Quantcast
Channel: Anna Saccone Joly
Viewing all 780 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

What I Got for Christmas 2016

January 9, 2017, 12:28 pm
$
0
0

Initially I was not going to film this video as I know this type of vlog is a breeding ground for hate and negativity...but I've been inundated with requests to do one and I was recently organising all the playlists on my channel & realised I've made a What I Got for Christmas for a couple of years now! So it would be a pity not to...plus I ultimately want to make videos that you guys like to watch! So here it is - What I Got for Christmas 2016!

Items Mentioned: 

1. Hermés Collier de Chien Bracelet in black leather with gold clasp 
2. Hermés Le Mors á la Connetable cashmere & silk shawl 
3. H&M Pile-lined thick socks
4. Anthropologie Dachshund Icon Mug
5. Fat Face Leona Cable Jumper
6. Ted Baker Rosamm Colour Block Wash Bag
7. Fat Face Mini Star Jacquard Check Lounge Pants 
8. GAP Flannel Roll-up Sleep Pants (sold out in this print)
9. GAP Ribbed Long Sleeve Henley in white heather

↧
Search

What I Ate Wednesday {10.1.17}

January 11, 2017, 11:00 am
$
0
0

8:55am
I always have breakfast after the school run as 7:30am is too early for me to eat in the mornings. However we had to go into London at 9am for my doctor's appointment so this was a tight squeeze! I made porridge with almond milk, half a banana, cinnamon & raisins. (Yum!) I also had my usual black coffee & bottle of water which I drank in the car. 


12pm
We ate lunch at Le Pain Quotidien after my appointment. Jonathan had never been here before but he loved it! I got the toasted tartine which I stupidly thought was a quiche...this is how you know your French is really bad! But it turns out it was an open sandwich, haha! Actually I would be happy with either so I didn't care. Mine was with roasted veggies, beetroot, pesto and goat's cheese and came with a side salad. This was sooo good as they put it on a brown sourdough bread which was amazing. To drink I just had water.


2pm
That afternoon we met our friends Adam and Sabrina in the Bulgari hotel for some drinks & snacks. We all ordered a berry smoothie which nobody liked (it was quite watery though we just made it up - it wasn't actually on the menu) and I also had some green olives which they brought to the table. 


6:30pm
By the time we got home I was exhausted and ready for dinner! We had baked chicken with mushroom, coconut cream & onion sauce, mashed potato and mixed veggies (broccoli, peas and baby carrots). I was so hungry and this totally hit the spot! To drink I had a bottle of water.


9:30pm 
Honestly I was pretty full from dinner but later that evening I got myself a snack just to satisfy my sweet tooth! I'm trying really hard to be healthy during the week so I had a medjool date & some chopped mango. I also had a licorice and peppermint tea and another bottle of water. I was quite proud of myself although tonight is date night so I probably won't be as good! ;)


If you want to see the video from today you can check it out here! 
↧
↧

Throwback Thursday: School Pictures

January 12, 2017, 2:43 pm
$
0
0

I feel like everybody has this kind of awkwardly posed school picture! The kind where they bring you into the library, give you a puzzle piece to hold and instruct you where to place your hands...yup that's the one! Emilia came back from school last term with a similar kind of picture (which I unfortunately can't share because she's wearing her uniform in it) and it totally reminded me of this! This one was taken in America - I think I was about 6 years old and it was the year before we moved to Ireland. Next time I'm in my mum's house I will try to root out some more awkward school pictures to show you as this is the only one I have. Let me know below, do you have a school picture like this?! 
↧

Best Beauty Products of 2016!

January 15, 2017, 3:22 pm
$
0
0

Today's outfit is super cosy for comfy winter date nights! I'm wearing a chunky knit cream cardigan by Abercrombie (pretty old purchase), black maternity leggings from ASOS, olive green maternity top from Next and my tan Uggs.


I also uploaded my Best Beauty Products of 2016 video. Here are my beauty must-haves:

- Bare Minerals Concealer in Summer Bisque
- Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Medium Beige
- Bare Minerals Bronzer Warmth
- Bare Minerals Mineral Veil
- Laura Geller Bronze & Brighten Fair
- Benefit Browzings Medium
- Stila Eyes are the Window Shadow Palette
- Naked 3 Palette
- Charlotte Tilbury The Golden Goddess Eyeshadow Palette
- YSL Shocking Eyeliner in Black
- Makeup Forever Waterproof Eye Pencil
- YSL Luxurious Mascara for False Lash Effect
- Bobbi Brown Lip Liner in Cocoa
- MAC Lipstick in Blankety
- MAC Cremesheen Softly Lit
- Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb
- Kerastase Nutritive Bain Satin 1 & Lait Vital
- Batiste Heavenly Volume Dry Shampoo
- Orofluido Hair Oil
- Dove Derma Spa Summer Revived Medium to Dark Skin
- Heliocare Advanced Gel SPF 50
- Obagi Clenziderm System (Daily Care Cleanser, Pore Therapy Toner, Therapeutic Lotion)
- Tata Harper Rebuilding Moisturiser
- Tata Harper Restorative Eye Creme
- Oral B 3D White Luxe Dental Floss
↧

Overnight 3 Day Wavy Hair

January 16, 2017, 11:00 am
$
0
0

I've been asked over & over to do an updated tutorial on how I do my hair...and this is nothing particularly new. However I do have some tips for you guys that I'd like to share on how to maintain your curls/waves for two days after styling them and what to do overnight. The first part of the video shows you how I curl my hair with a 2 inch big barrel curling iron (I use the Nume 3 in 1 Curl Jam wand on the largest barrel for looser, more natural waves). I find the longer my hair gets, the better this looks when styled with a big barrel! My top tips for curling hair that lasts is to style it all in the same direction on each side, going away from the face pointing the curling wand downwards. Then I spray with hairspray (I use L'Oreal Elnett), apply some dry shampoo to the roots (Batiste Heavenly Volume is my fave), hair oil (Orofluido) to the ends and run my fingers through it to loosen the curls. 

When I sleep on it I wear my hair in a big bun at the top of my head but you'll have to watch the tutorial to see how I do that because I can't really explain it in words, haha! I could barely explain myself in the video either but I did try (three times!). I hope this tutorial helps some of you and that you can enjoy your curls for three days like me! 
↧
↧

8 Pregnancy Must-Haves

January 17, 2017, 9:57 am
$
0
0


Here are my top pregnancy must-haves which I can't live without and have stood the test of time throughout each of my pregnancies!

1. Water
This sounds like a no-brainer but honestly drinking enough water is so important during pregnancy. I always try to force myself to drink 2L of water a day but especially when I'm pregnant as I get so dehydrated when I don't! So whether you buy a big 2L bottle of water to keep in the fridge and fill up everyday, or a 1L one that you refill twice...or if you want to buy a re-useable one there are plenty available to choose from. Personally I am always more motivated to drink water when it's really cold so I make sure to get in 4 500ml bottles a day which I keep in the fridge so they're easy to grab. 

2. Prenatal vitamins
I've taken Pregnacare Max with every pregnancy and I would recommend them to anyone. These are a little bit better than the normal kind as they come with two tablets - a prenatal multivitamin which includes folic acid and an omega-3 fish oil capsule. Not only are these great for your baby's development but you'll also find they benefit your hair, skin and nails too! I love taking these and continue on even when I'm breastfeeding.  

3. Maternity bra
I was quite late to the party this time around but a good quality, supportive maternity bra is SO important. Your boobs grow a lot during pregnancy and things can get pretty uncomfortable & sore. Minimising discomfort in your chest and back area will actually make a huge difference to how you feel when pregnant. I remember the first time I tried on a maternity sports bra when I was pregnant with Emilia and I almost cried with relief. My favourite at the moment is the Cake Lingerie Croissant Nursing bra but I also really rate the Motherhood Sports Clip Down Nursing bra with the racer back straps as they can sometimes be the most comfortable style.  

4. Maternity leggings
If there's one thing I've learned in pregnancy it's that leggings are your BEST friend. There comes a time (usually around the third trimester) when you don't even want to look at a pair of maternity jeans...comfy stretchy leggings are where it's at! I have countless pairs but my most recent favourite are these Isabella Oliver ones which come with an over-the-bump panel. I love the premium quality of these and also own them in an under the bump style but prefer the added support of the extra fabric.  

5. Bio Oil
Whether you've already got stretch marks from previous pregnancies or you're just preventing them, every pregnant woman should have some bio-oil in their life! I got them around my bellybutton but used this stuff religiously (even afterwards) and they faded right down to being almost unnoticeable. However your belly does stretch and obviously get larger during pregnancy so you want to keep your skin well-moisturised either way. So I use this everyday at night time (because it will stain your clothes though it comes out in the wash...but I'd prefer to get my pyjamas oily!) before bed. I slather it all over my boobs, belly and hips to prevent new stretch marks and also to help with the old ones.  

6. Dream Genii pillow
I had this pillow during my last two pregnancies and repurchased it this time round (as I think I got rid of it when we moved). This is something I normally start to use in the second trimester when sleeping gets uncomfortable and you need more support at night. You sleep on your side with the long bit between your legs which is basically the equivalent to the old school way of keeping one leg elevated with a pillow in between them (my mum used to do this!). The only difference is this moulds to your shape and also provides some back support with the shorter side bit. You can also use the Dream Genii afterwards for nursing if you wrap it around you like a shelf for your baby.  

7. Rennie tablets
You may be lucky enough not to get heartburn during pregnancy but I always suffer with it and I actually think it gets worse every time! Thankfully though there are many ways to combat it and I cannot live without Rennie tablets during this stage of the pregnancy! I literally carry them around everywhere with me and the relief it instant after taking one. I also love how they just taste like mints so I never think of them as a medicine nor are they a chore to take! I like the spearmint flavour...though I think they do lots of different kinds now.

8. What to Expect app
There are so many pregnancy apps available now and even since my first pregnancy with Emilia there has been a huge increase in the amount that are out there! I've downloaded quite a few but the one I keep going back to time & time again which I feel is the most informative and easiest to keep up with is the What to Expect Pregnancy app. This tracks your pregnancy and sends you weekly updates on symptoms, your baby's growth as well as reminders on what you should be doing or planning throughout each stage of pregnancy. 

I hope this blog post helps, especially if you're going through your first pregnancy and are looking for some tips! These are definitely the items I would recommend to anybody and what has always worked for me. Let me know if you have any pregnancy must-haves you'd like to add to this list as well!
↧

What I Ate Wednesday {17.1.17}

January 18, 2017, 11:05 am
$
0
0

7:45am
Lately I've been getting the dreaded pregnancy symptom that gave me hell last time...constipation!! :( (If that's TMI for you, then you probably shouldn't be reading this blog - haha!) But this pregnancy it hasn't been as awful so far and I'm doing everything I can to treat it/prevent it as naturally as possible. So I have been adding in this morning "digestion tonic" if you will and it really does help! It's just hot water mixed with a bit of cold (so I can drink it straight away) with half a lemon squeezed in. That's it! Drink on an empty stomach and it will honestly be your life-saver ;)


9:20am
Jonathan, Eduardo and I went to Bill's for breakfast after dropping Emilia off at school. This has become our little morning tradition whenever Eduardo isn't at nursery or we're not busy with something else and he loves it! I ordered the porridge with soy milk, banana, hazelnuts and honey. I also got a black coffee and drank a bottle of water. 


12:30pm
I wasn't hungry again until lunch as that breakfast really filled me up! I had a big tuna salad with boiled eggs, red onion, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and olive oil with a bottle of water. This salad is so delicious, I had it twice last week! I love the combination of egg and tuna...yum. 


4:30pm
Later that afternoon I had a black coffee (to keep myself awake!) some melon slices and a medjool date. Bit of a random snack I know...but I couldn't figure out what I wanted to eat and ended up grabbing stuff from the fridge without really thinking about it!


6:15pm
We usually eat dinner around 6 o'clock but I was still cooking and getting hungry again. What I've found in the third trimester is that I'm constantly hungry if I'm not suffering with heartburn! So I had another quick snack of a banana and spoon of peanut butter. 


6:30pm
For dinner I made beef steaks (done in a sandwich press/grill by Cuisinart which is honestly my favourite kitchen appliance I've ever bought! It's amazing! We make everything in this.) with broccoli and I had leftover potato/parsnip mix from the night before. There was sweet potato in it but that was all gone as it's everybody's favourite! I've never been a fan of steak and wouldn't order it in a restaurant but these actually turned out really good! And Jonathan was super happy :) To drink I had a bottle of water.


8:45pm
Dessert was actually pretty healthy as I had one of my vegan brownies I baked over the weekend which the kids don't like (they tell me it's because there's nuts in them...ughhh) and Jonathan isn't a fan either (boo) but I happen to think they're good! Although I would not call these brownies. They're drier and more like a banana chocolate walnut loaf cake. But I like them because they're healthy, I know all of the ingredients that are in them and they're quite rich & dense. Plus I used good quality chocolate so you know it's good :) I had one with a few raspberries as the combination is delicious, plus a peppermint licorice tea and another water! 


And that's all folks! Feel free to check out my What I Ate video above to see what we got up to yesterday!
↧

Body Image Advice & Quitting Smoking!

January 20, 2017, 11:11 am
$
0
0

Here's a tip on how to wear over-the-knee boots when pregnant...don't. Mark my words, you.will.regret.it. About 20 minutes into pulling them on this morning I really should have given up, but I persisted and then had the same battle later that day when I attempted to take them off. Well, let's just say I got my workout in for the day! There was lots of sweating, panting, straining and eventually shouting of profanities. But at least the pictures turned out nice and that's all that matters, right?! Haha.

Boots aside this was a really comfy outfit & one I wore a slight variation of last week when we went into London. The jeans are my new faves from Seraphine maternity. Stretchy, soft denim with an over-the-bump panel...perfect! The black jumper actually doubles as a nursing top with the side-buttons and is also from Seraphine. This reminds me of an old (non-maternity) GAP one I used to have years ago which I loved and am pretty sure I featured it on the blog a few times too. My boots were really affordable Daisy Street ones I got from ASOS a while ago and aside from the fact that they're a nightmare for a preggo to get on & off, they are super comfortable - even during my long walk back from Eduardo's nursery! My Hermes scarf& cuff were Christmas presents from Jonathan.


Today I also filmed an Ask Anna video which had been a long time coming as I hadn't done one of these in a while! I answered questions on body image advice, quitting smoking (even though I'm totally unqualified to give that advice! But I tried!) and how to know if you're ready for babies! Let me know what you think of the video and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! 
↧
Search

Luxury Haul for 3 Kids

January 25, 2017, 2:05 am
$
0
0

Apologies for the lack of videos & blog posts but this week has been manic! We were in London all day Monday so I filmed yesterday instead and wanted to get this luxury kids' sale haul up for you before everything goes out of stock! This was the first haul where I bought clothes for three children which is crazy! I'm still getting used to the idea of soon having three, haha! Eduardo didn't have nursery yesterday so he joined me for the video. I actually didn't think he would last the whole time but he was really well behaved and aside from flinging a Moana doll around the room and constantly losing her in my pillows he kept pretty quiet! Here are the links to everything I bought - there is one non-sale item and some things are already out of stock. I imagine most things are going to be gone soon so if you see something you like, act quickly! 

For Emilia







For Eduardo






For Baby






↧
↧

What I Ate Wednesday {24.1.17}

January 26, 2017, 9:57 am
$
0
0

7:45am
Sorry my blog posts are all late this week! But I'm finally getting round to posting this week's What I Ate Wednesday. That awful third trimester symptom from hell (I'm talking about constipation - sorry if that's TMI again but you know, this is real life!) seems like it's here to stay though thankfully it's not as bad as last time around & I'm dealing with it in a more natural approach...in other words, no drugs so far! Hot water with lemon in the mornings has been helping a bit, as well as the other obvious ones such as drinking plenty of water, eating lots of fibre etc. To make my lemon water all I did was fill this cup mostly with boiling water and the rest with cold, then squeeze half a lemon into it and that's it! I try to drink the whole thing before embarking on the school run. 


9:20am
For breakfast we went to Carluccio's after school drop-off (just Emilia today - so Eduardo joined us!) and I got this amazing pink porridge! This was my first time eating breakfast at Carluccio's and I wasn't expecting it to be pink! So cool! It came with "woodland berries", apple and honey. I also got a black coffee & bottle of still water.  


12:20pm
Our breakfast was quite filling so the next time I ate was at lunch. It doesn't look very appetising unfortunately...haha sorry about that! I bought octopus & squid which comes in little tins and one of them was in a sort of vinaigrette sauce that made everything brown. But it did taste good, I promise haha! This octopus salad is totally made up of other veggies and ingredients that were in the fridge including cauliflower, red onion, sweetcorn and egg. I forgot to drink water with my meal but I did drink a bottle after I came home from bringing Emilia to swimming. 


3:30pm
My afternoon snack was very green-themed! It wasn't intentional but just worked out that way! I was quite hungry in the afternoon so had two kiwis, a Dove's Farm apple & sultana flapjack (these are amazing!) and some homemade kale crisps which we just baked in the oven until crispy with sea-salt. I also had a black coffee to keep myself awake! 


6:30pm
For dinner we had beef chilli in corn wraps with added avocado slices, kidney beans, salsa, sour cream and grated cheddar cheese on top. These were soooo delicious! Both Jonathan & I loved them and they were super filling as well. Jonathan had his without the sour cream and a little more beef. To drink I had another bottle of water. 


9:30pm
At the moment we are spending our evenings watching Shooter on Netflix which isn't the best show in the world but for now it fills a gap! This was my dessert/showtime treat. I was actually quite full from dinner but made a chai tea with almond milk and had a few of these Dove's Farm fruity oat biscuits (which are delicious!! Jonathan has rationed us both to four a night after I devoured the last pack in one sitting. Oops...hahaha!)


That's all for today but feel free to check out my vlog of the day, including Emilia's baby name slip! ;) 
↧

January Favourites 2017

January 30, 2017, 12:41 pm
$
0
0

I didn't have a whole lot of beauty favourites this month but I'd rather give you guys my honest opinions on what I've tried rather than try & load my video/blog posts with lots of products. These were the ones that stood out to me this month: 






↧

What I Ate Wednesday {31.1.17}

February 1, 2017, 1:42 pm
$
0
0

8:45am
Breakfast this morning was plain yoghurt with fresh blueberries under my favourite granola. This is the Nature's Path Nice & Nobbly organic granola with berries and yoghurt chunks & it is so yummy! I also had my usual coffee (black) and bottle of water. 


12:30pm
We had a doctor's appointment in London so afterwards we went for lunch in The Natural Kitchen. I ordered the "Antioxi" smoothie which has banana and mixed berries in it (really delicious) along with a bottle of still water. 


I also got the halloumi cheese salad with quinoa, baby spinach, red peppers and broccoli. This was good but not the best salad I've ever had. I'm not sure if I like halloumi this way - I'm used to having it grilled and a bit less tough! 


4pm
After we got home, I made myself another black coffee and my favourite snack: a Pink Lady apple and some peanut butter! I'm really loving almond and peanut butter lately...I don't know why but I can't get seem to get enough of it! I also had another bottle of water.


6:30pm
We had prawn curry with rice for dinner which is one of our family's go-to's as everybody loves it. The curry is made with coconut cream, leeks, onions, red peppers and curry powder and the rice is risotto/arborio rice with frozen mixed veggies thrown in (sweetcorn, carrots, peas). With this I also had another bottle of water...I was SO thirsty! 


9pm
I was so tired I ended up falling asleep at around 7:30pm after putting the kids to bed...oops! I did wake up and take a shower though, got into my pyjamas & watched Homeland with Jonathan! I also made myself a chai tea latte with almond milk and had two of these Biona blueberry cookies. These are quite big and more like 4 biscuits as they're sort of like two sandwiched together with blueberry jam. Yum! I drank another bottle of water too which comes to five bottles today! I'm not usually that good with water but I think at this stage of pregnancy my body is craving more!


If you'd like to watch my vlog of the day where I talk about getting teary at our baby scan (I was so emotional!), you can catch up on that here!
↧

Throwback Thursday: My Mummy

February 2, 2017, 11:00 am
$
0
0

Today's throwback isn't of me...it's of my cute little mummy! So many of you have already commented on how similar she & Emilia look, well I think this photo just proves it even more! She reminds me so much of Emilia in her baby pictures (I think it's the eye shape and hair colour). 

I actually have a picture of Emilia wearing a similar style of dress to this in a very similar pose which I did a side-by-side comparison of but unfortunately the dress she's wearing is her summer school uniform so I can't share it! :( But they both look so alike! What do you think?! 

I also secretly would love to have added a bow to my mum's hair but my granny is really anti-bows (even on Emilia...and she has no problem telling me, hahaha) so I doubt she ever wore one!
↧
↧

What's in my Hospital Bag

February 3, 2017, 12:14 pm
$
0
0

This has been one of my favourite, comfiest outfit to wear at this stage of pregnancy. The leggings are my Isabella Oliver over-the-bump ones which I am tempted to buy another pair of as I love them so much! These are the BEST fit & quality ever! The grey v-neck t-shirt is not maternity but just a basic from J.Crew I got last year when we were in America...and I only noticed after taking these pictures that it's got a few stains on it - oops! Probably either from food (the bump tends to get in the way!) or bio-oil! My shirt is from All Saints and I honestly didn't love it when I first bought it but I think it looks a lot better when worn open like this. The quality is nice & silky but the way it buttons up isn't the most flattering on me. My boots are by YSL.


Today I also filmed the highly requested What's in my Hospital Bag video. Here's the list I got from my hospital which a lot of you were interested in on Snapchat. 


Some other items I mentioned in the video are:

Chloe Gownie from Baby Be Mine
Sophie Maternity Sleeveless Nightgown
Sophie Maternity Robe
Chloe Pillowcase
Sophie Laundry Bag
Labour Socks
It's A Girl Socks

Bio-Oil
Lanolin Cream

I hope this video/post helps if you're packing your hospital bag too! 
↧

What's in Baby's Hospital Bag

February 6, 2017, 11:51 am
↧
Search

What I Ate Wednesday {7.2.17}

February 8, 2017, 3:10 pm
$
0
0

8:40am
Breakfast this morning was scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast made with almond milk, salt & pepper. I also had a bottle of water and black coffee. 


11:30am
I got my nails done in the morning and by the time I was finished I was hungry again. Thankfully I packed a snack in my bag (for once...I usually forget!) so I had this apricot & chia seed flapjack by Doves Farm. This and the apple & sultana one are my favourite flavours! 


12:40pm
Lunch was a pretty simple but yummy salad made with chicken, avocado, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, salt pepper and olive oil. I also had another bottle of water.


4:30pm
Later that afternoon I made myself a snack of chopped up pear with almond butter (such a good combo!) and a black coffee. 


6:30pm
For dinner we had one of our usual midweek meals - baked salmon with sweet potato, parsnips & carrots. These are roasted in the oven with some olive oil, salt, pepper and dried parsley. It's such an easy, healthy yet delicious meal and thankfully the kids love it too! With my dinner I also drank another bottle of water. 


8:45pm
We are currently watching Frequency (just finished it last night) on Netflix so I made myself a little evening snack of an almond milk chai tea latte and some Green & Blacks almond & milk chocolate (I just realised how many almonds I consumed during this What I Ate Wednesday...hahaha! That was not intentional, but I do really like almonds!). After this I had another bottle of water, and yes that does mean I need to wake up to pee multiple times a night...so annoying! But this pregnancy is making me thirsty!


Check out my vlog of today above! Featuring the baby bump & Emilia and Eduardo being cutie pies at breakfast :)
↧

Throwback Thursday: Valentine's Day

February 9, 2017, 11:00 am
$
0
0

This week I thought I'd take you for a walk down memory lane and I rooted out some OLD Valentine's Day videos that I made for my channel back in 2011 and 2012 (pre kids!). These gave me a good laugh to watch back and hopefully you'll be as entertained as I was!

Valentine's Day Makeup
The first one I filmed was Valentine's Day makeup tutorial in 2011. This is pretty bad...well, the eye makeup is okay. But can someone say EYEBROWS?? And the frosty lip colour...nooooo! Hahaha but I'm sure I thought it looked good at the time and that's all that matters, right?!


Valentine's Day Outfit Ideas
This video is pretty cute actually - I show you three Valentine's outfit ideas all featuring a red and black theme. I thought this was sweet, especially since February is always freezing cold in Ireland/England and you can tell I tried to keep that in mind with the tights and layering...hahaha! I also can't believe I was that tiny!!


Vegan Valentine's Cupcakes
I clearly was on a roll in 2011 because it seems these Valentine's videos were a three part series! Now I'm lucky if any themed videos go up ever! This recipe was a bit of a disaster...in fact, remembering back to it I'm pretty sure it was a complete disaster! Hahaha! Vegan baking just never seems to go right for me! Also I'm wondering why on earth this was filmed so late at night as it's pitch black outside?!


Red Velvet Valentine's Cupcakes
Fast forward to 2012 when I was pregnant with Emilia and clearly ditched the vegan baking idea! Another midnight cooking session it seems (once again...why?!) and this time they seem to have turned out okay but unfortunately for me the icing looks like a beige-y brown runny slime. Hahaha...oh dear! I hadn't realised how far I've come with my cupcake baking skills! Not that I'm a pro or anything but...you know. These all look quite terrible! 


Valentine's Day Vlog 2011
And finally here are some Valentine's Day SacconeJolys vlogs! Fun and little known fact about this oldest one from 2011 which I hardly feature in AT ALL...is that Jonathan and I had a massive fight this day! Hahaha! I got him a card and chocolate and he completely forgot to get me anything. We both still remember it and laugh about it now, but that's the reason why we got pizza and didn't bother going out or doing anything special. It seems those outfit/makeup videos were all in vain!!


Valentine's Day Vlog 2012
I think this vlog makes me laugh the most because it's clear that Jonathan learned his lesson from the previous year as he actually remembered to get me flowers this time! And good thing he did because I was pregnant (though early on) with Emilia!


Valentine's Day Vlog 2013
Our first Valentine's Day with Emilia, and how things have changed! I got upgraded to flowers, a card AND pancakes too! Also my hair was so short! 


Valentine's Day Vlog 2014
Life got a lot busier in 2014...Emilia was a toddler and I was heavily pregnant with Eduardo! We were in Dublin for Jonathan's birthday and visiting family. Not a lot of time for romantic stuff as we were obviously very much in baby mode! But I think this was one of the most fulfilled/happiest I've felt on V-day!


Valentine's Day Vlog 2015
We had moved to the UK in this one so a different house and new setting. I find it funny that as life progresses with two small kids, these Valentine's Day videos become less and less Valentine-sy! This vlog had little to no mention of it at all and was more about the fact that I had gone with a friend to get her a new puppy! 


Valentine's Day Vlog 2016
Last year's vlog was quite a sad one in that we were leaving Ireland after our visit there for Jonathan's birthday and the kids never like saying goodbye to my mum :( Again there's hardly any mention of V-day but as date nights are normally limited to once a week we had used up that token on Jonathan's birthday which is the day before! However my hubby is a smart guy and remembered to get me a Valentine's card...hahaha!

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane! I think it's always fun & interesting to look back on the last few years to see how much has changed and how we've grown as people! Enjoy the videos and hope your Valentine's Day is extra special this year :)

↧
↧

Third Trimester Pregnancy Vlog

February 20, 2017, 11:08 am
$
0
0

Here is my third and last pregnancy vlog! I am currently approaching the last leg of this journey and as much as I appreciate it & do love being pregnant, I'm ready for it to be over! Being that I got pregnant in March 2016, miscarried in May and then found out I was pregnant again in July this means that I feel like I've literally spent the last year pregnant! It's been a tough old time with lots of highs & lows but I think I'm ready to be done. Having said that I do still enjoy carrying babies and I'm not going to lie, I have been lucky enough to remain low-risk every pregnancy with very minimal symptoms. In other words, things could be a lot worse! But every woman who has experienced this knows that the last few weeks are the slowest, longest and probably the hardest! Here are a few of the symptoms I've been experiencing this trimester:

- bleeding gums
- heartburn (really bad!)
- leg cramps
- insomnia
- shortness of breath
- change in hair type

I go into more detail on each symptom in my vlog, and also show you the belly shot at the end as well as talk about weight gain, stretch marks and all the fun stuff that goes along with pregnancy! :) Hope you enjoy! If you have any questions, just leave them down below and I will try to answer them! 
↧

Tips for Travelling with Kids

February 21, 2017, 11:00 am
$
0
0

This week I thought I'd share my tips for travelling with kids, being that last week was our big road trip to Ireland. We drove 5 hours from our house in Surrey to Wales, then took a two hour ferry to Dublin where we stayed for four nights. After that we drove 2 and 1/2 hours to Cork where we spent three nights. The most difficult part of the journey was the drive back as it involved a 5am start from Cork, 2 and 1/2 hour drive to Dublin, 90 minute ferry trip, followed by the 5 hour drive in the UK. Poor Jonathan was exhausted! :( But honestly it was so worth it. Having our own car, not having to deal with the stress of airport security, arriving way ahead of time, the flight itself and so on...I definitely recommend driving if you can manage it!  

I am by no means an expert on travelling with children but we do it quite a lot and everytime I feel like I learn a little more. So here are my tips for now on what I've learned and what works for us!  

1. Make a packing list for each child. This was something I covered in my packing video so if you want more detail on what I do you can go ahead and watch that! I seriously can't stress enough how much a packing list helps...and not just one massive list. You need to make one for each child otherwise it gets overwhelming. What I like to do is refer back to previous lists everytime we travel because they almost always end up being very similar. If it helps you can also bring the list with you on holiday so that you have it to use when you're re-packing everything back up. That way you won't forget anything or leave it in the hotel! 


2. Bring a sh*t-tonne of snacks. Like, seriously...I mean loads. Believe me when I say they will run out and it will happen fast! I would say about half an hour into our road trip my two had already devoured almost half the stash I brought! Thankfully I packed way more than I originally had anticipated bringing so we were okay but by the time we reached Ireland everything was gone! What I really should have done is re-stocked in a Tesco or Dunnes Stores on our visit but I stupidly kept forgetting to! On our way I had packed fresh and dried fruit, Organix snacks, YoYos/bear paws/dino paws (fruit snacks) and water. Oh and another thing to remember when packing snacks? The BIN BAG and some wipes!! Because there will be a lot of waste and sticky fingers ;)  


3. This is a hard one but my advice is to try and keep the routine as much as possible. I know it's so much easier said than done, trust me. But even if you try to just keep bedtime and wake-time the same as normal it helps a lot. Otherwise you're just going to have two (or however many kids you have!) very cranky, whingey children which isn't nice for you or them! We've had trips when the bedtimes have just got out of hand, so I speak from experience and I know how difficult it is! But I think if you're quite strict about it from the get-go and just explain to other family members/friends how important it is that they're in bed by a certain time they will definitely understand. Emilia and Eduardo are over the napping stage which makes it a bit easier as we don't have to adhere to that schedule anymore but I've found that if your baby/toddler naps you can get away with doing that in the buggy/car or on the go. 

4. Don't overpack toys, books and things they use at home especially when you're going to be doing activities and/or visiting family. Obviously this is different if you're getting on a plane, train or bus where you'll need toys and things to distract them on long journeys (though iPads are a life-saver for this!). But I have made the mistake of over-packing toys far too many times...then we visit family & friends, the kids get loads of presents and we're left with zero packing space. Oops. Even this time, I brought far too many books. Once we're on holiday the kids are often so exhausted by the time bedtime rolls around that they don't even want/need a story. The key toys I bring are the comfort ones they sleep with for bedtime, some sort of entertainment for the journey (we had our car so we brought DVDs) and that's it.


5. This tip may only apply to me, I don't really know. But if you're anything like me and tend to sometimes stress about the kids' healthy eating going out the window whilst on holiday...don't. It's not worth it. I used to get so upset when they wouldn't eat certain things or would revert back to all of a sudden being fussy eaters at mealtimes in restaurants or hotels. Now I know it's normal and sometimes when their routine is all out of whack, all kids want to eat are the same three foods over & over. And that's okay. Something I've learned is that if you are getting stressed out and it's affecting your mood & holiday, just drop it. I'm pretty sure there were days in Ireland when my two didn't consume one vegetable. But now that we're back home and their routine has gone back to normal they are good little eaters again! I think part of it is a comfort thing; everything else is out of the ordinary so they only want certain foods that they are used to and anything else seems scary or unfamiliar. I mainly try to keep their snacks to healthy fruit (like at home) if I can and then I don't stress too much about the other stuff. 

I hope these tips help you! I tried to think up what would genuinely help me if I was looking for this kind of information...travelling with kids is not easy but if you're a tiny bit organised, pre-plan some stuff beforehand and commit to enjoying yourself as a family & not getting stressed out you will be fine :) 

↧

Pregnancy Workout - 3rd Trimester

March 6, 2017, 2:47 pm
$
0
0

Hey guys! Here's my current workout routine for trimester 3! I do this about 2-3 times a week (realistically lately it's been more like two) and repeat the workout twice more so it lasts about 20-30 minutes. I absolutely love this workout as it's kept me fit & toned throughout my pregnancy, yet I never feel like I'm over-doing it. All these exercises are 100% safe to do if you're pregnant and I promise you will feel amazing after even one round :)

Here's a breakdown of all the moves we do: 

30-40x Knee Lifts & Arms
30x Squats
20x Squat Backs
30-40x Skater's Lunges
100x Arm Circles
10x Standing Lunges (each leg)
30x Leg Lifts (each leg)
20x Plié Squats & Arms
3-5x Abs
3-5x Pelvic Floor Lifts
20x Plié Squats & Bust Lifts

Hope this helps and let me know if you did the workout! 
↧
Viewing all 780 articles
Browse latest View live
Search