FAMILY: Why I Love Routine and Think you Will Too

Routine. When you become a parent I think you either learn to love it or hate it. Loving the familiarity of routine or resenting the repitiviness, either way routine becomes a part of your life. Prior to your child starting any form of childcare you can generally be in control of how your days go, whether that be going with the flow or creating a routine. However, as soon as you're back at work and your child is in childcare and then school we are all suddenly controlled to some extent by external forces. Drop offs, pick ups, naps, meal times, bed times etc. are all contributing factors within a family routine of younger children and then as they get older you may have to throw in homework, reading, spellings, after-school clubs, sports clubs etc. There's no denying that life as a parent is one big juggling act, which is why I find creating a family routine that works vital to our happiness and wellbeing. 

LIFE: Why I'm Considering Income Protection

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If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that life is truly unpredictable. Who’d have thought that we’d experience something like this in our lifetime that would disrupt everything we knew? It’s got me thinking about safeguarding mine and my family's future against the ‘what if’s’ which led me to considering insurance cover.

PARENTHOOD: My Top Hacks for Days when you are Solo Parenting Two Children

My experience of solo parenting is on the days during the week that I have my daughters and my husband is at work. They can be relentless, exhausting and tough, so I can only imagine what it would be like to be solo parenting all of the time. All of the single parents out there have my full and upmost respect; you are doing an incredible job of raising your little ones. As parents it can be easy to forget quite how influential we are to our children; that is until they start talking like you, reacting like you and being like you. Our job as a parent holds a lot of responsibility and that shouldn't be taken lightly. Our children will push our buttons, cause us to feel all kinds of emotions (mum guilt anyone?!) and make us feel like we're never quite doing enough, or at least that is my experience. These seem to be heightened during solo parenting periods; I guess because as a parent I'm even more stretched between my two children.

MOTHERHOOD: How I am Financially Preparing to become a Stay at Home Mum

When we made the decision for me to become a SAHM/Blogger we knew that it would have an impact on our lives further than that of me just not going to work. Our combined family income would obviously take a hit, which is something I worried about for a long time and still do to be honest. While making the decision we sat down to look at the numbers, did endless calculations, possibilities, went through all scenarios we could think of and worked out what we thought we'd be able to afford. Like a lot of families our biggest outgoings are the mortgage, bills, childcare and food shopping, most of which aren't negotiable. We had to add those up, look at our monthly income and work out what was possible with regards to childcare and the disposable income left. Our family lifestyle would have to change slightly, which is a sacrifice we were all happy to take in exchange for me being able to be home with our children.

LIFE: Do we ever really know what happens behind closed doors?

Do we ever really know what happens behind closed doors? The simple answer is no, not even the start of it. Miscarriage, the breakdown of a marriage, abuse, mental health issues...the list could go on, which is both heartbreaking and reality. Our friends, loved ones and those we follow, even admire, on social media. Any of these things could be happening to them and we could be completely oblivious. Blissfully wittering on about holiday plans, what they did at their Grandma's last week, watching the children play and commenting on how quickly they are growing up, how the weather has been etc., without a thought that something may not be quite right. That actually inside, behind closed doors, their heart is breaking, they are experiencing yet another loss, they are being subjected to physical/ emotional/ domestic/ sexual abuse, mental health issues that see them hiding away crying silent tears for hours on end. In reality, how well do we know those we are about? Do we know everything about their lives or do we only know what they choose to share?

LIFE UPDATE: Leaving my job and becoming a SAHM/Blogger

As I write this it is the day after my last day at work and it feels strange. I wouldn't usually work today anyway, yet I found myself going to set my alarm, dreaming about work and then feeling incredibly lonely when I wake up. It feels so final, so scary, such an unknown venture. The decision to leave my job wasn't an easy one, but to some extent the decision was taken out of my hands. I think any change is scary, especially when that change impacts your whole family life. 

MATERNITY LEAVE: Returning to Work then Leaving Again

As I write this I've just realised that it is about a month until I return to work and my tummy has flipped, my heart is racing and I'm wondering where the past year has gone. By the time I return to work I will have had my full year of maternity leave, so I've been extremely lucky and my return to work isn't as simple this time as it was with Isabella. A while ago I wrote a blog post about whether I should return to work or not at the end of this maternity leave and after a lot of deliberation we have decided that I will return to work for a short amount of time and then leave.

PARENTHOOD: Taking Charge of your own Happiness

I'm there, a new mummy to two children, very few friends in a similar position and now don't have my usual arsenal of days out to entertain Isabella. I felt lost and lonely. This time it just isn't as easy to even meet up with other mummies, let alone go to baby groups or classes. Finding friends that have both a toddler and baby is hard, but if there is even a slight difference in ages then it makes it even trickier. What babies/crawling babies/toddlers/older toddlers etc. want to do is so different at each of those stages. It has therefore been hard to know where to go or what to do if we do meet up. But I've felt determined not to be beaten by the fact I now have two children.

MATERNITY LEAVE: Do I return to work or not?

As I write this I'm almost ten months into my maternity leave with Poppy and although I always planned on having the full year off, my return to work isn't so simple. Do I want to return to work? What is best for our family? What makes financial sense? There are always going to be a lot of questions regarding returning to work after maternity leave, even if deep down you know the answers already. It can be hard to even think about returning to work and leaving your little one, let alone the reality. After having Isabella I was lucky enough to negotiate returning part-time, so I went from working five days a week to three. It worked really well for the most part, as Isabella settled into nursery well and I knew that I still have two days off a week with her. 

LIFE: One year ago today our lives, quite literally, flipped upside down

One year ago today our lives, quite literally, flipped upside down. We were just coming off the motorway when another car decided that they also needed to be going that way too. Long story short, they crashed into the side of us causing our car to flip multiple times and skid across the road on the roof (read about the whole event here). When we finally came to a stop we were on our roof; I remember hearing Isabella cry once and then nothing. Nothing but my screams for her. Those moments will forever haunt me. Luckily, after what felt like a lifetime a member of the public had managed to get to her through the driver's side (bearing in mind she was upside down) and get her out. A few minutes later a quick response ambulance arrived, followed closely by two fire engines, two ambulances and ten police cars. The whole motorway had to be shut for some time and we were taken away in the ambulance.

PHOTOSHOOT: Behind the Scenes at Bambino Mio

Yesterday as I write this, but 4 weeks ago for you now, we had the most incredible day attending a photoshoot for Bambino Mio, a reusable nappy company. It all started when I saw on Facebook that they were asking for parents local to Northamptonshire to put their baby/toddler forward for a photoshoot. As we live near Northamptonshire I thought it could be a fun day out and emailed a few photos of Poppy over (Isabella was too old, as they were looking for children between 3-24 months), not really expecting to hear anything back. However, when an email popped into my inbox a few days later asking for Poppy to be involved in the shoot I couldn't have been more excited. After a few emails back and forth all of the arrangements had been made, location details given and Monday 18th September 2017 was firmly in my diary. 

#LITTLELOVES: Photoshoot with Poppy, #BakeitforBabies & The Supermum Myth

Happy Friday everyone! The first half of this week was so busy, with an exciting photoshoot and lots of blogging jobs to do. Luckily, the second half of the week has been a lot more relaxed, with a pyjama day yesterday involving a teddy bear's picnic, sticking all the pom poms to endless sheets of paper and rediscovering my love for glitter glue! I know there's still a week or so of September left, but I am SO excited for October. It's one exciting plan after another throughout the month, making it super busy but I'm ready for it.

#LITTLELOVES: Luxurious Pampering, New TV Series & Nursery Parents Meeting

Happy Friday everyone! It's been a week of ups and downs, with a potentially teething baby who has been pretty grumpy paired with a toddler who has made me immensely proud on many occasions. Let's just say I'm looking forward to some joint parenting over the weekend. On a more positive note, I'm so excited that it is cooler and autumn seems to be rolling in quickly. I'm so ready for cosying up with hot chocolates and homemade soup.

FAMILY: 50 Things to do in the Midlands

Having lived in the Midlands for the whole of my life I've enjoyed many days out across the region in my time. Now that I have my own family we are constantly trying to think of places to visit and things to do at the weekends or during holidays. Below I've put together my top 50 things to do in the Midlands, many of which I can personally recommend as you can see by the photos dotted throughout. Let's get started... 

#LITTLELOVES: Building Towers, Wedding Anniversary & a Psychological Thriller

Happy Friday Everyone! What has the weather been doing this week? One minute it's bright sunshine, the next it is raining like it's never rained before. Luckily it didn't ruin any plans, as we had my auntie over on Monday to meet Poppy for the first time. It was such a lovely day, one of those days that really warms your heart. We also had Poppy's six week check from the health visitor; she's actually 8 weeks now but our usual HV was on holiday so a different one had to make a special visit to us. Poppy now weighs 12lb 2ozs, following her centile perfectly. Yay!

#LITTLELOVES: First Outfit, Maize Maze and All the Mud!

Happy Friday everyone! How are we into August already? You wouldn't guess it looking out of the window, but I have to be honest I've been loving these cooler days. It's been a busy week with lots of blogging to do, gifts to order and a very needy baby (thunderstorm development leap I'm looking at you). A productive one nonetheless and I'm starting to feel a bit more 'on top of things' again! 

#LITTLELOVES: Registering Poppy, In the Dark and Sale Bargains

It's been a funny week this week, as there's been some lovely moments and other really stressful ones. But I guess that's parenthood in a nutshell. Poor Poppy suddenly came down with a temperature of 38.4'C on Monday, so I rang the doctors who advised I went straight in. I was seen really quickly and the doctor checked Poppy's ears, throat, tummy etc. I had forgotten how stressful and worrying it is when your little baby is poorly and you don't know why - I was only managing to keep it together because Isabella was with me. It turned out Poppy was coming down with tonsillitis and she was prescribed some antibiotics. On a more positive note we officially registered Poppy, had a lovely family walk at a reservoir we'd been meaning to visit for years at the weekend and I took the girls to a new Hartbeeps toddler class where Isabella enjoyed transforming into a superhero. 

#LITTLELOVES: Hard Parenting Week, Failed Baking and all the Babywearing

What a week. Poppy has entered the 'don't put me down' phase of newborn life and it has completely wiped me out. I feel mentally and physically exhausted. I'm also struggling with backache from the constant feeding/carrying, so I need to start looking after myself whenever possible. The week has flown by though and I can't believe we find ourselves with a month old baby. Isabella has been such a delight this week, with so many heart melting moments. She keep hugging Poppy and I and saying 'my best friends ever'...it's almost too much for my heart to handle in my exhausted state. I'm so lucky!

PREGNANCY #2: My Reality of Being Overdue

I honestly can't believe I'm writing this post or that I even have the time to write it; I really thought our second baby would have arrived by now. But despite all the bouncing on the ball, eating spicy food, pineapple and drinking raspberry leaf tea this baby hasn't made an appearance yet. On the whole I feel okay about this, after all life right now is surely a lot easier than life with two children? But it's not all relaxing baths, breakfast in bed and full nights sleep.

#LittleLoves: Love Island, Babys Position and Voting

Yet another week I really thought I wouldn't be able to write this #LittleLoves post, yet I am. Despite having pains throughout most nights and her feeling extremely low labour hasn't started and we still haven't met our baby girl! I'm booked in for an induction next week, so I definitely won't be publishing next Friday and that feels all a bit surreal. I really don't want to go down the induction route again, but if that's the way it has to be then so be it. I'm just so eager to get the pain of labour out of the way!