Let's talk about baby weight

So as you may know I had baby 10 weeks ago and we went on our first family holiday at the end of October. It was one of those awkward situations where none of my pre-pregnancy summer clothes fit and I didn't want to buy a whole new wardrobe as I knew I'd be losing the baby weight, so I just took my maternity dresses and some leggings with baggy tops. Bad idea as I felt uncomfortable and too hot! I'm not complaining too much though;the weather was amazing and it gave me the perfect opportunity to buy a couple of outfits while out there!

Anyway, one sunny afternoon we moseyed into the town of Albufeira to have a look round and visit the beach. Elliott needed a feed so we stopped at a bench and Pete began to feed him. Being the magpie that I am, I saw a shop with pretty things, got distracted and wandered over to it. For some reason I took the now empty buggy with me, auto pilot I guess. A man outside his restaurant trying to persuade custom said to me "Where's the baby?" "Haha" I responded "I knew I'd forgotten something!" His response absolutely dumbfounded me "Expecting another?" "No!" I snapped back and walked off. Now I was wearing my JoJo Maman Bebe maxi dress which is figure hugging. However, does this random man have the right to ask me, when he can see I have a small baby as it is, whether I am pregnant again? I think not.

These pictures were taken 3 months apart. Yes the tummy is still there but so is the happy, healthy baby boy that my body grew and protected for 9 months! 

I don't understand why people feel the right to ask this question of anyone. Would you go up to someone who you think looks poorly and say "got cancer?" I think not (my mum had cancer - horrible disease!) I mean maybe people do, but it's not appropriate. What is happening to our bodies is our business and if we choose to share it then that's fine. Up until that point I was actually feeling pretty good about my body; I didn't put on as much weight as when I had Harrison and I was proud of what my body had done, producing 2 beautiful children, something I know not all ladies are lucky enough to experience. This was a bit of a blow though and it knocked my confidence.

Mums, we need to look after ourselves and our bodies, but in our own time. If you have just given birth or are pregnant, your amazing body is growing and protecting that child of yours - that is a miracle. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I am now back at Slimming World, a place I feel confident I will loose my baby weight, as I did with Harrison (I would absolutely recommend it!) but I did it in my own time.  I am a true believer that there's no point rushing weigh loss. I see so many people going for it with these fad diets with milkshakes and god knows what and all they do is pile on the weight, plus some more, once they quit. I took 2 years to loose my baby weight with Harrison but it stayed off. As long as we mums are looking after ourselves by eating well, exercising (a given when you're a mum - am I right?) and drinking plenty of water then that's all that matters. Our body is like an engine and if we're not looking after it, it will fail and we won't have the energy we need to look after our kids; that's just not on.



So I suppose what I'm trying to say is: mums you're bloody amazing and beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you different and rush you into loosing baby weight; do it in your own time and try your best to be happy in your own skin. Think of all the positives that amazing body of yours has given you and if you ever start to feel down, take some time for yourself; have a pamper,  buy yourself an outfit you feel sassy in because trust me, if we are happy and healthy, it'll rub off on our children.

If you've had a similar experience to me then please share, I know I won't be the only one!

Have a lovely week!

Alice
X

He's arrived! (well he did 10 weeks ago!)

Well, what a few months this has been! After my last post re tiredness my pregnancy ran smoother although I did suffer further with tiredness and achyness. Once I got myself a bump band (from JoJo Maman Bebe) and lots of very early nights I felt better.

I made sure I looked after myself - I bought maternity clothes, mostly from Debenhams, JoJo Maman Bebe, H&M and Matalan so I felt a lot more sassy than during my first pregnancy when I mostly wore hand me downs that weren't my style and made me feel unattractive. For some reason maternity clothing costs the earth - because they can I guess - if anyone business savvy wants to set up an affordable maternity clothes shop with me I think we'd do great! That being said it's definitely worth taking some time and treating yourself mums! I looked out for sales and got most of my dresses for under £20!

My baby shower, surrounded by all the amazing women in my life. I am one lucky lady! (with one silly husband, if you spotted Pete in the background!)

One of the hardest things for me during my pregnancy was not knowing what we were having as I like to be super organised and get everything ready. Of course, I didn't mind what I had  - I just wanted a healthy baby. However, I must admit the rush of being the one to see and reveal the sex at the birth was kind of worth it (but don't tell Pete!) I had a lovely, chilled water birth. I have been studying mindfulness a lot and my friend has recently trained as a hypnobirther (I'm not sure whether this is the correct technical term - sorry Fran!) If you're thinking of completing a course on hypnobirthing I would highly recommend Fran. Check her facebook page out by following the link: https://www.facebook.com/mamagotthisfran/
She gave me some great advice and I was totally ready when it was time for Elliott to make his arrival. In fact, Pete didn't even believe I was far along enough "You're too calm!" he said - brilliant! If you want to hear more about the birth, just let me know.

Just chilling in the birthing pool

Elliott Stephen John Loates arrived on 23rd August 2017, 3 days early and much earlier than expected as Harrison was a week late! As soon as Elliott arrived I was broody for the next one. I was just so ecstatically happy! I must admit that has faded a bit now. I love my boys to bits but the tiredness has kicked in so adding another bub to the mix right now probably isn't the best idea!

Harrison is making a super big brother. He started school in September so there has been a lot of change for him but he's coping well. Over the last few weeks his behavior had started to deteriorate but with a little TLC and by really focusing on not getting snappy and shouting at him (tiredness does horrible things) it has improved and he's back on track.

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is our other new member of the family. The cuteness competition is on! Tilly Beau Loates arrived on 22nd August (yes the day before Elliott) Tilly is a rescue dog we adopted from a pound in Cyprus so she wasn't allowed to travel until she was 4 months old. I had a niggling feeling that she would end up arriving at the same time as the baby (didn't realise it would be that close) but she was too cute to say no and I knew I could cope. We are extremely lucky because she is the sopiest most loving little pup you ever met - such a lap dog! We all love her very much! She's just been spayed so she's in the cone of shame at the moment. Even so, she's loving all the extra cuddles.

Tilly Beau Loates

We've already had our first family holiday; we went to Portugal over October half term. I LOVED it there. We stayed at the Paraiso De Albufeira where we had a room with a little kitchen - perfect for making up bottles. They had good food, great facilities and fantastic entertainment, especially for the kids. Travelling with the kids was fine; Harrison played on the kindle and the baby slept; I held him in the baby carrier to save my arms. Mum and Dad came too. It was lovely to spend time with them and have help with the kids. We had a well needed break and I can't wait to go back there again (next year, fingers crossed).

Elliott's first family holiday. 

That's all for now folks - I'm off to have a bath with a relaxing Lush bath bomb as both kids are in bed and we've been fed- go me! I hope you've enjoyed this update. If you have any questions or would like me to talk in more detail about anything please comment below :)

Alice

X

15 weeks pregnant and tired!

I'm up the duff! Harrison is one excited little boy.

 I shared the happy news with the world last week that Pete, Harrison and I are expecting a new addition to the our little family. However exciting this new is, it doesn't stop the feeling of pure exhaustion I am experiencing right now. Since finding out I'm pregnant, I have been feeling sick, tired, had sore boobs and have what I would call  a superhuman sense of smell. Although I haven't actually been sick, every time I smell something my newly pregnant body doesn't like, I wretch. My lovely husband, Pete, says that I sound like a dinosaur and my son, Harrison, now often imitates the sound - what a lovely pair of boys I have! I've also gone off everything I would normally love, in particular lush products, smelly candles and chocolate. It's like I'm a different person - newly discovering my likes and dislikes.

As I have previously mentioned, I am a teacher - a very full on and tiring job. This week the exhaustion has got so bad that I've had to come home from work this week and take a couple of days off. Now enters the mum guilt. I feel guilty that I'm not at work doing my job properly; I feel guilty that I can't play with Harrison as much; I feel guilty that I don't fancy doing the dinner or housework. Why is it that us women carry so much guilt?! I love my husband but when he gets in from work and goes straight on his computer instead of doing housework or playing with his child, I highly doubt he feels any guilt at all. Perhaps it's because we women are more of an emotional sex but it's draining and I do wish I could let it go every now and then.

I've been studying a lot about mindfulness recently and have discovered, understand and now use a little saying whenever I am worried, stressed or feeling low; 'it is what it is until it isn't'.  Simple words that say so much; there really is nothing I can do about the way I'm feeling at the moment, apart from of course eating and sleeping well - both of which I feel I am doing. I believe that feeling this tired is my body's way of saying "Alice, you are growing and carrying a small human being and you need to have a bloody rest!" So maybe for once I should listen to my body, take some rest and hopefully, as everyone keeps promising me, get my energy back in a few weeks time. Here's to hoping!



baby at 13 weeks :)

Any other expecting mums out there - I feel for you! Share your pregnancy experiences; every single one is different and even this pregnancy is nothing like my last one.

Have a great weekend!

Alice
  X






The wisdom tooth is out...

I can safely say my top right wisdom tooth was removed today. Now, as soon as my friends and family found out I was having the tooth removed, all I got was "oh that's really aweful" and "ouch, it  hurts so much!" I heard all the horror stories to the point that when I got to the dentist I was absolutely petrified. Now I've been quite stressed recently and suffering with panic attacks and I knew one was imminent when I arrived. As I lay in the plastic coated seat hyperventilating, the dentist popped some numbing cream in my mouth,  injected my gum, which was the worst bit but by no means as bad as shoving a child out of my vajayjay; a quick pull 5 minutes later and it was out! It didn't hurt at all although unsurprisingly is sore now so either everyone is making a fuss for nothing or my dentist is a miracle worker. What do you think? Have you had a wisdom tooth out? Was it that bad? Let's discuss! 
I must say I did receive an adorable bag containing my tooth along with a little message reminding me to put it under my pillow for the tooth fairy. I look forward to her visit tonight...
Over and out.
Alice
X

busy busy!

Well it has certainly been a busy few months! We have had some amazing times! Let me give you the low down...
We visited Venice, just the three of us. Venice is absolutely beautiful and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves a view and picture perfect moments. However, I wouldn't recommend visiting the area to anyone who has a three year old toddler. Probably should have thought this one through... there is a lot of water...and no barriers... and lots of steps which are not ideal for buggies...we spent the majority of the time chasing Harrison and having him ask 'Is there a park?' By the end of the trip we were exhausted so we managed to locate a park, a boat trip away and stayed there! It's also very easy to get lost there so I would recommend a Venice site seeing app that has GPS!




Picture perfect

Said grumpy toddler



Had an amazing bubble bath whilst watching Bridemaids.
As you do when in Venice...

St. Mark's Square

As this was during the Easter holidays I have another week off so I decided to go to Spain with my parents and Harrison (Pete was back at work) in their motorhome with their yappy dog, Phoebe.  Spain was amazing and I would definitely love to return (much more child friendly) but I don't think I thought through (there's a pattern here) all of us sharing a small enclosed space for a long period of time including a two day journey through France to get home. Harrison was actually very well behaved. I, however, was climbing the walls! I like to stop and see the sights so next time we go we will be flying! We saw some absolutely beautiful sights in Spain...

Said yappy dog



Guadalest - a beautiful town in the mountains of Spain. Well worth a visit! Heavenly.



The port in Barcelona. Such a beautiful city!



A beautiful sandy beach, somewhere near Benidorm.

We had a reasonably quiet June half term and were off holidaying again in the summer holidays. This time it was to our home away from home in France. We have a house in the Deux Sevres region of France; a tranquil location in the middle of the countryside with the nearest neighbour a mile away. When out in France we visited Terra Botanic. I would say it's well worth a visit there - especially with kids but just as much for adults too.


They had these super dressed up characters.
They scare the hell out of me but H loved them.

Lots of beautiful picture opportunities. Here I am in the Japanese
hydrangea garden.



Terra Botanic is a great place to go if you
love plants and nature.

 

One of my favourite sites in France is Saumur, a town situated beside the Loire river. We went to a jazz night at the wonderful Gratien et Meyer, a wine celler (if you like wine, Saumur is a good place to go). I think we paid something like 8 euros and got free bubbly and live jazz music as well as a stunning view as it is based on top of a steep hill.

H and Pete having a great time.



The gorgeous views up in Gratien et Meyer.

 My favourite town along the coast in France has to be La Rochelle. The old town with its cobble stone roads has such a great atmosphere, particularly in the summer months when the night market is in full swing and street entertainers line the roads; not to mention the food - fresh seafood and ice-cream of all flavours. Yum!

A picture perfect town

You can park and ride a boat into the town centre.

Then in September it was back to reality and back to school! As well as all of the amazing trips, I have been working very hard on my singing and have been picking up more gigs. If you or anyone you know need a singer, check me out at Alice Loates Singer . I will be back soon with an update on work and mum life!

Have a super week!

Alice

X

My two fave eggs

Hello and welcome back to Alice's Wonderland!

So, by popular demand (the one person who commented when I shared my last post on Facebook hehe) I am going to write about my two good eggs, AKA my besties. I have two amazing best friends and here they are. We met when I used to work at a financial services company about 4 years ago. I have since left and my husband has taken my place which is weird cause I feel like he sees my besties more than I do! However, on the flip side I have amazing spies and naggers, so swings and roundabouts. When we first met I was like "wow, these ladies have some sass about them!" We hit it off straight away and have been so close ever since. I love them to the moon and back. What do we do when we're together? Well mostly giggling and eating food! That and watching re-runs of Bridget Jones, Sex and the City or Bridesmaids - on loop! I do occasionally try to encourage them to watch a wider range of films but we always go back to our roots! We LOVE quoting from Bridesmaids - it cheers us up and gets us through the day.








 One things these girls will do is tell it like it is and that's what I love about them. If we've got a problem, we spill and we sort it out. We can discuss just about anything as well and share all our problems while giving honest opinions. After all, we want what's best for each other! One of the gals recently persuaded me to get my nether regions waxed. "It will change your life!" she said. It was the first wax I've ever had and oh my, did it hurt like a bitch! However, it does feel amazing now and I know it will last. So, there you go, I really do trust them with anything! 

  












As well as having these two crazies, the gang does extend every now and then for trips out (we love a road trip to Frinton!) and games nights. Whatever we do together, we always have such a laugh which is what you want I guess!          
      

 

                                                                                                                                          






















Not only are the girls amazing friends, they are also great with Harrison. They often offer to babysit to give me and Pete a break and they are so good with him. We appreciate their support so much, even when we sometimes come home late to find him sitting eating chocolate watching tv and having a lovely time ;)


 





















Finally, no matter what we do to one another we can always make up for it with a good cuddle. So there you go, my favourites, Elle and Robyn. I love them and always will. As long as they don't find a new bestie and bugger off!  

X

 I'm sure there are those of you out there who can relate - comment and share your stories. I don't think a girl can get through life without her besties.

That's all from Alice's Wonderland tonight. Have a great one.
                                                       

New year, calmer me!

Hey everyone!

So, I appreciate I have left it far too long between posts, I've just had a very busy Christmas period and am now finally feeling like I can breath again! School was hectic with the nativity. We did 'A Midwife Crisis'. Look it up - it's great! Then there was the Christmas shopping for all of my family and friends and of course all of Pete's - the woes of a woman, ey? I'm not gonna lie - loved every minute as shopping is my favourite hobby hehe.

I had a great Christmas break with Harrison. We did all sorts from turning our house into a grotto to making yummy Christmas cookies. They're super easy to make and just like the Millie's Cookies ones. Let me know if you'd like the recipe. We got Christmas sprinkles from Aldi - nice and cheap and so easy  to use with a bit of icing. These are great to make all year round!

a reindeer chandelier. We don't work by halves!

 



 I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from my classroom for any teachers out there. We studied Mog's Christmas and completed lots of Christmas crafts. We made a Christmas tree out of smaller Christmas tress that the children decorated.

I got myself a book called Calm with a voucher I received for Christmas. The title drew me in as I have a very hectic lifestyle and wanted to feel less stressed. I have been dipping in and out of the book as well as starting to meditate every day and completing a journal. In the journal I have to write something that has made me feel calm, something I am grateful for and 3 highlights of the day. Sometimes I write what I feel are mundane things like watching a great film but I feel like writing this information down helps me to concentrate on the positive things in my life and let go of any negative feelings a lot quicker. I certainly feel calmer in myself and am learning to live for now. After all, yesterday is history and tomorrow - who knows?! We need to live like every day is our last!

Following on from the above, I want to do more writing this year as it's something I have a great passion for. Please let me know what you would like me to write about. I have lots of loves - teaching/shopping for anything/being a Mummy/craft bits/cooking. I also plan to record more vlogs which I will share on here as and when.
 
That's all from Alice's wonderland today!

X