Friday 25 September

28 weeks today! To shake it up a bit, I'll start with today's outfit, an outfit that actually garnered a wolf whistle (despite the fact that I am over 6 months pregnant and was carrying Mothercare bags at the time - very odd???). So the trousers are the old favourite Isabella Oliver ones, in black jersey, they are fab as they have a top which comes right up over the bump, making you feel nice and secure, but which can also be rolled down for those who prefer the under-bump style. I love these trousers as I can't seem to get to grips with the popular side adjusting adjusting type trousers, with the elastic and the buttons, they don't ever seem comfortable to me, but I know others love them, so it must be something that I am doing wrong. I am today, wearing these with a petrol blue wrap top, bought for about 19 quid from ebay, it's great, as you can tie it however you like around you bump, so it grows with you - brilliant. I am so enjoying having the capsule feeling of my maternity wardrobe that I am quite dreading going back to normal clothes and having too much choice - I think a big ebay sale maybe looming at some point, so I can streamline! I am so glad also that Isabella Oliver now make non-maternity clothes, so I will be able to keep their chic classic shapes after the little monkey comes!

I have also managed to do all my birthing shopping, which should arrive any time soon from Mothercare and Boots online. Most of it is of the yawn yawn yawn boring variety (knickers, breast pads, lansinoh, nappies, etc), so I decided to treat myself to a great sleek change bag too - in fact this one here.

So my tip for today is: Ensure that you treat yourself to something really nice in amongst all the necessities. Nice but practical if you feel guilty.

Monday 21 Sept

We have decided upon an experiment in our house, a kind of family way of life before the actual family. When we were young Sundays meant church, lunch and a family day. Nowadays Sundays are no different to any other day, people pile into the shops and town centres are often busier than they are on other days, either that or people sit around the tv nursing a hangover, eating bacon sandwiches. This, to me, does not seem a very good tradition to bring up a family. So Sundays now (somewhat inspired by an article I read in The Green Parent Magazine ), are to be something more resembling the Sundays of my early childhood; a time to enjoy family, good food, the outdoors, and other pursuits that may do one of the following: relax your body / mind; help you to learn something new; experience something new (a film, an exhibition, etc); connect with one another; basically to mark Sundays as different. There are a few simple rules to follow: no TV (the recorder can be set up the night before); no convenience food for the main meal and any basic purchases to be made (newspaper, milk, etc) must be made only at the local shop before 12pm.

So, today's idea of the day is: Make up a new family tradition and stick to it.

Anyway, so yesterday we followed the rules and went to see a film (tickets are allowed to be purchased, although thanks to the great and lovely Ken Love we have some vouchers for our local cinema). The film we watched was very apt in that it was about a couple who are 3 months off having a baby and are trying to put there lives in some sort of order beforehand. Directed by Sam Mendes and written by Dave Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida, the script is both poignant and funny, but most of all, it is just normal. There are no twists and turns and no unlikely occurrences, just a couple contemplating life in a way that many couples must. It sounds a little girly, but it got a good number of laughs from the men in the audience and was well written so as to keep everyone'e attention. Watch the trailer here: Away We Go.

Finally, what am I wearing in today's photos?

Well yesterday, I wore a 1940s style, albeit updated, tea dress from Whistles (bought for £50 rather than £150 in the end of summer sales). This is not maternity, merely bought in one size bigger, and as it is empire line style, it billows over the bump. I wore it with thick grey tights, as it is essentially a summer dress.

Today is a home day, and as I have said before I still believe in making an effort with clothes, but still want to feel comfortable and sexy. So today I am wearing American Apparel leggings (in L size) which stretch over the bump and are much more comfortable than the maternity leggings I wasted money on from Mama's and Papa's website. American Apparel is brilliant, as they stock basics in a vast number of colours and much of it is suitable as maternity wear, their website even has a maternity section, to show you which of their styles can work as maternity. I am wearing these super compfy leggings with a simple bandeau top from topshop maternity, which has a kind of waterfall effect over the bump. Due to the fact I haven't styled my hair nor put on any makeup, I have fixed up my hair with a minnie mouse style bow alice band and have accessorised with some vintage chinese beads bought at a market in Hong Kong. If you want to wear a block colour, make sure you choose some statement accessories to make it a bit more special.

Anyway, off now to finish the pumpkin and chick pea casserole for tea!

Saturday 19th September - 90 days to go.

So, 90 days to go. I can't decide whether or not that is a long time. In teaching it would definitely be seen as a long time, a whole term of arguments, marking, parents' evenings and behaviour meetings, but something tells me that it may not seem so long between September and December this year.

Today, I hope, will turn out not to be typical for this blog. Last night I returned home from 5 days in Spain and so after a week of getting up for breakfast at the whim of a hotel manager and of feeling that "I should really do something today," I have spent this, the first day back, doing as little as possible.

I have spent the day reading, firstly the weekend newspapers. Usually we would take the Guardian and possibly the Independent and found we were caught in a trap of reading crap that didn't add anything to our lives. So this week, we took the plunge and made a change to the FT Weekend, although I still love the Guardian Guide, as it tells me what is going on all over the South of England and means that I can plan whole days out that I will probably never go on, but can still imagine. I have also, today, read a book I would never have bought, but one which I picked up at the local library and which proved also refreshing and entertaining. Janet Street Porter's "Life's too Fucking Short." I suppose it may kind of fit into the self-help category, but is more a jumble of anecdotes and mantras which may or may not inspire you to jump off your hamster wheel.

Therefore my tip of the day (thanks to both JSP and the FT) is...Read something that you wouldn't ordinarily read. Change your newspaper, pick up a different magazine, go to the library and discover a section you wouldn't usually enter. If you read fiction read a book about history or science, if you usually factual books go for a book of short stories by a selection of writers or by a writer you have never heard of. If, like my husband, you only read from a computer screen, then you are lucky you can fulfill today's challenge by reading anything you like, as long as you can turn pages in your hand!

Which brings me on...what am I wearing today? There was a time when I would get properly done up every single day - hair, make-up, even for days like today, when I sent the husband to the supermarket just to avoid having to leave the house, since getting pregnant I find this somewhat pointless, as I could spend that time doing something else. I do make an effort if I am going out, but don't waste precious time if I'm not. However, there is one thing that I refuse to relent on and that is that it is of true importance to me to make an effort with what you wear everyday, if you don't you will just start to feel fat and sad and mumsy. There is no point, at my stage in pregnancy to try and hide the bump, it will only leave people guessing at whether you are fat or pregnant and then there is a chance that you will miss out on that lovely seat on the Tube or bus, so I ensure that I have a few pieces of quality maternity clothes that "dress" my bump. Today I am wearing black jersey trousers by Isabella Oliver (expensive but definitely worth it, even if you can't find them on ebay as I did) and a TopShop Maternity stretchy dress, with horizontal Breton stripes. I have never been brave enough to wear clingy horizontal stripes pre-pregnancy, but now, why not???