5:2 Diet

Our favourite words are "shall we try this diet?" we love a fad diet with the hope that within a week of doing it we would lose that stone we've been hanging on to since baby number 1!!!

We really have tried them all - funnily to NO avail !!!

So here we are after our holidays (we didn't manage to lose the stone in the 19 weeks leading up to holiday despite our best efforts) and so begins the new diet!!!

We did try the 5:2 before holiday but only breifly and we didn't give it our all!!! With a 7lb holiday gain i now have 21 lbs to lose minimum!!! (darn you all inclusive buffet and pancake bar)






So we started on Monday 17th June (2 weeks tomorrow) and the results are in!!! drum roll please......

Jade Loss:        4.5lbs
Leeanne Loss:  5.5lbs

It is such a good diet!!! We found it better to have our fast days planned in advance (i choose days when Honey is at nursery) and to have healthy options in the fridge!

We try to start most mornings with lemon water (30 mins before food) and then home made smoothies (Waitrose frozen smoothie fruit is yum) and home made soups!

I have found it easier to start eating later in the day too!! That helps me alot!! And i like having a small lunch like home made soup and then a normal dinner but small quantity!!!

My Fitness Pal is a great app which tells you the exact calorie value of items and logs a diary for you!  I think this is essential!!

We did have a naughty weekend full of cocktails, Thai food, Fry ups and Chocolate so we feel we could of lost more but life isn't all about depriving yourself!!! We all have busy lifes and whats a weekend of fun in the grand scheme of things!!!



So we decided that we would follow the diet all week and at weekends not calorie count or fast at all just enjoy family time!

Our best tips are being prepared! Get healthy snacks in your fridge ready!! Also the amazing thing about this diet is if you go over on a fast day you can just fast the next day!!!





This diets gets our Thumbs up!!!!


Good luck and let us know how you get on if you try it!

Love
J x


Follow us on Bloglovin

Magical Soup

After eating my own bodyweight in food every day on holiday i gained 1 million lbs, and no im not exaggerating my jeans on the plane home were crying they were stretched so much! So back to the diet we go.

I was looking for a smoothie maker online so i could have a healthy smoothie for breakfast every day (well probably for 3 days then it will gather dust in the cupboard) when i spotted a soup maker!! Yes you are reading that right an actual machine that makes soup all by itself!

I LOVE homemade soup but its just such a faff to make so i was literally giddy when i saw it, and added bonus it was half price at Curry's, which obviously means it was meant to be.

I thought this would be brilliant for dieting too! Lots of healthy fresh veg soups, low in calories and also a good way to get extra veg into the children. So i used my soup maker for the first time today and i am super duper impressed! Soooo easy to use. 

I used an old soup recipe i used to make the traditional way before my super soup maker entered my world. This yummy spicy butternut squash soup will make 4-6 servings depending on your bowl size and its just 83 calories for a larger portion!

1 Butternut Squash

2 med Onions

1 Red Chilli deseeded

1 Vegetable stock cub

1 1/2 pints of water

Pinch of salt and pepper 

All you do is chop up your vegetables

Pop them into your soup maker along with the rest of the ingredients.

Then set your soup maker to the desired soup you want i wanted a smooth soup and that takes just 21 mins to make.

When it starts it sounds like a kettle boiling and i was listening to it blend and it didn't seem like it blended an awful lot so i was expecting a slightly less smooth soup than i usually like but when i lifted off the lid....

Ta Daaaa Perfectly smooth soup in just 21 mins and only one thing to wash up! Amazing!!

It tasted just as delicious as always too. I am so impressed with this and think it will be such a great addition to our kitchen and will really help with the diet too! Me and Jade will be keeping you up to date with our dieting results so be sure to pop back and see if the soup maker helped! In the meantime get yourself off to currys for a soupmaker whilst they are still in stock!

Love

L xx

P.S Pretty please follow us on Bloglovin or Twitter

Swimsuit Revival

Its holiday fever time here at 'a little mummy magic' with our summer hols being literally days away! (Holiday Blues time by the time this post is published)

I remember the conversations when we booked this holiday well, and they probably will sound familiar to you too. 'We have 19 weeks to loose weight' 'we can so do this' 'yeah we will be fabulous and skinny in time for hols' '1lb a week is 19lbs and we only want to loose a stone!'.

Well the weeks have ticked on by and who's lost that last stone?? Not me!! Ive lost a few lbs and put them back on and gone on like this for 18 weeks, and its no ones fault but my own. I just love food too much. At the end of a long day of toddler tantrums and teething babies food is something to look forward too!!

So i could right now be crying into my tub of Ben and Jerrys (any flavour i'm not a fussy fat girl in a crisis) but you know what i'm not!

We mummy's with the tummy's can still look super fabulous on holiday without having to don the dreaded 2 piece bikini! Swimsuits are no longer the drab shapeless speedo's i remember there's styles to suit everyone and i promise they will make you feel far more confident if your anxious about your bikini body.

Here's a fabulous holiday look that can not fail to make you feel like a super yummy mummy!

Love

L xx

Follow us on Bloglovin & Twitter

Beach Bag: New look at ASOS £13,

Wide Brim Sun Hat: Whistles £35, 

Snake Print Swimsuit: Ted Baker £79, 

Kaftan: H&M £19.99, 

Sandals: Sam Edelman at ShopBop £44.73

No More Panda Eyes

Product under review: Lancôme Hypnôse Waterproof Mascara £22

If i were only allowed 1 item of makeup for the rest of my life it would most definitely be mascara! As im sure you know all about our holiday by now but when you go on holiday you NEED a good waterproof mascara! There is nothing worse than panda eyes by the pool... well maybe ageing men in speedos but lets not go there!

Me and Jade managed a mad dash around World Duty Free (aka heaven) at the airport and amongst one of our purchases was Lancôme Hypnôse Waterproof Mascara.

So im going to be totally honest here, if you want amazing super full long lashes than this is not the mascara for you! I know Lancôme say to add more coats for fuller lashes but its too clumpy for my liking. But... if you want a decent mascara for everyday use that WILL NOT smudge than this is brilliant!

Ive been in the pool, bath, shower, cried, rubbed my eyes and even ashamedly slept in this mascara and not once have i ever had panda eyes!

I'd highly recommend this mascara for cry babies like me (yes i do cry at anything!!) as a fab every day mascara. At least you know whatever the day throws at you your mascara will not be running down your face!

Love
L xx

Follow us on Bloglovin & Twitter

Best Friends Birthday Goodies

My favourite thing is finding amazing presents for people! I absolutely love it! I take ages to search for the right thing for the exact person, seeing their face open and hopefully loving it is priceless!!!

Two of my best friends have recently turned 30 and its Leeanne's turn next!

I am in love with Estella Bartlett - her jewellery is fantastic -  I love this star bracelet and the prices are super reasonable! £15

www.johngreedjewellery.com

What girl doesn't love a turquoise box wrapped with white ribbon and the little black letters reading Tiffany! This bow necklace is so elegant and something you would wear forever! £160

www.tiffany.co.uk
This birthday my oldest friend and I decided we wouldn't do presents instead we would plan a lovely afternoon tea.  The Sanderson are doing a Mad Hatters Tea - a day together sipping Earl Grey eating cakes child free is my idea of a good afternoon!!!

My last idea is an idea that can work for any birthday any age - a picture book!! Either a printed book (i love bob books) or a lovely photo album from paper chase! Inside you can add all your oldest photos, all your memories, all your laughs and good times! Such a great keepsake!!!

Love
J x

Follow us on Bloglovin

Best Toddler Swimming Aid!!!

For the last 5 months i have been busily researching the best armbands, swim floats etc for my children for holiday!

I bought the speedo roll on armbands but they just seemed to wide and didn't allow Honey (3) to bend her arms very well.  I also bought the BEMA armbands for Rocco (1).  I wasn't happy with the Speedos so i also bought the Delphin Arm Bands, which i had heard great things about and how they are used for swimming tuition etc.

Then the week before we were leaving i heard a few horror stories and just got this pang of doubt so had another internet search!!!!

I finally came across the Sevylor Puddle Jumper and found them on Amazon.co.uk

So we are on holiday and to say they are the best thing ever is a complete understatement!!!! 

Honey is loving jumping in and they keep her on top of the water - Rocco is floating around and kicking his legs and even if he twists onto his back he manages to spin back!!! I have felt so much more relaxed as they can't take them off by themselves so when they are on they are on!!! It has put them both into the natural swimming position too rather than legs down their legs are up and kicking!! 

I LOVE THIS !!!!! 

Happy Swimming 

Love

J x 

Follow us on Bloglovin

Mummy's on stage!

Picture the scene .... we are on holiday, its Wednesday evening, we've had a few glasses of vino with dinner and the Hotel Entertainment ask for Miss Blue Lagoon contestants!

Of course up jumps Leeanne volunteering and so i think surely it won't be that bad so up on stage we get!!! hahaha

The boys running the show are bringing us drinks - and when i say glasses of Vodka with a diet coke twist i'm not exaggerating!! so needless to say (seeing as we are stay at home mums) we got very drunk very quickly!!! Well the tasks were embarrassing - provocative dancing, singing with ice cubes in our mouths, kissing audience members and grabbing clothing from the audience!

After winning our husbands took our children to bed and this is where it all gets a bit hazy ......... we jumped in pools, went down water slides, rolled around the grass, threw up, ran on stage soaking wet etc etc ....

The next morning at breakfast people were staring and pointing and we were like oh no what did we do????

However ..................

We had so much fun!!!! Fun as Jade and Leeanne and not just mums!!! We let our hair down and had such a brilliant night we are still laughing about it now!!

It makes a change to be reckless and crazy!! It really was the best having fun with friends and just being ourselves!!!

Moral of the story - Laughter is the best medicine!!!! We are all entitled to have fun !!!

Love
J & L xxx

p.s Vodka is the enemy
p.p.s we don't even remember taking this photo!!!
p.p.p.s Follow us on Bloglovin

Surprises in the Mail

If your anything like me and Jade, your always split between trying to be the bestest mummy possible and trying to get your sparkle back! You know that little glimmer you used to have before those lovely little people you made entered your life? Before the sleepless nights of babies and the endless days of questions from your relentless threenager? That time when you could spend lazy sundays bathing, preening and all day looking through 'In Style' reading about the latest beauty products?

Yep we love to get lost in that lovely dreamyland too, but how can we bring it into our reality? Grabbing the occassional few hours with a mag and coffee in peace is a huge luxury these days. Who has the time to be reading up whats new and fab in the beauty world? We may make the effort to read up once every few months but then when do we actually get round to purchasing these new products to make us feel fab and somewhat like our old sparkly selves? Theres always something the little ones need and lets face it they always come first (and rightly so)!

So thats why when Jade mentioned to me about 'Glossy Box' a few months ago i thought wow what a fab idea!

www.glossybox.co.uk

The concept is simple! Every month you receive a lovely box (its always all about the packaging) containing 5 luxury beauty samples. Its delivered straight to your door and every month theres something new! How perfect is that for us mummy's? We get to try out fab new products before we part with our pennies on full sized items that we might not love! There's a range of subscription services the most expensive being £10 per month + £2.95 p&p. But lets face it whats £12.95 a month really? A couple of starbucks? Well worth it for the excitement of sending yourself a present in the post every month and being able to try lots of new products without having to spend lots of money!

I signed up for my first month this month and am so excited for it to arrive! I'll be sure to let you know what i think when my first box comes!

Have a lovely Sunday.

Love 

L xx

Follow us on Bloglovin & Twitter

Banana Bread Bonanza !

Happy Saturday!!!!

Last Sunday my husband went to golf early doors and woke the whole house up looking for things (does this sound familiar?) So up we all get pre 7am and i'm thinking right what can we do to make this morning go a bit quicker?
I wonder if there is anything i can make with those 2 brown bananas in fridge that no one will touch?

So i googled and came across a lovely Banana Bread recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery!

We happened to have most of the ingredients except the light brown sugar so i used caster sugar as the point was to have fun and not make a culinary delight!

So Honey (age 3) dons her apron and get busy cracking eggs and mixing ingredients! It was super easy and she really enjoyed doing all of it! I had it warm with butter and Earl Grey and my nieces had it for dessert with Ice Cream - it really was yummy

Enjoy 
J x 

Banana Loaf

Makes 8-10 slices
Ingredients
270g soft light brown sugar
2 eggs
200g peeled bananas, mashed
280g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
140g unsalted butter, melted

A 23 x 13-cm loaf tin, greased and dusted with flour
Preheat the oven to 170oC/325oF/Gas 3.

Put the sugar and eggs in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment and beat until well incorporated. Beat in the mashed bananas.

Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger to the sugar mixture. Mix it thoroughly until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the egg mixture. Pour in the melted butter and beat until all the ingredients are well mixed.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

The fall of the legging's

Soooo picture this - its 6.45am both children are awake demanding full attention and the mammoth tasks of getting dressed x2, breakfast x2, brushing teeth x2 and leaving the house x2 is less than 2 hours away! So realistically this gives me all of 5 mins to get my self ready. Cue quick ponytail, glasses on (as eyes are too dry for my contacts yet), quick bit of tinted moisteriser and then the staple: Leggings Tshirt no fail quick comfy outfit!

I had recently decided that my wardrobe was not my friend, i had fallen out of love with all of my clothes and just wanted to buy new clothes!

My friend has her own Style advice and Life Management company and she was round for a cup of tea whilst our husbands played golf and we were talking about being a mum and not having much time for me and how i have no clothes and she said she would put a date in her diary and come and help me!

The day came and i had 2 full rails of clothes over 40 dresses over 60 pairs of shoes 15 pairs of jeans and my 11 pairs of leggings ready to be judged haha! Well after 3 hours of trying on and saying oooooh yes why haven't i worn that before or car boot and my wardrobe restyle was complete!

It was literally the best 3 hours ive ever spent on my wardrobe or id go as far to say shopping! Its amazing how just having an outsider look in your wardrobe and make you try on clothes you'd never think to put on for the school run completely revamps a once hated wardrobe!

So the golden rules i learnt were:

1. No leggings! (even if they are Jack Wills) yes they are fine for those home days but not to go out!
2. Jeans are my new best friend! I bought these Leigh Jeans from Topshop and they are fab!

www.topshop.com

3. Dont be frightened to wear a dress for the school run
4. It doesnt take anymore time to put a pair of jeans on as it does leggings!
5. You don't have to buy new to make your wardrobe work for you!

I know this sounds such a simple concept but honestly i feel more confident, happier with my size 12 shape, loving my wardrobe and finding it quick in the morning to look and feel great!

Dilly at www.perfectme.co.uk Thank you !!! You have made me feel like me again!

p.s I also made £455 on my old clothes at the car boot sale! Off to Gucci i go

J x

p.s follow us on bloglovin

A Nail Varnish that actually lasts !!

Product Under Review : Maybelline Forever Strong Super Stay 7 days in Nude Rose.

Gone are the days when a manicure isn't a huge treat! Those days when i used to work in London and be able to pop out for a new nail colour in my lunch break just because! Today's manicures are a rush job with a few smudges as your toddler is demanding something or other!

Nail varnish lasts a max of 24 hours on me unless i have Bio Sculpture but at £40 a go i decided i would rather be buying my children clothes haha - so when i saw this Maybelline Gel Nail Color it sounded too good to be true!!!

5 days in and not a chip!!! I repeat NOT A CHIP with all the bottle washing up, the laundry, playing cars, feeding rabbits - not a single chip! Granted they are not super shiny but today i have simply painted another coat on top and the shine is back!!!

It has a thick brush which i liked and was easy to apply! It does take a while to dry but it is so worth the 15 minutes of walking round the house like your in MJ's Thriller video!

Its amazing how one simple (pre baby taken for granted) task can make you feel so much better!!!

All Hail Maybelline

J x

p.s follow us on http://www.bloglovin.com/alittlemummymagic

Perfect Baby Shower Gifts

So your going to a baby shower! The American trend has swept the UK and baby showers are now pretty much standard for anyone expecting a tiny new bundle of joy.

An expectant mothers baby shower is such a lovely time for her, babies, the miracle of life, cute little games and lots of cake (who doesn't love cake?). But what do you buy? Everyones going to see the gift you bring as its unveiled by the blooming expecting mother... no pressure!

Here to ease your stress are some of our fave buys for baby shower gifts that are sure to impress and leave you worry free to enjoy your cake!

Love
L xx

Aden & Anais Serenity Star £65

www.mamasandpapas.com

The Puj Bathing Tub £27.99

www.amazon.co.uk

Baby Hand and Foot Inkless Print Kit £10

www.notonthehighstreet.com

Boo Boo Congratulations Mummy Gift Set £36.95

www.johnlewis.co.uk

Grobag Swaddle Twin Pack (wish upon a star) £19.99

www.gro-store.co.uk

p.s Follow us on Bloglovin' click here

Travelling with Toddlers

Horaay Horaay we're on holiholiday... Me, Jade and our other bestie Lauren are all off on our holidays with our brood and hubbys!

Besides mine and Jades two 3 yr old girls and 1 yr old boys Lauren also has a 3 yr old little boy so in total thats 5 children to keep happy in 3 seats (no seats on the plane for the baby boys boo hoo) on a 4 hour flight! Stressing? who's stressing? Oh yes that would be me!!

Jade had a fab idea to put together a 'plane pack' with lots of activities for the toddlers to do. The key point to this is that they will ALL be the SAME! So no 'but i want that one' or 'they have more then me'  you know how this story goes.

Theres lots of activities in the plane pack. We have the whole alphabet printed for learning, eyespy, colouring games. You can print this yourself free from www.activityvillage.co.uk. We have multicoloured card, plain and lined papers for colouring, writing, drawing, playing games etc. Printed pictures of all the children so they can draw funny faces on them. Dinosaur dot to dot for number and sequence learning as well as colouring free from www.dizmagoc.com. Theres more dot to dots and colouring and writing activities from www.pinkladyapples.co.uk. Colouring pens crayons and highlighters from Rymans and Paperchase (best shop ever). Little knitting dolly's from www.oldfashionedtoyshop.co.uk Usborne Travel Doodles, Usbornw Summer Sticker Book, Giant playing cards and Orchard toys Snap game all from www.amazon.co.uk.

We are also going to sort some snack bags for them for the journey there and back home and everything will be in their own little rucksack bags from the clever baggers. Fingers crossed along with the ipad's (all hail apple) this should keep them plenty occupied! As for what we will do to keep the mischievous monkey's Rocco and Tate in their seats... mmmmm answers on a postcard please??

Wish us luck!

Love

L xx

p.s Follow us on Bloglovin' click here

Happy 1st Blog Day

Happy 1st Blogday to us 

Happy Monday and welcome to our first blog. 

We are Jade and Leeanne, two best friends, two mummy's with two 3 year old girls called Honey and Sienna and two 1 year old boys called Rocco and Tate and two 30 something husbands called Nick and Chris.

We've been reading some blogs for a while with envy but secretly neither of us thought we were interesting enough to start a blog on our own so we decided to join forces.

*cue Xfactor stylee voice over* When the power of two mummy's combine we become... super magical mummy's!! (Sorry we may have watched one to many cartoons!) 

We couldn't find a blog which was really us - there are lots of mummy ones, lots of toddler ones, lots of fashion ones, lots of make up ones, lots of baking ones but not with all of these things in one place! 

We are always finding and sharing ideas about kids, food, shopping, beauty, food, (oops is that food twice) and finding ways to get our sparkle back. We want to be us again not just someones mummy, it is the best job in the whole wide world, but we do actually have real names haha 

Our blog will consist of:

• Mummy Monday's: Which will be products we love, tips to get your sparkle back, mummy time
• Toddler Tuesday's: Fun things to do, fashion, help and tips
• Wish for Wednesday's: Present ideas for everyone 
• Thats Cool Thursday's: A review of our favourite things, inspirations, recommendations
• Fashion Fix Friday's: Mummy fashion - obtainable and school run wearable 
• Scrumptious Saturday's : Baking, favourite recipes, family, diet 
• Surprise Sunday's: The world is our oyster 

We hope you love our blog and thanks for joining us on our blogging adventure

Love

J & L 

xxx 

p.s Follow us on Bloglovin' click here