What's in your fridge?

I know this meme has been going around for a while now but I always love a good nosey in other peoples' homes so I thought I would join in and show you mine. I am also interested in how much people spend on their weekly food shop. Living on the Isle of Man, we have a limited choice in terms of supermarkets, so unfortunately we are stuck with Tesco Towers or a Manx branded shop called 'Shoprite' (lovingly known as Shopshite by Islanders). We do have the odd Cooperative lying around (which I am starting to prefer for some grocery items) and we have an Iceland, but, call me a snob if you like, I am yet to start doing my weekly shopping there, in this house, Mum's do definitely not shop at Iceland! (Although they do do a really good Chinese curry sauce that I occasionally buy to go with chicken fried rice)

So, I am stuck with Tesco for our weekly shopping trip. It's not all that bad, they do have some good offers. I think I am right in saying they were one of the original 3 for £10 on fresh meat. I often buy these as they work out at really good value. We eat a lot of mince and chicken and these are always included in the offer. We tend to spend around £60-90 on our weekly shop, depending what I throw in. This time last year until about February/March time this year, our shopping bill was creeping up and up. I think after Christmas we just carried on drinking as though it was the holidays and a massive part of our weekly shopping bill was on alcohol! We cut that back though (and then I got pregnant and stopped drinking wine anyway!) and now we tend to spend around £10 on alcohol for the weekend only, or the hubby does anyway. I was a big wine drinker. I'm a teacher and perhaps I use that as an excuse too much, but I loved coming home and opening a bottle of wine, particularly after a rubbish day. That part of pregnancy (i.e. cutting out booze) has been a little tricky! I have the occasional glass of red with dinner but I have been trying out lots of soft drink alternatives (that's a whole other post I think).

Anyway, £60-£90 for the three of us I don't think is too bad. Granted we only have the step-daughter three times a week, but that's nearly half the week anyway. I always look for offers as well and try and buy cheaper alternatives where I can. However, a while back I was buying Tesco Value (or Market Value as they've rebranded it) for a lot of items. Some of it is really good and you wouldn't notice the difference if you hadn't seen the packaging. But other stuff is just pretty rubbish. I started wondering why I was doing this. We can afford our weekly shopping and I always budget for it. So why was I doing this? So I stopped buying value stuff - cheddar cheese (!), sausages (what was I thinking! but hubby insisted on these), rice, beans, cordial and occasionally chicken breast. I do not do this anymore. But I have noticed on certain value items that they are nearly identical - tinned tomatoes, just as good! Value crumpets - I actually prefer these to Warburtons. Value peppers and onions - how on earth these are value I have no idea, but they are just as good and last just as long.
What really confuses me is the price of milk. Why is Tesco milk and Isle of Man milk dearer than organic milk? I just don't get. With that in mind, I always buy organic milk.

So anyway, what do you spend on your weekly shop? And to the point of this post, below is the inside of my fridge. We have a much too small fridge for my liking. I want an American style one with an ice dispenser etc, but for now we are stuck with this little one. Contents list underneath and please do share the link to your 'What's in your fridge' if you have done it!

Top shelf -
Fresh orange juice
Bottle of lemonade
Hubby's insulin
Half a pot of greek yogurt (admittedly, Value!!)
Brown Sauce
A chocolate snowman wrapped in tin foil (this was supposed to be put away with the Christmas stuff, but it got left in the sun and melted!)
2 cans of non-alcoholic Bavaria beer!
2 cans of non-alcoholic mojito cocktails
1 can of non-alcoholic cosmopolitan cocktail
Double cream (actually think this is past the use by date!)

Middle shelf -
Three pizzas (3 for £5 today!)
Another can of mojito
Isle of Man mild cheddar cheese
Red Sauce (Value, no less)
More fresh orange juice

Bottom shelf -
Exotic fruit juice
Semi-skimmed milk
Butter
Chorizo ring
Pack of ham
A couple of rashers of bacon
Two packs of chicken breast
Pack of sausages

Door -
4 eggs
Green Thai curry paste
Lazy Ginger
Mustard
Korma paste
Oyster sauce
Chili and garlic sauce
Strawberry Jam
Wholegrain mustard
Harissa
Lemongrass
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Piri Piri sauce
Chili and Citrus salad dressing (bought in Summer, so just thought it may be also past its use by date!)
Cough medicine
Salad cream
Skimmed milk
Semi-skimmed milk

Salad tray - (very weary looking contents actually)
Button mushrooms
Reduced tomatoes that I actually bought 3 weeks ago. They are looking remarkably good for their age.
2 jacket potatoes
Rainbow peppers
Spring onions

Bump Update - 21 Weeks

I am now really into the swing of things with this pregnancy and think I am starting to feel it!

This past few weeks has seen lots of little pregnancy niggles, such a a headache that I get every single day around lunch time. Speaking of lunch time, ugh the afternoon slump has really hit me this week! All I want to do from about 12.30pm onwards is lay my head on my desk and have a nap. Obviously being a teacher, this is not possible! So any tips for getting through this will be greatly received and appreciated.

I am also suffering from extreme tiredness and even if I go to bed early I do not feel any better for it! By about 8pm I just want to crawl into bed, but I am trying to avoid it as I know too much sleep can also have the same affect. Someone recommended Spatone to me, which is a iron rich water, that you are supposed to dilute in juice, so I have been taking that, but I am yet to reap any benefit. I'm also concerned that iron can bung you up a bit! So I am only taking it every other day.

I've also had a lot of little niggly pain in my belly. I think it's just growing or stretching pain (round ligament pain) but it's actually more uncomfortable than I thought it would be. My belly even hurts when I go for a wee!

Another little niggle, is that I cannot stand anything around my belly. Jeans are a no no, as are tights or anything with a tight waistband. Even some of my pyjamas are proving a little tricky. It's really annoying as I feel like I am living in dresses and leggings, but it's the only thing I can wear without feeling bloated and uncomfortable.

However, on the positive side, we had our 20 week anomaly scan last week. Unfortunately, baby (again) wasn't led right and the sonographer couldn't get a picture of it's heart (although could see it beating, phew!) and she couldn't get a good measurement of its head. So we have to go back this week to have these measurements done. However, legs, arms, stomach, spine, face and kidneys are all present, perfect and working! We also tentatively found out the sex.....

It's a boy! Or so she 'thinks'. She will confirm this week, but she was pretty sure. It does all start to feel a lot more real now. The last time I saw baby was at 12 weeks, which seems a really, really long time ago so it was nice to see it again and extra good that we get to see it again this week! I just hope its head is normal. Apparently the size is about one week behind everything else. I had started to feel a bit out of the loop really with not seeing anyone since 12 weeks, but I had the consultant (because of high bp) and the midwife this week so I feel a bit better. Everyone says baby has a very strong healthy and happy heartbeat and is always very active when they try to listen in.  I was starting to worry as everyone keeps saying haven't I got a small bump, but a friend who is 25 weeks and also on her first baby, has only just started to show, so that made me feel a bit better.

To celebrate finding out, I went shopping and bought a few blue bits, so it had better be a boy! A very kind woman at work brought a huge bag of boys clothes in too today, so I am looking forward to getting home and having a look at them all!

One highlight of the week is our new bed! It is amazing! I have wanted a memory foam mattress for absolutely ages. The one we had I could feel the springs through and was making me ache. The hubby had an accident earlier in the year and has struggled with pain ever since. It's particularly bad at night. So, we took the plunge and bought one and so far, it is fabulous! I am so much more comfortable and the hubby is sleeping better than he has for months. We also bought a fabulous iron bed frame and it really finishes the room off now. I am really enjoying going to bed!

I have to admit, I had a bit of a melt down over the weekend and ended up in tears in bed! I am really really struggling with tiredness and this headache and I even took a few days off work this week, but it didn't help. I just had enough over the weekend, I felt like crap and I had a roast to make, ironing to do and the kitchen to tidy up. Hubby made some stupid remark along the lines that I wanted to be pregnant so I should just put up with it and I just snapped. I stormed off with my phone to bed and stayed there for about an hour (crying) until he took pity and came and got me. He ran me a bath and brought me a (non-alcoholic) cocktail. He then went downstairs and peeled the spuds and got the roast ready for me to just put in the oven. He then sat and watched Dumbo with me and he even washed up and dried the dishes (he did leave the ironing to me though). So all was forgiven. I feel better today now I've got that out of my system; I think I just needed him to sit up and take notice of how I was feeling and help a bit more. Or at least be a bit sympathetic.

I've also made it official at work! I have decided that my leaving date will be 1st February, which is exactly 4 weeks before my due date. I am hoping I can last until then, although I will have to see how it goes.

So I have now reached and passed the half way mark. I am now on countdown to 24 weeks when baby is actually officially viable!

mummystartingout x

Fat Face Autumnal Love

I said earlier in the week I would show you my Fat Face items. So here I am! 

As you might know, I am pregnant and up until the last couple of weeks or so, I wasn't really showing and could still get away with wearing my pre-maternity clothes. The belly has suddenly started to pop out a bit and I really don't want to spend money on actual maternity clothing as I think it's a bit of a waste; I'd rather spend the money on clothes I can wear all the time. 

Anyway, Fat Face emails kept popping up in my inbox, detailing the new 'must have' item. And in the end I just couldn't resist! I LOVE Fat Face. My Mum actually introduced me to the store when I went camping with them about seven years ago. At the time it was Summer and their clothing was very 'surfer' style. I liked them, but it wasn't really me at the time. 

Fat Face has certainly evolved since I first discovered them and I am not a Fat Face-aholic! (Don't tell the hubby) Their Autumn/Winter range is slowly coming on-line and there are some gorgeous items; tunics, knits and even tees. The colours are just me: pinks, navy and some lovely wine colours. Just right for the new season. 

So as we are approaching a new season and I needed a few key items to last throughout pregnancy and beyond, I popped a few 'key' items into my basket:

First up was the lovely 'Tania Full Bloom' tunic. I thought the name of the tunic was very fitting! And so I had to have it.

I also needed a couple of long sleeve tops that I could mix and match with things. Luckily they have an offer on their long sleeve tees at the minute, two for £36 so I managed to get two! 

The fabric of these tees is lovely; so so soft and snuggly. Perfect for with jeans and boots.

And then the pattern of this tunic caught my eye in an email they sent me. Sorry it looks a bit creased, I pulled it out of the ironing basket for the photo!

Unfortunately, I have now found a knitted tunic that I also want! But I think I've spent enough there for a few weeks, so I'll get the knitted one when the weather turns a bit cooler. 

I love Autumn and Winter, I actually prefer it to Summer! (sorry!), but I think that's because I prefer the clothes. I don't really like getting my skin out so I much prefer covering up in chunky tights or leggings with boots and knitwear. 

mummystartingout 

Bump Update - 18 weeks

So bump and I have made it to week 18. Apparently, baby is now the size of a pepper and weighs in at around 190g! It is also around 14cm long. Our baby's ears are also now in their final position and she (or he!) has a protective covering of myelin around her nerves. Gender should be able to be determined from now on a scan (which we have in two weeks!).

So another week has passed and I think, this week, marks the beginnings of some movements I have been feeling; more like flutters really, nothing major, just things like feeling as though my stomach is turning upside down or little bubbles popping. I've read that that could be the baby moving.

My belly also seems to have popped out the last few days, which is nice, at last, as it's making the whole thing start to feel a bit more real now. Obviously I have had scans and seen our baby, but I haven't really 'felt' pregnant since all the first trimester symptoms started to disappear. But the arrival of a (albeit small) bump is starting to make it more real. People have also started to notice now as I can't get away with wearing jeans and hiding it any longer.

So it's been a week of positive developments really. My first pregnancy book, What to Expect When You're Expecting, also arrived this week. I scared myself silly by skipping ahead and reading the labour sections - I was definitely NOT ready to read that yet! I actually felt a bit sick. So I put it away and concentrated on the healthy eating sections.  I've been getting away with not really thinking about labour yet as it seems so far away. Especially as I haven't even been looking pregnant. I convinced myself it was a long time in the future and something I could think about later on. However, I suppose I do need to start thinking about it and also starting to prepare for it - mentally and physically! As you might know, I joined a facebook group of pregnant ladies and a lot of them have shared birth stories. Everyone seems to say, yes, it is painful, but as soon as it's all over you forget about the pain as you have something so wonderful. This kind of honesty scares me also! Although I guess I would rather go into this with all the facts, rather than a sugar coated, false version and find the whole thing a terrible shock.

I have also had to start thinking about clothing. I searched everywhere for a winter coat that would fit me once the bump arrived but also fit me afterwards as I didn't want to buy a maternity coat, especially as coats are so expensive. I finally found one, from Tesco of all places and plan to do a post about the coat later in the week.
I also need some maternity jeans and a pair of black trousers. Which, again, seem to be elusive. Or maybe I am just too fussy. I can find jeans and trousers, but they seem frumpy and old fashioned. I don't want to give up 'me' just because I am pregnant.
For the time being, whilst I am sort of still in between normal clothes and maternity clothes I have gone for some tunic dresses which I can wear for most of the pregnancy and then definitely be able to wear after. They cost a small fortune as they were from Fat Face but I love them and they are just right for autumn/winter. Again, I plan a little post about these later in the week.

This week also saw me catch 'proper' flu! It started last Thursday and I have actually had the week off work as I felt so so dreadful. I have never had flu before and I certainly wouldn't want it again! I couldn't even get out of bed for 4 whole days. I finally went to the doctors who gave me penicillin for a secondary chest infection and I now feel so much better. Pregnancy and illness do not mix; I was thoroughly fed up by Friday (hence all the Internet clothes shopping!). Not only that, but being pregnant you obviously can't take the same sort of medication for flu as you would if you weren't pregnant. My trusty otrivine for blocked sinuses was banished back to the medical drawer as was cold and flue relief capsules. Anyway I survived and now I am going to book the flu jab as soon as I can to ensure I don't get it again!

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks; What to Expect says to start feeling more movements by the end of this fifth month and I am looking forward to seeing a much more noticeable bump very soon!

mummystartingout