Last year, when all the craziness started to relax a little bit and Boris announced that the lockdown was easing in July, we booked a trip to Paultons Park / Peppa Pig world for Halloween. Little did we know at the time the madness was far from over as much as we all dreamed it would be however we just managed to sneak our trip in and came home the day before the lockdown kicked back in.
Since then, Erin has asked me approximately 20 times every day if we can go back. Peppa Pig has been the one programme she’s religiously loved from the start so to be able to take her to somewhere so magic like that was great.
We decided to chance booking another trip when Boris annouced the lockdown date for June so in March (unknown to Erin because I couldn’t deal with the is it today question for 4 months) we booked to go back in early July as an extended little holiday and last treat as the 3 of us before baby no2 arrived.
We booked (as we did last time) through Paultons Park who do a fantastic offer of 2nd day in the park free if you book a short break through them. There is a whole range of hotels to choose from and we chose to stay in the Holiday Inn in Eastleigh which is 9 miles from the park itself.
The break itself included breakfast as part of the package and we chose to stay for 2 nights instead of the standard 1, choosing to stay the night before we went to the park due to the long drive. The great thing about booking is you can customise your stay and chose how many nights, what day you want your park tickets etc - the whole booking process was incredibly easy!
The hotel itself was fantastic and really well equipped for a stay with little ones. The choices at breakfast catered really well for toddlers. They had a great selection of food options including fruits, cereals, small pastries and even frubes (which Erin was delighted with). They even had smaller plates, cups, bowls and cutlery (ikea ones) for them to use at breakfast which if your a toddler parent is often a great relief as it is little things like this which can really enhance a stay and make life easier.
Erin is already asking to go back again so I definitely think another trip will be on the agenda once baby is old enough to go on things and enjoy it too. If you haven’t been add it to your family visit list as it is definitely one to do!
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Back in June, behind the scenes, I decided to give my blog a little make over and do something I have been thinking about for a long time and buy my domain name. That was literally all I did... I published one post in June which I didn't really mentioned and haven't posted since, in a mass of busyness and craziness with the intention of sitting down and some point and properly looking to relaunch my blog.
I love my little corner of the internet and while blogging may be seen as a dying art, I love being able to look back and read the things we are up to and sharing reviews online of things we have done and places we have been to (even if no one is reading them).
As you can imagine, things are getting a little hectic around here... I finish work this week for maternity leave and am frantically writing a essay which is due not too far from my babies due date as part of the modules for my first year of my masters. Ive also got an exam on the 17th August so I need to start revising for that too (and hope I make it to the exam date without going into labour early).
Im currently 35 weeks pregnant and baby girl is extremely low down. I don't ever remember being this uncomfortable and low down with Erin who was born at 38 weeks by induction so I am just hoping that she will let me at least get some of the things done I have got planned over the next couple of weeks before she decides to make an appearance! We are pretty much ready for her now, we did some more bits over the weekend including all the practical things like getting the car seat down from the loft etc and my hospital bag has been packed for a few weeks with the exception of a few bits.
Like I say, this is going to be my little corner online to share, I don't know what its going to turn out like yet. I have lots of ideas of things I want to share and write about and I'm hoping that being able to write online while im on maternity leave will give me something I enjoy too.
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So yesterday officially marked the start of my third trimester in this pregnancy! I have to say it does seem to be flying by this time while going slow all at the same time. I am desperately trying to enjoy every single moment of this pregnancy, knowing this is the last baby we plan to have so I want to embrace every little thing.
What has surprised me is how different each pregnancy can be. I have heard people say it before but I guess until you're actual in that situation you don't realise this for yourself.
This time round has been SO different than when I had Erin. I was so convinced up to the gender scan we would be having a little boy because of how different I felt. When I was pregnant with Erin my morning sickness was absolutely awful and I was sick at least 2-3 times most days from about 6 weeks until around 22 weeks. This time I started feeling sick again around 5-6 weeks and prepared myself for the same as last time but I was actually only sick around 3 or 4 times throughout the whole of my first trimester although I did spend all day feeling sick which I am not sure if that's worse. Around 14 weeks this disappeared all together which was great!
One thing I have suffered with this time which I didn't with Erin is horrific back and hip pain. Apparently this is really common in second pregnancies and is all to do with the hormone relaxin which makes everything as the name suggests, relax. It was getting so bad, I have actually started to see a chiropractor which has actually been really helping although I still have good and bad days depending on what I am doing (it gets particularly bad if I do a lot of walking).
Other than that I have been feeling pretty good. We are just starting to get everything organised and finalised in the nursery and should be getting the last bits of furniture we need next weekend. We saved everything we had with Erin so I need to start sorting the boxes of smaller clothes and checking what we have as I know some of the 0-3 and 3-6 stuff won't be suitable as Erin was a spring baby (born in 2018 when we had that lovely heat wave from April - September) so a lot of the things are the wrong season but obviously things like baby grows and vests are universal no matter what season.
Either way I’m excited for the countdown to meeting our littlest girl! I’ve officially made a start of my hospital bag so I’ll be sharing that as soon as it’s finished and organised!
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I’ve been thinking about taking pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) for a while as I miss my little space on the internet. I’ve had this little space for 10 years this year and over the years I’ve felt so much pressure to try and follow the trends and do what everyone else is doing... as the blogging community died off in favour of YouTube I felt like there was no point in carrying on! What I’ve realised is this blog doesn’t need to be for anyone else but me! A place for me to share my thoughts, to chat, to share memories... and if people come along for the ride then perfect!
Today felt like the perfect day to write a little catch up as today marks 1 year since Boris Johnson announced the first UK lockdown (claiming it would last 3 weeks) . Here we are 12 months later and what a strange year it’s been. We’ve missed family and friends, none of the normal day to day things we take for granted like nipping to a shop or going out for tea have been allowed, and Adam has spent more time at home on furlough than he has at work (as I work for the NHS I’ve been working right through). They keep promising that life is going to go back to normal... who knows what normal is anymore... I think what we can hope for is a new normal. I think it’s what we all need.
Life has been pretty hectic over the past 12 months. As I say I have worked all through but we managed to squeeze in a lovely family holiday in September in between lockdowns and a trip to Peppa pig world in October just before lockdown 2.0. We added 2 nieces to the family in September and December (one of whom we haven’t been able to meet yet) and in December just before Christmas we had the best Christmas present of all when we found out we were expecting our second baby!
I’m now nearly 17 weeks pregnant and we found out this week we are expecting a little girl. Erin is massively excited to be a big sister and we can’t wait to complete our family!
2020 will certainly be a year we will all remember and will go down in history as the year the world almost stood still. I’m hoping as we creep more in 2021 there’s a light at the end of the tunnel but who knows! All we can do is keep hoping and keep staying safe!
Here we are... 14 weeks since Boris Johnson announced that the UK was in lockdown in an attempt to help with the pandemic sweeping across the world.
14 weeks is a long time. Lots of things have changed in that time. Time is both moving really quickly and slowly at the same time. One day just seems to roll in to the next, I have no idea what day it is but on the whole it hasn’t been too bad. I have still been going to work for part of the week so it’s been a small slice of normality for me, even though I’m doing something different and supporting another team.
As we start to gradually move out of lockdown and things start to return to some kind of new normal, I honestly feel like I am coming out of the other side of lockdown having grown as a person (cheesy I know). Here’s some things I have learnt....
It is ok
Yes we are in a global pandemic and everything is different but you know what it is ok to crave things that your missing out on however big or small. I’ve seen lots of posts online from people saying how selfish it is to be sad about things you had plans that you can’t do because of lockdown... I’ll be honest it’s not selfish at all... yes we all understand lockdown and the reasons for it but that doesn’t mean we can’t be sad about that missed birthday celebrations for your little one, your family holiday, days out you had planned. Even the simple stuff like swimming lessons, going to church, heck even just the simple things like going to mum and dads for a coffee and a chat.
Enjoy time together
Life sometimes can be so hectic. I’ll be honest, some weeks it feels like Adam and I barely see each other in the evenings with him doing choir practice, teaching piano etc so one thing lockdown has taught is to do is enjoy the time together we have. We got into a terrible habit once Erin was in bed of sitting watching the same old rubbish on TV - Normally repeats of old panel shows like QI or something like that which is Adams default to put when there is nothing on tv. We would basically sit there and both either playing on phones or laptops and spend the evening just sat there.
Over the last couple of weeks in particular, we have been playing games together on the Nintendo switch and we did a jigsaw which Adam brought me the Christmas after we got married with a wedding photo on. We spent just under a week doing it and now it’s ready to glue and frame. We enjoyed it so much we ordered a couple more.
14 weeks is a long time. Lots of things have changed in that time. Time is both moving really quickly and slowly at the same time. One day just seems to roll in to the next, I have no idea what day it is but on the whole it hasn’t been too bad. I have still been going to work for part of the week so it’s been a small slice of normality for me, even though I’m doing something different and supporting another team.
As we start to gradually move out of lockdown and things start to return to some kind of new normal, I honestly feel like I am coming out of the other side of lockdown having grown as a person (cheesy I know). Here’s some things I have learnt....
It is ok
Yes we are in a global pandemic and everything is different but you know what it is ok to crave things that your missing out on however big or small. I’ve seen lots of posts online from people saying how selfish it is to be sad about things you had plans that you can’t do because of lockdown... I’ll be honest it’s not selfish at all... yes we all understand lockdown and the reasons for it but that doesn’t mean we can’t be sad about that missed birthday celebrations for your little one, your family holiday, days out you had planned. Even the simple stuff like swimming lessons, going to church, heck even just the simple things like going to mum and dads for a coffee and a chat.
Enjoy time together
Life sometimes can be so hectic. I’ll be honest, some weeks it feels like Adam and I barely see each other in the evenings with him doing choir practice, teaching piano etc so one thing lockdown has taught is to do is enjoy the time together we have. We got into a terrible habit once Erin was in bed of sitting watching the same old rubbish on TV - Normally repeats of old panel shows like QI or something like that which is Adams default to put when there is nothing on tv. We would basically sit there and both either playing on phones or laptops and spend the evening just sat there.
Over the last couple of weeks in particular, we have been playing games together on the Nintendo switch and we did a jigsaw which Adam brought me the Christmas after we got married with a wedding photo on. We spent just under a week doing it and now it’s ready to glue and frame. We enjoyed it so much we ordered a couple more.
Self care is important
I think we can all admit that we are guilty of spending so much time rushing around that we often neglect ourselves in the process. I’m the first one to admit I’m guilt of this. I’m so busy spending time trying to make sure everything is organised and planned, taking time for myself comes right at the back of the queue. I’ve been trying to take some time for myself to properly look after my skin, time to draw which I absolutely love and reading which I haven’t done for a long time... I even dug out my kindle!
Appreciating everything
I think one of the main things you suddenly learn when your unable to do something is how much you appreciate it. Once we were told we were in lockdown, you suddenly realise the importance of being able to nip round to family and have a coffee or just visit when you want. Suddenly being only the next street away from my mum and dad, but not being able to visit was horrible. They may as we have been on the other side of the world. About 4 weeks after we went into official lockdown, my Nanna fell and broke her hip and shoulder. Even something as simple as someone being able to go to the hospital with her, and being able to visit changed. We haven’t seen her since then and it is the hardest thing in the world to know she’s all alone and not being able to visit her in the hospital especially as she has had quite a difficult time of it. Once all this madness is over, I am vowing to try and appreciate every little thing in my life.
The waste
I started being more conscious about the amount of waste and things we produce as a family way before lockdown and thought about ways we could maybe try and reduce this. Slowly I have started to introduce new things into our lives to try and reduce this. One of the main things we did was to swap to using reusable baby wipes. I’d seen a number of times over on Charlotte Taylor’s Instagram that she used something called cheeky wipes but felt like as Erin was coming up to nearly being ready to potty train, wasn’t sure if it was worth the investment. I decided to give them a go anyway and ordered a couple of the sets they have on offer - one for nappy changes and another for hands and face. I am honestly completely converted and wish it is something we had found sooner. Not only am I converted but so is Adam who normally when I decided to try something like this just kinda goes with it as one of my crazy ideas but he absolutely loved them too. We’ve found them so much better and when it says one wipe per poop - it really does mean it.
Slowly I’m introducing other changes too - we brought a compost bin for food and garden waste, I’ve brought reusable sheets for my oven instead of using so much tin foil and I even brought some bees wax to make my own wraps!
Embracing things - a change can do you good
I have been straightening away my curly hair for at least the last 10 years and couldn’t imagine not using my GHDs. Most people when I say my hair is curly are total jealous and would love the curls but I think after getting some mean comments when I was teaching from some of the students (looking back silly little year 9 boys who used to tell me I looked like Heather from Eastenders) I decided to change it.
One of my friends posted on Facebook just after lockdown about the curly girl method - a way of cowashing your hair to embrace and enhance the curls. I had seen another friend mention it a few years back and when I saw it this time I decided to look into it a bit more. Lockdown seemed like the perfect time to give it a go. On 23rd April I did my first curly girl wash and I haven’t picked my straighteners up since. Yes there has been up and down days but I finally feel like it’s starting to look nice instead of a hot frizzy mess.
What have been the biggest lessons you have learnt during lockdown?
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I seem to flit back to my little corner of the internet every now and again however I felt there was no better time to come on here and document what is happening in the world.. if nothing else so in years to come, theres a record for me to look back on and see what kind of crazy things were going on..
Imagine starting the new year and new decade as we all did, with high hopes of what this wonderful new time would bring only for 3 months in, the whole world literally to be falling apart! Imagine if someone had said to you on January 1st, there would be a time, in the not too distant future that you would be advised not to leave the house. That you wouldn't be able to visit friends and family. That anything you knew as normal, going to work, going to the shops, swimming lessons, playgroup, church.. would all just stop! Well it happened!
Covid 19 or Corona Virus. Thats basically what is causing the whole world to stop. Its trickled in varying stages with China starting the main bulk of cases only for it to move around the world. As of today (31st March 2020) there have been a total of just over 41,000 deaths across the world, just under 2000 of those in the UK.
The UK has been on "lockdown" for a week now - what does that mean? Anyone who isn't a key worker shouldn't leave the house unless its for food or their 30 minutes daily exercise. There are lines around the supermarkets queuing outside with everyone having to stand 2m apart. Socialisation with anyone who doesn't live in your house is not allowed.
I'll be honest it is hard. I am quite lucky in the sense that my job as an NHS worker is classed as a key worker - even though I am not clinical I have been moved to support a vital team. This means I still get to leave the house - even if it is to go to work. For me, the hardest thing is not seeing mum and dad and particularly for Erin not to see them. Obviously at nearly 2, she doesn't have an understanding of what is going on at all, all she knows is that mummy and daddy are home more which I think in one sense is actually good.
I think the hardest part about this whole thing is that none of us know exactly how long it is going to last.. could be weeks.. it could be months. The effect on the economy is going to last I fear for longer as there have already been several casualties in terms of well known retail businesses.
For now, I am just grateful we are all happy and healthy and pray that it will remain that way until this crazy thing is over.
Stay safe everyone xxx
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January is one of those really reflective months where you have a think about having a fresh start, but most people fall into the problem of trying really hard for the first 2 weeks of the month and then giving up.
I’m determined that this year I’m not going to be in of those people who sets a really silly amount of unrealistic goals! So I’ve thought long and hard about what I want 2020 to bring...
Create more
I have started to spend more time in 2019 getting back in to crafty.. I did quite a few crafty bits for Christmas and actually really enjoyed it so I want to do more creating... in whatever platform
Read More
This one ends up on my list every year and yet I never seem to achieve it! I want to read at least 1 book every month for 2020.. more would be lovely but a minimum of 12.
Healthier me
Yes I want to lose weigh but I don’t want to write this on the list... I don’t just want to lose weight I want us all to be more healthier!
Be more organised
I seem to spend an awful lot of my time doing things which if I was more organised could be condensed. Mostly this related to meal prep and such but there’s a lot of other bits included in here.
Skincare
I’m still on a journey to find my favourite products when it comes to skincare. I’ve found some really good products over the last few months as I’ve been exploring new products but there are still other things I want to add into my routine. Then I also need to keep on top of the routine (this is a big one for me)
And that’s it. I don’t want to make loads. I want to be realistic and try to keep on top of them. Let’s see how it goes eh!
Skincare is something I have always had a love hate battle with when it comes to having a proper routine, often making the quick and lazy choice over something that was actually good for my skin.
These are the bits I keep in my bedroom on my dressing table. Normally I start the day with Clinique face wash. Then I use the nip + fab pads as kind of a second cleanse. I’ve recently started using the sanctuary spa glow radiance toner since my Clinique 3 step one ran out. This has 5% glycolic acid in which I have noticed is making a huge difference to my skin. I then use the oils of life essence lotion. I picked this and also the eye cream up when we went to this morning live back in May after having a chat with the lady on the body shop stand. Adding this step in helps to lock in any other moisture I pop onto my skin after and I have noticed a huge difference since using it. I’m yet to find a nice serum that I like and have noticed a huge difference in, I’ve been eyeing up the one from Beauty Pie but at the moment I’m using this vitamin C one from generation, it’s nice but I’m not sure it’s as nice I would like a serum to be. My moisturiser of choice at the moment is the L’Oréal Hydra Genius. I’ve been really enjoying this and is a massive change from a normal cream and is more of a silky gel. I think this would be something I would repurchase.
I’ve always been quite lucky really when it came to my skin type and have never really suffered with excess dryness, oiliness or breakouts and just had what skincare experts would call “normal” skin.
After having Erin, it seems like I fell victim to what lots of women do, and a crazy rush of hormones made my skin go wahhhhh! And suddenly I went from having a normal skin type to it being very dry! As I was also on the approach to turning 30 I decided it was time to start having a proper look at my skin and trying to figure out actually what the best things to start using were.
I’ll be honest, after bobbing up and down in that bubble of trying to find a proper routine with a small baby and not knowing what to use, I didn’t actually get into properly sorting out where I was until after my 30th birthday. As a treat to myself during the week I had off at the end of March, just before I went back to work full time after maternity leave, I booked myself a facial with the girl who does my brows.
I’ve never really had a proper facial before, Anneli had been doing my brows a while so we started with a good chat about my skin. She told me my skin was dehydrated and explained some type of products which would benefit them, however she said the main thing that would benefit it was a proper routine! So as soon as I got home I started looking at some of the things she said and doing my own research on blogs and websites from such gurus as Caroline Hirons.
I’ve been using a proper routine for a few months now and have been making a special effort to make sure I take my make up off which is something I always fall down on!
These are the bits I keep in my bedroom on my dressing table. Normally I start the day with Clinique face wash. Then I use the nip + fab pads as kind of a second cleanse. I’ve recently started using the sanctuary spa glow radiance toner since my Clinique 3 step one ran out. This has 5% glycolic acid in which I have noticed is making a huge difference to my skin. I then use the oils of life essence lotion. I picked this and also the eye cream up when we went to this morning live back in May after having a chat with the lady on the body shop stand. Adding this step in helps to lock in any other moisture I pop onto my skin after and I have noticed a huge difference since using it. I’m yet to find a nice serum that I like and have noticed a huge difference in, I’ve been eyeing up the one from Beauty Pie but at the moment I’m using this vitamin C one from generation, it’s nice but I’m not sure it’s as nice I would like a serum to be. My moisturiser of choice at the moment is the L’Oréal Hydra Genius. I’ve been really enjoying this and is a massive change from a normal cream and is more of a silky gel. I think this would be something I would repurchase.
Other additions to my skincare routine come in the way of things I tend to use in the bathroom... face wash, make up removers, masks and exfoliators.
In terms of make up removers, I’ve tried my fair share over time. I have decided more recently I love a nice balm cleanser and my 2 go to ones would be the Body shop camomile and the No7 radiant results.
I’m yet to discover a decent mask or exfoliator which I love... I recently purchased the ordinary “vampire mask” although yet to try it but if you have any firm faves in either catagory girl me a shout!
I think that as with anything, there’s so much room for change. I often can’t resist a new product launch but I think I’m finally starting to get into some sort of routine with knowing what works well for my skin and what doesn’t! Fingers crossed anyway!
The say that time flies when your having fun and let me tell you there’s nothing like having a baby to throw this statement into your face! One minute your on the delivery suite waiting to meet your previous baby for the first time and the next she’s turning 18 months old!
As someone with an incredibly close relationship to my own mum, having children of my own, especially the prospect of having a daughter is something I have been excited for, for a long time.
Being a mum is one of the best and most challenging things I have ever done. No matter how many people you chat to beforehand, no one can prepare you for the real highs and lows that being a parent truly brings. The joy of a new word or new thing learnt or hearing them shout mummy at you far outweighs the anguish of not sleeping, feeding dramas and the general bad days that come with raising a tiny human determined to make their own mind up about the world.
At 18 months old, Erin has now developed her own proper cheeky personality! She has a look of pure mischief and cheekiness on her face a good 60% of the time. She is so confident in walking now and her speech is coming on so quickly! I honestly feel like I come home every day to a new word! It’s so amazing watching her learn!
I have to say I am enjoying this age! Not that I haven’t enjoyed it so far but it’s so lovely now she can communicate with us properly! She is absolutely going to be a girl who knows what she wants and goes for it as we can already see this quality in her! She’s also got absolutely no fear and will give anything a go which I hope is something (safety provided of course) that she doesn’t lose!
We recently started swimming lessons after searching for so long to find a class that fitted in with out schedule and I can honestly say I am so happy with the class. It’s early days as Erin has only done 2 lessons but I can always see her confidence blooming!
I’m not going to be one of those people who says having a toddler at this age is perfect, it comes with it’s own challenges of crying because she’s frustrated and not sleeping (thanks 18 month sleep regression you bitch) and the final leg of teething for a while but on the whole as I said before, the good days far outweigh the bad! I mean look at that gorgeous smile!
Both myself and Adam have very fond memories of holidays with haven when we were younger. For years as a child, we spent time working our way round some of the 40 parks haven have - our favourites being Caister on Sea and Ayr but we’ve visited probably about 8 or 9 of the parks. In fact it was at Caister in Sea back in 1999 while on holiday with our families that myself and Adam actually met.. proper childhood sweethearts come holiday romance if you like.
When we had Erin, we decided that rather than going abroad, we would love to do what we did as kids, and work our way around the different parks that around the UK. I’ll be honest, the idea of going abroad while is little makes me twitch with the amount of stuff we would have to take with us plus the worry of keeping them cool, out of the sun too much... I also want Erin to be able to appreciate the places we take to around the world.
What I love about booking with haven is the ease of everything. It’s all done online which means you can browse holidays in your pjs.... and you can easily move and look at the different parks and accommodation options. Depending which park you stay at, you can stay in a caravan, apartments or lodge and when you pop in your choice of park and dates it gives you the different options to chose from along with the price. Another handy option thing I found with haven was the different payment options. You can either pay for your holiday in full when you book, pay a small amount then the final balance on a set date before you go, or you can pay monthly which is the option we chose.
We chose to stay in a Prestige caravan which is one of the higher quality caravans that haven offers (second only to a prestige) which offered a few more home comforts such as a DVD player which we found handy to have during the afternoons when we had a bit of chill time before going out on the evening.
Hafan Y mor itself it situated 4 miles just outside of Pwllheli. The camp itself used to be one of the original Butlins sites (I think) and is split over 2 sides with a small bridge in the middle over a train line. Haven have just spent over £12.5 million on the camp in the last 12 months and you can really tell that they have done a lot of work on it.
In terms of travelling with a little one to haven we could not fault the service at all. Adding things like a high chair and bed guard onto our holiday was easy to do on the online system and both were delivered to our caravan shortly after we arrived. We also had the option of hiring a travel cot but when I looked into booking this, it said you couldn’t put these up in the little bedroom and would have to go up in the lounge area. As our plan had been to put Erin to bed and keep her in as much of a routine as possible we decided to try a bed guard so she could sleep in the bedroom however I spent more time awake worrying the would climb over it on and eventually since Adam found the bed too soft and favourited the lovely corner sofa, she spent the rest of the week in bed with me.
We didn’t use the entertainment much at nighttime only staying out for the tots disco, seaside show and the bingo so I can’t comment on the main entertainment however the bits we did see were really good. They also has some good bits on in the day however you could defiantly tell the end of the season was nearing as there didn’t seem to be as much on as I thought maybe there would be.
We really enjoyed the park. The only thing I could really pick a fault with (if I had to) was I thought the Indoor play area could have been better. We did venture once however it wasn’t really amazing. On a rainy day I’m not sure it would be good enough entertainment for little ones. If you love swimming though the pool is amazing. Defiantly one of the best ones I have been to.
All in all it was a great week. We have already booked to go back to haven next year - this time to Caister on sea where Adam and I met and my mum and dad are coming too! I’m also hanging on for haven to release the flood dates for 2021 breaks so we can book somewhere for then. What can I say? This girl loves Rory the tiger!
When we had Erin, we decided that rather than going abroad, we would love to do what we did as kids, and work our way around the different parks that around the UK. I’ll be honest, the idea of going abroad while is little makes me twitch with the amount of stuff we would have to take with us plus the worry of keeping them cool, out of the sun too much... I also want Erin to be able to appreciate the places we take to around the world.
What I love about booking with haven is the ease of everything. It’s all done online which means you can browse holidays in your pjs.... and you can easily move and look at the different parks and accommodation options. Depending which park you stay at, you can stay in a caravan, apartments or lodge and when you pop in your choice of park and dates it gives you the different options to chose from along with the price. Another handy option thing I found with haven was the different payment options. You can either pay for your holiday in full when you book, pay a small amount then the final balance on a set date before you go, or you can pay monthly which is the option we chose.
We chose to stay in a Prestige caravan which is one of the higher quality caravans that haven offers (second only to a prestige) which offered a few more home comforts such as a DVD player which we found handy to have during the afternoons when we had a bit of chill time before going out on the evening.
Hafan Y mor itself it situated 4 miles just outside of Pwllheli. The camp itself used to be one of the original Butlins sites (I think) and is split over 2 sides with a small bridge in the middle over a train line. Haven have just spent over £12.5 million on the camp in the last 12 months and you can really tell that they have done a lot of work on it.
In terms of travelling with a little one to haven we could not fault the service at all. Adding things like a high chair and bed guard onto our holiday was easy to do on the online system and both were delivered to our caravan shortly after we arrived. We also had the option of hiring a travel cot but when I looked into booking this, it said you couldn’t put these up in the little bedroom and would have to go up in the lounge area. As our plan had been to put Erin to bed and keep her in as much of a routine as possible we decided to try a bed guard so she could sleep in the bedroom however I spent more time awake worrying the would climb over it on and eventually since Adam found the bed too soft and favourited the lovely corner sofa, she spent the rest of the week in bed with me.
We didn’t use the entertainment much at nighttime only staying out for the tots disco, seaside show and the bingo so I can’t comment on the main entertainment however the bits we did see were really good. They also has some good bits on in the day however you could defiantly tell the end of the season was nearing as there didn’t seem to be as much on as I thought maybe there would be.
We really enjoyed the park. The only thing I could really pick a fault with (if I had to) was I thought the Indoor play area could have been better. We did venture once however it wasn’t really amazing. On a rainy day I’m not sure it would be good enough entertainment for little ones. If you love swimming though the pool is amazing. Defiantly one of the best ones I have been to.
All in all it was a great week. We have already booked to go back to haven next year - this time to Caister on sea where Adam and I met and my mum and dad are coming too! I’m also hanging on for haven to release the flood dates for 2021 breaks so we can book somewhere for then. What can I say? This girl loves Rory the tiger!
♥
Who can believe it’s nearly the end of September, you know what they say, time really does fly when your having fun.
I’m currently writing this post from the comfort of a caravan in wales after a lovely weeks holiday at Hafan y Mor near Pwllheli. We have had this break booked for nearly 12 months and have been looking forward to bringing Erin to haven since both myself and Adam have such fond memories of haven holidays as children. We decided when Erin was born we would enjoy lots of UK holidays probably until Erin was around 8 or 9 and we have completed our family with baby no2 in a few years. Both our passports have expired now so whenever we decide to go there will be the added expense of a whole family of passports so we need to think about that but for now we are happy enjoying what the UK has to offer and enjoy working our way round the different Haven and Butlins sites. I won’t say much about this week as I will do a proper post about where we have stayed etc and how we found our first Haven holiday with a little one.
Speaking of mummy life, Erin is coming on so well. She’s learning so much and you can really see how much she is developing every day. She got a proper little personality and is so cheeky and funny. Every time she learns a new word I could burst with pride although where she learns some things amazes me so much. She’s now nearly 18 months old, it’s hard to believe really.
Back in July, myself and Adam enjoyed over first overnight trip away from Erin when we went to London to see Harry Potter and the cursed child, something we have wanted to do since it first came to the west end. I’d had the tickets since November last year and got them for Adam for his 30th birthday in February. The show itself was amazing and we stayed in a hotel in Tottenham Court Road called the St Giles. A proper little gem of a hotel which was perfect location for what we wanted and just a short walk from the theatre and Leicester Square. We are off to London for the day again next weekend to see les miserables. I can’t wait to see Michael ball, Alfie Boe and Carrie hope Fletcher.
Apart from a few sneaks of sunshine this week, I think autumn is well and truly on the way. A lot of the autumn and winter bits I’ve had the last few years are now too big as I’m now around 3 stone lighter than when I had Erin. I want to pick up a few new bits for this year although as I am still on my weight loss journey I’m not going to go mad, I am hoping by next autumn I’ll be at my target weight and can’t splash out on a whole new wardrobe. What is your favourite autumn and winter essentials? Adams cousin is getting married in March so now our holiday over, I want to get back to being 100% focused - especially as her hen do in February is in a bit country house with a hot tub etc and I don’t want to feel overweight and uncomfortable and out of place all weekend. Prepare for recipes coming your way.
Anyway, we are off to enjoy our finally day of the holiday, all be it a rainy one. Swimming pool here we come! Have a great rest of the weekend.
I think over the past 2 or 3 weeks pretty much 80% of the people on my social media (especially Instagram) have been to see the spice girls! There have been girl power and spice world T-shirt’s, those dressing up, pink gin and Prosecco galor.
It’s weird but instead of being jealous of the fact they have actually been to see the spice girls, I was more jealous of the “girl gang” element of most of what I have seen and actually it got me thinking about my friendships.... it’s weird but I can’t honestly say I have a massive group of friends! When I see some of the girls I went to school l with who still have nights out now it makes me incredibly sad that I don’t have that... sure I have friends but not that close girl group who I could honestly say I am really close too... I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw my best friend... when her and her partner brought a house they brought on the Cheshire border which although only 30 minutes in the car may as well be Australia when you can’t drive
The problem as well is (and correct me if I am wrong here) but isn’t it seriously hard as you get older to make new friends? It seems like everywhere you turn to make new friends already have their well established cliques!
I don’t suppose there is really any point to this post, it was more just wanting to write somewhere about how I was feeling I guess...
I’ve thought long and hard many times about sitting down and writing here again as it’s been almost 10
I know everyone says this but she is absolutely amazing. She is so clever, funny and genuinely lights up every day of our lives! Watching her learn every day is honestly a constant source of amazement - I can’t believe how intelligent she is becoming! Even on the worst of days a tiny giggle from her makes everything ok!
months since I did. Part of me questioned what the point was, no one is listening anyway then I remembered, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t start this blog because I wanted to raise in to this massively successful thing. I did it because it was something I enjoyed and it was a place I could share my thoughts, feelings and memories.
Blogging itself has changed massively. A lot of the “original” bloggers who made the industry a popular activity like Louise Pentland, Zoe Sugg, Fleur de Force, Tanya Burr.., they have all moved away from the world of blogging and branched out to the world of YouTube. Anyway I digress... reading or not I’m here.. I’m back (but if you are reading feel free to say hi!)
So the last 10 months as you can imagine has been a whirlwind. My tiny little bundle is now a bundle of absolutely craziness who is running round the house and making our lives absolutely joyous!
I know everyone says this but she is absolutely amazing. She is so clever, funny and genuinely lights up every day of our lives! Watching her learn every day is honestly a constant source of amazement - I can’t believe how intelligent she is becoming! Even on the worst of days a tiny giggle from her makes everything ok!
We celebrated lots of milestones this year. Adams brother got married and we had a lovely day celebrating with all the family. We went on our first holiday with Erin and Adams family to Centre Parcs (seriously couldn’t believe how much stuff we had in the car!). Erin was christened. We welcomed another addition into the family when my brother and his wife had my niece, we celebrated a lovely family Christmas and a quiet new year. I went back to work and the world didn’t end. We went on holiday to butlins - just the 3 of us. And here we are! So much has happened! Part of me is annoyed at myself that I stopped writing here because of all the lovely memories I’ve missed documenting on here but I have taken literally 1000s if pictures and am currently starting to work on a scrapbook for Erin and if you follow me on Instagram (life_with_mrs_b) you will have seen our adventures.
I can’t wait to start sharing on here again. All my thoughts and feelings. Documenting Erin as she grows up. Sharing life as a family of 3. My weight loss journey with slimming world which continues. As always with this blog, I want it to just be an extension of me and my thoughts.. xxx
At the end of May, I was scrolling through my personal Facebook page when I saw a competition that one of the local photographers in my area was running for a Family Photo Shoot. I entered (thinking I wouldn't have any chance of winning) only to be surprised when we actually won! I was over the moon as I had really wanted to get a lovely photo of the 3 of us while Erin was small.
We headed over to B Captured Photography in Leek on the day our shoot was booked in and were met by Leanne and one of their lovely photographers (whose name has totally escaped me). The only thing that worried me is we wouldn't be able to get any good photos if Erin was bothered by the lights or different poses however the team at B Captured were absolutely fantastic.
We took everything very slow, letting Erin lead us in how she wanted to pose and started with a few photos of the 3 of us together before getting a few of us separately and a few of Erin on her own. The team were so patient trying different angles and positions to get the perfect shot!
We then went back to the studio a week later to have a look through the photos! I was so excited. As part of the competition win we got a free photo, with the option to purchase other packages if we wished. We decided for the time being we would just get the one photo although it was so hard choosing just 1!
If your local to Staffordshire, I would defiantly recommend B Captured if you wanting to get some photos done. They have a great range of different packages available including parties and make overs. Head over to their website HERE for more info or look them up on Facebook.
If your a new mum, or toying with the idea of getting some family photos done I would say do it! It was such a great experience! As I say we are absolutely over the moon with the photo!
Heres a few tips I would suggest if it is something your considering:
- Try and coordinate your clothing - if you want to look consistent on the photo, try to all wear a similar colours. The dress Erin wore was white with Minnie Mouse on the bottom with red and blue on so I wore Red and Blue and Adam wore Blue. It just meant we all tied in together and it didn't clash.
- Book the best time - If you have a really little one, try and time it for when they are likely to be awake. We were able to get some good shots of Erin awake at our shoot as well as some of her asleep on us both too.
- Avoid black and white outfits - Photographers tend to use a mix of black and white backgrounds to shoot photos so don't wear all black or all white otherwise you will just blend in!
- Take a change of clothes (especially for little one) - Its all well and good taking the time to pick out the perfect outfit for baby but don't forget to take a change of clothes too just in case of any accidents! Some photographers will also let you change outfits during the shoot if you want a range of options.
- Include special objects - Again something many photographers will let you do is included special items in the shoot so if you have your tiara or veil from your wedding or a special piece of clothing or jewellery you want to include, take them along.
We absolutely loved the day we had at B Captured and it is something we will defiantly do again when Erin is bigger, or when we have any more children
As I creep ever close to 30.. and especially as a new mum, I am always on the look out for new skin care products to give my skin a perk up.
I was contacted by the lovely people at Eye Wake a couple of months ago to see if I wanted to try their Eye Wake collagen gel and of course I jumped at the chance!
Using an eye cream or eye gel isn't something I use religiously as part of my skin care routine so I was excited to see what using this product did.
The first thing I love about it is the packaging! Sounds daft eh but part of me really hates those eye creams you get in a pot where you have to put your finger in them. Although I keep my hands super clean all the time theres just something I prefer about a squeezy tube or a pump. The other thing to note about the packaging (while we are on the subject) is this is 100% recyclable. Thats a big tick for me! I'm not a massive recycling nut but I do try and recycle as much as I can so nothing annoys me more when some of the packaging thats made of things like plastic on products can not be recycled.
In the past when I have used eye creams, I have tended to lean more towards a cream so this gel was a lovely change. My first thought when I pumped it out was how watery it was, but actually I found this to be a positive thing as its not so much watery as just a thin texture if that makes any sense? However because of this it means you don't need about 10 pumps to get a decent amount. I just use 1 small pump on each side and go under my eyes and then on my brow bone too. If there is any left on my fingers I also go around the the sides of my mouth too (where the points of your lips are on the side) as I read somewhere using an eye cream here can stop ageing showing here (hey I'll try anything).
In some ways the formula of this kind of reminds me of a primer as the texture is quite a silky one. It feels absolutely lovely when you pop it on and isn't sticky which can sometimes be a problem in gel formulas. Its also lovely if you pop it in the fridge as it is very refreshing!
So the most important question.. have I noticed a difference? Its a huge huge YES from me! The skin around my eyes is defiantly softer and feels really hydrated. The dark circles have defiantly reduced too which is a big bonus for me!
Eye Wake Gel retails for £18.95 and can be purchased here on their website. For every gel sold they also donate 5% to Women's Aid, a charity which helps women suffering from domestic abuse.
This is for sure going to be part of my skin care routine from now on!
I was contacted by the lovely people at Eye Wake a couple of months ago to see if I wanted to try their Eye Wake collagen gel and of course I jumped at the chance!
Using an eye cream or eye gel isn't something I use religiously as part of my skin care routine so I was excited to see what using this product did.
The first thing I love about it is the packaging! Sounds daft eh but part of me really hates those eye creams you get in a pot where you have to put your finger in them. Although I keep my hands super clean all the time theres just something I prefer about a squeezy tube or a pump. The other thing to note about the packaging (while we are on the subject) is this is 100% recyclable. Thats a big tick for me! I'm not a massive recycling nut but I do try and recycle as much as I can so nothing annoys me more when some of the packaging thats made of things like plastic on products can not be recycled.
In the past when I have used eye creams, I have tended to lean more towards a cream so this gel was a lovely change. My first thought when I pumped it out was how watery it was, but actually I found this to be a positive thing as its not so much watery as just a thin texture if that makes any sense? However because of this it means you don't need about 10 pumps to get a decent amount. I just use 1 small pump on each side and go under my eyes and then on my brow bone too. If there is any left on my fingers I also go around the the sides of my mouth too (where the points of your lips are on the side) as I read somewhere using an eye cream here can stop ageing showing here (hey I'll try anything).
In some ways the formula of this kind of reminds me of a primer as the texture is quite a silky one. It feels absolutely lovely when you pop it on and isn't sticky which can sometimes be a problem in gel formulas. Its also lovely if you pop it in the fridge as it is very refreshing!
So the most important question.. have I noticed a difference? Its a huge huge YES from me! The skin around my eyes is defiantly softer and feels really hydrated. The dark circles have defiantly reduced too which is a big bonus for me!
Eye Wake Gel retails for £18.95 and can be purchased here on their website. For every gel sold they also donate 5% to Women's Aid, a charity which helps women suffering from domestic abuse.
This is for sure going to be part of my skin care routine from now on!
Dear Erin,
Its hard to believe how you are already 16 weeks old already! Every day, your changing so much.
The last 16 weeks have had a lot of highs and a few lows but every day with you is an absolute pleasure and watching you grow and change makes me all squishy on the inside 💖
Last week you rolled over for the first time! I think you completely shocked yourself when you did it! Mummy was very happy that she managed to get it on camera!
Over the last couple of weeks your personality is starting to really develop and shine through! Your defiantly going to be like Mummy. You know what you want and go for it! You’ve started smiling more and more, at pretty much everyone we know now and if you see the same people your defiantly recognising them more! I love how you have your extra special smiles for me and daddy too!
Last week you rolled over for the first time! I think you completely shocked yourself when you did it! Mummy was very happy that she managed to get it on camera!
Over the last couple of weeks your personality is starting to really develop and shine through! Your defiantly going to be like Mummy. You know what you want and go for it! You’ve started smiling more and more, at pretty much everyone we know now and if you see the same people your defiantly recognising them more! I love how you have your extra special smiles for me and daddy too!
I really don’t think it will be long before you’ve got a couple of teeth as that is really bothering you at the minute. Luckily your so chilled the rest of the time but them naughty gums are really bothering you!
We’ve got an exciting month ahead as we have Uncle Tim and Aunty Deanne’s wedding this month and we are going on your first hen party at the weekend for afternoon tea! If only you were big enough to eat some cake - nevermind Mummy will take you for some when your big enough! Because daddy is working on Saturday me and you are going up to Sheffield on the train which will be your first train ride!
We are also counting down the days to your first holiday! We’re going to centre parcs in September with nanan and grandad (daddies mum and dad) and uncle Craig and aunty Lisa! I really love centre parcs and can’t wait to take you! And wait till we take you in that swimming pool!! Hopefully you will love it as much as when me and daddy have taken you swimming at home!
We’re also counting down the weeks until you can start to eat some proper food! 10 weeks to go! You’ve started watching Mummy and daddy eat and are fascinated! I can’t wait to see what you think of it all!
Exciting time ahead!
Lots of Love.
Mummy xxx
♥
I've thought long and hard about sharing this on my blog as I know there is a lot of chat online both positive and negative about formula feeding vs breast feeding. However I wanted to share it because as a first time mum, there are things I wish I had known before starting out and World Breast Feeding week seemed the perfect time to share it...
I knew when I was pregnant that I wanted to breast feed. I was determined that I was going to give it the best go that I could. Everything during pregnancy pointed towards Breast Feeding and there was so much information about it but like I say I was determined I was going to throw everything at it. So much so that I after going to our birth class, they suggested if we wanted to give it a real go, not to pack any formula in your hospital bag, so I didn't...
As I mentioned in my birth story (here if you haven't read it), I ended up in theatre for an assisted delivery. I worried that this would effect my ability to be able to breast feed if I couldn't get skin to skin and a latch soon after birth however the theatre team were absolutely amazing and as soon as I was wheeled into the recovery area she helped me to get Erin latched on and our Breast Feeding journey began. I was so happy. It felt so natural. However I won't lie it was after that moment when the problems started.
I don't want to sound like I am not grateful to the midwives on the ward I was on, however as a first time mum, I won't lie, I felt a little... left to it.. I wasn't really sure what I was doing. We were both new at this and I felt a bit like a duck out of water. I was also the only person in my bay which was lovely but also very isolating. I persevered with it doing what I thought was correct. The midwife came round to do a Erin’s new born check and mentioned a tongue tie but then brushed it off (and I didn’t think any more about it) and I kept trying. We had to stay in overnight and I’d heard loads of people say if your not happy with how it’s going then ask and ask and don’t let them discharge you until your completely confident however the midwives seemed more concerned with the fact I hadn’t done the needed amount of wee’s since having my catheter out than how I was feeding particularly in the middle of the night. The first night was very hard and Erin basically cluster fed all night. If your pregnant and you don’t know what it is, look it up, research it and prepare yourself for it! I had never heard it uttered before but man it was hard - it basically meant she would feed, fall asleep and the minute I would put her down she would be crying to be fed again.. every 20 minutes or so... all night.
I knew when I was pregnant that I wanted to breast feed. I was determined that I was going to give it the best go that I could. Everything during pregnancy pointed towards Breast Feeding and there was so much information about it but like I say I was determined I was going to throw everything at it. So much so that I after going to our birth class, they suggested if we wanted to give it a real go, not to pack any formula in your hospital bag, so I didn't...
As I mentioned in my birth story (here if you haven't read it), I ended up in theatre for an assisted delivery. I worried that this would effect my ability to be able to breast feed if I couldn't get skin to skin and a latch soon after birth however the theatre team were absolutely amazing and as soon as I was wheeled into the recovery area she helped me to get Erin latched on and our Breast Feeding journey began. I was so happy. It felt so natural. However I won't lie it was after that moment when the problems started.
I don't want to sound like I am not grateful to the midwives on the ward I was on, however as a first time mum, I won't lie, I felt a little... left to it.. I wasn't really sure what I was doing. We were both new at this and I felt a bit like a duck out of water. I was also the only person in my bay which was lovely but also very isolating. I persevered with it doing what I thought was correct. The midwife came round to do a Erin’s new born check and mentioned a tongue tie but then brushed it off (and I didn’t think any more about it) and I kept trying. We had to stay in overnight and I’d heard loads of people say if your not happy with how it’s going then ask and ask and don’t let them discharge you until your completely confident however the midwives seemed more concerned with the fact I hadn’t done the needed amount of wee’s since having my catheter out than how I was feeding particularly in the middle of the night. The first night was very hard and Erin basically cluster fed all night. If your pregnant and you don’t know what it is, look it up, research it and prepare yourself for it! I had never heard it uttered before but man it was hard - it basically meant she would feed, fall asleep and the minute I would put her down she would be crying to be fed again.. every 20 minutes or so... all night.
The next day, not completely confident but not reassured by the midwives, I went home. The day after (Friday) my health visitor came and I mentioned I was struggling. She suggested I ring the community support team who I have to say were absolutely amazing! I had a really good chat on the phone to her and she offered to come out to my house on the Saturday which she did! When she came it was like a breath of fresh air. She watched me feed and then corrected my technique of how to hold. She also did another check of Erin’s tongue (she was now the 3rd person to have) and said she has a tongue tie which she suggested could have been one of the problems which her latching along with my positing. She booked me in to the tongue tie clinic the next week and said if she was right about it then it would be sorted there and then.
We corrected the hold and it got slightly better however the fact she couldn’t latch properly was causing us lots of issues as even if I eventually got her in the right position she would pull off. Plus a couple of days of bad positioning before actually being shown what do to meant Erin was making my nipples really sore.
Saturday night was one of the worst nights we’ve had! She screamed and screamed and screamed all night. I tried putting her on the breast and she would go for a few minutes then pull off - that was probably the worst night of cluster feeding there was! By the morning I was a broken woman! I sat sobbing on the phone to my mum at 10am and Adam decided that enough was enough and he would go to Asda and pick up a tub of formula so we could try combi feeding.
She instantly took to the bottle and was so much happier! I felt all kinds of mum guilt for having to give her a bottle at 5 days old but then reminded myself that if she had been fed that was surely the best thing.
I continued to express and we did a combination of breast from the boob, expressed and bottle. She had her tongue tie sorted at a week old and it made the latch so much better! I though YES that’s it! We’ve got this!
We then spent a few days at Adams parents house in Sheffield when Erin was about 10 days old and I’ll admit I found it very hard, finding it easier to offer her a bottle with all the visitors that there were. I expressed as much as I could while we were there but again it was hard.
I then made the massive mistake of leaving the top to the breast pump in Sheffield which meant if I wanted to express I had to use the manual pump I had which worked great but needed 2 hands and twice as much effort!
Then just after we got back from Sheffield we had another set back when I noticed Erin had trush in her mouth. It also caused something called nipple thrush which meant every time she fed from the breast it caused absolute agony for me! I tried expressing as much as I could with the hand pump but she ended up with more and more formula.
At 4 weeks old, as I sat in a puddle of tears, I decided enough was enough. Trying to express as much milk as I could from an ever dwindling supply was making me really miserable and Erin stopped latching properly, preferring to take from a bottle and was screaming any time I tried to feed her from the boob and thrashing around so much she was going to hurt me and herself, so I decided enough was enough! If it was making us both unhappy then was it worth it?
As I fed her the last expressed bottle of milk I had, I cried, feeling like some kind of mum failure that I had only been able to make it to exactly 4 weeks - no where near the recommended 6 months - but then I reminded myself that 4 weeks was 4 weeks! She had the best start I could have given her and that ultimately fed was best for her!
I can’t help thinking so many obsticles were thrown in the way for us! I feel more confident that when we have baby no2 I would be able to give it a try again however ultimately I have realised that if it doesn’t work then it isn’t the end of the world. Erin is thriving and healthy and following all the charts as she should! At the end of the day isn’t that all that really matters?
♥
It’s been a whole month since I sat down here in my little sanctuary of my blog and what a month it has been! Life has definitely been challenging and testing in July!
If that wasn’t enough to be going on with, my dad also had his surgery. I can’t remember if I’d mentioned that he was waiting for heart surgery but he finally got it done on the 20th July. It’s been a difficult time but he is thankfully on he mend!
I can’t believe how quickly she is changing and developing her own personality! She is such a calm and placid baby apart from a few moments of teething pains! Bless her!
I mentioned briefly about the work we were having done at home after the leak we had. Our house has basically been upside down! There have been a building site! A total nightmare when you have a little one! We had to have the living room and bedroom replastered, redecorated, new carpets, bathroom redecorated and new floor and the loft reboarded! Hectic to say the least! Me and Erin moved in with my mum and dad while the main part of the messy work was done but frustratingly we’ve had quite a few delays!! Anyway it’s nearly done!! As we speak the guy is just finishing the loft and that’s it! All done!
If that wasn’t enough to be going on with, my dad also had his surgery. I can’t remember if I’d mentioned that he was waiting for heart surgery but he finally got it done on the 20th July. It’s been a difficult time but he is thankfully on he mend!
Erin is growing quickly and changing every day! She’s 16 weeks old today! I’m not quite sure how that happened!!!
I can’t believe how quickly she is changing and developing her own personality! She is such a calm and placid baby apart from a few moments of teething pains! Bless her!
She’s almost rolling now - she gets half way and is nearly there! There have been so many close calls! I don’t think it will be long!
August is a pretty exciting month! I have a really great month planned business wise and have started planning Christmas already!
We have my brother in laws wedding at the end of the month and my future sister in laws hen do in a couple of weeks!
September is going to be a good month too as we have Erin’s first holiday when we go to Centre Parcs!
I am hoping now I’m back to some kind of normality, that I can find the time to sit and enjoy my little space again!
Being a mum, especially a first time mum is probably one of the most amazing things you will ever do in your life... its also makes you question yourself 100 times a day.. holy crap do I actually know what I am doing! Its so weird, you have a 9 month build up to the big day when your baby gets placed on your chest.. but in that moment your whole world changes!
Heres a few things that no one tells you about being a new mummy (and a couple you will probably hear over and over again)
Heres a few things that no one tells you about being a new mummy (and a couple you will probably hear over and over again)
- Even if you say you won't be that parent that talks in ridiculous baby voices or use made up words.. suddenly you find yourself doing exactly that! Embrace it... it happens to us all...
- Get used to drinking cold tea or coffee or not drinking them at all. And suddenly the moment your able to get through even half a cup of one its the most magical drink you have ever experienced!
- You become the master of doing things one handed... I can count on one hand the amount of meals I have eaten with 2 hands! I have become a master of eating meals with a baby on one knee because no matter how you try and time eating, babies suddenly have a sixth sense for the moment you are eating
- Babies are like people magnets, particularly old ladies! The amount of people who will just come over (that you don't know) and have a little nosey in the pram for a peek and to tell you how beautiful your baby is is amazing. Particular hot spots for this.. Marks and Spencer's and Coffee shops
- After the excitement of finally being able to park in a parent and child spot when you go to the shops you quickly realise you can never get one because they are always full! For some reason shops (particularly where I live) only have like 5 parent and baby spaces yet have about 20 disabled spaces! And suddenly you also realise what an idiot people are when they park if you have to park in a normal space!
- You will suddenly become that person who has never been more excited when a little person poops! For the first 8 weeks or so, Erin really struggled with going for a poop and would only go maybe twice a week. Trouble is it would be horrible for her because it would cause her such pain bless her - you know what it is like yourself.. imagine being that small and not understanding whats going on! Luckily that problem has sorted itself out!
- Your camera roll on your phone becomes 99% baby photos and you have to seriously hold yourself back from posting ever single cute photo all over your social media
- First Baby? Worried you wont know what your doing? I'm the first one in our family to have kids so there are no babies that I have been around so this was all very new to me and a little part of me worried that even though I had read up on everything, I wouldn't have a clue what to do... if this is you don't panic... suddenly some kind of instinct sets in the moment you hear that first cry!
- Suddenly everyone is an expert in babies and will give you advice, whether you ask for it or not...
- When you finally feel ready and up to leaving the house its suddenly like a military operation making sure you have everything you need... Baby - check, Food - check, nappies - check, umbrella in case of sun, rain cover in case of rain, change of clothes! The list is endless!
Just remember... how ever your feeling... you got this girl! So what if it takes you until 10am to get yourself and the baby dressed some days! Your rocking it!
♥
Hello my lovelies!
How are we all? Are you all enjoying this lovely weather! Grab yourself a nice ice cold drink or an ice pop and lets catch up. If you love an ice pop I can definitely recommend these that I picked up from Aldi last week! 99p and they are absolutely lush!
The last couple of weeks have been SO hectic! I mean I know life with a newborn is hectic anyway but even more so this last couple of weeks battling to try and get the house sorted after the leak we had! I never did fill you in...
Basically one morning - when Erin was 12 days old, I woke up at around 6.45am to water dripping on my face... I was a bit confused and nudged Adam who went to have a look at the window to see if it was raining... men eh!
I said again about there being water on my face and he went from our bedroom and into the bathroom next door where you could hear the sound of practically Niagra Falls (I kid you not). There was literally water pouring through the light fitting, down the walls.. everywhere! I scooped Erin up and told Adam to run downstairs to turn the stop tap off while we figured out what was going on and I had a little cry on the end of the bed about the fact that this was all happening while we had a 12 day old baby! I threw some clothes on, filled a bag with stuff for Erin and rang my mum in a total flap asking if I could come round to their house (luckily they live in the next street along) and went downstairs to find the a huge hole in the ceiling and water all over the living room floor!
Anyway I went off to mum and dads and Adam (who luckily was still on Paternity leave) sorted everything and rang the insurance company etc.
Its been a long process of loss adjusters, professional driers and dehumidifiers, having the floor ripped up in the living room and having to live with a concrete floor for the past 6 weeks or so but I think we are finally getting there. I have been very insisting with the insurance company about getting the work done quickly with having Erin and on Monday the builder finally came round to double check the work and say he could potentially start next week or the week after! I am so relieved as it has been horrible. You can NOT get cosy in a living room with no flooring. We have no floor in the bathroom, the paint is all pealing off on the bathroom walls and theres a massive crack in our bedroom ceiling (not forgetting the hole in the living room ceiling too). The builder said we are lucky to be getting done so quick as some people have waited 9 or 10 months but there was no way I was letting it drag on any longer! So hopefully we are nearly sorted! We've had to pick all new paint and wallpaper which is a little annoying considering we only decorated a year ago when we moved in but has allowed us to change things up a bit and have been able to swap from laminate to carpet in the living room! If you head over to my Instagram I am sure I will post come pictures over there once the work is done.
Elsewhere Erin is continuing to discover new and different things. Last week we went to our first baby class - Baby Sensory! Erin absolutely loved it! She has really started to come into her own and get more alert looking at different things these last couple of weeks. I brought her a hanging toy for her pram a couple of weeks ago and she is obsessed with it!
In line with all the work we have been doing inside the house we have also been sprucing up our garden which is especially nice in the lovely warm weather we have been having. We hadnt enjoyed the garden that much last year and it has been difficult because we didnt let our 3 cats outside because we live on a main road however since having Erin they have got really restless being in all day so we decided to bite the bullet and let them out! What it now means is we can sit and enjoy the garden with the doors open so we are trying to get the garden lovely so it is an extension to the house. I am currently sat outside with Erin in her pushchair in the shade which is lovely! I could get used to this! Lets hope the sunshine lasts!
My Book business is going really well. I am enjoying being able to build a beautiful collection for Erin and this week I even got my first new team member which means I get to help another lovely mummy build a business just like mine which is exciting. If thats something you like the sound of give me a shout!
Anyway my lovelies. I think that is all for now! I am on the hunt for some more baby classes and new things that me and Erin can try. My friend from work who is also on Mat Leave has just booked us tickets for Bring you own baby comedy in Manchester in September where Jason Manford is appearing. It is basically a comedy show, in the day so its like a night out you dont need a baby sitter for because you can take your baby along for free. Find the details here as there is lots of different venues. Cineworld also do something similar called Cinebabies where they show normal films but have the volume lower and it is more baby friendly. I am hoping they will have Mama Mia 2 on that when it comes out! If you know anything else like this please let me know!
How are we all? Are you all enjoying this lovely weather! Grab yourself a nice ice cold drink or an ice pop and lets catch up. If you love an ice pop I can definitely recommend these that I picked up from Aldi last week! 99p and they are absolutely lush!
The last couple of weeks have been SO hectic! I mean I know life with a newborn is hectic anyway but even more so this last couple of weeks battling to try and get the house sorted after the leak we had! I never did fill you in...
Basically one morning - when Erin was 12 days old, I woke up at around 6.45am to water dripping on my face... I was a bit confused and nudged Adam who went to have a look at the window to see if it was raining... men eh!
I said again about there being water on my face and he went from our bedroom and into the bathroom next door where you could hear the sound of practically Niagra Falls (I kid you not). There was literally water pouring through the light fitting, down the walls.. everywhere! I scooped Erin up and told Adam to run downstairs to turn the stop tap off while we figured out what was going on and I had a little cry on the end of the bed about the fact that this was all happening while we had a 12 day old baby! I threw some clothes on, filled a bag with stuff for Erin and rang my mum in a total flap asking if I could come round to their house (luckily they live in the next street along) and went downstairs to find the a huge hole in the ceiling and water all over the living room floor!
Anyway I went off to mum and dads and Adam (who luckily was still on Paternity leave) sorted everything and rang the insurance company etc.
Its been a long process of loss adjusters, professional driers and dehumidifiers, having the floor ripped up in the living room and having to live with a concrete floor for the past 6 weeks or so but I think we are finally getting there. I have been very insisting with the insurance company about getting the work done quickly with having Erin and on Monday the builder finally came round to double check the work and say he could potentially start next week or the week after! I am so relieved as it has been horrible. You can NOT get cosy in a living room with no flooring. We have no floor in the bathroom, the paint is all pealing off on the bathroom walls and theres a massive crack in our bedroom ceiling (not forgetting the hole in the living room ceiling too). The builder said we are lucky to be getting done so quick as some people have waited 9 or 10 months but there was no way I was letting it drag on any longer! So hopefully we are nearly sorted! We've had to pick all new paint and wallpaper which is a little annoying considering we only decorated a year ago when we moved in but has allowed us to change things up a bit and have been able to swap from laminate to carpet in the living room! If you head over to my Instagram I am sure I will post come pictures over there once the work is done.
Elsewhere Erin is continuing to discover new and different things. Last week we went to our first baby class - Baby Sensory! Erin absolutely loved it! She has really started to come into her own and get more alert looking at different things these last couple of weeks. I brought her a hanging toy for her pram a couple of weeks ago and she is obsessed with it!
In line with all the work we have been doing inside the house we have also been sprucing up our garden which is especially nice in the lovely warm weather we have been having. We hadnt enjoyed the garden that much last year and it has been difficult because we didnt let our 3 cats outside because we live on a main road however since having Erin they have got really restless being in all day so we decided to bite the bullet and let them out! What it now means is we can sit and enjoy the garden with the doors open so we are trying to get the garden lovely so it is an extension to the house. I am currently sat outside with Erin in her pushchair in the shade which is lovely! I could get used to this! Lets hope the sunshine lasts!
My Book business is going really well. I am enjoying being able to build a beautiful collection for Erin and this week I even got my first new team member which means I get to help another lovely mummy build a business just like mine which is exciting. If thats something you like the sound of give me a shout!
Anyway my lovelies. I think that is all for now! I am on the hunt for some more baby classes and new things that me and Erin can try. My friend from work who is also on Mat Leave has just booked us tickets for Bring you own baby comedy in Manchester in September where Jason Manford is appearing. It is basically a comedy show, in the day so its like a night out you dont need a baby sitter for because you can take your baby along for free. Find the details here as there is lots of different venues. Cineworld also do something similar called Cinebabies where they show normal films but have the volume lower and it is more baby friendly. I am hoping they will have Mama Mia 2 on that when it comes out! If you know anything else like this please let me know!
♥
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