Gooooooal

I really hope you read the title in that stereotypical footy commentator voice…cos I sure did when I typed it! Now we have that out the way we can address what it is I’m shooting for (sorry there will be bad puns along the way, I can’t help myself!) in 2018.

As I said in my previous post I am ditching the diet culture and spending this year, and beyond, loving and embracing myself. That doesn’t mean I can’t and don’t have big plans though. There are loads of things I want to achieve this year, the difference is that I won’t hate myself for not managing them to an OTT planned schedule the way I have in the past.

My goals are a bit eclectic but make total sense to me so bear with me. I also plan on creating (late I know given that we are already in 2018!) a list of 12 things that I want to achieve this year before I turn 30 in December, but this is more fun stuff like purchases or outings.

2018 Goals:

1. Be more organised about the house. I want to get into a proper cleaning routine and keep the place as clean and orderly as is possible with two small boys running amok.
2. Work on my photography. Col got me a wonderful Fuji camera for my birthday so I want to learn more about how to operate that and improve my blog pics.
3. Blog more consistently! I’m murder for writing two in few days and then none for two weeks. If I want to grow this page then I know I need to write properly and regularly.
4. Keep up and add to my skincare routine. I started this towards the end of 2017 and really enjoyed caring for my skin properly and the positive results I was getting so need to not be lazy and keep it going.
5. Be bold! My sense of style has totally begun to emerge and grow in my 29th year of life! Call me a late bloomer but I think it’s due to some new found confidence and body positivity. So I’m going to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone and wear the stuff that catches my eye and I like even if I do worry what other people will think.
6. Have fun! Last year was a great year but it was stressful too. I spent a lot of time adapting to two kids, bought,moved into and renovated a flat, fought with my old work about flexible working, got a new job, helped organise a protest march about flexible working (and appeared on several radio shows!!) as well as finalising my divorce and all the other general admin that life throws at us. So yeh, fun. Doing cool, random and enjoyable stuff with my friends, with my three best guys and with Colin just us two as well.

I am still working on the list of ‘My Road to Dirty Thirty’ ideas but they include saving up for and buying myself an incredible piece of jewellery, running a 5k for charity and visiting some cool historical Scottish landmarks (aka my personal Outlander tour!). Open to any suggestions you all may have for me….maybe I should run a poll?!

K x

New Year, Same Fabulous Me!

My New Years resolution is inspired by the likes of Style Me Sunday and my best gal Hayleigh – not to diet, lose weight or beat myself up about what I do and don’t eat – but to accept and love myself just as I am!

Literally bathing in love today…All for myself!

Diet culture is hateful, it is a multibillion pound industry that thrives on our failures and self loathing. Fuck that! So what if my thighs touch or I have a bit of a muffin top…I’m not a total arsehole, my wee family is a happy one, I don’t wear kitten heels and even shop small/local when I can! Those are much more important things than a washboard stomach in my opinion. So, gone are my annual promises to exercise myself into the ground, cut out all the fun foods and shed all my curves!

Other than loving the fabulous being that I already am, my big plans for 2018 are to work on my photography skills, write my wee heart out on this blog, meet some of my wonderful online pals in real life, have fun with my kids, keep loving and appreciating my other half, bake more cakes, wear more eyeshadow and outlandish clothing! Sounds like a pretty awesome year right?

If you ditch the societal pressures….what will your resolutions/goals for 2018 look like?

K x

Chrimbo Limbo

Please excuse the horrific title…I hate the word ‘Chrimbo’ with a passion! However there is an advert at the moment with two ladies singing about the days between Christmas and New Year that perfectly encapsulates this weird few days of randomness.

Harrison has taken to eating weetabix straight from the box.

We have no routine as such, no clue about what day it actually is, debate about whether to even bother getting dressed and eat random foods all day long. It’s bloody bliss!

Just to add even more confusion to it all we woke up this morning to snow. Lovely soft but firm white snow that let us build a snowman and have a snowball fight. Harrison has never experienced snow before and frankly hated it. He sat on it, refused to touch it and had a face on the entire time we were out playing. Ruairidh had a ball until he got too cold and demanded a heat in the car while Colin cleared it!

I’m spending my evening tonight trying to claw back some semblance of humanity by having a large gin, a hot bath and some pampering as frankly I’m looking a touch scarecrowish from this limbo period.

How have you all been spending your between Christmas days?

K x

Holiday In Ibiza (May 2017): Part One

Love this post so much! I went to Ibiza a few years ago with my other half for our first holiday and it’s been on our return list ever since! Thanks for reigniting my love for the White Isle Emma 💕

 You might be aware, I was recently on holiday in Ibiza for the first time with my boyfriend: we went there 12th May for a luxurious 2 weeks. I know Ibiza is known for its party atmosphere, BUT, it is so much more than that as I’ll prove! Before I went, I  planned to do a travel diary whilst I was there, but I decided against it in the end (I was too busy sunbathing and drinking all inclusive cocktails *wink*).

Like always, I ramble on too much! So, I have had to split this into 2 parts to make it more reader friendly. In part one, I will be talking about the hotel and the town of Santa Eulalia where we stayed. In part two, I will be talking about what we got up to; we like to explore and see the sights whilst on holiday.

Sunrise from our balcony

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Mama Says…Listen up and pipe down!

I need to have a bit of a rant here, one of these niggly things that has been rattling around my head for a while.

I love the NHS, do not doubt me when I say that. It’s a bloody wonderful service and we are super lucky to have it. However, some of the people within it are (I guess as is any percentage of a large workforce) decidedly unrepresentative of their professional body.

Over the course of the last year or so my GP has seen myself and my two boys a number of times due to various things and each time I have found him very dismissive. I’m not the type of person to hurry to the doctor unless it’s something I feel is serious and now I’m a much more confident parent, second time around, I also know that if I’m taking my kids there it’s because I’m genuinely concerned and not just over anxious.

Each time he has left me feeling like some silly girl who’s wasting his time with my concerns – this is so unacceptable! Imagine I allowed his behaviour to put me off going in and my child’s cough or upset stomach turned out to be something far more serious?

My other bug bear is judgy health visitors. Actually I get quite wound up by anyone judging my parenting choices but your HV especially is meant to support you and advise you. Not judge and make you feel shit. The most recent example I have seen was from Megan of It’s The Mother – she had been given a bit of a stern chat from her HV after revealing that she had been cosleeping with her baby girl in order to get some reasonable rest whilst solo parenting for a few weeks. Seriously?! A genuinely sleep deprived parent who isn’t taking any opportunities to get a decent sleep is more of a concern than one who allows their 8 month old to come into bed for a rest. We have H in our bed loads and all the chat I get is “oh you have made a rod for your own back” – come back and tell me that again if he’s still sleeping in my bed at 14 Mavis!! I could go on and on about the whole cosleeping thing because the UK is one of the few countries who really is against it and having read (thoroughly!!) up on it, I am a big advocate if it’s what you wish to do and do it safely.

Enjoying a wee snuggle before bedtime in the big bed!

Anyway, this was a far longer rant than planned but clearly I had some chat to get off my chest! Thanks, as always, for reading along. Please share your moan of the week with me so I know I’m not the only grump out there!!

K x

Mama Says…HoHoHo 🎄

When we were invited along to The Bridge Inn Ratho to have breakfast with Santa I jumped at the chance! I love brunch, all things festive and road trips so it was too much for me to resist despite having pretty much no clue where Ratho was! #weegiesontour

Harrison spent no time at all getting stuck in to the amazing pancakes and cooked breakfasts that we ordered which allowed this mama to drink a cuppa and eat my own breakfast for a nice change. The scrambled eggs were particularly awesome and the pancakes are super fluffy.

A very jolly Santa appeared and in a frankly civilised manner his elves herded our wild cats, sorry small children, into a group to sing a few Christmas songs and handed out a lovely gift to them each. After that we grabbed a photo with the big guy himself and took the opportunity to catch up with a few of my favourite East coast mama bloggers who were in attendance with their Small’s too!

As wonderfully festive and blissful as this All sounds (and it was fabulous!) I have to share the reality…..

He HATED Santa 🙈😂🎅🏻

What fun festive activities are you all up to this year?

Kx

The ones before the one…

I thought I would share a bit of a different side of me with you all. Not everyone will know my romantic background, not everyone will care, but it’s my blog so I’m sharing anyway.

My ‘the one’ is Colin, a man 9 years my senior and someone I never expected to fall for. He was a good friend, a work colleague and when my marriage ended, a real support to me which all blossomed into him being the love of my life. We make a pretty unlikely pairing to the uneducated eye but even 3 years on, an extra kid in and in the depths of sleep deprivation he makes me laugh and my heart bursts with love for him. Gaaaah that’s way loveydovey but true.

Obviously as I mentioned there was a husband before there was Colin, and a few other ‘the ones’ who turned out not to be so oneish after all. Each ending left me with something new learned and got me where I am today so I guess the old adage about kissing a few frogs to find a prince is true.

1. The ex husband….I gained a child and a whole raft of life lessons from this relationship. Mainly about realising my own self worth, not doing what’s expected of you even when you know its wrong, and quite a lot about food (he was a chef). What happened is frankly a whole other blog post but what I will say is that I’m glad I married him, and I’m more glad that I left him as we are both in far happier relationships for it.

2. The first love….Many people wonder for years what would have happened had they stayed with their first love. Sometimes they try and revisit that relationship, sometimes it works out and they are reunited and live happily ever after. I couldn’t do this even if I wanted to…my first love now bats for the other team. Yup. He is still one of my favourite people I have ever dated, a sarcastic, funny, ginger delight of a man. I like to joke with him that I ruined him for all other women so he turned to men. Sometimes he humours me and agrees, mostly he fake laughs and goes back to telling me off for cutting my hair.

3. The best friend…ok so I have a bit of a recurring theme of falling for my friends! This one was my uni boyfriend and we were inseparable, sharing beds and cigarettes, misbehaving and having pretty much the time of our 18 year old lives along with our close knit group of fellow Geddes Court reprobates. This is the one that makes me sad sometimes, when we broke up (thanks to my own idiot wild behaviour) I lost him as my best friend, the rest of the group of boys and his family too who I just thought was wonderful. We still follow on social media and have wished each other the best in our lives so it’s all good. I definitely learned not to lose a good thing when you have it after this one, a lesson I cherish in my relationship today!

4. The wild fling. Says it all really. There was a handful of these before I settled down with the husband and they were mostly all a joy. I learned to be proud of my sexual side and to love myself. I also learned that boys can be shitheads from some of these and sometimes you need to recognise a knight in shining armour is just a twat in a tin can.

Love is a funny thing my friends and I’m glad I have found it now. It’s been a hell of a ride, no pun intended, getting here and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Any funny ex tales from you lot? 

K x

Mama Says… Alternative Christmas Gift Guide

Shopping small business is something I have become hugely passionate over the last year or so. I still drop a small chunk of my wages in H&M, Boots and Ikea on the regular, but I am far more likely to hop online and trawl Insta or Not On The High Street for more unique items. I get more compliments on Harrison’s cute hand made clothes from awesome Insta shops than the extortionate John Lewis outfit that he ruins in 30 seconds flat plus it’s a wonderful feeling knowing someone somewhere is paying for their kids ballet classes because we have shopped small.

Every year I see the big magazines and newspaper do supplements around Christmas giving the perfect gift ideas…but they only really seem to feature the big brands. As a result I decided to create the ‘Mama Says… Alternative Christmas Gift Guide’! Hopefully this takes some of the hassle out of your Christmas shopping and brings you new and unique gift ideas for your loved ones.

La Pom Pom

La Pom Pom is the home of handcrafted wool pom pom and felt ball garlands, decor and jewellery. The owner, designer, creator and everything else at La Pom Pom is Laura, a stay-at-home mama to two little boys. She creates everything from beautiful garlands to mega jazzy Pom Pom earrings which you may have spotted me wearing in a few posts!

Harry and Rose

Harry and Rose are a fab new baby skincare brand with a difference. Not only are all their products are natural, pure and totally organic, they are also sheer luxury! This beautiful Baby Bath Gift Set features their Hair&Body Wash as well as a super soft bamboo hooded towel and wash mitt and is perfect for any new arrivals first Christmas present.

My Pocket Money Toy

This is a fantastic new find for me – I love my own monthly beauty box subscription that I get, and as soon as I heard about My Pocket Money Toy I knew my eldest would feel the same about these beautifully packaged kids monthly subscription Toy gift boxes.

For Christmas there are these Christmas Eve boxes for kids (and ones for parents too!) which are choc full of festive treats and activities for a proper cosy family night in together waiting for Santa to arrive.

Becks McCulloch – Arbonne

This gorgeous lady runs her Arbonne business along side her existing job as a physio and a mummy to her two lovely boys! This range has products to suit everyone and features daily use (and frankly pretty damn fabulous) skincare products all the way through to nutritional supplements like their vegan protein powder! 
A particularly lovely gift that she has is the gents shave set featuring a shave cream & an after-shave soothing lotion. The shave cream conditions the skin for a less irritable shave then the soothing lotion absorbs quickly leaving the skin soft and smooth. Plus the antioxidant properties which helps calm & refresh tied looking skin. Will be sharing an amazing deal on this gift set on the Instagram page later in the week, keep your eyes peeled! 

Old J Rum

This dynamite new rum brand comes in a wide variety of flavours but my absolute favourite is their classic Spiced rum. Make a delicious spiced rum hot chocolate over the festive period (will share a cheeky recipe over on instagram this week!) or just enjoy poured over ice with coke and a slice of lime. For those a little more adventurous they have a sweet and delicious Cherry rum which has a really nostalgic, cherry vanilla flavour to it. Available in the awesome indy off-licence The Cave over in Glasgow’s West End.

Clara’s Bowtique

Super adorable handmade bows from sunny Glasgow. This fledgling company came from Clara’s mama making bows for her when she arrived earlier this year. The business and the beautiful Clara are growing together and I predict big things for them both.

Ideal for Disney fans of all ages and ultra girly girls!

Goldcraft Jewellers Shawlands

From baby bangles to their specially designed Legend of St Mungo silver items there is quite literally something for everyone in this family run jewellers situated right on the heart of Shawlands high street. They have fabulous silver and costume jewellery at a reasonable price to give you that bit of sparkle on your christmas night out or for those with some money to burn (or perhaps a special question to pop!!) there is an incredible selection of luxury diamond and precious stone rings. You might even recognise a certain member of staff…hint hint…its me!

Violet Rose Make Up Artistry

What to get for the woman who already has it all? Vouchers for the hottest ticket in town of course – Violet Rose Make Up Artistry! Giving the gift of the natural glow this year, Jen Beattie is an artist with an incredible talent for natural ‘you but better’ make up style.

She can either make you over for a special event or even do a one on one mini make up lesson to help you get the most out of your own make up bag on the daily. I know who will be helping this Mama get her glow on this festive party season!

Awesome Mama Illustration

This beautifully bespoke company came about when Stacey was off on Maternity Leave. She had been running her paper cutting company Two For Joy Art for around 7 years but found it was too time consuming and tricky once little ones were thrown in the mix. Recognising that she needed to adapt her craft to fit the wildness that is mama life, she began to draw what she knew, which in the beginning was lots and lots of sleep deprivation!

She creates bespoke portraits under the guise of Awesome Mama, mainly of Mums and Dads with their kids. Each one is totally unique to the family, with lots of personal touches, favourite books and toys, pets, special clothing and sometimes ‘in jokes’. It’s these little things that you may forget when your babies grow older, so putting them into artwork is a lovely way to look back on that moment in time and makes these such an incredible and personal gift.

One Wee Box

Taking the stress out of gift giving, Kirstin created One Wee Box from her own love of finding and giving the perfect gift. Every Wee Box (and there are several varieties covering a great range of giftees and price points) is aimed at encouraging the recipient to take some time out for themselves. She is happy to discuss making up a bespoke box too if you want to personalise it further and has fabulous new Hygge and Gents boxes launching this Christmas. As the old saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup….however you can pour some down right delicious Mulled Spice Tea for yourself if you purchase the Wee Box of Hygge pictured above.

Shh By Sadie

This cute and colourful Charmed Heart charm is a perfect stocking filler for teenagers, stylish mamas and fashionistas who lunch. Mix, match and add them to your favourite bags (I have glammed up my change bag with one) !

The charms are woven by Sadie using traditional bead loom techniques and beautifully accentuated with 24 carat gold plated clamps and chunky gold clasp.  They even arrive with their very own reusable flamingo pouch to keep your pretties pretty!

Check out her website too for a dazzling array of handmade jewellery. It is often created using vintage beads, chains and embellishments which means your Shh by Sadie pieces can be one of a kind or limited edition, allowing you to be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons!

Makar Gin

Two of my favourite things are my home city Glasgow and Gin – so Makar had to be on this list!! Makar, the first gin to be distilled in this fair city, is a vibrant, Juniper based, handcrafted gin that derives its name from the ancient Scots word for Poet. So named to reflect the craft of their team of dedicated distillers and the heptagonal shape of the slender bottle meanwhile echoes the number of times the liquid is pot distilled in their copper pot still ‘Annie’ and the number of carefully selected botanicals that complement the finest Juniper berries in this award winning gin.
Porter & Bramble

Run by Megan, Scottish super mum! She has two small kids and her partner works offshore. So in order to keep earning while still caring for her family she created Porter & Bramble. Every item is hand draw, inspired by her kids and ranges from wedding items to these beautiful personalised Christmas baubles which I HAD to have for my own two boys!

Willow & Plum

Having struggled for years with dry skin, made worse by her role as a long haul cabin crew member, Lesley decided to educate herself on all things organic and natural to try and improve her skin. When she struggled to find the right type of thing on the market she jumped on the entrepreneurial life and started Willow & Plum. Her and her husband now make cold pressed soaps which are all natural including the fully recyclable packaging – no nasties anywhere!

Their Nettle soap is especially lovely for face washing and removing make up and is soothing, healing and known to benefit those with skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.
The  Mount Whistle Company

If you like Luxury then look no further than Dumbarton. An unlikely statement to some, but to those in the know, its where The Mount Whistle Company hand pours their incredible smelling soy candles.

For Christmas you can indulge in these cute tree shaped Pine & Eucalyptus melts to make your home smell amazing and festive or treat a loved one (or yourself) to one of these on trend rose gold candle tins. I currently have mine adorning my sideboard but will definitely be gifting a few this year, even better because they can be refilled by The Mount Whistle Company with their awesome waste minimizing refill service.

 

Gill Chesnutt

Gill Chesnutt is an artisan glassmaker working from her purpose built studio in her garden on Glasgow’s southside. Every piece is unique – individually handmade by Gill using traditional methods and techniques for the perfect finish. A really lovely gift for anyone obsessed with home decor, the main influences on Gill’s work are scottish flora and fauna which makes for these vibrant and eye catching pieces.

A Pony called Steve

With a brand name like this I almost don’t even want to elaborate – Steve does the talking! A cruelty free range of the most delicious smelling products I have ever encountered – and endorsed by a tiny magical shetland pony called Steve. What more could you want?

Soaps that smell like pink lemonade and a body lotion that evokes summer holiday memories even in the dead of winter, all packaged up in gorgeous colourful packaging and at a super reasonable price point! These make the ideal stocking fillers or perhaps you could really treat someone to a pamper hamper filled with goodies.

Epoch

An exciting new addition to the Glasgow food circuit run by a husband and wife team, located in Princes Square. They first met working in a restaurant there many years ago and when the opportunity came around to open their own place in the beautiful location they took the chance and went ‘home’! I love me a good romance so this captured my heart straight off, but if that isn’t enough to sway you their modern European tapas style menu certainly will. The head chef Andrew Greenan (previously of Martin Wisharts The Honours) meticulously sources the finest ingredients from all around Scotland and they have an extensive and classy drinks menu to match. Vouchers are available to redeem against a family meal, a quickie lunch date or one of their fantastic 6 course tasting menus – an ideal gift for the foodie in your life

Aillie Anderson Silver

A recent graduate of Glasgow School of Art, Aillie has wasted no time at getting her debut collection out into exhibitions and into the public eye. She has also begun a prestigious year long residency within the GSA silversmithing and jewellery department.

These pieces are from one of two new collections being launched called Granite and Facet. Uniquely textured sterling silver earrings, rings and pendants all hand finished by this clever young designer.

The second collection, Facet, is once again sterling silver but with the unusual addition of Jesmonite, a casting material, giving the pieces a lovely soft yet concrete like finish.

You can meet Aillie and see her pieces in person at a Christmas events in Royal Exchange Square on November 26th and December 20th or check out the ranges in their entirety on her website. I’d say this girl is one to watch…so maybe get yourself some of her work now before they become collectors pieces in the future!

Ruby Woo Boutique

A hidden treasure of a shop, first opened on Skirving Street Shawlands and now Great Western Road in the west end too! They have the most gorgeous selection of clothing, footwear and accessories for all ages, shapes and sizes!

When browsing their beautiful shop recently I discovered their own range of soy candles which have some fab festive scents to get you in that christmassy mood. The exciting one however, is their signature RWB candle which smells amazing – really rich, fruity and exotic. It comes in a gorgeous gift box making it an ideal ready wrapped present for those unexpected guests or secret santas.

The Wee T-Shirt Company

Another incredible mama run company – Siobhan sources, prints and creates gorgeous t-shirts and jumpers from her home studio. She is mum to Archie & Cara, who you often see modelling her designs, and started the business in order to be at home with her two rather than spend the crippling costs of childcare. Thanks to her own ‘mumming’ Siobhan fully appreciates the need for good quality durable clothing which means she is super committed to all her items being the best quality they can be.

This adorable tartan tee & bib combo is all lovely soft cotton and the jumper has a cosy fleecy lining which I adore! Because this is all printed by Siobhan at home she can do bespoke pieces if you have an idea and she also does t-shirts featuring kids own artwork which is pretty special!

I could go on and on and on with the amazing small businesses that are out there, some on our very own Glasgow doorsteps! I hope this guide gives you all some ideas and I would love to hear about any other small brands you know and love (or if you are a small brand give me a shout and we can line you up for next Christmas or plot something else!)

K x

Trick or Treat

As we hurtle ever closer to the end of November I’m struggling to decide if it’s a joy or a nightmare that the wee chunky monkey above is the same wee tiny tot below…

Of course it is a treat and an utter joy that my darling baby has thrived and grown and made our family over this last year. But it also makes me emotional to see him so big and un-babylike now. 

He had his first settling in session at nursery this week and it went really well but I had to get Colin to take him as it was a milestone that I couldn’t quite believe or face. This all sounds a bit daft I’m sure, but I think since I know Harrison is my last baby I am mourning the end of these times as much as I am celebrating the wonderful next stages we have coming.

Did anyone else struggle emotionally with their babies growing and progressing? Am I just being a bit mad?

K x

Skincare Routine

For the first time pretty much ever I have gotten myself into a semi sensible skin care routine. It’s not quite the traditional 3-Step, nor is it the sworn by Caroline Hiron’s double and oil cleanse, and it most definitely is worlds away from the K-Beauty 10 step monster process. It works for me though and my skin is definitely starting to look and feel better than it has in a long time and that’s all I wanted.

I am a working mum of two boys and frankly as much as I love hair and beauty products, the fact is I’m pretty lazy. When my day starts at 5am regularly I don’t have much interest in spending more than a few minutes on my skin as I’d rather be sleeping! 

My skin is pretty normal, with oily nose and t-zone and hormonal acne around my chin and mouth at times (hoping this keeps improving as my pregnancy hormones keep diminishing, it can take up to 2 years though!)

Here is my quick and easy morning and evening routine – might give you some ideas if you are like me and have no routine whatsoever!

AM – I wash my face with the La Roche Posay Effaclar Foaming Gel followed by the Arbonne RE9 serum and day creme that I got from the lovely Becks McCulloch. I feel these give me a good balance of deep cleanse and then a really glowing, nourished base to do my make up for the day. 

PM – I use the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser followed by La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+. The Glossier cleanser is really thick and moisturising and removes all traces of my make up in one wash (although I sometimes do two just to get that super clean feeling!) and the Effaclar Duo+ has been a big help to keep my spots and pigment marks under control.

 

If I feel like my skin needs a little more love I use the Splash overnight mask from Algenist to give it a really good hydrating boost while I sleep!

What are your go to skin products and how intense is your routine?

K x

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