WE'RE BACK, BABY

If you've been here from the start, you'll know this was formerly a lifestyle blog that I launched many years ago when I was living alone and muddling my way through adult life. 

Fast forward a few years, and I'm now a first time Mum who's finally(!!!) out the other end of night feeds, poo explosions, colic, leaking boobs and all those other glamorous parts of the postpartum and newborn life. 

I'm bringing you the Realistic Mums Guide as a place to come for hacks, must haves, places to visit, zero judgement and the occasional wine review. Because let's be honest, do any of us have a bloody clue what we're doing?

I'd love for you to come along, follow us on Instagram, and join the community of Mum's who are all quite frankly, just winging it. 

IS THIS STILL A THING?

I haven't posted on this blog since December 2019, and it got me thinking if blogging is still a thing? Do people still read the content? Or has Instagram now taken over with a sea of beautiful images that we all spend way too long scrolling through.. 

I'm managing several social media accounts now, (shameless plug here feel free to follow: @atnorthwoodfalls, @pianobarevents, @the.gardencabin, my own obvs @charlotterumsby and soon to take over @realpointproperty) and juggling all of these as well as my full time job and life in a whole can be super challenging. 

I logged back into my blog account this morning and saw that people are still viewing my posts on a daily basis so what I really want to know is, why? 

What is it you're looking for? Do you still read blog posts or did you stumble across my blog from Google? Let me know in the comments box. 

Until i figure my sh*t out, here's some really nice photos from recent work things I've been doing. Enjoy!

Charlotte X

THE ONLY GYM CLOTHING YOU'LL EVER NEED

Somebody reassure me and let me know that I'm not the only person with a whole drawer of gym clothes. But just in case you need some more.. Keep reading.

I've got some pieces that have been around since day one, those trusty sports bras, specific trainers for deadlifts and some of the warmest hoodies for training in winter. Something that always seems to come in waves however is my leggings collection. I find a brand I really like, get my hands on a few pairs and a year later I'm finding that they just don't fit the same as the used to.

I came across Gluteywear a few months ago after seeing all my fave UK based fitness girls on Instagram talking about how soft they were and that the quality was unbeatable so I obviously had to get myself a pair.

So it all started off with the Charcoal Grey leggings from the older collection and was so impressed when I put them on. They didn't fall down, they made the booty look unreal and they arrived in a matter of days with great communication from Carly, the owner of Gluteywear.

It only took me a couple of weeks to end up back on the website looking for my next purchase, and I had been told that the new material of leggings was something else.. I bagged myself these blue leggings and they are honestly the softest thing I've ever worn to the gym with the perfect amount of bum scrunch detail. The only way I can explain the material is like when you've just shaved and moisturised your legs and you get into bed with clean bedding on. They are like silk!

Putting them to the test on a big leg day and cardio afterwards I was honestly so impressed that they didn't show any sweat. So what happened next? I picked up the rose pink pair..
 

 

The admirable thing about Gluteywear is that they are constantly open to feedback, they're always working to improve their products and they really care about their consumers.

After realising that I had found my dream brand for gym clothing, I can happily announce that I'm now doing some work with them and I've got a 10% off code for you all to use! Just enter "CharlotteR" at checkout to save yourself some pennies!

Be sure to give me a follow on Instagram to stay up to date with all the newest releases and my other content!

Charlotte. X

GUEST BEDROOM DECOR INSPO

Some of you might know I'm currently in the process of buying my first home, a three bedroom semi detached house just on the outskirts of Leeds.

Although it hasn't been the smoothest of processes one thing I can find comfort in, is planning the decor of each room exactly to myself and Dan's taste. I've got Pinterest mood boards coming out of my ears, but there's never any harm in sharing some ideas on a good old blog post. I give to you, my mood board for our guest bedroom.

First up, we will be taking with us our Ikea Malm double bed that we bought around 2 years ago when we moved into our current flat together. We don't really see much point in replacing it, if it's only been used a handful of times. However to go at the end of the bed, I'd love to feature something like these dusky pink ottomans from Made.com. They're great for storage, and add a great pop of colour to the room. The Bouji Ottoman is a more traditional feel rather than the modern style of Asare Ottomon in the below photo. I think they'd both work really well with the feel of the room but time will tell!



Now if anyone else is like me, they're a creature of cluttering up the bedside table so my solution is to keep them small and avoid drawers that can be filled with junk. I'm obsessed with the Alana bedside tables also from Made.com to sit next to each side of the bed in our guest room, to be complimented with a simple table lamp and some decorative items.

No guest bedroom is complete without a candle (or three) like these from H&M, and some of that I'm-in-no-rush-to-get-out-of-bed type bedding. I've had my eye on a pom-pom style bedding set for a while in white now, but I could only find the link to a light blue one from Debenhams which is equally as lovely! 

They're the only snippets you're getting for now and who knows I may even change my mind when we eventually get moved in. If you have any homeware recommendations, please leave a comment or drop me a message on Instagram. There's nothing I love more than spending my weekend afternoons getting inspiration and saving items to my wishlist. 

Charlotte. X

A TASTE OF MY LIFE

It's no secret that everyone loves a cocktail now and then (if you don't, who even are you?), and something I've not previously discussed is my career and all the fun stuff I get to do on the side! Besides my full time job, I help out with my brother's mobile cocktail bar - Piano Bar Events. I run the social media pages, support at events and help out with drinks development.

We recently had some professional photos taken for our upcoming Spring Cocktail Soiree, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to tell you a little bit about what we do and where we came from. 

Piano Bar Events started up with an old piano, an idea and a whole lot of family contribution. We set up our Piano Bar at a whole range of events, create and serve classic cocktails, some of our own creations and also design cocktails specific for a guests event. I love the flexibility of helping out and having our own goals for the year, yet still being able to have a lovely impact during people's celebrations. 

I've popped in some photos above of a couple of my favourite drinks from our recent shoot, the "Italian Blush" and "Cured in New York". Head over to the Instagram page for more details on how we make our drinks, and follow our journey! We've got some super exciting public events coming up, and we'd love to have you attend if you're in the area. 

If you like this kind of snippet into my non-work, non-house-moving, non-fitness life then let me know in the comments and I'll keep the content coming! 

Charlotte. X