Summer reading list 2016

So I made myself a summer reading list of some of the books I've wanted to read. I just finished Jojo Moyles 'Me before you,' and I'm currently reading the sequel 'After you,' the rest of my list is below! I'm being really optimistic and hoping that I will get through these books before the summer, but I would say with the amount of time I get to read, it will be more like Halloween! Oh well, I'm still going to relish every page!

 

 

I can hardly wait, I just need me a little 'she shed now!

What I love - Beauty products

A while back I did a post on what I loved for kids health and hygiene and education I was thinking of things I love that some other Mom's might like to know about. Recently I got a very generous gift for a shop in Dundrum where they sell MAC, so I treated myself to new everything! from that the things that I love the most are these:

Mac false lash mascara, it is absolutely amazing, it really really works, I've had people ask me am I wearing false lashes, or if I've had eyelash extensions! I have long eyelashes anyway so it seems to thicken them up and makes them look really fanned out and full. I am utterly in LOVE with this mascara, I'll never use any other one

if I use my mascara with this old faithful, Isa Dora gel eyeliner, that I've been buying for years, it gives you a really false lash look, it's really dramatic for nights out!

I love this eyeshadow with the above products. It's the snow globe eye shadow compact from MAC, the colours last all day, and you can make them light or darken them. You can also do a smokey eye, or just a quick sweep of colour before you run out the door!

I've also been using this beautiful highlighter and foundation and I love them! The foundation is flawless and wears very well. It gives really good coverage and you can wear just a light covering, or go heavier if you are going out for the night.

The highlighter I do need to reapply during the day, but it's lovely and shimmery, and it adds lovely sparkle to your cheek bones. It is very girly and pretty! 

I'm also loving the Bobbi Brown eye set, it has a gel eyeliner and a gel eyeshadow and a really good brush, it lasts for hours and the gel eyeliner wears very well!

I wasn't a huge fan of the mascara it tended to flake a bit, and fall below my lashes which was a bit irritating! So I didn't really use it too often. 

Obviously you have to get the base right. I was using a moisturiser that cost me a fortune from the beauty salon and I really didn't feel it was that great, it was supposed to be a treatment type one as I am prone to break outs, but my Mom got me this range from Avon and I have to say it is amazing! I use this in the night to try and clear my skin, and it actually does work. 

Not to mention it's half the price. During the day I use a product that is light and has an spf and helps keep my skin Matte. I actually started using it when I read that some of the actresses on Desperate housewives swear by it, as their cheap miracle cream ( I think it was Marcia Cross) It absorbs very quickly and keeps your skin hydrated all day. I love it!

Now I really love this nail polish by Nails Inc you can get it in Brown Thomas, it is so glossy and lasts a long time, this picture has my favourite colour in it. I've been getting the shellac french manicure recently, but I'm hoping to find a shellac colour in this exact shade, and then it will be flawless for two whole weeks, which will be amazing!

Now to the tan! I am naturally pale, and I love to have a more Sun kissed look every day, and I swear by the Palmer's natural bronze daily moisturiser, it has coco butter so it is really moisturising.

if you put it on over a few nights it really comes out like a natural tan. If I'm going anywhere really special and I need to use a false tan, I really love the Bronze Express tan by Academie, it's a lotion and you need to use it with a glove, but it is flawless and I LOVE it!

It is also instant and darkens over a few hours. I HIGHLY recommend this one!

 My most favourite product would be Johnson's Baby oil, I use it after a bath or shower every day, before my moisturiser on damp skin, and it locks in the moisture in your skin. I always notice if I haven't used it in a few days as my skin gets dry again. It is great, especially the one with aloe in it.

And finally at the end of every night right before I go to sleep I slick on some of this...

I actually have all of the above. I use the green one before I go to bed, I use the yellow one in the summer as it has spf. I use the pink one during the day instead of lipstick, and I'll use the blue one over lipstick. I have random little tins of this all over the house, you are likely to find tins I've thought I've lost and bought another!

I also cover my hands in this before I go to bed every night, otherwise my hands end up bone dry!

and I love it! It's more expensive than regular hand creams, but it's worth it because it's a full hand and nail treatment.

( as usual all of the pictures are from google images)

As with my other posts, these are my own opinions. They are just the products that I love to use everyday, they are my must haves. These are the products I pack first when I'm going anywhere, and I love them. I've been using them for years, and I imagine I will continue to use then for years to come.

Our trip to Belfast

This weekend Derek took me for a weekend away to Belfast. We got the train up and it was great! My parent's came up to mind Dylan and Lauren! so we got a lovely break away! We did some Christmas shopping and some sightseeing. It was so nice to spend some quality time alone together....

Here are some photos of the beautiful scenery out of our carriage window

We arrived at Central Station in Belfast at midday, and headed straight to our hotel to check in.

We stayed in a pretty hotel really close to the city centre

They had some beautiful decorations up and it was so festive!

After we checked in we went to the local shopping centre 'Victoria Square' It was huge and had some fabulous shopping, we picked up a few gifts for Christmas, and had a gorgeous lunch in a beautiful gourmet burger restraunt.

Then we went up to the top floor of the shopping centre, there is a viewing platform there and you can see such beautiful views of Belfast.

From the viewing platform you can see the shipping yard of 'Halrem & Wolfe,' this is where the Titanic was built, it was really nice to see this! (It's where the yellow cranes)

We went out to a beautiful Italian restaurant, we went for drinks before our lovely dinner, the food was great!

We headed back to our hotel, and had some more drinks in the residents bar, there was a Christmas party on there so there was a real party atmosphere in the hotel.

The next day we headed out to do some more shopping, we went to get some Star.bucks first. Which was soooo yum! I had a mocha with whipped cream.... WOW!

This was the rainy scene from the window

Another view of the shipyard

I love this Christmas sign, it says 'festive' with 'Belfast' in the heart!

We visited the 'Sunday Fayre' in Victoria Square before we went back to catch the train home, where we picked up these really cute decorations for the kids

they are handmade and very pretty, and Lauren and Dylan love them.

We had a really lovely weekend together, and the best part was spedning some lovely time with my wonderful hubby...

We have put up our Christmas tree and all our decorations, and we are all snuggled up on the couch. I am glad to be back home with my little guys though, I missed them... but it's official...

 Christmas is here!

What I Love - Education

Now that Dylan is in school, I like to supplement his schoolwork during the holidays, or times when he is struggling with certain things. I love Jolly Phonics

Dylan's school uses the school version of these, they are excellent and fun too.

For Lauren I love to use the Dora flashcards

I ask her questions about what's on the cards. I'll say ' What is Dora doing?' or 'What is that in the picture?' She always loves them, and she finds them great fun, so she really loves them.

I love letting the kids play with play- doh, they really use their imagination. It can be really messy, but they love it.

I played with play-doh when I was little too!

I am also a huge fan of arts and crafts. I think Crayola make some of the best products out there, colouring is so good for Dylan and Lauren, and I am always surprised at how creative they can be.

I also love Ladybird classics and their new books too, they are colourful, well written, and they have been around for decades. I love that they have all the modern tales now, and they have the old favourites too.

They also do a range for children just beginning to read, which are great, as Dylan reads them by himself and loves them. His favourite is book to read on his own is Marley & ME,

I'm also a huge fan of singing nursery rhymes to my kids. I sang them to Dylan all the time (apparently he's too big to sing them now!)  he would sing along with me, and now I sing them to Lauren. I do all the actions with them, and I have a cd of songs that I play in the car for them.

I also think that some television and movies are really beneficial for children. I believe that kids can learn a lot about relationships, and friendship and kindness from watching movies. A lot of the shows on television for kids can be quite educational too. I love the Disney movies, and so do Dylan and Lauren.

(Images courtesy of Google images)

We would also have all of the Disney books too. They love to read about the films after they watch them. Their favourite television shows would be, anything on Nickelodeon for Dylan and anything on Playhouse Disney for Lauren. I do have to limit the amount of time they spend watching shows though!

And finally the thing I love the most about education, is teaching them about the world myself. I explain everything as I go along. I don't use baby versions of things, I just tell them things in age appropriate language. I feel my Kids are more intelligent because of this. I also see that Dylan seems to have a better understanding of things than his peers do. I think that parents are their kids most valuable educational asset!

Again, these are just my own views, and I receive nothing for this. My own Mommy opinion again!

What I love - Health & Hygiene

I'm often asked by other mums about products and things I love to use with the kids. I decided to do a post on all the things I use at the moment, so I can look back and remember! So, I'm going to do a post on health and hygiene products and education! I want to remember every single thing about their childhood!

Hygiene

Now that Lauren's hair is starting to thicken up, I found her curls would get matted after she slept on them. My friend who is a hair stylist recommended I try leave in conditioner suitable for children. So after looking around I found one I love. The Johnson's no more tangles leave in conditioner. It comes in a lotion too, but I find the spray is much easier to use. It's easier to style her hair and it makes IT dry into beautiful defined curls. I love it!

After abandoning potty training until after we move, Lauren is still in her nappies, and I find that her bottom can get red and sore from time to time, also the warm weather can give her a little rash. I'm loving these products for nappy changing

I am a bad person because I use baby wipes! But Ireland just doesn't have reusable baby wipes. I use the simple baby wipes because they have the least amount of chemicals. I wipe with those first, and use a tiny bit of Johnson's baby powder to dry the area, and then apply a layer of sudocrem if Lauren's bottom is sore or has a rash. It is a very popular product here, My Mum used it on me and her Mum used it too! I swear by it for everything. There are lots of products out there that I've tried, but I always come back to this one!

I also use the simple baby bath and shampoo on Dylan and Lauren, it is really sensitive and it works really well!

Dylan gets dry skin in his little ears and scalp, so I usually just smooth a bit of Vaseline in his ears and on the parts of his scalp where it's dry. Works every time. This is a product both my Mother and Grandmother also used.

Sometimes Lauren gets little bumps of dry skin on the back of her arms and I use this,

It clears it up straight away!

For their teeth I use Colgate first smiles toothpaste and Aquafresh toothbrushes

Health

Dylan has asthma so we have to use this every day,

He takes his Ventolin and Becotide in the evening through his spacer device. We've cut it down from twice a day to once a day. His doctor thinks it's working well!

If they get a cough or a cold I use this, Benylin for Children, Coughs and Colds.

I find it works very well for them. I also find if they have coughs, Vicks Vaporub helps so much.

I love Vicks and it's suitable for the whole family, so we all use it!

But in order to keep the snuffles away, I use these, Gummy Bears chewable vitamin jellies.  They have no artificial colours and they each take two in the morning.

I also give them each an Actimel every morning, as a prebiotic, to help with their imune system.

And of course for the old headaches, temperatures and general hurts I use Calpol, another favourite of my Mum! I don't actually use the sugar free, because the sugar free version contains sorbitol and other artificial sugars, I use the regular calpol because it has natural occurring sugars. I'm happier with this even though it's probably all in my mind!

  And my handbag favourite,

( Images courtesy of Google Images)

Purell, I use it on their hands after the playground, before they eat and I sometimes put it on a tissue and clean tables and highchairs when we are out and about. I'm sure this list will change as they grow up! and I'm probably after leaving some things out! But this is my list of favourite things to use. I didn't receive anything for writing this, it's just my honest opinion as a Mommy!