Return of the Princess...

When I started blogging, I wanted to tell women everywhere that we all deserve a little time for ourselves and that when we look our best, we feel our best.

I am ashamed to say that I haven't been living up to this ideal and as I survey my dodgy hair (that should have been cut weeks ago!) and my chipped nail polish I have decided that urgent action is required.

Luckily I am not alone in this feeling and so a group of princesses has been convened.

My mission is to get myself ready for summer! I've lost all of my baby weight but my stomach needs some toning work. I am really tired at the moment (just found out I am anaemic) so I need to boost my diet with lots of good food to improve my skin, hair and nails.

Due to time constraints (a.k.a the realities of work, family and home) I am going to undertake a slightly smaller challenge this time, 6 steps in total.

1. Improve the amount of fruit/veg in my diet.

2. Start taking my vitamins again to ward off anaemia. Also resume taking cod liver oil for my dehydrated skin.

3. Body moisturiser- every day!

4. Do 30 mins of exercise three times a week (I know this falls short of the recommended targets but I need a goal that's achievable)

5. Ensure my feet are flip flop ready by exfoliating, moisturising and polishing my nails!

6. Increase my water intake to 8 glasses per day.

In preparation for the challenge, I decided to have a final blow out, see the (shameful) pictures below...

I ate...an entire box of biscuits (oops!)

I drank...gin and tonic

I shamefully gazed at...my chipped nails

I am officially a lapsed princess...

In the midst of colds, teething, vomiting bug and sleepless nights, I really have let go of the Princessing challenge lately.

I haven't taken my vitamins in nearly 2 weeks, have spent more time sitting down than exercising, my nails are chipped and messy and I haven't applied body moisturiser for weeks.

The worst is that I have gained about 4kg- and it's not even Christmas yet!

So what am I going to do? Ask you to pass me the Quality Street as I stare at my rhino like feet? Oh no...I am going to give the challenge a final push in the run up to Christmas.

Today I have slathered on body cream and foot cream. I am going to apply a face mask before bed and paint my nails.

Tomorrow I think I will head to town and get my eyebrows threaded and may even consider changing my hair colour!

I am keeping track of my calorie intake using the Myfitnesspal app and hope to lose some inches soon!

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.

Fabulous Thursday

I am still very excited after landing my dream job! It doesn't feel real that when I return from maternity leave I will have to start studying again but it's all for a great cause!

This week my mum has been down visiting and we have achieved so many things- on Sunday we did the car boot sale I had planned following the giant de-clutter. It was hard work getting out of bed at 6am on Sunday in the very cold weather but well worth it as we raised nearly £300 selling books, DVDs and costume jewellery. The house is a lot less cluttered (though there is some stuff to go to the charity shop!)

Right now I am loving the good people at Bobbi Brown in York who gave my mum a really great makeover, she looked gorgeous and now has some lovely new make-up to show off! We also snapped up a boxed set of 5 Clinique Chubby Sticks for part of her Xmas present!

Today I managed to make a chocolate fudge cake and my lovely partner made some great minestrone soup. We did have a lot of things planned today but ended up napping in the after ion instead!

I can't believe my little girl is 20 weeks old today. It's been really tough for us lately as she's been teething for ages and waking every 2 hours at nights I have also been diagnosed with post-natal depression so I don't feel like my usual positive self, it's such a challenge just dragging myself out of bed some days.

One thing I will say is that the Princessing Challenge has really helped me feel a bit better. Although it feels like a huge effort, doing little things like painting my nails or slapping on some nice moisturiser really does pick me up on the bad days.

Busy day planned for tomorrow as you will see from the To Do list:

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!

Organisation hmmm what organisation

Hi everyone!

It's not been a bad day on the princessing front. Had a healthy breakfast of fruit and water, walked 4 miles, cleansed, toned and used eye cream and managed a full body moisturise. Managed to stick to my 2 cups of tea a day too.

I did forget my vitamins though (as I woke up late) and had some coke at lunch time as I felt a bit tired!

My new found wardrobe organisation has really helped- I managed to wake up late this morning but pulled an outfit (with accessories) straight out of the wardrobe- yay!

Not so organised is my lovely partner who, despite having a calendar, iPhone, iPad and diary has confused his night shifts and we now cannot attend our friends wedding. Men!!

Here's the day in pictures:

I ate slow cooked ham baked in cola (loving the slow cooker for winter comfort food!)

I applied Benefit "You Rebel" tinted moisturiser.

I admired my eBay parcels ready to post and the bag of clothes for the charity shop.