[Series] | Moms Budget Buys - OOTD On A Budget

I've decided to start doing a series of my cheap finds. Since I'm going to be a Mom now, I really need to relook my finances to make room for things like nappies etc. (I bought the first of my stash this weekend. It felt very weird to be putting nappies in the trolley - very weird indeed)

Since fashion and lifestyle arent really my blogging forte', I don't actually know where to begin, but begin we must, so.....

Some days pregnancy can really leave you feeing less than desirable. To be fair though, the second trimester is definitely a far cry from the first and less effort is required to look "normal".

I don't want to sound like I am exaggerating, but the first trimester was rough. It really was. I was throwing up all day, every day. I was falling asleep at work and crying one cue was becoming the norm. (I once cried because someone on Jacaranda FM won VIP One Direction tickets to their concert back in March). 

So, anyway, to try and combat the new hobo look I was sporting I decided to start experimenting more with make-up by introducing eyeshadows to my already tight time constraints in the mornings. 

(Side Note: I am certainly not getting up 5 minutes earlier to make time for eyeshadow. I'm not that much of a girly girl. I'm actually just lazy)

(Side Side Note: Although I am a girly girl, I'm not a girly girl. So I have to give credit where credit is due, My friend Elrese from Dressed In The City is a girly girl. You guys, this chick has nailed it, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I get most of my ideas and make-up tips from reading her blog - I also get a lot of my ideas from Daisy Person too) - go check them out!

I spent the past long weekend with my parents and my Mom and I went shopping for a few items to accommodate my expanding waistline. 

I uuuuuummmed and aaaaahhhhed about whether or not I should take the leopard print top back as "pattern" has never really been my thing and although I was keen for something different I was less than 50% certain I would end up feeling comfortable in such a wild (haha - proof reading this post. Laughs at own joke) choice. Then yesterday I popped into Clicks and spotted the new Hello Autumn range from Essence. I fell in love with the eyeshadow palette 01 Walk In The Park and immediately in my minds eye paired it with the leopard print top waiting at home. 

I thought why not. At R69.99. It's not a bad price and I do have another pinky nude palette from Essence at home that my mother blessed me with and I never really had any real problems with it. 

Now I hate finding negative things and then blabbing it all over the internet. I really would prefer to just zip it and keep my opinion to myself, but I've always been transparent and in the effort to remain constant I will say.... the fall out from this was horrific. It looked like I had a massive shiner on my right cheekbone. I swopped the brush I was using for the sponge applicators (which I don't normally like using) because well... I had already started and I wasnt going to wash my face and start again. Remember early morning time constraints. The sponge applicators worked much better and there was a noticeable difference with less fall out. The colour is quite pigmented, when I used the sponge applicators. With the brush, not so much.

To complete this look, I used the Smashbox Photo Finish primer (not pictured), Catrice All Matt Plus in 030 Warm Beige, Almay Eyeliner in black and MAC mascara in black, followed with a little bronzer on my cheeks,

My eyebrows need to be tamed again, they are growing like wild fire - I'm guessing that's got something to do with hormones though. #judgenot

I wear a lot of tights these days as it is definitely more comfortable around the stomach area and they really are great as an Autumn wear seeing as though I can wear them with pumps on the warmer days and dress them up with boots on the colder ones.

These (which you cant actually see) I bought as a twin pack from Pick n Pay. One black and one dark grey. I think both pairs were R99. A real steal for a Mommy purse.

The leopard print - Mr. Price (maternity section)- R89.99

Long black jersey - Chinese shop (Irene Mall, Centurion) R140

I finished the outfit off with a few black and gold accessories and a black handbag.

Long gone are the days where pregnant woman wear frumpy tent dresses and look like pregnancy is possibly the worst thing under the sun and it is absolutely possible to still look good on a baby budget.

What do you think?

             All my love

It Must Be A Boy / It Must Be A Girl - Oh Shut Up Wont You!

Todays post might ruffle a few feathers here and there, but to be quite frank. I don't give a sh*t.  One thing that pregnancy taught me early on, was that I needed to grow me a thick skin. Pronto.

There is always someone who is going to be judgemental, unsupportive, jealous, angry, sad, happy, ecstatic etc.

So we have two categories.....

1.  People who have children
2.  People who don't have children

I have noticed that the people that have children have mastered (mostly) some form of tact and they know which questions to ask and which ones to avoid.

Those (mostly) that don't have children on the other hand have no concept of the word tact.

Let me start off with.... PLEASE STOP ASKING ME IF I WANT A GIRL OR A BOY, and PLEASE STOP PREDICTING THE GENDER OF MY CHILD BASED ON WHAT I HAVE EATEN FOR THE DAY!!!!

Stop it!

It is such an offensive, presumptious, rude, mean and wrong question and thing to do.

I'm not sure when this became a thing?

The truth is, I would really like a little girl. One whose hair I can plait and hold tea parties with the teddies, one that I can dress in modern dresses and paint finger and toenails.

But if thats not the case, then I can learn to play GI-Joe and make blanket forts.

And that's okay.

Every time someone opens their piehole with their (unsolicited) gender predictions, it makes me cringe, it makes my skin crawl with guilt.

I'm blessed than most to even be pregnant. To be told less than 3 years ago "you will most likely not be able to conceive naturally"to be told your reproductive system isnt functioning nomrally is heartbreaking - and then to actually have conceived, that makes me damn blessed. So therefore, I am more than happy with either gender. So I try to remain cognisant of this fact when people are being downright rude and I try brush it off with label "ignorant". Some days it works, some days it doesn't.

It is not your place and none of your business to openly tell me what you think. I am a (mostly) open person, I mean I have blogged my personal life all over internet for the last 5 years no? I have been more transparent than most with the ordeals that I faced, especially over the last 4 years, but I do not want to discuss things we know nothing of with anyone.

The famous one I hear day in and day out.... You're craving savoury food, it must be a boy. Except, based on this post I couldnt stomach meat at all, so now what now?

I also crave chocolate. (ooooh if you crave sweet things, it must be a girl)  Some days I give in, most times I do not give into this craving because it makes me throw up. Grapes also make me throw up. Chicken also makes me puke. Some days I crave BBQ sauce and some days I crave bubblegum ice-cream on a sugar cone. My cravings are confusing the masses, what are we to do? This weekend I had something sweet (not chocolate) and something savoury and, on both occassions I threw up. So I guess it's 50/50 don't you think.

So guess away. Only the Lord above who created this life knows. Until the 11th of May that is. Hopeful that baby will show us of course.

In the mean time, if you see someone who is pregnant, shut up. Don't give them any advice, whether you're a mother or not. It's not your place and what worked for you, doesn't work for anyone else. The truth is, we may smile and nod, but we're secretly wishing you would just go away.

Dear Baby

Yesterday was full of wonder. I felt like I was being reborn in each moment.

It was just a moment ago when the second pink line appeared on that test. Just a moment ago when fear, panic, uncertainty, joy, love and excitement became real emotions.

7

It's been 7 weeks since I found out you chose me to be your Mom.
7 long weeks filled with emotions higher than the sky
7 long weeks filled with non stop vomiting
7 long weeks filled with sleepless nights and tiresome days

Worry

Yesterday you were 12 weeks and 3 days old. I was so excited but absolutely terrified to see you. The last few days especially, were very trying. I hadn't slept properly for weeks. My mind was working overtime.

10:15am

We had a date for 10:15am. Time stood still but the hands on the clock moved quickly. I waited like a young school boy waits outside his childhood sweethearts house, my palms were sweating, I was as red in the face as child struggling to breathe through the tears. I wanted to undress my warm autumn clothes and let the cool white emptiness of the office walls envelop me instead. I was scared. I was scared to endure what I had so many years ago, when I watched your sibling, bouncing in my womb, lifeless.

But then you popped up on the massive 52" screen in front of me. All of your little body. Head, arms, legs and your little heart beat. From that moment, my heart beats only for you. I wanted to vomit from overwhelming relief. You were sleeping, you were so curled up and you didn't move much, you kept your little hands covering your face, until the doctor started tapping my tummy to make you move. You only moved a little, but quick enough for him to get a picture. He showed me every inch of you and he checked your neck. I held my breath for a long time. He was happy. I relaxed.

The doctor kept asking me if I was okay. I had no words.

Only after the ultrasound and we were sitting back in his office, did it really hit me and I started crying. Looking at the pictures of you, this little little baby of mine, I was changed forever. You can end a war with this kind of love.

He told me that everything was good and that I could go ahead and let all the world know that you were coming. That you were mine, and so, I revealed you to the world yesterday.

Forever I will dwell in the magic of that moment.

[Cartoon] - Ramble

Greetings from the toilet bowl today!

So far, it's been a relatively good week in the MS department, but just because it'st Friday and I want sit and relax and do endless amounts of Sudoku and crossword puzzles in this fantastically overcast and cuddle weather.... Mother nature has other plans for me.

We're 12 weeks now, (can you flippen believe it. Time has flown by, tomorrow I wipe my eyes out and there will be a little human that needs me more than anything. SCARY) Everyone keeps saying that it should be letting up around about now. Mine only seems to be getting worse. I cant help but picture myself in 4 months time still hovering over the toilet bowl like a drone.

Right now I am feeling very very drained. Literally. This has been a very tiring few weeks.

Monday morning is my appointment with the Gynae. I'm feeling very nervous. Hopefully from next week I will be able to relax a little more and allow myself to enjoy this experience instead of being a constant worry wart. I have a few questions that I want to ask him. I should write them down though. The probability that I wont remember any of them is quite high if I don't.

I just received an SMS reminder for the appointment, Shit's getting real.

I need this weekend! A lot

Dreams

There is such a plethora of pregnancy information on the internet, it's very easy to overload the brain with unnecessary information and freak yourself out. I do this to myself quite easily.

So when I started having the most bizarre dreams, of course, my first stop was indeed Google.

I couldn't really find anything substantial to back up this weird symptom other than, blaming it on hormones. The poor buggers get blamed for everything.

I've had many dreams over the last 6 weeks. Some of them I remember, some of them I don't, some of them I do remember but then I promptly forget. Not willingly of course.

One of the recent ones was a trip to the Gynae, considering I have a pending appointment, this dream doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me are the most insane things that happened.

When I arrived for my appointment, I was left sitting up straight while I viewed the image of my baby head on. It was a boy. He was staring at me and he was struggling to breathe.

When we were done the doctor gave me a piece of paper from an exam pad with all his notes on it and sent me to the reception area to pay. A one thousand six hundred rand appointment had all of a sudden become six thousand rand. What the hell? After a massive fight with the two girls in reception, the one said "well you didn't have the massage and the pedicure so we will deduct two hundred and fifty rand"

What the ????

In the latest addition of "Michelles pregnancy nightmares" - I went to the loo and when I got there, there were 4  kit kat fingers placed neatly on the toilet seat...

Very odd, but I moved them out the way, and when I was done with my hourly pregnancy piddle, I flushed the chain and the toilet started vomiting chocolate all over the place.

I have been off chocolate during this trimester. I'm guessing this is why I would dream of chocolate vomiting toilets. Very sad for me. Very happy for my bum. This dream didn't help my slowly increasing distaste for this sweet treat.

I hadnt mentioned this to my mother and over the Easter weekend, she may or may not have shoved a Lindt chocolate bunny in my face, saying "here, eat this" - cue instant gag. #lols #lovemymother

I've been wondering if I should keep a Dream Diary for this particular time of my life, so when the chips are down, I can always go back and have a good laugh at myself.

It's probably just an excuse though to buy another notebook. You all know about my not so secret love affair with stationery.

Nesting (The digital version)

Ola! Notice anything different around here?

I've been playing around with a few things, and "digitally nesting" if you know what I mean. Trying to make this new place feel more like home and all that stuff.

Blogger has been working on my last nerve since I decided to start this baby blogging journey and then I realised that I needed to update my browser in order for Blogger to work effectively. It reminds me a lot like my staff. I have to bribe them to come to work with money and then have to add incentives for them to actually do their jobs.

So update the browser I did and now it seems I am able to upload pictures and stuff.

Expect to see things that cannot be unseen.

This is all still a work in progress so bear with me while we get this stuff sorted.

(Stuff is my new go to word in place of swearing. I'd hate to be the mother you hear shouting profanities in mid morning traffic with a baby in the backseat) 

[Feature] Guest Post

You guys,  I am so excited about this guest post. One of my favourite reads is Live, Laugh, Love – written by the beautiful Mom of two, Wife of one, skin care therapist to many, Jessica Viljoen.  A completely fresh and open hearted blog bursting with love and sincerity. Jess documents her life as a wife and mother with the cutest pictures of her two gorgeous girls, Mia and Ella, and writes the most heart-warming letters to her children. I may or may not have cried on more than one occasion. In hindsight I started getting more teary in the beginning of the year every time I read one of her posts. Now we know why! I've gotten to know Jess on more than just a blogging level and it is such an honour to know someone with the most kind and gentle heart and soul. I am absolutely thrilled that she agreed to share a bit of her life here with me

1.  How did you get into blogging?

I’ve always loved keeping a diary or journal of some sort.  When I fell pregnant with Mia in January 2010, I decided that I wanted to document the journey of pregnancy and motherhood.  Here’s my very first couple of posts: http://blogs.parent24.com/jessicaviljoen/2010/01/.

I moved over from the parent24 blogging platform, to Blogger, after about two years, and have continued there ever since: http://jessv83.blogspot.com/

2. If a child walked up to you asking for advice and you only had a few minutes to give them your best tip, what would it be?

To always be gentle and kind to all people and animals. To have respect and be friendly.  And if anything ever feels wrong or just not right, say so, loudly! Have fun – enjoy every little moment, and laugh out loud often.

3. You’re a skin care therapist, what is your one go to product and a must in your daily regime?

Oooh it’s hard to choose just one. My current favourite is Vitaderm’s Intensive Hydrating Serum. It instantly nourishes my skin and gives it a boost. I love that it is so versatile, you can use it under your moisturiser, use it as a mask, or sleep with it on overnight!

4. If you had the ability to go back in time and change one thing in your life you weren’t happy with, what would it be and what would you do to change it?

I would have been kinder to kids at school with me… I often think back to how self-absorbed I must have been, nonchalant, indifferent and detached.  If I could go back to being 16 again, I would make more of an effort to be interested in people, caring and helpful. I hope to instil these positive qualities in my daughters…

5. You’re a mom on the fly – what is your quickest yet most nutritious meal you can slap together for the family.

A quick and easy dinner that the whole family enjoys is doing roast chicken and roast veggies in the oven, with rice.  Another one is grilled steaks and oven chips. My favourite is chicken curry in coconut milk on sweet potato mash, yum!  A beef stew in the slow-cooker also always goes down well!

6. Parenting is not easy, you are blessed to have a hands on husband. If you could give any advice to single moms or dads out there, what pearls would you share?

Just this week I’ve had two nights where hubby had to work late and I had to do the whole dinner, bath, bed routine on my own… and then I realise just how lucky I am to have such a hands-on hubby who really helps me a lot.  Advice to single parents: Plan ahead… meal plan, activity plan, prepare bathroom and bedrooms ahead of time… be in a routine that the kids get to know and expect…

7. If you have time to read a book? What would we find you with?

This weekend I strolled through a bookshop, longingly looking at all the books… I have not opened a book since second baby was born, and she’s almost a year old! I will read again, one day…  So for now, if I’m reading anything at all, it will be catching up on blogs online! I have a list of my favourite blogs on the right hand side of my blog.

8. Now that you have Mia and Ella, is you little family complete? Or would you consider adding one or two more to the pack?

This little family is complete! I am so in love with my two little girls – they’re wonderful and special and perfect.

Head on over there, and if you're a soft emo like me, take some tissues with.

Where are we now?

Note: It has taken me almost a week to pen this post and the baby is still 6 months from arriving. Needless to say, this, in my mind, is already setting a precedence for how things will ultimately be. My blog posts may be like my morning sickness, a lucky surprise and you never know when it might come.


We're currently at 10 now 11 weeks. 12 more sleeps and then we will be heading for our first visit to the new OBGYN.




I have decided We have collectively decided that this baby will be born at Kloof Mediclinic, so I will now be seeing one of the gynaes operating from there.
Initially it was such a struggle to find a doctor there because almost all of them, bar this one, only take existing clients. They clearly make more than enough money to be able to afford to practice like that. I'm in the wrong industry. I should have thought of gynaecology from a money perspective instead the "touching other women's vajayjays perspective."


But be that as it may, we are making headway. Up until now, I have been in a bit of a dazed and confused state, so hopefully the fog around the brain will begin to lift and I can start making some serious plans. To be fair my baby brain seems to have gotten a little better. One day I typed in my cellphone number at Spar instead of my cheque card pin at the teller. I haven't done that again. I have left my car unlocked on numerous occasions. I've double booked doctors appointments. I've walked into the work bathroom with a tea cup and I've sat at green lights.




I'm still suffering from all day morning sickness, as noted above. Most days my prayers sound something like this:


"Oh Dear God, please help me. I pray for a supernatural miracle that this 20kph traffic will speed up so that I don't have either a) puke in the car or b) puke on the side of  the road in very congested traffic" 


This week the MS seems to be taunting me between 12 and 4, sometimes even longer. Last night I may or may not have been hanging over the toilet bowl crying while I managed to dry heave and squeeze out the most bitter tasting bile that makes you shudder uncontrollably. It is not pretty.


I have, between the last post and this post, moved to Centurion. This makes me now 8.9kms from work which is a massive weight off my shoulders. My petrol gauge hasn't moved in 4 days and I can leave for work at 7:30am as opposed to 6:30am. I also get home at 5:20pm as opposed to 6pm. This helps my mood greatly.




My food aversions don't seem to be getting worse. I'm still struggling with the chicken thing and the Chinese smell in the air seems to have disappeared too. Some days the smell of fruit is enough to send me running, other days not. My sense of smell is definitely about as crazy as my ex mother in law.


Since I have moved to Centurion, I have questioned whether or not I am capable of this motherhood thing. Somewhere in the neighbourhood (right outside my bedroom window I'm sure) is a day care. There is a lot of screaming and singing and badly played piano and trumpets at times. If I have to hear so and so sitting in a tree K I S S I N G, one more time, I might lose it. Because kissing most certainly leads to blogs like this and besides, you kids are far too young to be worrying about kissing in any case.


Also I would like to state in writing, right here and right now, that this precious baby will be my ONLY child. I made this decision about 3 minutes ago when I heard the neighbours 6 year old daughter scream at the top of her lungs and in her brattiest older sister voice to her 3 year old brother "you better find it otherwise you are not playing with me" - you can hold me to this statement.