Leading a healthier lifestyle

This year I made a conscious decision to start leading a healthier lifestyle. Losing weight was one of the main results I wanted to achieve by this decision but it wasn't the only reason. I was tired of making the same poor decisions when it came to my lifestyle choices and I wanted to do something about it. 

Over the past few months I've actively changed the way I think about food and the decisions I make about physical activity. I've been putting these new and healthier lifestyle choices into place and I am seeing such a benefit from doing so. So far I have lost 17lb, I am more active than I have been in years and I'm feeling pretty awesome because of it! 

Being move active.

It's hard to find time to exercise when you are looking after a toddler but chasing after them is a work out in itself. I recently bought an exercise bike which I go on every other night but my main source of activity is walking. Every day I make a point of getting outside, in the fresh air. Whether it be a quick burst to the park with Noah or a couple of miles through the woods it all helps and I feel so much more energised for doing so. 

I recently bought a Fitbit band to track and log my steps, food and water intake and it's been motivating me to really push myself each day. I've also recently bought some fitness gear from Esprit as I didn't have anything suitable to wear when working out.

I feel like my fitness level is really increasing and I would love for it to continue because I'm feeling so much better in myself for it. 

                                                             Eating and drinking better.

Along with becoming move active my diet has changed dramatically. I am currently on Slimming World which I don't look at as a diet, it's food optimising. It changes the way you look at food and teaches you how to choose and balance the right foods. 

When you are following a plan like this it doesn't mean that you need to cut out any treats that you do like to indulge in, you can still have them. This I think is better in the long run because by not depriving yourself of a treat every now and again it keeps you motivated and on plan. 

So there you have it. This has been my progress in the past couple of months and I'm happy with things are going. Hopefully I can keep at it and further down the line report back with even more positive results.


Have you got any fitness or healthy living tips you would like to share with me?
I would love to hear them!

How well do your children eat?

Today I thought I would write all about Noah and his eating habits.

From the very start of our weaning journey we have continuously introduced new foods to our son. I think that the variety of tastes, textures, colours have played a big role in how he eats today. Persistence is key too. If they turn their nose up at it once then try offering it again further down the line. 

On a whole (and at the moment) Noah is a good eater. He loves fruit and vegetables, his favourites being strawberries and carrots. He will usually try anything that you put in front of him which makes meal times easy and rather stress free.

That being said if he's grumpy, unwell or teething then it can be a struggle to get him to eat anything. He will tend to just pick at his meal, whine about it and then throw it all on the floor! 
I recently came across this infographic from My Voucher Codes and I think it shares some interest facts and statistics on children's eating habits and parents feeding habits. Did you know what 67% of parents let their children choose what they want to eat? 

At the moment Noah doesn't choose what he eats, we eat as a family most of the time and he loves his vegetables. I pray it stays this way but I'm not counting my chickens just yet because children are temperamental little things!

How well do your children eat? 

 

Noah - 19 Months Old

Character
Every month his little persona just grows and grows. Everyone always comments on what a character he is and it always makes me smile because they don't even know half of it. He is generally a very social, caring, happy and smiley boy and he really makes every day a pleasure. That being said he certainly knows his own mind, is stubborn and a little mischievous when he wants to be! 

Size
He hasn't moved up fully in clothes just yet and is still wearing a combination of 12-18 month and 18-24 months. Still a size 4 in shoes too.

Health
Nothing to report on the health front as everything has been okay. He currently has 12 teeth and I think more are on the horizon. 

Feeding
Noah has been a lot more picky this month. Not as in picky with what he wants to eat but rather than wolfing his food down he's been leaving more and just picking at it. He still has 2 bottles of milk a day and sometimes even one in the afternoon too. He loves his milk and I'm glad that he still enjoys it.

Sleep
We've had a few nights where Noah hasn't wanted to settle but thankfully he's back to usual now. He normally has a two hour nap in the afternoon at around 1pm and he usually goes to bed at night at 8pm. Most mornings he doesn't wake up till 9am! I am very lucky that he enjoys his sleep. 

Speech
Noah's new words this month are GO and STRAWBERRIES! 
He knows roughly 20+ words but he will only say them when he wants to and I'm trying to encourage him to use them more often. His favourite word is Teddy and he says that almost as much as he does Mama. 

Milestones and new tricks

Understanding. He seems to understand literally everything I say these days. A couple of days ago I pointed to a pack of wipes and asked him to get them and to wipe his face. To by disbelief he did just that!

Running. Of course he's been able to run for a while but he can run REALLY fast now and it scares me a little!

He can now point out his head, hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, belly, boobies, bum, winky, hands and feet! I think he's really clever! 

He always helps me to dress himself and will try to brush his hair himself. 

Likes 

Being outside. He would live outside if I let him! If he's spent a few hours every day outside in the fresh air then you know he's going to be one happy little chap.

Kissing! He loves to give kisses to everyone and everything! 

Die cast cars. He is still obsessed with his cars and he is amassing quite the collection.

Tidying up! Yes you read correctly, Noah likes to tidy up. I always involve Noah in tidying up his toys and he really enjoys being included, especially when he gets praise and a round of applause!

In The Night Garden. He has always liked the odd TV show every now and again but he's never enjoyed one like he has with ITNG. As soon as it comes on he gets all excited and his little face lights up.

Books! 

Animals. He loves our cats, the neighbours dogs, ducks, birds. Any animal he is fascinated with. He is so gentle with our cats too and it makes me so proud of him. I am always on hand to make sure he is being gentle with them and I've very rarely had to correct him.

Water play. He isn't really a fan of messy or sand play but the exception is water play. We were recently sent a water table to review and he adores it.

Dislikes

Coming in from a walk. When he knows we are going back in he will sometimes throw a hissy fit which usually entails him throwing himself on the floor and crying like he's heartbroken.

Having his face wiped and his teeth brushed.

Being told no. 

Little Tikes Fish 'n' Splash Water Table

With Summer just around the corner we have been eagerly anticipating the sunshine and have been excitedly preparing for it's arrival. We've been prepping the garden at the new house and have been deliberating over what garden toys to buy. Noah has just turned 19 months old so it's the first year he's been able to enjoy garden activities so we can't wait!

We were recently sent the Little Tikes Fish N Splash Water Table to review and it couldn't of come at a better time. I was so excited to show it to Noah because he does love a good splash!   

The water table arrived in a rather large yet light box. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the table was to set up, we had it up and ready in a matter of minutes. 

As soon as Noah spotted the water table he headed straight for it and dove in. I didn't even have time to roll his sleeves up as he was so eager to dive in and play. 

Details-
The water table costs £49.99 (Currently on special offer at £39.99 online.)
Minimum assembly required but comes with an easy to read manual.
Recommended age 2 year and onwards.
Holds up to 30 litres of water.
Can also be used as a sand table.
Included are 10 accessories; a fishing rod, net, cups, turtle, fish, frog, a crab. 

What we liked-
The water table was so easy to assemble, which was a huge plus for Nick and I. We are usually terrible at trying to put anything together but thankfully this was almost fun to put together. 

The product is bold, bright and attractive to the eye. It's also sturdy, well made and easy to move.

I like how it's a toy that is going to grow with my child. He is 19 months now and although he can't hook a fish yet he will in time and I can see him having many years of fun with it.
 
We all loved the different accessories that were included, they made the water table so much more fun. They were a nice addition.

Noah just loves it in it's entirety! He spent a good half an hour stood there splashing about. This is pretty incredible considering he has a very short attention span!


What we didn't like-
The water fountain and spinning Lilly pad is a good idea and an attractive feature but for some reason it wouldn't spin very well. I don't know if this is how it's supposed to work but we couldn't get it to spin very well.
Another little niggle we have is that the legs cannot be removed from the tray once it's been assembled. This of course isn't a huge problem but it would of been nice to be able to dismantle come autumn to save on storage space.

All in all we were all a fan of this product. As you can see by the photo's Noah had an absolute blast splashing about and pouring the water all down himself. The Fish 'n' Splash water table is certainly going to be enjoyed this Summer and will be treasured for years to come.


-We were sent this product for the pupose of this review however all opinions are my own. 

My Sunday Photo - 24/52

Project 365 - Week 24 - 24/52

                                                                             
                                                                                        7th June - 13th June / Week 24

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Sunday Nick and I had a little bit of time to ourselves while Noah was at his Nanna's. We did a little DIY and then went for a lovely walk around a lake that is local to us. How beautiful? 

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Monday was a usual Monday. Noah slept in and we missed playgroup. This meant we had a lazy day playing puzzles, cuddling and reading books. 

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Here is Noah blowing kisses to me on Tuesday morning. 

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On Wednesday I met up with a friend and her son Emilio. There is only 10 weeks difference between them both, Noah being the younger one and it's lovely to see them together. We went for a stroll in the sun and has a picnic on the grass.

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On Thursday I decided to take Noah on another super long walk in the sun and for a picnic in the park. When the weather is so nice it's almost a crime not to! On days like this I am so grateful that I am able to spend every day at home with Noah. I sat there on the bench with Noah and had a smile on my face. Bliss.

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On Friday our soil and lawn arrived so we could start the work on our front garden. With all the renovating that we have been doing this had been the last on our list. Noah helped water the soil before we laid the grass and he loved helping out. The lawn is now down but we have to wait for three weeks for it to knit before we can step foot on it. 

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Saturday is family outing day and we took Noah to a big nature park that is local to us. Nature parks are one of the benefits of living in Lancashire as there is always countryside and nature right on your door step. This particular park had a lake, boat rides, a play park and even a steam train. We didn't take any money with us so next time we go we will be taking a boat and train ride, both of which will be firsts for Noah!