Mummy needs exercise so the children do too!

On Monday I announced my new diet and exercise plan. Today is Day 4 and so far the diet has been going pretty well. Up until today I had not yet begun my exercise though.

So today I had a sudden impulse to do some. I decided not to wait until the girls were in bed but instead to do it while they were up and get them involved hee hee. So I put Rosie in the baby bouncer opposite me on my cross trainer and Poppy bless her ran up and down the hallway. The girls thought this was great fun and giggles were coming from both of them. Rosie was going mad jumping up and down and Poppy must have run quite a distance as we have a long hallway. We managed to do half an hours exercise this way. Both girls then flopped and went off to bed for their afternoon nap and I am left feeling rather pleased with myself. I think this might be the way forward!

Recently I have been suffering from extreme tiredness and lack of energy. There is no way I could have gone on the cross trainer for half an hour last week! However, on Monday I started taking Boots re-energise boost tablets. Apparently they are a multi vitamin "which provides both a mental and physical lift". I don't know if its the diet, the vitamins or a mix but there is a definite improvement in my energy levels. Shane told me last night that I was looking different and had a good colour to my cheeks he hadn't seen for a while! (husbands words for you have been looking pale and pasty looking lately). Anyway, whatever the reason I am feeling better, have lots more energy and am hoping will soon be a bit slimmer! Keep a look out for more updates.

Karen x

Wall art and hand paints

The new playroom is turning out to be a great success, its a great hit with the whole family. Even little Rosie is loving it.

The walls are a blank canvass at the moment but the plan is get some of their own art work up so today we did exactly that. Poppy has been learning about Spring at Nursery so we thought we would follow the theme with a spring time collage. We raided my old scrapbooking box and she ripped and stuck away happily using all sorts of flowery paper and card. She had great fun and this was the finished picture:

Next we did some hand painting:

Even Rosie joined in:

We did make a bit of a mess, but luckily Mummy didn't mind:

I can't wait for it to dry now and get it up. So far we have one picture in a frame:

I have also ordered a cute little table and chairs for the girls to play at. Rosie might be a bit small now but she won't be for long!

Watch this space for more updates and photos.


Karen x

Playrooms and happy Grils

Yesterday I needed to do some housework. I looked into the Dinning room and thought where do I start? Due to the fact we eat in the kitchen this room is sadly under used and for this reason it has recently turned into a dumping ground: a place to dry washing, put things that need to go upstairs etc. I then looked at all the toys that Poppy was in the process of pulling out and then it dawned on me...why don't I turn the Dinning room it into a playroom?

I asked Poppy what she thought about having a playroom and she said "wow, like at Hannah and Jessica's?, yes please!!". So that was it. Instead of cleaning up, I made an even bigger job for myself but the result is a lovely playroom for my two little girls. In less than 24 hours this room has been used more than in the past few months and the living room is toy and clutter free... definitely a good idea! It is a work in progress and Poppy's art work is going to decorate it but the girls love it and so do I!

Karen x

The Gallery - Hair

This is the first time I have participated in the gallery but I think its a brilliant idea and will be participating regularly.

This weeks Gallery is all about hair. I love having two girls. My oldest one has lovely long hair which is always up in bunches and plaits with ribbons and bows.

The picture I have chosen though is one of my little one. She is only 9 months old but look how much hair she has already. I have already started to put a little clip in the front. At this rate it won't be long before hers in bunches too.

To check out other entries, head over to sticky fingers

Karen x

Sweeties..." I did ask her Dad"!

I forgot to mention that at the Wedding, poppy had her first taste of sweets!

After the Wedding breakfast, when you went through to the bar area they had a lovely idea of having a pick and mix you could help yourself to.  This went down really well with everyone, especially the children.  I went upstairs to feed Rosie and when I came back down, Poppy was running around like a mad one with a strawberry cable in her mouth.  I asked her where she got it and was quickly told by one of the older children Connor..."its OK.  I did ask her Dad".


Now Poppy is Two years and eight months and up until now she has not known what sweets are (or crisps or chips!). I personally think there is plenty of time for all of that and she is only young. I am a very fussy eater myself so have worked hard on making sure Poppy gets a real mix of foods and develops different tastes. I really did not want her to be one of those children who only eats chips or chocolate!! Luckily she eats very well and enjoys a healthy balanced diet.


I am not so strict that she doesn't have any goodies.  She does have the occasional biscuit, ice cream and a few packets of white chocolate buttons but that is it!!  Mostly I get away with giving her fruit snacks, raisin's, rice cakes and bread sticks.  A real treat is yoghurt raisins or those fruity School bars, so I was not too happy about the sweet situation.  As it was they gave her a little sugar boost and she managed to stay up until 9.30pm a who two hours later than normal, which meant we could all enjoy the reception for a while.



She did make me giggle the next day though.  At breakfast she told me she was still hungry could she please have something else.  I asked her what she would like and she looked at me with a little smile on her face and said "mmmmmmm, maybe some ice cream?", I told her no we don't have ice cream for breakfast and to try again.  She looked like she was thinking really hard and then said "maybe some marshmallow?", again I said no, so she came out with "OK Mummy, maybe some toast?" hee hee.  Nice try.  


So she has tasted them, liked them but I am not in a hurry to give her any more for a while!  Interestingly, when I asked for help with the shopping list she told me we needed apples, bananas, pears, kiwis, milk and yoghurt...no mention of sweets so that was good. 


Karen x

Family Wedding and pretty dresses

Wow, this weekend has been a very busy but lovely one.  It was a family Wedding, a time for sharing in their special day, and a definite reason to get all dressed up in pretty clothes and have a party. 

 It was particularly exciting for our two year old:

However, being little means you can't see much in Church.  Luckily her older Cousin Olivia was on hand to help out with keeping her occupied!!

The girls could not wait for the party to start...

...so they started dancing in the street:

Shane was one of two  Best Men.  Here he is with David  looking very happy and relaxed here:

And of course the Bride looked beautiful.. I absolutely loved her dress:

However, going to a Wedding with a children is exhausting.  As you can see from this photo, Mummy was frazzeled at the start!!

All in all, the Wedding was beautiful, it was a perfect day and seemed to go smoothly.  Everyone had fun and it was great to catch up with family we had not seen in a while.  

Karen x

Silent Sunday

Baby food, shoes and Italian's

Last night we stopped halfway at my parents and today travelled another three hours onto the Wedding destination.  The Wedding is tomorrow so we are sending two nights in a Hotel.  For this reason we decided to pick up a few baby supplies.  Up until now, Rosie has only had food freshly cooked and prepared by me. Now I am no Master Chef or anything but seeing as though I am at home all day I like to make it for her and feel as though I am giving her a good start in life.  


So today Rosie had her first taste of Baby food.  We settled on Ella's Kitchen and Plum as these were the only ones Poppy would eat when we needed them once on holiday.  I was a bit worried I had made a mistake as they were textured rather than lumpy and she eats whole bits of penne pasta at home.  Anyway I need not have worried.  She wolfed them down.  Daddy even tried them and said they were surprisingly good (I am vegetarian so didn't). I am not going to give up cooking or anything but I felt I should mention it for those of you who are thinking about giving jars. 

On route we had to do a quick mad dash into some shops.  Silly me had brought everything but the kitchen sink...oh and my shoes for the Wedding tomorrow!!  I quickly ran into Next and picked up some new shiny black patent ones.  It was the quickest shoe shopping I have ever done, but they are lovely!!  Whilst there I also quickly picked up a few things for the girls.

Tonight we all went out for Dinner to a gorgeous Italian restaurant.  The staff were fantastic, very welcoming and child friendly and the girls were so well behaved, it was lovely. Poppy was delighted as she thought it was just like the restaurant in her book (Lady and the Tramp) and she told the waiter the food was delicious!!  


It has been a long couple of days what with all the travelling, the girls are fast asleep so I think it might just be a bath and early night for  me now. 


Karen x

Fairy's and Friends

Today has been a lovely day.  First we did some dressing up:

Even Rosie wanted to join in so became a baby fairy:

Then we had some cuddles:

Then we had some friends come and play:  

This was lovely for all of us as my friend also has two girls.  Charlie, who is 3 and plays lovely with Poppy and Pippa, who is 16 months, so is fascinated by Rosie and makes her smile.  With the girls happy, I got to have a coffee and a catch up while they ran round in the garden in the fresh air...perfect.


Tonight we are off for a long weekend.  We are stopping at my parents on route to a family Wedding which I am really looking forward to.  We all have lovely outfits to wear and it will be great to see everyone.  I will be taking my laptop with me or I will have withdrawal symptoms, but if I don't get a chance to write anything it is because I am away.  Have a good weekend!! 


Karen x

Liebster Blog Award

Hello,

The lovely Liskia at newmumonline has very kindly just given me my first  blog award.  It's called the Liebster Blog award. It’s for people with ‘little’ blogs (less than 300 subscribers) to share blog love and spread the word.

The rules are:

1. Post displaying the award (done), linking back to the person who awarded you (done)
2. Choose your own blog picks (below) and let them know they’re awarded
3. Hope everyone discovers some new favourites
4. Revel in the blog love!

I choose to award the following wonderful mummy bloggers:

1. notyetayummymummy
2. mamastokes
3. memoirsofamiddleclassmum
4. dontsteponthecracks
5. mediocremum

 There are so many new blogs out there but these are some of the ones I have been following and am loving.

Karen x

Listography - What I want to be when I grow up!

Listography is being hosted over at Manana-Mama this week and the theme is What I want to be when I grow up. This was quite difficult to whittle down to five.  I have tried various jobs and had various dreams.  I am not convinced I have fulfilled my potential either, so am sure there is more to come but for now here it is:


1.  A Teacher - I toyed with the idea of being a Primary School Teacher but during a mock interview they told me they didn't think it was what I really wanted to do.  Even more confused, I decided to do a Degree in both Psychology and Law.

2.  A Barrister - Next I decided Law might be the way to go.  But decided it would take too long and be too expensive.  I think I also doubted if I was clever enough....oh and I didn't like the wigs!!!.  

3. A Clinical Forensic Psychologist - Next with a Degree in Psychology and after watching Robbie Coltraine in Cracker,  this is the area I settled on.  I went on to become an Assistant Psychologist and tried to go on and do my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology but did not get on the course.  It is very competitive with few places and despite positive feedback I did not make it.  Looking back now I do not think I had enough life experience and I did go on to use my experience in other jobs. 

4.  A Dolphin trainer - I love Dolphins and it has always been a dream of mine to swim with them in the wild.  Part of me would have loved to study and work with them but I have a serious problem...I have a phobia of dead fish!!!  It sounds a bit weird but honestly I do.  I dive and love seeing pretty fish alive but dead ones...yuck!!  Oh and the smell makes me vomit!!

5. A Mummy - Even though I was always very aware that I wanted to study and have a career, I also always wanted to be a Mummy.  Now I am to my two gorgeous girls and it is the most rewarding but exhausting thing I have ever done.

Husband and iPhone

Today my Husband has a new phone arriving so I am to be handed down his old iPhone.  Now I know is not the new one, but for me it is just as exciting.  He looks after everything really well so it looks brand new and I have just ordered a new pink skin for it too...well I have to make it look a bit girly!!


I am hoping this is going to help me get on better with twitter too so watch this space.  I am sure tonight I will be tinkering with it!!!


Karen x

Review of the pocket highchair

I wanted one of these for Poppy when she was younger but for one reason and another could not get one.  Anyway when Rosie was born we received one as a present. 
 

They are suitable from 6-30 months.  Ours came from JoJo Maman Bebe and cost £14.00. 


The photo probably explains it better than my efforts but here we go. It is a single piece of material that slides over the back of most chairs. It then slips under the baby so the baby is sat on it.  It then ties back on itself, holding the baby in (a bit like a like a nappy that ties the baby to a chair). We love ours and use it weekly.  It folds up quite small so will fit easily into most Mum bags/handbags. Its perfect where highchairs are unavailable or too dirty and if like me, you don't want to carry bulky booster seats. It is easy to use, you just tie it: there are no buttons, poppers, clips  or zips, yet it holds them completely safe! and most importantly is machine washable at 40 degrees. 


People always comment and smile when we get it out in public.  This is a well used and loved present and something I would definitely buy for friends when they have babies.


Karen x 

Daffodils and highlights

I love Spring time.  With warmer days and Daffodils popping up all over the place, you can't help but smile. 


It is also at this time of year that I usually dye my hair lighter. So yesterday on impulse, I phoned up the Salon to see if they had any spaces to fit me in.  Luckily for me it was a quiet Monday.  So off we went to change my appearance.  Two hours later, the dark Wintery image is shed and I am the new owner of blonde and caramel highlights!! This feels much more like me. 

While I was there I also picked up some of my favourite shampoo and conditioner (...well, there was an offer on them).  So with a smile on my face and a spring in my step I am ready for whatever this Season throws at me.


Karen x

Review of John Lewis Baby Bundler

I have had these for both of my girls from birth.  They were my Mum's idea, apparently she used something similar for us when we were babies. I like them so much I decided to do a mini review on them.

Unlike the traditional babygrows there are no buttons to undo, so they make night time nappy changes in those early few weeks much easier for you. We have had them in white, with pink spots and blue spots and they are all gorgeous.

They are a generous size and good length.  In fact, Rosie is now almost nine months and she still wears hers.  They have built in scratch mitts and are a lovely soft cotton. They tend to make them lighter in the Summer and then slightly thicker and warmer in the Winter months. I know this because I have brought several for presents for friends babies.   They are easy to keep clean and machine washable at 40 degrees.  At only £8 each, they do not break the bank either.  I would definitely recommend these and would use them on a boy or girl in those first few months.

Karen x

Silent Sunday

Decsions, decisions, which pram to choose?

I caught up with my Sister-in-law this week who is due in May.  She was telling me how they had been out looking at prams so I decided to do a review of ours. We have the bugaboo Cameleon in pink canvas and I love it.

At around £680 It might seem a bit expensive at first but it is worth every penny.  We have used it for two children and it still looks like new thanks to the fact that its all machine washable. I love the fact that there is a bassinet so your baby can lie completely flat. However, even when it changes into a pushchair it has three position's. If you think you little one might fall asleep you can put it into a slightly tilted position and then once asleep you can tilt them right back, almost flat. Perfect for when out and about!


We have used it in the UK in the city and the country, in Canada in the prairie and the Rocky Mountains and on a road trip to America.  Due to living abroad it has been on several plane journeys.  We have used it off road, in the snow and at the beach.


I have several friends who have brought 3-4 prams/ pushchairs because theirs didn't do everything they wanted, they ended up spending more than us (well my parents, as ours was a very generous present).  This one did everything I wanted it to do and I can't fault it.  

With this pram you get to personalise it.  You choose if you want the bassinet or seat depending on age of your little one. You choose the fabric and the colour .  You can easily change the height of the handlebar, the direction your child faces or adapt the chassis for a car seat.  You can also get various accessories.  Some come with it like the raincover and mosquito net.  These have been invaluable.  They are not cheap and flimsy like some of the ones my friends have had.  Other accessories you can choose to purchase.  We have the parasol, the travel bag and the buggy board which are all fantastic. 

I like the fact that you can change the colour of the pram by just buying new fabric.  This means you don't have to stick to safe colours if you are planning more than one child, hence the bright pink!  


It is also a good height if you are out and about and stop for food or coffee.  You can take the bar off and flick the handlebars and the chair goes right under the table.  This is useful if high chairs aren't available or you don't want to use them because they are dirty etc (a whole other conversation).  We have had a few looks from other impressed parents when we do this.


The only negative is when you do switch it to use off road it is not as easy to steer.  Don't let that put you off though. I honestly would not buy another pram. 

My little one is comfortable, warm and safe as well as looking stylish so I am one very happy Mummy. Our family gives it a massive score of 10/10.


Karen x

To post photos or not to post photos? That is the question?

I have been blogging since January and today have had over 1000 hits on my site whoppeee!!  I am currently working on adding new pages but have not published them yet.  However, I am torn about putting pictures of my children on here.  So far the photos I have published of my girls have been chosen carefully and don't often show their faces. Having looked at other Mummy blogs, I love the ones that are full of photos and have seen several which have monthly pictures of their little ones.  I would love to do that, but am unsure due to the fact you have no control over who sees them and what they do with them.  I am more than happy for other like minded Mummy's to see pictures of my family.  I take millions of pictures and love showing off my gorgeous family, but....its the weirdos out there I do not want seeing my children.What are your views???  Is there anything you can do to make sure that photos stay in your blog and don't end up in google image search etc.  Please help, I would love to see others comments.


Karen x

Is my cooking really that bad?

We have had a lovely day today.  Lots of fresh air as previously posted, followed by lots of playing.  For Poppy this meant play dough, fuzzy felts, colouring and baking coconut macaroons.  While for Rosie this meant lots of tickles and giggles, hide and seek under a blanket, banging toys, building towers (Mummy) and knocking them down (Rosie).


Then came Supper time.  Tonight they had cheese and tomato omelette with sweet potato wedges.  Sounds okay.  Both girls love sweet potato mashed and as I had a few to use up I thought I would try wedges for a change.  Poppy was tucking into hers.  She ate all the omelette, half the wedges and was just telling me she wanted strawberries for pudding when she vomited right onto her place...yuck gross!   Was my cooking really that bad? Since then she has been fine, drank a cup of milk and life goes on.  She told me she enjoyed her Supper and is not poorly so what was the problem?  This is not normal behaviour in our household, so I have no idea what was wrong.  Was something off? Did she just eat too much? Rosie gobbled hers down, finished it off with a kiwi and is as happy as anything so it couldn't have been the eggs!  I guess I will never know.


Karen x

Fresh air and improved moods

After an awful day yesterday, the ringing in my ears has died down and I decided a bit of fresh air would do my girls the world of good. So the doors have been thrown open today and we have been enjoying a bit of English sunshine on a crisp fresh day.  It started with Mummy and Poppy time, which is when Rosie has her morning nap.

First I taught Poppy to play Hopscotch. I'm not really sure she got it but she is only two and a half!

Next we washed down the slide and did some sliding!

Then we picked up lots of leaves in our bucket.

Then we tipped them out again.

Then we had a snack and a rest.

The result....two happier little girls and that means a happier Mummy too!

I love bright sunny days and fresh air and obviously so do my girls.

Karen x