TODDLER STYLE: A week of outfits #52

We have had such a lovely week this week - I got a lot of work done, we visited the farm and have done loads of cooking. I'm usually quite apprehensive about taking Isabella out on my own these days, dealing with the tantrums alone is quite daunting. However, I put my worries aside and we had such a fun day at the farm. Last time we went there Isabella couldn't walk, so she loved running around looking at the chickens, goats, sheep, duck, rabbits etc. She enjoyed riding on some toy tractors, playing in their huge sandpit and staring at all of the other children there. Does anyone else's little one do this? She'll stand and stare for such a long time if I let her, it can get a bit embarrassing! Anyway, our day out has encouraged me to do it more often :)

Day 1

WEANING: 25 Breakfast Ideas for Babies and Toddlers

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day - how many times have you heard that? I love breakfast on my days off work because I can cook up something tasty for Isabella and I. Breakfast on my days at work usually consist of cold toast wolfed down before rushing out of the door. I've put together 24 tasty breakfast ideas that you and your little ones can enjoy either at home or on the go.

LIFE: The pressure of trying to keep up

Life is busy at the best of times, but when you add children into the mix it quickly heads to a whole new level. Prior to having Isabella I was a very organised worrier who wanted to get my to-do list completed yesterday, whether that be at work or home. Throughout maternity leave I learnt to become more relaxed about getting tasks done, doing anything with a newborn is a challenge at the best of times. It didn't stop me trying though - I remember spending 7 hours cooking a lasagne for dinner because I didn't want to stop having home cooked meals...madness!

RECIPE: Spaghetti and Greens Pancake

This recipe sounds really quite odd, but it's the perfect way of using up left over spaghetti and is surprisingly filling. I love sharing this with Isabella by cutting it into wedges and serving it with a salad. It's nice cold on a picnic or warm on colder days and of course the vegetables you add are completely up to you.

TODDLER STYLE: A week of outfits #51

So summer has mostly definitely arrived this week...it's been so hot! I'm not the biggest fan of the heat and the added stress of work and keeping Isabella cool enough has meant it's been a rather exhausting week. The tantrums seemed to have dwindled off at the moment (touch wood) and it's been so lovely creating happy, smiling memories together again. I really am very lucky to have the life I have and sometimes it's nice to stop and appreciate the small things. 

Day 1

RECIPE: Giant Chocolate Chip Sharing Cookie

If you're after indulgence in the form of a gooey, chocolatey, warm cookie then this is the recipe for you. I made this for some friends that were coming over for a dinner party and have since made it three more times...it's addictive. The key is not to overcook it, the gooey almost cookie dough texture makes it even more luxurious. I used milk and white chocolate though you could use your favourite chocolate, why not mix it up with some ginger dark chocolate or raspberry white chocolate? Delicious.

DITL: Conkers, family day and rare DVD time together

I have another 'day in the life' style post for you today - this day involved making breakfast together, having some very rare DVD time together and a family day out at Conkers. On the weekend we usually try to have one day sorting stuff out at home/going food shopping/not going too far from home and the other day we'll do something fun as a family, which may involve travelling a bit further away. It's always hard to try and get the balance right between jobs that need doing around the house and having quality family time, we're constantly trying perfecting this.

RECIPE: Hidden Vegetable Pork and Apple Rolls

Keeping Isabella's vegetable intake up takes a bit of forward planning, especially as she goes in and out of liking different foods so often. I read somewhere that children are often wary of green foods because thousands of years ago we were programmed to notice them as something that could be poisonous. Now I don't know whether that's actually true, but Isabella certainly seems to be wary of green vegetables a lot more than any other colour. These pork and apple rolls are free from processed meat, salt, are packed full of vegetables and freeze really well. They're ideal to picnics during the summer and adults will love them too!

TODDLER: Next Summer Sale Haul

I thought I'd share what we picked up for Isabella from the Next sale this weekend. We are currently buying clothes in the summer sales in 2-3 years, with the hope that they will fit Isabella next summer. They look so huge, but then I can remember buying her 12-18 months last summer and those seeming huge. It's all relative I guess. I was surprised at how quiet our local store was yesterday and I heard a number of people working there saying how unusually quiet it had been so far. This was obviously good for us sale shoppers as it meant there was plenty of stock and choice. There are also a couple of sale bargains from Morrisons at the end of this post that I picked up this week. 

TODDLER STYLE: A week of outfits #50

This week has been a lot more positive than last week - with some good news about a relative who isn't very well, changes at work and far less tantrums! Thursday seems to be Isabella's worst day of the week, with tantrum after tantrum, however hard I try to make the day nice and fun. I'm not sure if it's because it's the first day of the week she's not at nursery, or that she gets so overtired from being at nursery for three days that I get the brunt of that? Who knows. She's also continued to wake up in the night with the most horrendous screams. One night this week we couldn't settle her until 9pm (Thursday night in fact), which hasn't happened since she was very little. I'm not sure if she's at an age where this happens, but we aren't in a Wonder Weeks thunderstorm so I'm at a loss as to why.

Day 1

WEANING: 39 Meal Ideas for Babies and Toddlers

I have another food inspiration for babies and children, though a lot of these recipes are delicious for adults too. A couple of weeks ago I put together a blog post with 45 finger food ideas and this week it's all about meals. Some of these we gave Isabella when she was at the beginning of her weaning journey and others are more like proper meals that she eats nowadays.

TODDLER: Keeping safe with LittleLife Daysack with Rein

Since Isabella learnt to move, beginning with rolling then going on to crawling, walking and sometimes even running, the challenge of keeping her safe has had to constantly adapt. Long gone have the times when we could put her down and she wouldn't move, I took those days for granted because they quickly became a distant memory. Then came along the need to baby proofing everything, follow Isabella everywhere and forget sitting down for a hot cup of tea! When she mastered the skill of walking it was very slow at first, each step took a lot of building up to. However, in a few weeks she was zooming around with a surprising amount of speed.

WEANING: Oven Baked Fish, Chips and Peas Recipe

Fish and chips is a British classic, but all that batter and fat doesn't make it a very baby friendly meal. But with a couple of tweaks it can be a highly nutritious meal for babies, children and adults alike. By oven baking both the fish and chips it reduces the fat content, without losing the crisp outer shell and soft inside. As Isabella enjoys finger food at lunch time I make this for her while she's napping in the morning. It's quick and simple to cook - you could even make extra for a cheeky fish finger sandwich for yourself!

TODDLER: Summer Sale Shopping 2016

It's that time of year again...summer sale shopping! Like most, I love sale shopping and especially when it's for Isabella. The older she gets the harder I'm finding it to buy her clothes that aren't branded with a tv character or Disney - she's not into any of those things so I don't really want to be paying the premium. If you have any good shops/websites that sell non-branded toddler clothes then please let me know below - I'm on the hunt! I've picked all of the items below up over the past week, so hopefully they'll still be in stock if you want to grab a bargain yourself.

TODDLER STYLE: A week of outfits #49

After having such a lovely week last week this one hasn't been quite so good. I've been letting certain things worry/stress me out and I just need to relax. Easier said than done of course, but I've been reading/pinning positive inspirational quotes like there's no tomorrow. I will relax...I'm determined. Other than life worries we've had a general errands week - getting things ticked off my to-do list helps so much. I've also been sale shopping for Isabella (come back tomorrow for my latest haul), which of course is good for the soul.

Day 1

WEANING: Spiced Apple Wedges with Greek Yogurt and Blueberry Compote

 

This is a simple, healthy and quick breakfast to whip up for your little one in the morning. By cooking the apple wedges slightly they become caramelised in their natural sugars and it means that Isabella is able to actually eat it rather than just chew at raw apple. As with most of the recipes I put on here you can mix it up - add different berries to the blueberries, use pear wedges instead of apple etc. 

TODDLER: Playroom Update with Teeny Beanies

A while ago (in fact almost a year ago now!) I wrote about how we had decided to change our dining room/second living room into a playroom for Isabella - you can read the post here. It would be an area we could store Isabella's toys, make it baby safe and set up fun activities. Looking back I really wish I had set up the playroom while I was still pregnant because setting up a room with a toddler waddling around isn't easy! Isabella, like almost all children, enjoys making a mess and isn't so good at tidying it back up again. Having said that as her comprehension improves she is beginning to follow instructions to put specific toys away. I guess the playroom is the place she can make as much mess as she likes, but the neat/tidy/photograph taker in me wants it to look Instagram ready at all times....as if.

RECIPE: {No Refined Sugar} Pineapple and Banana Ice Lolly

 

Ice cream and ice lollies are one of the best parts of summer - the perfect excuse to cool down, yet enjoy a treat at the same time. Last year Isabella was too small for ice lollies, but this year she's certainly not and has already tucked into a far few. Shop bought ice lollies are often packed full of sugar, which I try and avoid as much as I can in Isabella's diet. Therefore prompting mass making of child friendly ice lollies, though these are definitely tasty enough for adults too! I use water in this recipe, though you could use fruit juice or coconut water instead. Same with the yogurt, it doesn't have to be plain - coconut yogurt would be really delicious in this recipe...baby friendly pina colada ice lolly!

TODDLER STYLE: A week of outfits #48

This week has ended up being one of the most social weeks I've had in a while! I went for a lovely meal out with our friends from NCT on Thursday...without the babies. This is a seriously rare occasion and it was so relaxing having a catch up over wine and pizza. I value their friendship more than they probably know, having such a friendly group of fellow mummies who you can share worries/ concerns/ milestones/ achievements and everything in between is so precious. We then had some other very close friends over for a meal on Friday night, hosting dinner parties at home has become the new 'meal out' since having Isabella. I absolutely love hosting and we had such a giggle, this week has reminded me to really treasure all of my amazing and inspiring friends.

Day 1

WEANING: 45 Finger Food Ideas for Babies and Toddlers

Thinking of different finger foods can be a laborious task, so to make your life easier I've put together 45 of our top baby friendly fresh finger foods! Some of the recipes I've already featured here on my blog, other's will be coming soon and some I didn't feel deserved a post by themselves so I've written the recipe in this post. I just thought it would be easier to have all of the finger food recipes in one place - there'll also be a pudding, main meals and breakfast version of this post coming soon too. Plenty of inspiration for your little one to enjoy!