10 steps to a happier and healthier me!

Sometimes being a mum is not all rosy in the garden and it is so important for the family to take time for yourself. It is not selfish and is an absolute necessity for not only your wellbeing but the wellbeing of the entire family. 'Happy wife means a happy life' right? That is our household motto.

Also, what springs to mind for me is what the flight crew ALWAYS remind us of on every flight. That is ''You must take care of your own oxygen mask first before you assist your child'' I try to say that to myself every day and take simple steps to put myself first sometimes and not always Harry and Jonny. Often from the moment I wake up, I am running around preparing breakfast for Harry, getting him washed, dressed and watered and before I know it, it's already nearly mid-day and I often haven't eaten a single thing! Now I leave Harry's milk with him in his room before he wakes and I make sure to have a bowl of cereal and a cup of tea for myself before I even take him out of his bed in the morning. I notice that I am in a far better mood to start my day because of this simple change. I guess the step I'm talking about here is STOP SKIPPING MEALS!  

Below are some other steps I'm taking to make time for self-care so that I can be the best version of myself. I would love to hear how you make time for yourself. Let me know in the comments below! 

1. EATING HEALTHIER

Buying organic when I can and preparing home-made healthy meals for the family. Baking my own bread so I know what I am putting into my body. Not only is it beneficial to my body on a nutritious level, it also helps my mental wellbeing as I feel a level of satisfaction after cooking a meal. Also, just knowing that I am doing the best I can for my own body and for my family's health and wellbeing is enough to make me feel happy and healthy. 

2. EXERCISING

Working out and exercising at least 3 times a week. Whether it be a walk or jog in the park or a simple yoga class at a nearby gym or at home on youtube in front of the laptop. Just working out for me and not for Harry or anyone else gives me the headspace and peace I need to rejuvenate and gives me the energy to smile and refocus on the important things in life. Your health is your wealth! 

3. BALANCE

Starting my day with a smoothie and ending it with a glass of red wine at dinner ( just 1 glass) is really a good way to feel balanced and relaxed :)  Listening to pop, 80's and rock in the morning and classical and jazz in the evening. Having some quiet, headspace moments in the day and then have a good natter with your family and friends on a whatsapp call or audio! You get the picture. 

4. GOOD UNDERWEAR

Investing in good quality underwear always picks me up and makes me feel so body confident. Throw out all those discolored panties and lose fitting bras and go get measured. Less is more!! I personally love Victoria's Secret and they always have good deals on! Better to have fewer pieces but great quality. While I have my 'soft' parts and un welcomed dimples in certain places, it always feels better when you are wearing well-shaped and correctly- fitting underwear. My body is far from perfect now after Harry but I have learned to love it again in its new form as it gave me my beautiful little baby boy. 

5.INVEST IN A FEEL-GOOD ITEM TO WEAR

For me it's good pair of skinny fitted pants, leather or otherwise. They are a great, timeless staple for your wardrobe to make you look and feel your best. These pair I found online and are vegan leather pants that just seem to suck my legs in and are elasticated around the waist so they really are comfortable and flexible at the same time. I will link them here. They are kinda pricey but price per wear..trust me, they're worth every penny! Dress them up or wear them casually with flats

6. BREATHE & PRACTICE MINDFULNESS.

After having a baby, sometimes it's normal to feel anxious and get bouts of 'baby blues' so from me, I encourage you to join mom groups for support or even a therapy session with a professional to help keep your thoughts on track and give you tools and strategies to overcome it with ease! Never feel ashamed as it is completely normal and I myself indulge in therapy sessions occasionally. Thanks to Obamacare it is completely covered by my insurance company although I don't know how long more that will last!! My key in getting back to a good positive mental place is to bring yourself back to the present. Use all your senses; What do you hear, what you smell, what are you thinking, feeling...allow the thoughts and feelings to come and then let them leave and replace with a positive thought. 

7. DO ONE THING FOR YOURSELF EVERY DAY.

For me that is having a bubble bath and doing a face & hair mask as often as I can! Unfortunately it doesn't happen daily but I try to squeeze it in when Harry goes to bed on time at 8pm. I light the candles, turn off the lights and listen to a good podcast or some jazz. Sometimes I might read a book in the bath or other times I might do absolutely nothing just sit in silence and breathe. No technology or phone. Just my mind. I find these times I get creative and come up with fun ideas for blog or activities to do with Harry.

8. SUPPLEMENTS

Take some vitamins/ continue with prenatal supplements. I never felt as good as I did when I was pregnant. I felt soo healthy and my hair was shiny so I started taking my pre natal tabs again to perk me up and I really find they help! My mood and energy also feel good too.

9. ONCE A MONTH REWARD

Sometimes being a stay-at-home mum can be a real pain because you don't get any recognition for your hard work. There are no monthly salaries ( although I have started working part time as a substitute teacher so I do get a little income which is nice) but before this, I found it hard having no pay-day to look forward to. I had always worked before so it was a real shock to the system. I was supposed to be somehow just delighted and satisfied with Harry's smile as my reward or seeing his first steps, which don't get me wrong is absolutely amazing and I feel so blessed and grateful for this but it is still hard to not have the feedback or reward of a monthly salary. To ease this, I treat myself usually on the same day of every month, to a massage of some kind. Whether it be a foot massage or a back and shoulder massage. Carrying around a 26 lb baby on my hips isn't exactly good for my posture so I really think it's essential. I don't go clubbing, to the movies or even out for dinner that much anymore so instead I make sure to make time for my massage! What would you treat yourself to once a month?? 

10. READING, WATCHING TV SERIES & LISTENING TO PODCASTS 

This takes care of my creative side and allows me to become absorbed in another world. I'm currently reading 'The Little French Bistro' by Nina George which transports me to France! Podcasts I am listening to are all 'social media marketing' and I am currently in love with the TV show on Amazon Prime called 'Catastrophe'. Funnily enough, it is all about the dramas of motherhood and marriage and is absolutely hilarious! Jonny and I find ourselves falling around the place laughing at it and it's our time at the end of a long day where we come together with some decaf tea and a square or two of chocolate and put our feet up. My favourite part to the day!

Hope you enjoyed my blog post and that you have a wonderful day! I would love to hear your feedback and remember, be kind to yourself! 

Alison xoxo

All Photos taken by Chicago based photographer,  focal.vision. Check out instagram @focal.vision

Foods and Snacks for Harry

Lately, a lot of people are asking me what I feed to Harry since he seems to grow so fast and is so big, so I decided to do a blog post about food and snacks that I prepare for Harry and a quick glance of his daily schedule in terms of his food and liquid intake. It's always hard to know what and how much to feed your one-year old! I found it hard too to find the right info out there online so I hope this is helpful for some of you mamas out there. 

According to Harry's pediatrician; as a parent you decide when to feed the child throughout the day by creating a routine but then the child should decide what, from their plate, they are going to eat and how much. Generally as a rule of thumb, a one-year old should be eating 3-4 tablespoons at each meal. Harry mostly eats closer to 4 tablespoons at each meal. I keep an open mind when preparing his food and I never force him to eat anything that he doesn't want to. Remember their little taste buds are still developing and changing all the time so what tastes good to you may not taste so good for your little one. I'm also quite lenient when it comes to veggies, if he's not full from his stew full of veggies after the 4 spoon portion,I would add an extra spoon for him. I only restrict the carb and sweet stuff! 

Harry loves this bowl the best for his cereal as he can sip up the milk afterwards. It's from an Australian brand called b.box baby and b.box for kids. He is also loving their sippy cup too for his apple juice! 

Background. Harry loved his pureed fruit pouches and baby jar foods between 5-9months but after 9 months, only ate home-made, blended foods. This was actually great because he would literally eat whatever we were having ourselves for dinner just thrown in the nutribullet. 

So on a given day, Harry usually eats at the following times:

9am Breakfast

12pm Lunch

3pm Afternoon snack

6pm Dinner

Typical Breakfast includes: a small bowl of cereal with milk (a wheatabix, cherrios or oatmeal) NO SUGAR 

1/2  slice of toast with thin layer of butter cut into slices and dipped into mammy's boiled/scrambled egg.

Small shot-glass size of a fresh home-made smoothie with mixed fruit.

Apple juice and water mixed together in his sippy cup.

At Lunch he usually has a protein, veggie and carb mix so anything from a home-made chicken and veggie soup or beef stew / tofu and rice with broccoli/ Quinoa, egg and veggie mix / Couscous and salmon with sweetcorn / pasta and cheese sauce with peas

Salmon and veggie Couscous

1/2 cup of Milk in Sippy Cup

Afternoon snack is usually a probiotic yogurt/ Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce /Fruit Puree with some cheddar bites or crackers and cheese/ crackers with tuna & mayo & hummus/ Hummus and Cucumber / Hard boiled egg from fridge broken into pieces/ Homemade brown Irish soda bread as shared before in recipe below!

Crackers with tuna and mayo and hummus 

Snack on the go with b.box baby lunch box. Cheddar bites on the right, berry smoothie mixed with natural yogurt on the left. 

For Dinner he usually has whatever we are having in a small portion. He doesn't need it blended anymore and his favourite meals are; Home-made Pizzas with Pita bread / Spag Bol / Sheppard's Pie / Mash potatos with mushy peas, roasted carrots and chicken/fish or steak. He loves egg fried rice with all kinds of veggies too. Stuffed peppers with minced beef is another good option for Harry. 

Here, Harry is eating his dinner of pasta and minced beef with peas, sweetcorn and carrots in a tomato homemade tomato and basil sauce sprinkled with parmesan cheese. He is using a safety fork and spoon from b.box baby and the bib is also from the same company and is so handy as it catches all the spills!! I will link them below! He's like a puppy and always roots out the spills for fear of missing anything! haha!! 

1/2 cup of Milk in Sippy Cup. 

If we are indulging in a dessert, Harry will usually have a Gerber Cookie and a piece of Melon or Watermelon.

As for his milk intake he usually has just 10-15 oz milk in total a day. He loves apple juice mixed with water in his straw sippy the best! I find adding the little bit of apple juice makes him drink more fluids. Currently drinking the Trader Joe's organic Apple Juice with 40% less sugar. See below.

Hope this gives you a good insight and some ideas of what to feed your toddler. Harry will literally eat anything that won't eat him and I put it down to just being relaxed and not too fussy. He often eats of my plate too and i just let him try everything. He even loves olives from picking out of my salads! I think the key is to relax and be positive and create a family meal happy time every morning and evening. Please share your ideas below too if you have any go-to snack or lunch ideas as I am always looking to broaden Harry's tastebud horizons!

Enjoy & Bon Appetit

Alison xoxo 

Click here to be transferred to website.

Click here to see price