I ♥ Motherhood

Plum Cookery School and Weaning

2012-06-01T14:00:00.000+01:00

How many mums find weaning a real headache I wonder? I know first time round I found it quite hard to follow all the different advice that was flying at me from all directions. Obviously I managed as Isla is now chomping her way through lots of different food (although fish fingers remain her favourite!!) and we eat the same meals together as a family. She is a bit of a fuss pot though, and from one day to the next she changes her mind about liking things. One day she likes pasta, the next she doesn't. I *know* that this is all about her having control but it's still frustrating. We've actually come a long way since I wrote this post about her eating habits - as you can see the list of food she ate back then was quite limited and I worried a lot. I think we all put too much emphasis on how quickly children should be eating what we eat, they will get there in their own time.

We're now weaning Noah, who is 10 months old and I was really happy to hear that the people behind Plum Baby have set up a cookery school specifically to help mums, offering exciting recipe development classes and the opportunity to talk to child food experts.

One of my favourite TV chefs Rachel Allen is working in conjunction with Plum Baby to create some tasty new recipes. Isla and I recently baked some biscuits together following a recipe from Bake and I personally think as soon as children are old enough they should get involved in the preparing and cooking of food. It gives them more of an interest in the food they eat and stimulates their curiosity about how things taste. I can't think of anyone better for Plum to partner up with as Rachel is a mum and her food is top notch - not too complicated but oh so tasty!

I haven't got an obsession with Rachel's cookbooks....honest!

I would say from my experience first time mums are a lot more nervous - I was! Second time round I'm so much more relaxed. My biggest tip to anyone starting weaning is to keep the mantra "food before 1 is just for fun" in mind and try not to get too uptight. Before 1 a baby's main source of nutrition is milk so don't get too down hearted if they're not eating roast dinners and . Food is strange and exciting at the same time for them, they are mini explorers getting to know different tastes and textures! They can refuse food many times before they finally find it acceptable.

My other top tip is to try and relax about the mess and this means the mess your baby will get into, the mess you will get into and the mess on the floor! If you own a dog, he's going to LOVE weaning!

This muckiness used to annoy me a lot (even though Isla looks cute!)

Now I just embrace the muckiness with Noah - it's all part of the fun! (this was extreme I have to add!)

I would also say don't beat yourself up if you can't make your own fresh food all the time. Buying pre made baby food isn't a failure, it's a real saviour! I actually don't know where I'd be if there wasn't Plum Minted Pea and Lamb on the shelves! It was Noah's absolute favourite meal over anything I make (hmmm perhaps I should feel cross about this!?).

So weaning may feel a bit mind blowing at times but if you keep calm about then so will your baby. Here's us having a bit of fun at dinner time - food must be fun....

This post is an entry into the Tots100 competition to win a super dooper all expenses paid two day cooking experience with Rachel Allen at the Plum Cookery School - I would love this prize as I think I definitely need to get my cooking mojo back and my husband can vouch for that! It also includes a stay in a swish hotel, a video camera and £500. It's worth saying that I LOVE Rachel Allen and the OH can also vouch for the fact that I drove him mad watching her on UK Food the whole time I was pregnant - I love her food!

Galt Toys - Ants in your Pants!

2012-05-31T22:17:00.002+01:00

The lovely people at Galt Toys sent us a new game this week, Ant in your Pants and it has been played at least 7 or 8 times today! Wednesday is my day to work from home in the morning until lunchtime so most of the time my mum comes over and looks after Isla while Noah is at nursery. They have some really lovely one on one time together and while I'm working I love being able to hear what they're getting up to downstairs. I was really looking forward to Isla playing this game and thought this morning was the perfect time for it to get trialed. Mum was up for it and so I heard many happy games of Ants in Your Pants this morning!

The game is really simple but Isla loved it. There are lots of pairs of different coloured pants and a dice with corresponding colours on it. On the other side of the 'pant' cards there are ants - differing numbers of them and then there are also a few cards with Ant Eaters on them. To win you have to have the highest number of ants. BUT if you get an Ant Eater card then you wipe out your ants and have to start again. Mum said that Isla didn't like the Ant Eaters and she was trying to cheat, refusing to take the Ant Eater card if she chose it! When we played it later she was really funny, making the Ant Eater eat the ants, doing the sound effects. I took a couple of videos of our game, so here you can see it in action.

There are a few things I like about this game, there's the colour matching with the dice and the colour of the pants. There's also the opportunity to count up how many ants you have at the end of it. It's also teaching fair play, you have to accept the pitfall of getting an Ant Eater card, it can turn your fortune in the game at any moment.

It's such a simple game but I can see that it will get played loads. It's not bulky either so it can go over to the grandparents and it will also come in really handy when we go on holiday to Sand Le Mere! We give this game a big thumbs up.

We were sent this game free of charge in exchange for our opinion which I've given honestly.

Sunny Weekend & In the Night Garden!

2012-05-28T21:53:00.000+01:00

I can only describe this weekend as being absolutely fantastic! Now I'm back at work I put so much effort into making sure that weekends with my family are fun packed. The only thing is the housework suffers but when it's 25 degrees outside who cares about housework anyway?

This weekend was even better as it was the OH's long weekend off work so we had all day Saturday together which only happens every 6 weeks. I was really looking forward to Saturday as we had been given tickets to a VIP performance of In the Night Garden Live at The O2. We set off and found that the O2 is so easy to get to and any journey on the train is exciting for a nearly 1 year old and nearly 3 year old!

When we got to the O2 we made our way to the show and on turning the corner we saw these massive inflatable Ha Hoo's! Someone was really excited to see them. We entered the big inflatable dome where the performance was going to happen and were met by people handing out brilliant goody bags for the kids filled with In the Night Garden stuff to keep them occupied. There was a small soft play area for the kids to let off some steam before they went into the show and also lots of refreshments for adults and kids alike.

After a bit of playing and guzzling juice we were called to go in and see Iggle Piggle and friends. The story was about Iggle Piggle losing his blanket, which we also have as a book at home. The show was a brilliant mix of puppetry and also life size characters. It was great for Isla's age but more surprisingly it was also good for Noah. The show was 55 minutes long with no interval and I would say that he lasted a good 40 minutes before needing a little break. He was so taken with the projections of flowers, the tittifers and the Ninky Nonk and pinky ponk, all around the ceiling of the showdome. He also loved it when the Ninky Nonk came of the stage and was whizzing around. All in all I would totally recommend the show, all the kids recognise the songs and the colours are so bright and captivating. It feels really magical. After the show we got a family photo with Iggle Piggle - Noah is thinking "What the....??"

After the show we travelled home and then got ready for an impromtu BBQ with friends. It was so lovely being out in the garden with all 6 kids ranging from 7 months to 3 in age - they all behave so much better when they're able to have fun outside.

On Sunday after we'd turned a cardboard box into a pirate ship (!) we took a spontaneous decision to go and visit my sister, her OH and my niece and join them for Music in the Park. Isla loves seeing Cousin M, they're only 3 months apart in age and Noah is getting really social now too and loves joining in. They live about an hour from us, so the kids get a good nap on the way. It was another beautiful hot day and ideal for picnics. We packed up some food and lots of sunscreen and set off.

The park was steadily filling up with people surrounding the bandstand where the musicians played all afternoon. We had a lovely sunny/ shady spot and the kids just ran around and danced by the bandstand. They were so cute jigging about. Another special event happened. Noah stood on his own two feet for about 8 seconds!! The sweetest thing was that he knew he had done something special, the smile on his face is committed to memory. After the music finished we went back to my sisters, gave the kids a bath together (all this outdoor playing gets them filthy!) then PJ's and the long drive home.

This amazing sunny weather is probably not set to continue into the Jubilee Weekend so I'm glad we made the most of the glorious sunshine we just had!
If you'd like to take the kids to see In The Night Garden Live then visit: www.nightgardenlive.com or call 0333 300 0023

Tickets are £10 - 27.50 plus premium seats are available. Two separate shows throughout the run: The Pinky Ponk Show and The Ninky Nonk Show.

We were given free tickets to attend In The Night Garden Live. My views about the show are my own.

This week I had a wobble

2012-05-18T16:42:00.001+01:00

After having a really wonderful weekend that included Cybher (me time!) and Godstone farm (family & friend time), I felt like I'd got my life balance bang on! I was all happy that I'd had time for me, hanging out with blogging buddies and learning stuff to improve my blog and time with the people I love and being a mum.

Then Monday came and I woke up with a full on cold, head pounding, sinuses screaming and work to get to. My feeling that I'd got my life sorted and equal time for all things went out the window and I posted this on Facebook:

"Someone let me into this secret on how to be a good mum of 2, good wife, good employee, good housekeeper, just generally good at anything as at the moment I'm pretty shit at all the above!!!"

I'm lucky that I'm friends with lots of lovely mums who in times of need will either come up with practical solutions (get a cleaner) or just a bit of moral support - virtual hugs are always welcomed by me. Everyone reminded me that I have a wonderful family and that I'm probably putting too much pressure on myself to 'have it all'. Lower my expectations was the best advice. And I think I did do that in the early days when we'd just had Noah, but now I'm back at work there's a change in me that I don't like. I feel like I'm constantly having to prove myself. Take this week for example - instead of staying home and trying to get over the bad cold I've had, I've made myself go into work because I don't want to look bad, like I'm a slacker. When actually I'm far from it.

I know that there will be weeks when the overwhelming feeling is "I can't do this" and this is just one of them. But when you're feeling ill too the feeling magnifies by 100% and I really do question how us women do it. I like working I really do but it's putting an awful lot of pressure on me and my family. There is hardly a spare minute and everything feels like a juggling act and for someone who is used to being in control (I'm a project manager by occupation) my life feels like it's in a bit of a mess.

So my question is how do you do it? What tips do you have to keep yourself sane and feel like a good mum, wife, employee, housekeeper...there are so many roles these days that I wonder is it possible to be good at them all?

And as an extra note to this post, a really wonderful thing happened this morning that I will never forget. My lovely NCT friends sent me the most beautiful flowers (and chocolates!) and the card read:

"Just a little something to say you're fab and to make you smile"

I cannot thank them enough. It is the support of my friends and family that really helps me. I'm in no way 'suffering' in real terms but it's just so nice to have people look out for you and make gestures like this when you're feeling a bit low. Us mums should always look out for each other and spot when someone might just be needing a little boost or an ear to listen, it's tough sometimes in this parenting jungle!

Sand le Mere - A Family Holliday Village

2012-05-11T21:20:00.000+01:00

When I found out that we had been offered a long weekend to Sand Le Mere, a holiday camp on the East Yorkshire coast I was really excited and I have to say that isn't something I thought I would ever find myself saying pre-kids. But now I find myself looking for places to go on holiday that will appeal to Isla as I know if she is having fun then we will all be happy. That's not to say I'm overlooking Noah but he's a bit younger, still a baby really.
The opportunity hit my inbox through the Tots100, and I seized on it as I don't think we'll be holidaying as a family this year other than for this short break. Also holidays aren't massively relaxing with 2 little ones under 3, but Sand Le Mere looks like it will cater to all our needs. It's recently had a a £4 million overhaul, so I'm expecting big things! There is a whole new pool complex, children's soft play, an entertainment block and the area is close to stunning countryside and also sandy beaches! What more could we want?
We'll be staying in a 'comfort' holiday home with 3 bedrooms. I'm hoping that it will be safe for our marauding explorer! It's equipped with all the mod cons that we need and to be honest I'm hoping we'll be spending more time out than in.
Times are a bit tough for families at the moment, but on looking at Sand Le Mere's pricing a holiday doesn't have to break the bank. If you're looking for a break then take a look at
www.sand-le-mere.co.uk and use this offer code EB10 to get 10% off breaks taken between 1st - 9th June, 20th July - 1st September and 26th October - 2nd November.

Looking forward to letting you all know about our holiday!

Frankie & Benny's - Review

2012-05-10T21:28:00.004+01:00

Recently we were approached to review Frankie & Benny's - the restaurant chain. I immediately said yes as who's going to say no to a free meal??! We've had our voucher for over 6 week s now and we still hadn't made it there, for all sorts of reasons, me being back at work, illness etc. So finally we thought today is the day, we CANNOT be bothered to cook and tidy up afterwards, lets eat out!

After Isla's ballet lesson we set off to our local Frankie and Benny's in Croydon. I've been there before but not for a very long time as it's situated in an out of town retail park next door to a cinema, making it a great place to eat prior to the flicks or after you've done a bit of shopping. I was kind of looking forward to it and I kind of wasn't. The reason I wasn't is that meals out at the moment can be really hit and miss, Isla messes about a lot during meals, picking and playing around with her food, hardly consuming a morsel and Noah, well he's a baby and he can kick off at the drop of a hat. Both of these things happened but to be honest, I think the fact I wasn't cooking and cleaning up outweighed it.

So what happened?

We were shown to a table in a very calm and quiet restaurant - it was about 4.30pm, so our usual time for a family meal out given that bedtime is usually about 7 for the kids. Our waiter straight away gave the kids their little goodie bag with a coloured pencil and some colouring bits in it. He very quickly asked us for our drinks order and was on the ball about bringing a container with some hot water in it to warm Noah's food.

We looked at the menu and I did feel a bit overwhelmed, there is so much choice and in my honest opinion I don't like this. It makes me feel nervous that the kitchen is too stretched and how can it possibly get all those dishes right. I personally always like a smaller menu. When faced with this kind of menu I go to my default selection - a burger. I chose a Bacon Cheese burger with a side of coleslaw. I was impressed with the children's menu, it had lots of things that Isla would eat (Spag Bol, Fish Fingers) and she went for the Chicken Strip and fries. The OH copied me and had a Bacon Cheese Burger with a side of Spicy Onion Rings.

While we waited for our food Isla did her best to guzzle her apple juice as fast as she could so that she wouldn't have room for her dinner. I fed Noah his dinner and once it was finished he went on to demolish lots of snacks. We also had a great 'fart' moment, where Isla did a special 'parp' and then proceeded to go on to ask "Daddy didn't you get to the toilet in time?" Love her.

The food arrived and all was fine until I realised that I had a crispy bread crumbed chicken under my burger bun. I also saw the teeny tiny pot of Coleslaw on the side and thought, "Really? £2.55?" I let the waiter know that mine was wrong, he was fine about it, he'd misheard me. I got a replacement about 10 minutes later. Sorted. Well apart from the fact that it wasn't until we'd finished that I realised I didn't even get the teeny tiny pot of Coleslaw with my replacement burger. The OH felt that the food wasn't hot enough, I'd agree with this. He also said his Onion Rings, although nice, were just not spicy. Regardless of any of this, we ate it all (well apart from Isla who never eats the whole of anything, unless it's chocolate, ice cream.....).

The OH fancied a dessert and I think Isla thinks that every restaurant meal must be finished off with an Ice cream, so we ordered a Yankee Doodle, which the waiter wisely advised us we could easily all share - it was enormous, vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream with a massive topping of whipped cream! While the OH and Isla made their way through that I had to take Noah for a little walk round the restaurant because he was getting narky. He cheered up on sight of the balloons and the manager gave him one to play with which was great (Isla soon snaffled it though).

The bill came to around £44 (sorry I wasn't on the ball enough to remember it exactly!) and I think I have mixed feelings about whether it was good value. Frankie and Benny's is great for families, there is no question about that and I liked that I didn't feel frowned upon for having noisy kids or kids that felt like having a bit of a lay down half way through dinner. This mistake over my order could have been made anywhere and it was rectified quickly and without drama. I do think our burgers and chips were slightly over-priced for what they are, oh and I'm pretty sure the ketchup in the Heinz bottles wasn't actually Heinz.... The kids menu is fabulous and priced well. All in all if I was to give it a mark out of 10 I'd say a 7, which isn't bad! Thanks Frankie and Benny's for saving me cooking and washing up after another exhausting day as a working mum of 2.

We were given a £50 voucher to spend at Frankie in Benny's in exchange for a totally honest review

Seraphine Maternity Wear

2012-04-23T21:05:00.000+01:00

Cecile Reinaud’s maternity essentials!

Founder of maternity fashion brand Seraphine and mother of two, Cecile Reinaud shares with us her 5 key pieces for pregnancy. We all know that in pregnancy it is vital to feel comfortable but it's also very important to still feel like a woman and have some control over how we look at a time when our body is changing so dramtically. Check out Cecile's advice on how to stay stylish in pregnancy.....over to you Cecile!

"I created Seraphine with the intent of designing gorgeous clothes that celebrate the beautiful change in your life experienced during pregnancy. Having myself experienced the trauma that traditional ‘frumpy’ maternity specific clothes caused I wanted to create styles that not only make women look and feel glamorous during pregnancy but also transition effortlessly into your wardrobe post-birth. These are my 5 key maternity investment pieces to take you through your journey to motherhood in comfort and style.

1. Leggings will be your new best friend

Born from my personal obsession during my last pregnancy, the seamless technology of our maternity leggings achieves the softest yet most resistant fabric that shapes your figure and never gets baggy. You have my personal guarantee that you won’t find a better wardrobe investment than this one.

2. Make that new cleavage your best asset

Invest in a nursing bra in your second trimester they will take you right through the post partum phase and are designed to adapt to your changing cup size. They are so comfortable and give a great shape

3. Love Bamboo: the miracle jersey fabric

Bamboo jersey is not only a very eco friendly fabric – 100% renewable and bio degradable – but it also lets your skin breathe more than cotton giving excellent thermo-regulating properties as well as being antibacterial. It’s so soft to the skin it feels like silk, that’s why we use it for many of our nightwear and breastfeeding essential tops

4. Invest in our super stylish extra light nappy bag

Believe me you will end up carting so much baby equipment around you’ll want to pick the lightest bag possible! My new design, to help all new mums is this ultra light quilted bag: with all the practical pockets, changing mat and pram hooks you’d expect from the best changing bags, it’s super stylish and weighs only 50 grams!

5. Save your back with these oh so cute shoes

During your pregnancy you’ll find comfort matters more than ever. These cute and supportive ShoeTherapy pumps will be your saviour!

I teamed up with a famous French doctor to create the first medically proven shoe that corrects body posture and reduces back pain. In a 6 month clinical trial on 100 patients back pain was reduced by up to 75%.

With a patented inner sole the Shoe Therapy leather pumps will also reduce swollen ankles and sluggish circulation, so you’ll feel a lot lighter in your stride.

Awarded best innovation by Pregnancy and Birth in 2011, they have received rave reviews from health specialists and fashion journalists alike."

So there you have it, some really top tips that will see you through pregnancy and into motherhood! Seraphine are currently offering readers of I Heart Motherhood 15% off your first pair of Shoe Therapy pumps when using the code ST15. Go to www.seraphine.com and see what takes your fancy.

This is a paid for post

New Shoes!

2012-04-19T20:38:00.000+01:00

I love the stage when you buy the baby their first pair of shoes! Noah got his first pair at the weekend and I love them! He is a 4.5 G, which seems enormous to me for a 9 month old. We got them from Clarks as we did with Isla when she got her first pair. The only difference being that for her they did this really sweet thing of taking a polaroid of her in her new shoes and putting it in a little card frame to mark the occasion. They didn't seem to do it this time round which is a shame but I took this picture as soon as we left the shop and they look so cute on his feet!

Kenco Millicano - Review

2012-04-18T10:20:00.006+01:00

Since Noah came on the scene my coffee intake has increased about 100%. He doesn't sleep through the night and he wakes up really early. I have to admit that I don't start my day with coffee I always have to have a cup of tea first thing to try and put a smile on my face but by mid morning I'm usually on the coffee to perk me up a bit. When Noah first arrived I was sent some Kenco Instant coffee with no obligation to write a review, it was just an act of kindness on the PR's part (thank you for understanding the tiredness us mums feel!) and I did appreciate it and actually ever since I've been a Kenco convert. We always buy it now.

Kenco Millicano is Kenco’s first ‘Wholebean Instant coffee’, a clever combination of instant coffee and finely-milled beans that is quite simply the closest thing to ‘proper’ coffee in an instant. It offers the convenience of instant with the quality and taste reminiscent of roast and ground coffee.

Recently Kenco have brought out the Kenco Millicano stick packs; individual handbag sized packs so coffee lovers can enjoy delicious Kenco Millicano wherever and whenever they want.

Small in size and individually wrapped, they are the perfect addition to any coffee lover’s handbag – just pop one in your handbag to enjoy your favourite Kenco Millicano coffee on the go; perfect for all the busy women out there who need a quick boost!

I tried the Kenco Millicano at home first as to be honest I didn't really have any opportunities to use it out of the home, as my regular haunts with Noah have delicious coffee anyway. Then on my return to work last week I did take it as I'm not a fan of the coffee brand we have there and we also have a filter coffee machine that makes pretty bad tasting coffee (we actually call it MUD in the office). All I need to say is that it's really good cup of instant coffee! It tastes like proper ground coffee. I can see that this would be a good thing to carry around say if you travelled a lot. My only complaint is that in my bag full of random adult, toddler and baby items is that the box gets a bit crushed! I'm not sure of the solution to this, a small tin would keep the individual packets clean, dry and impossible to tear but then this isn't really environmentally friendly, perhaps a plastic packet with a resealable zip? Anyhow, this is a small detail and in no way detracts from the product.

Kenco Millicano is £3.99 for the 100g tin and £2.99 for the 85g refill pack. Kenco Millicano stick packs available from February 2012 with an RRP of £1.99 per box of ten. For more information on Kenco Millicano visit www.facebook.com/kencomillicano.

Warburtons Breakfast Products - Review

2012-04-11T12:09:00.000+01:00

Warburtons have recently brought out some new breakfast products and a couple of Saturdays ago a big box arrived with the postman just in time for breakfast (he actually wanted to stay when I told him what was inside!).

We got to try Butter Brioche Rolls, Raisin Brioche Swirls, Chocolate Chip Loaf and Warburtons new White Plus Milk and Calcium Bread.

Starting with the patisserie style products, these were absolutely delicious. The brioche products come wrapped singly in cellophane, so no need to worry about opening the packaging for one brioche and the rest going a bit stale or also really handy for taking them out for a breakfast on the go. My personal favourite was the raisin brioche swirls, they were divine. They are filled with creme patisserie and are only 145 calories. They're quite small though, so two needed for my appetite!!

Isla liked the Chocolate Chip Loaf. We toasted it and put a bit of butter on and it was lovely. It really tastes nice and goes well with a cuppa.

Little snack in the middle of crafting!

The butter Brioche rolls are just how you would expect them to be, they can be livened up with a bit of Choccy Philly I found!

Finally we tried the White Plus Milk and Calcium Bread. Apparently 2 slices of this bread a day gives you 50% of your RDA of calcium and it seems that according to recent research 60% of adults don't understand the importance of calcium in aiding bone development in the early years. The British obsession with dieting could be detrimental to the health of our children as people are misguided into banishing certain foods from their diets. White bread has been seen as a bit of a demon in recent times, but in fact it is a good source of calcium and by cutting it out of our diets we could be missing out on some vital nutrients.

Try the Warburtons ‘Calcium Calculator- Eat Well, Live Strong’ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/warburtons to see if you're eating enough calcium rich food per day.

All in all we loved these new products from Warburtons, they made a nice change from our staple breakfast of porridge and they obviously don't have to be confined to breakfast time, they're good for snacking on too.

We were sent a box of Warburtons Breakfast products to try free of charge. All opinions are my own.

Life Gets Complicated

2012-04-09T21:17:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow I go back to work.

My days are going to be very different to how they have been the last 9 months, they are going to get very complicated. Right now they are like this:

Get up anytime between 5.30 and 6.30. Stick Cbeebies on the TV. Milk for kids, tea for me. Administer liquid refreshments, appear to enjoy Postman Pat. Make breakfast, requests taken for chocolate but dismissed and the usual porridge given. Clear up breakfast. Noah likes to chuck it around a fair bit. Take Noah up for a nap, dash in the shower after asking Isla to be a good girl and just SIT and watch TV for a bit. During the shower get called to come with tissue to wipe her bottom, she's done a poo "OK darling, well can you just stay put till I get downstairs, I'm washing my hair". Hurriedly finish shower, rush downstairs to make sure she's not decorated the furniture in poo, she has stayed put, she is great at listening to me I decide.

Usually we're out in the morning, to friends, or playgroup or one of our mums is over. Lunch starts around 11.30, followed by another nap (unfortunately only Noah!). Watch a film as a bit of quiet time for Isla. OH comes home from work and then we generally spend the whole afternoon together as a family, dinner at 5ish followed by bath and bedtime routine.

It's also possible to do some chores (well not many, but some). Life like this is fun but it is also very tiring so now I anticipate feeling even tireder when I throw work into the mix. Especially with a night feed thrown in and the occasional visit to Isla's bedroom for some reason or other.

My week will now look like this:

Monday
ME: work in London from 8.45am to 3.15pm. My commute is 1 hour 15 mins.
Children looked after by my mum at our house until OH gets home from work around 2pm and I'll get home around 4.45pm

Tuesday
As above but MIL doing the childcare
We then have to get Isla over to my parents (30 mins drive) to stay the night so she can be looked after by my mum who will also be looking after my niece
Wednesday
ME: work from home 8.30am - 12.30pm
I take Noah to nursery before work
Isla is with my mum
We then have to fetch Isla or she gets returned and then we take Noah to stay the night at MIL's

Thursday
ME: work 9.30-5.30 at the office
Isla at nursery full day
Noah is with MIL

Friday
As above except I have to get both of them to nursery before work.

It's worth saying at this point that I'm on my own in the mornings, the OH leaves for work at 5.30am. So my main panic is how the f*ck am I going to get ready in the mornings - especially on Friday's when I have to get all 3 of us ready and at the nursery for 8am and then me on a train by 0809!? I'd laugh if it wasn't happening to me. At this moment I'm typing this and feeling a big knot building itself up in my chest and my head hurts.

So tomorrow I'll have some idea on how this all works and I'll see if I've got what it takes to be a mum of 2 and work 30 hours a week - laughable that this is called part time really - course it bloody isn't!

National Trust is THE Best Place For Family Fun

2012-04-05T10:27:00.001+01:00

I recently posted about the Cadbury Easter Egg Trails at National Trust. They're in full swing already and we went on one at the weekend. We went to Nymans House and Gardens and it's our brilliant day there that has made me want to share with you how a day out at a National Trust property is bloody brilliant for families. We have a family membership and it's been such good value. We always take a picnic (sometimes planned with all the trimmings, and other times just stuff cobbled together from the fridge and cupboard), we always try to remember a ball and for me I always have to have some method of capturing the day be it my iPhone or camera.

We went to Nymans on Sunday and we had fantastic weather, a lovely picnic, a good stroll around the grounds (thanks to being on the Egg trail!) and on the way home a super sleep out of the baby! Here are a few of our snaps:

There are so many properties up and down the country. I tend to use the National Trust app on my iPhone to see how close we are to places. When we go on our long weekend to Yorkshire in July I think we will also stop by an NT place as a rest stop, which will mean we'll get to see places that are beyond our own area too!

This is not a sponsored post, it's just me saying what a great organisation The National Trust is and what a great investment an annual membership is.

Vertbaudet - A Review

2012-04-04T22:21:00.000+01:00

Given my daughter's recently developed fashion sense I was a a bit worried about choosing a dress to review for Vertbaudet. I worried that she wouldn't like it and then it would be a flat refusal to wear it, and then I wouldn't have a nice photo to accompany a review. I needn't have worried as she put this dress on and just started twirling and twirling round! She loves it.....

This dress is also very clever as it's CONVERTIBLE! Eh? Well I did wonder that myself when I ordered it but the design of the dress is such that it has coloured buttons around the middle of it and button holes around the bottom. So you basically button up the dress from bottom to middle and it converts to a blouse! It retails at £23 but at the moment has 20% off, making it £18.40. I can't wait for Isla to wear it in the summer!

All I need to say is that it's well made, has a fantastic design and my daughter rocks it!

Check out Vertbaudet for their gorgeous children's clothing, there are always some good deals on like today for instance they have a deal for 40% off your first item and then 20% off the remainder of your order! For me personally I'm eyeing up some of the home collection for Isla's bedroom.

We were sent this dress free of charge in order to review Vertbaudet. Isla's opinion is her own!

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked!

2012-04-04T12:00:00.001+01:00

Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (out on DVD & Blu-ray this week!), and to celebrate the release a fantastic sand artist created a bespoke drawing on Blackpool beach. The sand art drawing is of Alvin and is around 165 feet and has been drawn in a way that can be seen from the beach as opposed to having to go in a helicopter to see it!

The event involved children from a local school who went for a sand master class to help create this unique drawing. It was an exciting event for children and to create a fantastic art spectacle on the beach – something a little bit different!

And for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, Isla loved this film - it was the first film she ever saw at the cinema and she talks about it a lot now - caught her telling Grandpa yesterday about going to the cinema and seeing Alvin and singing the 'Bodyrockers' song and that we had sweeties! Love her xxx

The Gallery - At Peace

2012-04-03T21:36:00.000+01:00

National Trust Nymans Gardens - my new favourite place!

The subject from Tara at Sticky Fingers this week is 'At Peace' and this is my interpretation of that. My idea of peace would be in the outdoors where you can't hear the roar of cars and impatient car horns. Well away from my house where we have a regular daily struggle to park our car anywhere near our front door with two kids to get out of it, where every day it feels like there are lorries constantly pulling up to the printers over the road. Where there is no litter on the ground and no dog mess. This would be a place where my brain could shut down as it hasn't done for a good few months. It's always whirring and wondering 'what if this?' and 'what if that?'. I would love to turn up to a place like this on my own and lay down on the grass in the sunshine and just 'be'.

Click the badge below to find others 'At Peace'.....

This time next week...

2012-04-03T20:30:00.001+01:00

This time next week I'll have done a days work after 9 months maternity leave.

This time next week I'll have not spent the entire day with my kids.

This time next week I'll be feeling guilty about going to work the next day and not spending the day with my kids.

This time next week I'll be rushing around getting everything organised for the morning.

This time next week I'll be feeling cream crackered from a regularly night waking baby, an early rising baby, a commute, a days work, another commute, cooking dinner, tidying up, bath time, bed time.

This time next week I'll be looking forward to getting into bed, only to repeat it all again the next day.

I don't need to say anymore about how I feel about this do I?

Lollibop 2012 - Super Early Bird Tickets on Sale NOW!

2012-04-01T09:00:00.002+01:00

LolliBop 2012 tickets went on sale Thursday, 22nd March for a super early bird price of £19.50pp. There are a limited number of tickets available at this special price for the family event, which is returning to Regent’s Park, August 17-19.

LolliBop are delighted to announce Halfords as an official partner for the 2012 event. Halfords will create a bespoke Bike City at LolliBop, which will include a Wacky Races obstacle course for under 5s, where children can be the first to try out a brand new range of Balance and Apollo kids Bikes. LolliBopper's will be the first in the country to ride the new bikes, which are available to buy exclusively at Halfords from September. For big brothers and sisters highlights include a BMX stunt display and demo area.

Pint sized guests (and grown ups) will notice a few more additions to the 2012 event. The ‘LolliBop Kitchen‘ will bring an exciting new area to the event, where LolliBoppers will have the chance to learn new skills from live demonstrations and interactive workshops. A new ’Tween‘ area will play host a number of activities including street dance, hula hoop, and beatbox workshops, and even it’s very own laser room! Other new areas include ‘The LolliBop Human Zoo’,‘The Disco Shed‘, and the ‘The Village Green‘(with its own live music, craft stalls, and street theatre).

Back by popular demand, the Science Museum are preparing for a triumphant return to Regent’s Park with an expanded area and dedicated Science Zone. For pre-schoolers, the ‘3 ft & Under’ area is back. Confirmed activities include a mini disco, tiny play, little arts, yoga, teddy bears picnic and baby salsa. An extended covered buggy park is also being created.

Old favourites, including ‘LolliSports‘, ‘Imagination Stations‘, ‘Itsy Bitsy Strictly‘ and ‘The Enchanted Forest‘ will all return for 2012. And of course no festival would be complete with a live stage. ‘LolliBop Live’ will play host to some of the hottest names in kids entertainment, with some surprises for adults to. Headliners to be announced soon.

LolliBop Super Early Bird day tickets are on sale now priced £19.50pp (numbers are limited). http://www.lollibopfestival.co.uk

Silent Sunday

2012-04-01T08:00:00.000+01:00

Ballet of sorts!

2012-03-31T21:36:00.000+01:00

My perfect little ballerina (no nose picking that day!)

This week I was looking forward to Isla's ballet lesson, all the parents were finally allowed to see our children in their full ballet glory! I've been taking her for 5 weeks and she's told me that she really likes it, so I had high hopes....

We got into town and while walking through all the shoppers to get to the lesson she started singing 'Who Let the Dogs Out' at the top of her voice. I thought this was hilarious and obviously this egged her on to sing it some more. I must add that this isn't a song we sing a lot but when she was a baby, the first sounds she made were of the 'Oooh Oooh Oooh' variety which led me on to singing this to her and she used to giggle uncontrollably. So it's stuck.

We got to the lesson and I sat with one of the other mums who was also really looking forward to seeing her little girl perform. Now I'm not really sure what i was expecting, obviously not Swan Lake or the Nutcracker but what I got wasn't really what I had in mind!

The teacher started the lesson and Isla started off well, stayed in line, pointed her toe a bit and did some 'bend and stretch' but then it all went a bit wrong and my face changed from being enthralled with her brilliance to one that couldn't really believe what I was seeing, she soon started to walk around pulling her dress over her head and then spent a lot of time picking her nose!!! All the other girls were copying the teacher but I was watching a completely different performance! I was terrible! Trying to catch her eye, telling her not to pick her nose (trying to do this quietly so other mums couldn't see!), telling her to pull her dress down etc etc. Part of me wanted to laugh out loud but the other part of me so wanted her to be a natural, the best one there. Ridiculous isn't it? I was saying to the mum next to me "I don't know why she is doing this", trying to make it obvious that she doesn't do this all the time. She couldn't care less she was too busy filming her own little angel!

I don't want to be a pushy mum in any way shape or form, I just want her to have interests that she enjoys, however I couldn't see any evidence of her enjoying it as she was really just doing her own thing. It could be said that she's too young to take classes like this seriously but there were girls of her age and a bit younger and they were all doing it. Putting all the flashing and nose picking aside though I do love her free spirited nature, she loves singing and dancing and doing things in her own unique way. All I can say is that she certainly was unique that afternoon......................

The Land of Sometimes - Review

2012-03-31T20:44:00.000+01:00

Before we got the chance to review The Land of Sometimes I'd seen a lot of bloggers on twitter extolling it's virtues and I was totally intrigued! As soon as we got it I was a bit worried that we'd not be able to get Justin Fletcher out of the disk drive in the car but as soon as I put this CD on the kids seemed to go into a trance in the back seats and they fell off to sleep! Obviously this is beneficial to me but it's not really them listening to it. So I kept putting it on and I found that although it still kept sending Noah to sleep (it's so hypnotic and calming!), it didn't always do the same for Isla, she started to REALLY listen to the story and understand some of the magical nature of it.

The album is a musical on a CD, it has a wonderful story running through it and a brilliant narrator telling the story interspersed with songs. So what's it about?
The Land of Sometimes is about a magical journey that twins Elize & Alfie take together. Four seasons pass in one day and as they pass through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter they encounter many characters along the way who all have fantastic songs. Isla's favourites are the second song, 'Dare Make A Wish' - she calls this Alfie's Song and actually we have to listen to this one about 3 times before I have to butt in and say we're listening to the rest of the CD! After this she likes 'The Ditty of Little Twink' - a song about a naughty fairy who comes to your room and messes it up when you're asleep. My personal favourite is 'The Ballad of the River Slouch Sling' - when I listen to it I seem to have a picture of Keith Allen playing the part of this character - listen up all theatre directors if you make 'The Land of Sometimes' on the stage! The music is so diverse, some of it has a dreamy quality, other bits are disco and some bits are a bit spooky.
I love the fact that Isla is made to use her imagination with this CD, it's an audio book, something we hadn't tried with her before and it really works. She is gradually picking up the words to the songs as I hear her in the back singing along (so sweet!). I'm trying to get us through the whole CD in play list order but she does have a habit of requesting her favourites, so I try and persuade her that we should follow Alfie and Elize through the magical journey.

I love the CD sleeve, it's a book with gorgeous illustrations. I haven't actually let Isla loose with it yet though for a couple of reasons - I don't want it to get naffed up (!) and also I want her to make up her own pictures in her head of what the characters look like.

As a final positive, this CD does still send Noah into a deep sleep when we're in the car, so if you have a particularly niggly 8 month old baby who refuses a lunch time nap - get this beautiful CD, bung baby in the car and drive somewhere till baby sleeps, don't forget to take your flask of coffee and a magazine - actually scrap the last bit, just sit and listen to the story, it really is entertaining!

Go to www .thelandofsometimes.com for further information, bits and pieces for the kids and to purchase.

We were sent a copy of The Land of Sometimes free of charge in order to write this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Quorn! A Healthy, Tasty Alternative to Meat

2012-03-27T16:06:00.001+01:00

With food prices rising every week (or so it feels!), I've recently looked to find ways to make meals a little bit more cheaply and I've found that with Quorn I can do this. Especially if I'm making a meal that would typically contain chicken. I'm also conscious that I need to serve healthy meals to my young family and again Quorn fits the bill for this. We're not vegetarian but we are conscious of not eating meat too many times a week and with vegetables still the enemy with Isla I've found that rather than make meals that are wholly made with vegetables I've gone down the route of making a meal with Quorn as it works so well for things like bolognese or cottage pie. Here's the Pasta Bolognese I recently made using Quorn, it really is hard to tell the difference.

For us busy mums it's also important that we don't have to learn new ways of cooking things and the beauty of Quorn is that it cooks in exactly the same way as you would cook it's meaty partner. And frozen Quorn products can be cooked straight from the freezer, meaning less forethought required to make your evening meal! It's also worth saying that Quorn don't only make 'mince' type products or 'chicken style' pieces. We also recently tried crispy coated Gruyere Cheese Escalopes which were delicious with a bit of salad and a baked potato. Unbelievably Quorn make over 100 different products.

Quorn is good for many reasons, and for the non-vegetarian it is a way of making meals healthier as fat content is dramatically less than meat. It's a great source of cholesterol-free protein. I did always wonder what Quorn was and a quick look on the Quorn site tells me that the main constituent of Quorn, Mycoprotein, is a naturally occurring, high quality, healthy form of protein. Quorn is produced using a fermentation process very similar to brewing; only they harvest the solid as opposed to the liquid.

Why not check out the Quorn website and have a go at making the recipes there using Quorn? Quorn is a great meat substitute and I challenge you to find a meal that can't be 'Quornified'! You could also 'Like' the Quorn Facebook Page and upload photos of your Quorn dishes. Go on, give it a try, you can't knock it till you've tried it!

This is a sponsored post, but I have written honestly about my Quorn experience!

A Tribute to Big Sheepy

2012-03-26T22:27:00.001+01:00

This week an awful thing happened, Isla's companion since she was 9 months old got lost. Big Sheepy has been a part of our lives (read that as the BAIN of our lives!) since we bought him for her at Bocketts Farm. It became obvious by the time she was 1 that this sheep was her favourite soft toy and at that point I thought I've got to try and get another one of these, just in case. Well, it's not that easy and my attempt to get a second Sheepy failed. So we were careful. On one occasion I thought we'd left him in a shop in town. After running round all the shops we'd been too that morning, I thought we'd lost him, but then on returning to the supermarket carpark, there he was still in the trolley. I breathed a sigh of relief and vowed to be more careful! Well somehow the unthinkable has happened and he's vanished. It's useless asking Isla where he might be as she just says 'In the car?' or 'In the garden?'. She doesn't know. Weirdly I think I've actually been more upset than her and that's because a few months back she got given another sheep and this one got named 'Baby Sheepy' - original these names aren't they!! So here is my tribute to Big Sheepy, towards the end, he only had one eye and his neck was void of stuffing, he wasn't the fluffy white sheep he once was but Isla loved him!

Silent Sunday

2012-03-25T08:49:00.001+01:00

The Gallery - Colour

2012-03-21T09:20:00.001Z

I'm loving Instagram at the moment with all the different filters. Obviously I have used a filter on this photo but the reason I took it was that as I was sitting there, it struck me how colourful Noah looked and also all his surroundings too! I love dressing him in bright colours. This was at Baby Sensory, a class that we only started about 8 weeks ago and sadly we'll only have another 2 weeks left as I'm back to work soon. Noah absolutely loves it and so do I. It's special time that we share together and every week has a theme. My favourite so far has to be the Valentine week. We danced together with a disco ball spinning in the background. It's actually making my cry thinking of this. I know I could do this on my own in my own living room but I love that Baby Sensory gives me ideas of things to do with Noah and it has such lovely songs. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and at the end of it all the babies are usually ready for a big lunchtime nap because they've had such fun! So that's my entry in The Gallery this week. If you want to enjoy any of the other posts then click the badge below.

Noah at 8 Months; Separation Anxiety, A Tooth & Crawling!

2012-03-20T20:42:00.000Z

A lot has happened in the last week....

We've had a lot of crying. Separation anxiety is at it's height! And lucky old me, it's only me that he wants. I blogged last year about Isla being a Daddy's girl and my OH reminded me recently that I did say that I wanted a Mummy's boy. Well, I'm not saying that I'd like to retract that but let's just say it's getting a bit too much. I can't even step more than a foot away from the boy without howls of distress. It's like a siren and it gets louder and louder. I'm pretty sure that Isla did a little bit of this, but definitely not to this extent.

We did an experiment a couple of times, just to check if there was actually anything wrong with him. It went like this. I'm in the room, right next to him, Noah is all calm and collected. I move away from him. Howling commences. I must add that he can still see me, I haven't gone anywhere far! The OH picks him up, this is still not good enough. He is sobbing, uncontrollably, snot pouring from his nostrils. I come back into the acceptable distance I'm allowed away from him (an inch) and he visibly calms a bit, but still howls. I take him from the OH and all crying ends and almost a jubilant look can be detected as he snuggles up to me as if to say, 'YES! I got what I wanted in the end!'.

It's draining and has gone on my pro's list for going back to work (another post in progress to address that!). I hope he stops it soon and I get my happy contented boy back, however I also think it is linked to the appearance of a tooth. At last. I really hoped that we'd have a few teeth done and dusted by now, so that on my return to work I only had about another 12 teeth to arrive and sleepless nights would be fewer. But no, he's decided to follow in his sister's footsteps and get his first one at 8 months like her. I don't have to worry about him needing them for eating though. He's storming through solids, with even the nursery admitting to me last week that they forgot to puree his food and he was eating rather large sized pieces of pasta for lunch! Go Noah!

Another milestone we ticked off the list this week is crawling. Now this is a double edged sword. Brilliant because it's a step towards me not having to carry around a 25lb baby everywhere I go (yes, he really is that heavy!) but not brilliant because he'll be getting into EVERYTHING! Ashamedly, this another one of my pro's for going back to work....someone else will deal with this while I'm at the office! Seriously though I do love it. I love seeing him grow and it does feel that between 6 months and 8 months a lot has happened. He's no longer a sicky baby, we don't have to change our clothes (mine too!) a million times due to reflux. He's also full of personality now. I love the interaction between him and Isla (well not all of it), he's always watching her and checking out what she's doing and she has become more interested in him too. However I do think I need to get Isla's hair cut a bit shorter as he is forever making a grab for it which results in lots of tears. The funny thing is that while she is crying her eyes out, he is laughing like Nan (you know the Catherine Tate character?), really cackling.

He is the hungriest baby ever still. I am slightly worried by the fact that most nights he has a late feed and then will still quite often wake in the night for milk too. I wondered if this was a habit but to be honest I don't think I could persuade him not to have milk if I tried as he goes completely mad until he gets it. I pity the neighbours, because he ROARS, although they swear that they never hear him. I know all babies are different and there can't possibly be a hard fast rule on how much food they should eat at each meal, but I do find it hard to judge how much I should be serving up to him when weaning and the very fact he wakes in the night for milk could mean I'm not giving him enough solids I guess? Any feedback on that welcome!

As I mentioned before I'm due back to work soon and the closer it gets the more it actually breaks my heart, he's really made this family complete and I couldn't imagine life without him. So on that note I'll sign off. More on my big baby's progress soon.