best pregnancy weight loss plan | First Stop New York

best pregnancy weight loss plan

Where better to start our amazing American road trip than New York? Our travels began in the city that never sleeps, and there we met with my sister and parents to celebrate both my sisters 30th birthday and parents 40th wedding anniversary.  We all rented an apartment in New Jersey through Airbnb.  If you havent heard of Airbnb before, you really need to, as its an amazing website where you can rent properties all over the world.  You can find out more about our recent Paris trip using Airbnb here.  

The apartment we rented was absolutely stunning.  It was situated on the Hudson river and only a short train ride into central New York. You can find the apartment here, and for 4 nights, it worked out at only £280 per person. From our window we could see and admire that amazing New York skyline. Not a bad view whilst eating your breakfast. 

So onto day one, and the sun was shining.  We all headed out to the only place to go in the sun, Central Park. We strolled around Central Park and had a lovely lunch at a place called Tavern on the Green. I know they normally advise you to eat in the not so touristy areas, but when you have one hungry pregnant lady (me) and a hangry toddler (my daughter), you go where you can find. I can highly recommend the New York bagel.  

That afternoon, I took my sister to see Les Miserables on Broadway as a birthday treat. My sister adores Les Miserables and had been trying to recreate some of the songs for me on our walk to the show.  I must say, Id seen the film, but wasnt the biggest fan. However, I am now a convert and the show was just amazing.  Its so worth going to see a show on Broadway if you get the chance.  

My mum and dad came to meet us afterwards and whilst they were waiting they saw Dame Helen Mirren appear from one of the other theatres.  I will try and get the grainy picture from my dad and pop it in if I can!

That night we were all exhausted from a mixture of jet-lag and pounding the streets of New York, so we ordered in a pizza which I munched away in my pjs whilst watching the city of New York doing its New Yorky things.
  

Day two and me, my husband, daughter and mum decided to have a wander to Hoboken in New Jersey.  My sister and dad had decided to go to the 9/11 memorial. We had some breakfast and did a little exploring before heading back to our apartment.  Right outside of our apartment was a play area, sand pit and water park which was free to use, this obviously got the thumbs up from my daughter!  Here she is is ordering my mum around aboard her boat and then handing me a ticket to her pirate ship. I just dont know where she gets her bossiness assertiveness from!  

In the evening, we strolled along the Hudson river and we were going to get a boat across to see the Statue of Liberty, but, unfortunately all of the boats had stopped at 5pm!!! We were determined for my mum to get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty as she had never seen it, so we took this VERY zoomed in picture.  You can just about make out the statue by her hand! 

Day three and we headed to the New York High Line.  This wasnt there when I last went to New York and it was a must-see for me.  Its a public park built above the streets of Manhattan on an old rail road.  The walk along it was around 1.5 miles long with the vibrant city of New York humming below.  It was amazing walking between gorgeous smelling plants and flowers, in such a peaceful setting right in the heart of Manhattan. Id highly recommend it and my daughter loved running free and walking along the benches looking at the views below. 

In the afternoon we popped to Madison Square gardens.  My mum decided to give the locals some of her biscuit (my mum always had some goodies stashed away in her handbag!).  I do mean squirrels here, though I have a feeling we probably shouldnt have fed them.  But nonetheless, I managed to snap this little fellow before he took a bite. 

There was a lovely childrens play area in the gardens and we stayed a while, then headed to Central Park for ice-creams and to wander around the Shakespeare gardens. In the evening the three of us went to a local Thai restaurant called Box Bistro and Sushi Bar. It was absolutely delicious and I would highly recommend it. I have dreamt of Pad Thai since eating there.  

The next morning we waved goodbye to the city that never sleeps as we headed to JFK airport to catch our flight to San Francisco. 

Before I go, I thought Id share a few travel tips from our New York trip... 

We used the tube to get around in New York, but we did find that not all stations had elevator access and this meant my husband having to either carry the stroller or we folded it down.  This wasnt a major problem, but something to bear in mind.  

When we needed to get to places in New Jersey we used the taxi service Uber.  I have never used them before but they were so much cheaper than when we hailed a cab.  The service is all done through your phone via an app and it gives you the cost and which drivers are in your area, and it even shows you their journey to get to you so you are not waiting around needlessly.  As it is all done on the app, you dont even need to pay in cash, its charged to your account. Sorry if Im explaining something here that you already know about, but they dont have them in Derbyshire so the Uber service was a revelation to me and Id highly recommend using them. 

There are so many places to eat in New York and New Jersey it can be a bit overwhelming. We used the Yelp app to help us find nearby restaurants and also see reviews.  It was really handy and we found the reviews to be very accurate.  Its definitely worth taking a look. 

So, next stop on our travels...San Francisco.  

And I would love to hear any tips or recommendations for New York. Comments are always welcome down below please. 

Thanks for reading, 

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pregnancy weight loss pills | Last Stop San Diego

pregnancy weight loss pills

The final stop on our American road trip was San Diego, which was to be our home for our last four nights.  We stayed in La Jolla which is a gorgeous part of San Diego and Id highly recommend staying in the area. Whilst close to all that San Diego has to offer, La Jolla was beautiful in itself and it was lovely to just stroll around.  We stayed at the Empress Hotel and I would highly recommend it.  We had a family room which was huge and equipped with a mini kitchen, dining room and master bedroom.  My daughter and I also loved the freshly baked cookies that appeared every afternoon! 

Just a five minute stroll from our hotel and we were by the sea.  We were also really near the Childrens pool.  This beach has a wall built out to the sea to allow calmer waters for children. However, the calmer waters have resulted in the beach being populated by seals and their pups.  I think there is an ongoing debate as to if the seals should remain on the beach or if the beach should return to being a child friendly one.  

We were quite happy to just admire these beautiful creatures, if they were a little on the smelly side. 

Our favourite beach by far, was Shores beach. It was clean and had good facilities. It also had a great childrens play area too, so when my daughter got fed up of chasing the waves after a mere 5 hours, we then walked to the play area. Our favourite times were spent just playing in the sea and building sand castles.  

There was so much to see and do in San Diego and I would love to return to see more of this amazing city. We visited an area known as The Old Town Market, which was this fantastic Mexican outdoor market with shops, restaurants and lots of local history and interesting buildings.  

We also visited the Little Italy market, which runs every Saturday from 8am until 2pm, selling everything from beautiful art prints to flowers and fresh fruit. My advice is to go hungry because the food looked absolutely delicious. 

Balboa Park was also stunning and worth a visit, though we only saw a tiny part of it. 

Pacific Beach and Mission beach had lots to do too, from the gorgeous beaches themselves to mini golf (a must on holidays), shopping and so so many restaurants!  I have never eaten so much delicious fresh fish and seafood as I did in San Diego!  

On our last day we went to the pier at Pacific beach and went to Crystal Pier bait and tackle, where you can rent everything you need to try and catch a fish.  My husband has never fished in his life, so between the three of us I imagined us pulling up a tyre or surfer. My daughter found it very exciting, even if she did nearly attach us to the hook on more than one occasion!! 

But would you believe we caught a fish!!! An actual fish!!! It was absolutely huge...(please note, my husband has very, very large hands which gives the perception of the fish being smaller than it actually was!!!!!). You have to do this if you visit the area and the owners of the bait shop were really lovely and friendly. (I can confirm that no fish were harmed during our fishing expedition, and after being dropped on the board walk, the fish was returned safely to the water!). 

It was the perfect day to end our perfect trip.  

I felt like we had seen so many amazing things and it was lovely to spend so much time together, just the three of us.  

"Fill your life with experiences, not things.  Have stories to tell not stuff to show", Anon.

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pregnancy weight loss pictures | The truth behind the Instagram filters

pregnancy weight loss pictures

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram (whaaaat?! You dont?! Click the links to your right immediately), then you may be well aware of my recent holiday spam.  From pictures of the amazing California coastline to tweets about, well, food probably, my timeline has been full. 

But we all know that social media, well, it doesnt always tell the full story does it? Whilst giving us an amazing insight into the lives of others, it also filters, tints and downright ignores reality at times. In an effort to address this imbalance, I thought I would share with you my top five holiday embarrassments, cringes and downright awful moments, that I certainly did not Tweet or Instagram.  Brace yourselves.  

1. Landing in San Francisco

I wrote a blog post about my in-flight beauty products and my tips on looking good when disembarking the plane. Blah,blah,blah. As I disembarked our New York to San Francisco flight, I actually thought they would turn me away at customs because I looked so awful. In fact, I looked like I had some rare tropical disease and needed quarantining immediately.  My BFF, pregnancy sickness, struck about 3/4 of the way into the flight. Id had had a little sob under my blanket, bringing any mascara into lovely black shadows under my eyes, and as soon as we landed I ran straight for the toilets which were packed, to vomit. Glamorous times. 

2. The Toilet One

In America, the toilets have these little gaps down the side of the doors that means that people queuing up can see a bit of you in the cubicle.  I always found this strange and a little bit off putting.  In fact, this  meant I usually rushed in and rushed out as quick as humanly possible.  This also may be TMI, but I have a thing about sitting on public toilet seats...dont judge me. 

Anyway, we were at a nice restaurant for lunch one day, and I needed the toilet, so off I went.  It was really quiet so I thought I would relax a bit in this toilet and use one of the disposable seat covers and actually sit down. So as Im sat there, with my trousers round my ankles, guess what?  Yep, thats right, this woman opens the door. It happened in really slow motion and I couldnt even get up in time to shut the door. So shes just standing there and Im just sitting there.  It felt like an eternity passed before she shut the door. Ive never sat on another public toilet since. I may be scarred for life. 

3. Another toilet one

I promise all of these dont involve toilets.  Well, I guess they do really, but anyway. This time, we were at LAX airport, and off I popped to the toilet.  There was a huge queue and I patiently waited in line. When I got to the front, I noticed the big toilet in-front of me wasnt locked so I gave the door a big push.  The door slowly opened to reveal a poor woman sitting on the toilet.  Again, it all happened in slow motion, but the worst thing was the door opened in-front of the entire queue because of how the toilet was positioned.  Oh the shame!! I muttered my apologies and scuttled into the next available toilet quicker than you can say, well, toilet. 

4.  When I cried outside a supermarket
Now we are all friends here, right? So dont judge. I have really struggled with pregnancy sickness and on holiday I found that I suddenly started feeling really hungry the majority of the time.  I found that if I went too long without eating I became quite cranky, upset and started to feel really sick.  One night we decided to stay in for food and to walk to the local supermarket to pick up some bites. But, as we had been on the beach all day, we decided to take a quick shower before going.  

Now, with the three of us there isnt anything quick about it.  By the time we had got showered, dressed and I had chased my daughter round with a hairbrush, I could feel myself being past the point of hunger.  The supermarket was only a five minute walk away, but exactly 2.5 minutes in, I started crying because I was so hungry. Now, I wasnt stuck in the wilderness starving, the supermarket was at the end of the block!!! I even walked past a restaurant full of people eating al fresco sobbing a little.  Oh the shame.  Thankfully my husband shoved food into my hands as fast as humanly possible and then I felt much better. 

5. Crisis on the plane. 

This little crisis took place in the toilet cubicle of the plane (of course).  When I take my daughter to the toilet I usually use our Potette seat which is this amazing portable seat which means she always has somewhere nice and clean to sit rather than a dirty toilet seat.  

As I knew we were nearly landing, and my daughter needed a wee, I quickly scooped her up and rushed to the toilet.  Id forgotten our Potette, but no big deal I thought, I can just hold her up and hover her over the toilet.  I dont know if it was jet lag or poor distance calculation, but where I hovered my daughter was not really over or anywhere near the toilet at all.  I managed to get splashes of wee all over my trousers and then a puddle on the floor.  I spent the next 10 minutes wiping the awful toilet floor with paper towels to mop up our little accident. The horror. 

And there you have it.  My top five holiday disasters laid bare for all to see. So whilst Instagram and Twitter are great, lets all be honest that real life sometimes tells a different tale. Maybe one day I will look back on these little disasters and laugh, but not yet, its too soon. I also have completely shattered any illusion of glamorous world traveller status.  Feel free to read more happy times on our stops in New York, San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Diego.    

Thanks for reading, and feel free to share any Instagram or Twitter realities in the comments below! 

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pregnancy weight loss program | Pregnancy Blog Week 21

pregnancy weight loss program

This week has been a quiet week really compared to the excitement and nervousness of last weeks 20 week scan.  Baby has been moving alot more, and on Thursday morning baby had hiccups which felt lovely and reassuring, even if they were at 5.30am! 

I cant help but compare this pregnancy with my last, even though I know I shouldnt.  I started yoga classes when I was 16 weeks with my daughter, and Id gone to a few antenatal swim classes too, but I have done none of that yet which makes me feel a bit guilty.   So, I have now found a nearby yoga class that I should hopefully go to next week.  Ive also started thinking a bit about the birth, even though its obviously a while away yet.  I just want to feel more in control this time round, not that my first labour was horrendous or anything, but I now know sort of whats coming, so I want to feel prepared. Ive just started reading Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke and so far its really interesting and quite reassuring, so I will let you know my review of the book when I finish it. 

Ive had some funny things said to me this week which has made me laugh. Sometimes I think when you are pregnant people lose their normal social filters and think they can say whatever they like to you! One woman asked me if I was looking forward or not to having another baby...I mean, what did she expect me to say, no?!??! Then another woman said on a particularly hot day, Ooh, I bet you are going to really struggle over Summer. Yep, thanks for that vote of confidence, and for your information Im only 21 weeks!! Obviously I just smiled to both women, whilst thinking in my head, you bloody idiot! 

My dreams have become quite vivid, and whilst to be fair this isnt anything new, this week I dreamt I re-married my husband, saw a giant spider in B&Q and also trained to become a fire-fighter, but I then had bad nerves because Im scared of small spaces!!!!

I think heartburn maybe raising its ugly head, and Ive taken Gavsicon a few times this week, but its nothing too bad at the moment. But dont even get me started on hay fever. I have resorted to walking around the house with tissue shoved up my nose. 

Sorry for the not great picture of bump this week, I was in a bit of a rush taking it.  My daughter turns three at the weekend so Id been baking all morning, and amidst a power cut and then realising I hadnt got a single egg in the house (how I thought I could make a sponge cake without eggs is beyond me) looking half decent was the least of my worries, so a little bump picture it was.  Also, I licked some of the cake mixture, and then panicked, so ended up Googling, which I shouldnt have done.  I even resorted to rummaging in the bin to find out if the box had the lion mark on it, because apparently that means its unlikely you will get salmonella.  So all fun here! 

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend, 

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baby weight loss plateau | The one about sleep

baby weight loss plateau

In those heady early weeks of having a baby, the prospect of sleep appears like a distant memory.  You could happily sleep stood upright, whilst in a roomful of people, simultaneously balancing a monkey on your head. But alas, hopefully, as the weeks to turn to years and your little one reaches toddler-hood, from 7pm until 7am you know you can catch up on your shut eye. What, yours doesnt do this? Erm, no.  Mine neither. 

It would seem everyone from the lady down the post office to the mum at baby group has an opinion on your childs sleep pattern.  And they are eager to give you their useful fool-proof tips, guaranteed to get your little one to sleep longer involving the weird and the wonderful.  From giving them a mud bath before bed, smothering them in lavender or singing twinkle, twinkle an exact 67 times, yep, that ought to do it. Hmmm. 

Here are a few more practical tips that Ive gleaned from friends and family that Ive found useful in helping my daughter to sleep that bit longer. And theres no mud bath involved.  

1. A good bedtime routine. 

Yes, I know youve heard this one before.  But, a good bedtime routine is absolute key in getting your child to sleep well.  Who wants to be running round the living room pretending to be a tiger one minute and then the next being told its time to go to bed and you must go straight to sleep? Exactly.  

We start our bedtime routine around 6pm with stories and quiet time.  Though I admit that sometimes if Daddy gets home late, this may be replaced by wild running around, but hey, nobodys perfect! We then have bath-time and another story and then tucked into bed around 7pm.  We do this every single night, unless say, we are out late, which rarely happens.  But because our daughter is so used to her routine, if it does gets pushed back or changed slightly, as is life, its no big deal.  You may have your own routine or bed-times and thats fine. Its the consistency thats the key. 

2. A room thats not too light.

This may seem really obvious, but I never realised how light my daughters bedroom got until the lighter mornings crept up on us.  And when the room is light, what toddler wouldnt think its time to get up? We have black-out curtains which we found from Dunelm Mill and these are perfect for keeping the sunlight out. There is a subtle change in light so that my daughter does know the difference between the day and night.  If you have a VELUX window, then these black-out blinds from Itzala are just perfect and come in a lovely range of childrens styles which are gorgeous for a childs bedroom. 

(To see this full nursery safari wall mural click here) 

3.  Not too hot and not too cold. 

Making sure the room is a perfect temperature is also a good idea. Something simple, but something that can be easily be overlooked. 

4. Outside noises. 
Children can wake up at the slightest noise early in the mornings.  Obviously you cant stop the milkman from doing his rounds, but maybe close the windows to reduce the noise. 

5.  And relax. 

From the moment a baby appears in the big wide world, everyone seems to have an opinion on their sleep pattern.  From sleeping too much, to having a child akin to an owl, you will probably have already heard it all from other people.  And we wont mention that lady from the baby group whose baby slept through the night from day one. Every child is different, and you really have to do what works for you.  If your child gets up at the crack of dawn and no matter what you try they wont sleep longer, then, take a deep breath and just go with it.  

Routines and children grow and change, and the more stress and emphasis we put on sleep, the worse the problem can get. You cant force a child to sleep, but only try and make little changes to help them and you get a good nights sleep, ready for the day ahead.   

Thanks for reading, and if you have any sleep tips or tricks, I would love to hear them in the comments below. 

VELUX kindly sponsored this post.  All content and opinions and entirely my own. 

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after pregnancy weight loss plan | Father Day Gift Ideas

after pregnancy weight loss plan

It is that time of the year again where we scratch our heads and ponder what on Earth to buy our beloved Dads for Fathers Day. These wonderful men in our lives are notoriously tricky to buy for, they say they have everything they need, but we never do listen because this is the day to celebrate Dads everywhere. So ponder no more and have a little browse of these Fathers Day treats.

I did a post last year regarding Fathers Day gift ideas, so if you have a father who is a foodie, movie buff, or you are stuck for a present from the little ones, have a little look at my original Fathers Day Gift Ideas and see what takes your fancy.  

Another great present is by Penwizard who have personalised books where you can even turn Dad into a character from Peppa Pig! You can have a peek at our finished personalised Penwizard book and see the book which was a big, big hit! Penwizard also have an offer at the moment where you can save £3 on books by using the code: MYDADDY at the checkout, and, if you order by 15th June they will guarantee delivery by Fathers Day. 

Continuing with the personalised theme, I am loving this set of 6 personalised coasters by Boots photo.  We have just returned from New York with my parents, so I had some really great photos of us all.  I wanted something a bit different than framing the photographs or putting them on a canvas, so I designed these coasters with my photographs.  Its really quick and simple to do and the quality is fantastic. I ordered them on a Sunday and they were delivered by the Wednesday.  After comparing prices on the internet, these were also the cheapest as they were £9.99 for a set of six different photographs. I think these will be a big hit, and will hopefully bring a smile to my Dads face when he sits down for his cup of tea.  Boots Photo currently have a 10% discount on all orders over £10 and will guarantee to deliver by Fathers Day if you order by Monday 15th June.  

For the keen gardener, how about this little gift hamper? I bought the box from the pound shop (amazing!), and then I just shopped around to fill it with little goodies.  Inside is a pair of leather gardening gloves, some garden twine, garden scissors and then some mints and chocolates.  I bought some Great British Gardener ribbon from Hobbycraft to finish the gift and I am very pleased with the end result. Of course, you can add your own spin to this gift and include any goodies you like, but I think it looks like a thoughtful, yet very useful present!!! 

From the little ones you cant beat a bit of show casing their artistic talents which we all know should be displayed in an art gallery (hmmmm!). My daughter has been busy painting these giant rocks that will hopefully sit pride of place in her grandparents garden.  Its something a little bit different, but bright and colourful and personal too. This is for her Abuelo (grandfather) and she painted it in a Spanish theme! 

Hopefully that has given you some ideas and inspiration for Fathers Day and if you have any great finds or ideas then please feel free to share in the comments below! 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and see you on Monday for tales from San Francisco! 

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baby weight loss percentage | Monterey Musings

baby weight loss percentage

We cruised along the Californian coast from San Francisco, to our home for the night which was the beautiful city of Monterey.  We unpacked at the Hilton Monterey, which was a very welcome and luxurious stop. I highly recommend staying here.  We had a quick dip in the outdoor heated pool (which wasnt that warm, so we swam extra fast) and then we made our way to the Old Fishermans Wharf. 

The Wharf looks out onto the rugged coastline of California and was scattered with restaurants and gift shops.  It had a real old world feel to it and there were historic buildings around every corner.  We also spotted amazing wildlife from giant pelicans and sea lions to this huge otter just relaxing in the water.  

We didnt eat in the Wharf, but we did wander past this sign and I couldnt resist taking a photograph. It seemed like such a welcoming and child-friendly place!!! Though in my humble opinion, I would like to add that I have sat near adults in restaurants who behave worse than any children! 

In the morning, we did the 17 mile drive along Pebble Beach.  This is a world famous drive along the coastline and through the areas where the U.S Golf Open Championship is held, so Im told.  My husband is a big fan of golf, whereas I, on the other hand am not.  I was a little dubious about the drive as I thought I may be a bit bored staring at golf greens, but there was alot more to it than that, and the scenery was beautiful. 

Unfortunately for us, the weather was a bit murky when we went, but on a sunny day, this place would be amazing to go and have a picnic and explore. We also saw sea lions, hidden coves and beautiful old Cypress trees. There was no rush to drive round and at least every mile was space to pull over and explore the area. Unfortunately, we only had an hour to spend but you could easily spend a day roaming around. We also met this not so little guy who landed on our car. 

After our drive, we headed to Monterey Bay Aquarium.  The aquarium has been voted as one of the worlds best.  The setting is beautiful with both inside exhibits and outdoor areas. There were lots of interactive exhibits for the little ones. The aquarium was spotless and the tanks were beyond huge.  My favourite was this huge tank, I couldnt even explain how big it was, with shoals of fish that all swam in the middle and then they would suddenly change direction.  As there were so many of them it looked they were doing a synchronised dance. Its always hard to try and capture the actual atmosphere and beauty in photographs. 

We visited on a Sunday, and it was also Memorial weekend, and the aquarium was incredibly busy.  To the point where it was hard to see some of the exhibits which was a shame and I think this hampered our visit a little.  So try and visit in the week and not on a holiday weekend if you can!  

We could have spent so much longer in Monterey, but had to leave to get back onto the Pacific Coast Highway. Monterey was very picturesque with lots to do and see.  But for us, it was back on the road, next stop: Santa Barbara. 

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