The perfect night out at in Layla Esher - Cocktails and laughter

One of my dearest friends is about to have second baby imminently, so we are all trying to go out and make the most of it before her sleepness nights arrive in full force, and she can barely be bothered to leave the house .
We decided to stay local just incase anything happens!

We have visited Layla quite a few times over the years, and what we love about it, is that its a good local night out, cocktails, music and food, and we can people watch so its bit like living in London again to a degree.

Layla in the sunshine

On this particular occasion we took our partners (we usually organise girls nights here), we opted for cabs, and this followed by cocktails as an entree, we were greeted very well on arrival, and given that it was a Friday night we were seated together in the bar beforehand without hassle. It started the night really well,  as we all relaxed into a couple of drinks (except my pregnant friend who opted for water) while waiting  for another friend and then after sometime we decided to eat, the table was kept open and so we didn't feel like we had to rush.

Lychee martini to start the evening at Layla

I am a huge fan of Lebanese food (love Maroush in London), and I love sharing food, I think its an 'awesome' sharing experience when you are socialising with more than a few friends, you can literally try the food of the person next to you.
We started with Cold Mezze, a selection which we put together ourselves, this meant that everyone had something they enjoyed in front of them, my particular favourite is the Hommus Awarma which is lamb  cooked in spices served on top of delicious houmous. I also love Fatoush salad and they make it very well at Layla. We did try alot of dishes because we ate a bit later (we all love food), we probably left ourselves a bit hungry and then went mad, but we ate it all and we seemed to love everything because it was gone! We ordered less main dishes on purpose, because the mezze is something we favour. The mains were lovely and we all shared them were  Shawarma lamb specifically because we love the way they cook lamb here, followed by the Mixed grill (something for the boys) and finally Chicken Shawarma.

Hommus Awarma - my favourite dish

By the end of the meal we were pretty full, we had enjoyed some beautiful Sancerre Rose with our meal which on such a warm evening was a perfect accompaniment to the dinner.
We finished the night with Apple Martinis which were delicious (to full for a real pudding) we opted for the liquid kind!

Apple Martini for dessert 

All in all the night was fantastic, and the place was buzzing, we were seated in an alcove, so we felt we could relax and really enjoy the night with lots of laughter. The service was great, and attentive, we weren't left with dry glasses, and they actively checked on us.

The alcove we dined in 

With an array of cocktails, a good amount of food and wine, a few beers thrown in for good measure, the bill was reasonal between 6 of us.
Overall a fantastic night had by all and we will definitely be coming back for more..

The bar at Layla

Book Layla here:
http://www.laylarestaurant.co.uk/index.php/example-pages/main-menu/mail-meal

Shoes that fit and are fun for KIDS - Skribbies!!!

My son's feet are growing every single day, now that he is at school he only gets to wear one pair of black school shoes, compulsory but a little dull.

Skribbies arrive with all of the above

The perfect weekend shoes came along the Skribbies high tops and we both love them! 
I love them because they are a great shape, and made well, and they look nice. 
My son loves them because he can draw on them, they are trainers, and you can put stickers on them. He can make them his own, and its then really unique to him.

These cool high tops are also really comfy which means we have a really happy boy.
Sound weird? well not really, at the last world book day, he dressed as the book the 'highway rat' we got the pens and he drew lots of characters on them, lots of rat faces and it was fun. He came home we rubbed them off, at Easter he drew lots of eggs on them, which went very well with our egg hunt.

On weekends when he goes to visit friends and family, and very quickly becomes a talking point. My son who is usually a little shy, he becomes less shy when he has them on, because he feels confident. I can see that he slowly starts to tell people about his shoes and then they all want a turn. This instantly give he a chance to show off, bringing him out of his shell. 

Its all in the name of fun and self expression, he gets to show off his creativeness and use imagination! He loves adding characters, and just playing in them.
Am I worried he is going to write all over everything - NO - we have had that chat and he knows he has these shoes so he can write on them, he is also 5 and I have to give the kid some credit he has some brain forming!

Click to buy here Skribbies is a UK based company founded by young entrepreneur Jennifer Duthie.

Seven Beauty - Pampering - with all this exercise yes please!

First thing I am going to say is, I didn't want to share this little gem of a place, because it’s so lovely I felt like I had found my own little private retreat of tranquil beauty close to home! However because I feel so relaxed and my skin looks radiant (if I say so myself!) I feel I have to share (damn it) it.

So I travelled to Ripley (very close to Cobham) and found myself in a quaint little place. Seven Beauty is tucked away just off the High Street. I asked a woman for directions and she also happened to be going - I think she was disappointed someone had found her secret pampering spot!

I arrived to a beautifully smelling place with super-friendly staff. Katie the manager greets me, takes my details, and away we go. The treatment rooms are lovely, the decor has a modern but girly feel to it. The background music makes you feel like you are in a faraway place. When I have massages at home it’s convenient and to be honest I’d forgotten what it is like to go somewhere out and have one. You just know no one is going to disturb you, it’s proper ‘me time!’

I had an amazing back massage which you can have really firm if you want it, but I chose to have medium. It was so good, I had to wake myself up at the end of it. My back felt amazing, my sore spots taken care of.

Moving on, I had a facial. What I loved most about this, Katie knows everything about skincare, she has worked in cosmetics/facial aesthetics but she believes in trying non-evasive, natural ways to keep the skin looking young. My facial was something I really needed (I don't think I had had one for about 2 years)  My skin was scrubbed with gorgeous natural ingredients which included apple stem, apparently this gets deep inside and works at getting rid of everything. This was followed by a cleanse which felt like it was getting rid of some serious toxins (left over from Dec) - all massaged and fabulous. My skin looked AMAZING!

I would 110% recommend this place, because I left feeling good, I left feeling like I have managed to have time to myself, and felt as though I had given myself a real treat! I have now decided to do this every 6 weeks. Book now, take a friend, treat yourself and have some me time!!!

Seven Beauty Salon, 7 High St, Ripley. 01483 212707

10 weeks in my shoes....sick kids and no sleep!

Challenges of being a mum with sick kids and no sleep

I am starting off with the challenges that I had to endure this week; two kids under 6 being sick, and one of them woke up in the night 3 nights in a row.

Thankfully both my babies are better!

However this left me feeling extremely tired and off kilter. But I was not going to be defeated or make excuses. Instead I would work my way around it.

I love sleep FACT! I’m not a person who can survive on a few hours, I have programmed myself to love 8 hours, and I enjoy that much. I love getting into bed, the whole process from start to finish.

Monday – My first night of no sleep, and as much as I wanted to get back into bed, I couldn’t, I had a sick child at home. With no childcare on tap, and no family close by it can be tricky to get on with what you need to do. But you really can make things work if you want too. My challenge was in the form of self-motivation. Whilst the little one slept on the sofa, I got my laptop on and did a 30-minute work out, I felt so much better for it, and it woke me up.

With exercise you are challenging yourself and so that does keep me motivated when I have to do these things at home I have to throw myself into harder.

Tuesday

Another night of no sleep, this was getting hard, but getting out of bed was an effort. My little baby girl was still a bit poorly, mostly tired. But an amazing friend came over and let me go to Pilates with Debbie Dore at the Medicine garden.

When I first arrived at the class we laid down on our beds, and for a moment, I closed my eyes, I could of fallen asleep there and then, but Debbie did not let me do that.  The class is great actually and I really like that I am building core strength, I feel like my baby belly is rebuilding muscle. Even though it looks soft, I can breathe in and see what I actually want it to be like. The techniques in the class are good, because when I leave I feel my balance improve and I feel I have had a full body work out.

Wednesday – 2 sick kids at home. I failed to do anything today but be on a mission to get them well, and get some sleep.

I skipped a day. So this meant exercise had to be moved into my weekend if I was going to get my 5 a week.

Thursday – Hurrah, both kids back to school and better, and I went to TRX with Sandi. It was a great class, and I really felt that my core strength had improved. This then makes me realize that I could get a more defined stomach if I continued in this direction and cut out the sugar!!

Friday – I had, had another night of not much sleep, even though my daughter was better she seemed to think it was amusing to come into my room at 3am poke in the face, and then climb into bed and kick me in the back for an hour, suffice to say I got about 4.5 hours sleep which for me was tricky. I went for a run for about 20 minutes.

Saturday – I booked into a spin class with my friend and did 9.15am at Ride with instructor Sharon. What I like about Sharon is she is American, which always leads me to believe I am in some kind of feel good movie. She has a passion in what she does and she wants you to have some. The class is Express Ride and it last for 45 minutes. I know what you are thinking easy? No its an express ride, which means its constantly fast from the minute you get on the bike, it means you don’t stop, you go up and up, and then when you think you have got it, it gets faster. I am motivated that I go with a friend, and when I look at her she is as sweaty as I am! It did me the world of good, and I then felt on my food day off (today) I could enjoy my Chinese New Year celebration dinner with family.

Sunday – long walk with kids, and my hubby x

How do I feel now? Good, toned, slowly but surely I think I am going to see changes if I can stick with this!!

11 weeks in my shoes.....

The week was planned down to the last letter, and then a couple of things got cancelled, and work got in the way, so I had to re work it, this of course threw me a bit as I do like to know what I’m doing. 

It also worries me if I think that I am going to get distracted and do something else.

Time to get really self-motivated in my second week? Uh ok then!

Monday my session was cancelled (not a great start to the week) and we tried to do the weekend but life got in the way, so rather than write the whole exercise thing, I decided to do another video. I used a Gillian Michaels DVD and it was good, because she is good at working out, and I actually stuck to it, very cardio based.

Tuesday I was back to Pilates with Debbie Dore at the Medicine garden. This time I persuaded my neighbour to join me, and we both really enjoyed the session. I feel comfortable in the class, and I really felt I was getting to grips with the breathing technique. My abs got a great work out which I felt the day after. My balance has always been a bit lopsided. But with the help of Debbie, I felt that I was finally pulling in breathing and balance followed, I feel for me personally this is taking shape.

Wednesday I skipped yes I bought myself a skipping rope at the supermarket for £2.29 and skipped for 30 minutes while my daughter watched from the kitchen in amusement. 

Thursday I was looking forward to seeing Sandi at Ride for TRX, and through no fault of her own she got ill, this meant only one thing! Omar was in charge again; pain was about to be bestowed upon us.  It was actually a great class and I am beginning to gain strength. It always amazes how I sweat in this class, and I’m not even running about I’m working against my body weight (and so my own question is answered).

Friday I had to cancel my kettle bell class because of work, but again I had to do something, self-motivated. So I skipped again!

My food intake has been going well, and my black jeans have got a little loose, which is good, don’t get me wrong they aren’t falling to my ankles but they don’t have much give usually and everything feels more fitted.

I do take one day off a week and on this day my DPX trainer says eat what you like, because if you don’t have this day you will probably fail. To be fair he is talking sense. For the record I did not go crazy, but I did eat home made sticky toffee pudding that was made by one of my good mates, for the record I thought it was an amazing reward! I also allow myself two glasses of wine a week (red) so this was had in one night.

Although I still have until March to go I feel I will get into some sort of new lifestyle routine…

Recipe book recommendation Paleo Primer I have got lots of great recipes and tips from this book! I am so far sticking to it 6 days a week. With Saturday off! 

12 weeks in my shoes

12 weeks in my shoes

As far back as October I have been tweeting (thats tweeting not twerking) with DPX fitness about getting fit and healthy and staying that way.  Something I've always wanted to do, but often end up losing my motivation.
Similar to lots of people, I do fairly regular exercise but often if I get a better offer - to go for coffee or some shopping, then temptation can get the better of me.
In December I hit the silly season and grabbed it with both hands - excelling in the art of eating pretty much anything, and drinking everything. I love Christmas, and I love to party, so December is my favourite time of year.
But this year, once I was past the turkey and endless chocs, I had it in my mind to make resolutions and really try to stick to them.
This year is the year to make myself healthy - I do not want illnesses brought on by mass over indulgence.
Also I'm hitting 40 in 2015 and I want to be looking 10 years younger because I am eating well and exercising enough to keep my bottom pert!
We have had cancer amongst other illnesses in our family and that also scares me.  So, if I can help prevent it with a good diet and some exercise then I'm keen to try.

What's the challenge?

It breaks down into two parts.  Firstly, a training program worked through a personal session with Daniel from DPX fitness where everything is measured, and then 4 other days to fill with an array of exercise which will benefit my shape and cardio.

The second part, the nutritional side is thinking a bit more about what I eat.  For years I've been proud of not being a fussy eater, but I am beginning to feel like that might be part of my down fall. My friend Caroline Young who is in training to be a nutritional therapist has been advising what will work best for me and the family. I grow tired of eating plans that lead me to cook 2 different meals every meal time.
My session with Caroline is more of an education, of how my body works, and what is the best choice to make at this time in my life, without ending up feeling deprived. It is also teaching me to stop obsessing about food, which I have been known to do!

Ride Studio Cobham

Week 1

I am going to start by telling you that in order for me to get into this, I have to plan the entire week. I need to book myself in, and commit, as much as I physically can I will honour it. My plan starts with 5 days of exercise so here is what I have done this week:

Day 1: 1 hour with DPX fitness personal training and assessment - this involved meeting Daniel and being put through my paces in order to see if I am in anyway fit at all.
Daniel is fully qualified in martial arts, and my training took place in the martial arts centre in Cobham. I have never attended before so it was all new to me.
(For those of you who want to know where it is, down the little alley way/drive between the Lemon Tree and Barclays Bank.)
From the off we have decided that this is not going to be measured on scales, as for me this often leads to a ridiculous obsession of jumping on and off and on and well... you get the picture.
What "we" will do is measure, and pick a pair of jeans that I have pre pregnancy (the only reason I have a pair over 5 years old was for this very reason, whether I wear them in public is another thing) that will be my lead into feeling fabulous.
The personal training session a non stop circuit which includes cardio, martial arts, and toning. It lasts one hour and at the end of it I have a quite a sweat on.  I am proud though because I have managed to keep up for most of it. At the end Daniel informs me that in 6 weeks time we will go and do a repeat session in this. He has written my reps down, and in 6 weeks I should increase my press ups etc tenfold. My muscles are aching but I leave feeling motivated.

Day 2: 1 hours pilates with Debbie Dore at The Medicine Garden - I have decided to do this so I can try and work my ab muscles and start to breathe properly in order to exercise correctly. Everyone I know does Pilates and loves it, and everywhere here is good, Cobham Pilates in the High St, Esher Pilates. My plan is to try all of them to see which is good for me. I wanted to try Debbie as I read up on her and I like the location. The class takes place in the Dome, which is nice and snug. Pilates for me is something I need to open my mind to. The session is for beginners, and so I felt that for me even though I have done it before it was the way to go because ultimately I haven't done it consistently. It also works because you can pay-as-you-go. The class itself was good, and Debbie ensures that every part of the body gets attention. I was aching from the day before so parts of the class were hitting tender zones but that I'm told is a good thing(!).

Day 3 - Self motivated session
My daughter has a day off nursery on Wednesdays and i take a day off work (sort of), we share this day together every week because when she gets to school we wont have the time. But I still have to find the time to fit 20 minutes in of exercise. My friend Caroline (nutritionist friend) sent me some suitable links from You tube. I played a really good one which has a 15 minute timer on it, the idea is that it really is non stop and i work out solid for that time. My thoughts at this point, was that it was going to be a breeze and I was wrong. My muscles got a work out and again I was sweating from self motivation - wow I worked myself hard. My little beauty watched Peppa Pig and I worked out. I was done and we went about our day together.

Day 4 - TRX at Ride Studios
I am huge fan of TRX.  Anyone who I know who is working in the fitness industry thinks that it is very beneficial. To my surprise my usual teacher was on holiday and so we worked out with Omar! I have previously done a spinning session with him, and went home shaking. I can tell you this session was no different.  Omar made sure from start to finish that the session worked every thing and we were pushed to the max, he takes no prisoners! For some reason this spurs me on because frankly I can get lazy in exercise if no one is watching, and ultimately I do not mind being pushed whilst I have a goal in mind.

Day5 - Self motivated
Normally I would book myself into a class but the class I wanted to do was fully booked so rather than take a day off, I motivated myself and did something at home.
Instead of another You tube video I chose to set myself a little circuit. I did it so it lasted 30 minutes and after a full week of exercise I was still aching.  The exercise involved my stairs, my hallway and a few tins of food!


Food and things....

Rather than bore you on what I ate every second of the day, I decided that with Caroline's advice that I would try a diet based on Paleo, which is basically goes back to eating like a cave man of sorts. Basically you eat food that is not processed, and yes of course this means cutting out the crisps, the cake, the bread, the pasta. I have specified that I will not cut out rice as this is my favourite so we worked around me having this 2/3 times per week.

Example menu:

Breakfast - Large cup of tea with honey and a splash of milk, boiled eggs, steamed spinach, avocado.
Lunch - Chicken thighs, veg stir fry - very colourful and large glass of water
Snack - macadamia nuts and brazil nuts
Dinner - One pot roast with sweet potatoes instead of potatoes, with lots of veg.


Do I feel like I'm missing out? No, because I am a meat eater, and I am following an amazing recipe book. I am also giving myself Saturday off, to have what I want and no exercise.

Do I drink? I allow myself 2 glasses of wine for the whole weekend. It requires you to have red wine or  have a spirit like vodka if you are drinking. For the most part I am not a big drinker (I can be a binge drinker) but I like the fact that having a glass of red can be beneficial to me, so I am going with it.

No more chocolate? That is never going to happen! I now have 2/3 squares of dark chocolate 80% which I can have 2 to 3 times per week.

My mindset is prepared to make changes this time as I have some very real goals, but I am only a week into it, hopefully now I am sharing this I will be even more motivated!!

11 weeks to go.....