Friday 27 February 2015

Friends, The Oscars and a red lip - #little loves

Happy Friday!

This week has been all about friends.  On Saturday I met up with my girl friends for lunch and drinks to celebrate the last of our group's 30th birthdays.  We've been friends since nursery and are really close but are all so busy these days with different stages of our lives (babies, toddlers, weddings, house renovations - we're a busy bunch) that weeks can go by without us seeing each other, so its always exciting when we have a date in the diary to get together and catch up on what we've been missing in each other lives.

Friendship for Lucas at age 4 is really no different to us as adults, its already so important to him.  His excitement this week has been off the scale as he has counted down the days to one of his nursery friend's birthday parties, which is today.

And for Charlotte, after a few weeks of us missing coffee with our antenatal group we managed to make it this week.  Its hard to believe that our group of babies have grown up so quickly.  Gone are the meet ups where we all got to drink our coffee and diet cokes while the babies snoozed in their prams.  Now they are all 8/9 months old and are quite the lively bunch.  It'll be amazing to see them all as they start walking and interacting with each other as they approach their first birthdays.

Anyway, as usual I am rounding up what has been another busy week for us by linking up with Morgana from 'But Why Mummy Why' for my #littleloves of this week...


Read

I've really got into the lovely Charlotte Taylor's blog, 'Write like no one is watching' this week. During one of my binge reads of her blog I came across her post on how she created a chalkboard fireplace in her living room.  I've never seen anything like this before, but what a fab idea.  So much fun and it looks stunning.  I've been trying to figure out where I could fit a chalkboard in our house.  I have my eye on a space in our kitchen...





Watched

I couldn't help but catch some of the Oscars coverage at the start of the week.  I'm not dedicated enough to stay up into the wee small hours to watch the ceremony live, but I'm quite happy to catch up on all the goings ons over my porridge the next morning.
I'm a typical girl and love to see all the dresses from the night.  This year my favourites were Reese Witherspoon and Emma Stone.  Both completely different but equally as stunning and elegant.




Did you see the lego Oscars which were handed out on the night?  It was apparently the Director of The Lego Movie giving two fingers to not making the nominations for 'best animation'.  What a marketing stunt!




Heard

I'm still really enjoying the Rihanna featuring Kanye West and Sir Paul McCartney collaboration - FourFiveSeconds.

I'm usually not a fan of any of them (well maybe Sir Paul McCartney since my hubby is a fellow Scouser), but I really like this.





Made

The Playdoh was out early one morning this week when we had a nothing much on and could stay in our jammies a bit longer.  Lucas is obsessed with the recycling truck when it comes up our street every Tuesday morning and is so disappointed if he misses it.  So when I saw Playdoh had brought out a recycling truck set, it had Lucas' name all over it.  Needless to say he loves it.  It moulds rubbish cans and bottles and then scoops them up and spits them out the back as fish bones and other rubbish as you push it along.




Wore

This week I have been trying out a new red lipstick.  Its amazing how much more pulled together something as simple as a bold red lip can make you feel and I love this one which is Mac's 5-Alarm.  Its quite a sheer red so is an easy to wear, day to day colour.  I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to lip colours but I'm getting better and finding them so fun to wear.



And lastly...

To finish where I started this post, what a true quote...


I'd love you to come and follow me on Bloglovin to keep up with A Cosy Cup of Life.


butwhymummywhy
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Tuesday 24 February 2015

My tips for a sleep deprived mum

Charlotte's new wake up time for the last couple of weeks has been 5.25am!! Is it just me or does anything before 6am still feel like the middle of the night? And when I say 5.25am, its this almost ever morning to the button, which seems strange.  But she's not upset or crying, quite the opposite, laughing and gurgling away to herself.  I normally try and leave her for a good 10 or 15 minutes as I lie in bed actually crossing my fingers, hoping she might drift back off to sleep, but this never happens and she just gets louder, so up we get.  I've pretty much ruled out teething being to blame for these sudden early starts because she's so jolly.  Maybe its just another stage in her development, but I'm hopefully its a blip and we'll be back to her old 6.30-7am wake up time soon.  Here's hoping.




But in the meantime, I thought I'd share some things I do when I'm feeling pretty sleep deprived that make me feel better and keep me going.  For those days when everything begins that bit earlier meaning you have a long day a head of entertaining a baby and a 4 year old when you wish you could just crawl back under the covers.  These are the days when teatime and your other half walking through the door seems a long way off.  So here's my tips...

1. Get up, get showered and put some make-up on.  As tempting as it is to lounge about in your jammies when you've had a rough night or early morning with your little one I always feel like I can face the day a bit better once I've had a hot shower with a zingy shower gel, got dressed (even if its only into joggers and a hoodie) and put on some make-up to cover the dark circles and feel a bit more like me.

2. Make yourself a coffee.  On days where its been an especially early morning, make sure its the good stuff, the kind that makes the whole house smell amazing.

3. Get yourself out of the house.  Lazing on the sofa can feel like all you have the energy for, but getting out of the house for some fresh air, even if its only a walk round the block, or to the shop or park (if you have another little one to entertain too) makes me feel so much better.

4. When your little one naps and if by some miracle this coincides with your other little one being off to nursery for a couple of hours, forget the housework, that pile of ironing that needs put away and just  put your feet up and relax  Even if you don't go for a nap yourself, just watch some rubbish on telly, catch up on some of your favourite blogs or do whatever it is that makes you feel chilled out -ultimately just give yourself a break to recharge, ready for that last slog.

5. Once the little ones are tucked up in bed for the night reward yourself  for surviving a LONG day. Whether that's with a cheeky glass of wine and some chocolate or a nice relaxing bath and a few chapters of your book.  But then get yourself  to bed and get some sleep.  As tempting as it is to make the most of every minute of those golden hours when they are fast asleep, you'll regret that last hour you spent browsing Pinterest, when you could have been catching up on your sleep, when your little one is wide awake again at 5.25am!!

For those of you reading this through bleary eyes, I hope something here helps make your day that little bit more manageable.  Don't worry it'll be bedtime soon.  Keep going.

E

xx
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Friday 20 February 2015

Twins, Bake-Off and winter jumpers #little loves


Happy Friday everyone!

Wow, what a busy week we've had.  Half term has been jam packed for us.  Lots of play dates for Lucas and catching up with friends for me.  I also went to visit my cousin's twin girls for the first time.  They are only a couple of months old and are absolutely gorgeous.  I was completely bowled over by how amazing their mummy was with them.  I watched in awe as she saw to both of them and held them both at the same time.  Hats off to all you mummies of multiples.  While we were visiting it completely took me by surprise when Charlotte absolutely broke her heart crying when I held one of the babies.  I have never seen this kind of sob from her as she threw her arms out to me for a cuddle.  At 8 months old it didn't even cross my mind that this would bother her, I thought for sure she was too young, but obviously not.
Anyway, although its been a  great week I am quite glad that the weekends in sight, when hopefully the pace can slow down a bit.

But what else has made up my week...

Read

I bought Jessica Alba's book, 'The Honest Life' a while ago, but have dipped back into it this week.  Its a lovely book, with some great photos, giving an insight to how she tries to provide a healthy, non-toxic lifestyle for her and her family.  It covers beauty, household cleaning, arts and crafts for kids, food etc.  I'm trying to be a bit healthier this year and her approach to healthy living not only being about food and exercise, but also thinking about what you use in your home, really interests me.  There's also a really handy list in the book called the 'Dirty Dozen', which is a list of fruit and veg to try and buy organic.  We couldn't afford to buy all organic, so this is quite nice to know which to prioritise if you want to buy some.



Watched

I have been loving the Great Comic Relief Bake Off.  I'm a fan of the normal series but the Comic Relief special is so much more fun.  I especially loved the celebs on this week's show - Abbey Clancy, Zoella, Jonathan Ross and Gok Wan.

When I'm watching the show it really makes me wish I was better in the kitchen.  I loved Abbey's rainbow cupcakes, they looked so pretty and super fun.  I might try giving them a go as I know Lucas would be amazed by them.  Jonathan Ross had me in stitches throughout the show, his profiteroles were hilarious!

(* Photo courtesy of the Great Comic Relief Bake Off Facebook page)


Heard




Maroon 5'S new song, Sugar.  I don't think the songs anything special, so I'm cheating here a bit, but I love the music video.  Its basically Maroon 5 driving round LA crashing weddings as wedding singers.  The happy couples' reactions when a white sheet falls to reveal the band at each wedding are amazing! The cynical part of me Googled the video after watching it to see whether it was real or not. It turns out the majority of them are in fact real weddings, but a couple were staged.  I think you can tell the genuine ones.  Have a look and see what you think.  The video made me smile anyway.

Made

My mum's Carrot and Coriander soup.  This is a favourite in our house and is really quick and easy to make which is an added bonus.  It was such miserable weather when we woke up on Sunday morning.  A really grey, drizzly day when proper winter food like soup and crusty bread is all you crave, so I decided to make this for our lunch.  I don't think Lucas has twigged yet that there's carrots in it and as a little boy who's not the best at eating his veg that makes this lunch even better - a way of getting vitamins into him with no fuss.  The icing on the cake this weekend was that even Charlotte ate the soup!  I just substituted normal stock cubes for the low salt variety and it was transformed into a baby friendly meal and plenty left over to stock up the freezer.



Wore

Although we've had some nice bright, sunny days its definitely not quite Spring, so I've not said goodbye to the winter jumpers yet.  I love this cable knit one from Oasis which is so easy to throw on with some skinny jeans.



And lastly...

So what did you think about the big reveal on Eastenders last night?  Did you guess right?  I didn't have clue.  I haven't been a fan of Eastenders recently but I thought this weeks run of episodes have been done really cleverly.  I'm looking forward to watching the full live episode tonight.

Have a great weekend everyone.

E
xx




butwhymummywhy
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Sunday 15 February 2015

The world of imagination

Isn't it funny how something that comes completely out of nowhere and just by chance can end up being the best 10 minutes of your week.

Bath time in our house is usually pretty chaotic.  Lucas and Charlotte go from being all smiles and  laughter, to tears of tiredness in the space of seconds.  The witching hour is most definitely a regular occurrence in our home, followed by two huge sighs of relief from hubby and I once they're both tucked up in bed .  But one night this week this changed and I had the most lovely (and relaxed) little while with Lucas.  We'd decided to skip his bath and so while Mark bathed Charlotte, Lucas and I snuggled on my bed and got lost in a land of make believe for 10 minutes.

Lucas asked me to make up a bedtime story for him.  This is very unlike Lucas, who is a little boy that loves order and routine, and for things to make perfect sense, so its usually a book which he's familiar with that he likes.  His request therefore took me by surprise, but I grabbed the opportunity with two hands and dived right in with my best attempt at a Lucas super hero story, plucked from my imagination.  On finishing my tale Lucas decided I had to pretend to go to sleep while he told me a story.  I lay there with my eyes closed listening to every word as it tumbled out of his mouth without him having to think or take a breath, all while he was giving me the biggest cuddle.

His story went something like this...Once upon a time there was a mummy called mummy.  Mummy and Lucas drove to the big shop (Lucas language for Tesco) but there was a monster who stopped us getting in.  The monster chased after us, faster and faster until he fell over and hurt his elbow.  He had to go to hospital and then once he was all better he drove home smoothly.  The end.

I love getting these small glimpses into his world.  Its fascinating.  He told the story with so much love and expression.  Lucas is usually pretty frantic and its difficult to hold his concentration, but for these few minutes he was completely focused.  At the end he gave me one last big squeezy cuddle and then hopped out of the bed and off he went shouting "I need to tell Daddy something", leaving me lying there wondering what else goes on in his imagination.

These snatched moments that are over in a flash and are so simple leave me realising just how lucky I am to have such a special, quirky little boy who adds such colour to our lives and who looks at life in such a different way.  This, to me, really is one of the ordinary moments which makes life not so ordinary.

Here are some of my favourite photos of Lucas...


On his first holiday with his 'Very hungry caterpillar' which never left his side


Enjoying his bath - can't believe how much Charlotte looks like him in this pic only with brown eyes


Like father like son, on our camping trip


 Exploring our second home, Liverpool


Enjoying his favourite DVDs on a long car journey


Hope you've had a lovely weekend with you and yours, with plenty of your own  'Ordinary Moments'.

E

xx

I'm linking up with the lovely Katie from Mummy Daddy and Me for 'The Ordinary Moments'.

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Friday 13 February 2015

Cupcakes, sunny days and my first award #littleloves

What a lovely week we've had.  After a few weeks of pretty miserable weather and feeling a bit down, this week surprised us with some gorgeous sunny days and would you believe it even some milder temperatures (14 degrees in February in Aberdeenshire!!!!).  I've just realised that I start this weekly round-up post each week with a weather update (sorry),but it really does seem to affect my week in one way or another.  This week for instance, what a difference a bit of sunshine made to my overall mood.  I've felt much happier and more motivated than I have for a while, which I'm fully embracing.

So enough about the weather,  what else have I been loving this week...

Read

An email popped into my inbox this week which made me squeal with excitement. It was my 'Springtime Surprise Project' details from Capture by Lucy. I am so in love with the idea of this project which is basically just doing something nice for someone else.  You sign up to the project and are then matched with a postal partner to send a small gift to.  It could be anything you like - just something to brighten up the person's day, based on a few small details about the person you're given. The email this week was letting me know who I'd been partnered with along with a few snippets of information about the person to help you decide on their gift.  On Lucy's blog she describes it as a 'happy project' - such a simple idea but how ace is it.  I'm having so much fun coming up with what to get my person and am so excited to receive my Springtime Surprise too.  I'll keep you posted.

Watched

Without a doubt the best thing I've watched this week (and perhaps in a while on TV) has been The Secret Life of  4 year olds'.  I had this Sky plus'd ever since I saw the ad a few weeks ago and had been looking forward to it - it didn't disappoint.  What a hilarious and a fascinating insight into a group of four years olds' at nursery.  As a mum of a four year old I was so intrigued by it and the next day when I dropped Lucas off at his nursery, I must admit I looked at his class a bit differently and wondered who the Skyla, or Jessica or Christian of his class were.  If you didn't catch it I'd definitely recommend looking it up on 4 On Demand.


Heard

This week I have been loving 'Like I can' by Sam Smith.  Its been stuck in my head all week.  One of those that you find yourself singing while you're in the shower, doing the dishes, changing your baby's nappy, you get the idea.  I caught a clip of his acceptance speech from the Grammys on Good Morning Britain, which I thought was great.  He said something along the lines of how when he first started out he tried looking and sounding a certain way just to get people to like him and listen to his music, which he said was actually really bad music at the time.  It wasn't until he stopped and just started being himself that he was a success.



Made

Lucas and I made chocolate cupcakes at the weekend.  He'd been asking to make some for a while, so on Sunday we decided we would while Charlotte had her nap.  But best laid plans and all that...Charlotte decided not to nap.  We ploughed on anyway, grumpy baby and all.  Charlotte was popped in her highchair and I kept everything crossed that she would stay amused long enough for us to make the cakes (she did, phew!).  They turned out really well and were pretty delicious (if I do say so myself).  Lucas was chief sprinkles shaker and really went to town!!  His proud little face when we'd finished making them was the best!





Wore

This week I dug out my trainers and workout clothes and went to my first exercise class since having Charlotte.  I've put off exercising for a while, using all the usual excuses, but this week I just felt much more motivated, as I mentioned earlier.  Once Charlotte and Lucas were in bed I dashed out to catch a pilates/ yoga mix class at my local sports centre and was surprised at how much I enjoyed myself, even though it was hardwork.  I had really bad stomach muscle separation when I was pregnant with Charlotte and so a physio advised me to start off with something like pilates to try and repair the damage.  My poor muscles didn't know what was happening to them at the class and I was definitely a bit achey for the next day or two.  I quite like that feeling though, when you know you've done something.  I've signed up for next week's class already.



And lastly...

This week I was nominated by the lovely Mummy G from The Giggles Family for a Liebster Award.  For those of you unfamiliar with this, its something passed on by bloggers to new blogs they think are worth a read.  I've only been doing my blog for a couple of months and am just fumbling my way through so this was such a lovely surprise.  Watch out for my Liebster award blog post including 11 random facts about me coming soon.

Have a great weekend everyone

E

xx


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Tuesday 10 February 2015

Charlotte and me 8 months on





Today my little Charlotte is 8 months old.  Each month seems to be passing quicker than the last as we speed towards her first birthday.  I can hardly believe its been 8 months since my little girl was handed to me for the very first time - a squidgy little bundle with a mop of dark brown hair (which fell out quickly and is only now starting to come back in)who I instantly fell in love with.
What a journey we've been on - watching as she's learnt new skills and developed her own personality and just become our Charlotte.

So at 8 months old what's she like...

Sleep

Apart from the odd sleepless night when her teeth have been bothering her, she is amazing.  I'm almost scared to say this for fear that it will all of a sudden change and she'll make up for being such a good sleeper for all these months.   Although she's great at night, she's never been one for napping during the day.  Too much going on I think and she's a determined little thing who will not give in and will insist on pushing through the yawns in favour of playing and watching Lucas' every move.  She does occasionally have a nap mid morning for 20 minutes or so and the same mid afternoon but as soon as I start to think a routine is forming she decides otherwise and has a day of absolutely no napping!  These are the days where I literally get nothing done and the 'witching hour' is worse than usual.  Her bedtime is usually about 7.30pm and in the last month I have been making a real effort to put her down wide awake so that she learns to self-settle.  Before, she would fall asleep on me while I was feeding her and be snoring by the time I put her in her cot.  I love the snuggly feeling of the last feed of the day, when its just us, all relaxed and she drifts off to sleep feeling so safe and secure.  I was so tempted to keep going with what we knew and loved, but the other part of me knew how well self-settling worked for Lucas.  He has always been amazing at bedtime and going to sleep, even now that he's older and so that's what we're now trying with Charlotte.  So far its going well.  I do still have the odd night though where I give in and let her fall asleep on me.

Something I've heard a lot about recently is 'baby development leaps' but I'm still not convinced I believe in them.  Do I really believe an app can map, to the day, certain development stages??  Surely every baby is different?  According to the app (curiosity got the better of me and I downloaded it) Charlotte is currently in a 'leap' which could explain why for the last week she has been waking at 2am each night (it could of course just be teething).  But she doesn't seem bothered, as she sings and gurgles away to herself and normally drops back off to sleep after 15 minutes or so.  That's her then until anywhere between 6-7am when she's ready to start the day.  Going through to her each morning is one of the best parts of my day.  Without fail I'm met with her beaming smiles and arms flapping up and down like an excited little birdy!  As soon as I unzip her sleeping bag her legs are freed and they start kicking away too.  It's the best feeling and something I'm desperate for her not to grow out of.



Eating/feeding

She is now having three proper meals a day and the odd snack in between.  Her meals are a mixture of purees and fingers foods and she seems to like it.  So far she eats most things we give her, but over the last week she's definitely been getting a little fussier.  Panic set in for fear of a picky baby and so I've been persevering and trying different ways of coaxing her to eat the things she's suddenly not so sure of.  I'm not entirely sure how I found this out, but as long as we give her a pack of wipes to crinkle on her high chair tray she soon eats up no problem.  Its like a magical distraction for her.  There are however some less helpful distractions... one being our dog, Roxy.  Charlotte loves leaning over her highchair to see Roxy sat right underneath, patiently waiting for the next scrap of food she launches.  Its amazing how quickly something becomes a game to Charlotte now.  One day Roxy pretty much got the majority of a pack of rice cakes as Charlotte threw them one by one down to her.  I stupidly kept giving her another one each time she dropped one until I cottoned onto how Charlotte's face gave a cheeky little grin every time a rice cake 'accidentally' fell on the floor.  The little monkey!

I am also still breastfeeding Charlotte which has really surprised me.  I think I said in my last update that my goal was to get her to 6 months but now here we are at 8 months. I should say that in getting to this point there have been many days when I doubted I would keep going for the next 24 hours,  never mind to 6 months due to how draining, sore (in the early days) or restraining it felt but we got there and overall I still love being able to feed her and wouldn't have it any other way.  Now that she's on more solids,  I did think the amount of milk feeds would reduce but it hasn't.  I don't necessarily think she's hungry for all the feeds, its just a comfort thing that she's used to and I'm too soft to say no when she cuddles in.

Measurements

Whoops, I have't taken her to be weighed and measured for a couple of months now (mentally adds this to the long list of things to do this month).  Isn't it funny how different it is with a second child.  I think I had Lucas in to be weighed every other week until he was a year old, just to be sure everything was ok.  This time I'm a lot more relaxed and the truth is I just haven't had the time and while she's sleeping, eating and coming on more and more each week I'm pretty sure she's doing fine.

Milestones

This month has been such a fun month with her doing lots of new things.

One of the main changes is how much more vocal she is now.  She was already saying "Dada" but this last month she has learnt "Mama" which is the most amazing feeling.

Her co-ordination is also improving and she has discovered that she can bang things together to make different noises, which amuses her no end.  Poor Lucas though, I can see his patience running thin when he is contently eating his lunch and trying to watch Cbeebies as Charlotte uses her highchair toys and tray as a drum kit.

But maybe the best milestone this month has been... she is almost on the move.  She has been oh so close to crawling for a while now but has just not quite mastered it.  She is a whizz though at getting around just by shuffling her self from side to side and round in circles, so not crawling hasn't stopped her getting about, its just been a bit slower.  She's so close though, so I'm sure by this time next month she'll be off and the real fun will have well and truly begun.




Me

I thought I'd include a little update on me this month at 8 months post partum.

Although I'm pretty much back to my pre-pregnancy weight and dress size now, I'm still not feeling great about my body.  The weight definitely came off quicker second time round which I think has a lot to do with breastfeeding (even though its given me a crazy appetite where I never feel full), but its the mummy tummy jiggle and excess skin (lovely I know) that still makes clothes look and feel different and generally makes my self confidence take a bit of a dip.  After having my tummy stretched twice by two not so tiny babies I'm not sure this jiggle will ever completely disappear but I'm going to give it a good try, if only to boost my own confidence (especially now we've booked a summer holiday).   So, I've signed up for a 5K race and also an exercise class.  I'll keep you updated on how I get on.  Wish me luck!

The other thing which I've been experiencing post partum has been  hair loss.  I didn't get this after having Lucas and I'm not sure whether its something else associated with breastfeeding and the different hormones involved in that or whether that's just a coincidence.  It didn't happen straight after giving birth, I think it was actually a few months after when I noticed more and more hair coming out.  I have quite thick hair so at first it didn't worry me but after a month or so of it continuing to come out it started to play on my mind.  Thankfully this last month its finally stopped and has started growing back, what a relief!  My hairdresser noticed as she was cutting my hair a few weeks ago that I had lots of baby hairs growing in - yay!!  Your body really does go through it before and after having a baby, doesn't it!  Of course its all completely worth it but it can be a bit overwhelming and if I'm honest pretty hard going not to feel like yourself for so long, but I feel like I'm getting there now, 8 months on.

Anyway, I think that's pretty much everything from me and Charlotte for now.

Hope you're having a great week.

E

xx




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Friday 6 February 2015

Summer holidays and Spiderman teddies #Little loves

This week has felt like a bit of a non week, if you know what I mean?  Its just felt a bit "bleugh"and that we haven't got much done.  At the start of the week the snow finally reached us, after thinking we might escape it up here for once.  But just as we were relaxing there it was, a blizzard!  So we've had a pretty quiet week, not venturing out unless we've had to.

But even with our "bleugh" week there's still the little things that make you smile and brighten up even the coldest day, when cabin fever is setting in, the #littleloves of our week.  So I'm linking up as usual with Morgana from 'But why mummy why' for my weekly round up (don't forget to cross over to her blog to see what others have been loving this week).

Read

'A Cup of Jo' has been a favourite blog of mine for years and this week I especially liked a guest post on it called 'My beauty uniform'.  The post is an interview with the 'Cup of Jo' editor, Caroline and is a really interesting read.  One of the comments I love in it is about how every morning she spends her commute listening to an uplifting song.  She goes on to say "There's nothing better than sharing a train with a bunch of stony-faced businessmen, smiling to myself because of what's secretly streaming out of my headphones.  Happy music makes me feel alive and like I can tackle whatever comes my way."  I really love this and whole-heartedly agree with her.

Watched

I haven't watched much TV this week, in fact lately I've found myself watching less and less (although I am looking forward to the Great Comic Relief Bake Off starting).
Instead, I have found myself watching lots of You Tube and this week one of my favourites has been a film from Katie of  'Mummy, Daddy, Me...' called 'A weekend in Norfolk'.  Its such a feel-good watch.



Heard

So I think we have reached a new stage with our eldest, Lucas who is four...the "bored" phase.  This week his favourite words which I have heard A LOT have been either "bored" or "boring".  I don't know where this has come from and whether or not he actually understands what it means.  I suspect its a new word he's heard someone at nursery saying and has decided to copy (there's been a lot of this recently). Examples of how my delightful little one has worked it into conversation this week  are..."mummy, when you ask me to tidy up, its so boring to me".  "Mummy, you and daddy are so boring".  Just the kind of little kick in the shins you need at 9am on a Monday morning while going round Tesco.

Made 

Lucas went to his first ever Build a Bear birthday party on Saturday and had the time of his life.  He made a Spiderman teddy and it hasn't left his side since.





Wore

This week its what Charlotte wore, rather than me.  I normally don't bother with shoes for her - they're usually more hassle than they're worth, but this week because of the super cold weather and also in an attempt to give her a helping hand with her crawling, she's been wearing her little blush pink leather booties.  Lucas had a pair like this ( although not pink) when he was her age and they were the only shoes that would stay on and seemed comfy for him.  They're from a brand called Bobux and come in a variety of colours, all in the softest leather with a suede sole.
They've definitely been keeping Charlotte's tootsies cosy and have given her that extra bit of grip when trying to crawl, especially on our slippy wooden floors.  Dare I say it she's pretty close to mastering it, although her little face looks as if to say "what's the point when I've got a big brother who brings me everything anyway."




And lastly...

We finally booked our summer holiday!! We haven't been abroad for the last few years, what with moving house twice and me being pregnant, so we were determined to get away for some sun this summer.  I did my usual mountain of research and analysed everything far too much (my hubby can definitely vouch for this, I'm not a spur of the moment kind of girl) but we finally found a holiday that ticked all the boxes.  We're off to Majorca for a week in May - the countdown is on!  Lucas is already planning what to pack in his Trunki.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

E
xx


butwhymummywhy
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Tuesday 3 February 2015

Twinkle twinkle little star do you know how loved you are - nursery tour

I'm as addicted to Pinterest as the next person and one of my favourite things to search for is interior design ideas for my home.  When I was pregnant with Charlotte I started a board dedicated to ideas for her nursery and if I'm honest I still find myself adding to it now.

Although she's been in her own room for a couple of months now I still don't feel like I'm completely finished decorating it.  The main things are in place, like the paint, the furniture, etc but its the fun little nik naks that bring a room to life that I'm still on the look out for.   I like the thought though that its a work in progress, the same as the rest of our house, which I'll just keep adding to. But for now, here's what it looks like and I kind of love it...






When I was pregnant with Lucas we didn't know if we were having a boy or girl and so his nursery was kept very neutral.  Second time around though we decided to find out at 20 weeks and once we knew we were having a girl I couldn't wait to start planing her room.  I quickly decided that I didn't want the room to have a theme but instead just picked individual items that I really liked. 

We went with a pale pink colour and white on opposite walls.  The pink is a shade from Farrow and Ball which I absolutely love called Middleton pink.

All the nursery furniture is pre-loved from Lucas using it, but its so sturdy and is still in amazing condition.   


I love these 3D white butterflies.  They flutter above her cot and are so enchanting while being quite understated against the pale pink wall.





Lucas had the traditional cot bumpers that wrap round the bottom of the cot but I never really understood the point of them and felt that ones that covered the length of the sides of the cot would have been better.  When we had Charlotte I found these ones in John Lewis called Air Wraps that did just that.  They are slightly padded and are a light mesh material which is completely breathable incase she should roll onto them and get herself stuck (ever the worrier).  


We hung these tissue paper pom poms above her changing unit to give her something to look at (distract her) while we're changing her.  They completely mesmerise her.


Charlotte was given this cute wooden hanging hearts as a present when she was born.  I love the little saying and it makes me smile when I go to open her wardrobe every morning.


 We chose some floating shelves for one of the walls as somewhere to put little nic naks.  These are some of my favourite things of Charlotte's.  A personalised photo album, a Silver Cross ragdoll and a Hippo soft toy from Jacardi which has lots of little tiny animal soft toys and rattles inside it which you can pull out (if anyone remembers pound puppies its like that but so much cuter).


This 'Love Tree' picture which currently sits on the window sill is one of the first things I bought when we found out we were having a girl.  Its by a company called Snappy Crocodile.

And that's how it looks for now.  I've so many ideas for what I could still do to the room and what my next buy could be.  Top of my wishlist at the minute is:



Cuddle O'Clock print from Buddy and Bear


LED bunny night light from This Modern Life


Eames style rocking chair from Ebay

E

xx
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