PARENTHOOD: Ways to Prepare for your Third Baby

When those two blue lines first appear so many thoughts may be going through your mind, from excitement to panic to apprehension and all the emotions in-between. Finding out we were expecting our third baby was such a special moment, but one that filled me almost as much fear as the first time. Not fear of having another baby as such, but more how was I going to manage looking after three children? My husband and I would be outnumbered from the moment our third baby came into the world, which was a scary concept and I know I'm not alone in thinking that. In fact I remember having almost exactly the same concerns when expecting our second baby - how would I split my time between two children? But you do, trust me. You change and grow as every parenting situation you face influences your life; if there is one thing us parents are experts at it is adapting. 

PARENTHOOD: 20 Ways to Make Life Easier when you have More than One Child

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Life is busy at the best of times, but when you throw children into the mix time just seems to disappear. Getting jobs done, keeping a household running and staying on top of the to-do list can be such a challenge for parents. As someone who has recently welcomed our third baby into the family I am all too familiar with the struggles of daily parenting life and have had to quickly learn hacks, tips and tricks to make our family life easier. Some of them are really small things, but they make such a difference and I hope that they can help you too.

PARENTHOOD: 5 Ways to Stay Organised as a Busy Parent

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As soon as you become a parent it is quickly evident quite how difficult it can be to stay organised and on top of that ever expanding to-do list. A baby doesn't leave you with two hands free very often, toddler's need watching constantly and pre-schoolers are all about the adventure. Then they go off to school and it is the juggle of school runs, doing homework, practicing phonics, organising play dates, keeping up with birthday party invitations and going to any after-school clubs. Throughout all of these stages staying organised is key as a busy parent, which in turn helps to reduce stress. We play so many roles in our children's lives: carer, feeder, councillor, party organiser, gift buyer, magic maker, driver, security keeper, cleaner, hugger and so much more. Balancing it all is never going to be easy, but these five tips make life that little bit easier and more organised. 

FAMILY: Must-do tips to make a family day out to remember

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We make memories that last a lifetime on days out with our children, but family trips can often be daunting, with much to think about. Young families went on four holidays on average across 2018, with staycations just as important as those longer trips abroad for creating cherished moments. Getting everything to go off without a hitch is never straightforward but following our guide should ensure you can focus on what’s important on your trip.

PARENTHOOD: Our Weekday Routine with a Newborn Baby, School Run and Toddler Group

One thing I was really worried about when we found out we were expecting our third baby was being able to do the school run on time, every day of the working week. I just couldn't see how I was single-handed going to get all three children ready, fed and out of the house all before 8.30am every single day. School doesn't offer any flexibility, so for the first time as a family our lives were being controlled by the constraints of the school day. My eldest daughter, Isabella, started school in September 2019 and I gave birth to our third baby, Rory, in October 2019. It was essential that we established a 'school day routine' as quickly as possible in September, so that when Rory arrived I hoped he would just slot into the routine with ease. 

PARENTHOOD: 10 Ways to Reduce Stress and Get Prepared for Christmas

There is no doubt that Christmas is a stressful time of year, perhaps even more so when you become a parent. Creating the magic of Christmas for children is both incredibly special, as well as being a lot of pressure, so how can we reduce the stress and get prepared? Being a parent is busy at the best of times and this is our first Christmas as a relatively new family of five. Time is a luxury when you have children, so multi-tasking, being productive and preparing well in advance are all essential. This time of year is my favourite and it brings out the organiser in me; any excuse for a list, making people happy and adding that all important sprinkle of magic. But it doesn't just happen, so I've shared my top ten tips for getting prepared during the festive season...

STARTING PRIMARY SCHOOL: 12 Things I've Learnt in the First Half Term

We've done it...the first half term of primary school! We have all been through a rollercoaster of a ride over the past seven weeks; we've learnt a lot, cried many tears and had all of the early nights. But we've done it and I think it's fair to say it's been a steep learning curve at times; some good, some more challenging. I couldn't be prouder of Isabella and how she's handled all of the changes and hard times. She did have a wobble for a few weeks from around week two, but now she wakes up with a smile excited to go to school and can't wait to share her day with us at the end. It has surprised me quite how quickly we have got into the new school run routine, before we knew it Poppy and I were into a completely new routine and the school day suddenly doesn't feel very long at all.

CHILDREN: The Ways I Have Been Supporting Isabella in Readiness for Starting School

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Isabella starts school this September and as sad as I am about this milestone already being here we have been doing quite a few things over the past year really to support the transition between home/nursery life into school life. Perhaps one of the most helpful things we did was to reduce her hours at nursery and enrol her into the Pre-School that is attached to what will be her Primary School. I know this won't be an option for many due to schools not having pre-schools or working hours, but if it is I would highly recommend looking into it.

CHILDREN: 37 Ways to Prepare your Child for Starting School

Starting Primary School is such a big milestone for both child and parents, but how is it best to prepare? I think a lot of us would instantly assume that supporting our child with phonics, writing words/numbers, reading and all things academic is the best way and although these can be important there are a whole host of other skills that are really important to learn prior to starting school.

PREGNANCY: How to Survive the Summer Heat when Pregnant

The summer. It is hot, sweaty and intense at times; some people love it, others aren't so sure. I'll admit I'm a 'not so sure' person; I'll spend the cooler/rainy days wishing for some sunshine, only for it to arrive then get all hot and bothered. This was me before pregnancy and is certainly me during pregnancy. It is the middle of July and I am 28 weeks pregnant, so my bump is getting bigger by the day and therefore my tolerance levels of heat are diminishing. Although I do have to say that I am feeling extremely grateful that so far this summer has been nothing compared to the incredibly intense heatwave we have in the UK last year. There have been quite a few things I've been doing to try and keep cool, calm and collected during the hotter days of summer, so I thought I'd share them in case you're also pregnant during those hot months.

PARENTHOOD: 20 Tips for Staying in a Hotel with Children

Parenthood and hotels aren't two things that naturally go hand in hand, are they? The idea of squeezing the whole family into one hotel room can bring even the calmest parent out in a cold sweat. How will we all get any sleep? Will we have to spend the evening in the bathroom? etc. But it doesn't have to be out of the questions and since we've stayed in a few hotels recently I've learnt a few tips along the way. All of our hotel stays have been positive and a good nights sleep has been had all round. Mainly thanks to the following twenty tips, so I thought I'd share them with you...

TRAVEL: 31 Top Tips for a Stay at Bluestone National Park Resort in Wales

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I recently shared all about why we fell in love with Bluestone in Wales, so I thought I'd now share some of my top tips/recommendations if you are planning or have booked a holiday there. We absolutely loved our stay and there were so many incredible experiences, moments and memories made during our stay. As our holiday approached I spent hours searching the internet for reviews, tips, recommendations and blog posts all about Bluestone so I could be as prepared as possible, which is why I wanted to put together this post sharing my top tips. 

PRE-SCHOOLER: Our Experience of Toilet Training Regression and What Helped

At the end of 2017 we decided it was the perfect opportunity to start potty training Isabella, at 2.5 years old she was able to communicate when she needed the toilet and we had around a month with no real commitments. Though I felt very apprehensive about the whole 'potty training' world we took the plunge and put her straight into pants. After a few accidents Isabella seemed to take to potty training really well; my worst fears quickly washed away and I started to feel confident that we could do this big milestone in her life. Months and months passed where there would only be the odd accident, mainly if we were on a long journey or not near a suitable toilet quick enough. I couldn't believe our luck!

STARTING PRIMARY SCHOOL: The Questions to Ask

During September, October, November and December is when parents all over the country will be anxiously looking around their local primary schools trying to decide which is best for their child next year. I honestly can't believe that it's me this year, as Isabella starts school in 2019. Those big decisions, that will impact Isabella's whole primary school life, are down to us as parents and I'm feeling the pressure to 'get it right'. Looking around schools is vital to making this decision, as it allows us to get a feel for the school environment and ask any questions we have. All you have to do if you want to look around is ring up the school's office and ask to book in to have a look around as a prospective parent and they should offer you a time/date. When you arrive you'll probably be shown around by the headteacher, but sometimes it will be a deputy head, a teacher or a couple of the older pupils. If it is possible to get hold of the headteacher it is ideal for asking all the questions you have, as they should know all of the answers.

BREASTFEEDING: What are the essentials?

Over the past three and a half years I have spent two and a half of those years breastfeeding, so I think it's fair to say it has been a big part of my life recently. I always hoped to breastfeed my daughters, but was fully aware of the struggle that may lie ahead each time. You can read more about my breastfeeding experience with my first daughter here and with my second daughter here, but in a nutshell I've been very lucky. Both times they latched on very quickly after birth and aside from the usual uncomfortable roller-coaster that is breastfeeding I didn't come across any of the big struggles I know a lot of mothers can face. We decided with both Isabella and Poppy to combination feed them, so we introduced a bottle or two a day from around six weeks. This balance between breast and bottle feeding worked perfectly for us as a family and it means that I have experience of both the bottle and breast feeding worlds. 

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.

PARENTHOOD: Making life with two children more affordable

Life as a family is expensive, if it isn't the seemingly endless nappies for babies then its the bottomless pit of food children grow up to become. However there are many ways you can adapt your family life to make life with children that bit more affordable. As I have recently become a stay at home mum/blogger we are really keeping an eye on our finances at the moment, so I thought I'd share some of the ways we can all make family life more affordable without losing the fun, meals out or exciting adventures.

SUMMER: How to Prepare for your Family Holidays

If you're lucky enough to be heading away as a family this summer then there is a high chance you have lists all over your house, on your phone and stuck to the fridge door with things you need to do before going away. As soon as you become a parent you say goodbye to spending hours browsing for the perfect peaceful accommodation (priorities being the number of sun loungers, minimal children around and a well stocked bar), instead you find yourself drawn towards the places that have entertainment for the children, swimming pool with some sort of sea creature inspired slide and anywhere that isn't too far away. For many of us, just the idea of flying 10+ hours with young children is enough to shut down your computer and stop the holiday searches there and then. Places like France, Majorca, Spain, Germany, Holland, Ibiza and Italy seem so much more feasible or there is always the good old staycation option.

NURSERY: Ways to Support your Child to Settle in Quickly

Sending your little one off to nursery or any form of childcare can be a really scary and big step for parents, especially as it usually coincides with returning to work after maternity leave. Leaving your baby in someone else's care can be hard, but once you've found a nursery that you're happy with it can bring some level of reassurance. When we looked around at nurseries for Isabella we settled on two we liked in our local area and made enquires about her starting at both. Once we had access to all the relevant information (fees, holidays, policies, menus and structure of the day) we were then able to make a decision on which was best for us. We did in fact originally really want Isabella to go to a nursery a few villages away, but they didn't have the right days available so she ended up at a different nursery. It ended up being a blessing in disguise because she absolutely loves her nursery now, as do we.