Declutter - Part 2

Hello! How are you getting on? I hope you're ready for another dose of hormental cleaning to do’s!!

Let's get started!

Gertie’s Guide to a Clutter Free Life (Part 2):

Mind Your Mindfulness

Do you ever get the feeling that you're constantly running around and at the end of the day you don't feel like anything was accomplished? Or that you blink your eyes and your children have grown a foot and you can't remember the last time you just stopped and marveled at them? Or you find that everything you do is done while multi-tasking at something else?

Declutter - Part 1

I'm pregnant which means a few things; i’m allowed to eat cake at any time of day, I am prone to irrational outbursts of rage and/or anxiety, I would get away with the murder of my spouse and I have a spray bleach permanently attached to the belt of my towelling dressing down and I am well within my rights to whip it out and clean in regular, manic bursts... Probably before having a well earned nap!

Things to Start Doing... No Excuses!

1. Drink lots of water and green tea.
2. Have at least 8 hours of sleep a night (before the baby arrives!).
3. Meditate daily.
4. Avoid processed food.
5. Concentrate on the positives instead of negatives.
6. Have sex at least twice a week (before the baby arrives!).
7. Think the best of others.
8. Laugh more.
9. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
10. Appreciate the small things.

eBay Baby

I am currently OBSESSED with eBay... This obsession isn't a new one although I do go through phases (the dry periods are usually imposed by GF!) This latest binge has been brought about by a last minute wedding invitation. I need a dress for my bump - it'll be so big by then it'll require its own, boom boom... And I need a dress on a shoestring because GF thinks that this is the last baby he will have and so I shouldn't be wasting money. It's not the last but let's not tell him! Shhh!

eBay can be your best friend. It can also be the bitch who stabs you in the back and then laughs in your face when your crying! It's all about knowing how to handle yourself... Having said this, I have been spurred on to write this guide due to me making a seriously amateur blunder this morning, and overbidding for an item I was convinced I could not live without so I am not portraying myself as the frugal eBay expert but I'm getting much better! (Also this mornings slip up can be entirely blamed on pregnancy hormones!)

Playground Bullying

We know it happens and as parents we dread having to deal with it but I think it's a necessary, if horrendous, childhood experience and as parents we need to be armed with how to deal with it in the best way. I was personally shocked at how early it started and how much it affected my little girl who is a naturally sensitive being.

Restaurant l'Indyana, Nice

I recently went to l'Indyana with a girlfriend for lunch and it made me wonder why a) I don't go more often as it never disappoints and b) how this place is still a secret, mostly frequented by French professionals.

Nails 2013

2013 is all about bling nails and 3D nail art.

Essie Nails bring out their own range of nail wraps this year and although nail wraps are all over the place, I think that their offerings are far and away more fabulous than others on the market. Essie have named their wraps "Sleek Sticks".

That said, Loreal brought out a fabulous festive range before Christmas and they are still available. They give the illusion of 3D designs without the fuss and they are perfect for a glam night out.

Celebrity favourite Nazila continue to make the most fabulously outlandish 3D nails. The pictured set are called "Your Royal Highness"! How very patriotic. Unsurprisingly celeb fans such as Rihanna and Tulisa don't have to do the school run!

Maternity Style

Since my first pregnancy, maternity clothes have advanced immeasurably in quality, style and availability but I still have a problem with the price of some of the "cooler" labels. It's wearable for 6 - 12 months for goodness sake! Having said this, I do invest in a couple of new pieces for each pregnancy. Just so I don't feel like an old bag lady swathing myself in any elasticated garments that fit me. I get enough pitying looks at the school gates as it is!

Is It Just Me?

January is nearly done thankfully and February beckons, the month for love, romantic gestures and lighter evenings. In my house the roses aren't red but the bills most definitely are. This is the wrong time of year for frivolous expenditure!

On that note, Nice, can you please cancel this years Carnival? Endlessly bizarre, badly organized and a catalyst for furious road rage, I can think of more useful ways of spending the millions of euros. Like maybe setting up self sufficient farms in South America designed to sustain the populous when the euro crashes. Apparently "people in the know" are doing this! People I know who know people who know "people in the know" assure me that this is the only way to guarantee safety in the inevitable turmoil and rioting. Can't I just stock pile sterling?! The thought of being a cast member of 'The Good Life' with added drug lords and nuclear bunkers makes me feel overwhelmed and frankly exhausted.

Good on Gerard Depardieu I say. You have to admire a man who stands up and says that tax brackets should not be decided on the size of one's hooter (sorry, I'm a large child!). Even Belgium tried to point out that the new french tax legislation doesn't make this country an attractive prospect for the wealthy. Well done that man for finishing top of your class at stating the obvious.

Didn't anyone realize that we'd all be affected by ridiculous voting choices? Maybe the voters were trying to suggest that the country Holland should have a go at ruling?

One thing we should be spending our harder and harder by the minute earned cash on this month is the ski season. Ski, board, snow shoe, bobsled, hike... Whatever you fancy just make the most of the amazing local facilities.

Due to having a baby on board this year I am out for skiing this season but will instead be throwing snowballs and making snow angels the outline of which will be akin to Humpty Dumpty.

Followed by raclette and hot chocolate. Bliss!

Dinner at Monaco's Hotel Hermitage

Belle Epoque style at Hotel Hermitage

I had the fortunate experience of dining at the Hotel Hermitage in Monaco a few weeks ago. An example of "Belle Epoque" at its finest, the Hotel Hermitage sits just behind the Hotel de Paris and the Monte Carlo Casino.

Galette de Rois

A.K.A. 'King Cake'. This is what we ate last weekend and because the weather was so lovely we actually changed the location from my extremely snug flat to a picnic on the beach :-).

New Year's Resolutions and All that Jazz

Well strike me down with a Galette de Rois and call me Baby, it's list making time again! I am a big fan of lists. A list of things to do, a list for the shopping, a list for the Indian Shop (it merits one of its own), a list of exercise timings (oh, ok, a bit of an exaggeration, I'll get back to this one). By jingo, I could even make a list of my lists but I digress.

Secret Christmas Ingredient 2012

I just found this! Cointreau cuisine... I checked it was still fully boozey before purchasing! It's amazing, smells so festive and can be used to make anything seasonal from chocolate mousse, puddings and yes cocktails.

Spray it on your tongue when you get stressed!

The Social Club

'Tis the season!! And what better excuse to whip up a cocktail for your party guests.

Let's talk about banks, baby!

I promised to tell you why I ended up having a jaunt to London the other day. It was for a very important cause as my friend has written a book! So I thought it would be most sensible if I joined up with her to help celebrate.

Tapas tasting

I was in London the other week and my fabulous mates brought me to a little tapas restaurant called Barrica on Goodge Street they thought I would enjoy. I was a bit puzzled at first why we traipsed up through Covent Garden, Soho and Charlotte Street from Embankment and when I enquired they said "because we think you'll love it."

*sigh* I love it when my mates know me better than I do. A glass of excellent Cava was a good start followed by Iberico Pork (Jambon cedo - like thick Parma ham), and Chorizo. The boys had the ham croquettes which looked scrummy but I stuck to deep-fried Pablo peppers which I adored. I ordered a second plate. I also had melt-in-the-mouth aubergine that was chargrilled, served with fresh goat's cheese and drizzled with a honey dressing. If ANYBODY out there can tell me the secret of keeping a slice of aubergine soft in the middle and chargrilled on the outside PLEASE let me know! I'm thinking I'm going to have to sacrifice a few aubergines on my quest to find out!

We finished with a selection of cheeses and a glass of sherry. I know a thing or two about sherry and can honestly say this has got to be one of the most extensive sherry menus in London.

I'll share the reason for me bumming around in London with my mates in my next post!

Crazy Mama

After a bit of a hiatus languishing in a heady state of depression, I am now at least conscious enough to string a sentence together and motivated enough to sit up at an angle conducive to typing. Hello there! I apologise for my absence, I will make efforts to keep up with my blog for my lovely readers and my own sanity.

Enough of my cloud of depression, I will elaborate on that another day, for now I would like to talk about fertility.

Deal with your Debts

After spending WAY too much on a heady but frivolous Summer, I have crashed back to earth with a bump and a bollocking from GF. I freaking HATE it when he gets on his high horse and even more so if he's right! It is not, thankfully, a common occurrence!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Over the last year I've been spending significant amounts of time away from GF due to work commitments, family trips and a general need to get away from each other and i must agree with the old adage, absence does make the heart grow fonder. Not only do I miss my significant other when we're apart, I also have a greater appreciation for his contribution to the running of the house, in dealing with the children and in keeping me sane.

I think Tim Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter have it right! (if you can afford to live in adjoining houses next door to each other) Sadly, I can't so I am making the most of my time away from my man. The way I see it, there are some real positives to long distance dating...