Bun in the oven??

We have an announcement.

A ra-ther exciting one!

Yes, we are expecting another sprog. Abbott baby number 2.

That means Lizzie gets promoted.

Just wondering if there is a baby in Lizzie's tummy too!

I actually found out when I was just a day late. I kept needing a wee every few minutes and thought what the heck as I picked up a poundland pregnancy test (2 for £1!!!). A very faint line appeared next to the test line and I turned all the lights on in the house, examining in from different angles. But it was definately positive. Yup.

Since I have been pregnant however, lots of enemies have come my way. I have been feeling pretty rough, more so than I did with Lizzie.

Enemies of the pregnant woman'

1) Sickness. Nuff said. I have had my head down the toilet a lot these last few weeks.
2) Constipation and bloating. To say I feel like a pot bellied pig most of the time is an understatement.
3) Ryan's shower gel. I CANNOT bear the smell after he has showered. I don't like it much before his showers either. So its a no-win situation. BO or linx? Eugh. These are my choices.
4) Vegetable soup. I hurl just writing this. I ordered it for asda a week ago cus I fancied it. I could barely unpack it without gagging.
5) Ginger biscuits. They now remind me of puking my guts out at 4am.
6) Sleep. What is that again? I am an insomniac anyway but I can now sometimes lie awake ALL NIGHT. I think babies are sinister, even in their tadpole-like state. They like to prepare you for what's coming.
7) All the stuff you can't do. I mean EVERYTHING. Jacuzzi's, rollercosters, lifting things, changing litter trays, pain medication (in fact most meds full stop), eating soft cheese, seafood...
8) One born every minute. You fancy watching a horror movie? Watch this instead whilst with child. You will not sleep at night.


Friends of the pregnant woman

1) Pickles. Pickles, pickles. Yum. I could eat you on a plane. On a train. In bed.

Now here is the scary thing. I tried giving Lizzie a pickle. As that is the sadist mummy that I am. However I was disappointed to find out she actually loved them! And went for more! Gutted. She is definately my daughter.

2) The ability to eat guilt-free. I am struggling with this at the moment with the sickness, but it gets awesome in the next trimester.
3) All the CUTE  baby clothes. I find myself just googling pictures of babies and their deliciousness.
4) Scans. The most magical moments ever. I still cannot believe I can make something like this!
5) The 'I'm pregnant' excuse. You know what I mean ladies! (wink wink)

And the best thing is I can cross off another goal off my 20 before 30 list. Weeeee!

4)      More babies

Tuna Bhuna!

Lastnight we tried something I have never tried before. Something most people partake of frequently.

Indian food.

Yes, I live in Birmingham; curry mile is down my street. But I was always put off by spicy food. Not really a fan. But I decided lately I need to try it.

So we headed to Leeds to see a good friend Becki, and she kindly showed us her local.

Naans as big as ya face!

But to be honest to main reason I wanted to do this is to see Ryan's face when he tried anything remotely spicy. He is the biggest wuss with his taste buds. He winces with natural yoghurt.

And that was just a starter!

So that's the first thing crossed off my 20 before 30 list. Watch this space!

Adventures..on a budget.

I love to travel. Nuff said.

Ever since I was a teenager I have flown off to various exciting and new places.

I do not do holidays however. I like to explore. New cultures, beautiful places, create fun memories. For me, lying on a beach all day with a book if just not fun. But I totally appreciate the majority like this sort of thing.

You see, I have itchy feet.

We now have built up the tradition of not just going to one destination. We see what's next to our destination and go there too. Two for the price of one, no?

A lot of people say its all well and good travelling, if you have the money. But we aren't rich. We just use my good old bargain-hunting tricks to spend as little money as possible.

Tip number 1;
 Don't be scared to book cheap accomodation.

Now we have the Liz-meister we have to be more careful about where we stay and where we go. But in the old days I would just look at reviews on trip advisor. You cannot believe all the negative reviews however; some people are just never happy. So you have to take them with a pinch of salt. The majority of the time, we have stayed in lovely, clean and spacious hostels and self-catering apartments. And paid next to nothing for them. As long as you aren't expecting 5 star luxury, and are realistic about what you paid for, you will be good.

However, that is not to say that over the years we have not read accurate reviews and stayed in pretty
 dingy places. I illustrate;

But we look back on those times and laugh. We could laugh because we only stayed there one night.

But as I say, most places have been fantastic value for money. Which leaves more money for exploring!!

Tip number 2; 
Use discounted websites such as lastminute.com and try and book your flights and accomodation together. This tip works best for international flights. We managed to get return flights to Orlando plus accomodation for 2 weeks for all the family for £1000. This may however mean you have indirect flights and waiting.

Oh, the fun!

Have I sold it to you yet???

Tip number 3;
Find a supermarket!! You will be surprised at the kinds of places you can find a supermarket. We found them in the centre of Venice, Rome, Iceland etc. The prices the locals expect you to pay for things like drinks and ice cream are ridiculous. 4 euros for a drink? Get on your bike! We just pop to the local supermarket with the locals and buy a huge carton of apple juice for 1 euro. Or a tub of ice cream for 1.50 euros.

Good times!

Tip number 4;


Go off the beaten path.

Often the touristy places and attractions are the most expensive. But sometimes the free experiences are the most fun.

This was cave/lagoon thing we found in Jamaica totally by accident one evening. There was no-one else around and we just had the most amazing time watching the sunset. And discovering some strange sealife creatures!

Dressing up coconuts anyone?

Cliff-diving?

Some touristy things are also free, and most travel desinations have websites with free things to do. For example, the Staten Island Ferry in New York. Scary puppet thingy not included.

So, that concludes my travel tips. Anyone else have any things they do on holiday to save money?

Happy holidays!

Arrrr.

A couple of weeks ago we went on an adventure. An Abbott adventure in the sunshine. We went to somerset! The land of cheese and campervans.

We bought some beauticious bargains from car boots (including an ornate victorian frame for £3!!), played in the sand, ate cream scones and splashed in the (not so blue) sea!

We even took our VW campervan, Vera. She felt very at home.

I think I could be a country gal. I know I could. Maybe something to add to my 'Before 35' list?

Arrrrrr.