Staying Motivated

Hello my lovelies.

I've been thinking of more blog post ideas recently in order to keep posting as I told myself I wanted to do more, however once again I've slacked a bit on posting on the blog. I'm also working towards other life goals so I then thought why not write a post about how I'm trying to motivated working towards these things. So here goes...


Find Something to Work Towards
Obviously the first step to staying motivated for something is to know what it is you are wanting to achieve. For example a couple of things on my list are saving for a house/wedding, finding a new job and writing more blog posts. Once you know what your goal is you can work out how to reach it.

Make Checkpoints to Track Progress
By giving yourself small checkpoints to work up to you can see how far you have come since you started trying to stay motivated towards your personal goal. For example setting yourself an amount of money you'd like to save up to in a savings account, setting dates for when to publish blog posts - just a couple of points I'm attempting.

Give Yourself Breaks Now & Then 
Obviously keep your goals in mind but don't focus on them to the point where it's all you can think about and it starts to bring you down. I think the saying goes 'Rome wasn't built in a day' - you can't do it all once so stressing over it won't make things any easier. Small steps are the way forward to achieve a great goal.

Make a List of the Reasons You Want to Achieve This 
One of the points on my personal list is to support my family. When you're able to physically see the reasons that you are working hard for I think this helps as its a reminder and another motivational tool to help you reach that end goal. Perhaps look at the list when it feels like things are getting a little tough to remind that whatever you are trying to do will be worth it.

And finally ... Don't Be Too Hard on Yourself 
Things take time. Its important to have faith in yourself and don't give up as you'd be letting yourself down most of all. Keep on track of what you are trying to achieve but not to the point where its bringing you down. Life is meant to be fun and meaningful so live it happily knowing that you're doing great however far you have come to reaching that goal. You'll feel great when you can look back and think to yourself 'I did it!'.


I'm guilty myself of struggling to stay motivated sometimes, but even if its just a small step towards what I'm working for I still try to keep going, and so should you no matter how big or small the final goal is, don't give up.

Until next time, thanks for reading
Lily x

 

My February Happy List

Hello my lovelies,

I hope you're all doing well and having a great morning/afternoon/evening, depending on when you're reading this.
I promised myself I'd write more blog posts again so here I am with a few things that have made me particularly happy this month and things that I have enjoyed.

1. Being more organised. 

I'm a lover of using a physical calendar/diary to keep track of everything I have going on, so when I got given a new calendar for Christmas I knew I was going to enjoy using it and being able to check when things are happening. I tend to forget if I add something onto my phone calendar so actually taking the time to write it down is also helpful to my memory. 

2. Taking Elliot on play dates. 

So although Elliot may not be at the age that he properly plays together with other children yet, he enjoys being around them and there are times where he'll play nicely with them, for example him and one of his cousins are almost inseparable when they're together. 

3. A year since Elliot's op.

If you didn't know Elliot had an operation at the beginning of February last year on his tummy, so when the day rolled up and it had hit that year mark it just made me happy that nothing else was the matter with him and that he had healed perfectly. (there are blog posts if you'd like to read up on it)

4. Making more Youtube videos 

Another new year resolution I set myself was to try to make at least one video a week for my Youtube channel, and so far that's going pretty well. I'd still like to be able to do more sit down videos rather than them all being vlog style but I'm getting there (I'd love it if you could subscribe!) 

5. A new baby was born! 

On the day I'm writing this blog post one of my best friends, Farleigh, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and I couldn't be happier for her and her little family. I don't think she'll mind me saying but her pregnancy wasn't the smoothest ride so I'm certain she's over the moon to finally have the baby in her arms and be able to see her sweet little face. (I won't share the name as it's not my baby to share personal information on). 

Well there you go my lovely lot, my February happy list. I think I might start making this a monthly thing so expect another towards the end of March, and I'll make sure I post again soon.

Goodnight for now x

Giving the Blog Some Love

Good evening you lovely lot,

Its been far too long since I wrote anything on here, and let's be honest I don't really have an excuse. Many people work and write a blog, many mums look after their children and write a blog, so there's no reason I shouldn't have kept this blog up to date. I'm sorry for neglecting you blog, I promise to try harder with at least one blog post a month, yes I'm saying month because I always have time to do at least one, it just doesn't happen but I want to change that.

I should add blogging more to my other new years resolution which was to do more videos for my youtube channel, if you're not already subscribed then I'll leave the link for you to do so. You can always catch me over there, I've been doing one video a week so far since the start of the year and it seems to be working. To go with that I want to find something to write about each month, even if it's just what I've been enjoying that month, I promise to write at least once a month along with my videos. I'm aiming to get back into what I enjoyed before Elliot was born and not become 'just mum', I want to feel like me as well as a mum, if that makes sense, it does to me and maybe if any of you readers are mums you might just understand.

For tonight I'll leave you with the promise that I'll be back with a new post soon, and search for me on youtube, Lily, Camera, Action and come along on my vlogging days for lots of mummy life adventures.


For tonight my lovelies, thanks for reading :) x

The Cosy Time of Year

Hello, hello, hello...

Well my lovelies, thanks to my wonderful fiance I am back on my blog again. Yep, that's right, I said fiance, he put a ring on it. It's been so long since I last posted that I feel loads has happened. I'll try to update you, let's get started...

In my last post I think we'd just gotten back from the hospital after Elliot had had his operation on his stomach, since then he's had his follow up with the surgeon and he had healed perfectly with no problems or cause for concern. To be honest I don't even think when he's older you'd be able to tell it was a specially made belly button. At that time Elliot was a little over 2 months old and now he's just passed 10 months, I can't believe my little boy will be 1 soon. It seems crazy to look back at photos and see how tiny he was, to now watch him crawling here, there and everywhere and cruising around the furniture.

Then April came and I had my very first Mothers Day, it was lovely of course, but little did I know Nick had something special kept secret. The following Sunday, the 9th, we had arranged to go out for the day to Hever Castle with some friends of ours. We'd had a very lovely day out and before we'd left we made our way to the fountain for what I thought would just be some lovely family photos with a nice background. But I wasn't expecting this. The photos got taken, hugs were had and Nick says to me 'you know I love you?', to which I reply with 'I love you too', and he gets down on one knee, and it starts. I hadn't seen it coming so of course as soon as he said those four words 'Will you marry me?' I couldn't hold back the tears, happy tears of course, and I said yes! I couldn't be happier. it was a perfect day out with great friends and our beautiful baby boy with perfect weather and now this just topped it. My smile couldn't stretch further across my face behind the tears. I later found out that Nick had been planning this for a while, and had even spoken to my parents about it! I consider myself to be very lucky indeed and I still look at my beautiful ring and smile about it.

When summer came along came my 25th birthday which again was a great day, we'd had some lovely days and I probably took a few too many photos but I love to look back at them for memories so I can talk to Elliot about things when he's older. As September crept up on us so did the day I returned to work and had to get used to not always being home with my baby boy, but we've made it work and now a month in its almost become a normal routine and I don't get so sad to not be with him all the time.

As much as I enjoyed the summer days of hot weather, it became too much sometimes and I longed for it to cool down a bit. As October hit, it seemed to do just that and I love it. I love the time of year when you can get cosy and snuggle in a blanket when you're cold, and I can have Elliot cuddled up to me asleep with a blanket over us catching up on things on the tv. I'm looking forward to getting more into Autumn and the things it brings such as the crunch of a golden leaf as you walk over, the coloured leaves in the trees before they fall varying from reds, golden browns and yellows, the evenings getting darker earlier, hot drinks, long scarves, blanket snuggles and all things cosy. It has probably become my favourite time of year (other than Christmas of course).

I've rambled on for quite a bit actually so if you've made it to the end of this post then well done, go get yourself a cookie.
I've missed writing so hopefully I'll be able to do so a bit more now, don't worry they won't all be almost essay length rambles.

For tonight though it's time I said goodnight,
until next time, thanks for reading :) x

Can We Go Home Now? (10th February 2017)

It's Friday, Friday! Hopefully we go home today. I'm writing this as we wait for the final okay from the doctor. Elliot's had his cannula out, dressing over belly button changed, done some good nappies and now just waiting to see if he keeps this bottle down. The thought of being home tonight with Nick makes me so happy. Elliot has been so happy today, apart from projectile vomiting all over the both of us this morning. Can't wait to get him home for everyone else to see his smiles again. I caught a glimpse of his new belly button earlier as they changed the dressing, it's not pretty, obviously, but it's still healing and already looks a lot better than what he had before the operation. Fingers crossed for the all clear from the doctor.

We can go home!! I'm so happy this is the last I have to see of this hospital room. I can take my lovely boy home and get back to normal again, I can't wait!

Although I'm glad it's finally all sorted and done with, I really don't like having to stay in hospital. The staff are helpful and friendly but the beeping machines, crying babies and upset children of course are a downer. Being home and having snuggles with my boy is the best, but will be even better when Nicks off work and we can have family time together. So much love for my two.

That's enough of my rambles for a while, if you've read them all then well done.Thanks for reading lovelies :) x

Few days after the op, bath time!

Op Day (9th February 2017)

6am Thursday morning, the day of his operation. We spent the night sleeping on the camp bed with him on my chest as that's how he sleeps best. He was well wrapped up so that he couldn't fall just so the nurses wouldn't mind, they didn't even say a thing about us co-sleeping which was good. That was the last night I can have cuddles like that until his tummy is healed after all.

Not long after 8am Nick arrives excited for cuddles with his little lad. Elliot loves his daddy and although he was hungry he was happy to have cuddles and play with toys before the op.

Then the time comes, it's nearly 10 o'clock and we're being taken down to theatre. Elliot is in his little baby hospital gown and Nick and I are putting on brave faces for him. Little after 10 I'm in the theatre with him, only one parent was allowed. We had cuddles while the anaesthetist held the mask over his face and I was holding back tears. Our boy is so brave. As I'm writing this section we're sitting at a cafe while he has his op waiting for the call that he's in recovery. We can't wait to see Elliot again. I'm now hoping the rest of this week will fly by.

Cuddles with mummy & daddy before the op

12:15 and we can go down and see our boy. The surgeon informed us it all went well and she 'fashioned' him a belly button, special boy will be one of a kind. In recovery Elliot is so unhappy, and I hate when he screams obviously. After being in the recovery area for a while it's time to go back to our room on the ward. He's wired up to machines making sure everything is still okay. Finally after all this time he can get better and we can play with him soon without worrying about hurting his tummy.

8pm and Elliot has slept most of the afternoon and evening. Nicks had to leave to go to work tomorrow which has actually made me sad. Was so nice having him with us today and not knowing what day we get to go home means not knowing when I'll get to see him. 

Of course Elliot kicks off just after Nick leaves stressing me more because I'm on my own and won't be able to sleep because putting him down causes him to freak out annoyingly. All these wires attached to him and machines are so annoying, getting in the way. Just want to cuddle my boy properly. I can't wait to get out of here.

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Bye for tonight x

Hours after the op 

The Afternoon Before the Morning After (8th February 2017)

Well today's the day we go to the hospital for Elliot. I've not been nervous most of the day until now, the drive there. We phoned the hospital this morning and it wasn't until 4pm that a bed had become available for our baby, so I guess maybe I'd convinced myself it would be cancelled, but here we are on the journey now hoping the bed doesn't go to someone else whilst we're on our way.

Anything could still happen when we get there, but although I'm scared I want him to be able to have it done tomorrow. He's our little fighter so I need to be brace for him as well to show it's nothing to worry about. I'll write more when I get the chance when we're there, for now I'm hoping we don't get caught in traffic.

6pm I arrive on the ward and we're given our space. Elliot has a hospital cot to sleep in and I have a chair. Not the most comfortable, not a recliner either so I doubt I'll sleep but in the end I only care about him.

Dr came and out Elliot's cannula in, my poor baby, he hated it, until he was given sugary water and calmed down. We got moved into our own little room so we have our own proper space and I have a camp bed next to his, still not very comfortable but it's something.

He's not allowed any food after 2am so giving him his last feed now (1am). He's been good so far, it's me that's not liking it. The nurse came and put Elliot on a drip so that he's still getting fluids even though he can't feed, it looks so uncomfortable. We're still able to cuddle though so I can keep him calm.

More to come in the morning, just a few hours away.
Bye for now my lovelies x

 

A Long Week Ahead

Hello my lovelies,

I've realised that my blog has become a place that I've use more for discussing life and such recently, more than its original purpose of reviewing films/television programmes. Although I still want to do some reviews I'm also liking having the space to write anything and everything which has resulted in a bit of a change of blog, but I hope you enjoy it none the less.

This week I'm writing about how I'm feeling about my sons operation this week. Even though I know he needs it, and it will make things better, it's still hard knowing my 2 month old baby is going to be cut into. I know he'll be in good hands and will be well looked after but I'm still scared and I know I'll be so emotional on the day when I have to see him get taken to theatre.

If you're wondering the reason for this op is due to a granuloma where his belly button should be. It took so long for anyone to actually decide what was wrong and what needed doing. As normal the leftover bit of umbilical cord left from his birth fell off in his second week of being here, but he never had a normal belly button, he always had a nasty looking bump where it should have been. We had it looked at by health visitors, midwives, doctors and nurses, but it wasn't until a consultant got a surgeon to check it over that we finally got an answer. My poor boy still has an open connection on the inside of his body that should have closed prior to birth. Luckily it doesn't have any nerve endings so it doesn't cause him pain and he's had it the whole time so it doesn't bother him, it's just horrible to see and have to put a clean bandage over multiple times a day so I'm glad he's getting it sorted.

Annoyingly he's already had this operation cancelled once so I'm hoping and praying that when we get to the hospital again this week, that it will take place as scheduled. We're due to get to the hospital on Wednesday for the big operation to take place on Thursday when my partner will be able to join us before our boy goes to theatre. I'm scared for him but I know he'll be well taken care of. I'm glad he doesn't know what's going to happen but it'll make me sad to see him connected to a drip Wednesday night in preparation for Thursday.

Well my lovelies, that's my rambles for my feelings about it today. It's Monday so two days to go, already started organising things to pack a hospital bag again. I think we stay in for up to a week, that part I'm not looking forward to but we'll see how it goes. I plan to blog again on Wednesday but we'll see how things go when we get there.


Until next time my lovelies,
Thanks for reading :) x

Vlogging

Hello my lovelies,

So today I thought I'd vlog again, even with a baby. Although it wasn't a mega exciting day I wanted to vlog some of our homey day today. Not sure how often I'll vlog Elliot as I don't want to be one of those parents that puts the entirety of their child's lives online but I'm sure he'll feature at times. I'm kind of still getting used to being a mum so blogging and vlogging hasn't been a top priority recently but I will try to do more when I'm able to.
For now though I'll leave you with our first mummy/son vlog.

Would be amazing if you'd like, share and subscribe to my channel, and why not leave me a comment to let me know you've watched and the kind of video you'd like next time.

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance if you watch the video.
Bye for now :) x

Mummy Life

Hello my lovelies,

Hope 2017 has started well for you all. Mine has certainly been eventful already, but when you have a newborn I suppose you're always kept on your toes making sure the baby is okay and sorting out whatever they need. Then throw in multiple hospital visits, multiple cancelled driving tests and packing bags for said hospital visits multiple times and that's been the start of my 2017. However, I am loving being a mummy to my handsome little man, having cuddles and seeing his little cheeky smiles.

On our days home alone (which is most days), I find myself watching Disney films even if he can't properly see them yet and won't remember ever having watched them. Whenever he has his nappy changed, if we're in the living room, then he near enough always turns his heads towards the television, if he has his way I can just tell he'll be a bit of a couch potato when he's older. So, I figure if he likes the TV so much then I'll put something on that might catch his attention if its bright colours, got songs I can sing along with to him/dance around with him to settle him, or its simply whatever is on the Disney film channel. He can be my baby Disney prince, how sweet!

So far we've watched Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story, Dumbo (I'd never seen this one either, not sure what I think of it yet), The Jungle Book, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella just to name a few. I can't wait until he's old enough to properly watch them and enjoy them, hoping he likes Disney just as much as I do. Luckily I haven't found myself getting bored of Disney films yet or the songs they include. they just get stuck in my head instead.

Watching Alice in Wonderland. 

The point of this blog post, is there any kids films anyone would suggest for when my little man is old enough to enjoy them properly? Now here's hoping he won't make me sick of Disney. If I continue to blog when he's older I could maybe even write about what he thinks of certain films and what he understands from them, let me know if anyone would be interested in that. Making the most of getting cuddles while he's a baby, so relaxing times like watching films with him is so lovely.

Can't wait until the day he's asking me to watch Disney films, it'll be like a proud moment but for now thanks for reading :) x

What's Been Occurring

Hello my lovelies, 

Well as per usual I set myself up to fail. In my last post I'd mentioned wanting to write more Christmassy posts and I'd just put up my vlog from fireworks night. So, did any of those Christmassy posts happen? Nope. However, this time I have a more than valid reason. As mentioned in previous posts I was pregnant and he was due to arrive in December, except my little one didn't want to wait and decided to make his appearance at the end of November instead so he has been keeping me busy and definitely keeping me on my toes for sure.

I'm currently writing this at 3:18am as he's sleeping nicely for now until he wakes up for his next feed. It's so crazy to think he's already past 4 weeks old but it doesn't feel like it was that long ago that I was heading to the hospital with contractions. Already its been a slightly bumpy journey but I wouldn't go back, he's become our little world and my cheeky little chappy. 

Having a baby and becoming a parent is tiring, stressful, and frustrating at times, but then those moments when he does something to make us laugh or smile make it all worth it. Already I feel like we've been through so much but at the end of the day when I get to give him cuddles, when he's looking up at me as I feed him and when I see my him and my boyfriend having father & son time it makes it all worth it as well. I wouldn't change my baby at all. I never knew I could love something so small so much and do anything for it. I think I even have a bit of what they call FOMO (fear of missing out), when other family members are hugging him and looking after him to allow us a bit of a rest or time to sleep, I catch myself thinking 'what if he does something I haven't seen him do before, I don't want to miss it'. But I just know that there will always be new things that he's learning everyday so really I don't need to worry. 

I've already got a crazy amount of photos of him, over 100 in fact and I can't wait to start putting them into a photo album to look back at as he grows and show him when he's older too. I could just sit and look at him for ages. Obviously I'm biased but he's such a beautiful little boy and I just can't believe it. I'm excited to see who he looks more alike when he's older, but currently I just look at him and think how did I help to create something so amazing. 

I'm not going to give myself specific times to post, but I do want to keep trying when I get the opportunity. I may even try vlogging more occasionally but that doesn't mean that baby boy will necessarily be in the videos. But, who knows.

For now my lovelies, I should probably try getting some sleep at some point. 

Thank you for reading x 

Our first Christmas as a little family 

Time Flies

Hello my lovelies,

It's been a while, yes I know, but don't you worry. With my maternity leave starting soon and the Christmas holidays fast approaching I hope to get some more Christmassy blog posts up, at least until I'm looking after my baby (then I'll still try to when I get spare time). I've already been asked to write a post about The Polar Express as I've never seen it, and yes I have been told that is very shameful, so eventually I'll make myself sit down and watch it to see what all the fuss is about.

I've also been thinking more about vlogging every now and then. I'm still on the hunt for a good vlogging camera but I'm hoping I'll find one soon, then its just a case of saving for it (don't have spare cash with a baby forever growing and when saving for somewhere to live). So for now any videos have been done on my iPhone but to be honest they're not terrible quality. I filmed a bit the other day so I'm going to leave that at the bottom of this post for you to check out. I would also massively appreciate if you could subscribe to my channel. I'm only a small youtube at the moment but if I know what people like then I'm happy to learn more about vlogging and film some videos you ask for.

However for now I just wanted to let any readers know that I haven't disappeared or forgotten about my poor little blog, I've just been focused on getting things for baby and taking this pregnancy one day at a time as it hasn't been the easiest ride. Keep your eyes pealed my lovelies, there are posts and videos still to come in the future.

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x

Things I've Learnt While Being Pregnant

Hello my lovelies,

Thought I'd try a different blog post today. I've seen a few pregnancy related posts so I wanted to write my own one about my experience being pregnant.
I'm currently 26 weeks pregnant with my first baby, my little baby boy, and luckily for the past few weeks things have been going well *touch wood they'll continue to do so*. This post won't be all things pretty about pregnancy, I wanted to keep it real but at the same time don't want to put any of you off of having children.

The start of my bump pictures.

1. Morning sickness. Why do they call it that? It's never just in the morning, can come at any time of day. Some women are really lucky and don't get it at all, others may just get the nausea. Unfortunately for me, a brief fling with hyperemesis and a few weeks of nausea and sickness and it finally passed around 20ish weeks or so.

During my one night stand with hyperemesis. 

2. Nosebleeds. I never knew this was a thing during pregnancy. I'd never heard of nose bleeds being a symptom or even remotely related to pregnancy. Luckily, its not as bad as it sounds. The midwife explained that its just because things soften so just by knocking your nose there could be a little bleed but nothing major. I'd rather that than the sickness that's for sure.

3. Sleeping positions. At the moment this hasn't been such a problem, and luckily it'll stay that way. I'm not a stomach sleeper so not being allowed to sleep like that isn't a problem for me. I do still find myself tossing and turning from one side to the other during the night though, and wake up at least twice for trips to the bathroom. Thankfully its not been too bad so far, hopefully it doesn't get worse any time soon.

We reached the halfway mark!

4. The feeling of kicks and wiggles. I know this will be one thing I'll miss when my boy is here. At first it was strange and I couldn't get used to it. It's hard to describe the feeling but the best way I found was that it was like bubbles popping at first. As I've got further along his kicks have become harder and when he kicks hard enough I can actually see my stomach move. I love knowing that he's so active, just makes me excited to meet him. I find that he's most active in the evenings which is when Nick and I are together so he's able to feel and see our baby boy move around too, and baby is able to hear his daddy talking to him. This part of pregnancy makes me very happy and excited indeed.

5. Pregnancy glow. Where is this? Is it a myth? At first all my skin did was break out and got a bit crazy. Luckily that's gone down and my skin seems to be getting back to normal slowly, but still no sign of a pregnancy glow. I was never sure it was a real thing, so whether it is or not, I don't miss it and it doesn't bother me not having it.

These are just a few things I've noticed so far, 14 weeks to go and I can't wait to meet my baby boy. Its going so fast, it's crazy! People keep asking me if I'm getting nervous or scared yet, and I'm not sure. I know I'm looking forward to being able to hold him and look after him, but at the same time I still think there could be things I need to learn about being a mum. I know that will be come when he's here though, learn as I go along. When I found out we were having a boy, I was excited, but also one of the first thoughts that came into my head was 'I don't know how to look after a boy'. It will be a learning experience that I'm excited to go through, and excited to be doing so with Nick by my side.

Scary to think though that in just over 10 weeks I'll be considered full term, and with how fast its been going so far we'll see how long it feels like this will take to come around.

For now though, and until next time,
Thanks for reading :) x

Comparing 14 weeks to 26 weeks.
Excited! 

Gilmore Girls

Hello my lovelies,

How have you been? Well, I hope.
I feel like I've been all over the place this summer regarding my pregnancy. The summer is slowly coming to an end here in the UK and some days the heat has been nearly unbearable that it's left me feeling sticky and as if I'm melting at times. Thank God it'll be autumn soon and the weather will be cooling down. Makes me look forward to the colours in the trees changing to that crisp brown shade and cosy evenings in.
This year seems to be going so fast I remember finding out I was pregnant back in March and now I've got just under 15 weeks to go. Scary, but exciting.

Since my last post there have been two things that I have spent a lot of my free time watching, sometimes even hours at once. These are both television series but today's post is based on Gilmore Girls. As it was a childhood favourite of mine I was so happy to then find it on Netflix. I could finally re-watch episodes and finish the series as I never did those many years ago, despite finding out how some of the stories ended anyway.

If you've never heard of it before then let me give you a brief description. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, Gilmore Girls is an American comedy/drama television series featuring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore). Its based around this mother and daughter duo and their lives in Stars Hollow. We see as Rory grows from a teen into a young woman as she moves to university, and the relationship between her and her mother forever growing.

I remember sitting on the sofa when I was younger and it got to that time of day where I was allowed to choose what I wanted to watch. Onto Nickelodeon I went and when it was on I would watch Gilmore Girls, I knew the theme tune and when I watched the first episode again this year I still remembered it clearly. I've always loved the bond between Lorelai and Rory, and wished that my own mother and I were that close when I was younger.

The show features storylines that cover topics from relationships to school, work to family life and at times social classes. I love that the issues covered are so broad and not just focusing on one thing. As a show that I would say is aimed at mid-teens and upwards, it makes things feel so relate-able. The plots lines are easy to follow and you can find yourself wanting to watch  more to see how they unfold and whats in store for your favourite characters. Gilmore Girls is definitely one of the programmes that you can find yourself getting unwillingly attached to, but then you start to love it.

I love the cast so much. They all play their parts so well and since watching it many moons ago the actors and actresses have become familiar faces. the show also features Milo Ventimiglia, Melissa McCarthy, Jared Padalecki and Adam Brody just to name a few you may have heard of. 

I haven't watch an episode now for a couple of weeks but still there are times now and then that I catch the theme tune going round in my head, now I'm not complaining because I do love the show but sometimes when it feels like its getting played constantly on a loop it can become annoying, yet I still find myself singing it anyway.

I personally feel that its a show that anyone could enjoy as its an easy watch and the friendships between the community members in Stars Hollow just makes you feel happy and wish everywhere was as nice as that. I am definitely looking forward to the new episodes of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life for a brief eighth season to continue the storyline and settle some uncertainties it left us with.

Season One Pilot 

As it has always been a programme I've loved, I would definitely suggest it to anyone. Its so easy to get into and you don't always necessarily have to watch every episode to find out how things unfold. You can easily find it on Netflix, so I suggest taking a look for yourselves and not just taking my word for it. You never know, you might find a new weakness.

Until next time,
Thanks for reading :) x

Time For an Update

Hello my lovelies,

I'm back again and I know it's a while. I won't try and make any excuses but simply put I think I fell out of love with blogging for a while. I guess I felt like it may wasn't my thing after looking at so many well loved popular blogs, but then I thought 'you know what Lily, they all had to start somewhere so don't give up'. I know I may not be the best writer and there are plenty of blogs better than my little one, but I enjoy it and there's people that seem to enjoy looking at my little blog all over the world so if even one person enjoys reading it why should I quit? Each time I write and see my views from across the world it does spur me on to carry on, I just need to start believing in myself more so thank you to you lovelies that stumble across my blog, without knowing it you encourage me to keep going so thank you! 

Now as its been quite a while I feel like its time for an update. I feel like most of the time I've just been working at my two part time jobs so they've mostly been what's kept me busy since my last post. Last month I was going to post with my second vlog that I'd made but clearly I didn't get that far. I went to see Busted in concert on their Pigs Can Fly tour and had an amazing time! I filmed a lot of it and turned it into a vlog so I'll leave that below for you to watch. If I could go and see them again I would. For a few days leading up to it and on the actual day itself, all I was listening to was Busted as I was so excited, and their performance definitely didn't disappoint. If you've ever liked Busted and get the opportunity to see them I'd definitely suggest going. 

Now for my second update which has also been keeping my mind busy thinking about things other than blogging. It's big news so prepare yourselves, ready? Okay. Back in March my boyfriend and I found out that I was pregnant and we would be expecting our first baby. When we found out it was such a mix of emotions. Happy and excited, but also scared and nervous. We didn't know how people would react when we told them but after the initial shock and letting the news sink in our families are being so supportive which is helping us to be more relaxed about it and focus on the happy side of it. Of course we're still nervous to become parents, but knowing we have so many loving, caring people around us is helping greatly. It's strange when I think that I'm growing a little life and I'll be a mum at the end of the year. 

Its been a bit of a roller coaster ride since we found out. There have been good times but also times when the morning sickness has made me feel so awful but I just remind myself to be grateful for the experience as it will all be worth it in the end. I definitely had to keep telling myself that when I was admitted to hospital due to having hyperemesis gravidarum. That was definitely the worst day I've had since this all began. Simply put hyperemesis is severe morning sickness and dehydration, and it is awful. I couldn't keep anything down, not even water, so around midnight that night I was admitted to hospital where I spent the night hooked up to a drip (IV fluids) so that they could rehydrate me. I'd never spent a night in hospital before so I was dreading it and couldn't wait to go home the next day, but the nurses doctors were so lovely so really I had nothing to worry about, I was in the best place I could be at that time. 

Although I'd spent the night in hospital, the next day a nurse told me I was going to be having a scan and that made me so excited. It was the first time I would get to see my baby and find out how it was doing. It made the stay worth it, seeing it on the screen and hearing its little heartbeat made me so emotional, I had happy tears rolling down my cheeks while my boyfriend just looked over at me and smiled. Being told that everything was good with the baby we were excited to go home and tell more of our family and friends. Now that I'm four months into my pregnancy we took our announcement photo and decided to share our news with all of our friends. Never have I felt like so many people cared and were excited. People I hadn't spoken to in so long liked the news and were happy for us, personally it makes me more excited, now I' just counting down until our next scan in August. 

I'm thinking about doing little pregnancy update posts every now and then, let me know if that would be something any of you would be interested in.

If you read that through until the end then thank you because I know that was a long ramble. I'll try not to keep it so long until my next post and I'll be sure to get myself back into the swing of things.

For now my lovelies, thanks for reading :) x

Long time no blog

Hello my lovelies,

So again I've left it a while between blog posts, I don't really have a reason but now at times there will be something as well as blog posts, and that's what I'm about to tell you about.

A while ago I was asked if I'd ever made YouTube videos or thought about it, and up until recently I hadn't really. My channel had two videos on it but now I'm hoping to change that. 

I wanted to try giving it a go even if it's just the odd Vlog now and then, so that's what I'm going to do. I vlogged for the first time the other week so I'll leave that below if you fancy giving it a watch. It wasn't anything too amazing but I was happy to have vlogged something at least. Everyone has to start somewhere, right. I'm hoping I'll get better with it eventually, then the vlogs and blog could go together somehow maybe. 

Anyway, I'll leave it there today. Would love it if you'd check out my first vlog, maybe subscribe and leave a comment to say hey! 

Until next time guys and girls, thanks for reading :) x 

Life is Strange

Hello my lovelies,

Spring finally seems to be arriving here in the UK, thank God! I'm so excited for the weather to start warming up and spending more time outside again. How are you all? I've got something a bit different for you today. Not my usual ramble about whether I like a film or television programme but instead, a game. But not just any game, it happens to be the first video game I've ever been bought and the first game I've ever really played for a proper amount of time to get into it. It is as the title suggests, Life is Strange.

I am a total noob when it comes to gaming. Sure there have been times when I've joined friends in games like Super Mario or Just Dance, and there was a short period of time that I actually played Pokemon. However when it comes to games with a proper story I wouldn't even know where to begin. I've watched friends and my boyfriend play and I find myself getting the storyline and wanting to watch more to find out what would happen, so when I came home from work last week to find my lovely other half had bought me a game like this, I was very happy and thought it was a really sweet thing for him to have done.

The limited edition Life is Strange. 

Not only did he buy me the game though, he bought me the limited edition version which just made it that bit more special, and I couldn't help but smile and be very grateful. Just from looking at the art book that came with it, I could tell it would be a beautiful game and from the short amount that I've played so far, it hasn't disappointed me yet. It also came with the soundtrack CD and although I haven't had a chance to listen to the whole thing yet, what I've heard in game play is really lovely and works so well with the game and its story.

Developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix in 2015 in different episodes, Life is Strange is a game that allows you to choose actions which then decide how the story unfolds, and could lead to good or bad consequences. It focuses on Maxine Caulfield, a photography student who discovers she has the ability to rewind time. How cool is that!! We follow her through her days at school and when she's just spending time with best friend Chloe, and see how she realises she has the ability.

I haven't played too much of it just yet but from what I have played I can easily say I really enjoy this game. At first I thought I'd be quite stressed figuring out what to do and how to do things, but I seem to have picked it up quite well. I know that sounds really silly but I really am not a very good gamer at all so this is quite good for me. Compared to other games I've seen, this seems to be a really good choice of game for someone like me. I love the story of it and when I play, I really find myself getting sucked in and not wanting to put the controller down. I really like how at times the story takes over and rather than control everything you get to watch as things unfold before it gives you control to move around again.

I would definitely recommend this game to anyone and everyone and I don't say that easily. I don't know a lot about games but I think this is one that many would enjoy and is definitely worth giving a go. If you're not sure about it, watch the trailer below and you'll see just how amazing it looks.

Until next time my lovelies, thanks for reading :) x

"Phenomenal Woman, That's Me" - Poetic Justice

Hello my lovelies,

Hope your week is going well so far, slowly getting to the weekend. 

Today's film is one that I've been told to watch numerous times and every time I say I'll get round to it, and now I finally have. Sorry to the person that suggested I watch it, but I just don't think it's my thing.

Poetic Justice is an American romance and drama film made in 1993. Written and directed by John Singleton, it stars Janet Jackson as Justice and Tupac Shakur as Lucky. All of the poems that are featured throughout the film are written by Maya Angelou who also makes an appearance in the film as Aunt June.

I won't bore you with a plot line that you could look up anyway, so I'll just give my opinions and what I thought while watching it. 

From close to the beginning I could tell it wasn't going to be my sort of film. At times it felt cringey, and it struggled to hold my attention. I wouldn't say it's a bad film, just not incredibly interesting. 

I wouldn't necessarily call it boring, I just didn't feel hooked on the story line at any point. It didn't feel like very much happened. I think it just needed a little more action for me to enjoy it more.

I liked the poems, and two of them I had actually heard before so I recognised them straight away. It wasn't badly made but it was quite long which could be another reason it didn't hold my attention fully but I still watched until the end, and the end was quite cute. 

I wouldn't write it off completely as a film I wouldn't watch again, but I wouldn't be in a hurry to find it again. For others they might really like it so it still may be worth you checking it out as you could enjoy it more than I did.

Until next time my lovelies, thanks for reading :) x 

Love

Hello my lovelies, 

Hope you're all well. I feel like I've been working so much recently so haven't really watched many films but I've managed to squeeze in some tv programmes here and there. For example whilst on my breaks at work this week I've caught up with the new episodes of The Walking Dead, and oh wow! I've done a post about it before so I don't want to be repeating myself and boring you guys, but I was not expecting so much to happen in the first episode back. If you haven't seen it yet then go and watch it right now. Right now!! 

I like to have background noise whilst doing things like tidying or getting dressed, so this morning I started a new series on Netflix called Love. I've only heard a small bit about it but thought I'd give it a go so it's something to have on. 

Love is an American romantic comedy based around dating and looks at both sides of relationships from male and female points of view. Created by Judd Apatow, Paul Rust & Lesley Arfin, it stars Gillian Jacobs, Claudia O'Doherty & Paul Rust. I hadn't heard of the cast before but they don't seem bad. They work together well and fit he character roles they've been given. Paul Rusts character Gus, is the one that stands out the most to me so far. A funny, nerdy guy that can't seem to get over his ex and starts hanging out with college kids. 

From what I've seen so far it's funny but I don't feel hooked yet. I could not watch this for ages and not miss it. Still undecided to whether or not I enjoy it but I'm giving it a chance and if I get into it more throughout the series I'll report back so you guys can check it out. 

If you're also watching this new series let me know your opinions and whether you think it's worth continuing to watch or not. 

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x 

Call the Midwife

Hello my lovelies,

How are you all this week? I've been working a lot recently so finally grabbing my chance to write something. I've been loving Call the Midwife so wanted to do like a mini review of it for you this week.

I'm not sure if its aired in other countries but it is on Netflix if you wanted to start watching it from the beginning. Call the Midwife is a BBC period drama that follows the lives of a group of nurses/midwives as they work in London during the 1950s and 60s. The nurses stay in a nursing convent with nuns helping them as they cope with the various medical problems thrown at them in the deprived district of Poplar, as well as helping deliver a large number of babies each month.

Its such an interesting program and it really makes you get attached to the characters and the things they go through tugs at your heart strings and has made me cry before. There are moments when it can seem quite depressing and you really feel for the people that actually went through situations like these in the 50s. Some of the storylines are so hard hitting and surprising at times. I'm not sure I could manage to cope and keep it together like they seem to.Although its probably not meant to be educational, there are times when it can teach you things from midwifery to what life was like back then.

The cast all seem to really work well together and they play their characters brilliantly. Miranda Hart starred in it for the first four series (currently on series 5) and I miss her character a lot. Chummy was so funny to watch and was the character that brought most of the humour to story lines that could really bring you down. The characters are all so different and all very strong individuals. They each bring something different to the drama that makes it work so well.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone. To be honest the only people I know that watch it at the moment are women, but its a program that I think anyone could watch really. You should all go and check it out!

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x