Quote of the week : 3

This is from Modern Family, I feel like it perfectly describes me and Mr B. I intend to get it framed one day ... 

"There are dreamers and there are realists in this world, you think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not the opposite is true. See the dreamers need the realists to keep the dreamers from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists? Well without the dreamers, they might not ever get off the ground"

Have a nice week y'all

Thrifting : Approved Foods

Here's for something a little different, ordering food online. I have placed 6 orders from Approved Food and intend to continue doing so as I think the service is great!

 Approved Foods is an online food ordering service with a difference, it is crazy cheap! They have appeared on several different TV shows and publications in which they explain that some of the items have gone past the best before but not use by date (this means that the food is legal to sell and tastes just fine). They also sell stock that some supermarkets haven't been able to shift, which means I have had items from Waitrose and Marks & Spencers. 

Ok, so you place your order by cruising the website and adding things to your basket, they have loads of different deals including deals of the day and some really great multi buys, any BB Dates are clearly labelled. The delivery charge is £5.99 although you can sometimes find discount codes for this. My only bug bear with Approved Food is that you aren't able to book a delivery slot, this is a bit of a pain but I've had deliveries when I'm  not home and they just left it with my neighbour. 

Onto the food ... 

This was today's order and I'm super happy with it. The order totalled at £40, the value of the order was £130, that's a whopping £90 saved! Approved Food sells a variety of items and has just got its licence to sell alcohol. I use the service for my cupboard foods and an order like this will last around two months. 

An example of the types of deals to be had is the naan breads, 12 packs of 2xSharwoods Naans for £1(saving £23) this was a flash deal, which they run deals of this type pretty much daily. We used a pack tonight and it tasted perfectly normal, and tasty!

My next fabulous deal was this Belvoir Cranberry and Raspberry Presse, two for £1.50 instead of £5. I have seen these in the supermarket and always thought they looked really upmarket so I am excited to get this out when we next have a BBQ as it looks perfect for drinking in the sun especially as I'm breastfeeding and can't have wine! 

Next up is the Ambrosia Custard and Rhubarb Compote, six for £1.49 rather than £4. I think these will be great for a quick pudding or to take as part of a lunch for work. I think the price is great and it is always reassuring to see a brand you know!

Ok, now we have Mexican! Me and Mr B love Mexican and it was one of my cravings when pregnant so we pretty much expected Tom to come out with a sombrero on! My loot of 4 packs of wraps (two different types) and 4 fajita stir in sauces came to £5, this is so cheap when you consider how many dinners this can make in comparison to the fajita kits. The wraps are also great for lunches and are less than half of the price in the supermarket. 

My last exceptional deal is these Organix Goodies kiwi, pear and banana pouches, these were six for £1.99. I was especially pleased with these as they don't contain strawberry which really aggrevates Tom's eczema, and they seem to put strawberry in bloody everything! It was a saving of £4 which I wouldn't turn my nose up at. 

Overall, I continue to be really happy with the service and will keep ordering from Approved Food. I would really recommend using the service if you are looking at saving money and want to have good food available to you and your family! And look at the cute bottom of the box! 

A Grand Day Out : Howletts Animal Park

Apologies in the delay in me posting, the lurgy decended upon our house this weekend so I have not been up for doing much of anything! Now back to your regularly scheduled programming  ...

We decided to go to Howletts Animal Park in Canterbury for Nana's birthday and I thought I'd share the experience in case you fancied it. 

I bought the tickets online prior to going as you get a 10% discount, so adult tickets were £18.85 each and the babies were fee (woohoo). Another benefit of buying the ticket online prior to visiting is that you don't need to queue! There is a separate line for online bookings, you just show your code and off you go! 

There is a big variety of animals in the sanctuary, I would say predominantly monkeys/gorillas but also elephants, bison, tigers, leopards and some more obscure animals too! Tom enjoyed looking at the animals but found it hard to make out some of the smaller and more camouflaged ones so we didn't dwell on them for too long. The best moment for me was Tom saying 'hello' for the first time, and it was to a gorilla! 

All of Howletts is pushchair/wheelchair friendly, I didn't have any problems with mine and it's a big mother! There were also baby change facilities available, they weren't the most luxurious but a means to an end, and they were clean so I can't complain! 

We had lunch on site, visiting a canteen type cafe in which some of us had burger type food and others had jacket potato/pasta type dishes. They were child friendly, providing a decent baby seat. I would consider it unremarkable but not unpleasant. It wasn't an issue as we weren't there for the food! We did stop for an ice cream which was really nice, they had speciality flavours such as haribo or marshmallow, I had the marshmallow and it was lush! And the ice cream was reasonable value for money and a generous portion! 

Overall, we had a really good day out. Tom definitely  enjoyed himself, and it was great that you could get really quite close to some of the animals. It would be great to have more big animals but that would be for Tom's perspective. From mine, I really enjoyed the little monkeys, they were so sweet! A few of the animals had babies and it was adorable to see mamas and babies in nature.

I would definitely recommend a visit if you are in the area, just pre book your tickets! 

A Grand Day Out : Eagle Heights

Mr B is on school holidays this week and so has been in charge of Daddy Daycare. He decided to take Tom on a day trip to our nearest animal sanctuary, which is a bird centre called Eagle Heights. 

Eagle Heights is based in Eynsford, Kent. The entry prices are adults £7.95, children aged 4-14 £4.95 and children under 4 are free (woohoo).

Mr B reported that Eagle Heights is pushchair friendly and has reasonable baby facilities. For lunch Mr B and Nana got two cups of tea and a slice of cake each which came in around £8, and there was a BBQ available as well. 

Tom really enjoyed the day, especially the larger birds as he could get quite close to them. Tom also really liked the meerkats! I think this maybe as he likes cats so maybe he thought they were standy up cats! Mr B liked the bird show, he said the presenter man was quite witty and engaging. 

Eagle Heights has around 100 birds and  a slew of other animals, they used to have more but have recently had a restructure. They do animal shows so you get to see the birds flying at full span which really caught Toms attention.

Mr B reported that it was a good day trip and he would recommend it to others. The only negative that he said was that it opened at 11, we are too used to early starts! Eagle Heights also offer experience days, such as feeding animals for an additional cost.

Have you ever been to Eagle Heights? What was your experience like? 

Gel Nails : Sally Hansen Salon Insta Gel Strips

I thought I would offer something different, but still a bit parental lifestyle related, hear me out! I love having painted nails and pre Tom I was always painting my nails, post Tom I don't have nearly as much time and can't abide chipping which isn't always baby compatible, so my way around this is gel nails! 

I use the Sensationail LED system to do gel nails at home, it's easy, cheap and convenient, no having to go to the nail shop for a whole evening, I can do them whilst catching up on Netflix!

I was browsing in Poundland t'other day when I came across the Sally Hansen Insta Gel Strips, I have previously used the non gel equivalents and was pleased with the outcome so I thought I would give these a try (LED lamp required). 

The kit is really simple to use with everything you need included, bar the lamp. You shape your nails, prep with a wipe, peel the strip and press onto nail, top coat and the cure with your lamp, then a final wipe et voilà pretty and chip resistant nails! This is by far the simplest system I have encountered. Usually gel nails require multiple curing, one at each stage, so this was much less time consuming which is always nice. 

The set costs £1 so there is nothing else to be said about what good value it is. But I can better it! The nails come with a whole set of different sizes so you can match to your nail shape and size. As you can see I'm keeping my nails short (for nappy changes!) and so I was able to use each one strip over two nails! This means I have a whole spare set of strips leftover! Two manicures for £1! You could even attempt a pedi with it and have them match! 

I really love the finished effect, will it last two weeks? I doubt it. Is it chip resistant, in short no, but my wear has been minimal and considerably better than regular nail varnish. It would probably do well if you didn't have a child! But it is glossy and I feel polished so I would defiantly recommend it (here I am recommending it!). The colour I am wearing is 280 Punch Drunk and it's a raspberry cream. I have also bought 450 Pretty N Poppy - a pink flowery pattern and 440 Bonus Check - a black and white houndstooth patten, I will Instagram as I wear them! 

Have you had any Poundland bargains recently? Are you a gel fan? I would love to hear from you! 

Bootfair Haul :

I love a bootfair, or dirty booty as they are referred to in Chez Tom! We regularly attend and I have got some gems over the years. Today we went with the intention of buying a baby walker as the woman at the Sure Start centre suggested it would build Tom's confidence in walking independently. 

 

Well ask and you shall receive! We managed to get two of the Vtech First Strps Baby Walkers for £3 each (retails at £18 at Argos). We bought one to be kept at NanNans for when she looks after him on work days. Tom took to the walker instantly and has defiantly walked more today than he ever has previously. Weirdly, we went to see Mr B's parents this afternoon and they had bought one aswell! A serendipitous sign of good taste?

Next was this beauty! A Ted Baker Large Shopper for £2! Two bloody pound, sterling! (currently retail for £39!). I have always thought that these look really stylish and have wanted one for ages but couldn't really justify another bag, certainly for forty quid! The bag does have a wee pen mark on the front, truth be told I don't really care! I intend to use this for work and I'm sure it will get plenty of wear and tear through that. I like the little details on the bag, such as the inside has a little printed phrase "You've really got a hold on me", I think it's really sweet. I used to use a Ted Baker purse that had similar little hidden messages, it's a nice touch. 

I also bought Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O'Porter for £1. I had wanted to read this for ages but I just don't get much time to read these days, but for a pound, it would be rude not to! I also want to take this opportunity to mention how much I love Dawn O'Porter, especially her beautiful glossy mane! I see her as a wonderful and witty role model - gush over!

Lastly, we have these fab Ray Ban Aviator Sunglasses for £5 (genuine Ray Bans retail for around £130). I am so excited for these, especially for our upcoming summer holiday. I am really keen on the aviator shape shades and usually live in a cheap pair from Primark, but I have always wanted that little Rau Ban logo to make me look cool (I am aware of how lame that sounds!)

Well that's my lot for now, I am pleased with my finds. Usually I come away with much more for Tom but it's the luck of the draw, maybe next time!

Quote of the week : 2

I was discussing the news of the Irish same sex marriage with an Irish Catholic friend, when she came out with this little gem :

Jesus had two dads and he did pretty well!

Have a nice week y'all 

Sure Start : Messy Play : Part Deux

We went back to the messy play this week so I thought I would do a follow up post so you can see the variants week to week. This is a picture of us pre bubbles and paper madness, resulting in Tom having a total outfit change and me looking like a madwoman with paper in her hair!

The activities differed this week, with a theme of bubbles! There was four activity stations which were accommodating to a variety of ages.

The station we didn't use was paint and bubbles in which you blow down a straw into paint and place a piece of paper over the top to make a print. It looked really fun but Tom is just that bit too wee for it. The other children there seemed to really like it.

The next station was outside and it was bubbles with a variety of hoop blowers. Tom really enjoyed this and spent quite a while looking at the different size bubbles and just putting his hand in the mixture, much to my dismay!

The other outdoor activity was a small baby pool with bubbly water and a variety of bath type toys. All the children were having a hoot splashing around and getting in the water. Tom was absolutely drenched so I have learned that I should bring a towel as well as spare clothes. They recommended this for next week as well as the theme is rice!

The last activity was probably toms favourite, and it was literally a baby pool filled with shredded paper, he loved it! Standing in it, having it thrown like confetti and rooting around for hidden toys. I will definitely recreate this at home and bought a baby pool from pound land after wards for this purpose. 

As well as the brilliant activities, one of the things I really like about Sure Start is the good advice on hand, I was chatting to one of the facilitators about Tom learning to walk as he will hold onto furniture and your hands but I didn't know how to help transition him, the woman was really helpful and they are generally very approachable and knowledgeable. Horray for this brilliant and free reaource!

Routine : Work Days

Now I am at work we have quite a strict routine in the mornings just keep it all flowing like a well oiled machine! I used to be able to go with the flow but these days it just isn't practical. The routine is evolving with Toms needs, he used to wake up at 5 for milk and go back to sleep until it was time to get up but now he is sleeping through that so we have had to find time to add a feed in (which is a pain in the arse).

Night before : Put out a tray with Tom and my bowls, spoons, mugs for me and Mr B, sippy cup for Tom and a bottle to make Toms formula for his porridge. I sometimes will go full cray cray and put in tea bags etc. also ensure the kettle is full prior to going to bed so it just has to be flicked on. 

Check bag is ready to go to NanNans : 2 bottles with caps of milk, sun cream, moisturiser, any of his spare clothes belonging to NanNan having been washed and returned.

Have high chair set up and lounge to be baby ready!

Morning : Try to get up at 6:45 and sneak downstairs to flick the kettle on and put down food for Hillary the cat who will be miaowing incessantly. Tom will usually wake up at this point. Go see Tom! Cuddles and then a bum change! Choose clothes for the day, photo for OOTD on Instagram, get dressed into said stylish and fabulously put together outfit (!).  Go downstairs. Tom has a crawl about whilst breakfast is made. We usually each have porridge, Tom loved the Cow & Gate Sunny Start Banana Porridge, followed by a banana (he really loves bananas!). Quick face wash, mousturiser applied for his eczema and teeth clean. This will be followed by breastfeeding a cuddles then he is out the door at 7:30. With the addition of the breastfeeding the times are tighter but we are doing ok at the moment. 

Evening : Mr B picks Tom up around 6, so by the time he is home he is usually crabby and it's time to start bedtime. I'm trying to introduce reading a book whilst Mr B runs his bath, ok so far but I don't think it's established just yet. Mr B baths Tom whilst I get his room ready for bed,jammies out, nappy ready, room dark and grow bag unzipped! We have a special bath song when Tom is getting out the tub, followed by teeth clean. Then Tom is quickly dried and dressed as he usually starts fussing at this point as he wants boob and bed! And that's what he gets! Then we are done!

We have done sleep training with Tom, which was successful but has been messed up a few times with teething or general illness. I think now we have a good balance that if he wakes in the night before 3AM then Mr B will go and settle him without boob (obvs!) but after 3 I conced that he may genuinely want milk and will not settle without it, only getting more awake! We are at a weird point at the moment in which some nights he is sleeping straight through but others he is wide awake at 4AM and wanting to be up for the day (this does not happen, mama can't be doing with that!), let's hope that this phase passes quickly!

Well there it is, our work routine. Was this interesting/helpful? Leave a comment below and let me know!

A little note of thanks :

Hi all, 

I've had over 400 hits on the blog and to me that's a big deal! I hope you are liking what are reading! 

I just wanted to say that if you want more of a type of post, or have any questions then please do comment as I would love to hear from you!

Ta x

Quote of the week :

A random I found on Pintrest :

Busy is a choice

Stress is a choice

Joy is a choice

Choose well

Have a nice week y'all 

Stamp Craft :

I really love that there is a booming cottage industry in the UK for homemade personalised crafts, but I also think sometimes it takes the piddle at the prices and I really like a project. after spying a few things using letter stamps, I did a cheap eBay order from China for a box of stamps (£5.69) and I was set!

I cruised my DIY board on pintrest to find a PVA and cornflour dough recipe (1:2) and set off.

My first lot was a pile of shite! I misread the recipie and made it 1:1 PVA and cornflour, I think it might have eventually set but it certainly wasn't what I wanted. So I scooped it up and added more cornflour by eye until I was ok to give it another try!

Second go was success! I let it set for about 25 minutes before using my stamp. Like a twat, I had forgotten to buy ink so I used a bingo pen (Adapt and overcome!) and stamped on my words. I learned 3 lessons here.

1. Check your stamp is the right way up. I didn't, and upside down B is no good for anyone!

2. Check if your word will fit before you stamp, it's pretty impossible to undo.

3. Keep your stamps in order. I didn't and ended up really fumbling! I think next time I might even take mine out and arrange them in advance. 

I also hope that I will generally have more of a plan next time. It's nice to go with the flow but I think I could have missed opportunities? I've used a bird stamp, a heart with LOVE stamped on and a hole to hang it, I've also made a square with a hole and our address with the plan to put it on our key hook. 

One idea for the long run would be to get a large house shape cutter and stamp in family names and maybe address? I think I will be interesting to explore different inks aswell. I have also seen on pintrest people doing an impression using lace which might be nice on a heart? 

I will follow this up with my next (better!) crack at this, at some point! Have you been crafting anything nice?

Baby on a budget : Newborn

I remember the lead up to having Tom and the hours spent looking at what I apparently needed! The must have items and the trendy items as well as reviews for the everyday. It was a minefield for my hormone filled brain! So I thought I would throw my two pence in, I will say that I am on team thrifty and would rather save money for Toms future than spunk it on a pram that costs the same as a small car, but that's just me...

Nappies

We used Pampers when there was good deals via Groupon as you could buy in bulk. Not good for newborn size as Tom was barely in them but it worked well for 2s and 3s. We also like Aldi when there wasn't a Groupon deal to be had. The Mamia range has won a whole host of awards and rightly so! I truly believe the nappies are equal in quality, the only difference I found is that the wetness indicater is more prominent on the Pampers, but still viable on Mamia.

From the word go we have used Mamia sensitive wipes, they are great! Everything you want in a wipe with a sturdy lid and they have never caused any adverse reactions on Toms sensitive skin. The other benefit is that Aldi do regular baby events in which there isn't usually a great deal in price difference but you can get in bulk.

Clothes

We were gifted so many beautiful clothes for Tom, which is what bred by love of Baby Gap! It was a great way to find out what companies you liked interns of fit, wash and design features. I rate Next (washes well, built in scratch mitts),  M&S (washes sell, timeless designs, quality), Baby Gap (bigger sizes, unusual designs, lasts well) and ASDA (good range, affordable, good for basics). 

I didn't get along with with scratch mittens and preferred them built into a baby grow, ditto for booties. He wore his little hats twice and there was plenty of other items only worn once or twice. I think next time I wouldn't bother too much with clothes and would just stick to baby grows for the first little bit. I did really like long sleeve body suits, which I hadn't bought any but ended up finding them handy for him to sleep in with a grow bag on warm nights. I still really like them now to layer under t-shirts

Food

Thomas was breastfed so that didn't cost us anything outside the outlay of the pump, I have reviewed that previously. Just a piece of advice, keep hydrated and drink loads of water, it can be thirsty work!

Washing Essentials

Clothing 

I also stuck with Aldi for this. I used the non bio powder and the sentence baby fabric conditioner. Tom had never reacted to these. The brand is ultra affordable and just as good as Persil etc.

Body

I have used Johnsons and it's good but for me, my newborn Tom smell is Burts Bees Baby Bee. It smells gorgeous and never irritated Toms skin. The range isn't particularly cheap but it is lovely! My stand out product is the body oil, I used to give Tom massages to help us bond and to was his dry skin on his wrists and ankles when he was all brand new.

Sleeping

Toms cot was kindly given to us by a friend of a friend which was greatly appreciated. I bought a Moses basket from eBay for £5 as I was half expecting Tom to not sleep in as, which is what everyone kept telling me would happen. Turns out, Tom loved the basket and remains in there in our room until he was 6 months. We have always used grow bags with Tom and I think he likes the feeling of security and warmth. 

I hope this has been helpful. What did you find was a newborn essential and what was a load of tosh? 

Plus Size Pregnancy :

In truth I'm not sure about this post, I feel a bit anxious, like I'm putting out there what people don't want to know? I'm not sure exactly what I mean, just a gut feeling.

Equally, soon after I found out I was pregnant I started to manically Google 'plus size pregnancy', 'fat mum', 'obese pregnancy' and many other variations of the above. When we started trying to conceive I hadn't given much thought to actually being overweight and pregnant, two of my sisters have fertility issues and I'm a 'big girl' so I assumed it would be a big struggle. Three months later I was a knocked up fatty. 

I was wearing a size 22 and had no idea even what a plus size person looked like at full term, cue Google. And it helped a little bit but it seemed to be mostly American women, which is wonderful but I was looking for advice and guidedence  from the home soil.

Then I turned to those wonderfully crazy Netmums. I have found Netmums to be a  great resource on many occasions but in this case it felt a lot more like scare mongering. There was so many frightened women in the same boat that I was and the responses seemed to be that doctors will tell you off and people will say you are huge, this is not what you need to hear and I friggin hope it was the exception and not the rule!

I am going to do a Q&A style on what I worried about and if you have any questions or if I miss anything then pop it in the comments and I can answer or do a part 2 post (which would be terribly exciting!)

Did I end up so massive that people thought I was just really really fat and not pregnant?

I worried about this for a long time, an older friend of mine told me that when she had one of her children there was people that didn't know she was even pregnant. I think she was trying to prepare me in case I didn't show. I did show, I ended up with a fecking great big bump that you couldn't pretend was anything but a baby! 

This is me on my way into the hospital to have Tom so excuse the action shot/looking like a tramp, notice said massive bump!

Will I get gestational diabetes because I'm a chubby bunny?

I didn't! I have friends of all different shapes and sizes and some got it, some didn't. Just eat healthy and take care of yourself. 

I'm under consultant led care, what does this mean?

I had this, in daily life it means more appointments and possibly extra scans  (every cloud has a silver lining). The other side is that you may have extra complications as your body does have to work harder to sustain a healthy pregnancy. Labour may also have difficulties and your choice of pain relief may be affected. You also may not be able to give birth on a midwife led unit, in case of these problems. You may also be referred to a healthy weight management club, I was supposed to be but it didn't happen due to a clerical error (no biggie). I like to end on a positive, so, you get more time off work for the appointments!

Will medical staff be mean to me as I'm fuller figured?

Not in my experiences, in my time not one person made me feel bad about my weight (except me!). I personally felt embarrassed when I had to lift my belly (cringe) but when you hear your babies heartbeat then you don't give a fig.

Will they see my baby on the scan through my blub?

Yup, it might take a bit longer or be a bit more difficult but they will find your little pea. A few times Tom would snuggle right under my thickest part but my midwife was always able to find him. 

Will I be able to fit in maternity clothes? And not look like a twat?

Of course you can. Next maternity leggings was a particular favourite of mine! I bought a big bundle on eBay and used some items I already had. There is plenty out there. Your body will look beautiful in empire dresses and long skirts or tunics. Don't be shy to accentuate that wonderful rotund tum!

What will my bump look like? 

Well, mine wasn't the traditional D shaped round beach ball bump (I wish!). Instead, I had a B shape bump, so I had my big beach ball but under it I had my belly. Dressed, you wouldn't even notice but in the nude it was there. It wasn't the beautiful maternity pictures you see in magazines but it was me abd Tom, and that's ok.

This is all I can think of for now, but please ask any thing else you are worried about! I'm here to help! Sending chub mama love x

Allergy Testing :

Before: I am feeling really nervous, I really don't know what to expect. It seems so long ago that he had reaction I almost feel like I made it up. I am scared that he is allergic to other things, nuts in itself is a bit of a pain. I'm hopeful that I will get good advice on how to manage a reaction. I just feel really nervous. They don't really give you much of an idea as to what is going to happen.

During : I got there and handed in my appointment card and sat and waited. Because the appointment was a the children's unit there was lots of toys which was handy. We went and got Tom weighed and measured, not really sure why but it was handy as I hadn't done it in a while! Next up we met with the doctor, we discussed Toms allergic reaction to peanut butter and our family history with allergies. We decided on what to test him for based on what he has been exposed to, so he was tested for peanuts, hazelnuts (to check if it's an all nut allergy or peanut and not tree nut allergy), cat hair, another animal hair (but I really can't remember what!), eggs and there was also a positive and negative swatch to ensure he was reacting in the expected way. 

N.B. I was asked if Tom had taken any antihistamine prior to the testing as I'm assuming it might sway the results, so avoid if possible.

The test was done by having numbers listed on his arm, next to each number was a blob of the allergin which was followed by a shallow prick to introduce the allergin to the skin and cause a reaction. We then waited for 10 minutes.

This was as the hive reactions started coming up. As you can see Tom had a few reactions. We went back in and the nurse drew circles around the hives and used a transfer tape to magically transfer the circles onto paper. They was measured and taken to the Dr to have a look-see (back to the waiting room). We went back into the Drs and discussed our results. It is confirmed that Tom has a peanut allergy but not to hazelnuts! This is really good news as it means Tom can eat some nuts (and Nutella!), Tom is also mildly allergic to cats (we have a black cat called Hillary), the doctor said that if Hillary isn't affecting his eczema then not to worry (phew). 

The other big reaction was eggs. I had intentionally not introduced eggs into his diet as my gut was telling me to hold out until his allergy testing, after the peanut reaction just in case. The Dr has advised us to research if Tom has eaten things with egg in previously in which case he might tolerate baked egg. If this is the case then we could do the baked egg test, which is feeding him a bit of cake made with 1/4 ratio of egg that you would usually use. I'm going to have to check if Tom has eaten baked egg before as the Dr explained that if he hadn't then we defiantly shouldn't attempt it. 

I was given some information from the Allergy UK website and it was agreed for us to return in 4-6 months.

After : I feel a bit relived that it's done and I now know where I stand. Equally I'm really disappointed about the egg allergy as my dad (Nandad to Tom!) has made a special egg dish for both my neices and Tom won't be able to have it, but c'est la vie. I think I will need more time to digest (boom! Pun intended!)

I hope this has been helpful! Have you had any experiences with allergies?

What's in my make up bag :

After yesterday's heavy post I thought I would lighten the mood with a what's in my make up bag post, as I really like reading other bloggers make up bag posts. I'm simple like that!

There is a lot of No. 7 in here as, just prior to returning to work I decided that I should be more grown up as I am a mother (? Blame it on the hormones not settling yet!) and so I bought some grown up makeup! It was also on a 3 for 2 day at Boots, with a combo of a voucher and boots card voucher I ended up paying around £13 for the lot! Madness!

My actual make up bag is by Happy Jackson and was a birthday present from my sister, to which I'm now obsessed with the brand as they all have cute little sayings, so this has 'Kiss + make up' on the front. It's a small/medium size so you can pack a fair bit in but don't end up lugging Boots around with you! 

I have a set of Real Techniques brushes that I bought on sale in Asda after Christmas, it's a basic set but a good starting point for building up a decent brush collection. I use the foundation brush for concealer as I don't really use foundation on a day to day basis, I would love to say it's because I have good skin but really I think it's because I'm lazy! The set also has a lovely eyeshadow brush, no guesses what I use that for! And a powder brush which I use for bronzer as it gives a good dusting without caking it on!

Next is my No. 7 Creme Touch powder, I have combination skin and can get a bit oily this isn't the most exciting thing in the world but it balanced me and looks fresh and clean. I like to think that sometimes things not being exciting and just doing what they are supposed to is really refreshing! 

The other powder is my beautiful No. 7 Shimmer Pallet bronzer compact, in the most beautiful rose gold case with a honking great mirror to boot! It's one of those with strips of gold, rose gold and more of a brown, packed with shimmer but not so much that you look like a disco ball! It goes on well and really lasts. I've also been known to use individual shades as a summery eyeshadow.

I thought I'd group my eye bits together. First up, the No. 7 Extravagant Volume mascara, I had been a die hard fan of They're Real by Benefit, but I was getting itchy feet so I thought I'd give this a crack. Boy am I glad! I think you get the same result of thick, long and well defined lashes, but you can actually get it off! And it's much less clumpy. I would really recommend it.

I also have two of the No. 7 Stay Precise liquid eyeliners, in black and chain mail (like a gunmetal grey). These eyeliners area great formulas, runny enough to shape how you want, quick drying and they last. I especially love the brush as its long, fine stands rather than a rubber of foam point, I find this offers more control and definition.

Lastly, the No. 7 ( told you there was lots!) Beautiful Eyebrows Sculpting Pencil. The pencil has the little twirly comb on one end and a triangular shaped pencil the other which I presume is to mimic the natural hair shape. The formula is just the right amount of waxy and has a good hold and a natural finish, I feel made up but not Towie made up!

Both Natural Collection items are concealers. I really like the formula they use, they are cheap and cheerful but they work and the fair shade is actually fair which is more than I can say for lots of other brands out there! 

The blush is Bourjois (seriously - does anyone know how to pronounce this without feeling like a twat) is cream to powder and is a nice subtle colour, an English rose. I got this as part of a beauty box (the Glamour one maybe?) and I am happy with it. I do prefer Benefit's Coralista but it's a ball ache to carry around where as this is lovely and compact. 

Lastly is this little gem. I wouldn't have normally owned an Avon pallet but again, my sister bought it for me! It's a perfect little pallet, small enough to take up no space and the shades can do a petty neutral or a smokey eye! It gives good colour payout with minimal fallout. I really have no complaints except that I put off using it as I was being snobby about Avon, shame on me!

I hope you have enjoyed the post, pre Tom, I used to love makeup and would have had lots more, but these days it's a much simpler life! 

Let me know your go to staples! 

I'll never tell :

Part of my foray into blogging is me trying to be able to express myself and be who I am. So I thought I would be brave and write 5 things I had kept to myself, so here it is ...

1. I really want to run the London marathon before I'm 30. It feels like a silly thing to say as I've been overweight for all of my adult life, but I'm working on it. It would be a huge achievement and one that I often tell myself I can't do but I've got a few years so never say never! 

2. Being a counsellor will mean more to me than my chosen career. It will be me overcoming my belief that I can't achieve in life and that I am stupid. These are things I struggle with all the time. 

3. I love being a mum but always feel like I'm not trying hard enough. I'm not really sure what I could be doing differently or better? I think this is just the motherhood guilt that was dropped off by the stork with Tom.

4. I have a sociable job and lots of friends but, oh how I love my own company! Countless times I have been so tempted to cancel plans and stay in, not even to do anything exciting! Surfing pintrest gives me my kicks!

5. I spend much of my time beating myself up, thinking I'm no good. My counselling course is really helping me challenge this but some days it's still pretty hard to change the thoughts of a lifetime. I hope by putting this out there, then there is nowhere to hide from it, time will tell. 

So there it is, I never really wanted to put it out there for feeling foolish. But there is nothing foolish about being aspirational and improving your life. It's a bit of a heavy post but it's out there now!

Are there things you'll never tell?

Medela Swing : Breast Pump Review

Hot off the heels of writing about breastfeeding, I thought I would do a wee review of my medela swing breast pump.

I didn't start with the swing, I originally had a cheap manual pump. I got a blocked duct and needed to pump through it, I lasted about 5 minutes before Mr B was duely sent to Boots in strict orders to get me a Medela (gotta love those parenting club points)!

I had a few friends that pumped and I kept hearing that the swing was where it was at, this was firmly backed up with my online research. I also liked that it reminded me of Wayne's World - Shwing!

I found that I instantly took to the pump and was collecting milk straight away. The pump has an automatic let down function and various functions (I need one with a bit more oomph). You can also buy bigger funnel nipple cup things, which I needed as the standard fit but not brilliantly as I'm busty la roué. 

I will be truthful and say that my swing malfunctioned and the motor decided it wanted to taste man flesh. I contacted the support team via Facebook and was very pleased with the feedback. They got back to me almost instantly and was able to help me replace the whole unit with no fuss! Result! I can really recommend their customer support if you are unsure of anything. 

The unit isn't particularly noisey which is important to me as I now have to pump at work. It also comes with a little carry bag, which is nice and discreet. 

As well as being used my friends, I've also seen that Kourtney Kardashian is using Medela pump! So you even get a celebrity thumbs up!

The pump is expensive, possible the biggest expenditure so far as we bought a lot second hand. But, it is worth every penny! If you are planning on pumping you will want it to be as comfortable as possible. Treat yourself!

Do you pump? I would love to hear about your experiences!

Breastfeeding :

I am a breastfeeding mama.  It's probably the one thing inmost proud of in my foray to motherhood. For the most I have received nothing but support from friends, family and strangers.

Before I started I had seen lots of instances on social media about breastfeeding shaming and so was expecting some form of backlash, which, well it just didn't happen. I think it's something to consider that these so called empowering messages could be scaring people off! 

My breastfeeding journey has had some lows including mastitis, blocked ducts and biting *ouch*. During each of these times I have given serious consideration to if I want to continue and it's always felt that it's not to right time to stop.

A few months back Tom had 6 teeth come in and a virus. Hell would be an understatement, and he wouldn't have a thing near his mouth. Except (drumroll) boobie! It was a really difficult week and in truth it scares me that it could be repeated but I would have the boobie to get me through. 

Tom is now 10 months and I get asked, rightly or wrongly (frickin wrongly!) when I plan to stop the boob. I am lucky to have a very strong friend who's baby is 17 months and still breastfeeding, she is such an inspiration. I don't want to stop, defiantly up to a year, if I can - beyond that? Who knows! 

Breastfeeding has given me such a beautiful bond, I'm not saying you don't get that with bottle because I have no idea about the difference! 

This post is more about have the bravery and will power to keep going past the bit where everyone tells you how great it is, to the part where people start to question if it's weird (it's not).

I think the matter of teeth come into play. Yes, I have been bitten. Yes, it hurts like a mother ducker (it bled!). But, he gets so much from it, so do I. It's a bond, an instant fix, a medicine, sustenance, a cuddle, magical sleep juice and so much more.

I love the boobie, I am proud to boobie. I just have to stick to my big milky guns!

Do you breastfeed? Are you interested in any of my experiences? Please comment, I would love to hear from you!

Sure Start : Messy Play

I had a lovely time at my local Sure Start messy play today so I thought I would share my experience in case any of you fancied it but wasn't sure what to expect.

I went with my neighbour as our children often have play dates, she is a few months older so Tom just follows her about (so cute)! The group started at 9:15 which worked well as timings go as it had time for his breakfast to go down before the play time. 

The theme of the week was pasta, the room was divided into four zones. 

Zone one was dry pasta in an empty swimming pool so the children could climb in and play using cups and spagetti at as well as tubes. Tom seemed to enjoy this, but mainly wanted to eat the pasta. Generally all the children enjoyed taking off their shoes and feeling it under their feet.

Zone two had art materials to make pasta pictures. I briefly tried this with Tom, he wanted to eat the glue, so that ended pretty quickly for us! 

Zone three had pipe cleaners and colourful pasta to make pasta bracelets. Tom played with the pipe cleaners but is still too little to fully engage with the activity.

Zone four was outside, it was a big plastic tub filled with warm water and spaghetti and plastic dinosaurs. Tom loved it! By far he spent the most time here, he really enjoyed the sloppy (cringe) pasta and the colourful dinosaurs really stood out. I might try this at home during the summer.

Whilst outside we also had a sneaky play on the jungle gym, he is still learning to use the equipment but can be helped to use the slide which is really cute.

We had a great time and I will definitely be going again. I stopped going to the baby group as my local one was quite cliquey and I had a good mummy support group outside of it, however now Tom is getting older there are different groups available to him and I'm definitely going to try to use this fabulous, free, resource more!

I feel I have said pasta too much!

Do you use any baby groups?

Tardis Birdhouse :

I have recently completed one of my many whimsy projects that have I been slowly working on. This project was a birdhouse painted to be a Tardis. 

Me and Mr B are big whovians as opposed to ornithologists! I saw that they had these kits on half price in Argos (through hotukdeals ) and was instantly inspired.

I used acrylic paints, mostly from the poundshop and a marker pen for details. The handle stump is gold but it hasn't photographed well. 

Overall I am really pleased with this and am looking forward to it hanging in our garden, unfortunately Hillary (our catcat) will more than likely scare away any potential winged residents!

My next crafty projects are to be around Toms stylish 1st birthday, I've already started on the party bags! 

Until next time...

My Pacapod Changing Bag

Pacapod 

Style : Oban

I love my nappy bag! If you are into organisation then the pacapod is for you. It works with the idea of a place for everything and everything in its place! This works especially well when Mr B is changing/feeding/attending to Toms whims in a totally different place to where I am and will ask for the location of a specific item in my bag (grr...). 

Background : Prior to the pacapod I had a more basic bag, slightly smaller with much fewer pockets, it did the job but wasn't anything special. However, it did have magical powers as whenever Mr B would try to find anything inside it, whatever it was would disappear! Eventually I grew sick of this and having read a review on lucieandthebump, I bit the bullet and boy am I glad!

Pod 1 : Changing : 

This is the grey pod with a big pocket on the back in which the change mat sits. Inside the pod there is an elastic wrap to hold the nappies, a wee elastic pocket for bags and a side pocket for creams, in the front flap (teehee flaps) there is a pocket for spare clothes. This pod is lovely and specious and organised. I find it really handy if you are at a restaurant and are doing a quick change and you don't have to lug your bag across the place and then find somewhere to rest it in the changing area.

Pod 2 : Feeding :

The feeding pod is insulated and is very spacious. In truth there isn't much to say, it's big and you can fit a load of food in it, what more could you need! It's also easy to wipe down in case of spills!

Front pockets : 

The bag also has a front zipped area and a packet in front of that. I use this area as my handbag and it's very spacious, there is compartments for your phone and a key fob area. It doesn't look that big but I can fit an impressive amount of stuff in it!

Straps :

The straps are lovely and thick, so they are easy to lug around! They have clip straps that you can connect to straps on the pram, this is super handy. The strap can also be converted into a backpack. I haven't had to use this much but it's handy if Tom is on his trike and I want my arms free.

Value for money : £80

In truth, my bag was secondhand from eBay and I paid around £20 for it. I 100% love the bag and actually do think it is worth £80 having actually got one now, but I was apprehensive prior to owning one as I didn't know if it would live up to the hype. 

When looking on the website I always stop to perv on Pheonix. she is beautiful but at £235, alas it is never to be. The dark brown leather is stunning and it really looks luxurious! 

Dream on!

All Hail Queen V!

After the awful weather yesterday we decided on a day of stylish fun to enjoy the bank holiday! We started by going to a boot fair (I adore a bit of booty! You never know what you will find), todays main prize was an Indian style stuffed elephant, Mr B hates her, I adore her and have duely named her Shirley.
We followed this up by visiting the Vivienne Westwood exhibition Cut From the Past at Danson House. The tickets were £8 each with Tom getting in for free and was pram/wheelchair friendly. For the entry fee you get to look around the restored Georgian house and the exhibition, I really enjoyed looking around as its a beautiful house in a beautiful setting but Mr B felt that there wasn't much house for your buck.
The exhibition was small, but included iconic pieces such as the sex pistol God Save the Queen Shirt and Pharrell hat. My favourite piece was a stunning emerald dress in a period style that was asymmetric on one side with bows, like  a modern Scarlet O'Hara. The exhibition was interesting and it was good to find out about the relationship of the items and the inspiration but it would have been nice to have a wee bit more. Check out my Instagram to see some photos from the exhibition!
Now, I make no pretence, I love to shop. The gift shop, well, it was poor. I think that it could have been a great opportunity for Danson House to raise funds but really it was a few postcards and a book (I bought a postcard, 50p, cant odds that). It would have been nice to have at least one textile piece but c'est la vie.
Tom had been in his pushchair all this time so once we left the house we walked around Danson Park to the play park and Tom was able to stretch out a bit and have a play. Its a nice, clean park with all the facilities you would need. due to the nice weather the splash areas was busy but it all had a nice atmosphere.
After all this playing we needed a rest so we had a pit stop at NanNans for a cuppa and a catch up and then had dinner with the in-laws. Wetherspoons are now doing a Mexican Monday which was quite nice, but it took a while to microwave cook, and Tom got a bit cranky, but soon cheered up when dinner came! All told, a busy but satisfying day!


How do you like to spend your bank holiday?