Seeing Rainbows

A few weeks ago an email appeared in my inbox asking me if I felt I could ‘Style a man for Summer 2017’ with a £100 budget from Jacamo.co.uk . Of course I can do that I thought and, with our holiday to Mexico coming up, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to grab Jake some new threads! Below is what I chose..

Firstly I wanted to choose a shirt. I knew on holiday some of the restaurants would require ‘smart dress’ which means a shirt and trousers and knowing Jake would likely want some lightweight trousers, I went with denim. On the Jacamo site there are LOTS of denim shirts but this Firetrap number caught my eye; fashionable without being try-hard and short sleeves for Summer. The Firetrap Arizona Denim Shirt comes in regular length and also in tall. It features buttoned-down shoulder straps, collar and chest pockets. It also has a small branded metal badge on the left pocket and a fabric tab on the left of the waistline. Best of all? The price, it was £40, now £22 in sale!

Next I needed shorts. Smart for the evening but casual enough for day trips in the jungle.. or shopping! These Fenchurch surface shorts featuring branded buttons, a drawstring waistband, two open side pockets, two buttoned down side pockets and two buttoned pockets at the rear were perfect. A little pricey for shorts perhaps but machine washable and need little ironing. £35 on the Jacamo site! Jake reports that these were super comfy by the way!

Lastly I thought it best to buy some trousers. Lightweight for Summer but also handy for anytime of year. Perfect for holidays, when it is HOT like it was in Mexico but want to hide your legs from our mosquito friends. I knew Jake previously liked ‘twisted’ style jeans and so when I spotted these Stretch Twist Chinos from Label J I decided to grab them. They’re a great easy-to-wear, on-trend look but simply designed and look comfortable too. These chinos are a twist fit style and feature front and back pockets, a zip fly and belt loops. Machine washable (again!) and with 97% Cotton and 3% Elastane they’re perfect for keeping cool. These trousers are available in a variety of lengths and they only cost £25, bargain!

My shopping experience with Jacamo was easy and it’s clear that they stock a variety of clothing in a variety of lengths (always handy!!) The site has a range of affordable items and luxury items too, which is nice to see. Stocking sizes S to 5XL, so it doesn’t matter if you’re a big man, small man or any man. Jacamo Fits!!

*Disclosure: I was sent a complimentary £100 voucher to spend at Jacamo, all opinions and words are my own*

It really made me laugh at first when one of my subscribers emailed me to ask, ‘Where have you been?’ I thought I’d not blogged for a few weeks but actually when I looked, it’s been a few months! Oops. It wasn’t intentional- quite the opposite in fact, because I always thought that if I ever had another pregnancy, I’d be blogging my way through it, to cope! But it hasn’t turned out that way. I think this is mainly due to the fact that I’ve been so busy. So where are we all at? What have we been doing? And, what’s happening with my pregnancy? Read on for a little update!

In February when Jake and I found out I was pregnant we made the decision to move house fairly quickly. We needed a shared home, with space indoors and out! Of course we needed to decide where, when and how this could happen – whilst also considering all the other people involved. My children and their dad, Jake’s children and their mum and also our friends and families. Eventually, we agreed to move over the border to North Yorkshire. A new start for us both, whilst being close enough to the people who are important. Fast forward to May and we finally moved into a gorgeous converted stables which has a huge kitchen, lovely views, canal access and most importantly, space! The move for me wasn’t met without stress or hassle but we got there in the end! Jake is still in the process of selling his house in Manchester but we hope things will be completed by the end of the academic year, meaning another box ticked for preparation of the new baby’s arrival!

Outside our new home!

This brings me nicely onto the baby. With all the changes and moves I have at times forgotten I was pregnant! Previously I’ve found the first trimester the most difficult; the longest to deal with I guess, simply because there’s the anxiety to deal with of reaching 12 weeks safely. But we got there. We then also, without the blink of an eye, reached 20 weeks too. We chose not to find out the gender of the baby. Neither of us mind whether the baby is a boy or a girl and we would like the surprise! It will also reduce my shopping habits (for now anyway). Everything was as it should be at the scans, measuring slightly smaller than my dates (as usual..) but that’s no fuss for anyone currently. This will be monitored later with extra scans and Consultancy antenatal care, just as my last pregnancy with Willow.

22 weeks pregnant!

When I was 20 weeks pregnant we decided to book a holiday and we left a few weeks later. I felt in desperate need of some sun and we wanted to celebrate Jake leaving work to relocate to Yorkshire. We found a lovely holiday in Riviera Maya, Mexico and jetted off, child free to chill, read, enjoy some good food and also, just have a rest! It was the perfect break and we really did have a wonderful time despite missing the kids!

Mexican fun!

Visiting the Tequila restaurant in Riviera Maya

The beach at Tulum

The day we burned our feet at the beach!!

So where are we now? Well, we have settled in our new North Yorkshire home. The kids seem to like it and enjoy the land to play on and both Jake and I are happy with how the kids are getting on too. It’s great for me to have Jake around to help with tasks, especially as I have started to have issues with an inflamed pelvis. Physio is helping but on regular occasion, I am in a lot of pain! I’ve just a couple of months left at work however and I’m keen and determined to get through them! I’m feeling a little sad about leaving work for a while, but I will most definitely be returning, being at home full-time is not for me or for us as a family!

Preparation wise we have done pretty much, nothing! Again, time seems to be slipping away but I’m not sure that’s problematic. On the parenting scale, between us we are very experienced?! We have chosen a pram at least (a very lovely Bugaboo Cameleon 3) and bought two baby grows and a set of muslin cloths however! The baby’s nursery will be sorted once I leave work and everything else can be purchased in the coming months.

25 weeks pregnant!

The thought of becoming a Mum again at first felt scary. Even though I never felt ‘done’, if I’m honest I was worried about whether I was sure I wanted to return to those sleepless nights, the breastfeeding and all those mind-numbing episodes of In The Night Garden but now I think my mindset has changed. I’m really looking forward to it, we both are. Life changes and we adapt, our plan A’s become plan B’s and then plan C’s etc but ultimately things are good, we are really happy, the kids are healthy and happy and we have a real adventure to look forward to and that’s exciting!

Gabriel & Willow June 2017

Gabriel and Willow are both thriving. Growing by the day they impress me with their enthusiasm and hilarious personalities all the time. Gabriel turned six a few weeks ago and his reading and writing abilities for his age make me very proud. Willow is still asking questions about everything and she’s as sassy as ever, she really will go far!

The next few months will be spent with the kids, taking all of them on holiday for a week during the school holidays, and also some alone time for Jake and I too. September sees Willow start school so that will be busy, then we’ll celebrate both (Jake’s and mine ) Birthdays and boom- the baby will be here. Then, it will be Christmas….

Just 14 weeks to go until baby arrives. EEK!