Top 5 Children Books

Hi everyone. I was reading through blogger and saw Oh so Amelia, one of my favourite parent bloggers has started a 'Link up sunday' where each Sunday threes a topic and you can link your blog post's on there. I think its a great way to write new posts and meet new bloggers.

This Sunday is 'top 5 children's books'. I decided to share some of Lilly's current favourite books with you all. Lilly has books that she loves me to read to her at night before bed and others she likes to flick through the pages herself which we keep in her toy box downstairs.

'Say hello to the snowy animals' This is Lilly's favourite bed time story, each night i ask her to choose a book and 9 times out of 10 it this one. I bought it in a pack from Costco before Christmas and is a cute little story about a husky meeting other animals. Its also great for teaching new animals.

'Minnie mouse lets have a tea party' For anyone that has a child who loves Minnie mouse this is great. I think it was from m&s and as you read the story it has the little icons in the book and you press them to say different things.

This is Lilly's newest book, i bought it from a little store at a soft play we went to recently and its a new bedtime story. We are teaching Lilly animal's currently and this is also great for showing the different animals.

'waybuloo touch and feel' I used to like the touch and feel books when Lilly was a baby, but i cannot express how obsessed Lilly is with waybuloo and when i saw this short but sweet book i had to buy it her. Each page is a different character from waybullo and it says the same words which they say on the TV programme so Lilly will read along with me.

'Are you my mummy' A cute little bedtime story about a little polar bear who is looking for his mummy. its very sweet and has a little path of white fur which can be touched on each page.

There are our current top 5 favourite books. If you have written a similar post i would love to read it as I'm always looking to add to Lilly's collection.

What's In Lilly's Toddler Bag

Hey everyone! A few months ago i did a whats in my change bag post where i showed what i carried when Lilly was a baby, now she is a bit older and closer to a toddler what i carry is different. I loved my pink lining change bag but it was very obviously a change bag and i did always want my handbag back. With baby number two i will definitely be buying a change bag which looks Little bit more like a handbag so if on the rare occasion i go out on my own i don't have to keep switching bags etc.

Now Lilly is a toddler and i have to carry less i was on the look out for a toddler bag and came across this bag on ebay. They have lots of different animal designs for both boys and girls. We decided to go for the pink mouse but there was also a lady bird and rabbit one that looked super cute. This bag was £7.89 i believe and for a small bag it really holds alot and is easy to carry by the handle or throw over my shoulder and hook onto the pushchair. Lilly doesn't wear this as a backpack as its too heavy.

What i carry varies from where were going, how long were out for etc but this is usually how it looks so i have the essentials should we decided to go for a meal or we are out for a long time i have all the necessities.

The bag has a large front pocket which i keep little things in there and usually my phone and keys if i don't have a bag. I also have some snacks that are easy to access quickly, a hair brush and clip because Lilly's hair is a little wild and need to be tamed from time to time. I keep a mini bath wash in there just in case we are at a family/friends house and Lilly gets in a mess or has accident and needs a bath, because she has sensitive skin i can just use anything on her so i keep that just in case (it has happened in the past)

In the larger pocket im surprised how much i can fit in there, i also usually can put my purse in there. I keep the essentials in her, nappies, wipes, bags, a spare pare of leggings and some mittens in case her hands get cold. I always have a drink in the side pocket and a fruit shoot just in case we run out and Lilly wants a drink. Anyone that does baby led weaning or there little ones throw the plates on the floor will know how annoying it can be in those high chairs that slide under the table, so i came across these disposable place mats that stick to the table.

For entertainment i always take some crayons and Lilly's Innotab. The Innotab is a little too old for Lilly but there is a colouring game on there she likes to play.

Would love you to come read my Beauty blog Thepamperedpout // Follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter, Instagram

Weight Loss Wednesday - Weight Watchers VS Slimming World

Hey! Hows everyone doing with their weight loss this week? I slipped up on the weekend and had a KFC and lots of chocolate... oops!!

I have been thinking about re-joining weight watchers for a while but i wanted to see if i could do it with out the point system and just eating healthy for a while, but i find it alot easier to follow a 'system'. As i said in a previous post, last year i lost alot of my baby weight with weight watchers and for me it worked until i gave up.

Since stopping weight watchers i have stuck to the same weight, probably fluctuating a few pounds up and down but im still stuck at the same weight which is super annoying as its not a weight i like. I have tried various 'diets' since giving birth, weight watchers, slimming world, shakes and juicing.

Today i want to share my experience with both weight watchers and slimming world and why i prefer weight watchers and why it works for me.

I decided to try slimming world a couple of months before Christmas, i see so many success stories on my instagram feed and i have a friend that lost a ton of weight on it. Slimming world works with a 'Syn' system and then you have a list of free foods and super free food which you can eat as much as you like (within reason). Also you have a hex a & b which you can have one of every day like a certain amount of cheese, whole wheat bread etc. When i first signed up for it i thought it was either super complicated and i didn't understand it or it was so easy i thought there had to be more to it. Slimming world is actually very simple, you fill your plate with free-super free foods and can use your syn limit (which i think mine was 15) on treats or save them for the weekend.

My issue with slimming world was i was actually gaining weight not loosing it. This was so frustrating to me and i didn't know why but i think its because the free foods like, new potatoes, salad chicken, PASTA! are foods i love and because they were 'free' id fill my plate and eat them when i wanted to. Also they say eat when ever your hungry, i ate alot of ham and fat free super noodles (which i think were free 8points on WW) thinking it was fine. This just didn't work for me i found it confusing as to why i could eat as much pasta and potatoes as i liked and still loose weight. after a month of trying and i lost a pound here and there then gained it i gave up.

Weight watchers until they recently bought out simple start, is done using a pro point system. You have a allowance each day (mines 27) and then a weekly allowance which can be used for those days you go over, or at the weekend for meals out (similar to syns on slimming world) Weight watchers is so simple i have the app and i put in my food after each meal and it takes the points off your daily allowance. I love the point system because its so simple to follow and i find myself making better choices or having smaller portions so i don't go over. I like to plan my meals each week working out the points each day so i don't go over and leave enough so i can have a little snack in the day and i save my weekly points for a little treat at the weekend or a glass of wine ;) I also like weight watchers have their own food and snack in shops, and alot of foods have the PP's on the back so its easy to keep track. Slimming worlds app i found confusing where as weight watchers is really simple and looks good. Both slimming world and Weight watchers have recipes on their websites so its easy to find foods to eat.

I think to succeed in any diet is finding the rite one that suits you and your lifestyle. Some people love slimming world and WW didn't work for them and vise versa. For me im a Weight watchers lover and im glad to be back on the plan and hopefully getting closer to my goal weight.


Have you tried weight watchers or slimming world? Which did you prefer?

Would love you to come read my Beauty blog Thepamperedpout // Follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter, Instagram

Weight Loss Wednesday - My Favorite Low calorie recipe books

Hi everyone, i know its Thursday but i didn't get time to post yesterdays weight loss Wednesday so I'm posting it today :) I don't know how but i guess by making healthier options at dinner i managed to loose 3lbs last week whoo!

The thing i always struggle with when trying to diet, or eat healthy is trying to figure out what to eat. If i cant find a simple healthy recipe on line i quickly turn to junk food or unhealthy quick foods, which is not the best idea. I started to buy some great low calorie cookbooks over the past couple of months and each week before i do my weekly shop i look through my favourite books and plan my meals for the week, not only does this help me stay on track it also helps save money.

Cheesecake from the "weight watchers simply satisfying book"

My favourite book at the moment is the weight watchers simply satisfying cook book. I picked this up in tesco and it has loads of delicious recipes that are great for the whole family. It also has some great desert recipes. If I'm stuck for time i turn to "greedy girls diet" as this has recipes from quick 10min -30+ minuets. The greedy girls diet book is great for healthy fast food options.

The clean and lean diet is really good, i bought this last year and it has some great recipes in it. I use this when I'm being really good and I'm feeling motivated. This book also has a diet plan for you as a guide which is really helpful.

Are you doing #bloggerWLW? id love to see your posts.

Would love you to come read my Beauty blog Thepamperedpout // Follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter, Instagram

Lillys First time Painting

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Me and my little bug have had a cold/flu type thing all week and i have been wanting to do some valentines crafts with Lilly for a while and thought it was a fun activity to do.

I went to tesco on Friday and picked up some little inexpensive craft supplies. The paints are washable so i wasn't too worried about getting them everywhere but i still put lilly in some old clothes just in case. For ease i popped Lilly in her highchair.

Lilly's favourite thing to do is colour, she loves colouring so i thought the same about painting but i was wrong. We tried finger painting to start with and it didn't go down to well, Lilly has a thing about having stuff on her hands, she hates it and seems really ocd about it so when she saw the paint on her hands she went into a crying fit. Me and Lilly's daddy tried to show her what to do and that its OK to have paint on your hands and she started to get into it a bit more but only for a while. My plan was to do some hand prints in paint to make flowers etc but we will try that another day.

Lilly loved the paint brush and the little sponge roller in the set we picked up from tesco so i rolled some pva glue on her hands to make the glitter hand print heart, she was OK with the glue but kept putting her hand into a fist so we kinda got some hand prints haha!

Her favourite thing was to use the sponges to print the face on the paper, I'm going to try using the toilet roll into a heart, or cookie cutters with her next time as that seemed to be Lilly's favourite thing to do.

How did your little ones like finger painting at first?

Would love you to come read my Beauty blog Thepamperedpout // Follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter, Instagram

Weight loss Wednesday - Introduction

I was looking through blogger and came across a post the lovely Emma from Beauty by emma who had written a post with the heading "weight loss Wednesday" As im always on a "diet" and im finding it so hard to loose my last bit of weight i was intrigued to read the post.

Weight loss Wednesday was a great idea started by Jenn over at Barelythebeauty  which is a weight loss group for bloggers. Each Wednesday you write a post about your weight loss, motivation,exercise recipes etc and also come together on a thursday at 8pm on twitter for the #bloggerswlw chat.

After having my first baby i have really struggled to loose the excess weight i piled on. A few weeks after i gave birth i weighed myself to see i had put on 4stone and with  my c-section and other health issues after birth i couldn't exercise and carried on eating unhealthy foods because it was quicker and easier for me at the time. Between July-December 2012 the "babyweight" starting to naturally fall off but i was still left with the excess weight i had gained and i decided to join weight watchers in February 2013 and lost 20pounds in 8 weeks. I then fell off the band waggon, stopped exercising, tried various fad diets but  i have been stuck at the SAME weight for nearly a year and i just want to feel comfortable about myself again and loose another 16pounds to be at the weight i want to be.

I have already started making healthy food options and i know the best way for me to loose weight is to exercise and im going to be doing home dvds and outdoor things to help shift this weight which i will be writing posts about.

Im hoping putting this out there on this blog will help keep me motivated and if anyone else is doing this and has any helpful post please link them below or follow me on twitter @lillyandme12 as i could use the motivation ;)

To read more about weight loss wednesday click THIS link

See you next wednesday xx

Recycle your broken crayons

Hello everyone!

 Wow it seems so long since i have been on this blog and looking at my last post to now Lilly has grown and changed so much. I have had a issue with this blog and lost access, then my laptop broke and we moved house etc but now im back and i have so many things i want to blog about .

Now that Lilly is fully in toddler mode im always trying to think of activities to do with her as she needs constant stimulation. Lilly's favorite thing to do is colour, she loves it and will happily sit and colour for ages, she mainly likes to empty her little tin and then walk on them which ends up with lots of little broken crayons everywhere she doesn't want to use. I usually throw all the broken crayons away and i am always buying new ones, but recently i came accross a post on pintrest which gave me a idea of "recycling broken crayons". Its so simple to do and can be made into fun new shapes for your toddler.

What you will need:

* Broken crayons with the wrapper removed

* A silicone mold

* Oven 

Step 1 -Pre-heat the oven to around 150oc

Step 2 - Remove wrapper from crayons

Step 3 - break into smaller pieces if needed and arrange in the mold

Step 4 - Pop in the oven for around 15mins or until melted

Step 5 - Remove from the oven and cool.

**TIP** If you want your crayons to be a pacific colour in the middle and another on the outside etc, simply use a knife to cut the crayons into tiny pices and arrange.

And there you have some fun little "new" crayons.