With a six month old
It feels like a lifetime ago that I was in Italy especially because this piece has been sitting in my draft folder for six months and even more so because Lucille has changed so much since our trip. And of course we have since travelled to the other side of the world so a three-hour flight to Italy seems like a piece of cake. Looking back now it was the perfect time for us to have that adventure and what an adventure it was! Continue reading
It’s time for me to get back to the keyboard and thanks to your votes I’m delighted to be kicking things off with a super easy savoury recipe. I’ve become rather fond of polls on both Facebook and Instagram. I asked and you answered and a savoury dish won out this time so here it is. Continue reading
Gift Guide
It’s time again for a lovetomtom Christmas gift guide and I’m being a little selfish this year and suggesting lots of things I would be more than happy for Santa to bring. Some are practical, some are extravagant, some are bargains but most importantly I hope they are useful to you. Continue reading
Again & Again & Again
If you follow me on social media you would have seen I recently packed my bags and hit the skies for, you guessed it, Paris. It is hard not to return time and time again and as if the croissants weren’t calling me enough I had the extra excuse of attending the Christian Dior, The Designer of Dreams exhibition to make the trip even more worthwhile. Continue reading
#26
I have spent a lot of time online the past few weeks, not working as you’ve probably gathered, more as a way of distracting myself from the sadness that fills my heart. Honestly we hear so much negativity around social media and the big bad world of the internet but besides my amazing family and friends, the internet has provided some much-needed daydreaming and security for my heavy heart.
With many hours spent scrolling through my favourite brands and artists, filling my virtual basket with clothes, accessories, shoes, books and makeup and not once following through with a single transaction, I have become an expert at ‘fake internet shopping’. Feeling totally inspired by all the fabulous yet unnecessary material things I thought I was missing out on, I decided to venture into the real world and unapologetically do a bit of retail therapy.
You all know me well enough by now to know that I love shopping. Whether I purchase anything or not I genuinely love strolling through shops, touching fabrics, piecing outfits together, trying on shoes, buying shoes! You can imagine my disappointment then when I finally got myself together to leave my apartment and spend some cash that I was so uninspired by this season’s ‘trends’. I walked and walked and came home empty-handed. There was plenty of course that caught my eye but as usual these items were more wish list than realistic purchases, which leads me here. While the shops are full of hideous off-the-shoulder numbers and copious versions of the same old embroidered shirts, I am steering clear and continuing my Wish List daydreaming over on Pinterest. Each week I’m going to pin everything that has caught my eye. Everything from fashion, beauty, interiors and food, and if I do actually make a purchase, it will get pinned here too! I’ll be updating my Wish List board throughout the week and have already started so why not take a look.
xo
I’m back in the kitchen this week for Cuckoo Magazine cooking a dish so delicious and so attractive I want to wear it!
Click the photograph below to find out all the details.
Enjoy!
xo
I’m so delighted to introduce you to Cuckoo Magazine if you aren’t already familiar with it that is, and even more exciting is that I’m joining the team to talk all things food!
Each week you’ll be able to read my recipes, reviews, what’s good and even what’s bad and I’m kicking things off with a trip to Network café for my ‘Something for Dessert?‘ series. You can find out what I ate for dessert here and trust me it was good!
xo
Melbourne
You have probably all heard or seen by now that I am on holidays at home in Melbourne. With such a jam packed trip there isn’t a minute to spare in between all the coffees, celebrations, sitting in the sun and of course babysitting the real lovetomtom. Not that I would have it any other way of course!
While I get my dose of family and Melbourne life, here are a few things to keep you along the ride with me. If you haven’t seen it already, check out part one of my Long Haul Flight Essentials video. Part two is coming but if I’m honest it was rather an unpleasant flight to Melbourne and there are only so many ways to say ‘and then I vomited’ but seeing as I have to take the horrendous journey home to Dublin there will be a part two.
I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to celebrate my wedding with my Aussie family so out came my wedding outfit and we had a lovely celebration at Trunk Restaurant and Bar followed by coffee and cake at Bruntetti, an old favourite Melbourne spot. To top the night off we had a lovely catch-up with our extended family and friends and I had such a great night I had no time to take any photographs!
A trip home is very different to any other holiday. It is jam-packed, emotional and there is never enough time to fit it all in. I’m trying to take full advantage of every moment spent with my family and friends and a little less time with technology which I’m sure you will all understand. Don’t worry though you can stay in touch on Instagram which is where I’m posting a few holiday snaps in between all the hugs and kisses with the real lovetomtom.
xo
A new adventure
The title says it all doesn’t it? lovetomtom is on a new adventure and entering the crazy world of YouTube. Rather a daunting thought and one I’ve being toying with for some time but I’ve taken the plunge and the adventure has begun. No doubt there will be bumps along the way like filming without the camera recording, something I’ve done already but what’s an adventure without bumps, hiccups, outtakes, technical difficulties and everything else that is going to come my way.
I hope you all come along for the ride and that YouTube will be an extension of all the things I love about lovetomtom.
Here’s my very first video and don’t forget to subscribe, just in case you missed that part.
xo
Before I give you my keto update, be sure to read Fat Fat Fat otherwise none of this will make sense!
Since I last spoke about keto, things have taken an ugly turn. I’m still consumed by fat but this time the ugly kind. My experience with keto was going well. I was seeing the benefits and felt this way of eating had become my norm. During the first two months I had very few ‘slips’ or cheats’ as some people call them. I actually had no intention of cheating as that is not how keto works. None of this five-day on, two-day off business. I didn’t go through what is known as ‘keto-flu’ to have to start from scratch again after one sniff of bread! If you have ever detoxed from anything, you can only imagine what I’m talking about. I did have the odd non-keto meal and if I’m honest I really didn’t enjoy them so didn’t feel the need to have those ‘cheat’ meals. Even though I didn’t feel the need for non-keto meals, I somehow stumbled into a new way, or in this case an old way of eating: Shove everything I see into my gob. That very way of eating was what lead me to keto in the first place.
With me eating my body weight in Cherry Ripes (an Australian treat that my parents brought over), bread, sugar, pizza and alcohol amongst other things I noticed something different. Before I started eating according to a keto diet I was eating anything that was in front of me, shaming myself about eating what I was eating while going in for another mouthful. This time while stuffing my face with Cherry Ripes I did less of the shaming and decided that this was where I was at that point in time.
Maybe that’s why my time with keto had been so successful, because I was ready to make those changes. A few months back I had that conversation over and over again in my head, that I needed to eat better. My body was telling me that what I was eating was making me feel rubbish but I didn’t do anything about it. However, for some reason or another, the day I decided to start keto was different to all those other days. Something just seemed to click and I knew I was ready to take on this change. It’s the exact same thing with #lovetomtomSBD the past month. I wanted to exercise more and I did (am). We all know the benefits of exercise and a healthy diet but maybe it’s best when it’s on our terms. The other thing I realised is that for me, keto has to be all or nothing until I can find some kind of healthy middle ground. What that will look like I have no idea but until I find it, the benefits and my head space say I’m going back to the good fat.
Like I said in my last post, I would never encourage or recommend a diet for anyone else other than myself but if I’m ever going to tell you what to do it’s this: Enjoy the chocolate or bread or whatever food it is that you like to eat. If you feel it is affecting your health, do something about it but only when you feel ready.
xo
