Ouch...my stomach!

Hi everyone,

Right now I am wrapped up in a lovely wooly jumper and resting a hot water bottle on my stomach. Why, you ask? Well I seem to have damaged my stomach muscles somehow and it's making even little things like picking up baby very painful.

I've tried anti-inflammatories, arnica cream and tablets, support bandages and now the hot water bottle to no avail. Next stop might be the doctor!

It's definitely winter here now and true to form it has been cold and rainy all day. With the colder weather in mind I have changed my beauty routine a little to avoid my hair and skin drying out.

As you know, the challenge involves drinking lots of water to keep skin well hydrated, I crave hot drinks in the cold and have recently discovered a lovely range of herbal teas by Heath and Heather. My particular favourite is Apple and Cinnamon which is bringing me a taste of Christmas a little early!

I've been feeling a little fed up lately, despite steadily losing baby weight, it's started to go back on now (I have gained 4lb). My stomach is stopping me from exercising and I am craving comfort food. All of my lovely pregnancy hair is falling out and the dark circles under my eyes are getting worse! All this being a mum is hard work.

So I have decided to put the chores on hold, get comfy on the sofa and bring you a list of my fave winter products.

A long term fave of mine is Origins Ginger Float bubble bath, the ginger fragrance is gorgeous and spicy, it makes lovely bubbles while at the same time being gentle on the skin- my partner has even been known to use it in his bath!! A range of complementary items is also available so you can layer the scent.

And while you are relaxing in the bath, how about the sound of a roaring fire? If, like me, you don't own a mansion (and luxurious bathroom with open fire), you can emulate the sound and scent the room at the same time with this gorgeous candle by Woodwick. Available in a variety of yummy flavours, they are made from soy wax for a clean, chemical free burn! Currently on my wish list is the Marshmallow fragrance.

After your bath why not slather on some moisturiser to combat that dry winter skin? The Body Shop Shea Body Butter is formulated for very dry skin and, applied the night before, I still have silky skin for the whole of the next day. The scent isn't particularly potent either so great as a unisex product or for those who don't like a strong product.

Winter winds and cold weather can also play havoc with the hair, I have been using Ojon products recently but have newly discovered Lee Stafford Argan Oil Conditioner which leaves my hair silky, shiny and tangle free without weighing it down. Don't be put off by the red bottle, the product itself is white!

And finally, a lovely product for the entire family from the new L'Occitane Bonne Mere collection. This honey body wash can be used as a handwash and is so gentle it can even be used in the kids bath. The packaging is beautiful and functional with the pump dispenser and the fragrance lingers after you rinse.

Evening (or should that be morning) all...

Well it's past midnight and I can't sleep! My daughter has been asleep for a couple of hours now but I am wide awake. Don't feel sorry for me- I had a nap at 6pm and that's what is keeping me up now.

It's cold and dark here but I an enjoying lounging around on the sofa wrapped up in my cuddly dressing gown and listening to the rain outside.

So what have I decided to get up to on this rare baby free time? Well I've sorted out a pile of washing and unpacked the dishwasher. Then I thought- this is complete madness! What you should do is sit down, get comfortable and just enjoy the silence!

As for princessing, I managed to get back on the healthy breakfast bandwagon with porridge to start my day. I also drank a lot of water (and milk as I had terrible heartburn). I cleansed, toned and moisturised as usual and took my little one out for a walk which she slept through. My fruit intake has been terrible, largely due to the heartburn and I also had some fizzy juice. Oops!

My eyebrows are now taking over my face and being dark haired, they are very very obviously out of control. Roll on Saturday so I can have them threaded as my partner watches the baby.

I'm really excited as my sister is coming down from Scotland to visit, I haven't seen her in a couple months so it will be great to catch up properly. She has just found herself a nice house to move into with her boyfriend so I have bought them a couple of presents for their new place. I also had a clear out of my own cupboards and have lots of glasses/mugs/utensils etc to give them.

I'll be back later today to fill you in on my activities, I've decided to re-start "bottle wars" with my little girl so I may be a tad frazzled by 10am!

I am a woman, hear me roar!

I felt I needed some sort of battle cry before continuing the wardrobe detox! Today I have listed another 6 items on eBay and I have another bag of clothes to go to charity.

The ironing basket now only has bedding and a couple of shirts in it so the utility room looks a lot better.

Now I need to find some sturdy storage for shoes (any suggestions lets know) and find some way of organising my clothes. Last but not least I need to tackle the dreaded laundry basket, a task I am dreading!

On the princessing front, I didn't go for a walk today as my baby is still poorly. I don't like the thought of her infecting everyone else so decided to keep her indoors! I have really let the body brushing go over the last week so I resolve to start again tomorrow!

Managed to do my nails today, the usual cleanse, tone and moisturise, use hair oil and drink some water. It's axing how things become habit and I now don't think twice about doing them.

I ate Smoked Salmon, Shallots and Lemon Zest Spaghetti

I applied Chanel Le Vernis in Frenzy

I admired the ironing basket in its new neat form!

It wouldn't happen to a real princess...

Hi everyone!

It's been a really busy day so far- we were up early to attend our weekly baby yoga session. I managed to body brush and moisturise and saved some time by not having to wash and blow-dry my hair. Don't get me wrong, this princessing is very time consuming and I was still wandering around topless 5 minutes before we were due to leave!

Had a (very sour) pink grapefruit for breakfast with some yoghurt afterwards and my usual cup of tea- I know that some fellow princesses are having warm water and a slice of lemon first thing but no way will I be parted from my morning cuppa!

Yoga was great fun and I felt so relaxed afterwards, my little girl was so chilled she fell into a deep sleep in her pram. I decided to take advantage and get my eyebrows done (as I have been neglecting them a bit and they were starting to lose shape).

My personal preference for eyebrow grooming is threading- I like it because the results last longer than plucking, someone else does it for you so generally you end up with a better shape as they can look at the "full picture" and there are no chemicals involved like there would be with waxing.

Anyway, I sat down in the chair and the therapist began to thread my right eye brow. She did a fantastic job, trimmed a couple of stray hairs and checked I was happy before applying some rose water to soothe the area. And then my daughter woke up.....and screamed.....and screamed!

She wasn't hungry and she didn't need a nappy change, she just wanted to be held. I was going to have to take her home and have lopsided eyebrows! Luckily, the lovely therapist had a colleague who wasn't working on anyone offered to hold my daughter while I had the other brow done- great service and my daughter loved her. So here's a big Beautybellabellezza thank you to the girls at Glow Eyebrow Threading in Fenwick York! See you again in a couple of weeks! It wouldn't happen to a princess......

I'll be back later to update you on today's progress and show you a little beauty treat I bought earlier!