Living Archives - Page 12 of 15 - You And Me Are Family

25
Oct
2013

Blog hacked when I was busy sunning myself.

Whilst I was here enjoying the gorgeous view from our hotel in Majorca my blog was hacked. Sorry for any of you who stumbled on the green dragon of doom who took over my gorgeous site.

Due to the hack I’ve lost my pretty theme so today we have had a little bit of a revamp, it’s not right but it will do for now and I am just happy the blog is back. Thanks to my amazing hosting company who back up my blog twice daily it was fixed within minutes of me alerting them so if anyone is looking to self host I would totally recommend Jamie and his team over at Fresh Sites

It’s good to be back!

Claire xx

28
Aug
2013

Weight Loss Wednesday – Week 7

categories: Eating, Living

I have to start this post with the fact I’m annoyed, annoyed that despite meal planning, exercising 5 days out of the 7, I only lost a measly pound! Yes I know a pound is a pound, better off than on etc but I really did try hard this week. Every meal has been home cooked and slimmingworld friendly, lunches have all been salads, there has been no chocolate!

I think this week I’m going to take my measurements as well, maybe even if the weight isn’t coming off as quickly there may be a slight chance I’m toning with the increase in exercise.

Nothing else for it though but to keep on going.

Claire xx

21
Aug
2013

Weight loss Wednesday – Week six

categories: Eating, Living

Well I have stuck to my exercise this week, tracking everything under the Mapmywalk App, which by the way allows you to also enter workouts not just walking.

I’m really pleased with what I managed and it’s a lot more than I usually do so great start. A few other lovely twitter ladies also signed up after last weeks post and we are now all supporting each other to be more motivated.

So exercise was good, eating not so much! My in laws where here for the week so we had a few meals out, quite a few glasses of wine and plenty of bread. I tried to be make healthier choices but I did sometimes struggle so this week was another 1 lb off.

I’m not going to say only as to be honest a pound is great seeing as I was out so much.

Anyway I am back to it, from Monday I have properly been following Slimming World plan again, I’ve been off work and cooking some lovely meals so hopefully next week I can report a better loss.

Still a loss is a loss and you can’t complain about that.

Claire xx

14
Aug
2013

Weight Loss Wednesday – Starting again

categories: Eating, Living

Weight loss Wednesday has been missing a couple of weeks, I’ve been following it in the background but I’ve not been having such a great time in my personal and work life so everything has been neglected.

I have booked annual leave next week so I am hoping to get back on to enjoying things and hopefully get some blogging done! So watch this space.

Last week I got together on twitter with a few of my friends and we decided to help each other lose weight. We are all reporting to each other each week for weigh in and supporting each other during the week by text and boy have they had to support me this week. I’ve had real trouble with insomnia that threatened to take over most of my life, or at least it felt that way, so I’ve not been eating much at all. You would think that would mean weightloss, but not for me, a sneaky jump on the scales on Monday and I had put on nearly 3lbs…..I mean really?!?!

So with the support from the girls I have made sure I am eating properly and we are also motivating each other but using this app.

We are all able to become friends and then when you log a workout it lets your friends know, it’s been great for motivating me and my exercise has gone up so much, especially when you see the other ladies logging things on there.

So weigh in day was this morning and although it’s not great I’m pleased to report a loss, considering I had put 3lbs on on that sneaky weigh in on Monday losing a pound today will have to be!

I am going to continue on with making sure I am eating enough and keeping up with the exercise, my cross trainer has been dusted off and I am attempting more walking, on Sunday I went for a 4 mile walk, my poor dog was knackered!

C xx

24
Jul
2013

Weight loss Wednesday – Week Four

categories: Eating, Living

Another Wednesday and another weigh in. Though it’s not going so well. I managed to stay the same this week which is good as its not a gain but it should be better.

I eat when I’m stressed and I’m stressed and fed up with the goings on in my life so it’s not currently a good mix.

I really need to get my head in the right place this week!

Claire xx

17
Jul
2013

Weight loss Wednesday – Week Three

categories: Eating, Living

Well this week has been better than last week at least and my 2lb gain has been taken off again

So now the focus is on dropping a few more each week and no more gaining!

I’ve totally ditched wine as it really wasn’t helping and I found I was drinking more in the sunny weather so no more for me. This week I have had a few vodkas with flavoured sparkling water instead which have been really refreshing so I’m trying to stick with that.

I’ve still not totally managed to curb the snacking though, it’s better but not quite there yet so that’s next on the list!

Claire xx

16
Jul
2013

How did I not know about this?!

categories: Living

Okay I may be late to jump on this bandwagon but I only actually found out about this the other day and was so surprised with it I really needed to share just incase any of you were like me and have not seen it yet.

Introducing my new favourite day time fragrance…..Suddenly Madame Glamour

It is gorgeous, really florally with underlying citrus notes, just perfect for me for wearing to work. And what makes it better is that is smells very like Coco Mademoiselle but is is a fraction of the price, in fact if you will believe this is, it is £3.99 from Lidl of all places!

Honestly just read these reviews:

Smell The difference

Chanel Beaten by Lidl

And if you google for reviews you will see hundreds of other blog posts talking about it, I mean seriously how did I not know about this?? I love Coco Mademoiselle but at £65 it is not a fragrance that I can afford to wear every day, now though I can wear something similar for a fraction of the price. Yes, it doesn’t last just as long as Chanel but I can still smell it a few hours after putting it on and for £3.99 I’m not going to complain if I need an extra few squirts during the day. It obviously still sells really well too as it took me to visit 2 different shops before I found it but it was worth it.

Really, get yourself to Lidl and give it a try yourself, sure you can’t lose at that price.

Claire xx

11
Jul
2013

It’s the small things

categories: Living

It’s the small things…

Since coming back from our tour of Ireland (which I still need to blog about) I have been busy with the small things in life and some big things too. I don’t seem to have much time to blog and now we are in the middle of a heat wave a rarity for the UK and somewhat of a miracle for Scotland I have been mainly spending my evenings outside.

I’ve taken to writing this post outside on my iPhone for uploading later.
So how have I been spending my time? Not by crocheting the many things I have on my list of want to do, that’s for sure! I did post before my aim was to do them when we were away but that didn’t happen.

There has been some me time over coffee.

And bright pink nails

I have been reading quite a bit too, something I go through phases of and can read loads for a while then I don’t pick up a book at all.

My favourite one so far has been The fault in our stars by John Green. It took me a little while to get into it but once I did I was so invested in what happened. Enough to have to make my excuses to head upstairs to finish it due to the many tears. I suggest everyone reads it.

My weekends have also been full, a few weekends ago it was one of my friends at work weddings and it was quite far away so we made an overnight of it which was lovely. Everything went really well and the sun shone.

Then the weekend just past I flew back to Ireland to surprise my Dad for his 65th birthday/retirement. It was lovely to get home without him knowing I was coming and even better to spend a weekend with my family just chilling out.

And I’ve been spending quality time with my hubby and doggy. I’ve been loving it and it’s been so nice to be together. His work has been stressful recently so it’s been good for us to switch of from the world and just be together.

I will hopefully have some crafty stuff I will be doing in the next few weeks that I hope will make the way to gracing these lovely pages and of course I really need to start (and finish) a crochet project before my new niece or nephew appears in August.

Claire xx

03
Jul
2013

Weight loss Wednesday – Week One

categories: Eating, Living

Well the first week of returning to healthy eating has gone quite well.

I lost 3lbs which I am pleased with, I didn’t fully follow Slimming World, had a lunch out, an all day wedding and a slight carb seeking hangover to deal with so all in all I don’t think I’ve done too bad.

My main change has been to cut out snacking during the day, only allowing myself to pop into the shop for a drink if I need it when out and about. I’ve also tried to get in more walking and have been mapping the distances using the Mapmywalk App. It’s amazing the motivation that gives you when you can actually see how far your local walks can be.

This week I need to try to use all my skills to healthy eat all weekend. I am away on Friday until Sunday which will involve lots of eating out and drinking and not much exercise so I’m already not expecting a loss next week. I will though aim to stay the same and not to let myself go off the rails because of one week.

Claire xx

03
Jun
2013

Twitter and the power of friendships made.

categories: Living

Source: onewaytextlinking.com via Claire on Pinterest

Following on from my best friends post I wanted to talk about twitter and the amazing people that I have met through there.

I have to be honest with you, I didn’t ‘get’ twitter at the start. I joined it and felt really overwhelmed with no idea how you spoke with people or got to know them but that all changed when starting to plan our wedding. I slowly started following people via the hash tag #ww which once I found out what that meant (Wedding Wednesday by the way) meant that I could link in with others planning their weddings. I have met so many amazing ladies who were all getting married around the same time as me and we all still tweet each other now!

From there and getting the confidence up to follow new people and chat with them my follow list got bigger and bigger with real life people, not just celebrities or companies. I followed friends of the friends I had made and joined in conversations, soon I felt that I had made some real friends and I believe I have.

I have shared my friends lives, been their through ups and downs, had people support me through mine and shared secrets (ahh the bonus of Direct Messages) Twitter is never a lonely place when you have so many thoughtful caring people on there. Yes you can come across those who annoy you or even worse offend you in some way but that’s where twitter has the power and the magic unfollow and block buttons!

Some people don’t get twitter, don’t understand how you can call someone a friend when you have never met but I know that you can. I have been lucky too though and have had the pleasure of meeting up with some of the girls I have met through Twitter, actually quite a few of them through joining a book club which was organised on twitter, I’ve been for afternoon tea and to the Zoo, all with people I’ve met from twitter and followed through their blogs. There are so many more that I would love to meet, but the downside to twitter is that your friends suddenly get spread out around the world. I would go as far as saying though that my friends on twitter know more about me than my real life friends!

I count too many people on twitter as being friends to list everyone on here but I know if you are reading this that you will know that it is you that I am talking about, all of you! Thank you all for being there, for sharing your lives with me and for sharing in mine. The power of Twitter and the friendships I have made on there is amazing. I’m just glad I stuck with it.

Twitter has come into it’s own this weekend and I wanted to come back and add to this post before it goes live. One of our very lovely friends has just gone through something so devastating and although most of us have not actually met her in real life our hearts are breaking for her like she is part of our own family. The shock that has gone through twitter and through our lovely group of friends is one I can’t describe. The reaction has been for us all to put everything we are feeling to one side, to join together and to show the power of true friendships. Yes we may not all have met, we may be scattered round all parts of the country but we are together, together for our friend and for each other. Thank you twitter for helping me find some amazing ladies.

Here’s to friends….

Claire xx

Category: Living