I have an addiction

So, my name is the Travelling Midwife and I have an addiction. No, it's not touching pregnant women's bellies - well, it is that too, but I'm talking about something much more creepy. The thing is, I like big butts and I cannot lie. At the moment I'm working on trying to get my butt bigger and rounder than it is through many different exercises at the gym and at home. I've gone so far as to even NEARLY ask a personal trainer at the gym what sort of exercises I should be doing. I'm slightly embarassed to ask them though, so the for the moment I've just been googling and looking online at what I should be doing.

When I'm not googling 'how to get a bigger bum' however, I am watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians. I've come to the conclusion that Kim Kardashian is my buttspiration. Say whatever you want about her, but girlfriend rocks a really toned derrière.

Photo lifted from http://blog.jokeroo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kim-kardashian-butt-red-dress11.jpg

Please, leave some comments confirming to me that I am not a complete freak and it is 100% normal to want this behind! Alternatively, let me know if its weird too. Better still, who is your buttspiration? Or boobspiration? Or legspiration? (I think you the get the message)

 

Shopping bargains this week!

So because its my birthday soon, I really shouldn't be buying anything for myself. But sometimes you see things for such a bargain price that you really won't can't resist getting it yourself. I've done so well this week that I'm 97.3% sure I actually made money because I saved so much in the sales. Don't check the math on that one, just go with it.

I bought a new nail polish (even though I already have about 25 mostly full bottles - side note: has anyone actually finished a nail polish bottle? Does it breed overnight and continually refill itself?!) for the bargain price of 92 pence. Yes, that is right, not even £1. The colour is a goldy coppery, very sparkly and comes out very thick. Impressive for the price.

Please excuse my chipped nails, I know this is a cardinal sin but I just had come back from work!


I also bought some lovely new jeans in celebration of my new, more tonned figure. I figured I would splurge a little (in come the justifications: jeans last forever, they are really good quality, etc.) I ended up getting a beautiful Armani pair, reduced from £155 to only £45!!! They would look especially amazing with some gorgeous heels, although they look pretty cute with ballet flats too.

Does my butt look big in this? Just kidding, these jeans make your lady lumps look fantastic.

Warning: gratuitous booty photo ahead!

Finally, I bought a new hair dryer as up until this week I was still using the one I brought over from Australia. I had gotten into the habit of plugging in the travel adapter to dry my hair each day, but I've got to say, I'm loving the fact that this one actually has the right pins to fit in the socket (it's the little things, isn't it?!). It's a Tresemme one, and does such a great job. My hair is dried within 5 minutes and looks shiny too. Very, very pleased with this purhase. It was £19.98, but was reduced 75% so it was 4 something I believe. You do the math (as I've already demonstrated, it's nice my strong point!)



All in all, a good haul if I do say so myself. Hopefully nothing else tempts me during the week otherwise I may have to start doing some extra hours at work. Have you bought anything recently in any sales? I've love to see some pics so I can not feel so bad about splurging a little this week.

Weight Loss

For the past 8 weeks I have been on the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation. I didn't have a lot of weight to lose really, but since moving to the UK I have put on a little weight each month and have gone up a size or so - therefore I wanted to nip it in the bud before it became an issue. My theory was that it would be easier to get rid of my muffin tops now, before they turned into a whole cake.

The program lasts for 12 weeks (obviously, you don't need to be a detective to work that out!) and is formulated to really change your whole way of thinking about food and exercise, hopefully setting good habits that will last beyond the 12 weeks. Michelle Bridges from the The Biggest Loser created the program, based on her years of being a personal trainer and seeing areas that people need help with. Each week you are given a meal plan which outlines EVERY meal. Snacks are your own choice, as long as they stay within the calorie guidelines. There is also a comprehensive training plan to help you get the results you want. Finally, Michelle posts a video message covering a specific topic twice a week, and there is also a forum to help support you on your journey.

The thing I love most is the fact that I just have to be a robot and follow a plan. The bane of my existance is figuring out what to cook each night, so this program really helps in that way. If there is a meal I don't like, I switch it with another night or week.

Consistancy is the key to success in this program - you really have to be dedicated and stay focused, and stretch your 'willpower muscle.' So far I've lost 5kg, but I'm also a lot fitter and happier with how my body looks. I'm not exactly Giselle Bundchen yet, but maybe she should watch her back in 2012!

You can get more information about the program at http://www.12wbt.com/

Are you on a diet and exercise plan? What has worked and not work for you?

Marrakech

Earlier in the year, B and I went for a short break to Marrakech. We got the flights for a bargain price which pushed us to go, although it was on our list of places to visit. As we had been to Egypt together and loved it, we thought that Morocco might be similar in a lot of ways and equally as interesting.

We flew EasyJet which was hassle free and as I mentioned, a real bargain! For anyone who is interested, we stayed in a Riad, which is a traditional Moroccan house with a courtyard typically in the middle. The name of our accommodation was Riad Sidi Ayoub, and I would recommend it to anyone who was going to Marrakech. It only has 7 rooms so is really personal, and has a rooftop overlooking the city where you can eat or have a drink. The price was also very reasonable for somewhere with such a good location to the centre of the city, and although it was within walking distance of the main attractions, it was so peaceful and tranquil inside the riad you felt a million miles away.

The beautiful courtyard of our riad

It was only 5 minutes away from Marrakech's most famous attraction, the Jemaa el Fna, a huge marketplace.

Jemaa el Fnaa

I was hoping we would pick up some bargains at the markets, but things were actually really expensive and I only bought a few scarfs, a traditional Moroccan teapot and a tagine. Was a bit of a letdown though, as I was super excited about buying some sandals, bags and other fun things!

During our stay we also visited the Atlas mountains on a day trip arranged by the Riad staff. The climb was quite difficult and tiring but probably my favourite part of the trip. The views were really beautiful and it was so different from what you would expect to see in Marrakech, with streams everywhere framing the snow capped mountains.

Overall, I was happy we did go to Marrakech as I had really wanted to go. Although, I have to say that I didn't overly enjoy myself. I found most of the people not very nice (and I have been to middle eastern countries before so this wasn't just a cultural thing), the country expensive and not really too much to do. I also had really wanted to eat some delicious tagines and cous cous while I was there, and found the food to be really ordinary and bland. It was one of those places that I wanted to love, but just didn't. Am I glad I went? 100%, it was worth the experience. Would I go again? Unfortunately, unlikely I would return.

Where have you been that you have loved or really disliked? Share your holiday must-go-tos!

'A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step' - Lao Tzu

So after considering, contemplating, chickening out and then committing, I've decided to start my own blog. I follow a few (I think blogs appeal to my nosy nature!) and enjoy reading them, so hopefully mine will prove to be enjoyable too.

I think the blog might be a mixture of travel, reviews, shopping and of course my (not so secret) obsession passion, midwifery. So we'll see how it goes. Stay tuned for more updates over the next few days.

To give you all a bit of background, I'm an Australian midwife living in the UK. A few years ago I met the man of my dreams, B, while I was travelling, who happens to live in England. Sounds romantic, but logistically, it is a really difficult situation. After visiting each other a few times we decided I would make the move over to the UK so we could really make a go of the relationship. So here I am!