The Best Iced Coffee Ever.

After desperetely raiding a shopping centre for a handheld fan yesterday, I realised that it was summer. Yes, the sun is out, and the wind has finally resigned, which in theory is a positive thing, but after making the regrettable decision to go to a shopping centre yesterday, I am beginning to wonder.
So anyway, I decided to share my method of making the perfect iced coffee, as I believe it is the best (non alcoholic) way to cool down, and relax in this satanic heat.

It is very quick and easy to make, and you won't believe how delicious it is.

All you need is;
A nice glass (this makes the drinking experience better obviously, mines from tk maxx)
Iced cream (cheap ice cream is just as good, also the more iced cream you use, the bigger the head)
Coffee of your choice
Milk
Sugar

First off, start with as much coffee in the cup as you would normally have, add an inch or so of boiling water, and the amount of sugar you would like.
Then stir very well until coffee is dissolved.

Then add as much ice cream as you like, (I tend to add about four large scoops) then stir into the cup until the ice cream is completely melted into the coffee.
If your making this for more than one person, I would advise making a jug instead, as this is quicker and easier.

Then the final step, is to top up to the brim of the glass with milk.
You can also add ice, or a syrup.

And enjoy!

Anxiety in pregnancy, your not alone!

I'm currently thirty-three weeks pregnant, and so far I have absolutely loved being pregnant. The first trimester for me was a little difficult with the usual gems like morning sickness, heightened sense of smell (which is hell on earth when accompanied by morning sickness) and constantly feeling like I had just woken up from a coma. But I got through all that because I was too busy feeling in shock from the two little pink lines I had seen on that pee stick.

From the moment I discovered I was pregnant, I was convinced it wasn't going to last. I thought I couldn't possibly be a normal person capable of creating something so amazing, I was absolutely convinced it wasn't happening and that something bad was going to happen.
So following this paranoia, I became obsessed with googling my every symptom to see if it was 'normal'. I quickly learnt that forums where the devil and to be avoided at all costs, but my paranoia won the battle and I found myself reading them for hours.
Tip number 1; DON'T LOOK AT FORUMS.

I took this before leaving the house for my first doctors appointment, the day after I found out. I can't explain how far I have come since this photograph.

I bought a pregnancy book after my long awaited twelve week scan, this was a very wise decision and helped me a lot, I found it made much more sense to read something written by a someone who had experience working with mothers, rather subjecting myself to individual tragic horror stories.
I took it one step at a time with the book, only reading the parts which I felt were relevant to me in that particular time in my pregnancy, I focused on learning about how the baby had developed that week, and loved reading about the progression of this little person I would meet one day.
Only now that I am ready have I ventured to the final pages of the book, (which i'm sure I don't need to go into with detail) but I knew it was best that I waited until I was truly ready for that.
Tip number 2; Buy a pregnancy book, it will help with tip number one.

This is the book which gave me a lot of useful and comforting information. The author is Lesley Regan.

My next desperate step towards combatting this hellish paranoia, was befriending other new mums. What can better put you at ease than confiding your worries with someone who knows? I admit, I could have tried a little harder with finding people to talk to, but the support I did get helped me a lot.
I don't know many people who have given birth in the last five years, so I struggled to find that network, but if you do know a few new mums, arrange to meet them for a coffee, you'd be surprised at how willing people are to help when they have been there.
Tip number 3; Speak to real women, we're all in this together!

Speak to your partner. Now this is a big one. If you don't have a partner, you need to have someone close to confide in. In the early days, I was terrible at telling my partner how scared I was, and it left me feeling quite isolated. I worried that I would sound crazy if I told him about all of the fears spinning around my head, but looking back now, I know that it would have benefited both of us, if we'd both been a little more upfront about our fears. Pregnancy is one the most over-whelming and thought consuming life events you will ever experience, seek all the help you can and help yourself, your not alone in whatever your feeling.
Tip number 4; Communicate with your partner.

Sanctuary Spa Saviours!

Here on my blog you will quickly come to find that beauty product reviews will be few and far between, this is simply because it's quite rare that I think a product is worth talking about. 

However, since discovering Sanctuary Spa I admit I feel quite differently. 

Desperate to become a bath person now that I'm pregnant, I have been looking for some products which will make climbing into the tub a worthwhile experience.

 This first product (which is my favourite) is the 'ultimate salt scrub', is definitely the most luxurious product I have ever used. I purchased mine from Boots and paid £11.50 for it, I was slightly dubious about buying it due to the price, but in my desperation for the perfect bath, I bit the bullet.
I love body exfoliating products, but this by far has exceeded all the others I have tried. The scrub is oil based, which isn't really noticeable until you apply it. After massaging into skin, the product leaves an oily residue and the most relaxing, clean scent, I like to leave the oil to soak into my skin for as long as possible, to moisturise after the exfoliation. After I have revelled in its oily glory, I rinse my skin quickly and carefully pat my skin dry, just to let the oil soak in as much as possible. 

Afterwards I use the other product pictured which is the 'sensuous body souffle' this has the same scent. I also purchased this from my local Boots store, this very large (475ml) tub cost £11, which surprised me as it contains so much product. I think body lotion is pretty self explanatory, but I will say that after coming straight out of the bath, and applying this, my skin feels and smells amazing, and I feel like I have used some really high end products.
I now have to restrain myself from having too many baths, I'm obsessed with these two!

Since my discovery of these two products, I decided to continue down the Sanctuary Spa path and purchase some of their skin care.

The 'fresh faced purifying wash' has a fairly neutral and clean smell, and has the consistency you would expect from a face wash, it feels very smooth whilst applying and builds up a tolerable lather. I use this to wash off my makeup at the end of the day, and it leaves my skin feeling soft and cleansed, it doesn't leave my skin feeling tight and shiny which other face washes tend to do. 
Also Boots, the price tag for this was £9.

Lastly my second favourite Sanctuary Spa product so far is the 'illuminating moisture lotion'. The main reason this got my attention was because of the word 'illuminating', I figured, what more am I going to need in the upcoming weeks than to look and feel illuminated? I promise i'm not usually so easily seduced by what products claim to do, but I felt like I was in no position to be cynical, so I bought it, and i'm impressed! 
I use this during the day and apply it before make up (of course) it soaks in within a couple of minutes and leaves my face feeling very soft and gives it a dewy glow, which I prefer in the summer. It completely soaks in without leaving a residue and feels as though it benefits my skin. Its a lovely base for makeup, and I feel like my face is completely clean after applying. Obviously its from Boots (how did you guess?) and this cost £13.50.

Welcome to my erm.. blog

Well, here you are.
Whoever you are, thanks for finding me.
So basically, my name is Jade, and I would like to tell you all about the pretty drastic change which has recently come about in my life.

I met a man, I liked him.
His name was Andrew and he was bloody lovely.
We spent a lot of time together and when we weren't at each others side, we were texting, constantly.
Things felt to be moving very quickly between us, we talked about marriage, children, travelling etc.
Things were going really well and I never wanted to be away from him, and he felt the same.

One morning around 4AM I woke up feeling incredibly ill, I ran down stairs to the toilet and was violently sick, I felt terrible. I couldn't work out what had made me sick, but then started to question why my period was late. My period was ALWAYS late, I didn't really take much notice of them in the past, because they're as tempremental as my finances.
I decided to take a pregnancy test. I just had a feeling.

Yep, I was pregnant. I had known Andrew one month.

I wasn't going to be seeing Andrew that evening, so as usual we skyped, and I told him the news.
He looked like he was going to be sick and began stroking his beard.
We decided it best for me to jump on the train so we could spend the evening together.
So many thoughts going through my head on the train, but despite all my fears, I was ecstatic about the tiny life I was protecting in my tummy, it felt nice.
We spent the evening together, and I remember it being pretty surreal, but to be honest thats all I do remember. Now its a blur.

Seven months has passed and I'm now nearly thirty-three weeks pregnant, we have found out we are having a boy, and we are pretty much prepared for his arrival!
After a few difficult times, we are feeling truly blessed to be able to experience this beautiful chapter in our lives, and call ourselves 'parents'.

I have started this blog to document our new family life, what we do, the problems we come face to face with and just an honest look into being a new parent.

I also want to share other parts of my life on here too, and I just want somewhere to write things down, and I thought, why not write them down for others to see?