• parenting - reviews

    Mini micro 3in1 scooter

    We’ve just come back from a lovely week away visiting family. We’re fortunate that the grandparents live by the sea in Devon and the Isle of Wight so there’s no excuse for not getting plenty of fresh air and exercise when we visit. One of the things we packed this time was Big Brother’s mini micro scooter. He’s been having loads of fun with it at home but we knew he would have even more fun scooting along the promenade! Putting the scooter together with daddy Both grandad and nanny were suitably impressed with his scooting skills. The clever little…

  • motherhood - parenting

    Competitive mums

    Like a scab that can’t be left alone I follow someone on twitter that I shouldn’t. We are complete opposites but we are both mothers. She does nothing but boast about her child. To be fair she works hard to give him the best. He goes to a good nursery, has his name down for private school, has beautiful toys and clothes. I’m a stay at home mum of two. I run myself equally ragged but cooking, cleaning, taking trips to the park and dreaming up messy activities. She goes to gigs, concerts, weekend breaks in Europe and has membership…

  • book review - motherhood - parenting - reviews

    Stories of Motherhood

    One of my favourite dates in the year is Mother’s Day! There’s something rather lovely about celebrating mum’s and I remember celebrating my first Mother’s Day just days after my son was born a couple of years ago. I really don’t expect a present from my two this year (a day off from nappies and bottles would be enough – I hope my husband is reading!). Published in time for Mother’s Day on 18 March, Stories of Motherhood, the latest title in Everyman’s Library’s Pocket Classics series, celebrates all aspects of motherhood. This beautifully packaged anthology gathers together more than…

  • Day Zero - moving - parenting - pregnancy - teething

    Out with the old

    2011 has had its ups and downs like any other year but we’re ending it on a high – with an unexpected couple of days with family on the Isle of Wight. I won’t be making any New Year resolutions that I won’t be able to keep. Instead I have my Day Zero list which I’m really enjoying working my way through and will continue doing. There’s a couple of things I am looking forward to in 2012. Here’s hoping: Big Brother has a full set of teeth by the end of the year – I can’t take any more…

  • baby - parenting

    Coping with reflux

    Little Sis is now one month old and we all totally love her. Big Brother constantly holds his arms out towards her when he wants to give her a cuddle and spends hours looking at her and giggling or giving her a kiss on her head. His behaviour, for the most part, is lovely and makes us both happy he has adjusted so well to his new role. He has the odd moment when he doesn’t understand that I can’t stop feeding her to get down on the floor and play but it’s great being a family of four. Unfortunately…

  • baby - parenting - sleeping

    Where my husband tells me he hates babies

    A good friend told me that conversations taking place between a mummy and daddy between the hours of 11pm and 5am don’t count. Which is just as well as yesterday morning my husband told me he hates babies, in particular, our baby. I think he has forgotten that newborns are pretty clueless about bedtimes. Little Sis has no respect for the fact we have busy days, up at 7am with her Big Brother. She happily sleep for 4 hours at a time surrounded by cBeebies and a toddler shouting for attention. But, come the midnight hour when the family is…

  • baby - parenting - toddler

    Breakfast picnic anyone?

    Difficult to believe Little Sis is one week old today. Edward is a completely lovable handful, constantly wanting to hold his sister, rock her in her chair, put dirty nappies in the nappy bin as well as being his typical toddler self. Poor Little Sister is just fitting in and going with the flow. She can often be found snoozing in her Stokke newborn chair whilst madness goes on around her. She can sleep through Edward’s noises but is wide awake in the peacefulness of the small hours! It took us a couple of days to decide on her name…

  • nursery - parenting - toddler

    New habits

    Edward has picked up new habits from his time at nursery and it’s so strange knowing he’s learning things outside the home. He still chatters away as he’s always done but he now has a few funny mannerisms, such as holding his hands behind his back. His nursery encourage them to do things for themselves but I find it funny that at home he’ll sit on the bottom stair and take him shoes off when I ask him to. He loves his nursery but I’d really like to know what he gets up to. When he’s sitting at the dinner…

  • baby - competition - parenting

    Tips for new mums (#newmumtips)

    Pampers celebrates the potential in every baby and by sharing your ‘newborn’ advice you could win a £50 voucher to a spa or restaurant of your choice. Interested? Read on! Tips for new mums (#newmumtips) Knowing my Second Baby is due next week (eek!) Pampers asked me if I would like to help celebrate by sharing with other Mums the best piece of ‘newborn’ advice we were given. After much discussion with my husband we thought the best piece of advice was to do with nappy changes! At our NCT antenatal class we were told if we had a boy…