Tag Archives: fashion

My Fablis FitPinks

Posted in Lifestyle, parenting, reviews, Uncategorized by

If you follow me on social media, chances are you are well used to seeing my bum clad in various colours and styles of FITPINK gym and athleisure gear.

I’ve been a brand ambassador for this company for a while now.

I don’t work with many companies. I rarely do collaborations anymore and I never do advertising for brands.  I’m a writer, not an advertiser.

However as a fitness instructor, I happily endorse these leggings.

97262186_2969521236469453_1237525582879653888_n

I run Rushe Fitnesswith my husband Emmet.

 

Let me tell you about my friend Jenni and how I ended up helping her to promote what is certainly one of the most successful small companies in Ireland.

Jenni is based in Donegal and her range is designed in Donegal. You can read her story in her own words here.

97422685_1924326824541541_3342405311376916480_n

I love to support new Donegal companies, so I bought a pair.

I loved them.  I wore them and, as a gym owner and blogger with a humble but highly engaged following, I slowly watched many of our female clients begin to wear the leggings to class.

They are squat proof, structured, absorb sweat beautifully and look great.  I particularly love the Compression style which keeps my mum tum feeling nice and secure.

Jenni and I were put in touch via a mutual friend and we quickly became good friends, both online and in real life.  We share a few characteristics you see…

We’re both busy mums, we both work hard, we both have a passion for fitness and both shared an impatience for poor quality gym gear.

Jenni’s selection of products and styles has been growing.  She is open to suggestions about what women in gyms need.

After I wrote a blog about almost pulling a muscle while wrestling out of a sportsbra, Jenni quickly designed and sourced a front-opening bra which has saved my muscles and possibly my life on daily basis.

She has vision and she has standards.  If something isn’t right, it doesn’t get sold.

I’ve been delighted to try and test her gear over the past year and I am literally working and living in it at the minute.

fitpink

With my daily (sometimes twice daily) Rushe Fitness LIVE workouts, the leggings are getting washed constantly.  They wash and wear like a dream, remaining just as stretchy and secure as their first wear.

97833868_650063429176746_2226198759174307840_n

The leggings are fashionable and functional, and with a range of teeshirts, hoodies and sportsbras, and more products in the pipeline, FitPink Fitness is set to go from strength to strength.

I’m proud to have been a supported of this Irish brand from the start and I look forward to watching her successes in the future.  

And there’s more… by supporting Jenni’s beautiful brand, you are supporting women and girls all over the world. For every item she sells from her range of gym leggings and t-shirts, Jenni contributes  to Plan International’s Girl Fund to provide dignity kits to girls and women in refugee camps in some of the world’s poorest regions.  Learn more.

fitpink2

You can check out all of the FitPink range on her website.

And if you’d like to join Emmet and myself in our Rushe Fitness LIVE community, hit here.

*I am an official Brand Ambassador for FitPink and am provided with gym gear to test and wear.  I am however under no obligation to write this review.  As always, my opinions are my own and I would not endorse a product or brand without fully believing in them.

So Not Trendy Mammy

Posted in Being Me by

Notions.

This Mammy is full of them.

Oooooooh lookit! Look at the pretty floaty girly dress which would look lovely with heels or flat sandals,

Look at the patterns and colours and floatiness of the gazillion samey dresses in all the shops.

Mammy could pull that off.
Mammy could look as smashing as the Holly of the Willybooby in these dresses.
Mammy could begin to wear patterns even though Mammy knows full well that patterns swallow her up and make her look like a 1970s curtain has puked on her.

Mammy will look boho and chic and funkiful and cool.
Mammy may even try to match it with the white runners that everyone is looking so fablis in all over the instaworld…

And then Mammy TRIES ON one of the summer floaty stunners, and promptly turns into Nora Fuckin Batty.

“That’s GORGEOUS on you!” goos the 11 year old shop, impossibly beautiful assistant, through her perfectly puffed up lips. “You could try it with white runners? They are so in right now!”

(Yeah… they were in when thirty years ago too Lovey, and even then I knew how impractical white runners were. They wouldn’t last a day on me… And I’m pretty sure that if I added them to this get-up, I’d look like my 8 year old self, dressed in handmedowns from my older cousin which hung on me like curtains again too!)

Mammy looks at her unfortunate self in the mirrors, sees her Great Great Great Grandmother staring back at her.
She’s laughing.

Mammy smiles politely at the shopchild.

“Naw, it’s not really me. Thanks anyway!”

“Really? I think it looks AMAZING on you!”

(Of course you do.)

“I look like Nora Batty.”

“Heeehehehee! I have no idea who that is!”

Of course you don’t… FML

Mammy gets back into her tracksuit, with her NOT white runners, and run-walks out of the shop, wondering if Last of the Summer Wine is on Netflix and if that dress would look better with curlers in my hair.

White ones obviously.

Notions I tell you.

*that dress is beautiful Obviously. On her!

I am Stop the Nonsense, Wear the Dress Mum.

Posted in Lifestyle by

Loves me some Yellow!

Mammy is pretty shocked at the response my instastories got yesterday.

I wore this dress to a wedding 5 weeks ago and I happily wore it again yesterday.👇

Different shoes and bag.
Different day.
Same feeling of Queendom.👑

When did it become unacceptable to wear the same thing twice? I got so many messages yesterday saying “yay!” and “Go you” and even “thank you”?

I didn’t think it was such a big deal, but apparently the pressure is real for many real women.

Well here’s my opinion on that… If I buy a dress or OUTFIT, and if I like that dress, and if I want to wear it to more than one event or function…I WILL.

Just because you’ve been seen in it or posted Pics on Instagranny or Bookface, should NOT mean you can never wear it again.

I’ll be wearing THIS particular bad-boy again. Because it’s mine and because I like it.

We need to get past this “I can’t wear that again” culture. (How the hell people can afford a constant turnover of wardrobe is beyond me.🙄)

Wear the feckin dress.
Apologise to no one.
Get your money’s worth and if it makes you feel fablis, wear it doing the ironing on a Wednesday night if you want to.

Remember.

What other people think of you is NONE of your business.

Turn your back on that negativity and Shake your fine ass at it!

#wearitagain
#beyourowntrend

I am Slightly Excited and Super Nervous Mum

Posted in blog, Uncategorized by

 

I’m off to Dun Laoghaire tomorrow for the  Maternity & Infant Awards 2017.  I’ve made it to the final 10 in the Parenting Blogger category and I couldn’t be happier!

I’m looking forward to it, but truth be told, I’m bricking it. 🙂

Why?

I have noooooooooooooooo idea.

I suppose a part of it is excitement. Actually, most of it is excitement.  I’m going to meet bloggers and writers who I have admired and followed from afar for quite a while. I am quite proud to have even reached the top 10, to have my blog named alongside these writers is such an honour for me already.  To meet them and put faces to the virtual characters will be fab.

Screenshot_20170918-153837 (1)

Still can’t deal with my name in this list 🙂

“On a scale of Mum to Marilyn…”

What does one  wear to an awards ceremony? The whole “What to wear” issue usually doesn’t bother me too much.  I’m one of those people who will decide what I’m going to wear and even though I might change 389 times, I will end up back in the first outfit I’d chosen anyway.  But this event has had me slightly stressed this week.  Maybe because I don’t know any of the people I’m attending with.  Maybe because I had a dream on Tuesday night that everyone else was dressed in chic jeans and blazers and I was dressed like a 1980’s toilet roll cover…   (Could happen!)

tmp502561985032880130

“On a scale of Mum to Marilyn, how glam are we going?”

There’s NOTHING in my wardrobe you know? Nothing!

So off I toddled to my buddy Rosie in Pure Boutique in Letterkenny .  I was looking for something to fit into the dress code on the invitation, but then I spotted a dress and had an “I need that” moment, so although it is quite possibly way too dressy, I bought it.   I may be closer to Marilyn than my usual Mum uniform, but it’s not very often we get to dress up during the day is it? And any excuse to be Glammy Mammied must be grabbed with both hands, mustn’t it?

I tried to convince my hairdresser Ciara in LK Hair Design to do my hair at 5am.  Instead, she had a genius plan to make sure my hair looks less Worzelled than usual, so I’ve been summoned into her this evening to have curlers/rollers put in, like the glamourous wans off the tellybox. (I never understand why they have the curlers in but end up with straight hair? But it looks the part, so I’ll pretend I know what’s going on and go with it.)

I’m dragging The Him away from Jim for the day and he is coming with me. I needed a driver… and Himself to myself for a day. When we’re getting the chance to have a day of We-time, we’ll take it. The awards are taking place in the  Royal Marine Hotel which looks amazing, so I’m looking forward to some chill out with him.  It’ll be an early start on Saturday morning however as I have to hightail it back to Letterkenny to host the Donegal Youth Service fundraiser, the Afternoon Tea in Castlegrove House with my Buddy Joanne.

Sunday shall be spent on the sofa, watching The Polar Express and asking The Him if it’s too early for a Chilli Shaker every 15 minutes from 10am.

One of the other glammy Mammies tells me that there is food, fun and wine, so I’m sure than after a wee slug of rescue remedy, a slap of lippy and a glass of grapes, I’ll be grand.

If I win?… well I can’t even go there…  We might need to have a party Mammies!?  It would be such an achievement.  But honestly, to even get to be at that table tomorrow and see my name in the top 10 is a huge personal achievement for me and “The S-Mum” already.  I couldn’t be happier and it’s all because of you lot; My Mammy squad, whose comments and messages remind me every day to write and keep smumbling.

It’s going to be a busy one. Tonight will be spent packing bags and cleaning and organizing the whole world.  I’ll be posting on my Instagram story tomorrow if you want to see what’s going on throughout the afternoon.  Nerves aside, I shall pull up the big girl knickers and take a breath and drag my Donegal Backside to the Big Smoke to meet some Fablis bloggers tomorrow… There’s nothing else for it really is there!

Wish me luck! xxxxxx

FB_IMG_1505424273626

 

I am So not in Galway Mum

Posted in blog, Uncategorized by

Another year, another Ladies’ Day. 🐎🦄🐎🐎🦄🐎

I’ve just scrolled my news feed to see all of the EVERYBODY dressed up and eyebrowed to the hilt, in glorious colours and HUMONGOUS hats. And then I switched over from RTE Jnr to the lovely Ladybelles on Expose, (who succeed daily in EITHER inspiring me to wash my face and put on proper clothes… or hide in my pit eating icecream, depending on the level of hormental), and watched the interviews with all of the Everybody in their shiny perfection.

Every year, I declare that NEXT YEAR, I too will be Glammy Mammied to the ninety-nines, with eyebrows and concrete muckup and AMAZING high hair, quaffing chambubbles in a tent and smiling gaily at all the other Dollybirds. I would be wearing something chic and spensive and fablis and my neck would be sore from a MAHOOSIVE headhat which keeps stabbing The Him when I move, but I would NEVER admit that it is heavy because he would then be able to say “I told you so” and be all “Such a waste of money”, (even though he’d OBVIOUSLY never have been told how much it ACTUALLY cost!😂)

The Him would be beside me, all dapper of course, and my friends and I would clink glasses, admiring the fashionistas and keeping our smiles expertly fitted while we say things like “WTF is she wearing?” and “How can she walk in those?”, without words of course… just using our secret eyebrow code. 😄😘

And then we would have the coveted “FINALIST” sticker stuck on our outfits, and the afternoon would be a whirlwind of camera flashes and sore faces and I’d feel like a feckin Rose (yes, a geriatric rose, but still, it’d be as close as I’ll get.)

And then we’d all pop back to the G Hotel or some such fablis spot, where we’d spend the evening quaffing yet more chambubbles with all the fablis, shiny, eyebrowed Beauties, before rolling into bed, tipsy and still fablis.

Next year… (Coughs) 😄

For tonight however, I shall sit in my messy kitchen, listening to Princess refusing to go to sleep, getting over the fact that my Mini-Me told me she “doesn’t wub you no more” because I asked her lift the blocks before bed, wondering what I’ve eaten that has caused my skin to look like pizza and considering that I should perhaps change out of The Him’s PJs before he gets home.

(Lucky boy Him!😂😂😘)

Then only thing high about my hair, is my Mum bun, but in honour of all the glamour on my news feed, (which YES, I AM going to continue to stalk for the next hour or so), I have decided to glam it up with a big flower so I don’t feel quite so unglam and DOWDY (and slightly grubby if I’m honest!). Probably should shower the smell of lasagne off me too.

Yeah. I’m quite content here.

Who would want to be in Galway eh?

Not me.

Nope.

Noooooo sirreeeeee.

I much prefer watching everyone else being glam. I am however, going to pop a wee cork here and do some quaffing myself, all in honour of the horsies of course. 🐎🦄🐎🦄

Congrats to the winner in Galway, who seems to be getting a mixed reaction, but who I think looked fab. Amazing headpiece. (But I must say, Lisa’s Lust List was my favourite.)

Who was your favourite? #galwayraces #glammymammy