Edward and I went for our usual shopping trip last week, visiting the charity shops of Crouch End. It was a strange trip as I got accosted by two Eastern European women in one shop who pointed at my expanding belly and told me I was having a boy. We decided not to find out the sex of our Second Baby but I seem to be attracting lots of unwanted attention on the pregnancy front. I can’t hide my bump but I just seem to attract people who want to talk to me about it. I’m so fed up of…
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I’ve taken Edward swimming once a week at our local pool since he was little which he really enjoys. The lessons are quite structured (sometimes too structured) but I’m just happy that he loves the water and is happy and confident in it. He dislikes putting his head under water or using armbands so we just concentrate on having lots of fun! We’ve always used Huggies Little Swimmers underneath his swim shorts and they’ve been brilliant and never let us down. I remember when we had just started swimming when one little boys swim nappy didn’t contain a rather runny…
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I found a bar of dark chocolate and orange languishing at the back of the fridge so thought I would try making some chocolate orange cupcakes. I used a basic cupcake recipe but added 50g of the melted dark chocolate. When they were cooked and cooled I then decorated them with a simple buttercream icing but added 50g of melted white chocolate which I coloured with orange food colouring. I finished off the cupcakes with a mixture of white chocolate buttons and dark chocolate sprinkles.
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I can tell this pregnancy is going well because I just don’t have time to worry about it. I can’t even remember how many weeks pregnant I am which is worrying. Thank goodness I signed up to lots of marketing email so I get weekly reminders! When I bump into mum friends at our weekly events I either get “I didn’t realise you were pregnant” or “You look ready to pop” – not so great when I have a good couple of weeks to go! I actually have my second midwife appointment this week – yes, my second midwife appointment…
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October’s been yet another busy month at Night & Day Studios which means they’ve got some killer apps ready just in time for Halloween. We went on a long car journey to Devon at the weekend so we were very happy to have some new apps for Edward to play with. We really enjoyed trying them out, read on for your own chance to grab a new app! Turn scary into silly this Halloween when Ed Emberley’s beloved and best-selling book, Go Away, Big Green Monster!, comes to iPhone and iPad. Cleverly die-cut with bold colours and overlapping pages just…
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I couldn’t resist finding out how some people come across my blog and thought I’d join up with Kate’s latest Listography challenge – top 5 keyword searches on your blog. It’s not surprising given my interests that a lot of people find my blog by searching for variations of gingerbread house so after ignoring those my top 5 keyword searches are: 1. mint chocolate cupcakes – well I did make some rather delicious ones here 2. Cath Kidston cross stitch – despite owning all the Cath Kidston craft books I’ve made very little from them. This was my first, and…
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My Christmas decoration making has begun! One of my favourite craft books is Fa la la la Felt which is full of festive inspiration, from ornaments, decorations and stockings. I’ve made a couple of projects from it, including the felt bird garland, as I just love working with felt. We’re not quite sure how to decorate our house this year with a toddler who can’t help but touch everything, but I would like to have a colour scheme. Red and white always seem very Christmassy which is why I liked the look of the Christmas Candy Garland. It’s a simple…
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I love preparing for Christmas and get excited when I see Christmas products creeping into shops. I know we haven’t had Halloween or Bonfire Night yet but I can’t help picking up Christmas presents, finishing off handmade gifts and signing up to Christmas swaps (Very Berry Xmas Ornament Scrappy Swap, Festive Faith, Hope and Charity Swapping, and an Advent Swap). Which is why I couldn’t resist this little handful of vintage Christmas goodies on my latest thrifting trip. I found a lovely retro Christmassy box containing vintage Christmas cards and gift tags. Some are a bit sinister (check out that…
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Last weekend we were invited to London Zoo for a special screening of the comic animation, Rio. It was no ordinary screening with face painting, plush macaws for every child and an up close and personal look at a real live macaw. Feel the rhythm…hear the beat… and let your spirit soar! Rio is a high-flying animated comedy for the whole family. Blu is an exotic pet bird who believes he’s the last of his kind. But when his owner learns about Jewel, Blu’s female counterpart in Rio de Janeiro, they set out on the adventure of a lifetime. Even…