Shining blue eyes

Hello! I know it’s been a long time, since, I have posted. Life has simply gotten away from me!

We have settled into a routine with the little man going into nursery smoothly in the mornings. So I have more time to myself. I have been busy though. If it’s not work, it’s broadening my knowledge on mental health and how to help others. This is through some free courses on the Open University. It’s very interesting and a real eye opener.

We also went away for a few days since Covid to the Lake District. If you haven’t been there, then please put it on your list! It’s beautiful there. No movies or programmes do it any justice. James loved it there, he even still talks about it. If people want a separate blog on it, then let me know in the comments!

I have still been baking, a huge thanks to Jane’s Patisserie for inspiration! One of my recent bakes was cinnamon doughnuts, which taste absolutely amazing. They are also approved by my family!

However, one thing that I have rediscovered my love for is reading. One morning I sat down not sure what to do. I grabbed a book my mum lent me. It was The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I was immediately sucked in! I fell for Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron and Ibrahim. I imagined what their life would be like in a retirement village and how their world shook with life changing events. This book was witty and made me gasp a couple of times. Obviously, I read the sequel The man who died twice. I felt that Richard polished off this book better and the characters became even more lovable showing their vulnerability.

I then discovered You be mother by Meg Mason. Oh boy! This was a great summer read. If you haven’t I would highly recommend this book. It made me laugh and it made cry. I loved how this book was about a mother daughter relationship and friendship. It highlights how it can be hard to make friends when you are mother. Something I can relate to. I felt sorry fo Abi who longed to have a family and felt alone in a very big world. Sometimes, you can see things from her point of view and other times you might think why?!

After reading this I heard a lot recommendations for How to kill your family by Bella Mackie. Don’t worry it’s not a guidebook! This book I could not put down. It was brilliantly dark and funny. It made you root for the main character Grace which I loved. You immediately felt sorry for her and hoped she got the justice that she deserved. I have to admit I do have a dark sense of humour which is probably why I loved this book. Funnily enough, I gave it to my mum to read. Hope she doesn’t get worried!

“There is no friend as loyal as a book” – Ernest Hemingway

Another book that the whole family read and would recommend is The dinosaur that pooped a planet by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter (yes one half of McFly)! We love this book. We love the rhyming and it’s hilarious plot. The illustrations were reminiscent to kids cartoons that Sean and I used to watch. This is one of very few books James would sit down for and would ask to get read again and again!

I should also add that we are becoming Tom Fletcher fans! Another book that is worth a mention is There’s a superhero in your book. James and his friends love playing superhero’s so, this book was a no brainer. There are many more in this collection such as There’s a dragon in your book. These books are interactive and a great family read. James will join in and will even let me tickle his little nose.

I should point out that these are just recommendations.

Anyway, I better get back to the never ending saga of doing the housework. I wonder if I will get help?

I wish!

Stay safe

💖

As world book day is fast approaching. We thought we should share some of our favourite books.

I love reading, it’s a chance to escape reality. It also helps me when I feel low. I have recently got into reading autobiographies. My favourite so far is Daisy May Cooper’s “Don’t laugh it’ll only encourage her”. I have honestly not laughed so much whilst reading a book. She is so honest and gives the reader insight into what life was like for her and her family before This Country was developed. It goes to show if you’re determined and work hard for what you want. You will get there! If you are a fan of her, check it out.

After a recent decluttering James stumbled across a book that he reads everyday! It’s called “The tickle book” by Ian whybrow and Axel Scheffler. It’s so great seeing James so enthusiastic about a book. He will repeat what I have read to him and of course, he will naturally tickle me! It’s a great book to read as a family. As we talk about what is on the pages and do some counting too. A must have in any household.

Of course, there are some books, that are worth a mention. I cannot leave out Julia Donaldson. We simply adore her books. Both James and I say “Aha Oho” from “The Gruffalo’s Child” I know it by heart and James, well, he likes to put on a performance when I read it to him. We like all of her books. I do think James’ favourite is “The Gruffalo’s Child”. Mine? Well that changes daily! Today it’s “Room on the broom”, as we read that today.

We love the illustrations by Axel Scheffler. They are so beautifully detailed and fun. They remind me of the Maisie Books by Aileen Paterson. So, there’s a bit of nostalgia!

Another set of books we like are the “Hairy MacClary and Friends” books by Lynley Dodd. They remind me of my childhood and my reading them when I was little. I have read some of them to James who likes looking at the pictures. So there is a lot to discuss whilst looking through those books. If you haven’t read them, then please check them out!

That’s a thing about books. They can help us, get through tough times, by transporting you somewhere else. They can also remind you of your past. Quite magical!

What do you or little one’s like to read? Let us know in the comments!

Stay safe

💖

I know. I know! It’s been a long time since I have last posted. However, so much happened in the past few months! 

We celebrated birthdays and Christmas. Enjoyed the winter sun. Battled against the cold and got caught up in the sales! 

However, that was not all! Less than a week before James’ birthday we received paperwork for James to start nursery the day after his birthday. I was not prepared for this!

To say the least, I was not happy! I came home from a 12.5 hour shift to find out my little boy was starting sooner than expected. I was in shock. I was still in shock while we celebrated his birthday during the week. Sadly, it did affect me mentally which meant I couldn’t really concentrate on celebrating his birthday. 

My anxiety was in overdrive! I was worried about him. I kept thinking all the what if’s. What if he doesn’t get on with the other kids? What if they don’t understand him?

At that time James would not go to the toilet with us. He was as stubborn as me. I got frustrated with him and he got frustrated with me. It was so hard. Really hard! I tried positive reinforcement. I tried to offer him treats. I couldn’t have him possibly potty trained before nursery!

No joke. My mental health really struggled that week. I was a shadow of myself. I was crying over every little thing. I was not myself for sure. 

On the Monday, I phoned the nursery and explained that it’s too soon for him to start, plus, he will be knackered to start on the planned date. I managed to push the date back a week. 

Sadly, James came down with the cold. Was it worth him to start whilst being unwell?

I didn’t take the chance. 

So again, I pushed the date to the start of next term. This was when I thought he would start! 

I was much more prepared! 

Yes, I was anxious when he started nursery. The same thoughts circled through my mind. However, I had time to focus on James and ensure that he was ready. We spoke about nursery and walked to the nursery. He knew that he was about to start nursery. We spoke about how he would make new friends and have time away from both me and his dad.

We also had time to help James go to the toilet. After failing miserably on Nov-Dec. We looked back on what we did wrong. We decided not to use the absorbent pants but used normal pants. As he would feel the wet more. We also encouraged him more to go to the toilet regularly. 

We also have a star cloud collector. We used this to help us with the dreaded tantrums. So, we used this as a treat for James when he did go to the toilet. 

Luckily, this did work for us. However, we still waited for him to tell us for over month. It was like he had no clue when he needed to go. We had no idea what to do. 

This was when James started nursery. So, at least he knew what to do. However, did he know, that he would have to inform the teachers?

Still, I don’t know what happened! 

A couple of weeks after he started nursery he would tell us he would need to go to the toilet. I am not sure if it was the nursery who helped him or if it was us. It was like he had a light bulb moment. 

It was only last week James told us he needed to go to the toilet to do a poo. Yes, I did cry. 

The reason, I wrote about potty training, is because he just turned 3 before he fully understood what we wanted from him. I know, some of us become obsessed with milestones. We shouldn’t! All children learn differently and work at different levels. 

We now, need to focus on how to help him with the toilet overnight. So any tips would be useful!

Stay safe

💖

November is the worst month for me! It’s the month where most of my family have their birthdays. So, I start shopping for their birthday and Christmas in August. I know it sounds early but I like to save money. I don’t want to be skint around Christmas time.

You know what? It works! I am not skint in December and I can go out tasting all the festive hot drinks my stomach could handle.

I always start by writing in my Christmas notebook. I write a list of ideas of what I could get for people. I try to set a budget, to help save money.

This post is not about my tips on how not to spend too much. It’s about my gift recommendations from new born to 3 year olds.

Just remember some kids around these ages don’t care what they get. They care about who is with them. So please don’t spend a fortune on them.

Newborns

As James is a November baby I wasn’t sure what to get him. Then I got a wonderful idea, a star named after him. You can get this from as little as £15 up. We got ours from starlisting.com where we spent more to get a wooden star engraved with his name on it. It’s beautiful and it’s a present that he will cherish in the future.

You can also get clothes from charity shops. No joke, I have found a lot of bargains. All in amazing condition and some new! Helps to save some dosh too!

1 YEAR OLDS

To be honest I had to look through old photos of what we got him. I totally forgot!

The one gift that James loved was a ball pool but you need a lot of room for it. Also, we spent quite a bit of time tidying up after him. As he kept throwing balls everywhere! So unless, you don’t mind balls hiding in corners then go for it! Ours was a present.

We also got James a trike so we can go out on more walks together. We got a little tikes 4 in 1 trike. It was easy build up, I managed it with James walking around trying to help me! Prices from £60 to £80. It’s best to shop around for it!

We love toys from IKEA as they are sustainable. So it’s always worth checking out their toys. Especially, their beaker towers. James loved playing with them. We also bought a toy case from their and it’s not so big but can hold a lot of little toys. We also got an abacus and found it to be useful for teaching James colours and numbers. Honestly, if you haven’t check them out!

James got a lot of toys for his first birthday but he didn’t play with them until later on. So, please don’t feel you have to get them much!

We love Lego in this house and James loves trains. So we bought him a duplo train, again, this was a toy he would play with later on.

2 YEAR OLDS

For James’ it was a no brainer!

A wooden train set! Luckily, a neighbour gave us one and my parents kept one my brother had! Did you also know? That ikea has one too! I don’t advertise for IKEA but they have pretty cool trains there that are battery powered.

Does anyone else miss toys r’us? I do!

That’s where I discovered a toy shop online that I just love Jacques of London. Yes, some of their toys are expensive but they do have sales on! Their toys are so beautiful and wooden. They have a great selection of educational and fun toys perfect for little ones.

We picked a vehicle jigsaw and a shape jigsaw. James still loves playing with them and helps him with his vocabulary. Also they are not noisy!

3 YEAR OLDS

James will be 3 soon. Very soon! I have got his presents wrapped and ready. Again, I got some earlier this year during some sales and rummages in a charity shop.

Again, I went to my favourite online shop Jacques of London. They had a great sale on where I got him an easel and a few jigsaws. Their packaging is beautiful. I am also sure James will love them too.

We have also got some play dough and some baking equipment such as a small Christmas spatula. As he loves baking. James is showing more interest in doing arts and crafts so I have other members of the family contributing to his art supply.

Just remember gifts come from the heart. It’s the thought behind the gift, that counts.

💖

The last month has been pretty hectic and chaotic in the house!

I have been trying and really mean trying to potty train James. It’s a nightmare!

Sometimes he will happily run to the toilet when I ask him if he needs. Other times, sadly, I will need to encourage him and offer him treats. This can either result in a tantrum or a “yay”!

When I mean a tantrum, I really mean a tantrum! He will throw himself onto the floor and make his body stiff, making it hard to lift him up. He would also cry and scream very loudly. He can be really stubborn (don’t know where he gets it from).

What I am struggling with the most, is how he can go from a happy kid going to the toilet and occasionally having poo in there. To refusing to go to the toilet! There’s no consistency with him!

I don’t know why he sometimes refuses to go. I don’t know why he doesn’t say when he needs the toilet. He is more than able to!

Another thing I am struggling with is the mentality of it all!

I think most of the time that I am failing him. That he can’t go to the toilet because I did/didn’t do something right. I am constantly putting the blame onto myself and it hurts. This already doesn’t help me as I can suffer from my “grey I days” where can only see the darkness in life. I would just sit in the hallway and cry. Sometimes for a reason or for the fact that I put a huge amount of pressure onto myself.

I also feel the pressure from families and social media. Where I can see other kids younger than James managing to go to the potty with no issues.

What am I doing wrong?

Is it me?

Or is it James?

Or could it be something else?

I wish I had a clue!

I wish James would understand that I am trying to help him. Trying to teach him a huge part of growing up!

It’s so hard isn’t it!

Life as a mum isn’t always rosey posey. It can genuinely suck and you strive and strive to do the best for your kids. Then it hits you right in the back!

I am not posting this for sympathy. I am posting to help other mums who might be struggling with potty training too.

So, if you have any advice or tips please leave them in the comments below!

Stay safe

💖

In this house we love baking! We like to bake cakes, brownies and cookies. Sometimes we also bake bread. Just started this year!

I started showing James how to bake last year and he has really taken to it. He loves mashing banana for banana bread or bannoffee muffins, to mixing ingredients for me.

It’s also a great way to teach him about numbers (not sure if he listens though). We just love baking together!

So, here are our recipes for two batches of cookies we made this week! Each batch makes 12 cookies. Once in a sealed container they last 2-3 days. If you don’t eat them in one whole seating! As you can see the methods are the same and they are so easy to make. Just remember to chill the dough!

They are chewy and taste amazing (according to my family and friends). We hope you enjoy them!

Dark chocolate and mint cookies

Ingredients: 

• 110g (4oz) butter, softened
• 200g (7oz) soft light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• Seeds of 1 vanilla or 2 drops of vanilla extract
• 165g (5 1/2 oz) plain flour (sifted)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 30g (1 1/4 oz) cocoa powder (sifted)
• 1 teaspoon of american peppermint extract
• 100g (3 1/2 oz) dark chocolate chips

Method:

1. Line 4 large baking trays with baking paper.
2. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream together until combined. It does not need to be light and fluffy. I do this with a wooden spoon but you can use a hand mixer. Stir in the egg and vanilla and mix well. It may look like it has curdled at this stage but not to worry. Give it a good mix and it will come good. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder and mix until the dough looks uniform. The dough will be very stiff. Add the chocolate chips and continue to mix with a wooden spoon.
3. Gather all the dough into a ball and wrap in clingflim. Chill in the fridge for 30 mins or freezer for 15 mins. While they are chilling preheat the oven to 190c (375f), Gas Mark 5.
4. Divide the mixture into 12 balls ( approx 30g each) and space about 10cm (4in) apart on the prepared baking tray. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will have a cracked top and will be very soft. Remove the cookies from the oven and leave to cool on the baking trays. They will quickly harden up as they cool.

Cinnamon cookies

Ingredients: 

• 110g (4oz) butter, softened
• 200g (7oz) soft light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• Seeds of 1 vanilla or 2 drops of vanilla extract
• 165g (5 1/2 oz) plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1 tap of ground mixed spice

Method:

1. Line 4 large baking trays with baking paper.
2. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream together until combined. It does not need to be light and fluffy. I do this with a wooden spoon but you can use a hand mixer. Stir in the egg and vanilla and mix well. It may look like it has curdled at this stage but not to worry. Give it a good mix and it will come good. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and mixed spice and mix until the dough looks uniform. The dough will be very stiff.
3. Gather all the dough into a ball and wrap in clingflim. Chill in the fridge for 30 mins or freezer for 15 mins. While they are chilling preheat the oven to 190c (375f), Gas Mark 5.
4. Divide the mixture into 12 balls ( approx 30g each) and space about 10cm (4in) apart on the prepared baking tray. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will have a cracked top and will be very soft. Remove the cookies from the oven and leave to cool on the baking trays. They will quickly harden up as they cool.
5. Eat after they are cooled. Serve with a hot chocolate or an ice cold glass of milk!

Hope you enjoy these recipes! I am new at this so please bear with me!

Stay safe

💖

Don’t you love Scotland in the Autumn?

It makes me want to happy dance and buy stationary.

In this house, we love this time of year. We love how the nights slowly creep in and it gets darker. We love how it’s cooler, and the leaves start to turn beautiful colours. We also love the fact that it’s closer to (dare I say it) Christmas!

Don’t worry this is not a post on why I love autumn. However, this post is about on what we are planning on doing.

Obviously, the first thing we are planning on doing is going for some Woodland walks. We are fortunate enough to live close by to woods. James loves them and best of all they cost nothing! We could spend hours walking in the woods. James would naturally find a stick and wave it around like a wand. I would be crunching the leaves and Sean would be trying to hide from us! Honestly, I think going for a walk in the woods is amazing. You can let your little ones explore and even hug trees (I know it’s weird). I pick up some stuff for James and show him what it is and what it does.

The newest thing we like to do when out for a walk is playing leaf races. Where, we hold a leaf up in the air and let it go when there is a wind. He finds it highly amusing.

Another thing we are planning on doing is making some bird and squirrel feeders. We already have feeders up but I think it will be fun for James to make them. I just need to remember to buy some peanut butter! This brings us to birdwatching! That’s what we are doing just now. Watching the birds eat on our trees and trying to work out what each bird is. I find strangely therapeutic!

As you can tell, I am slowly turning into that mum, who thinks they can be arty. So, I was trying to collect some leaves so James can make pictures with them. Naturally, James sabotaged my attempt and crunched them up! So, there goes my chances!

Or maybe not?

I am planning to use apples, as stamps and paint to make some pictures. I haven’t tried it yet, as I am working on my confidence to let him play with paint, on our new floor. I have seen so many ideas of Pinterest, I am not sure if I have the time to do them all.

Do you remember, rubbing crayon on a piece of paper, against a tree? Yeah? Well, that’s another idea I want to do this autumn. It sounds bizarre, but I think James would love it!

I would love to take James pumpkin picking. However, in my opinion, I don’t think he would enjoy it as much as us. We will carve a pumpkin again. I am even looking into how to grow a pumpkin!

I know I have mentioned a lot of things that are free. That’s cause, we are not only saving for Christmas, but, for birthdays. It is an expensive time of year for many people. So, please don’t feel you have to spend a fortune to keep your little ones entertained.

We are lucky that James is so easily amused. We don’t need to spend a fortune for him to have fun. He just wants to be with the both of us and explore and learn new experiences. That’s when he is the happiest.

What have you got planned for autumn? Let us know in the comments!

Stay safe

💖

So, I have been off for the past two days and mainly been playing with my son. He is two and a half years old, and boy, he really is changing becoming more boy like! 

In my opinion, I think it is important to lay down the ground rules at his age. He already knows that there are limits. However, he will still try to push our limits and do things that we have told him not to do. 

He is showing off many more characteristics from being a showman to throwing tantrums. Tantrums that a Disney princess would be proud of! Yes, he throws himself down onto the sofa or bed Princess style in a state of grief. It is so amazing yet hilarious to watch at the same time!

However, no child is the same! Every child does throw tantrums – some may start early and some, well let’s face it, every child will throw a tantrum at some point in their life! 

His tantrums are becoming more regular as he wants the same things we have. If we are on the phone talking to a family member or a friend, he will try to snatch it out of our hands. He will even try to get in between us and the phone and attempt to put the attention onto himself.

It’s not only the phones he will try to take out of our hands. He will also try and steel the remote controls. James simply loves pressing buttons and also somehow manages to do things on the tv that we can’t do (we are still trying to work something out)! He does have a toy remote and toy phone but he thinks that they are not good enough. We do show him his toys but he will simply throw them away and run to our phone or the remote.

We do try to teach him that he can’t throw toys (apart from balls). We try teaching him of what is good and what is bad. We also try to teach him that he can’t play with curtains. Basically, if there is anything in his reach, he will make a play for it and try to obtain it within his powers!

We do tell him off. We sit him down on the ground or out in the hallway on the naughty stepand ignore him for up to a minute. We let him know when to come in and he has learned that he cannot get away with what he had done.

Through online coaching we found it to be the best method to calm him down and reflect on his actions. We used Devie (deviecoach.com), which allowed us to reflect on how we can best handle James’ tantrums. It also made us more aware on how we can communicate better with James. We weren’t so specific in giving James instructions before and we weren’t so specific in telling him off. In the past we would have shouted “NO!” However, through the online coaching we found that if we said please don’t lick the stone, or, please don’t kiss the lamp post. He would comply. By the way, kissing the lamp post is true!  So, we have took on this approach and it has helped us when trying to calm James down during his tantrums and it works! I know this may not work for all toddlers and parents, but, if you’re struggling then it’sdefinitely worth a shout!

Devie also looks at other aspects of parenting such as biting, aggression and not listening. You are also able to connect with the experts. Yes, you do have to pay to use the online coaching however, in my opinion it helps. It also helps you to communicate better with your little one and enjoy playtime with them.

Some tantrums can indicate if something is wrong with him. It’s not so much that he wantssomething. It’s more of a way for him to indicate that something is wrong. Sometimes it can be that he is thirsty or hungry. Other times it can simply be tiredness. As parents it’s up to us to play detective and find out what they are trying to say. We are still learning! Every day is a new lesson for not only him, but also us!

A great example of this, was the other day. I was planning on going out for a walk with him. It was a nice day and there was a digger across the road. So, what did he do? He decided to run across the road without holding onto my hand. I let it slide. He then did it again. This time, I was angry at him. I told him off and said he had to hold my hand when crossing the road. He then threw the mightiest of tantrums on our street. We then went home. I left him in the hallway under supervision to calm down. He did. He then, came to me and hugged me, then went to sleep. Later, that day we went out for a walk. He took my hand immediately to cross our road. He continued doing this for our walk and he walked beautifully. Now, I am not saying its because of the approach we took. I honestly, don’t know what got into his head. However, I am glad something clicked in there!

Don’t get me wrong, I do love my son unconditionally, but sometimes he does know the buttons he can press to frustrate me! Especially, when he throws a tantrum for not getting his own way when I am trying to protect him. Specifically, when we are out in the garden and he tries to eat a stone. This does frustrate me as he doesn’t understand why I have said no and that will sometimes make his tantrums worse.

For me, coping with the tantrums can be the funny side of motherhood.

That’s just me though, as for some other mums it can be tough. As their little ones might push and push making you even more annoyed and frustrated at them and yourselves.

It can be tricky handling their tantrums. If you are anything like me you will have to try not to laugh. As you don’t want them to think that they can get away with throwing a tantrum. Other times you might need to harness your anger in so you don’t scare your little one. It’s all about the balance. That’s the tricky part.

It’s one of the trickiest parts of them growing up! Showing their character and how they could be a mini hulk to a caring Captain America (had to put in something relating to Marvel in here). It can be amazing watching them but, like I said it will be hard. Parenthood ain’t easy!

So, for all the parents out there! We can get through the tantrums! We can get through this tough time with our mini hulks!

Stay safe

💖

Who else goes on Rightmove to look at houses almost everyday?

I certainly do! I love looking at other people’s homes for inspiration. Looking at the colours they use. This is what I have particularly looked at, as we have been focusing the last month on de-yellowing our house. Yes I said de-yellowing! When we bought our home half of our rooms were yellow.

Now, I don’t hate yellow but there can be too much yellow in one home! Who knew that there are so many shades of yellow? I didn’t!

This year I was moaning a lot about our bathroom being yellow and how I thought it didn’t go with the tiles. So for my birthday (second birthday in lockdown) my husband agreed to paint the bathroom white. You know what? The bathroom looks so much better and fresher. It was a great birthday present too!

We then turned our attention to the spare room or, as we used to call it, the penguin room. Basically, it held a lot of my penguin collection and pictures of penguins. Yes, I am that type of person!

We decided to move James into that room so that he can have more space to himself as he is getting older. We hardly used the room in the first place. It was just a room where we stored everything and anything. Does anyone else have a room like this?

Of course the Penguin room was yellow! Yellow!

After looking around at other people’s homes and on Pinterest we settled on a colour, blue! I believe that colours can affect a person’s mood. Blue is meant to be a calming colour which is why we chose it. We also know that James likes the colour too. Of course, we had to pick the right shade.

We used the Dulux app to help us decide and ordered some paint samples. They do have a Visualizer, but, it’s not in the best quality so you won’t get a good representation on what your room would like. So, I would definitely recommend getting the samples. Also it is a lot of fun applying them to the wall. The days of using a brush are gone! You simply remove a piece of foil, shake and squeeze the container and apply onto a piece of paper ensuring the paint comes out. Then apply onto the wall.

We quickly decided on the shade we wanted.

In case you want to know we chose Mineral Mist.

Obviously, his room has a theme. His room is based around the sky hence the colour we chose. I ordered a blind in navy with stars on it as a contrast to the blue on the walls. I personally think it goes well with the room. We got this from Blinds 2 go. Where they explain how to measure the windows and how to fit. Perfect during lockdown.

To complete the sky look, we ordered 3 cloud lights from IKEA called UPPLYST. We absolutely love them! They come with safety brackets, to prevent tangling. They are also easy to install however, you need to buy round headed screws as they didn’t come with the light.

To complete the look we bought white furniture Malm and Kallax from IKEA. Both easy to build, but, I love flat pack and find them easy to build. We bought navy boxes for the kallax to compliment the blue. We also got the Children’s Grey book case from Aldi. This was also easy to build even with a toddler trying to help!

To complete the look we looked at many prints. Then I discovered the beautiful prints by The Gift Studio. They have other amazing prints too, but, we thought those prints go with the room. We put them into white YLLEVAD frames.

Hope we have given you ideas for your nursery.

We can’t wait to show you what’s next on our de-yellowing list! So stay tuned.

💖

Who else wakes up with two big eyes staring at you and tryng to play nosey-nosey with you?

Well, if that’s you? Welcome to my special club!

Where the kids dictate when to get up so they can catch Fireman Sam and know how to be the cutest alarm clock. I feel this is the story of my life so far! I admit it that I am not a morning person but, I am also not night person. So we are struggling to sort out this dilemma.

At night James falls asleep on the sofa after his supper. The times vary as it depends when he wakes up from his afternoon nap. We then put him in his bed with the white noise on incase he wakens when we take him upstairs. He does settle quickly into bed. However, he doesn’t stay in there for long!

At some point during the night he turns into a night ninja. Sneaking his way into our room and crawling his way into our bed. Placing himself right in the middle between myself and the other half. Without a giggle or any exaggerated noises. However, it doesn’t stop there!

He is a nightmare (perhaps an exaggeration) in bed. He gets so restless and moves himself into a horizontal position. Whilst repositioning himself he will kick and prod us. Then what’s worse, well for me. His hands go up and down my top. As he wants some milk. Yes, I am still breastfeeding!

We have tried putting him back in his bed with white noise on a couple of weeks ago. Then he stayed in bed for an hour or two then came back into our bed.

At night we are shattered. I work 12 hour shifts so, at night when I have been at work, I simply don’t have the energy in the middle of the night to put him back into bed. I am literally a Mumbie! So he stays in bed with us. Interrupting our sleep and pushing us (well mainly the other half) to the edge of the bed.

So, when we wake up with his great big blue eyes staring down at us and talking about his socks. We are not so mad at him. He actually knows his power over us.

When we do wake up there is the natural competition of who is more tired. We can never come to an agreement on who wins this competition as it’s usually tie. We do take it in turns to have a lie in alternating each day. So we can feel more like ourselves. I really don’t know how single parents can cope with kids not sleeping. You guys deserve more than a medal!

In true Lorelai Gilmore fashion, I need a coffee before I can function. Fortunately, the little man is well versed with our coffee machine and will help us with our coffee. He even makes sure that we remove the coffee pod!

After, my coffee I do feel more like myself and ready to start my day with James and his pal Fireman Sam. If you haven’t, please check out my other post with my thoughts on the said programme!

So, I am putting this out there in the cosmic void on the internet. Hoping someone can give us advice.

Maybe this is what I get, after doing the exact same thing to my parents!

Hope you are all safe.

Take care.

💖