New Handbag!

I recently did a major overhaul of my wardrobe since having S meant that a lot of my old clothes and accessories no longer fit me/suited my new lifestyle. I managed to make a bit of cash and decided to treat myself to a new handbag, since it had been a couple of years since my last one. 

When considering which bag to buy, I looked at what I currently had in my collection to figure out what I was lacking (if you can call it that considering how many bags I have). I really wanted a dark tote style bag for winter that was big enough to fit all of the things I now need to carry around for S, and that would not get damaged by the elements.

The bag I used most this summer was my Louis Vuitton Totally MM in Damier Azur. I found it so practical as it has two pockets on the outside and a secure zipper on the top. I also loved that the checked print matched so well with most of the outfits I wore so I didn't have to switch out bags too often. When I heard that Louis Vuitton had brought out the same bag but in a brown print called Damier Ebene, I was excited as I thought it would be the perfect winter bag. I asked P if he would come with me into the city to visit the store, so a couple of weekends ago we made the trek in. I had a lovely sales assistant helping me and after trying on the bag I knew it was exactly what I was looking for, and just within budget...phew...

Here is my new beauty:

Some close up details:

 

Beautiful red interior:

 

Gold zipper pull:

 

Made in France:

 

Here it is with its sister bag in Azur, which is now packed away until summer rolls around again.

 

I won't be buying any bags for a long time now, but I that's ok as I feel this has filled the last gap in my collection. What bags are you currently eyeing?

Shoe Chronicles # 3 : The Girliest

My favourite shoe designer without a doubt is Salvatore Ferragamo. I have found they are very underrated, especially considering the price and superior quality when compared to other more high end shoe brands (Louboutin, Jimmy Choo etc...), and they always go on sale which is a bonus! 

Burgundy is one of my favourite colours especially in winter, so I was stoked when I found these on sale last year. This style 'ribes' is very flattering and so comfortable, and the signature bow across the toe adds a little something extra. I wear black ones for work all the time as he heel is only 70mm high which is very manageable for all day wear.

Without further delay, here are some pics of the beauties:

If you're in the market for good quality designer shoes that are actually comfortable, I would totally recommend Ferragamos!

Candle Colletion

I love having a candle lit most of the time when I am home. It just seems to add a bit of extra ambiance to the place and of course they smell beautiful. Last year I started a bad habit of buying new candles every week or so and its taken me ages to actually get to the end of some of them (finished 2 this week!). Here's some of my 'collection':

Glasshouse Candles

 

Of course one of the most popular brands is Glasshouse. They are popular for a reason; great scents, beautiful jars, and long burning power. These are the three I currently have on rotation:

Esperance

Esperance is a very light, sweet fruity scent, and I haven't come across another candle that smells the same. This is the second one I've used it's that good!

Rio De Janeiro

I've almost finished this one and would repurchase. It smells mostly like passion fruit to me which is a delicious scent. I find this one doesn't need to be burnt for a long time as the scent is very strong.

Kyoto

This candle has a lovely floral scent which I couldn't pinpoint off the top of my head, but going by the description it is likely the camellia or lotus flowers. This was a limited edition so I'm glad to have it my collection to enjoy.

Aquiesse

 

Aquiesse candles are my absolute favourite. I was introduced to and purchased these in New York in 2012, and have been using them sparingly as they are quite expensive. The jars are gorgeous and match my home decor nicely. The little one on the left is Shoreline, a fresh ocean scent, and the right is Boardwalk, which is the most delicious vanilla candle I've ever used.

Unfortunately I've just finished the Boardwalk one, so will be asking for a new one for Christmas I think!

Woodwick

I've only purchased one Woodwick candle, although I love many of their scents from what I've smelled in store. I like the fact that the wick is wood and the one I use has burned nicely. I have the Citrus Melon scent which smells like ripe honey dew and rock melon, so it is very fruity and sweet.

What candles would you recommend that I get next? I'm always open to new suggestions!

Things to do with a Newborn Baby

Being a first time mum, I really want to make sure I'm doing the best thing for S in helping her to develop and grow into a wonderful person. I haven't had much experience with children at all and was finding it somewhat difficult figuring out how to keep her entertained during the day and found that we were doing the same things over and over again which was becoming monotonous (for me mostly). So I've decided to enroll her into some activities so that we get out of the house a couple of days a week. Here's some of the things we're doing...

Mums and Bubs yoga

 

I did a 6 week pre-natal yoga course which I found really beneficial for all the back and pelvic pain I had during pregnancy. It was surprising I liked it so much as I had never been a fan of yoga before. The lady who ran the course also runs Mums and Bubs yoga, so I decided to also give this a go, and we had our first session last week.

The course runs for 6 weeks initially with the option to attend on a class by class basis afterwards. Each session runs for an hour, and includes relaxation. To be honest, I was a bit worried about bringing S in case she played up, but the instructor explained that it is completely normal behaviour for babies and it is expected that there will be crying/screaming/cooing in the classes and we are free to settle/feed/change babies as needed. This made me feel much more relaxed about it, and I felt like there was no pressure on me once S started to become unsettled about half way through the class. I probably only did half an hour of actual yoga between settling and feeding S, but I still had a great time and also met some lovely ladies that I'm looking forward to catching up with again next week.

Waterbabies Swimming
 
P grew up swimming, and with all the safety benefits to be had, it was not negotiable for us that S started swimming at a young age. Luckily S absolutely loves the water. Most places I looked at started classes at 6 months, however I found one that starts from as early at 10 weeks. Of course babies this young don't actually swim, but it is more to get them used to the water, and for some social interaction. By the time we start the semester she will be around 14 weeks old. Although it is currently winter, the pools are heated so I'm not dreading having to get in the pool myself!

Gymbaroo

 

I was not too sure about Gymbaroo as I thought it would be silly, but I took S for a free trial class and she loved it! I had never seen her smile to much, so I enrolled her straight away... Each class runs for 45 minutes, and is a combination of tummy time, song and rhyme, dancing, massage and much more. S managed to last 3/4 of the trial class before grizzling because she was tired which was a pretty good effort. The semester goes for 10 weeks, so we will trial for this semester and if she still likes it after a while may consider doing it for longer.

It may seem like a lot, but it gives us 2 full days at home during the week, and if I find it is too much we won't re-enroll in one of the activities for the next semester. We won't know until we try it!

What other activities have your little ones loved?

iHerb reviews

Last week I received my first iHerb order which I blogged about here: http://fromheelstobooties.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/iherb-haul.html

I've had a chance to try quite a few of the things already so thought I'd do a review post in case anyone was thinking about trying any of the items. I'll give everything a rating out of 5 as well.

Bare Fruits Dried Granny Smith Apples

Although these had a weird smell when first opening the packet, these tasted great. not too sweet with tangy bite to them and were still crunchy. P liked these as well. The price is a bit steep at $2.92 per packet, so I would only buy them occasionally, but I think I will try making these in the oven as its just dried apple. I'll let you know how it goes when I get around to it...

Rating: 5!

Food Should Taste Good All Natural Jalapeno Tortilla Chips

 These were disappointing. They didn't have much flavour to them and could have done with a bit more salt. The jalapeno flavour did not come through too much either, although after eating a few I could start to feel the heat. I wouldn't repurchase these.

Rating: 1 :(

Made in Nature Dried Pineapple

I quite liked this one,  however it is very sweet so can't eat too much at a time (not necessarily a bad thing). All the pieces were stuck together in the bag which is due to the dried fruit still being quite moist/sticky. I think I have in fact have a slight allergy to pineapple as my hands started to itch when I was eating it, this started happening when I ate pineapple during pregnancy so I may give these a miss next time.

Rating: 3

 

Made in Nature Dried Mangoes

 This was one of my favourite purchases. Dried mango is very expensive to buy here in Perth (the one I like is $99 per kilo) so I seldom buy it, but this is a great alternative at only $5.44 per bag (equivalent to $64 per kilo). Due to the differences in mangoes, some pieces were sweet and some more tangy but I liked that about it. I will definitely repurchase this.

Rating 5!

 

 

ChocoLite French Vanilla Protein Powder

This is again another item which I loved. I had been needing a new protein powder for my smoothies and thought i'd try this one as it was only a small bag. The french vanilla flavour is lovely and tastes just like a good milkshake. I have it in a smoothie with 1 frozen banana, a handful of frozen raspberries and milk blended until smooth. I would like to try the chocolate flavour as well, and maybe the peanut butter flavour. The only downside is the price at $16.60 per bag which only has 11 serves in it. 

Rating: 4 (due to price)

Summersaults Sunflower Seed Snacks

These I didn't particularly like. They had a funny aftertaste that I couldn't pinpoint but it may have been the sunflower seeds, although I've had seeds before with no issues. They were slightly salty as expected which was fine and a good size serving for a snack, however I will not be buying these again.

Rating: 2

 

Woodstock Farms Organic Dark Chocolate Almonds

I forgot to take a picture of these, but these are AMAZING! The dark chocolate was the perfect combination of bitterness and sweetness, and I only needed about 4 at a time to satisfy my chocolate craving. I will be repurchasing these next time for sure.

Rating: 5

Overall I was really pleased with the order and will be repurchasing a number of items in my next order. The things I didn't like was more due to my personal taste rather than the actual items themselves. I've already got my cart full ready to checkout next time, but I'm going to wait until July to place my next order.

New Workout Gear Haul

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and I was very spoiled by my friends and family with gifts cards to Lululemon and Lorna Jane, two of my favourite stores. Over the long weekend P and made the trek into the city so I could go to Lululemon, and here's my haul and reviews:

Lululemon tops (L - R:  Cool Racerback in We are from space black, Swiftly Tech short sleeve top, Cool Racerback camo print)

 Lorna Jane (L - R: Cresent Excel half zip top, Amy full length tights, Comfort sports bra).

Here's some modelling shots. I am a size 12 in Lululemon and find the tanks really slim fitting.

My favourite buy out of all of them would have to be the Lorna Jane full length leggings. I think I wore them everyday the week I got them. In fact I loved them so much I've purchased a second pair so that I have a backup in case they're in the wash!

I love the feeling of new workout gear, it provides a little bit extra motivation when getting ready to workout.

Fitness routine with baby

Before having S, I had a pretty good fitness routine and was looking forward to getting back into it once she was born. When I was in my late teens, I was very overweight and had worked very hard to lose and maintain my weight so I did not want to take too much time off. I started walking (more for Jessie's sake than anything else) from 2 weeks postpartum, but it wasn't until my post-natal check up at 6 weeks postpartum that I was formally given the all clear to exercise again. Once I had the ok, I re-started up my gym membership and got straight into it.

This is my current exercise plan:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: BodyStep

Wednesday: Pilates Reformer

Thursday: Yoga

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Pilates Reformer

Sunday: BodyStep 

I also walk Jessie most days for additional cardio. We normally walk for around 40 minutes each time so she can have a good run around and tire herself out!

Luckily I been able to plan the classes for times when P can be home to look after S. I have been doing this regime for about 2 weeks now and it is going well, it had been nice to have a few hours to myself during the week, although S comes with me to Yoga as it is during the day (mum and bubs yoga - I plan to do a post about this during the week).

This is pretty much the same routine that I did prior to becoming pregnant (less the yoga) so I expect that I will be able to continue doing this into the foreseeable future (until I get bored or pregnant again hahaha). Wish me luck!

Baby Outfiits

Baby clothes are so adorable, it is hard not to get carried away buying too much. Since having a baby, I have discovered a love for Bonds clothing (cheap and comfy), Seed Heritage (pricey but great/different designs for special occasions), and Target (cheap). S has finally grown out of her newborn clothes and is into 000's so we've had to buy a few things recently. Here's some of her (my) favourite outfits at the moment:

 Top and leggings from Target (cute ruffle butt)

Top and hoodie from Bonds, leggings from Next Direct.

Top and leggings from Seed Heritage.

 Dress from Seed Heritage and leggings from Next Direct.

I have to add these in here as they are so cute, I splurged and bought these mouse shoes from Seed. S's feet are still too small to fit them but hopefully soon she will be able to wear them every day!

I have also bought a bunch of things from Ozsale in bigger sizes as they have great deals all the time. The shipping takes a while but as I buy things in advance its not a big deal for me. I've got an order arriving soon so will do a post when it comes (shoes and socks).

Shoe Chronicles # 2 : The Newest

I was meant to post this on Wednesday but we've had a crazy week. 

This is part 2 of my shoe collection, and I thought it would be good to show my latest acquisition, the Rag and Bone Newbury boots in black. With winter coming up I wanted a pair of good quality black ankle boots and spent ages researching which ones would suit me best when I came upon the Rag and Bone boots. From what I could tell online, as I had never seen them in person, they appeared to be very classic looking and trans-seasonal which was exactly what I was looking for. P wanted to buy me something nice for my first mothers day, so the timing was great. I purchased these through Net-a-Porter and as usual they arrived in a couple of days in perfect condition.

Birds eye view:

My first attempt at modelling shots (I need to get P used to taking these for me!): 

And a close up shot from the side:

I am also wearing a tunic from Country Road and leggings from Ezibuy. 

I love these boots so much, I've been thinking about getting the same in a light brown colour for summer. Hopefully they go on sale!