My Shopping Frenzy

In my last post, I mentioned how I literally indulge in retail therapy.

Despite knowing that it’s not so great for the bank balance to shop when you’re feeling down, I have decided I am in a bit of style rut and most of my clothes are from before my pregnancy and nearly all my pants and skirts are a size too big. So basically, time to say what the heck and spice up the wardrobe a little.

Over the weekend I had a lesson on the art of using accessories to spice up an outfit (courtesy of a Westfield Stylist), and I am now enthusiastic about being able to re-work many of my boring black and grey corporate/work clothes with a great necklace or belt without breaking the bank.

I am by no means any fashion expert and I rely heavily on advice received via Nikki at Styling You as well as ideas I see online (especially on Pinterest of late). I am focused on reviving some of what I already have, investing in great basics, and making things a bit more fun and interesting with some cheapish tops and jewelry.

I used to be a bit of a snob when it came to browsing some stores – but have now discovered a new appreciation for the likes of Supre, Jackie E, Sussan, Cotton On and even dare I say it, K-mart!
As a child and teenager, nearly all my clothes came from Target or Big W and whilst there’s nothing wrong with that, as a kid when your friends are coming to school in Nike Shoes and Billabong clothes, wearing the Target equivalent all the time does eat away at you and I think those memories haunted me for long enough that as soon as I had enough disposable income, I naturally moved to shop where I wanted (within my budget – which of course didn’t stretch to Gucci or Manolo Blahnik).

I have gotten over the feeling that I am too old to go into some of those “teenie” stores like Supre. It just doesn’t bother me now. Mind you, there’s a few modifications I make to how things are worn to suit my age and shape. They have heaps of “dresses” which barely cover my bottom, and I prefer to describe as long tanks. Today I picked up a pair of leggings which on the label said they sat just over the knee – on who? I wanted to ask, obviously someone much shorter than my five foot eight height as on me, they looked like bike shorts – ah no thanks.

My latest love is a jewelry store called Colette Accessories. I had to ask the shop assistant to double check she had scanned all my items today, as it all seemed to cheap for what I was to walk away with. 3 sets of bangles, 3 necklaces and a pair of earrings all for what one necklace would have cost me at Witchery. Love it!

(This Cuff made it’s way into my home for a mere $8.95)

My trusty favourite stores like Country Road, Witchery and Satch will remain so, but I now window shop until they have their sales on.

I am now on the hunt for some new stores to check out. Outstanding on my shopping list are pants and skirts for work, some casual pants/shorts for summer and some summery sandals (ok and maybe a new bikini and handbag)….

So please share with me some ideas of where I might find any of these at a price that will delight me…..online or in bricks and mortar stores…. 

Come, on please share the place where you secretly shop. The kind of place that brings on a cheeky smile when someone compliments what you have on as you know how little it cost.

Also, if you have any great websites for ideas on putting an outfit together, please share - I am terribly unimaginative!


{Image above – I shop therefore I am- via Pinterest}

It was just one of those days….

Yesterday was not a day I am proud of.

Mr T and I have been running on about 5 hours sleep most nights this week and I should have known from the moment I woke up yesterday what I was in for.

The news came on the radio as I was listening to Little T screaming to get up at 5.30am waking up. A mother had run over her child whilst trying to park her car, mistakenly hitting the accelerator instead of the break and also critically injuring her father. Pre baby this sort of news whilst incredibly sad would have passed out of my conscious thought in a matter of minutes. Now though, I conjure up the image of the incident and aftermath in my head and can’t get it out. As I tried to get moving, my thoughts turned to a personal issue (one I won’t go into here). Whilst the hot water streamed over me in the shower, I tried but couldn’t fight back tears. I was tired and emotional. I know this feeling too well, one of those days where achieving any of the goals I had set (like working my day job) was looking way too hard.

It got worse as I glanced over Facebook and read my friend’s status updates. A friend’s puppy had died the day before. The picture of him (when she just got him) I had pointed out to Mr. T only a week or so earlier – he was beautiful. It was a staffy, just like my two dogs, and I know just how much this person loves her dogs. It’s only a dog you say, but any dog lover will “get it” and my heart went out for how she must be feeling. I shed another tear.

I tried to do some work, attend to emails, talk to a few clients. It was such an effort.

I went to run an errand or two.

I figured I needed to do something for myself to help create some cheer and feel-goodness, so whilst I was out, I headed to Myer Chadstone to get my brows done a the Benefit brow bar, only to get there and be told (despite advertising a walk up service) that they had no times available and I needed to make a time for later in the week.

Urrggh.

So then I figured whilst I was there, I’d check out a few shops… a few hours and a few hundred dollars later, my watch told me it was time to get Little T from crèche.

I felt a bit better but as I climbed in the car, the news came on and the headline was about a 5 year old boy who had died after being hit by a truck trying to cross the road (a highway) in Port Fairy,the truck driver couldn’t stop in time. The second story was a recap on the little boy who had been run over by his mother.
I still felt crap (but at least my wardrobe had some new goodies). I got home and sheepishly walked in with my bags. Mr. T knew straight away I’d been shopping. I told him why. I am lucky he understood.

(Maxi skirt $30 from Supre)

It’s been something I have found myself doing every since my early twenties. I use shopping as  pick me up, just like others might turn to food. My only saving grace is I am now more conscious of what I buy and do stick to items within my budget and that I do have some (ok maybe not always) need for.
I need to get better at recognizing the signs and finding a way to push through.

I do love that today I can start a fresh (although on not much sleep again), but those curve ball days where I know from the start everything is going to be a major effort and pop up every few weeks for me.

I know I am not alone. I know my others feel like this, sometimes a lot worse and a lot more often, so do any of you have any tips on how I can better manage it?


{Bad day image via Pinterest}

This Mumma needs your help

Life is slowly getting back to normal in the Thompson house.

As I write this, Mr T is painting our bedrooms ready for carpet to be laid on Thursday and we will finally be moving upstairs over the weekend. My house is slowly becoming a home and a place we can relax and enjoy. I almost have an office – later in the week I will post an update on how it’s coming along. It’s very much a blank canvas. A white room that needs an injection of colour and inspiration. It’s going to be my “Lady Room” and I want to make it somewhere I can do my day job and also my hiding from the family blogging and not feel like I can’t wait to get out of there (like the office/spare room/dumping ground in our old house did).

With our house almost in order, there is more time for blogging and whilst I primarily blog for myself (selfish I know), I am conscious that what started as an outlet for my rollercoaster-ish ride into motherhood and online journal is now so much more and I often have to pinch myself that so many of you are taking the time to read about what I am feeling, mad at, struggling with or loving.

The more I learn about blogging, the more I want to soak up. I have started setting myself a few goals and today was very excited to see my Facebook page ticked over 1000 likers (Yay - thank you everyone!!).

Looking back on some of what I wrote early on, I cringe but leave it untouched as a reminder of how I am learning as I go.

I have tried a few different things, but when I look back on what gets the most comments or page views, time and time again, it is the posts where I keep it real about the aspects of motherhood I find most challenging.

So as I now have a little more time to get back to blogging, I want to make sure I don’t loose you in my efforts to experiment.

Every day my inbox is greeted by multiple emails from PR companies asking me to review products or services or consider supporting a charity. Most I ignore as I just haven’t had the time or don’t think it would be of interest to you. I have a few good ones up my sleeve for the coming weeks but I don’t want my blog to be covered in advertising or sponsored posts, it’s just not what I am about.

So I am asking for YOUR advice….

What is it you’d like to see more or less of here?

Do you like giveaways – if so, for what sort of things and what steps will or won’t you do to enter if you like the product? How many is too many - one a week?

Are there particular areas you would like me to write about?

I worry that I write about myself too much - do you find it interesting when I talk about what is going on in my life - e.g. about my house renovations....?

My mind is full of ideas for posts but before I let fly with them, I thought I’d put it out there for any opinions.

I am always going to keep up the “off the cuff” stuff when life or motherhood throws me a curveball – after all that’s the bit that I am Muddled Up about.

But I am curious about what it is you are hoping to see when an update come to your twitter or facebook stream, inbox, reader or bookmark that tells you I have a new post….

Do tell – c’mon, don’t be shy……and be honest, I promised I won't bite. x

{image above via pinterest}

WIN one of 10 Garnier BB Cream Packs - CLOSED

Last week I had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by Garnier to try out their recently launched BB Cream.

Despite not knowing what a BB Cream was, they had me in the second sentence of the invitation – “The ultimate all in one solution, it delivers five instant benefits: 24 hour hydration, evens skin tone, correct blemishes, boots radiance and SFP protection.”

I know it’s totally cliché, but as a busy mum one thing I do struggle with is my beauty regime (or lack of one). I have tried so many tinted moisturisers and ended up throwing most out after only one or two applications. I just don’t like walking out the door with nothing on my face and when I am working during the week, I like to keep the number of products needed each morning down to a minimum.

One thing that has been bugging me post baby is the pigmentation left on my face after pregnancy – its something I am really self conscious of, and when I look in the mirror it makes me feel old.

But back to Garnier….

What they say:

“New Miracle Skin Perfector, the BB Cream by Garnier. A new generation of skincare that combines the best of skincare with the benefits of make-up in one single application.

Miracle Skin Perfector delivers a hybrid formula that combines long-lasting 24hr hydrating care with a light touch of make-up for instantly flawless, healthy glowing skin.
Applied daily, Miracle Skin Perfector spreads evenly for a flawless finish without the heaviness of a foundation. Instantly skin is beautified, hydrated and protected.

The Miracle Skin Perfector instantly cares for skin in 5 visible ways:

1. Long-lasting hydrating care thanks to a moisture binding formula of Hyaluronic Acid in Lipidure Microspheres which allows skin to retain moisture for 24hrs.
2. Creates an even complexion with a lightly tinted formula enriched with mineral pigments to correct signs of fatigue, sun spots and dullness.
3. Corrects blemishes and imperfections to unify skin tone and create a flawless finish.
4. Boosts skin's natural glow and radiance thanks to vitamin C - known for its anti-oxidant properties.
5. A SPF15 UV filter forms a protective barrier to help minimise the damaging effects of the sun.

Available in 2 shades, light and medium.”

What I found:

After 4 days of use, my thoughts are mixed. I wore this cream to work and also over the weekend. I found for work, I still needed to dab a little foundation on the dark pigmented areas (but certainly much less than I normally use and my Chanel foundation costs a packet so was loving that I could get away with such a small amount), but overall the cream did last well across a full day. I am not sure the light tint I used was the best match to my skin tone, so I may try blending with the medium one next week.

I have really sensitive skin around my eyes and I did find some slight irritation under the eye area (which is mostly where my pigmentation is, so I still need to use some concealer or foundation to get the coverage needed).

I loved being able to slap this on during the weekend and know I have a sunscreen on and not look like I have put a heap of makeup on.

One of the most appealing aspects of this cream is the price point ($13.95) and I love that it’s so readily available at Priceline and is being rolled out to supermarkets, pharmacies, independent & variety stores.

Would I buy it? Honestly, I am still undecided. I will be using the light and medium creams that I was given for a few more weeks to give it a more in depth road test, but I certainly think this is a unique product that will really appeal to busy Mummas!

(I would have loved to have shown you some photos of this cream on my skin – however my DSLR camera is all packed up due to our house move, and the camera on my mobile just wouldn’t depict this accurately).

THE GIVEAWAY

I have 10 packs up for grabs so you can try Garnier BB Cream for yourself (yes that is not a typo – there are 10 packs on offer)

Each prize includes:


1 x Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream Light
1 x Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream Med
$13.95ea (total $27.90)

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below.

Additional entries can be achieved by liking Muddled Up Mumma on Facebook and/or Tweeting about this giveaway (with a link or reference to @MuddledUpMumma) – however, you must note this in your comment.


Just a couple of Rules
This Giveaway is open to Australian Residents Only
The winners will be chosen using Random.Org
Entries close Monday October 3rd at midnight AEST
Please ensure I am able to contact you if you are successful
If the winners have not responded to my email within a week, I will redraw



Disclaimer: I was the guest of Garnier at an event to review this product and was supplied with the Cream to review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

Living in Chaos - A Renovating Update

We moved house three weeks ago.

Our new house feels like home but isn’t functioning as one yet.

You see we are still “camping” in the downstairs lounge room. Our bed and clothes, Little T’s cot, change table and toys, plus the two dogs are all hanging out together in the living area.
My wardrobe is spread across 4 different rooms (upstairs and downstairs), in multiple porta robes, wardrobes, boxes and washing baskets. Getting dressed is a major exercise as it takes me ages to remember where the item I need is mostly likely to be found.

I work from home. My work laptop has been living on the kitchen bench whilst the home PC has been boxed up. All my files, favorites and photos have been locked away. We haven’t had a proper internet connection until last night (and even now it’s not running in the room where it’s needed most – my office – thanks Telstra!).

As I see our home coming together, every now and then, I am totally overwhelmed. On several occasions I have just stopped and sobbed as the chaos gets the better of me.

For someone who loves order and cleanliness, this is my ultimate domestic nightmare.

Why you might ask….?

This is why.

This photo is how the house was presented when we decided to buy it. At first glance it looks kind of nice – just a little stuck in the 1990’s and overwhelmed by floral couches and creamy walls.

However, when you take in the detail you will see the balcony and tucked away near the middle of the shot are THE stairs. What once was deemed trendy enough to see this house feature in Home Beautiful in the 1970’s (I am not joking) – now is a recipe for disaster for a toddler. I had visions of Little T (who recently discovered he can climb onto the dining table), scaling that mezzanine balcony and ending up severely injured or worse still on those tiles below.

So what started off as an exercise to child-proof the inside of the house, has ended up a small building project upstairs with repainting and carpeting about to take place this week.

In the interest of keeping it real – here’s what how it looks as I write this (as taken on my phone because I can’t find the cable to connect the camera to the computer!).

 

We’ve been really lucky the previous owners ran a business from here and there are two great rooms attached to the garage where we have been able to store most of what needs to go upstairs in the bedrooms and office. But as you can see, it’s not exactly looking like it belongs in Home Beautiful.

Despite my little moments of hysteria, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Over coming months, I will share with you aspects of the transformation of this 1970’s classic into the Thompson family home.

Have you lived through renovations, if so I ‘d love to know your top tips………. 


{Happy Mess image via Pinterest}

One Week Down – 11 To Go - 12WBT

I mentioned last week that I am doing the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation.

You can read my post about the reasons why here.

Today is my first report on how I am going and it's kind of mixed.

We weigh in every Wednesday so 3 days into last week I had lost 1.8 kilos, but I think much of that would have been water as I was pretty bloated when I first weighed myself. Tomorrow will be more telling.

There’s a few aspects to the 12WBT – mindset, diet and exercise. The food part for me is easy and for the most part the mindset stuff I get…. but I am struggling to find the time to exercise and I know that I am great at making excuses not to. It is super hard working full time (and some days I am working up to 11 hours), renovating a house and being a mum to a 16 month old as well as preparing all the food.

I exercised once last week. Not the 6 times asked by the program. But I did tell myself that my effort of 3 hours vacuuming and washing all the builders dust out of our house on Saturday was equivalent to an exercise session, as was the 2 hours painting yesterday. Hey my body certainly felt like I’d worked out afterwards!

So this week I will work on this part. My head does keep reminding me that in 2 weeks time when we have moved out of the camp site in our lounge room into the finished second story, all will be much easier.
I was starting to get very down about how we have been living and the dust in particular was playing havoc with my sinuses and sanity. Saturday morning I spent an hour just lying on the bed feeling sorry for myself. Time that would have been better invested in getting outside and exercising.

Back to the food. This bit I am loving. Despite having a fairly healthy diet Mr T and I are both learning about how much difference a few small changes can make. Mr T who normally does most of our cooking, is enjoying my newfound enthusiasm for cooking. I have a quiet giggle now and then as I see him checking out the information on food labeling to see how many calories are contained.

The food is tasty, easy to prepare and filling. There are quite a few recipes so far that will make their way into our regular repertoire ongoing. A couple of highlights have been the healthy lasagna and the Thai fish cakes.

Strawberries have been the other big hit in our house. Little T is addicted. He wants strawberries with everything now. With only 80 Calories in an entire punnet, they are such a healthy snack. Making it even better is they are coming in season and not too expensive. Only downside are the little pink fingerprints he leaves around the house when I forget to wipe his hands.

I have loved that most of the food we are eating is fresh meat, fruit and veggie and our grocery bill is still very reasonable. It’s been costing about $100 each week for the food component (3 meals a day for 2 of us plus what we can incorporate into Little T’s meals like fruit and veggie). I have been sticking to my regular shop at Aldi to keep the cost down where I can and picking up the odd bits they don’t have at a good fruit and vegie shop and/or Coles.

I am a firm believer that healthy doesn’t have to cost more and this program is proving it.

The other big thing for me was cutting back on alcohol – specifically wine. Yes we Mummas love our wine time, but I know I was having a little bit much. I have a new rule. No wine during the week (Mon-Thurs) and when I do indulge, it’s a half/half mix with soda or a low alcohol beer, and it’s just one (ok or maybe 2 on Saturday night as long I am still below my 1200 Calories for the day). I have learned that the calories content of an wine/beer is directly related to the alcohol percentage. So healthier choices include light or mid-strength beer or a wine like Lindeman's Early Harvest range which has 25% less alcohol than regular wines – another example of this is the Yellowglen Jewel champagne.

All in all, I am pretty happy with the first week. I am not in this for huge weight loss. As I have said before, it’s more about a healthy lifestyle and setting an example for my family.

Will keep you posted on how I go this week.


{image above from pinterest}

Talking Crap. It's hard rubbish time.

Every six months a special time comes around.

It starts with a trickle… the odd old TV here and there, a few random bits of timber, old sofas covered in stains and exposed bits of foam, and then once word gets out that it’s hard rubbish time, the streets begin to swell with piles of unwanted broken terracotta pots, rusty old bbq’s, odd bits of timber and broken washing machines.

Neighborhoods become an invariable swap meet as people go peeking in other’s piles for items that may be useful.

And I love every bit of it!

I love watching the professionals who go cruising around with trailers piled high with items they have scavenged. Scrap metal dealers are always quick to nab old white goods and the rare pot of gold – some old copper plumbing pipe.

It always amazes me that despite being so regular, people always seem to have something else to put out every time hard rubbish comes around. Stuff that is incredibly crappy and tip worthy. As I meander through the streets I often think, why didn’t they just throw that out the previous hard rubbish? What is it that makes people hold onto stuff that is such junk?

Is it a man thing? Maybe the woman in the house is on a continual nag to rid the shed of such rubbish and only every 6 months or so, the man gives up just a couple more items to the nature strip in a continual power play...?

I know in our place we are constantly reviewing the useful life of many things. Moving house last week, we are going to have a few rippers to place out courtesy of the previous owners. I am lucky Mr T isn’t too much of a hoarder, but despite his willingness to embrace my "”if in doubt, chuck it out” philosophy, there are always a few contentions.

The above photo I took on my travels this morning. The site of the mannequin's legs up in the air complete with heels made me laugh. It's almost like someone is drowning in their pile of unwanted bits.

I think that’s part of why I love hard rubbish, my imagination runs wild thinking about the stories behind other family’s junk and I love the recycling that goes on in communities – as they say, one man’s trash is another’s treasure. At our last house we ripped down an old 1980's metal fence, only to have our neighbour across the road politely ask if they could use it. A few months later it was cut to fit their brick pillars, given  some new paint and now proudly frames their home.

Are you a hard rubbish fan. Do you always manage to find something to put out every time council collection rolls around… and have you managed to pick up any great items from someone else’s junk pile?

I'm doing the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation

On top of settling into our new house, unpacking and dealing with builders, some dodgy customer service from Telstra and working full-time, I have taken on another mission.

Whilst blogging has taken a back seat these past few weeks, I have quietly been getting organised to start round 3 of the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation.

It all kicks off tomorrow, and this Mumma is all set, complete with new runners, a heart rate monitor, some new exercise gear (gotta look half decent so I can’t roll out the “I don’t have anything to wear” excuse) and a kitchen stocked with everything needed for week 1’s menu.

Let me tell you why I am doing this…..

Losing weight isn’t my primary reason. I actually weigh less now than when I fell pregnant. Exercise used to be a regular part of my day (or at least week), but since having Little T, I have ground to a halt. I notice the difference. Apart from my arms which have shaped since carrying around a 13 kilo child, the rest of me whilst not huge, is squishy. I get puffed when I carry a load up a few stairs or rush to a meeting for work carrying extra gear. When the sun is shining, I am feeling too tired to get outside and enjoy it by going for a walk or swim. My running gear has been packed away for 4 years.

My weekly intake of wine is too much. Knowing that I dropped 4 kilos in the first 4 months of my pregnancy from not drinking alcohol pretty much speaks for itself. When a glass of wine to unwind turns into 2 or 3 many nights each week, the calories quickly add up.

And then there’s that Little boy in my life. I want him to grow up in a healthy home. I want him to watch his mumma doing regular exercise and not kicking back with vino in hand munching on barbeque samboys. I want to lead by example.

We live in a beautiful house by the beach. There is no excuse. I am too busy doesn’t cut it anymore. I need to get better at managing my time and making this a priority, because in reality it’s not that I don’t have time, it’s all about what I choose to do with the time I have.

I am going to blog along as I go. 12 weeks seems a long time.

My goals are realistic and achievable - I want to be able to run 10kms without stopping (like I used to be able to do), lose 5 kilos and tone up the squish.

To keep it real, here’s my starting point:

• Height: 169cm
• Weight: 65.3kgs
• Chest: 92cm
• Waist: 87.5cm
• Hips: 102cm
• Thighs: L 54.5cm R 55.5cm

I do have a “before” photo, but am not quite game to stick a picture of me in my undies on the internet.

Tomorrow the Week 1 menu kicks in and I take the fitness test along with my first training session.

Wish me luck!

{Image via Pinterest}