy Must-have" that I have found to be a total lifesaver when it comes to looking after an active toddler! Whenever we leave the house, we are faced with the battle of trying to figure out what to do with Emilia...she is at that stage now where she totally dislikes being strapped into a stroller, but she is still too young to realise the dangers of running off or not holding onto mommy/daddy's hand. Also whenever we get to a shopping centre or public place all she wants to do is RUN free! I love that she is so independent but at the same time, I need to keep her safe!


I first saw the GoldBug Harness Buddy on an instagram picture of my friend's toddler, Nika. I had seen harnesses before (I had one myself when I was a baby!) but nothing like this. Nika's harness was soft like a cuddly toy (hers is a teddy bear) and looked more like a fun backpack. I thought it was a wonderful idea & Jonathan and I scoured the internet for local stockists but to our disappointment we could never find one for Emilia. We even tried putting a regular toddler harness on her at one stage which we had found in Sam McCauley's and she screamed bloody murder...ha ha ha, clearly that did not go down well! 


Eventually my mom found ONE GoldBug Harness Buddy in Bella Baby (there was literally only one left!). It's a cute pink butterfly with a little pouch at the back, soft reins that clip at the front and a detachable "lead" which is also made from the same plush material. Emilia is in love with her butterfly buddy! She wants to put it on whenever we go out and actually gets upset when we have to take it off to get into the car. I have used it a couple of times when we're out and it makes running around after her so much easier. I can control where she runs off to better and she doesn't get annoyed or seem to even realise that she's attached to me. I like that it gives Emilia the sense of freedom while still keeping her safe.

What do you think of toddler harnesses? Have you used one before/did they work for you? It seems they are pretty controversial but I think they're invaluable, especially one like Emilia's Harness Buddy as it looks more like a fun toy than a lead! Let me know your thoughts below. 

xoxo
Anna


Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post...I just really like the product & wanted to share with other moms!

Beauty Tuesday: How To Style a Long Angled Bob!

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After getting my hair chopped, I have gotten a lot of requests to show how I style it. I honestly have never been happier with this hairstyle...I would describe it as a long, angled bob. It is so easy & quick to do in the mornings - perfect for a mommy's busy routine! Here is a better look at it from both sides:


My hair type is dry, textured & very thick. It also grows like a weed! Two weeks after my cut and it's already grown so long...no wonder I need to get it cut regularly to maintain any sort of a style!


The shampoo & conditioner I use are from the System Professional Hydrate range by Wella. I love this stuff as they leave my hair feeling super silky & soft!


I then brush it out using my Tangle Teezer (this works best for thick, unruly hair!) and blast it with my blowdryer. I don't use anything fancy, just my Babyliss travel hairdryer and a round brush...drying it every which way so that it gets the maximum volume. I also make sure the blowdryer is facing downwards along the hair shaft so that the hair cuticle isn't damaged/opened. This stops most of the frizziness from happening (which my hair is prone to!).


I then separate it into a bottom and top section, and use my GHD Eclipse to straighten & shape my hair. (See how I do this to create the most volume in my tutorial!) Finally I apply two pumps of LuxeOil and we're done! You can watch the tutorial on how I style my hair below:



I hope you found this helpful if you have short hair or a similar style to mine!

xoxo
Anna

What I Ate {3.6.14}

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I know it's not Wednesday but I had prepared one of these to upload yesterday not realising I wouldn't have internet until today! So here is my 'What I Ate" from a very hectic day of packing up, moving & travelling to Dublin! 

Breakfast
The day started out pretty normal - I had my standard brekkie of organic porridge with almond milk, 1/2 banana, blueberries & cinnamon along with a black vanilla flavour coffee and my apple Spatone! 


Emilia devouring her cornflakes & glued to Peppa Pig...as always! 


Lunch
The movers arrived at 9am and were at our house till 2pm so lunch was a rather rushed job of Subway as all of our kitchen was being packed around us as we ate! I got a tuna sub with lettuce, cucumber & tomato. 


Emilia got the kiddy Subway meal with ham & cheese. She was pretty impressed! 


I managed to scavenge a few of our healthy snacks before they hit the movers' truck/bin! (We had to throw out almost all the contents of our fridge :( ) So I had some grapes & two of Emilia's Go-Yos (organic yoghurt pouches). I'm actually really glad I got some fruit & yoghurt into me because the rest of the day wasn't so healthy!


Dinner
We ate dinner on the go as we were en route to Dublin to catch an early ferry the next morning. At that point we were starving, exhausted and in need of something naughty so we grabbed a quick McDonald's at the Cashel services! I know it's bad but it reeeeeally hit the spot! I got a cheeseburger Happy Meal (same as Emilia, although she only ever eats the raisins and a few chips!) and a caramel frappé for dessert :) YUM!! So bad but so good!


Excited for her move to London :)

Those were my eats from our crazy moving day! Sorry this post was so late! You can watch my London House Tour video here - but bear in mind the place is still a total mess as we're only here one day! I will upload another one when we've fully decorated!



xoxo
Anna


Sweet Sunday: Father's Day Cupcakes!

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This weekend Emilia & I baked these cute "hole-in-one" cupcakes! It's not Father's Day until next week but we wanted to give you lots of time in case you would like to recreate this recipe! Whether your dad is a golf enthusiast or not, I think he would appreciate the sweet gesture of being baked some yummy cupcakes...plus they are chocolate flavour, and most men do love chocolate!


Even our fussy Jonathan loves these - as I've mentioned before, he's not much of a cake eater (that's my department, ha ha ha!). Emilia loved helping to decorate and bake them as the topping was a lot of fun to do - so these are perfect to make with your kids as a cute Father's Day craft or activity! 


To bake the chocolate cupcakes you will need:

2 cups plain flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup hot water
2/3 cup baking cocoa (I used Cadbury's Bourneville)
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

To make the vanilla buttercream frosting you will need:

6 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoons vanilla
3-4 tablespoons milk


For the decoration you will need:

3-4 digestive biscuits (or graham crackers), smashed up in a food processor
green sprinkles/sugar decorations (I used Dr. Oetker's Neon sugar sprinkles)
Green muffin cases
Mints or any kind of white gumball candies
Coloured straws
Coloured paper (I used post-it notes!)
Tape

Watch our video on how to make these here!




This recipe bakes 24 cupcakes. 1 cupcake = 360 cals. We hope you like these Father's Day cupcakes! Tweet me/tag me on Instagram if you make them yourself!

xoxo
Anna 

What I Ate Wednesday {10.6.14}

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Welcome to the first WIAW in our new home! :)


Breakfast

This was the same as always...but it looks like I'll be changing up my porridge soon as I don't think I can find my usual Flahavan's Quick Oats in the UK! So we got some Quaker Oat So Simple as a replacement - I'll let you guys know how it compares! Today I had Flahavan's Organic Quick Oats (we still have some left!) with almond milk, 1/2 banana, blueberries & cinnamon along with a caramel Nespresso coffee & apple-flavoured Spatone. 


Lunch

We ate lunch in Ikea as we were there furniture shopping today! I had a tuna melt panino (my fave!!) made with tuna, red onion & cheddar cheese. I also got a 500ml bottle of water.


Dessert

I actually saw these apple pies as soon as we walked into the Ikea restaurant...and I could not resist!! Jonathan & I had a slice each with whipped cream. Delish ;) I had this with a cup of black coffee.


Snack

When we got home from Croydon I was hungry again (I am hungry all the time with the breastfeeding!) so I had a quick snack of a Pink Lady apple & Rachel's Organic Peach and Apricot yogurt. This was my first time trying out this yogurt brand...it gets a thumbs up from me! 


Dinner

For dinner I made Orecchiette with Raw Tomato Sauce from Jamie Oliver's website...I couldn't find orecchiette so I used conchiglie instead. I LOVED this pasta dish...the family, not so much :( Unfortunately Jonathan rarely likes any dish without meat in it and he's not a fan of olives but I try to vary up our weekly meal plan by not cooking meat everyday so this is what they got! Emilia is going through a really fussy eating phase which I'm trying not to stress about but I swear some days she eats hardly anything. Everybody is telling me not to get stressed out and that she'll eat when she's hungry but truthfully mealtimes have become a bit of a nightmare with her. I don't think she took one bite of her dinner, she ate about half a Nutri Grain for breakfast (she refuses to eat cereal anymore) and picked at a few raisins for lunch. At least she is still drinking her milk...but I'm not going to lie - I HATE this phase!! She used to be such a good eater! 

Anyway, all that aside - I definitely recommend this dish if you're looking for a quick, fresh summer pasta recipe! It'll also work if you hate cooking because there's hardly any involved being that it's a raw pasta sauce - and if you are vegetarian just leave out the anchovies! :) 


Evening Coffee

I had a lovely little caramel Nespresso coffee after the kids went to bed while watching Orange is the New Black! :) Some people think it's weird that I drink coffee so late but I honestly don't think it affects me falling asleep at night at all. My dad used to make himself an espresso coffee every evening (with lots of sugar!) and it was just a part of his normal routine. I actually find the smell of coffee in the evenings really comforting as it always reminds me of him!

Those were my eats for the day! You can watch my WIAW video here:



xoxo
Anna

Throwback Thursday: Happy Birthday Emma!

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Happy birthday to my little sister Emma! She is 23 today and celebrating in Italy...the lucky duck. When we were growing up I was always quite jealous that Emma's birthday was usually spent on holiday in some hot destination as it was during the summer (mine is in grey & cold November!). Here we are together when we were little nuggets in Baltimore! Hope you had a lovely birthday, "Princess Beauty Girl" ;) I'm sorry we couldn't be together but I will see you very soon! <3 

If you guys are interested in my Shape Up for Summer series, I posted the third one today. You can watch it here!



xoxo
Anna

Fashion Friday: Think Pink!

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Goodness knows I probably already have an outfit post with the very same title but at this point of the evening I'm too tired to care! Sorry! We are thoroughly enjoying the beautiful English summer weather...I know this is not a common thing, but the UK does tend to have better weather than Ireland so we are lapping it all up while it lasts!


Now that I've finally got my wardrobe somewhat unpacked & in order, I've been loving the brighter colours - these neon pink pants are a favourite of mine! Bought in Capri last summer from Fiorucci. My blouse is from Vero Moda. Not the best option for breastfeeding in public but thankfully we tend to leave the house in between feeds so my open-blouse boobage was kept to the confines of our living room only!! The pink bow flats are from ASOS (around four years ago now). My earrings are from Krystal (again, ASOS) and I'm wearing my gold Alex & Ani bracelets, Scorpio necklace from my dad and Estée Lauder Crystal Baby lipstick. On my nails is Zoya "Barbie". 


Emilia is wearing a pair of teal jeggings from The Children's Place, a Zara t-shirt and her Start Rite cupcake shoes which are getting a bit small :-/ I'm not sure where the teal bow-bow is from but her headband is from Holly's Bonny Bows. She is wearing her butterfly "backpack" (harness) and insisted on taking this HUGE Hello Kitty with her today. She even brought it into the Disney shop, picked up a Minnie Mouse toy (which we later bought for her) and then promptly asked for Hello Kitty back so she could hold both. Evidently she didn't want Hello Kitty to feel replaced ;)


Hope you all have a lovely weekend :) I am looking forward to baking cupcakes with my new KitchenAid that I finally bought today after my last mixer went up in smoke last week!! 

xoxo
Anna

Sweet Sunday: Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes!

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We are keeping things fresh & fruity this Sunday with a Lemon Blueberry Cupcake! This is a deliciously light recipe with lots of flavour. Hope you enjoy! 


To make the lemon blueberry cupcakes you will need:

2 1/3 cups plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon zest, grated
1 teaspoon vanilla 
2/3 cup milk
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon plain flour


For the frosting you will need: 

1 1/2 cups icing/powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk

To decorate I used a few fresh blueberries and some fresh mint leaves!

Watch how to make these cupcakes here:



This recipe bakes 24, 1 cupcake = 240 calories.


Emilia & I had so much fun baking these! We even got to trial our new KitchenAid which was fabulous...I don't know how I survived for so long without one! Yes, they are an investment which is probably why it took me this long to purchase one but I am so glad I did. If you love to bake I definitely recommend it!


I also SWEAR I did not plan this but Emilia and I are matching (again) in this cupcake video with our stripes, ha ha! Last week we were both in turquoise and it was completely by accident! I am actually wearing a nursing dress which I'd never worn before - it was very comfortable & convenient! Emilia's t-shirt is from Zara. Her bow is from H&M.


Jonathan thinks she looks like me when I was a baby in this picture :) She is a real character...now that she knows the deal with the cupcake baking, Emilia will actually grab her apron and start to push her stool over to the kitchen island so that she can help me bake! And she wants to taste EVERYTHING, including the flour mixture...


We hope you're enjoying this summer baking series as much as we are! Let us know if you bake these Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes (they are very yummy - Jonathan gave his stamp of approval!) and tag us on Instagram/Twitter

xoxo
Anna

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