Birthday presents continued....

Hello my lovelies!  I still really want to show you all my gifts that I received from family and friends for my birthday.  I know I keep banging on about it but, it is a whole year until my next one.  I think it is a really long time to go between celebrations.  A time to feel loved and appreciated by your family and friends.  I am lucky though because everybody I know spreads the love on a daily basis.  I don't need to imagine how hard it is not to hear and feel it regularly. There was the dark days, which when I had my first child and I didn't know anybody that had a baby or was pregnant.  All of my social friends that I had before I got pregnant just melted away into the aether never to be heard from again by the time the baby arrived.

I joined the NCT (National Childbirth Trust) antenatal group local to me and a NCT tea group (ladies brought together by proximity of location and their babies birth date).  At both I met some lovely people whom I became good friends with.  In the first few months of my daughters birth I was fine, but what happened after that I was not prepared for.  After a very "generous" 6 months paid maternity leave (1 year now), the friends that I had built a support network with went back to work.  The depression started to set in and I was so lonely. My lowest point was when the baby was about 9 months old.  I was eating my way through my loneliness, and crept up from a size 10 to a 14/16.  I didn't even realise.  It wasn't until my best friend asked me to be a brides-made when the baby was 16 months old that I woke from the food loving I'd been giving myself.  It was a hard slog but I shed the weight in time.

Over the years, as it has been that now, my new friends slowly moved further out of London, or left completely.  I have learnt to not take it so personally now when friends move away and I never take friendships for granted.  But I have also learnt to push past the fronts that Mum's put up because they think that being perceived as a parent that is coping is better than not. Rather than actually talking about parenthood and getting help and support which could be seen as a sign of failure.  It is not. Anyway, seven years later I have learnt a lot and take support and advice wherever I can get it.

Sorry, I digressed monumentally then from the topic of conversation which was, my presents!

The red bracelet is from the V&A.  The flower bracelet I got with a dress from H&M (below) and the green bracelet was from my children!  I nearly fell off my chair when they gave it me (as it means the kids DAD bought it for me!)

(Big hair day!) Dress from H&M. Come on sunshine.

I got 5 pairs of earrings, three from my sister, one from my Mum and one pair that I bought with my vouchers from Joy.

Bananas! River Island.

These two are super long and the second one is like a pair I've seen Kelis wearing!  Not for everyone, but definitely for me!

Bees earrings from Joy.  I do love insect jewellery.

I also got the dress below from Joy with my vouchers, plus after a year of having a Ritzy cinema membership, I just discovered that it entitles you to 10% off so I didn't have to pay any extra. Love the colour, the fabric and the pockets of the dress.  I like the structure, and the tie at the back gives you the illusion of a smaller waist.

I also got a voucher for H&M, so I bought these items!

Go bananas!

This necklace is made by a company called www.discobeads.com, and was a gift from my very dear and sweet friend.

 

The beads are like cats eye and reflect the light. I love them!  Disco Beads have a whole range of jewellery in different styles and colours, check them out.  These super cool sunglasses are great, I can never have too many pairs (especially now since got contact lenses).

And finally the new Nike iD's!!!!!  My new Nike Blazer High iD's, put together by myself, as a gift from my Mum.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Many thanks to all that sponsored this latest blog!  See what I mean, my friends spread the love.  So see you soon. Got lots more to tell, as always.

Happy Shopping!

Samara