Last Minute Christmas Shopping Idea's

For those of you who are like me and rather unorganised for Christmas this year, Do you think I can blame it on the fact I had a baby four months ago? Probably not. Or for those of you who won't be getting paid from work until Christmas Eve I thought that I would make a very quick Christmas gift guide, as it might make a change from fighting over the last Lynk and Dove gift sets in boots or buying your own body weight in quality streets and selection boxes for people.

Chloe's Tweenager Christmas Eve Basket

A couple of day's ago you may have seen me post about creating my younger daughter Sophia a toddler Christmas eve basket which you can read about here . Well, I have also created her older sister Chloe (who is twelve year's old) one too. Obviously, as there is a huge age gap between my girl's  (10 years) I have put totally different things into Chloe's basket. But I have kept the idea similar pyjamas, an activity of some sort, some sweet treats and then I added a few extra little bits I have seen whilst out shopping.

December Degustabox

Last month you may have heard me mentioning Degustabox, which is a monthly food and drink subscription box service. For those of you who are unsure of the concept of subscription boxes you basically just sign up for and pay the monthly fee which is only £12.99 per month including posting and packaging and then once a month you will receive a box delivered to your door which is packed with between 9-14 surprise food and drink products. Each month the items in your box will be completely different and it is a great way to try out lots of new foods and drinks you may never have tried before. There is no long sign up commitment, you can cancel your box any time you like as long as it is before the 10th of the month. It really is as simple as that.

Sophia's Toddler Christmas Eve Basket

I love Christmas as it such a magical time of the year when you have children. As a mam, I am always looking for new Christmas traditions and new ideas of things that can make Christmas that little bit more magical and special for my children. Last year I seen a few people mention Christmas Eve boxes/baskets they had made and I thought they were such a lovely idea. So a Christmas Eve basket will be something nice for them to have on Christmas Eve morning to occupy them (hopefully).

Review: Bright Starts Nest And Sing Pots

Hand's up who still has Christmas shopping to do? I do. Every single year I say that I will get organised for Christmas early and every single year I am still doing some last-minute present shopping on Christmas Eve. One gift that I always find hard to buy is presents for young children, as a mam to two very young children I know that there is a huge selection of baby and toddler toys on the market, but to be honest a lot of them kind of do the same thing. So I am always on the look out for something a bit different when I am present buying - as I don't want to buy a gift that someone else will buy for my children.

So when Bright Starts asked if Sophia (18 months old) would like to try out the Nest 'n' Sing Pots of course I agreed. When Sophia was younger we had a Bright Starts bouncer and play mat for her which she loved. I never knew that they also made toys for toddlers and I had never seen the Nest 'n' Sing Pots before so I was really interested to see what they would be like.

Review: Tommee Tippee Gingerbread Gift Set

I love Tommee Tippee, I really do, they are without a doubt my number one baby product company. We have a house full of Tommee Tippee products from steriliser and bottle warmers to nail clippers and cutlery. Tommee Tippee is a brand that I have been using with all three of my children over the last twelve years of being a mum, they are a company that I know and trust as they make great baby products.

November- What A Month

I can not believe that it is now December, this year really has flown over so quickly! I really am certain that time speeds up once you are a parent. November turned out to be a rather great month for us, I always love November as it's my birthday month and its close to Christmas and I have an excuse to shop and spoil my children. I also love winter as it means cosy nights in, lazy pj days and stodgy home cooked meals like stews and roast dinners.

This November has been a pretty great month, it was my birthday on the 11th November- my parents should have called me Poppy saying as I was born on remembrance day. On my actual birthday, I did not do much as Jacob had his injections in the morning and then we had a baby group in the afternoon. However, we had a Chinese for tea (my favourite) and I got some lovely presents of Lee and the Children. I was treated to a long overdue haircut and colour and I opted for dark chocolate and caramel ombre hair and had a good few inches cut off to bring my hair back to life, as it was in a right state after having Jacob. I got a vanilla cupcake Yankee candle (I love them) and bath products, soap and glory things, smellies and chocolates. And the best bit was the other half done the night feeds and let me have a lie in, when you have a young baby sleep is the best gift ever!

I Was A Mother And Baby Magazine Award Tester

If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen that I was a product tester for the recent Mother And Baby magazine's annual award's. Which awards the best baby products and covers everything from Prams and Highchairs to nappies and baby foods. I know as a mum I do often opt to buy things that have won awards from Mother And Baby magazine, as I know it means other mums love the product so it must be pretty good. I am also an avid Mother And Baby magazine reader, it has been my magazine of choice for the last three years with having my youngest children so close together. I even read it 12 years ago when I was pregnant with my eldest!

Anyway back at the start of the year, I was browsing Facebook one day when I saw an announcement from Mother And Baby Magazines Facebook page saying they were looking for parents to be testers in the 2014 awards. So on a whim, I filled in the application form and applied, I never in a million years thought that I would get picked as I had never reviewed anything in my life, it was before I even set up my blog.

Mother And Baby Retweeted me

Review: Dr Brown's Baby Bottle's

 Jacob has been one rather unsettled baby as he has been suffering from colic since he was two week's old. Any parent who has had a baby who suffers from colic will know just how hard work it can be, as your baby just screams in pain for hours on end every day. It is so horrible to watch your tiny little newborn baby screaming in pain and if you are like me you often end up in tears yourself due to feeling sorry for them and down to sheer exhaustion as you spend hours trying all sorts of different things to settle them. It also ruined those first precious few weeks with him as all he did was cry, I felt like I could not fully enjoy him as he was such an unhappy little man.

My Interview With Myleene Klass

 I recently attended the Mothercare Team Valley Gateshead grand re-opening as one of the VIP bloggers, along with Hannah from Mums days. You can read all about the fabulous new look Mothercare store here. The store was re-opened by celebrity and fashion designer Myleene Klass, as she designs her award-winning BabyK nursery and fashion range for Mothercare.

Myleene has a reputation for being really lovely and one of the few celebrities who are down to earth and normal, you never hear of her having any diva demands or getting kicked out of nightclubs. In fact, she is mostly photographed on the school run or out and about with her two adorable young daughters.

So when I was asked by Mothercare if I would like the opportunity to interview her I was a little hesitant at first as 1.) I am fairly new to blogging 2.) I have never interviewed anyone before in my life, never mind a celebrity! 3.) I had no idea at all what to ask her 4.) I was a little bit nervous at the prospect as I had no idea what to expect and had visions of her agent putting a stop to any questions I may ask.

But I need not have worried at all as I was free to ask her whatever I wanted. The first thing I noticed about her was just how gorgeous she was and the second was just how friendly she was greeting everyone who entered the store, especially the children. She was happy to get photographed and mingle with the shoppers. I had asked my Facebook friends and also other bloggers on Twitter and in Facebook groups what I should ask Myleene and here is how I got on ......

When it came to my turn to interview Myleene my baby son Jacob decided that it was time to be fed so with baby in my arms I began my interview, Myleene greeted me by asking if I would like to find somewhere to sit to feed baby as I was interviewing her in-store surrounded by her beautiful range of children clothing. She also asked about Jacob and could not believe my chunky little monkey was only two months old, she happily chatted about her own children Ava and Hero throughout the interview. It really was just like talking to any other mum.

 So here is what I asked Myleene

Review: Funky Giraffe Personalised Bibs

People often ask me what baby items I could not live without and top of my list is bibs. Jacob is such a sickly and dribbly baby that he has to wear a bib all the time and I have found that the ones that I bought from the shops before he was born are just not up to the job. His dribble and sick quickly seeps through them onto his clothes making them wet and I have to change his clothing several times a day due to this.

So when Funky Giraffe asked if I would like to review there bibs I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try a new company out and also to see if I could find a bib that actually worked.

A Monthly Treat With Teen Parcel

If you are a man then this post is probably not for you as it is all about that time of the month. If you are a parent to a tween or teenage daughter then please do read on, as I have just discovered the perfect product for them, the Teen Parcel.

So what is a Teen Parcel you are probably wondering? Well, it is a monthly subscription box (you all know I really love subscription boxes) aimed at teenage girls and it is packed with everything they will need for that time of the month. Yep, its a period box, it comes packed with pads or tampons whichever you select when you sign up and also in the box is a special little box of treats to try and cheer the teen in your life up a little bit.

Review: Degustabox

As I keep mentioning all the time since I started blogging at the start of the year I have discovered so many amazing new company's. Well, I recently discovered another company Degustabox a monthly food subscription box service, I love food and I love subscription boxes so I was rather excited when I heard about this. I was even more excited when I was offered a one to review, as I had been planning on buying a one as they looked rather good.

Review: Jellycat Soft Toy

As you can imagine being a mum of three I have bought a lot of toys over the years and we have a ton of soft toys in our house, mostly of my oldest daughter who has built up quite a collection over the years. But one make of soft toy we have never had is Jellycat. I only heard of Jellycat a year or so ago, when I saw them out shopping and I instantly fell in love with the cute and quirky designs.

Jellycat was established in London in 1999 and now has a huge range of animal soft toys that are so cute and different, from Bashful Bunnies and Fabulous Fillies to Frederick Frog and Larry Lizards. Some even come with super cute little outfits their really is a Jellycat to suit everyone.

Review: Lapland Mailroom Letter From Santa Claus

Now that it is halfway through November I think that it is safe to mention the C word - CHRISTMAS. I love Christmas, it really is the most wonderful time of the year. I have always loved Christmas who doesn't like receiving gifts, eating their own body weight in chocolates, watching films, Christmas dinner and spending time with family? I love it all and most of my treasured childhood memories are of Christmas time and spending time with my family. Now I am a parent myself I love Christmas even more, as watching your children get excited is truly priceless.

Every family has Christmas traditions and I am sure that the most popular one is without a doubt sending Santa Claus a Christmas letter asking him for longed for gifts. I remember writing letters to Santa Claus myself as a small child and I was always disappointed that I never got a one back of him. When I became a mum I use to write my oldest daughter Chloe a letter from Santa myself, but as she got older and stopped believing in Santa Claus *sob* she realised that I had just written the letter.

Mothercare - Team Valley Re-opening Event And A Tommee Tippee Giveaway *Closed*

As a mum of three, I have spent a lot of time in Mothercare over the year's, I have brought all of my baby things there from prams and cots to baby baths and baby clothes. Mothercare sells it all. I even remember visiting Mothercare as a small child with my mum, many years ago, when it used to be in Newcastle's Eldon square. Mothercare is a shop that I have grown up with and a shop as a family with small children we genuinely love.

Mothercare have got a new CEO Mark Newton-Jones and they are having a bit of a company revamp at the moment, one of the things they have been doing is redesigning some of their stores. The huge Team Valley Gateshead store was one of the first to get a makeover.

So imagine my utter delight when I got an invite from the ever so lovely people at Mothercare to attend the official re-opening of the Team Valley store as one of there VIP bloggers! Oh and I would also get the chance to interview Myleene Klass - who designs award winning children fashion range BabyK for Mothercare, as she would be officially re-opening the store with CEO Mark Newton-Jones. Amazing!

Angel Delight Moments

If like me you grew up in the 80's and 90's then I am sure that if someone said to you "Angel Delight" then it would instantly remind you of your childhood. It certainly makes me think fondly of my childhood, my mum always used to have a few packets stocked in the kitchen cupboards and myself and my brother often had it as a dessert after school. We use to fight over whether we would have strawberry flavour (my favourite) or chocolate (my brothers favourite)

I have not had Angel delight for years, so when I was sent some new Bubblegum flavour, which is available to buy at Tesco's, I thought that it would be the perfect chance to introduce my youngest daughter to Angel Delight and also to reminisce about my childhood. As childhood memories are so precious to me since losing my mum at a young age, anything that reminds me of happy memories of times I shared with her are to be treasured.

Book Review : Falling By Emma Kavanagh

Any of my regular readers will know I love to read as I often mention my love for reading in my posts. But inevitably since becoming a mum of three and having a tweenager, a toddler and a baby to look after some days, I don't even have time to brush my hair never mind sit down and read a book. 

However when I was recently sent the book Falling to review that soon changed. As soon as the book dropped through the letterbox I had a quick read of the first few pages to see what the book was about and that was it, I was hooked. I literally could not put this book down and read it within a day, I was reading it while my baby was asleep on me, I read it in the bath. I even stayed up late at night to finish reading it, and as anyone with a new baby will tell you staying up late is often a thing of the past as sleep is so precious when you are shattered off sleepless nights with a baby. 

Jacob's Newborn Photoshoot

* Note - Tina has since changed her photography business name to Capture Forever. 

When I was pregnant with Jacob I came across an advert on facebook from a local photographer who was advertising for newborn babies who were going to be born at the end of August to take part in a free photo shoot. As you may know, Jacob was due in late August so I contacted the photographer and was lucky enough to be offered a free photo shoot once he was born.

Sassy Bloom Subscription Box

Edit I think Sassybloom have shut as the website no longer works. 

I always mention that since I started blogging earlier this year I have discovered so many new baby/ children brands via reading other people's blogs. One such brand is Sassy Bloom. 

For those of you who do not know Sassy Bloom is a monthly subscription box service especially for babies. They are suitable for mums-to-be in the final trimester of pregnancy up until children are two years old. You just visit the website www.sassybloom.com and choose your subscription option. You can buy a monthly box which costs £29.00 a month and you can cancel at any time or you can buy 3, 6 or 12-month subscriptions, the boxes can work out as low as £22.15 a box if you do this option. Once you have chosen your subscription option you then fill in a form with your child's details things such as there name, date of birth and gender. Then the lovely people at Sassy Bloom handpick items that are suitable for your child based on the details that you provided, they then wrap them in a beautiful box and deliver them to your door once a month. 

When the box arrives it is addressed to your, child which I think is a nice touch. The contents of each box will be worth at least £40. I really love the idea of these boxes as they are a nice surprise each month. 

10 Sign's You Are A Parent To A Newborn

As Jacob is now two month's old and no longer classed as a newborn baby I thought I would look back on what life was like with a newborn baby. If you are a parent yourself you may recognise some of these things. So here is my ten sign's that you are a parent of a newborn baby.

Heroes Of Olympus The Lost Hero - Book Giveaway * CLOSED*

Saying as it is my daughter's 12th birthday today I thought that I would run a little giveaway on the blog, as I was recently sent some book's to giveaway from Puffin books. I have four copy's of Heroes Of Olympus The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, which is part of the Percy Jackson book series.  It is perfect for older children, teenagers or adults to read.

Review: Theraline Wynnie Nursing Pillow

As you all know I recently had my third baby, little Jacob and as you can imagine my house is full to the brim with baby paraphernalia. But one baby item that I had never tried out before was a nursing pillow. As any parent to a baby will tell you even though babies are tiny they do start to feel rather heavy, your arms begin to ache when you are feeding them. In the past, I have tried using cushions off the sofa to try and prop my babies up when feeding them, but I found this to be not very comfortable or practical.

When Jacob was born I was very kindly offered the chance to try out a Theraline Wynnie nursing pillow . Theraline is a company who specialise in maternity and nursing pillow's, but they also sell other products such as baby pillow's - to help prevent flat head syndrome, neck pillows, for children to use on car journeys and maternity products such as cesarean belts and breast pads.

Theraline Wynnie Nursing Pillow

Review: Zippy FirstBib

As anyone who has a newborn knows they feed a lot and they are forever dribbling milk and being sick, so a stockpile of bibs is a must. I bought loads of bibs for Jacob before he was born but they are fairly thin and the milk/ sick just seeps through them onto his clothing.

Review : The Mumsnet Book Of Animal Stories

As my regular readers may already know I love book's and I always have done since I was a small child. I have always loved nothing more than getting lost in a good story and I wanted my children to carry on my love for reading and are home has always been filled with many books for them to enjoy. My oldest daughter Chloe is at an age where she is more interested in her tablet than reading but my youngest daughter Sophia is starting to discover and enjoy book's more the older she is getting. So when we were recently sent the Mumsnet Book Of Animal Stories to review I could not wait to have a good read of it with Sophia.

My Daily Routine With A Tweenager A Toddler And A Newborn

I love routine even more so since I became a mum, I find that without a routine everything just seems to get a bit hectic and overwhelming. When we had Sophia we were lucky that she just slotted into the routine we already had in place for Chloe, and I believe that is why she is such a settled happy baby who sleeps well and always has done. So when we recently had Jacob he just slotted into the routine we had with the girls too. Although having two children under two things don't always go to plan, as you can guarantee that when its time to leave the house to go out one of them will need a nappy changed, or at bedtime one of them might take twice as long as normal to go to sleep.

Ready for bed, he may be cute but he is a tinker

Now I am not one of those super strict parents where everything has to be run to military precisions, to be honest, I am far too lazy and laid back for that. We do have set bath and bedtimes etc. So this is what a typical day looks like in our household.

Life Lately

As you may notice since having Jacob eight week's ago I have been quieter than normal on my blog and social media. I have been busy spending time getting to know my new son (still sounds weird saying I have a son) and adjusting to life as a family of five. 

Baby Jacob at two week's

Babies R Us Babyologist Baby Monitor Review

When you are having or have a baby there is so much choice available when it comes to what baby items to buy, especially when it comes to baby monitors. There are so many different makes and models on the market all with different features. As I am a bit, a lot of a worrier I have always wanted monitors that detect baby's breathing as I am forever up checking on my children multiple times during the night.  I had heard of so many people that their monitors kept going off for no reason during the night worrying them. So, in the end, I did not buy any and just brought normal monitors instead which turned out to be a bit rubbish if I am honest as they were really crackly.

However, a few week's ago I was very lucky to be selected to be a tester for Babies R Us and they sent me some new baby monitor's to try out that had babysense movement monitors included. This was perfect for me being a mum to a one-year-old and a newborn.

We were sent the Motorola MBP16 baby monitor and Babysense bundle. 

What we got

Review: The Luck Uglies Book

As I mentioned in many posts I love to read, I always have done since I was a small child. I have always wanted my children to continue with my love of reading, however now that my oldest daughter Chloe is older (she is almost 12) she prefers to spend all of her time on her tablet than reading books. I have been trying to encourage her to read more and when I was given the chance to review a copy of The Luck Uglies I thought that this would be a great chance to encourage her to read more. 

We were actually sent this book back in the summer and Chloe read it during the summer holidays, but with having a baby I had to take a bit of a break from blogging and have only just got back into blogging recently so I am catching up on overdue blog posts.

Review : Ozeri Digital Pedometer

Baby Jacob is now six week's old and I have started to think about getting a bit healthier and losing some baby weight. So when I was given the chance to review a digital pedometer from Ozeri I thought that this would be the perfect chance to implement my new healthier lifestyle, as I plan on walking lots with the buggy to get healthy.

Review: Rainbow Braid 5400 Piece Loom Refill Kit

If you are a parent then I am sure that this summer you became well aware of loom bands as children all over the country went crazy for them. My oldest daughter Chloe certainly did, she has thousands of them. We can not go to a shop without her nagging me for a bag of them, she spends hours watching youtube videos of people creating things with them and then hours trying to make her own creations. But I found that I was spending a fortune on them as a small bag of them was costing me £2 and I found that they snapped easily and some of them had a strange rubbery smell to them. 

Anyway back in August, I was given the chance to review some Rainbow Braid Looms and Chloe was over the moon at getting the chance to review them. They actually arrived the day that I came home from the hospital with her new baby brother, so they were a brilliant distraction for her and kept her occupied in those early newborn days where I did not have the time or energy to take her on days out. 

What we recieved

My Third Birth Story

Jacob is now five week's old,  I have been wanting to write his birth story for week's but being a busy mum of three I just have not had any time at all lately. I was induced with Jacob at exactly 39 week's pregnant due to having high blood pressure in pregnancy and being on medication to control this. You can read all about my induction experience and the lead up to the actual birth here.

I had been in the hospital since 11am and the day seemed to drag waiting for labour to start, it was a strange feeling knowing that I would be having my baby within 24 hours of arriving at the hospital. Even though I had given birth twice before I was expecting my labour to be long, I think I was half expecting something to go wrong in labour due to being induced before my due date.

Newborn Jacob 

Review - Baby Natal Newcastle Practical Baby Care Workshop

When I had my first daughter Chloe I attended NHS ante-natal classes and read every baby book and magazine that I could get my hands on, when Chloe was born I was shocked that I did not have a clue what to do with her. I had never been around a newborn baby before so I was frightened to pick her up, I did not know how to feed her or change her nappy or dress her and I felt totally clueless for those first few weeks while I figured out these things. Even when I had my second daughter Sophia I was still a bit unsure of things, as so much had changed in regards to baby care in the ten-year gap between my children. I bet I am not the only new parent who has felt like this, so this is where Baby Natal come in.

My Second Induction Experience

Baby Jacob is now four week's old and things have been rather hectic at home with a newborn, a toddler and a tweenager, so I am only just slowly getting back into blogging when I find the rare hour or so of peace and quiet which is not very often.

Me on the morning of my induction

Mumkind Giveaway *Closed*

I have now been blogging for six month's and I am pleased to be hosting my very first giveaway on the blog from Mumkind. One reader can win two of the 'Ginger Me Baby Lozenges' and two of the 'Water Our Way' water enhancer's, which contain vitamins to help any mums to be or new mums feel less tired.

Review- Pop Goes Your Name Children's CD

When I was a child I used to love receiving gifts with my name on, now I am a parent I love buying personalised gifts for my children as I feel they are more special. Since starting my blog and joining twitter I have discovered some rather lovely company's who make personalised children's gifts and one of these company's, Pop goes your Name contacted me on twitter and kindly asked if I would like to review a personalised children's CD.

Introducing baby Jacob Oliver

You might have noticed I have been quiet on my blog and social media recently and if you follow me on twitter you will have seen that baby Jacob Oliver arrived on Tuesday at 9.31pm after a super quick labour (40 minutes) weighing 8lb 6 1/2oz at 39 weeks pregnant.

Jacob had hypothermia at birth so we had to spend a few days in hospital so he could warm up in a heated cot. But he is totally perfect and we are all in love with him. I can not believe he is now nine days old. We have spent the last nine days getting to know him. 

Review- Yoga For Pregnancy App

I had never done yoga before until last year when I started to take Sophia to baby yoga classes and I have to say both myself and Sophia loved these classes, I would recommend them to anyone as they are lots of fun. So when I found out I was pregnant I toyed with the idea of joining a pregnancy yoga class, as I had heard that yoga in pregnancy is brilliant and can be useful for birth. But having two children and a partner who work's shifts meant that I simply did not have the time to join a pregnancy yoga class. So when I was given the chance to review a pregnancy yoga app I thought this would be a perfect substitute for not being able to attend classes.

The app

Week 37 Pregnancy Update

Today I am 38 week's and 2 day's pregnant and I now only have less than one week of pregnancy left. It feels so strange knowing that in a few days time I will have my baby and that I won't be going overdue this time around. I am starting to get very nervous about the birth now, I am not sure why as I have been lucky and had two normal straightforward easy birth's with the girls and I have also been induced before in my first pregnancy so I know what to expect. I guess it is just last minute nerves and the fact I am a born worrier in life, I just hope everything goes o.k and everything is o.k with the baby.

Bump has grown a lot in a few weeks!

Review - Bakerdays Letterbox Cake

Since I started blogging a few month's ago I have discovered so many brilliant companies that I had never heard of before, one of them was Bakerdays who make cake's that are then delivered via post which is small enough to fit through your letterbox. I thought that this was a brilliant idea as it enables people to send friends or relatives that they may not be able to see or who they want to surprise a personalised cake through the door as a nice surprise.

Recently Bakerdays asked me if I would like the chance to review a one of there letterbox cake's myself and of course I said yes, what pregnant woman would turn down cake! I went on the website and was impressed with all the different designs and types of cakes on offer they do everything from birthday cakes, new babycakes to cupcakes and if there is not a ready-made design you want you can even just send them an image of what you would like and they will make it for you.

The cake we received

Week 36 Pregnancy Update

I am now 37 +2 weeks pregnant and I only have at most two weeks of pregnancy left! Week 36 was a busy week so let me tell you what my pregnancy was like at 36 weeks.

If you saw my pregnancy post last week 35 update you will have seen that I had a hospital appointment to see my consultant and for a growth scan when I was exactly 36 weeks pregnant. All was well on the scan and baby has had a bit of a growth spurt and is now no longer small, they estimated his weight to be around 6lbs and told me to expect a 7 and a half pound baby at birth. If that is true then he will be my smallest baby as the girls were 8lb3 and 8lb2, I am still expecting him to be a big baby for some reason even though my bump is not that big.

10 Thing's I Miss When I Am Pregnant

Now that my pregnancy is coming to an end and I am only days away from meeting my baby. I recently did a post about 10 things i love about being pregnant . However pregnancy is not all amazing, there are days when it is hard work and there are things that you miss about your normal life - as nine months is a long time to be pregnant. So here are the ten things that I miss the most about my normal life when I am pregnant.

Big Age Gap Babies

I have two girl's Chloe who is eleven and Sophia who is one. Yes, that is right there is a ten and a half year age gap between my girls, when I tell people this they are normally shocked. But let me explain why there is such a big age gap and also what it is like having two children with such a big age gap.

My girl's meeting for the first time.

10 Thing's I Love About Being Pregnant

Lately, I have been a bit fed up with pregnancy as you may have noticed from my previous posts on  pregnancy when your a mum and surviving pregnancy in the summer. And yes I am struggling with being so heavily pregnant in the summer and having two other children to look after when I am so tired all the time. But I have loved and enjoyed this pregnancy and I think pregnancy is such a special time so here are the ten things that I love about being pregnant.

Pregnancy When Your A Mum

As you know this is my third pregnancy and I already have two girl's aged eleven and one, I love them to bits and would not change them for the world but I just have to say to all you first-time mum's to be out there I am jealous of you! Being pregnant when you already have children to look after is damn hard work. In your final weeks of pregnancy you are advised to rest and put your feet up and enjoy nesting but in reality, you cant do any of that when you have other little people to look after. Looking after yourself and resting comes bottom of your list of priorities.

I am lucky that this has been my most easy straightforward pregnancy so far but now my due date is looming I am starting to feel pretty knackered, my feet are swollen, I spend half the night awake as I cant get comfortable. But I still have to get up at 7am with Sophia and I still have to cook, clean, and try and entertain a toddler and a tweenager all day long. I am bloody exhausted.

My girl's

Week 35 Pregnancy Update & 36 Week Growth Scan

I am now 36+3 day's pregnant and I can not believe that I am so close to the end of my pregnancy now, in a few day's time I will be classed as full term and baby could arrive at any time. Lot's has been going on since my last update last week so here is what happened when I was 35 week's pregnant and how I got on at my 36-week growth scan and consultant appointment.

I had no midwife or hospital appointments when I was 35 weeks as I was booked in for a growth scan and an appointment with my hospital consultant when I was exactly 36 weeks pregnant. In some way's I have still had an easy pregnancy in that I have had no sickness, cravings, heartburn etc. But this week I have really started struggling with pregnancy. The heat is getting unbearable and I am constantly hot, bothered and sweaty and I hate going outdoors in the heat as I just feel so uncomfortable in it. I am also feeling really tired but I am struggling to sleep on a night time due to the heat and I am also now starting to find it hard to get comfortable in bed as my back and legs ache, not even my pregnancy pillow is helping me get comfortable now.

My Real Mum All Bran Challenge

If like me you think All Bran is a bland, boring cereal, that only your parents eat then you will be surprised to find that actually it is not like that at all, as I have recently discovered for myself when I took part in the #RealMumsAllBranChallenge. Brit Mums recently teamed up with All Bran to challenge some bloggers to try the new All-Bran cereals for five consecutive day's to see what we thought, here is how I got on. This post is my entry for the Real Mums of All Bran challenge, sponsored by Kelloggs.

My Ten Tip's For Surviving Pregnany In Summer

As everyone is aware we are having a bit of a summer heatwave going on in the UK this summer and for once the north east is actually enjoying a lovely hot dry summer. Normally I love the summer and love sunbathing in the garden and going on days out to the beach but not this year as I am now 36 weeks pregnant and I must say being so heavily pregnant in this heat is no fun at all. Obviously, I have been pregnant in summer before as Chloe was born in October so I was pregnant during the summer but not so heavily so it was not to bad. Sophia was born in the may so it was warm but not as warm as it is now. 

Before the heatwave struck I was having such an easy pregnancy but due to the heat and nearing my due date I am now starting to struggle with this pregnancy and after seeing lots of other pregnant people on my twitter and facebook feeds also mentioning they are struggling in this heat I know that I am not the only one. And it is no surprise that we pregnant ladies are struggling in this heat as we are carrying extra weight, we have all them lovely crazy hormones racing around our bodies and we have extra blood in our bodies when pregnant so are temperature can be higher than normal. So here are my ten tips that I have found useful for surviving a summer pregnancy.

Sophia's 13 month update

Sophia has just turned 14 month's old on Thursday so I am a bit late in posting her 13-month update, so here is a quick look at what Sophia was like at 13 months old.

Sophia had her immunisations when she turned 13 months old and her daddy said apart from a little cry when she had the injections she was fine, I always get her daddy to take her for her injections as I feel bad taken her for them. She has also got her ninth tooth a one at the back on the bottom and her tenth tooth is also starting to come through as well on the other side. We have been lucky that Sophia has not really been bothered by teething she just gets a bit dribbly. We have not taken her to get weighed this month so I have no idea how much she weighs. She is still wearing her size 4 Pampers nappies and all of her 12-18 month clothes now fit her perfectly, she is still a size 4 and a half f in shoe size.

Mini Baby Haul

As I am now only one month away from my due date I am starting to get prepared for baby's arrival and we have started baby shopping after putting it off for so long, mainly due to the fact that we did not find out baby's sex until I was 28 week's pregnant. After having two girls I am finding it so strange shopping for a little boy as I keep automatically looking at little girl's clothes and I am a bit unsure of what to buy a little boy if I am honest. So the other half has been picking most of the things we have brought so far, so here is a little look at what we have been buying baby.

First soft toy

Family Day Out At Morpeth Park

When I was a child I always remember going to visit Morpeth park every summer and have fond memories of visiting, so now I am a mum myself I take my own children there every summer too. Morpeth park is situated near the town centre of Morpeth in Northumberland, I love it and think it is one of the nicest parks in the North East. The park itself is not very big but there is a large paddling pool for children to go in and a small play area for smaller children and then another area for older children. It is situated in such a lovely well-kept park garden and there is a river running through it where you can feed the ducks and go on the rowing boats.

Fun on the see-saw

Week's 33 And 34 Pregnancy Update

I am now 35 + 1 day's pregnant only five more weeks until my due date! I know that I say this all of the time but I can not believe how fast this pregnancy has flown over, it seems like only last week that I found out that I was pregnant and now I am only a few week's away from meeting my baby!

A lot has been happening baby wise now that I am nearing the end of my pregnancy so here is what week's 33 and 34 of my pregnancy were like.

34-week bump

Walking Baby Sophia And Her First Shoe's

This post has actually been sitting in my draft box for two month's now!  I was just going to delete it as Sophia has been walking and got her first shoes age's ago but I thought that it would be nice to post it so I can look back on when she started to walk and getting her first shoes.

Sophia has always been really quick at doing thing's ever since she was born she is really smart for her age so she obviously does not take after me or her daddy she has been sleeping on a night time since the day she was born, she was rolling over at just twelve week's old and she just seems to pick thing's up so easily and loves to learn new thing's. But Sophia never really properly crawled, she bum shuffled along the floor really quickly to get what she wanted from around 5-6 month's but at Christmas time, when she was 7 month's she started pulling her self up on furniture and cruising along the sofas.  Before long she was walking along pushing her baby walker at 8 month's old then when she was 9 month's old she took her very first step. She would only take one or two steps then fall back down on her bum but she didn't give up and seemed determined to walk. When she was 10 month's old she started to walk properly across the room on her own, although sometimes she was still a bit unsteady on her feet. As soon as she turned 11 month's there was no stopping her and she was toddling along confidently all over, she was even talking steps when we were out in public and wanting to walk everywhere so we had to get her some shoes.

Galt Mini Masterpiece- The kiss

As anyone who knows us will know Chloe my eldest daughter loves art's and crafts and is forever making things and drawing. So when Galt toy's recently offered her the chance to create her own 'mini-masterpiece' she was over the moon and couldn't wait to get started. 

Galt recently launched a 'mini-masterpiece' series which is six famous work's of art that they have templates of on there website that you can print off and get your children to colour in and decorate themselves to recreate there own 'mini-masterpiece'.

Huge art jar