a few of our favourite things

1. Gaviscon – Now that I’m in my third trimester, like loads of expectant mums I’ve been suffering with horrible heartburn. My bottle of Gaviscon has become an essential handbag item and I actually can’t live without it at the moment! If you are suffering from heartburn or indigestion symptoms (3/4 of pregnant women do!) then Gaviscon is definitely the best thing you can get and it works instantly to get rid of the acid. Gaviscon’s website is also a great place to pop over to for loads of information and help on dealing with heartburn during pregnancy.

2. Puky Bikes – I’ll admit, not the best name… but these balance bikes from Germany are brilliant. Amelie had a little ride on a friend’s back in the spring and she loved it so much that we have just bought her one now that she’s a bit older. They’re relatively inexpensive, really solid and don’t half zip across the park (whether that’s a good thing or not I don’t know!).

3. Ocado – It’s taken me a while to get this buzz. I had avoided shopping at Ocado because I thought it would be expensive. But it actually isn’t, it’s pretty comparable with the other supermarkets. It has a massive range of products and does some great deals, vouchers and loyalty offers. The food arrives separated into labelled bags, and after my first order they sent me a beautiful bumper pack of new mummy things, which (in my exhausted emotional state) made me a little bit tearful. I know, that’s insane. I cried at a supermarket.

4. Mini Boden – I was really impressed with a recent purchase from this British clothing range. I’ve just bought my Little Button these velvet bunny slippers for Christmas, and they came with super quick delivery and are even more luxurious and cuter than I imagined. After purchasing the slippers Mini Boden sent me a £10 gift voucher and a 15% discount code, to entice me to shop there again. I didn’t really need any more encouragement but the gesture was a nice one.

5. Having both just got back from our Center Parcs holidays we wanted to include it in our list of Favourite Things. We both had such a nice time at their Longleat and new Woburn sites that we’re already considering booking for next year! They cater for children of all ages really well and the lodges you stay in have the perfect amount of space and privacy regardless of whether you’re staying with friends or family. You can see highlights from our trips in our Life In Pictures.

6. Triple Thick gloss glaze – if you’ve read any of my craft posts you’ll see that I’m a bit obsessed with this craft varnish. Who needs mod podge – seriously, go out and buy yourself a jar of this stuff! It’s a high gloss varnish that gives a gorgeous glass-like finish to anything you paint it onto. I use it to finish all my projects – wooden, clay and plastic. I have tried loads of varnishes in the past and this one is the best by a big margin. If you’re a crafter, I suggest you try it and spread the love!

~ Tia & Laura xx ~

I’m currently almost 6 months pregnant and fast approaching the point where normal clothes don’t fit and everything that does makes me look and feel like a bit of a hippo. Before I was pregnant I used to think all bumps looked lovely – but now that I am again I just miss my waist and my normal clothes.

As it’s coming up to the Christmas season, where everyone deserves to feel special, we thought we would ask fellow blogger and style expert Louise from What Lou Wore 365 to give us her top picks for the best maternity finds in the shops at the moment. Here are a few of the items she recommends.

My name is Louise and I blog over at What Lou Wore 365.

I’ve been blogging since September 2012 whilst juggling work, raising a toddler and training for half and full marathons. It started as a way to document what I wear each day and work out which items one year post-birth were obsolete and any gaps that needed filling and evolved to include product reviews for any new items purchased. I also document my running; races and training, specifically leading up to the Amsterdam Marathon which I completed on October 20th.

I lived in dresses when I was pregnant, regular jersey dresses were great until it was time for a handful of maternity styles to accommodate a large bump. They are soft, comfortable and non-restrictive and often don’t cost too much either. Best of all you want something machine washable as it will be worn over and over again as part of capsule maternity wardrobe.

1. This beautiful jewel tone wrap dress from JoJo Maman Bebe would look stunning for work as well as during the upcoming festive season, adding a colourful touch to parties and Christmas Day. It’s also a nursing dress so can be used post-partum as well making £39 a decent investment.

2. The Supersoft striped boatneck dress from GAP, £39.95, could be worn for both work and weekends just by adding in the right accessories; a scarf or statement necklace and neat flat shoes for work and tights, boots and maybe a gilet for the weekends.

3. GAP’s maternity clothing is exclusive to their website and there are often discount codes to be found via a quick Google search to help make purchasing your maternity wardrobe that little easier. This 1969 Denim Shirt, £34.95, could be worn with the New Look jeans or layered under the Breton stripe dress during pregnancy. Post-partum, a shirt provides valuable access for nursing. Just add a scarf for extra modesty.

4. Personally, I stuck with New Look’s seam free leggings under tunics and dresses during pregnancy as I was due in September and just purchased two pairs of shorts for the summer but for a winter pregnancy jeans and trousers are the sensible option. New Look has a large selection of maternity jeans, this skinny, dark-wash pair would look great with the denim skirt or the stripe top and depending on how relaxed the dress code is at your place of work, these could pull double duty for the week as well as the weekend.

These are the underbump version but they also offer an overbump option depending on whether you like to have anything covering your stomach. Some women can’t stand it, others say they don’t really notice. There are 143 trousers/jeans under Maternity on the New Look site at the moment at affordable prices so they are well worth considering.

5. A long-line stripe top is always useful and this cheap version from New Look is more than worth a look.

6. This beautiful wrap top from Isabella Oliver also comes in black and grey as well as this autumnal ‘winter orange’ colour, priced at £55.

You can visit Lou’s blog What Lou Wore 365 for more style inspiration.

Tia xx