TODDLER AUTUMN CLOTHES HAUL // ASDA GEORGE, MATALAN, DEBENHAMS & MORE.

My eldest daughter Emilia is soon approaching the big '2 Years Old' so we've been building up her 2-3 years wardrobe. We usually stick to Asda George, Matalan and Primark for things like leggings, multi packs of tops and pyjamas, then branch out to Next and Zara for shoes, jeggings/jeans, jumpers and jackets. The quality of children's clothes from Asda, Matalan and Primark is really great, and they all have amazing value for money and are very current and stylish.

1. Matalan £6, 2. Matalan £6. 3 & 4. Asda George £7

5. Matalan £5, 6.Matalan £6, 7. Matalan £6, 8 & 9. Asda George

10. Matalan £9

11. Asda George (Can't find link)

12. Asda George (multipack) £7

LIFESTYLE CHANGES.

Long gone are the days where my diet consisted of heavy, carby foods such as pasta, pizza and garlic bread and those pesky foods that are soooo yummy but so high in fat and sugar like sweets, ice cream, milkshakes, etc. I used to LOVE eating them, I was such a foodie - I still am a foodie, I just know how to balance my diet and eat things in moderation. I think the time that I started eating healthier was half way through my first pregnancy. I'd always been thin and toned and probably let that cloud my mind in thinking that giving into pregnancy cravings wouldn't cause me to put on weight. But it did. I put on about about 50lbs in my first pregnancy, basically because I ate what I wanted and not what my body really needed. During my second pregnancy I was more wary, I exercised every now and again and I ended up only gaining about 35lbs. Apparently a normal weight gain during pregnancy is between 15-35lbs so I think my little changes helped a lot the second time around.

Now that my younger daughter Olivia is 4 months old and able to be fed by my partner I've started going to my local gym. This is not only great for me health-wise but it's also something that I can do that's just for me. When I'm not at the gym I'm with my girls 100% of the time, so 4 days a week off I go to have some me-time. Would I rather go to a spa or to get my nails done? Of course.. but the gym is already giving me so much confidence, even without seeing major results yet. As I'm a newbie to the gym I stick to the basic machines and I'm guessing that when I get more confident I'll be able to do a lot more. Currently I spend about 50 minutes 4 times a week at the gym which is fine for me - I do 25 minutes on the stationary bike on the cardio setting (80% of max heart rate), 15 minutes walking on the treadmill at a speed of  3.5 mph on an incline of 7% and then I use a few of the weight machines, mainly focusing on arms and legs. This is what works for me, though I won't do this forever - it's good for your body to experience a change in routine or it becomes used to it and you won't get the best results. Personally, I'm aiming for fat-loss and toning, as I still haven't lost all my baby weight and being pregnant for 2 years has made my old body a thing of the past!

EMILIA'S WINTER WARDROBE.

It's that time again! I'd say this post is a kind of 'toddler-clothing seasonal favourites' and by toddler favourites I of course mean 'mummy favourites' haha. These clothing items are all extremely affordable and cute and can be mixed and matched, as you'll see I have done. Emilia is 13 months but is still fitting snugly in her 9-12 months clothes, I'm thinking they'll probably fit her for a while yet. Anyway, lets get on to the clothing!

floral long-sleeved dress £4 Asda, stripe and floral long-sleeved dress £4 Asda.

pink bunny jumper £8.99 Zara, blue floral Minnie jumper £5-6 Primark

MY SECOND TRIMESTER ESSENTIALS.

Having just entered my 18th week of pregnancy I've discovered a few items and products that have become my essentials that have helped me out over these grueling past couple of weeks! I'm a firm believer in finding bargains and only having the occasional splurge so the majority of these products (if not all) are totally affordable.

1. & 2. Maternity leggings and jeans. I think I speak for many pregnant ladies when I say during the second trimester your old clothes start to feel a bit tight. Sometimes through pregnancy weight gain, the majority of the time due to your uterus growing. It's not great wearing jeans or leggings that cut into your belly - you feel sick, you feel like you need to pee waaay more than usual, you feel like your whole body is expanding; last thing you want are tight bottoms cutting off your circulation! My personal favourites are these MAMA leggings from H&M, they're £7.99, they're not see-through and they are so comfy and versatile - I wore them throughout the whole of my last pregnancy! My favourite jeans at the moment are these maternity Moto black ripped Leigh jeans from Topshop, they're £40 but completely worth the money, especially seeing as most girls during pregnancy (especially the last stages) seem to alternate between the same 2-3 outfits haha, I certainly did/do! The way I see it is when you're pregnant, why substitute style for comfort when you can have both? I find that H&M and Topshop are the best retailers for affordable pregnancy style.

EMILIA'S AUTUMN WARDROBE.

Seeing as my darling daughter has just started wearing 9-12 month clothes I thought it was time she had some new, weather-appropriate clothes. She's a lot more active now and she enjoys going on walks (in her pushchair, haha) and she loves going to the park and going on the baby swings, so it's about time she got some cute, warm clothes!

Right now I'm loving the selection of baby girl clothes in Primark, the pink sweater with the navy polkadot elbow pads was from there and was around £6, very impressed with the quality and durability of this item. The grey socks were part of a pack of 4 or 5 and are from Next and were £5, they are perfect as they are super soft and stay on baby's feet thanks to the roll-top. The faux fur hooded gilet was also from Next, I believe it was around £15, here is one similar. These trusty denim-style jeggings were from Matalan, they were £5 and I find them so easy to pair with anything!