Last updated on November 19th, 2023 at 12:58 pm

Happy Friday! Sorry, I haven’t been writing my little loves post the last two weeks. I think that’s first time I have missed sharing two in a row in five years… eeek. Even though this has now turned into a monthly linky from the lovely Morgana, I love sharing our weeks with you so I will continue to do them weekly. I hope you will continue to stop by and read them each week too. We have been missing in action for a week or so for good reasons. I found Father’s Day really hard to face this year, if I am being honest and with those pesky hormones that are all over the place after you have a baby it threw my dizziness into overdrive and it was overwhelming. So I did the bare minimum to get through the work week but I am back and recharged.

While I haven’t been sharing as much doesn’t mean we haven’t been super busy too. We are getting into a baby routine and baby boy aka Grizzle has slotted into our chaos schedule perfectly. It feels like we are getting more hours of sleep at night which always helps make a happier household. You can almost cope with whatever the day throws at you when you have slept more than three hours in a row.

THIS WEEK I AM LOVING…

I started this year with a book challenge to read a book a week. Up until the week Grizzle was born I had stuck to my book challenge. Some weeks I even went beyond that and read two in a week. I love reading. It’s the perfect relaxation for me and just about the only thing that shuts off my forever running brain too. This week, I picked up “MY SWEET REVENGE” that’s been on my shelf for a few months waiting for me to read. It has been a great companion while I breastfeed. I am at the juicy end but I think it’s a good read. It’s light chic lit perfect for summer.

Today, I did my very first Sweaty Mama’s workout class. Have you ever heard of it? Why weren’t these classes around when I had my first two babies? They are amazing. You basically workout with your baby. No creche or childcare needed and bonus you get to bond with your baby at the same time. I call that a win for any mom. My lovely friend Hannah, who owns and instructs the classes is so welcoming and upbeat. I am so glad I tried one out. I am totally hooked. You know when you find something that just suits you, you want to do it everyday, well that’s how I felt today. You will be hearing a lot more about it from me soon. Trust me, it’s worth hearing about.

Working out is a funny thing for me. I never want to do it but when I do I feel so much better for it. I feel like I actually got more done today with less time because I kicked started my day with a workout. It helps with the weather getting hotter for the next few weeks and our upcoming trip to America to want to get in shape after birth and be healthier.

I also gave myself a challenge to do a vlog a week, uploading every Wednesday. I stuck to this challenge once again failing only once Grizzle was born. But I am back for a few weeks until we go to the mountains of America where uploading on my parents’ wifi is virtually impossible. Here is my latest vlog with our baby boy turning ONE MONTH OLD. Would love you to subscribe or pop over and leave a comment. Thanks for watching.

I have been wearing my baby. Cheating in the fashion category this week but technically it’s right. Let’s face it, wardrobes aren’t easy right after birth. You are stuck between maternity clothes being the wrong season in my case (all winter clothes) and not being able to fit into your normal clothes. But I have loved wearing Grizzle around for sports day at the kids school and shopping with a friend. Neither of my first two babies let me wear them no matter what baby carrier I tried on. It was so frustrating. I love the closeness and bonding you get with them being snuggled to you but also having two free hands is amazing with two other children in tow. Even Mr P got in on the baby wearing!

We made a little trip to London for MM and Grizzle’s US Passports at the US Embassy. We haven’t been to the new one yet as B renewal was still at the old US Embassy. I can’t tell you how beautiful and what a difference the new one is. I was really impressed with it and all the little details. MM got to enjoy the train ride down with Mommy, Daddy and baby in tow. All the attention was on her for the day as baby snoozed away in his stroller for most of it. Even though we go to London super late and got up early and it was raining we still made the most of our little trip. The Embassy got both kids’ paperwork and passports all checked over and shipped off faster than they have ever done in previous visits. It left us with a few hours to kill before I train ride back up north. Since it’s MM’s birthday next week we hit Harrods (mostly because Mr P has never been inside) and to hit the toy floor for her to pick out a present. Talk about disappointment when we got there they had made a small toy section in the corner of the kid’s clothes floor. It’s tiny and not impressive like it used to be. Secondly, they wouldn’t let us bring any of our luggage or bags in with us and tried to charge £25 per piece to walk in the door. We found a hotel nearby that took pity and held our bags for us so we could pop in. What a let down that was but we still had fun showing the grandness to Mr P and MM picked out a tiny squish ball. So glad she didn’t go for the five foot bunny that she practically took out when she hugged it. I did say she could pick anything for her one present. Thankfully it was £5 and fit in her hand. Phew, I escaped dragging the bunny across London and on the train. I have learned my lesson there watch what I say and be more specific next time.

We also have been having a slight slime craze in this house. The kids came home begging me to make slime with them. After three failed attempted from online recipes and way too many household products mixed together for my liking, I broke down and just bought colored slime from the toy shop. The kids had a whole afternoon making gross concoctions of glitter and slime outside.

You may have noticed I haven’t been sharing my #lifecloseup grids on my feed anymore. But don’t worry I haven’t stopped following along, liking and sharing my favorites. It’s just been utterly chaos with everything else going on. I have been change a few things behind the scenes too that you won’t see. From now on, I will be sharing my favorites each week on my instagram stories or on the new IGTV, giving shout outs to instagrammers I love following.

Speaking of IGTV…what is everyone’s initial thoughts on the new network? I do love ig stories but do you think this will take over that and youtube together and just be the main video platform of the future? I don’t know. I don’t think I can keep up with all three but it’s hard to know which one to put your efforts into when they are so new. I have tested to see how old vlogs from my youtube channel are doing shared on there and a few clips of current fun we have been having with the kids. But I want to make it a place where people know what to expect from me on there. I am thinking of doing my baby weight lost progress with foods I eat, recipes, workouts, etc and then fashion and home hauls too. What are your thoughts? What do you want to see more of from me on the new IGTV? Do you think this will take over youtube and be the new “it” thing?

I hope you are off to have fun in the sun this weekend, thanks for stopping by and reading our weekly updates.