When The Kissing Had To Stop is a novel published in the 60's about a possible Soviet invasion of England. This blog post is not about a Soviet invasion, it is about my wardrobe. I just thought it sounded funny(!)
I have nearly stopped feeding my son myself. He is being bottle fed and I only feed him in the morning and evening. I love being able to feed my tiny one, but the practicalities of going back to work have meant I need to wean him onto a bottle. This is actually going very well so far and he is happy. By the end of the month, he will just be on bottled milk.
That's going to be ok.
We can do it!
It is a wrench, but the most significant upside to this transition is that I will be able to wear dresses again, or tunics or vest tops. Basically, all the outfits I stopped wearing while I have been breast feeding because now, I don't need to keep shoving a baby up my t-shirt.
The t-shirt thing started almost straight away. When the baby was born, we had to stay in hospital for a while. I had only taken a couple of bits with me when I was admitted onto the labour ward and I wasn't expecting to still be there two weeks later. All I had was a maternity tunic (nice nautical blue and white stripes) and white leggings. This was perfect at the end of my pregnancy as it was roomy and comfy, but in order to feed the baby, I had to hoik a couple of metres of fabric up around my neck. This would have been ok-ish at home, but on a children's ward in a busy hospital, it was a tad embarrassing.
I had to call in the reinforcements.
My mum went and bought half the t-shirts in Top Shop and Dorothy Perkins and I was saved! Baggy t-shirts to save my blushes and also covered my slowly diminishing tummy.
Since then, this has become my mummy uniform. I wear a t-shirt, jeans and a cardy pretty much everyday. I might jazz it up with a jacket or a scarf, but it's my style. And I like it.
But, now the time has come to make a change. From now on, if I see a dress I like, I can buy it, or even consider buying it, knowing I will be able to wear it, rather than the dresses I have bought in the last few months which are still in their bags in the wardrobe.
So, goodbye t-shirts, see you at the weekend. Hello dresses, let's get this show on the road!
Wednesday 25 April 2012
Friday 20 April 2012
(T)weaning
I have been looking back over my tweets from the last week and there is a clear theme emerging.
Weaning.
I have been (t)wittering about weaning, worrying about weaning and waxing lyrical about weaning.
My six month old has been enjoying the delights of baby rice, moving on to apple, pear and carrot mash, then toast, followed closely by fromage frais. After seeking inspiration from many sources, I have moved onto various combinations of chicken, potato and butternut squash.
I have only recently started tweeting, in fact I am currently on tweet 67, but I am enjoying expressing my thoughts in 140 characters. I have been tweeting pictures too, particularly pictures of cake, like this one....
Although cake is still on the agenda, a different kind of nourishment has been at the heart of my twitterings this week. Here is the last seven days of weaning in 140 character bite sized chunks.
Oh no, it's weaning time, but why have I lost my (baby) bottle? I have got pureed fruit, but I am afraid to use it.
Mummy and baby elevenses courtesy of Waitrose. #fondantfanciesarethebest
Made beautiful apple puree in a new whizzer but forgot to take the little plastic cover off the blades! Yummy apple and plastic puree. #doh
Strange trip to Tesco, just buying kitchen towel and yoghurt and then the #Osmonds appeared!
Weaning continues with toast soldiers. Baby LIKES toast. That's my boy. #toastygoodness
Suck of thumb, suck of toast, suck of thumb, suck of toast, suck of thumb, suck of toast #weaning
Operation Weaning Baby is up and running, it's a good start, but how did the #Osmonds get involved?
Surely I have earned points towards my #domesticgoddess badge - homemade chicken, potato and butternutsquash baby food
My little baby food army. They feed a very small soldier #weaning
Notice the hieroglyphics on the tiny tubs. That is my shorthand for chicken or butternut squash or potato. I have mentioned my obsessive personality, haven't I?
So, that is a flavour (sorry) of the last week. I think it illustrates just how much I have been thinking about the weaning process. Who knows what the next week will hold. Probably baby-food-mashers wrist.
Weaning.
I have been (t)wittering about weaning, worrying about weaning and waxing lyrical about weaning.
My six month old has been enjoying the delights of baby rice, moving on to apple, pear and carrot mash, then toast, followed closely by fromage frais. After seeking inspiration from many sources, I have moved onto various combinations of chicken, potato and butternut squash.
I have only recently started tweeting, in fact I am currently on tweet 67, but I am enjoying expressing my thoughts in 140 characters. I have been tweeting pictures too, particularly pictures of cake, like this one....
Although cake is still on the agenda, a different kind of nourishment has been at the heart of my twitterings this week. Here is the last seven days of weaning in 140 character bite sized chunks.
Oh no, it's weaning time, but why have I lost my (baby) bottle? I have got pureed fruit, but I am afraid to use it.
Mummy and baby elevenses courtesy of Waitrose. #fondantfanciesarethebest
Made beautiful apple puree in a new whizzer but forgot to take the little plastic cover off the blades! Yummy apple and plastic puree. #doh
Strange trip to Tesco, just buying kitchen towel and yoghurt and then the #Osmonds appeared!
Weaning continues with toast soldiers. Baby LIKES toast. That's my boy. #toastygoodness
Suck of thumb, suck of toast, suck of thumb, suck of toast, suck of thumb, suck of toast #weaning
Operation Weaning Baby is up and running, it's a good start, but how did the #Osmonds get involved?
Surely I have earned points towards my #domesticgoddess badge - homemade chicken, potato and butternutsquash baby food
My little baby food army. They feed a very small soldier #weaning
Notice the hieroglyphics on the tiny tubs. That is my shorthand for chicken or butternut squash or potato. I have mentioned my obsessive personality, haven't I?
So, that is a flavour (sorry) of the last week. I think it illustrates just how much I have been thinking about the weaning process. Who knows what the next week will hold. Probably baby-food-mashers wrist.
Wednesday 18 April 2012
Up and running
One of the brilliant things about blogging is that, in addition to expressing my baby-related angst and giving myself an excuse to eat cake, I am effectively creating a journal. The future 'me' can look back and remember the daft things I did and the worries I had and think fondly of those early times with my tiny baby. (This is the time before he became an enormous boy who didn't want to go to coffee shops and look at pretty dresses with mummy, but wanted to dig in the garden or play football or eat worms).
All I can think about at the moment is weaning. There must be hundreds of posts about the joys of baby's first mouthfuls, but it has become a bit of an obsession and so I wanted to make a note of things just in case I forgot any of the details. (Yes, I think that counts as an obsession.)
When I finally put some real food in my baby's mouth, it was a bit of baby rice. However, it was the transition from baby portions to three full blown meals a day that was worrying me. My research suggested that the baby needed to be on breakfast, lunch and dinner by the time he reached seven months. That sounded pretty daunting! I needed to get going.
We started with some pear, which we mashed with a new mashing gadget. This was ok, went down well, mixed with a little baby rice and milk. Then we mashed some carrot, served in the same way. This was great, but the mashing left the dindins a bit coarse and wasn't going down so well. So, we bought a blender - just a cheap one - to give food a slightly finer texture. I prepared some apple - peeling, chopping and steaming it. I sterilised all my equipment and checked the mechanisms, I was ready to go. I whizzed up the apple, feeling very virtuous, and was just decanting it into little pots when I noticed something a bit strange. There was a little bit of something bluey coloured in the apple. When I looked closer, I realised it was a bit of plastic. I hadn't taken the plastic cover off the blades on the whizzer. Doh! I had apple and plastic purée. I don't think the health visitor would approve.
I was starting to run out of inspiration and decided to look at Gina (Ford) for some meal ideas. Now, I know she isn't everyone's cup of tea, but she is reassuring. She suggested a meal plan to work towards. It included toast and yoghurt and jacket potato. Now, I can do that! So, with a spring in my step and some new ideas, I went shopping.
I went to our local Tesco and was collecting some supplies when, quite randomly, the tannoy announced that the Osmonds were about to arrive in store. No, really, the actual Osmonds. They were in town for a date on their latest tour. But, I was on a baby food mission, I didn't have time for international superstars.
Since my brush with Gina Ford and the Osmonds (it's not everyday you put those two in the same sentence) I have stepped up a gear. The baby has been eating three times a day. He loves toast, like his mother. In fact he growled at his toast the other day. Maybe he was growling at me when I got too close to his new found friend! His other favourite food is fromage frais - he was gulping it down so fast I thought he might do himself a mischief!
I have revisited Annabel Karmel and jotted down some menu ideas and I have got some more inspiration from one of the mums picking up after Cubs. She suggested liver and onions. Back to the supermarket tomorrow.
The weaning menu is taking over my life. I am enjoying it though, I don't think anyone in my family has ever eaten this well.
Incidentally, while I was writing this post, I asked my partner who was sitting next to me on the sofa, whether Petit Filou was yoghurt or fromage frais. Rather than get up and look in the fridge, he immediately started googling it. Either we are very lazy or having a new baby has exhausted us beyond belief. I know which one I am going for!
All I can think about at the moment is weaning. There must be hundreds of posts about the joys of baby's first mouthfuls, but it has become a bit of an obsession and so I wanted to make a note of things just in case I forgot any of the details. (Yes, I think that counts as an obsession.)
When I finally put some real food in my baby's mouth, it was a bit of baby rice. However, it was the transition from baby portions to three full blown meals a day that was worrying me. My research suggested that the baby needed to be on breakfast, lunch and dinner by the time he reached seven months. That sounded pretty daunting! I needed to get going.
We started with some pear, which we mashed with a new mashing gadget. This was ok, went down well, mixed with a little baby rice and milk. Then we mashed some carrot, served in the same way. This was great, but the mashing left the dindins a bit coarse and wasn't going down so well. So, we bought a blender - just a cheap one - to give food a slightly finer texture. I prepared some apple - peeling, chopping and steaming it. I sterilised all my equipment and checked the mechanisms, I was ready to go. I whizzed up the apple, feeling very virtuous, and was just decanting it into little pots when I noticed something a bit strange. There was a little bit of something bluey coloured in the apple. When I looked closer, I realised it was a bit of plastic. I hadn't taken the plastic cover off the blades on the whizzer. Doh! I had apple and plastic purée. I don't think the health visitor would approve.
I was starting to run out of inspiration and decided to look at Gina (Ford) for some meal ideas. Now, I know she isn't everyone's cup of tea, but she is reassuring. She suggested a meal plan to work towards. It included toast and yoghurt and jacket potato. Now, I can do that! So, with a spring in my step and some new ideas, I went shopping.
I went to our local Tesco and was collecting some supplies when, quite randomly, the tannoy announced that the Osmonds were about to arrive in store. No, really, the actual Osmonds. They were in town for a date on their latest tour. But, I was on a baby food mission, I didn't have time for international superstars.
Since my brush with Gina Ford and the Osmonds (it's not everyday you put those two in the same sentence) I have stepped up a gear. The baby has been eating three times a day. He loves toast, like his mother. In fact he growled at his toast the other day. Maybe he was growling at me when I got too close to his new found friend! His other favourite food is fromage frais - he was gulping it down so fast I thought he might do himself a mischief!
I have revisited Annabel Karmel and jotted down some menu ideas and I have got some more inspiration from one of the mums picking up after Cubs. She suggested liver and onions. Back to the supermarket tomorrow.
The weaning menu is taking over my life. I am enjoying it though, I don't think anyone in my family has ever eaten this well.
Incidentally, while I was writing this post, I asked my partner who was sitting next to me on the sofa, whether Petit Filou was yoghurt or fromage frais. Rather than get up and look in the fridge, he immediately started googling it. Either we are very lazy or having a new baby has exhausted us beyond belief. I know which one I am going for!
Friday 13 April 2012
Culinary masterpiece
I could be described as a wonderful mummy or possibly having a slightly loose screw.
On the last day of the Easter holidays, I ventured out to Twinlakes near Melton Mowbray. I went on my own with an eight year old and a six month old. Both boys are very well behaved, but even my mother kept asking "so, you're going on your own?" as if she couldn't quite believe it. It's almost like I had suggested tackling Everest. I know what she means though. There have been times in the past where I have had a minor nervous breakdown after losing children in amongst the climbing frames and rope swings or having to negotiate with a child whose life will end if they have to leave the park now. But that was a while ago and I do have a very grown up boy, who, if given a bit of responsibility, rises to the challenge like a superstar.
If you are ever in the East Midlands and need something to occupy your family, I would really recommend Twinlakes. It was a working farm and still has a lot of animals for children to look at. It has two enormous 'barns' full of smaller rides, huge slides, a ghost train, bouncy castles and soft play for tiny ones. Outside there are mini roller coasters, a log flume, a train, boating lakes, a wild west village and a castle which doubles as a climbing frame. The coffee and chips are pretty good too! The newest addition is an outdoor water play area. It looks fantastic, but considering our weather, it takes a very brave soul to actually don a swimsuit and dive in. There were only three daring dudes on the day we went. It would have to be blooming tropical to get me in there, but given half a chance my hot blooded big boy would have gone for it. It took a bit of diplomacy to suggest that indoors might be better in 9 degree April.
It was a great day, and although he hadn't got a friend or a grown up to play with, the big boy had a fab time. The high point for me, bearing in mind I couldn't go on the death slide as I was with the baby, was our lunch.
We had our own picnic with the components to build the worlds greatest sandwich - the dairylea and crisp sandwich. This is a delicacy I was introduced to by my mum when we were on school holidays and I, in turn have passed it on to my children. (This is the limit to my passing on culinary secrets, my mum tried, but I think my brother inherited the family recipes. I do make a mean sandwich though.) While we were enjoying our lunch, my son decided to add a new, daring dimension, trying a dairylea, crisp and chip sarnie. Now, that is hitting carbohydrate heaven. It worked too, we even added tomato sauce for an extra twist.
Next time though, I think I will stick to just dairylea and crisp. You can't mess with a classic.
On the last day of the Easter holidays, I ventured out to Twinlakes near Melton Mowbray. I went on my own with an eight year old and a six month old. Both boys are very well behaved, but even my mother kept asking "so, you're going on your own?" as if she couldn't quite believe it. It's almost like I had suggested tackling Everest. I know what she means though. There have been times in the past where I have had a minor nervous breakdown after losing children in amongst the climbing frames and rope swings or having to negotiate with a child whose life will end if they have to leave the park now. But that was a while ago and I do have a very grown up boy, who, if given a bit of responsibility, rises to the challenge like a superstar.
If you are ever in the East Midlands and need something to occupy your family, I would really recommend Twinlakes. It was a working farm and still has a lot of animals for children to look at. It has two enormous 'barns' full of smaller rides, huge slides, a ghost train, bouncy castles and soft play for tiny ones. Outside there are mini roller coasters, a log flume, a train, boating lakes, a wild west village and a castle which doubles as a climbing frame. The coffee and chips are pretty good too! The newest addition is an outdoor water play area. It looks fantastic, but considering our weather, it takes a very brave soul to actually don a swimsuit and dive in. There were only three daring dudes on the day we went. It would have to be blooming tropical to get me in there, but given half a chance my hot blooded big boy would have gone for it. It took a bit of diplomacy to suggest that indoors might be better in 9 degree April.
It was a great day, and although he hadn't got a friend or a grown up to play with, the big boy had a fab time. The high point for me, bearing in mind I couldn't go on the death slide as I was with the baby, was our lunch.
We had our own picnic with the components to build the worlds greatest sandwich - the dairylea and crisp sandwich. This is a delicacy I was introduced to by my mum when we were on school holidays and I, in turn have passed it on to my children. (This is the limit to my passing on culinary secrets, my mum tried, but I think my brother inherited the family recipes. I do make a mean sandwich though.) While we were enjoying our lunch, my son decided to add a new, daring dimension, trying a dairylea, crisp and chip sarnie. Now, that is hitting carbohydrate heaven. It worked too, we even added tomato sauce for an extra twist.
Next time though, I think I will stick to just dairylea and crisp. You can't mess with a classic.
Thursday 12 April 2012
Dive in
It's weaning time. My little one is six months old and, apart from a couple of mouthfuls of baby rice, he has only had milk to sustain him during his short life. But all that is about to change.
This little one is my second baby. I weaned his big brother eight years ago and the guidelines (or rules) were different then. Eight years ago, I was told I could give my baby some puréed veg or fruit at four months. That's not allowed anymore. I understand why and I am very happy to protect my little one's tummy by introducing solids later, however, it is like learning to ride a bike again, but they have put the pedals where the handlebars are. Everything I thought I knew is slightly different. So, it's back to the text books. I have looked at all my baby books and at the (actually) really helpful leaflet from the health visitor. I have looked a couple of times and then I have gone back to look again.
I feel like I have lost my (baby) bottle!
I have puréed some pear, bought some new spoons and some little tubs to freeze baby portions in, I have extra bibs and I have even got a new gadget to mash veg and fruit which will mash a little portion of my dinner when his little body is up to it. Now all I need to do is get on with it.
I am ready......
Really.....
Watch me purée this pear....
I am nearly there....
What is wrong with me? It is like I have lost my nerve - how can I have though, I have done all this before.
My partner has been watching my dithering with calm resignation. I tried to explain how it felt and why I seem to have become the big girls blouse of the weaning world. Then, after listening patiently, he said it sounds like I am standing on the side of a swimming pool ready to take the plunge, I know that it will be a bit chilly to start with, but when I get there it will be fine. I just need to get up the guts to dive in!
That's it exactly, he hit the nail on the head.
I am ready to go - all I need is a stiff drink (or maybe a skinny latte with an extra shot), to take a deep breath and dive in!
Watch this space.
This little one is my second baby. I weaned his big brother eight years ago and the guidelines (or rules) were different then. Eight years ago, I was told I could give my baby some puréed veg or fruit at four months. That's not allowed anymore. I understand why and I am very happy to protect my little one's tummy by introducing solids later, however, it is like learning to ride a bike again, but they have put the pedals where the handlebars are. Everything I thought I knew is slightly different. So, it's back to the text books. I have looked at all my baby books and at the (actually) really helpful leaflet from the health visitor. I have looked a couple of times and then I have gone back to look again.
I feel like I have lost my (baby) bottle!
I have puréed some pear, bought some new spoons and some little tubs to freeze baby portions in, I have extra bibs and I have even got a new gadget to mash veg and fruit which will mash a little portion of my dinner when his little body is up to it. Now all I need to do is get on with it.
I am ready......
Really.....
Watch me purée this pear....
I am nearly there....
What is wrong with me? It is like I have lost my nerve - how can I have though, I have done all this before.
My partner has been watching my dithering with calm resignation. I tried to explain how it felt and why I seem to have become the big girls blouse of the weaning world. Then, after listening patiently, he said it sounds like I am standing on the side of a swimming pool ready to take the plunge, I know that it will be a bit chilly to start with, but when I get there it will be fine. I just need to get up the guts to dive in!
That's it exactly, he hit the nail on the head.
I am ready to go - all I need is a stiff drink (or maybe a skinny latte with an extra shot), to take a deep breath and dive in!
Watch this space.
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Cold feet
I have got cold feet.
Not metaphorically, although I have had my moments, but literally. My feet are like blocks of ice.
It's always been the same. When I was a little girl, I had a pair of bed socks knitted by my Great Aunt. They were quite an astonishing garment; they were a deep magenta with a wide holey pattern and the laces (yes, laces) were also made from a strand of wool. The most wonderful characteristic of these beauties (or booties) is that they had the dimensions of a mans size 10 and swamped my little girly feet, making me look like I had raided Coco the Clowns sock drawer. Having said all that and sounding very ungrateful, I wore them every night to keep my blocks of ice a little nearer to luke warm.
So, you see, slippers and bed socks have always been crucial in my life. I can't bear cold feet and more importantly with a new baby, I can't sleep with cold feet. This physiological anomaly leads to an annual search for a new pair of slippers. And for some reason it always occurs out of slipper season. Usually, the only slippers available are maribou feathered mules which are only suitable for 70s boudoirs or furry boots which are great in deepest winter.
This year I have found an added criteria in my search. I need slippers that are not in any way a trip hazard. I have currently got a pair of sloppy, backless slippers which looked really lovely when new (I have managed to wreck them). They are white, fluffy ones with little coloured hearts on them and my mum and dad bought them for me when I was in hospital with the new baby. These poor old things are only six months old, but have reached the end of the line. But, they are also guilty of the greatest sin imaginable; I tripped over in them while holding the baby. It was my own fault actually, I was fiddling with my slippers and managed to trip over my own feet, but still, they were relegated immediately to the back doormat like a naughty schoolgirl caught cheating in a maths test. The baby and I were fine, but it gave me a bit of a shock.
So, the search for new slippers began.
I looked high and low. Well, on the ground floor and first floor of the shopping centre. I discovered a few options, but they are either backless and there is a potential trip factor to consider or a slipper more suited to a slightly older lady or slipper socks in the sale left over from Christmas or they didn't have my size. I tried Next, Dorothy Perkins, John Lewis..... The nearest I came was a pair of bunny slippers in JL, but 1. they were fifteen pounds and 2. they were BUNNY slippers. I like a bunny and they were cute, but I was after something I can answer the door in without being given a funny look by the postman. Eventually, I went to TK Maxx. It's not my normal haunt, but I needed to try a different approach in my hunt. And they had a few options. Not many, but a couple.
Now, the slippers I bought are not what I was aiming for. In fact, they are far from it. In fact, every time I look at them I cringe slightly, but I don't care. I was a woman on the edge. On the edge of having permanently cold feet. It couldn't carry on, so I paid my six pounds and went on my way. So far, they have done their job well and my feet are of an acceptable temperature. But, from now on, I will buy slippers in slipper season. In fact, I may go as far as to put slippers on my Christmas list. Oh no, does this mean I have become a grown up? Surely it can't be. Oh well, as long as I have got warm feet, I can cope with anything.
Not metaphorically, although I have had my moments, but literally. My feet are like blocks of ice.
It's always been the same. When I was a little girl, I had a pair of bed socks knitted by my Great Aunt. They were quite an astonishing garment; they were a deep magenta with a wide holey pattern and the laces (yes, laces) were also made from a strand of wool. The most wonderful characteristic of these beauties (or booties) is that they had the dimensions of a mans size 10 and swamped my little girly feet, making me look like I had raided Coco the Clowns sock drawer. Having said all that and sounding very ungrateful, I wore them every night to keep my blocks of ice a little nearer to luke warm.
So, you see, slippers and bed socks have always been crucial in my life. I can't bear cold feet and more importantly with a new baby, I can't sleep with cold feet. This physiological anomaly leads to an annual search for a new pair of slippers. And for some reason it always occurs out of slipper season. Usually, the only slippers available are maribou feathered mules which are only suitable for 70s boudoirs or furry boots which are great in deepest winter.
This year I have found an added criteria in my search. I need slippers that are not in any way a trip hazard. I have currently got a pair of sloppy, backless slippers which looked really lovely when new (I have managed to wreck them). They are white, fluffy ones with little coloured hearts on them and my mum and dad bought them for me when I was in hospital with the new baby. These poor old things are only six months old, but have reached the end of the line. But, they are also guilty of the greatest sin imaginable; I tripped over in them while holding the baby. It was my own fault actually, I was fiddling with my slippers and managed to trip over my own feet, but still, they were relegated immediately to the back doormat like a naughty schoolgirl caught cheating in a maths test. The baby and I were fine, but it gave me a bit of a shock.
So, the search for new slippers began.
I looked high and low. Well, on the ground floor and first floor of the shopping centre. I discovered a few options, but they are either backless and there is a potential trip factor to consider or a slipper more suited to a slightly older lady or slipper socks in the sale left over from Christmas or they didn't have my size. I tried Next, Dorothy Perkins, John Lewis..... The nearest I came was a pair of bunny slippers in JL, but 1. they were fifteen pounds and 2. they were BUNNY slippers. I like a bunny and they were cute, but I was after something I can answer the door in without being given a funny look by the postman. Eventually, I went to TK Maxx. It's not my normal haunt, but I needed to try a different approach in my hunt. And they had a few options. Not many, but a couple.
Now, the slippers I bought are not what I was aiming for. In fact, they are far from it. In fact, every time I look at them I cringe slightly, but I don't care. I was a woman on the edge. On the edge of having permanently cold feet. It couldn't carry on, so I paid my six pounds and went on my way. So far, they have done their job well and my feet are of an acceptable temperature. But, from now on, I will buy slippers in slipper season. In fact, I may go as far as to put slippers on my Christmas list. Oh no, does this mean I have become a grown up? Surely it can't be. Oh well, as long as I have got warm feet, I can cope with anything.
Thursday 29 March 2012
Top banana
It's the Easter holidays. Hooray! Now I just need to find a way of entertaining my team for two weeks.
I have a few ideas. I initially started writing this blog to share the places I had found to take my little ones for a good cuppa and a tasty bit of cake. I admit, there was a significant amount of self interest, I like tea and cake (and coffee and sandwiches and sausage rolls and chips). Today, I realised I have been merely tinkering. I have discovered the ultimate site! And just in time to give me some inspiration for Easter activities.
I was minding my own business, listening to my local BBC radio station and I heard a very friendly sounding chap telling me about his latest achievement. He had designed a web site to give mums, dads, granny's and grandpa's the low down on the best places to take their littleys. It can tell you which parks have toilets and parking. Which are free and which are costly. It sounds like this chap and his wife have visited hundreds of different places to bring us this wonderful bank of information.
I am thrilled that it is out there. At the moment, he is just writing about Leicestershire and Rutland, but is expanding into the rest of the Midlands. What a fabulous idea.
Not only can I share the site with you.....www.grandpasnet.com
But, I can also share the link so you can listen to the interview too, if you click here.
The site is charming. There is a page dedicated to gifts for grandpa and there's even a joke section. It includes my favourite joke in the world.
Q. What's orange and sounds like a parrot?
A. A carrot.
Genius!
We need a site like this for the whole of the country. Do you think I could volunteer to do some research?
I have a few ideas. I initially started writing this blog to share the places I had found to take my little ones for a good cuppa and a tasty bit of cake. I admit, there was a significant amount of self interest, I like tea and cake (and coffee and sandwiches and sausage rolls and chips). Today, I realised I have been merely tinkering. I have discovered the ultimate site! And just in time to give me some inspiration for Easter activities.
I was minding my own business, listening to my local BBC radio station and I heard a very friendly sounding chap telling me about his latest achievement. He had designed a web site to give mums, dads, granny's and grandpa's the low down on the best places to take their littleys. It can tell you which parks have toilets and parking. Which are free and which are costly. It sounds like this chap and his wife have visited hundreds of different places to bring us this wonderful bank of information.
I am thrilled that it is out there. At the moment, he is just writing about Leicestershire and Rutland, but is expanding into the rest of the Midlands. What a fabulous idea.
Not only can I share the site with you.....www.grandpasnet.com
But, I can also share the link so you can listen to the interview too, if you click here.
The site is charming. There is a page dedicated to gifts for grandpa and there's even a joke section. It includes my favourite joke in the world.
Q. What's orange and sounds like a parrot?
A. A carrot.
Genius!
We need a site like this for the whole of the country. Do you think I could volunteer to do some research?
Baby-next-the-Sea
When you need a bit of a lift, what do you do? Glass of wine? Chocolate? Ring your mum? How about a spot of meditation by memory?
When I was working full time, I used to go out on a Sunday afternoon to somewhere pretty, like a National Trust property or to the park or to the seaside. Then, when I went to bed that night with that 'Sunday Night Going To School The Next Day' feeling, I could look back on my day and relive it and get that sense of calm and happiness all over again. I could use the memories again when I was at work. If I had a particularly knotty problem or just wanted a break, I would think about the beach in Cornwall or the gardens at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. For some reason, it worked particularly well when I was in the ladies loo. Not very glamorous, but, a quiet, undisturbed moment.
This meditation by memory is something that my mum passed on to me. It is a wonderful and simple technique and I am very grateful. You would often find us both on a Sunday afternoon or on holiday drinking in the view and saving it for a rainy day. I think we might have looked a little bit special. Special needs too. But it takes all sorts.
The other nice part about this little trick is going out and collecting the memories. Now we have an excellent reason for going out on a Sunday for tea and cake or for spending that extra five minutes on the beach.
I have been collecting memories this weekend.
Baby and daddy and I went to one of my favourite places, Wells-next-the-Sea in north Norfolk. The weather was beautiful and so were our surroundings. It was a chance to absorb some more fabulous views.
This is a flavour of my weekend and a look at some of my memories.
Wells-next-the-Sea is a beautiful Norfolk village, with a yellow sandy beach and a never ending line of brightly coloured beach huts. It has a little harbour, quirky shops, lovely cafes and relaxing pubs. Oh, and some of the finest fish and chips I have ever tasted. It is perfect. The only downside was our discovery that pushing a pushchair on sand is nigh on impossible.
This raspberry Victoria sponge was so delicious and such a wonderful yellow colour, we ate it all. It was courtesy of the Mermaids Purse. They have good cake!
We had a few minutes of grown up time while the baby slept in his pushchair. We used the time wisely and drank an expensive glass of Champagne. We were the only people in The Crown. It was four o'clock in the afternoon. Wonderfully decadent.
To round the weekend off, we stopped off for an enormous Sunday lunch on the way home. Fabulous veg, succulent beef, cauliflower cheese AND cabbage with pancetta hiding under the meat. Yum. Thank you to the Orange Tree in Thornham.
This weekend has given me some really super memories. I can save them and get them out to look back on when I need a little bit of calm and tranquillity. And, I have got the pictures to hand to remind me about it whenever I look at my blog. Bonus.
I can recommend meditation by memory, it gives added value to every trip.
When I was working full time, I used to go out on a Sunday afternoon to somewhere pretty, like a National Trust property or to the park or to the seaside. Then, when I went to bed that night with that 'Sunday Night Going To School The Next Day' feeling, I could look back on my day and relive it and get that sense of calm and happiness all over again. I could use the memories again when I was at work. If I had a particularly knotty problem or just wanted a break, I would think about the beach in Cornwall or the gardens at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. For some reason, it worked particularly well when I was in the ladies loo. Not very glamorous, but, a quiet, undisturbed moment.
This meditation by memory is something that my mum passed on to me. It is a wonderful and simple technique and I am very grateful. You would often find us both on a Sunday afternoon or on holiday drinking in the view and saving it for a rainy day. I think we might have looked a little bit special. Special needs too. But it takes all sorts.
The other nice part about this little trick is going out and collecting the memories. Now we have an excellent reason for going out on a Sunday for tea and cake or for spending that extra five minutes on the beach.
I have been collecting memories this weekend.
Baby and daddy and I went to one of my favourite places, Wells-next-the-Sea in north Norfolk. The weather was beautiful and so were our surroundings. It was a chance to absorb some more fabulous views.
This is a flavour of my weekend and a look at some of my memories.
Wells-next-the-Sea is a beautiful Norfolk village, with a yellow sandy beach and a never ending line of brightly coloured beach huts. It has a little harbour, quirky shops, lovely cafes and relaxing pubs. Oh, and some of the finest fish and chips I have ever tasted. It is perfect. The only downside was our discovery that pushing a pushchair on sand is nigh on impossible.
This raspberry Victoria sponge was so delicious and such a wonderful yellow colour, we ate it all. It was courtesy of the Mermaids Purse. They have good cake!
We had a few minutes of grown up time while the baby slept in his pushchair. We used the time wisely and drank an expensive glass of Champagne. We were the only people in The Crown. It was four o'clock in the afternoon. Wonderfully decadent.
To round the weekend off, we stopped off for an enormous Sunday lunch on the way home. Fabulous veg, succulent beef, cauliflower cheese AND cabbage with pancetta hiding under the meat. Yum. Thank you to the Orange Tree in Thornham.
This weekend has given me some really super memories. I can save them and get them out to look back on when I need a little bit of calm and tranquillity. And, I have got the pictures to hand to remind me about it whenever I look at my blog. Bonus.
I can recommend meditation by memory, it gives added value to every trip.
Wednesday 21 March 2012
A wobble.
I thought I was handling my imminent return to work really well. I did get a bit twitchy at Christmas, but decided the way to proceed was to enjoy the time I had and make sure I made the most of it.
I have.
Me and the little one have been to meet new mums and babies, we have been to new places including Norfolk and the Lake District, have done lots of singing and dancing and had lots of lovely times with Daddy and big brother and all the grandmas and Grandads. So far so good.
Then, I watched Stella (Sky 1). It's a lovely programme, about a mum of three, with the delightful Ruth Jones. We watched the last episode last night, which had some surprises and some wonderful moments. But, at the end (spoiler alert) Stella's son leaves to go and live in Canada. And that set me off! My baby will still be living in the same house as me and so will his dad and brother, but for some reason it struck a chord. Cue blubbing. I did a professional job too, no snuffles, but full on snot filled, red nosed, waterworks.
What I was most upset about was not having that time with the baby when we are just 'being', playing or singing or going shopping and the smiles he gives me and the gurgling he does. It's not like he isn't going to be able to do that anymore, I will see it all the time, but I just won't see it all day. I am having to deal with the concept that when I go back to work, he isn't going to disappear, I will just see him less, so need to enjoy that time instead.
It is a bit like I am grieving for that time now, so hopefully when it happens I will be almost over it.
At least I am in touch with my feelings - we have regular 1-2-1 time together - and I can let them out rather than bottling them up and waiting for the explosion.
When I had my first son, I went back to work when he was five months old. With his baby brother, I have got a month more and that is great. With number one son, I wanted to get back to work and start using my brain again and be with grown ups. This time I am using my brain (after a fashion) with my blog and I have spent quite a lot of time with adults. But, I have started to remember that going to work did give me that sense of who I am. That I am not just a mum and that I have other purposes. I am a working woman with friends who likes shopping and running and reading and drinking! And a mum.
I love my job, it gives me huge satisfaction. It is what I always wanted to do. I didn't really want children. Not for a long time. Now I have both and love them both, I just have to find that balance. And I think me working will mean I am happier in the long run, which has to be good for my family. And I hope I can be a good role model to my children. Firstly, showing them that working is a great thing and you can enjoy having a challenging job and secondly, that women work and are equal in society and in the workplace.
All of this hard thinking came about thanks to another mummy's blog. Atwentysomethingmum was writing about feeling like being more than just a mum and it helped me to look again at my feelings and reframe them and start to deal with them. And it has really helped. I started blogging to write about jolly stuff, like cake and coffee, but ultimately it has helped me deal with a really difficult niggle. For that I am hugely grateful.
http://atwentysomethingmum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/person-behind-parent-label.html?m=1
I have.
Me and the little one have been to meet new mums and babies, we have been to new places including Norfolk and the Lake District, have done lots of singing and dancing and had lots of lovely times with Daddy and big brother and all the grandmas and Grandads. So far so good.
Then, I watched Stella (Sky 1). It's a lovely programme, about a mum of three, with the delightful Ruth Jones. We watched the last episode last night, which had some surprises and some wonderful moments. But, at the end (spoiler alert) Stella's son leaves to go and live in Canada. And that set me off! My baby will still be living in the same house as me and so will his dad and brother, but for some reason it struck a chord. Cue blubbing. I did a professional job too, no snuffles, but full on snot filled, red nosed, waterworks.
What I was most upset about was not having that time with the baby when we are just 'being', playing or singing or going shopping and the smiles he gives me and the gurgling he does. It's not like he isn't going to be able to do that anymore, I will see it all the time, but I just won't see it all day. I am having to deal with the concept that when I go back to work, he isn't going to disappear, I will just see him less, so need to enjoy that time instead.
It is a bit like I am grieving for that time now, so hopefully when it happens I will be almost over it.
At least I am in touch with my feelings - we have regular 1-2-1 time together - and I can let them out rather than bottling them up and waiting for the explosion.
When I had my first son, I went back to work when he was five months old. With his baby brother, I have got a month more and that is great. With number one son, I wanted to get back to work and start using my brain again and be with grown ups. This time I am using my brain (after a fashion) with my blog and I have spent quite a lot of time with adults. But, I have started to remember that going to work did give me that sense of who I am. That I am not just a mum and that I have other purposes. I am a working woman with friends who likes shopping and running and reading and drinking! And a mum.
I love my job, it gives me huge satisfaction. It is what I always wanted to do. I didn't really want children. Not for a long time. Now I have both and love them both, I just have to find that balance. And I think me working will mean I am happier in the long run, which has to be good for my family. And I hope I can be a good role model to my children. Firstly, showing them that working is a great thing and you can enjoy having a challenging job and secondly, that women work and are equal in society and in the workplace.
All of this hard thinking came about thanks to another mummy's blog. Atwentysomethingmum was writing about feeling like being more than just a mum and it helped me to look again at my feelings and reframe them and start to deal with them. And it has really helped. I started blogging to write about jolly stuff, like cake and coffee, but ultimately it has helped me deal with a really difficult niggle. For that I am hugely grateful.
http://atwentysomethingmum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/person-behind-parent-label.html?m=1
Sunday 18 March 2012
It's the little things...
I keep hearing how mums don't want expensive presents for Mothers Day, Maybe it's because of the credit crunch, but apparently, they would rather have a lie-in or a handmade gift. Now, I would never turn down a designer handbag or a pair of diamond earrings, but I have to agree.
I wanted to give the Grandmas something unique and so I have been having a lovely time with my boys doing some hand printing. It is extraordinarily difficult to do hand prints, when the five month old in question refuses to unclench his fist and when he does, proceeds to suck his paint covered thumb. Fortunately, I had used baby friendly paint, but, blimey, I started to worry after seeing a little black tongue in his mouth. Eek. The finished results were lovely though. And, it is much easier to do hand painting with an eight year old.
Simple but very effective. That's all we need for Mothers Day isn't it?
This is my first year being the mum of two boys. It has been a logistical feat to organise seeing every Granny, Grandma and Great Grandma and ensuring they all had a card and a little something. We managed it, but I was so concerned about making it all special, I started to whitter about it all. Whittering about the restaurant and the presents and the timings and remembering everything - whittering so much I was in danger of spoiling it.
We had a carvery lunch with most of the family. By the time we all arrived and had a drink, we were advised we only had the table for a certain amount of time and that time was running out. Normally, this is isn't a problem, we don't usually have starters or pudding so we are pretty quick, but I had been looking forward to warm gooey chocolate brownie or unctuous cheesecake to celebrate Mothers Day. We were out of time though so went for coffee at my mums. This was great, we got chance to play pass-the-baby and be a little more relaxed. But I did really want a pudding (I didn't stamp my foot, but my bottom lip did quiver just a little bit.)
After we got home, I sorted out the baby and had a cup of tea.... when I went back to the kitchen there was a box waiting for me.
Inside the box was a piece of cheesecake. Unknown to me, baby's daddy had run to the pub down the road to get me a pudding.
As I mentioned before, I wouldn't have turned down a handbag or diamonds, but actually, forget all of that, a slice of cheesecake and some handprints were the best presents I could have had. It's not the recession that can make a smaller gift the best, it's the thought that goes with it and the love.
I wanted to give the Grandmas something unique and so I have been having a lovely time with my boys doing some hand printing. It is extraordinarily difficult to do hand prints, when the five month old in question refuses to unclench his fist and when he does, proceeds to suck his paint covered thumb. Fortunately, I had used baby friendly paint, but, blimey, I started to worry after seeing a little black tongue in his mouth. Eek. The finished results were lovely though. And, it is much easier to do hand painting with an eight year old.
Simple but very effective. That's all we need for Mothers Day isn't it?
This is my first year being the mum of two boys. It has been a logistical feat to organise seeing every Granny, Grandma and Great Grandma and ensuring they all had a card and a little something. We managed it, but I was so concerned about making it all special, I started to whitter about it all. Whittering about the restaurant and the presents and the timings and remembering everything - whittering so much I was in danger of spoiling it.
We had a carvery lunch with most of the family. By the time we all arrived and had a drink, we were advised we only had the table for a certain amount of time and that time was running out. Normally, this is isn't a problem, we don't usually have starters or pudding so we are pretty quick, but I had been looking forward to warm gooey chocolate brownie or unctuous cheesecake to celebrate Mothers Day. We were out of time though so went for coffee at my mums. This was great, we got chance to play pass-the-baby and be a little more relaxed. But I did really want a pudding (I didn't stamp my foot, but my bottom lip did quiver just a little bit.)
After we got home, I sorted out the baby and had a cup of tea.... when I went back to the kitchen there was a box waiting for me.
Inside the box was a piece of cheesecake. Unknown to me, baby's daddy had run to the pub down the road to get me a pudding.
As I mentioned before, I wouldn't have turned down a handbag or diamonds, but actually, forget all of that, a slice of cheesecake and some handprints were the best presents I could have had. It's not the recession that can make a smaller gift the best, it's the thought that goes with it and the love.
Wednesday 14 March 2012
Bad good hair day
I went to have my hair done today.....ahhhhhhhh, lovely.
Granny and Grandpa came too so they could push the baby around while my roots were dealt with and locks shorn. Talk about luxury. My stylist and I talked about sci-fi television (True Blood and Grimm), he complemented me the gorgeousness of my baby, then I ate a Birds cheese and ham roll and read Marie Claire. Seriously, all I needed was an chilled glass of Champagne and it could have hit the heady heights of perfection.
But, there was one seriously dark cloud hanging over my otherwise blissful afternoon.
I had forgotten my phone!
How is it possible that a microchip surrounded by a bit of plastic can make or break my mood. I am old enough (but look far to young according to my hairdresser) to remember not bothering with a mobile. I barely used it when I had one. What happened? How can I feel insecure just because I have left my phone on the sofa? It's like an addiction.
I actually don't have the answer. But, a big part of it has been down to the baby. My phone has been my baby-feeding friend. It is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand while I have baby on my knee. In order to occupy myself during long feeds, I started looking at Twitter, then Facebook, then blogs and then I started writing my own blog and then tweeting myself (a monster 24 tweets so far, but bear with me!) The act of feeding a baby is as old as time - now enhanced by cutting edge technology. And don't they make a good team.
But I do worry when I don't have my phone. I don't feel as safe driving around on my own with the baby without it. It's not as though I am going to darkest Peru without any way of contacting the rest of civilisation is it? I was only going a few miles to the hairdressers. I must have looked a bit frazzled as my mum actually lent me her phone. It wasn't the same, but it seemed to quell the little flutters of panic when I remembered I didn't have my mobile. And, to add insult to neurosis, I had been looking forward to a little blog time - on my phone.
According to Grazia this week (what else?), I am not alone in my phone obsession - apparently, there is a phobia relating to fear of losing your mobile phone. It's called nomophobia.
I think I have got it.
As Joni Mitchell sang, 'you dont know what you've got til it's gone'. Well that's how I felt - I had the no-phone blues - and I got them bad.
Granny and Grandpa came too so they could push the baby around while my roots were dealt with and locks shorn. Talk about luxury. My stylist and I talked about sci-fi television (True Blood and Grimm), he complemented me the gorgeousness of my baby, then I ate a Birds cheese and ham roll and read Marie Claire. Seriously, all I needed was an chilled glass of Champagne and it could have hit the heady heights of perfection.
But, there was one seriously dark cloud hanging over my otherwise blissful afternoon.
I had forgotten my phone!
How is it possible that a microchip surrounded by a bit of plastic can make or break my mood. I am old enough (but look far to young according to my hairdresser) to remember not bothering with a mobile. I barely used it when I had one. What happened? How can I feel insecure just because I have left my phone on the sofa? It's like an addiction.
I actually don't have the answer. But, a big part of it has been down to the baby. My phone has been my baby-feeding friend. It is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand while I have baby on my knee. In order to occupy myself during long feeds, I started looking at Twitter, then Facebook, then blogs and then I started writing my own blog and then tweeting myself (a monster 24 tweets so far, but bear with me!) The act of feeding a baby is as old as time - now enhanced by cutting edge technology. And don't they make a good team.
But I do worry when I don't have my phone. I don't feel as safe driving around on my own with the baby without it. It's not as though I am going to darkest Peru without any way of contacting the rest of civilisation is it? I was only going a few miles to the hairdressers. I must have looked a bit frazzled as my mum actually lent me her phone. It wasn't the same, but it seemed to quell the little flutters of panic when I remembered I didn't have my mobile. And, to add insult to neurosis, I had been looking forward to a little blog time - on my phone.
According to Grazia this week (what else?), I am not alone in my phone obsession - apparently, there is a phobia relating to fear of losing your mobile phone. It's called nomophobia.
I think I have got it.
As Joni Mitchell sang, 'you dont know what you've got til it's gone'. Well that's how I felt - I had the no-phone blues - and I got them bad.
Wednesday 7 March 2012
Feed me!
I am sooo hungry!
I am still feeding my five month old and he is a hungry boy. There are points in the day where I feel like I could eat a house. Or maybe two. With a bungalow for pudding. It is a strange sensation. The emptiness comes on really quickly and I need to eat fast. The problem is what to eat. I have to resist the urge to shovel handfuls of chocolate into my mouth, so I need to ensure I have a selection of healthy snacks to hand at all times. My kitchen, car and handbag have got a ridiculous amount of mouth sized morsels. I hadn't realised how bad it was until I looked around me when I got into the car....
It looks a lot, but, I also make sure I have a sweet in the car so my big boy can have one when I pick him up from school (he only gets one mind you, it's one rule for him and one enormous pile of sugar for me).
I am only going to be able to feed the baby for another month before I need to wean him and move to bottle feeding. I need to make sure I am not going to carry on with this sort of diet so I will have to monitor my cake, chocolate and sweet intake. I don't want to get used to eating this much. There may be a bit of a dilemma too as my non-breastfeeding self wants to eat more savoury goodies; crisps, slices of ham, cheese, bread, olives, pretzels.
It sounds like I have a serious problem, but I tend to only have one mouthful at a time and I do manage to control the super-hunger when it comes on. I read somewhere that sometimes when you feel hungry, you might just be thirsty, so I make sure I am fully hydrated and then go for apple and grapes before I dive head first into a bag of white chocolate mice. In my pre-pregnancy days, if I had a treat or naughty nibble, I would only have a little bit. My top drawer at work always had half a bag of crisps in it or an open bag of Haribo, or a bar of chocolate with one chunk missing or, most likely, a packet of biscuits with the top one missing. My kitchen is very similar. I fancy sweet treats and so I buy them, people know I like chocolate and buy it for me and I buy it for my big boy and my biggest boy, so we end up with the international sugar mountain which gets eaten at the rate of one mouthful per night.
Just to reassure you (and myself) this is what we shared as a quick snack this afternoon.
In amongst this desperate need for sweet things, another of my recent cravings has been for steamed spinach. I have been eating towering green mountains of it.
Cravings....now, when did I last have cravings.... Urm..... Hello....
I am still feeding my five month old and he is a hungry boy. There are points in the day where I feel like I could eat a house. Or maybe two. With a bungalow for pudding. It is a strange sensation. The emptiness comes on really quickly and I need to eat fast. The problem is what to eat. I have to resist the urge to shovel handfuls of chocolate into my mouth, so I need to ensure I have a selection of healthy snacks to hand at all times. My kitchen, car and handbag have got a ridiculous amount of mouth sized morsels. I hadn't realised how bad it was until I looked around me when I got into the car....
It looks a lot, but, I also make sure I have a sweet in the car so my big boy can have one when I pick him up from school (he only gets one mind you, it's one rule for him and one enormous pile of sugar for me).
I am only going to be able to feed the baby for another month before I need to wean him and move to bottle feeding. I need to make sure I am not going to carry on with this sort of diet so I will have to monitor my cake, chocolate and sweet intake. I don't want to get used to eating this much. There may be a bit of a dilemma too as my non-breastfeeding self wants to eat more savoury goodies; crisps, slices of ham, cheese, bread, olives, pretzels.
It sounds like I have a serious problem, but I tend to only have one mouthful at a time and I do manage to control the super-hunger when it comes on. I read somewhere that sometimes when you feel hungry, you might just be thirsty, so I make sure I am fully hydrated and then go for apple and grapes before I dive head first into a bag of white chocolate mice. In my pre-pregnancy days, if I had a treat or naughty nibble, I would only have a little bit. My top drawer at work always had half a bag of crisps in it or an open bag of Haribo, or a bar of chocolate with one chunk missing or, most likely, a packet of biscuits with the top one missing. My kitchen is very similar. I fancy sweet treats and so I buy them, people know I like chocolate and buy it for me and I buy it for my big boy and my biggest boy, so we end up with the international sugar mountain which gets eaten at the rate of one mouthful per night.
Just to reassure you (and myself) this is what we shared as a quick snack this afternoon.
In amongst this desperate need for sweet things, another of my recent cravings has been for steamed spinach. I have been eating towering green mountains of it.
Cravings....now, when did I last have cravings.... Urm..... Hello....
Monday 5 March 2012
Bucket list...
In two months I am going back to work.
As you can imagine, this is a bit of a wrench, so in order to feel like I am making the most of that time, I thought I would write a maternity leave 'bucket list'.
A common-or-garden bucket list is a list of things to do before you 'kick the bucket' or pop your clogs - Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson starred in a film about two old duffers who escape from hospital and go on a road trip to do everything on their bucket lists. They were terminally ill though. I don't intend to kick the bucket and my imminent return to work is not on a par with death, but this is helping me get my mind around the whole thing. And it gives me a chance to write a really good list - I like a list!
Now I sit down to think about what I want to do, I am slowly realising that I have done quite a lot already. I have mastered feeding a baby again, and changing him and putting the buggy up and down. When I had mastered these pretty essential tasks, I joined some baby groups. This may sound fairly run-of-the-mill, but even as a relatively confident person, I found it a bit daunting. Walking in to a room full of mums and dads is intimidating. They all seem to know each other and I am the new kid to be inspected. At one point, I was hanging around outside a community centre, waiting for a friend to go into the toddler group with. When she turned up she pointed out that I run a team of people in my real life, so I should be ok going in to have coffee and cake with a group of mums. Oh my, if only that were the case. But, I went through the door and have conquered that particular wobble now and I feel really proud of myself. Looking back, I don't know what I was worrying about. His dad and I have taken the baby swimming. Now I want us all to go. Maybe we can go on holiday to one of those swanky family water parks in a Europe were there a loads of slides. Mmmm, maybe we need to win the lottery first. I have learnt a bit of baby sign language. By a bit, I have learnt three signs, but it is a start. I have done lots of exercises with the baby and lots of 'Tummy Time'. I didn't encounter Tummy Time with the last one, so that's another box to tick. I have taken the baby to Cornwall and to Norfolk and managed to get him to sleep in a travel cot. I have even started using Twitter and I am writing a blog!
I feel as if we have achieved quite a lot, but I want to see what else is out there. I feel like this is the last time I will have a big block of time to spend with my children before I retire and I want to do new things with my boys. Not go abseiling or that kind of thing just yet, but enough so that when I go back to work, I can look back on what we did and it will keep me going until I get home or until the weekend or until we go on holiday.
Maybe, I just need to keep doing what I am doing. Meeting up with my friends and family, spending time taking my big boy swimming and taking my little boy to watch, drinking wine and eating take away with my biggest boy, planning our holiday to a water park, watching the buds burst....
Oh no.
This is going to turn out like a chicky-flicky-rom-commy-soppy-happy-ever-after blog where I realise that all I really need is right in front of me and I just needed to see how lucky I really am. Forget the bucket list, pass the sick bucket.
(Look, I am writing this in tiny writing and saying it really, really quietly, and despite the bit inside me which cringes at all that soppy stuff....I suppose it's true, isn't it?)
As you can imagine, this is a bit of a wrench, so in order to feel like I am making the most of that time, I thought I would write a maternity leave 'bucket list'.
A common-or-garden bucket list is a list of things to do before you 'kick the bucket' or pop your clogs - Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson starred in a film about two old duffers who escape from hospital and go on a road trip to do everything on their bucket lists. They were terminally ill though. I don't intend to kick the bucket and my imminent return to work is not on a par with death, but this is helping me get my mind around the whole thing. And it gives me a chance to write a really good list - I like a list!
Now I sit down to think about what I want to do, I am slowly realising that I have done quite a lot already. I have mastered feeding a baby again, and changing him and putting the buggy up and down. When I had mastered these pretty essential tasks, I joined some baby groups. This may sound fairly run-of-the-mill, but even as a relatively confident person, I found it a bit daunting. Walking in to a room full of mums and dads is intimidating. They all seem to know each other and I am the new kid to be inspected. At one point, I was hanging around outside a community centre, waiting for a friend to go into the toddler group with. When she turned up she pointed out that I run a team of people in my real life, so I should be ok going in to have coffee and cake with a group of mums. Oh my, if only that were the case. But, I went through the door and have conquered that particular wobble now and I feel really proud of myself. Looking back, I don't know what I was worrying about. His dad and I have taken the baby swimming. Now I want us all to go. Maybe we can go on holiday to one of those swanky family water parks in a Europe were there a loads of slides. Mmmm, maybe we need to win the lottery first. I have learnt a bit of baby sign language. By a bit, I have learnt three signs, but it is a start. I have done lots of exercises with the baby and lots of 'Tummy Time'. I didn't encounter Tummy Time with the last one, so that's another box to tick. I have taken the baby to Cornwall and to Norfolk and managed to get him to sleep in a travel cot. I have even started using Twitter and I am writing a blog!
I feel as if we have achieved quite a lot, but I want to see what else is out there. I feel like this is the last time I will have a big block of time to spend with my children before I retire and I want to do new things with my boys. Not go abseiling or that kind of thing just yet, but enough so that when I go back to work, I can look back on what we did and it will keep me going until I get home or until the weekend or until we go on holiday.
Maybe, I just need to keep doing what I am doing. Meeting up with my friends and family, spending time taking my big boy swimming and taking my little boy to watch, drinking wine and eating take away with my biggest boy, planning our holiday to a water park, watching the buds burst....
Oh no.
This is going to turn out like a chicky-flicky-rom-commy-soppy-happy-ever-after blog where I realise that all I really need is right in front of me and I just needed to see how lucky I really am. Forget the bucket list, pass the sick bucket.
(Look, I am writing this in tiny writing and saying it really, really quietly, and despite the bit inside me which cringes at all that soppy stuff....I suppose it's true, isn't it?)
Tuesday 28 February 2012
Spring has sprung.
It feels like spring has arrived. Hallelujah! It is my favourite time of year. From the end of January I am desperate for a glimpse of the bright green of a new leaf or the top-knot of a daffodil. I almost felt like crying when I saw the carpet of snowdrops in a nearby churchyard the other day. I nearly took a photo, but realised that it was a tiny bit dangerous abandoning my baby and car just to get material for a blog. I don't know why spring has such an impact on me, every year I feel grateful to see another one (Drama Queen). This year, my joy at seeing spring arrive has taken on a whole different significance. This year I can introduce my new little one to lovely spring. He had quite an interesting start in life. He had heart surgery at five days old, so every milestone feels more special. Spring is the time to celebrate new life and I am going to do my darnedest to celebrate the life of my baby and his brother.
As this is a blog about places to get a good cuppa and a tasty slice of cake - with a baby in tow - I have some suggestions of places to get a yummy nibble and enjoy the spring sunshine with your family. Firstly, I went along to Wistow Rural Centre. It is set in beautiful countryside near Market Harborough. As you drive along windy roads towards the centre, you pass newly laid hedges, fields, little bridges and locks on the canal. Wistow has a garden centre, an accessories and handbags shop as well as a cafe. There were lots of other customers, including mums and babies, there was a ramp up to the cafe and baby changing facilities. I asked the lady who made the cake what she would recommend and I ended up with a slice of Rocky Road. The sandwiches and breakfast that the couple at the next table were eating looking pretty tasty too.
I also went to the other side of Leicestershire, to Cattows Farm near Coalville. I had heard about this through Groupon as they offered a half price Champagne High Tea there. We went for Sunday lunch in the end which was one of the tastiest I have had, but while we there we saw some lucky couples having the afternoon tea with added sparkle! There were many home made cakes which looked beautiful and while we were there we tried a chocolate and cream sponge cake which was as light as a feather. We bought a selection of the cupcakes to take home. There was even a spring cupcake to go with the sunshine.
The views over the Leicestershire countryside were lovely and in the spring sunshine it was perfect. They have a farm shop too and they sold a book called 'the Teapot Trail' which has suggestions of other tearooms across the region. I will be trying some of them out!
Spring is almost here. I can feel my sap rising....ah, that is what got us in the situation in the first place.
As this is a blog about places to get a good cuppa and a tasty slice of cake - with a baby in tow - I have some suggestions of places to get a yummy nibble and enjoy the spring sunshine with your family. Firstly, I went along to Wistow Rural Centre. It is set in beautiful countryside near Market Harborough. As you drive along windy roads towards the centre, you pass newly laid hedges, fields, little bridges and locks on the canal. Wistow has a garden centre, an accessories and handbags shop as well as a cafe. There were lots of other customers, including mums and babies, there was a ramp up to the cafe and baby changing facilities. I asked the lady who made the cake what she would recommend and I ended up with a slice of Rocky Road. The sandwiches and breakfast that the couple at the next table were eating looking pretty tasty too.
I also went to the other side of Leicestershire, to Cattows Farm near Coalville. I had heard about this through Groupon as they offered a half price Champagne High Tea there. We went for Sunday lunch in the end which was one of the tastiest I have had, but while we there we saw some lucky couples having the afternoon tea with added sparkle! There were many home made cakes which looked beautiful and while we were there we tried a chocolate and cream sponge cake which was as light as a feather. We bought a selection of the cupcakes to take home. There was even a spring cupcake to go with the sunshine.
The views over the Leicestershire countryside were lovely and in the spring sunshine it was perfect. They have a farm shop too and they sold a book called 'the Teapot Trail' which has suggestions of other tearooms across the region. I will be trying some of them out!
Spring is almost here. I can feel my sap rising....ah, that is what got us in the situation in the first place.
Sunday 26 February 2012
Missing the action
My eldest son came first in the front crawl at the local swimming gala. He came second in his heat, so the stage was set for a dramatic final. They all started incredibly strongly, but after the half way point, my big boy started to pull ahead. He remembered everything he had been taught, his breathing was right, his stroke crisp, he didn't look around, he just swam the race of his life. And when he touched the side his supporters went wild. It was amazing.
The only problem was that I wasn't there to see it.
I was at home with the baby. And, although I had wanted to go and surprise him by turning up at the gala, with one thing and another I didn't make it. It was my son's weekend to stay with his dad, so he didn't expect me and I spoke to him before, during and after. I even watched the video of the incredible race, but it has still left me feeling pretty devastated.
After a divorce there will be times when one or other of you will miss milestones. In fact, even if you are together, you will still miss things, whether you are working or looking after other children or even if you have just decided you need some time to yourself, it is just a fact of life. I can be as objective as you like, but my heart still sinks when I think about it. My big boy has no idea how I feel of course, but, it has given me that bad mother feeling I haven't had since I first dropped him off at nursery.
His dad has missed another moment of sporting history, when our son scored his first goal for his football club. He had hit a streak of brilliance - the little star was so stunned by the enormity of it all he just sat in the dressing room afterwards staring at his boots. Now I understand how his dad must have felt.
It's a couple of days since the swimming gala now - I no longer think the world will end or that I will be scarred for life by missing the race or that I will now have to attend every single event that the big boy will ever take part in ever again. I didn't quite reach Norma Desmond levels of drama queening, but it has made me think.
I know I will miss other big events. In fact, I hope to goodness I miss some of them (first kiss, etc), but I will treasure the ones I see all the more. And I will make sure if his dad, my partner, his granny or grandpa, our next door neighbour or even the window cleaner can see them, they do.
I wonder if I will turn into a super clingy mum and that he won't even be able to play on the play station without a mummy sized cheerleader looking over his shoulder. But he is my superstar and I am prouder than I ever thought possible. And I will cry every time I watch the race again - which is filmed in wobblyvision as his dad gets more and more hysterical.
Now, when is the next Olympics?
Friday 24 February 2012
Two children, one hundred miles
Travelling with one child is a challenge. Travelling with TWO is like doing a Rubix cube with one hand tied behind my back. Just packing the car was a feat of engineering. I am glad I paid attention when we did tesselating shapes at school. The main issue was the pushchair. We have a largish pushchair - well it fills most of the boot anyway. If we had been using suitcases, we would have been lost, but as we haven't got enough, I used shopping bags. These were heavy duty shopping bags. One each for us and one for food. They fitted in nicely around the pushchair - see, tesellating shapes. We managed to fit children in and had room for Monopoly and welly boots. What more could we need.
This was the first family holiday with all four of us. Our destination was Norfolk, where we were staying at Weybourne Forest Lodges - A-frame wooden lodges set in a beautiful pinewood, with views of the sea and lovely walks in every direction. You feel like you are in the middle of a film set, so it is perfect for adventure games. The first year we went, we pretended were in the forest of Endor being followed by General Grevious. We were going through a Star Wars phase at the time. Every stick was either a blaster or a lightsabre. There were a lot of sticks.
This year, we were staying with Granny, Grandpa and Uncle. This was great for lots of reasons, but it also meant that there were other people on hand to play Snakes and Ladders and Chess with number one son. And he is such a cheat. He gets it from his Granny. She makes up the questions when we play Trivial Pursuit!
While in Norfolk we visited some lovely cafes and restaurants. There are some nice tea shops in Sheringham and the Lobster Pub did amazing ham, egg and chips. The eggs were all double yolkers!
The next day we went to Deepdale Cafe in Burnham Deepdale on the coastal road from Sheringham to Hunstanton. They do big portions of everything from breakfasts to local seafood. The open kitchens are a great source of entertainment, their home made cakes look amazing and they have cheesecake of the day! I had smoked haddock on mash with spinach and a poached egg.
We shared a portion of the gluten-free fruit crumble, it was passed around the table so we got a mouthful each. Is this what normal families do? Let's face it, we are not normal.
We did tea at Cley bird watching centre. We are regulars here, not just because of the cake (this is Bakewell Victoria Sponge) ......
......but the beautiful views of the marshes.
We had Sunday lunch at a new find - the Crown Inn at East Rudham. It's a beautifully renovated country pub with big wooden tables. The menu was mouthwatering. There was duck three ways (including duck leg bubble and squeak) but we went for the Sunday roast. Big slices of medium rare beef, massive Yorkshires with really yellow middles and parsnips roasted with wholegrain mustard. We will go back.
All of these places had great customer service and baby changing. And if that's not enough, The Lobster pub also had hair straighteners in the ladies loo at a pound a go. A girl always likes to look her best.
This was the first family holiday with all four of us. Our destination was Norfolk, where we were staying at Weybourne Forest Lodges - A-frame wooden lodges set in a beautiful pinewood, with views of the sea and lovely walks in every direction. You feel like you are in the middle of a film set, so it is perfect for adventure games. The first year we went, we pretended were in the forest of Endor being followed by General Grevious. We were going through a Star Wars phase at the time. Every stick was either a blaster or a lightsabre. There were a lot of sticks.
This year, we were staying with Granny, Grandpa and Uncle. This was great for lots of reasons, but it also meant that there were other people on hand to play Snakes and Ladders and Chess with number one son. And he is such a cheat. He gets it from his Granny. She makes up the questions when we play Trivial Pursuit!
While in Norfolk we visited some lovely cafes and restaurants. There are some nice tea shops in Sheringham and the Lobster Pub did amazing ham, egg and chips. The eggs were all double yolkers!
The next day we went to Deepdale Cafe in Burnham Deepdale on the coastal road from Sheringham to Hunstanton. They do big portions of everything from breakfasts to local seafood. The open kitchens are a great source of entertainment, their home made cakes look amazing and they have cheesecake of the day! I had smoked haddock on mash with spinach and a poached egg.
We shared a portion of the gluten-free fruit crumble, it was passed around the table so we got a mouthful each. Is this what normal families do? Let's face it, we are not normal.
We did tea at Cley bird watching centre. We are regulars here, not just because of the cake (this is Bakewell Victoria Sponge) ......
......but the beautiful views of the marshes.
We had Sunday lunch at a new find - the Crown Inn at East Rudham. It's a beautifully renovated country pub with big wooden tables. The menu was mouthwatering. There was duck three ways (including duck leg bubble and squeak) but we went for the Sunday roast. Big slices of medium rare beef, massive Yorkshires with really yellow middles and parsnips roasted with wholegrain mustard. We will go back.
All of these places had great customer service and baby changing. And if that's not enough, The Lobster pub also had hair straighteners in the ladies loo at a pound a go. A girl always likes to look her best.
Tuesday 21 February 2012
Coffee break
As I am still feeding my baby, I need to keep my energy levels up. This means as I go out and about, I have to make regular pit stops for coffee (or tea) and a nibble of cake. Now, if that sounds like a great big excuse to eat cake and drink coffee, then you would be fairly close to the mark. But, it has made me take notice of the different places I can get a quick snackette.
I thought I would share a few of my recent experiences and recommendations on this blog. These are just a few from Leicester city centre.
Carluccios, Highcross, Leicester
Carluccios offers one of the best cups of coffee around. You can have either a rich or smooth blend. I have the rich latte. It tastes great and comes in a glass cup. It may sound strange, but it adds to the experience, like tea drunk out of a china cup. There are always a selection of cakes on offer and they are displayed by the entrance so you can really check what you are getting. As a chocolate cake lover, I am surprised that I tend to go for their fruit tarts. They have crisp pastry, lots of filling and a the fruit really tastes of fruit.
The only problem is that it is popular and you usually have to queue at peak times. They are good with children and babies. Little ones get breadsticks and a colouring pack when they arrive and have their own menu. There are baby changing facilities too.
This isn't the actual tart we shared. We ate it so quickly that we had to take a picture of one on the display. This is a recurring problem.
The Almanack, Bathhouse Lane, Leicester
The Almanack describes itself as a modern gastropub. As well as going for lunch or dinner, you can go for a coffee during the day or a drink at night. I have been with my parents, with friends, for Christmas parties, with babies and with eight year olds. My son is a big fan of their ham, egg and chips. Their deli boards offer a bit of everything and their roasts are pretty good too. The staff are very helpful, but the young men behind the bar have been a little surly in the past. Their coffee is nicely presented but is fairly milky. The sugar, quirkily, comes in golden syrup tins. You get smarties too!
Eat, Highcross, Leicester
Eat offers no nonsense sandwiches and coffee. My family all love their cheese and ham baguettes. I can only manage half (probably because of all the cake I have eaten elsewhere), but for daddies and big boys who have been playing football, it's just right. The lattes are big and of medium strength.
There aren't any specific facilities for children and you need to use the Shopping Centres toilets and baby changing facilities. Despite that, it is where you will find us having lunch on Saturdays.
I will now make it my mission to explore what is on offer further afield. I am going to head much further out to begin with. To Norfolk.....
I thought I would share a few of my recent experiences and recommendations on this blog. These are just a few from Leicester city centre.
Carluccios, Highcross, Leicester
Carluccios offers one of the best cups of coffee around. You can have either a rich or smooth blend. I have the rich latte. It tastes great and comes in a glass cup. It may sound strange, but it adds to the experience, like tea drunk out of a china cup. There are always a selection of cakes on offer and they are displayed by the entrance so you can really check what you are getting. As a chocolate cake lover, I am surprised that I tend to go for their fruit tarts. They have crisp pastry, lots of filling and a the fruit really tastes of fruit.
The only problem is that it is popular and you usually have to queue at peak times. They are good with children and babies. Little ones get breadsticks and a colouring pack when they arrive and have their own menu. There are baby changing facilities too.
This isn't the actual tart we shared. We ate it so quickly that we had to take a picture of one on the display. This is a recurring problem.
The Almanack, Bathhouse Lane, Leicester
The Almanack describes itself as a modern gastropub. As well as going for lunch or dinner, you can go for a coffee during the day or a drink at night. I have been with my parents, with friends, for Christmas parties, with babies and with eight year olds. My son is a big fan of their ham, egg and chips. Their deli boards offer a bit of everything and their roasts are pretty good too. The staff are very helpful, but the young men behind the bar have been a little surly in the past. Their coffee is nicely presented but is fairly milky. The sugar, quirkily, comes in golden syrup tins. You get smarties too!
Eat, Highcross, Leicester
Eat offers no nonsense sandwiches and coffee. My family all love their cheese and ham baguettes. I can only manage half (probably because of all the cake I have eaten elsewhere), but for daddies and big boys who have been playing football, it's just right. The lattes are big and of medium strength.
There aren't any specific facilities for children and you need to use the Shopping Centres toilets and baby changing facilities. Despite that, it is where you will find us having lunch on Saturdays.
I will now make it my mission to explore what is on offer further afield. I am going to head much further out to begin with. To Norfolk.....
Monday 20 February 2012
Half term Indiana Jones
Blogging has been temporarily interrupted due to the half term holidays. During my temporary leave of absence, I have travelled the length and breadth of the area looking for places to occupy a mum, a little baby and, for one week only, a big brother. Kids Play in Kettering is just over the border in Northamptonshire, but was worth the trip. It has the usual indoor play equipment - death slides, climbing walls, rope swings and platforms reaching up to the sky. Hmm, when you write it down, it sounds like I have taken my babies to a Raiders of the Lost Ark simulator... albeit in primary colours. This one has added trampolines and a Costa Coffee! It meant my budding Indiana Jones could spend hours razzing around, leaving me at the coffee shop crèche working on a caffeine high. As an added bonus, there is a specific baby changing room and the toilets do not have that special aroma reserved for some indoor play centres.
It was a good day out. The only problem was that parents from miles around had had the same thought. We got there in the nick of time. When we left, we discovered people had been queuing outside for half an hour. I am not sure I could have waited in the cold for that long. What am I saying? Of course I would. I couldn't disappoint my junior adventurer. I bet Indiana Jones' mum didn't have to say "sorry Indy, the queue is too long, you will have to rescue the ten commandments from the Nazis another day." I would love to have seen that though.
It was a good day out. The only problem was that parents from miles around had had the same thought. We got there in the nick of time. When we left, we discovered people had been queuing outside for half an hour. I am not sure I could have waited in the cold for that long. What am I saying? Of course I would. I couldn't disappoint my junior adventurer. I bet Indiana Jones' mum didn't have to say "sorry Indy, the queue is too long, you will have to rescue the ten commandments from the Nazis another day." I would love to have seen that though.
Coffee cards (and cups)
I have discovered a crucial piece of information that I have to share with the coffee drinking world!
Ok, so I may have slightly over-egged that, but it is a bit interesting.
I have had a Starbucks card for a while and have not quite 'got' it. I have used it and not really understood what I get out of it. What you do is pay Starbucks money and they give you a card with the equivalent amount of money on it. You can then use it to pay for your Starbucks purchases. I understood that when you paid for your lunch or coffee or round or whatever, you got a star and when you have 15 stars, you get a free drink. But, I was getting one star for each purchase (which could include three drinks and a couple of paninis and even the kitchen sink) so, I was going to have to spend over £200 to get a free latte. This was not a huge incentive to continue. Today, a lovely lady explained it to me (slowly). Apparently, when you pay with your SB card, you pay for each item separately and that means you rack up the stars much more quickly. Phew!
I know this is not exactly helping with the current economic crisis or addressing the issues within the health service, in fact it is pretty trivial in the grand scheme of things, but it cheered me up for a few minutes and if it does the same for you, then even better.
Oh, and today, Starbucks were giving away their old mugs too.
Ok, so I may have slightly over-egged that, but it is a bit interesting.
I have had a Starbucks card for a while and have not quite 'got' it. I have used it and not really understood what I get out of it. What you do is pay Starbucks money and they give you a card with the equivalent amount of money on it. You can then use it to pay for your Starbucks purchases. I understood that when you paid for your lunch or coffee or round or whatever, you got a star and when you have 15 stars, you get a free drink. But, I was getting one star for each purchase (which could include three drinks and a couple of paninis and even the kitchen sink) so, I was going to have to spend over £200 to get a free latte. This was not a huge incentive to continue. Today, a lovely lady explained it to me (slowly). Apparently, when you pay with your SB card, you pay for each item separately and that means you rack up the stars much more quickly. Phew!
I know this is not exactly helping with the current economic crisis or addressing the issues within the health service, in fact it is pretty trivial in the grand scheme of things, but it cheered me up for a few minutes and if it does the same for you, then even better.
Oh, and today, Starbucks were giving away their old mugs too.
Sunday 12 February 2012
Did I mention cake...?
I think my hobby must be coffee and cake. I wish I could say I have a more impressive hobby, like fell walking, hang gliding or embroidery. Having said that, I used to do quite a lot of embroidery. I used to sew little flowers onto my combat trousers when I as doing my A'levels. In fact, I probably spent more time concentrating on embroidery than I did on my A'levels.
Back to cake....I meet friends for coffee and cake. I meet my mum and dad for tea and cake. Shopping trips must be punctuated by tea and cake. Even if it is just a quick pit stop, there needs to be a mouthful of cake, just to keep the wheels running. I spent one holiday in Cornwall eating chocolate brownie in every cafe I visited. Incidentally, the best was at the cafe at the Minack Theatre. There is a certain etiquette about my style of cake eating, a certain way of doing it. You have to share. The cake has to be cut up into pieces and shared amongst the assembled group. And we don't tend to have big slices of cake.....although, if it looks good enough.... It is the only way to eat cake and not put on gallons of weight and I get to try a larger selection.
Here is an example of one sharing experience.
As it is Valentines Day this week, the selection of cakes and biscuits available have been supplemented with some romantic offerings. John Lewis and Waitrose came up with these two.
The raspberry jam and almond heart was top drawer. Not chocolate, but sublime and great to share with someone lovely.
Happy Valentines Day
Wednesday 8 February 2012
Snow baby
Babies and snow do not mix.
Actually, it's not the babies that are the problem as much as their pushchairs and general luggage. It was almost impossible to push the pram around a snowy park at the weekend. Perhaps that's to be expected, but trying to push down the pavement to school to drop off the big boy was ridiculous! The wheels were jamming, we were sliding down the slopes of the pavements and other parents were dashing to my aid. That was very kind, but a bit embarrassing. And this was a public right of way outside a school.
Then I attempted a supermarket shop. This may have been a moment of madness, but we have to eat and I needed to look at hammers and slippers. Really.We pulled up at Tesco and half the car park was beautifully cleared, however, the other half, which included the parent and child parking, had not been cleared quite so efficiently. Grr. On this occasion, every little would have helped. I put the car seat in one of the small trolleys. What was I thinking?! Trolleys are more difficult to steer than pushchairs - they are more difficult to steer than a cat that really wants to go in the opposite direction whilst wearing rollerskates!
Supermarkets are a bit hit and miss when it comes to looking after parents and babies. As a new mum, I am the perfect target for them. I am around in the day, need supplies on a regular basis and I have a little more time to browse than I used to. However, some supermarket trolleys don't have brakes, the trolleys for babies are kept by the shop not by the parking spaces, so you have to carry the baby and bags across the car park and taking the child in a pushchair is no good either as you can't buy more than a few bits.
Ok, I feel better now. And despite ranting, I still love a supermarket.
I sound like I am not a big fan of the snow, but, there are some upsides. Since the snow came, our family has doubled in size, temporarily anyway.
Actually, it's not the babies that are the problem as much as their pushchairs and general luggage. It was almost impossible to push the pram around a snowy park at the weekend. Perhaps that's to be expected, but trying to push down the pavement to school to drop off the big boy was ridiculous! The wheels were jamming, we were sliding down the slopes of the pavements and other parents were dashing to my aid. That was very kind, but a bit embarrassing. And this was a public right of way outside a school.
Then I attempted a supermarket shop. This may have been a moment of madness, but we have to eat and I needed to look at hammers and slippers. Really.We pulled up at Tesco and half the car park was beautifully cleared, however, the other half, which included the parent and child parking, had not been cleared quite so efficiently. Grr. On this occasion, every little would have helped. I put the car seat in one of the small trolleys. What was I thinking?! Trolleys are more difficult to steer than pushchairs - they are more difficult to steer than a cat that really wants to go in the opposite direction whilst wearing rollerskates!
Supermarkets are a bit hit and miss when it comes to looking after parents and babies. As a new mum, I am the perfect target for them. I am around in the day, need supplies on a regular basis and I have a little more time to browse than I used to. However, some supermarket trolleys don't have brakes, the trolleys for babies are kept by the shop not by the parking spaces, so you have to carry the baby and bags across the car park and taking the child in a pushchair is no good either as you can't buy more than a few bits.
Ok, I feel better now. And despite ranting, I still love a supermarket.
I sound like I am not a big fan of the snow, but, there are some upsides. Since the snow came, our family has doubled in size, temporarily anyway.
Sunday 5 February 2012
Cake sale.
My chocolate cornflake cakes went on sale at Rushcliffe Country Park in Ruddington near Nottingham. There is tea and cake on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month and all the cake is homemade, it's like my cake heaven! We had a piece of lemon drizzle;
It had been snowing and there were loads of people. Tea and cake was obviously just the job for post-sledging relaxation. The cake sold like, erm, hot cakes.
It's a lovely place to take a family. There are nice walks, nature trails and a big playground. The only problem was the snow... It was great for snowballing and is obviously a popular place to go sledging, but it is almost impossible to push a pushchair on snow, a fact that I had been unaware of in the past. The place looked beautiful though.
I have got the cake-bake bug. It takes hold every now and again. I may have to create some more masterpieces for another cake Sunday. My role could be 'cakes for kids'. Cornflake cakes are definitely easier than fruit loaf or apple and cinnamon cake. I could try a rocky road style concoction. (I admit it, I am going to be cooking these for myself).
Oh, one last thing. Thinking of cakes for kids (and big kids), my mother in law made us some phenomenal cakes. They are dalek cakes! And they are supreme. (There is a geeky Doctor Who joke in there). I love them.....how can I possibly eat them?! Oh, and there were four, that is the Cult of Skaro.
Friday 3 February 2012
Cake and more cake.
The initial reason for writing this blog is to suggest suitable destinations for mums and dads with babies and the paraphernalia that goes with them. One of my favourite haunts is Thurmaston Shopping Centre. Oh yes, life doesn't get better than this! It isn't Oxford Street or even Meadowhall, but it is close and has car parking, an M&S, Boots, Next and a Starbucks. As a self confessed coffee addict, I need a fix every day. Starbucks does a good skinny latte and I have recently become a big fan of their Classic Cake Doughnut. Thurmaston has free parking, which is a massive bonus. There is baby changing in M&S (right at the back of the shop) and Starbucks. And if you need a pint of milk, which I invariably do, there is a huge Asda next door. Not tried Asda with a baby yet. I haven't braved the crazily busy road you have to cross to get there. It's a bit daunting with a pushchair. Having said that, Asda has its own massive car park.
As well as suggesting where you can sample the best cakes in Leicestershire, I have made some baby steps into creating my own. Bearing in mind my incredible prowess is the kitchen (there is a large helping of sarcasm here) I thought I would start with something really complicated......chocolate cornflake cakes. I googled the recipe and came up with James Martins version. I substituted dark chocolate for milk chocolate as my eldest son would not give dark chocolate the time of day. I understand this is some people's definition of sacrilege, but I am not making cake that won't get eaten.
They are sooo easy to make.
You need;
100g of butter
200g of chocolate (in this case milk chocolate)
5 tbl spoons of golden syrup
160g of cornflakes
Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a pan on a low heat. When it is all melted and looks even, add the cornflakes and mix them in. Put the mix in little cake cases and put in the fridge to set. Makes 24 (as long as you don't eat the mix as you go along).
They are going on sale at a cake bake organised by my mother in law, so I will see if other people appreciate them as much as number one son.
This could be the beginning and the end of my cake baking. In real life, I don't get time to cook much, but while I am on maternity leave, I will try and be more of an earth mother.
I got a calendar for Christmas with a cupcake recipe for every day of the year. I was thinking of just looking at the pictures of the delicious lovelies (ricotta and lime cheesecake cupcake for example). Maybe I could go crazy and make them!
As well as suggesting where you can sample the best cakes in Leicestershire, I have made some baby steps into creating my own. Bearing in mind my incredible prowess is the kitchen (there is a large helping of sarcasm here) I thought I would start with something really complicated......chocolate cornflake cakes. I googled the recipe and came up with James Martins version. I substituted dark chocolate for milk chocolate as my eldest son would not give dark chocolate the time of day. I understand this is some people's definition of sacrilege, but I am not making cake that won't get eaten.
They are sooo easy to make.
You need;
100g of butter
200g of chocolate (in this case milk chocolate)
5 tbl spoons of golden syrup
160g of cornflakes
Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a pan on a low heat. When it is all melted and looks even, add the cornflakes and mix them in. Put the mix in little cake cases and put in the fridge to set. Makes 24 (as long as you don't eat the mix as you go along).
They are going on sale at a cake bake organised by my mother in law, so I will see if other people appreciate them as much as number one son.
This could be the beginning and the end of my cake baking. In real life, I don't get time to cook much, but while I am on maternity leave, I will try and be more of an earth mother.
I got a calendar for Christmas with a cupcake recipe for every day of the year. I was thinking of just looking at the pictures of the delicious lovelies (ricotta and lime cheesecake cupcake for example). Maybe I could go crazy and make them!
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Blimey!
Eight years ago I had my first baby and faced the adventure that was finding the best places for feeding, changing and pushing my new friend. Now, I have another little one and am going through the same process again. While I am going through this voyage of discovery, it seems like a good idea to share these insights with other mums, dads, granny's and grandpas who are facing similar challenges. Having a baby is a very time consuming state, so if anyone can learn from my experience all the better. And while I am going through this arduous research, I will force myself to try out cake and coffee from across the East Midlands. It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.
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