A lovely, Lazy weekend…

After a couple of busier weeks we have been looking forward to a super chilled weekend together.  Starting with a seven mile run round the city on Friday I then had a relaxed evening with Milne and Andrew and we were all tucked up in bed early.

Saturday morning was, by far, the best moment of the weekend, we took Milne swimming for the first time and she LOVED it!  Super tired from half an hour in the water she slept through all our big food shopping (this month we did five weeks of shopping in one day!)  after a stop in the flat for some homemade soup we headed out with Jilly, David and Daisy for a six mile walk in the forest- the perfect afternoon activity.

 To finish the weekend we had a lovely active Sunday, starting with a workout, family yoga in our new playroom and a two mile run with the pram.  In the afternoon we managed to get round to some jobs I have been putting off all week in the flat and then we headed for a family walk and a trip to Jessie’s kitchen to look at some garden and homeware.

A lovely relaxed weekend is exactly what we needed to reset our batteries for another wonderful and busy week ahead.

Let me know what you go up to over on Instagram.

Falda

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New year…same me.

A little bit late but happy New Year to everyone.  2017 was, without doubt, the most wonderful year for us.  We welcomed our beautiful little girl, Milne, in August and have had the best few months ever since.

While the New Year is a great opportunity to set yourself new goals and targets I am pleased that I live a sustainable and healthy life all year round and I have had no urge to cut anything out or give up any of my favourite things.

However, this year I am looking forward to upping my running mileage and hoping to take part in a marathon later in the year.  I am definitely re-looking at what we put into our bodies as a family.  Soon Milne is going to start eating solids and it is so important to us to introduce tasty fuel packed nutrition from the start.  We will be following Dr Greger’s “How Not To Die Cookbook” for inspiration.

 

The How Not To Die Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes to Help Prevent and Reverse Disease

I am also going to use the new year as a starting point for setting some blogging goals, so let me know what you would like to hear about.

As always, you can follow the falda_eats fun over on Instagram and Youtube.

Falda

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Milne’s asleep…now what?

When Milne first arrived I felt like I was constantly feeding and changing nappies and as soon as she drifted off for a little nap I was catching up on daily housework.  Now it’s totally different, she is really active in the morning and loves watching me potter around cleaning and working out while talking to her.  Between 10-11 am she sleeps and it gives me around an hour to get on with something else before she’s awake and is full of beans again.  It’s similar in the afternoon although usually she naps in her carrier while I go for a three or four mile walk.

As a result of Milne’s regular sleeping habits I now have a load more time to myself.  It would be so easy to reach straight for my laptop and binge watch series on Netflix or youtube videos but I am keen that I use my time more productively.  This week I have set goals to read more, get all our christmas gifts wrapped and start planning our first family holiday for next summer.  I am also making a more conscious effort to take some time out to just RELAX- something I find really difficult to do.  

After a super busy year with university, work and pregnancy – some time out is exactly what I need.  So this week I am feeling quite content to sit on the sofa with a sleeping baby in my arms taking a moment or two to soak her in.  She’s changing so quickly and I want to remember everything.

And in case you hadn’t  guessed…she’s asleep right now!
Falda

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Making Milne laugh…

It’s been a good few weeks since Milne burst out her first proper laugh, one which could not be mistaken for wind!  Her laughter is the most wonderful sound we have ever heard – and even after endlessly dancing, making funny faces and playing peek-a-boo – not to mention the mountain of videos we have taken trying to capture it – her laugh just won’t got old!

BUT she is definitely making us work harder to hear it.  I am often spending my mornings trying to entertain our lovely little one and searching for new ways to occupy her fast developing mind, sometimes peek-a-boo just doesn’t cut it.

Our home visitor did give us a book of exercises suitable for different ages throughout her first year, but we need to mix it up and bit to get more of those super big belly laughs. This morning fifty star jumps did the trick!

If you have any fun ways to get your wee ones chuckling let me know over on Instagram.

Falda

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Sleeping baby means…Mum snacks….

Hello!

After a wonderful ten days with Mum, I am back to a more normal routine with Milne.  Lots of feeding, walking, decaf coffees and baking.  Milne has started to nap in the morning and in the afternoon for about 90 minutes (most of the time!) which gives me some time to potter around the house, read and cook.  As much as I love my time with awake Milne I also really enjoy a bit of ‘me’ time too while still being close to her.

However, all this extra time is bad for my tendency to snack.  Once I have polished off my smoothie I start raiding the cupboards – eating everything, even things I don’t really like!!!

So this week I am making a conscious effort to snack well during the day.  My go-to snack is smashed avocado with a little bit of vinegar and salt – it keeps me super full and satisfied.  

What are your favourite healthy day time snacks?

A wonderful weekend…

Hello!

What a wonderful weekend!

Making good use of our new National Trust Membership we took a trip to The House of Dun in Angus for a beautiful riverside walk – It was amazing.  With Milne strapped to Andrew and wrapped up cosy in her Ergo Baby Carrier, we we were able to take a relaxing walk and enjoy some Autumn sunshine.  For more information about The House of Dun or the National Trust Scotland membership, look here.

On Sunday I completed my goal run – 10k, ten weeks after giving birth!  It set me up for the new week, feeling fast and strong.

This week I have my graduation and Mum is coming to stay with us and joining us at the ceremony.  I can’t wait to spend some time with her and Milne in Dundee, she is going to notice a big difference in Milne’s size that’s for sure.

Hopefully I can also get mum back running, she has had plantar fascia and is pretty fed up with not getting out for her daily miles.  If you have any ideas on how to speed up fixing this kind of injury let me know!

Ergobaby baby carrier collection 360 (5.5 – 15 kg), Dusty Blue

Ten weeks…

It’s almost ten weeks since Milne arrived and and without a doubt they have been the most wonderful ten weeks.  Every day she is changing – getting bigger, longer, more curious and more alert.  It is an amazing privilege to be able to watch her develop and grow so quickly.  

However, a lot has changed in the past ten weeks which I really wasn’t prepared for. It’s not the big things that have really changed but the little every day bits and pieces I was so used to doing on my own; taking the bin out ( to do this Milne needs to come down two flights of stairs and out to our bin store), going for a long shower – Milne now has a little bouncy seat which I position just outside the (open) bathroom door so I can see her while showering. ‘Nipping’ to Tesco is a past activity.  Now it means taking the time to strap Milne to me and taking a change of clothes, nappies and wipes.

There are hundreds of little things that I have modified so I can do them while caring for a baby.  Although it can be sometimes frustrating, learning to get on with day to day life with her has been wonderful – and everything is so much lovelier with her by my side.  Here are some of my favourite activities to do with her.

Walking: I use my Ergo Baby carrier to make walking with Milne easy – we can literally walk for miles and miles while she snoozes on my chest.  She’s happy and I’m happy.  We usually stop somewhere for a hot drink and so I can breastfeed!

Ergobaby baby carrier collection 360 (5.5 – 15 kg), Dusty Blue

Reading: There is nothing I love more than curling up on the sofa with her and reading aloud- at this age I can read any book I want to her, but I have loved re-reading my old favourites.  We have also been a long to Book Bug at my local library where we are learning rhymes and reading books with a few dance moves!

Dancing:  A few weeks ago I discovered how much Milne likes to watch me dance- I have been putting on fast music and doing silly dances in front of her- she seems to love this and so do I.  We can also dance together along to nursery rhymes.

Coffee, art and an exciting new project…

After a busy week, we enjoyed relaxing in Dundee over the weekend with our little one.  Maternity leave has encouraged me to find things to do in our local area and this weekend we had a wonderful time following the Open/Close Dundee Art Trail throughout the city centre.  We bought the map for £1 from DCA and spent Sunday searching for the beautiful artworks hidden throughout the city.  What a fantastic idea!  

In case you missed my Instagram story on Sunday, here’s a peek at what we found…

 

Followed by a coffee and fresh soup at Waterstones we ended our Sunday super relaxed and raring to go for the new week.  If you are looking for something to do in the city centre I really would encourage you to try this trail.  For more info look here.

On the theme of art in Dundee, I am delighted to share with you a kickstarter campaign from my friend and sometimes running buddy, Monty Nero.  He is aiming to raise enough to fund six issues of his new publication,  Hollow Monsters.  This is set to be a fantastic comic – to find out more check out this article in the Dundee Courier and to support the campaign check out his Kickstarter.  

Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram stories to find out my adventures this week discovering Dundee!

Health care system or sick care system?

The former acting Surgeon General of the United States said that:

‘the U.S.A. does not have a healthcare system, we have a sick care system’.

His point is applicable to most western societies where we seem to consume so much that not only are we individually sick but our environment is also sick.  

Surely what we need is to design a healthy society that incorporates safe routes to school, clean air, clean water, cities that are designed to promote physical fitness and mental health.

Living in Scotland is a privilege because by and large we live in a “healthy society” but lots more could be achieved and will be as we move toward achieving our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals you can find out what Scotland is doing here.  

But, given that achieving a healthy society globally has been agreed, why are we not hearing more about the obvious need to radically cut global meat production and consumption?   This study from 2005, is just one of many that lays out the clear implications to our individual and public health as a result of meat consumption.  

If like me you are always on the lookout for new vegan products take a look at Blushberry Botanicals, offering a new and beautifully designed range of lip balms that are available to buy online.  They are fab, taste good, look good and feel good!

Dreaming of fitness in the sun….

Last week  we had  wonderful weather in Scotland and only one day of rain- it’s been fantastic!

It was great to get out at the start of the week for some longer walks and a few super slow but  lovely runs with Andrew.  Unfortunately in a few months I know the weather will be changing again and we will likely face a long and wet Scottish winter.  

Last year i was lucky enough to visit Mum in Andalucia twice over winter and packed the weeks full of long runs and strength training.  It was amazing to get some winter sun and enjoying getting fit outside.  I won’t be able to jet off as easily this winter with a new baby and all the change that will bring but I am delighted to be working in partnership with Dunbar-Morley Associates to bring you fitness and wellness retreats in Andalucia.  

For more information on luxury fitness and wellness this winter look here!