My Angel and Sleep

My little baby boy (or not so much nowadays) loves to sleep. He can sleep and sleep for hours day or night. I'm not complaining for a second but it can be quite restricting as he really seems to need to sleep so much and if he doesn't his behaviour can be intolerable .

Take Friday as an example. We had gone to tesco for the monthly huge shop and after half an hour there, only 2 hours out of bed for the day, he's yawning, cranky, rubbing his eyes and generally tired. So, i finish the shop as quickly as I can and head home, bribing him with dairylee dunkers to keep him awake in the car. When we get in at 11.30am I gave him a bottle and had a cuddle for half and hour and put him down to bed. Come 5pm he was still asleep and I had to wake him, which never goes down well with the boy and it took 20Min's to get him properly awake. Then at night it was Hubby's turn to get him to bed as I was out, and by all accounts he was sparkled at 8pm again.

Is too much sleep ever a bad thing??? Or does this boy just love his bed?? As Ive said, I'm not complaining, its just awkward to get out or get things done in a day when he obviously needs so much sleep.

Busy Busy Week

Its been a crazy week with hardly any laptop time at all, and I discovered what a lovely patient husband I have.

Ive been out 4 nights out of 5 and he hasn't batted an eyelid even though hes done the bathing and bedtimes all alone. Ive started going back to the gym and swimming with a very good friend and on Friday night I went to see 'Sex and the City 2' and had a ball. The film was great and I met up with a twitter buddy who happens to be from where I live too originally and we had a great chat and the company was good.

This week another friend from twitter is up visiting for spring holidays and so hopefully we'll get some good nights and days out together and I intend to finish that garden project today id possible.

I'm loving being busy. I'm tired but feel like I have purpose now. I'm not just a mum but a woman with missions.

and the bad mood goes on.

Its just becoming a joke this bad mood that I've been in for days now, and today was just as bad as ever.

I am mean and grumpy.

I spent this morning cooking for my mum's dinner party tonight. She suffers from high blood pressure but loves entertaining, so when its as hot as it is now and there's lots of people to cook for I help to stop her from getting too stressed. I made a gorgeous Italian chicken and spring veg and baby new potatoes in mint, then for dessert panacotta and summer fruit compote. It only took me an hour to throw it together but my dear Husband moaned the whole time which rubbed me up the wrong way straight away. Apparently me helping out was hindering our day together.

After lunchtime he went out for a ride on his bike and I sat out in the garden with the cats and sunbathed which was very relaxing. The cats were zonked as you can see from misti sunbathing in the picture. To be honest thought it didn't improve my mood.

Tonight I'm just as cranky as ever and its sending me nuts. :0(

I hope and pray tomorrow is better.

Mood Swings and Me.

I have had the worst day of mood swings, and I hated every second of them.

I wasn't in control of my moods at all.

I woke up happy, went to shops content, came home fed up and then turned into the female from hell.

No, its not the time of month for hormones, or that anyone did anything to cause it. It was just like that all day, right up until now it has gotten progressively worse. I hate it. This is not me!!

I cant help the raging anger or the feeling of wanting to cry or even the need to scream at nothing and no one.

How can this be so out of control?

Lazy Beach Days, a Thing of the Past?

Yesterday when we woke up it was so gorgeous outside we decided to take some sandwiches and walk along to the beach with Caleb. I stupidly had visions of him falling asleep and us sunbathing together and gazing at our slumbering creation, while he slept soundly in his pram. Oh how I was wrong. HA HA! Fool!

I gave him a bottle before we left thinking that would help and settled him with his hat and a blankie in his pram and packed a bag. We walked along and when we got there he started creating straight away. He wanted onto the sand. So we took him out and thought playing might tire him out. Nope, wrong. He got really wild and started throwing sand all over the place, at us and all over himself. He thought this was a true hoot. Then he was off and away. Lunch uneaten, we spent 2+ hours chasing him all over the sand and stopping him picking up and eating everything he found.

Eventually we brought him over and he sat with us and had some lunch and a lot of juice, in fact 4 fruit shoots roughly and some mini Cheddars. Hubby then decided to take him paddling but it was quite a walk as the tide was out. I thought I'd get some peace for a while but after the 5 minute walk down they must have paddled for 30 seconds and wandered back up. NO PEACE!!!

A lady then appeared next to us with a baby walker the same as Caleb's and that was the end of all good natured play. He wanted it and freaked out completely as we had to keep bringing him away. The lady obviously wasn't wanting his attention on her little one, which I understood, but it resulted to us being left with a screaming kicking screaming dervish. I then tried to take him down to the water again but he wasn't interested and screamed and kicked all the way down.When I brought him back up hubby put him in the pram and took him for a walk to calm him. He eventually came back with a completely sweaty sleeping baby. At which point we both collapsed in the sun and had a full hour to ourselves, by which point it had started to get a little chilly so we headed back home. Exhausted!!!!

I guess my days of lying on the beach and sunbathing in peace are well and truly gone for the foreseeable future. Deep Joy.

How to Celebrate Hubbys Birthday

Today was Hubby's 31st Birthday and I couldn't think how to celebrate with little cash and a baby in tow.

The thing you have to know about Ewan, my other half, is that he may have been turning 31, but he's still 5 at heart.

He loves anything that's fun and that the kids would enjoy.

So I said to him yesterday that weather permitting I had a surprise day out planned. We got up early and ready and left the house at 10am with the little one. I drove, so could go without saying where. I took him to the 'Heads of Ayr Farm Park' to see all the animals and have a picnic lunch. I thought if it kept the wee one happy then we could relax a bit. When we arrived Ewan was laughing and saying what a funny place to chose but good idea.

I had packed all his faves for lunch and some extra goodies, but first we wandered round with Caleb and we all loved it. We saw horses, meerkats, donkeys, lemur, deer, otters, rabbits at the petting corner, guinea pigs (that Caleb adored), and his favourite of all the tiny monkeys. He stood at the glass cages of the monkeys and giggled as they ran over to see him and when he hit the glass they hit back. He was in hoots.

As we went round all the different areas he wasn't shy with the animals at all, and also had a shot on the trampolines and tractors with Mummy and Daddy too. The fact that he was happy and enjoying the day meant that we could relax too. It was a really lovely day.

I think Hubby enjoyed it too, and when we got home I made him a huge dinner including panacotta with strawberries which is his favourite dessert of all time. Both kids enjoyed dinner too and even Sophie enjoyed dessert which she normally wouldn't even try.

Good day all round, but I am well and truly wiped now and settling down with a glass of wine and 'The Hurtlocker' which is Hubby's choice.

All about me

I really don't do having my photo taken or like showing them off, but here goes.

My weight had fluctuated vastly since Sophie was born 12 years ago and it makes me very self concious, and I guess fairly self loathing so I just steer clear as much as I can or hide in photos as much as I can.

I regret not having more photos of the kids and I together so try now and again to allow one or two.

Heres a few anyway of me and my 3 favourite people/kitties.

Boy Time

So as we know I went out for the first time and left daddy to do the whole teatime,bathtime, bedtime thing alone last night. Outcome= a success by all accounts.

When I came home I asked how everything went, as I'd laid out all the instructions step by step for Caleb's dinner, put his pj's and vests,creams etc out and made up the bottle. Husbands response, ' it was great, we had boy time.'

Ever feel redundant??? Well, I sure do now.

I've been being nagged from all angles to take more time to myself as I never leave the kids with anyone, but apparently I need to cut the apron strings a bit as my Hubby can manage just fine.

DAMN IT!!!!!!

:o)

Cook School for a top night out

On Tuesday night I went to the local Cook School with my Mum and Dad for a demo and tasting night. I really had no interest in going but Mum had won two tickets in a raffle and had been told it was great fun, so she bought another ticket and Dad came too. It was a great night and I came home so full and well watered too.

We arrived at 6pm and after a quick intro by the chefs, Jason and Phil, we were taken through to the kitchen where there was food already laid out to nibble on while we watched the demo. All sorts of cured meats, tomatoes, cheeses, olives and homemade bread. We had wine and water whenever our glasses ran dry.

The chefs, did minestrone soup, mushrooms on bruscetta, bread, risotto, meatballs and salmon. which we all go to taste and then after we sat down in the dining room with smoked haddock macaroni, and panacotta with fresh berries, more wine and tea and coffee. It was fab, and at £45 a ticket well worth it as we were so well looked after.

We cant wait to go back.

Welcome the Sunshine

Its officially summer in troon today. The sun is shining and its gorgeous. Its truely a fabulous place when its warm. The winters can be pretty wild, although today its a distant memory.

What did I do with it? Not much to be honest. I contemplated going for a walk or doing the garden but in the end I watered my newly seeded grass and then got a sun lounger out and lounged. It was great.

Bring on the constant good weather.

I hope the sun shone today wherever you were. :o)

Wilkinsons Baby Range

I was very kindly sent a selection of products to review by Wilkinson recently from their baby range.

They consist of a baby wash, nursery surface anti -bac wipes and baby wipes, pictured here.

My favourite of the three immediately were the nursery wipes as anyone who knows me knows of my obsession with all thing sterile when it comes to Caleb and his things. They came in a really handy little pack that fitted into his changing box neatly and were great for wiping down his changing mat after use. I usually use an anti-bac spray which is bulky and cant be kept in his room. They were great and convenient too. Priced at just 77p made them even more appealing.

The baby wash smelled really lovely, almost a childhood smell I couldn't quite place my finger on but lovely and powdery for baby. Caleb has small patches of dry skin on his back I was wary of changing his wash but this one has been fine and hasn't made it any worse. At 96p its very reasonably priced too compared to its competitors. If I was to mention a downside of it though, I'd say that the bottle wasn't very easy to use one handed as the top was stiff and also the wash is very runny which made it a bit awkward, especially for very small babies as you're supporting them at the same time. Overall though for a baby Caleb's age we liked it as the smell is fab.

The baby wipes again, smelled gorgeous and were really soft. I used them in his pram bag as they were super neatly packaged. And again at 2 packs for 97p they are cheaper than the brands we usually use by a mile and definitely smelled much better too. I really couldn't find a down side to these.

Overall I'm impressed with the three items and would highly recommend both of the types of wipes and the baby wash is lovely if you go for smell and your little one is maybe of sitting up age. I think all the products definitely win hands down on price for mummys on a tight budget.

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

Summers coming so chose a diet quick.

It suddenly struck me yesterday that summers coming fast and the weight I said this time last year I had to lose plus the rest still hasnt been shifted. PANIC!!!!!!!!

I spent the best part of last night scouring the web for the best quick fix diet as ideally I'd like to drop 2 stone asap to get back to what I was pre baby.

This photo is of me after sophie was born and I was a teeny weeny so theres no excuse of ' you've had a baby' as my husband keeps informing me. Every time I've said I'm unhappy with my weight for the last year he's told me that, and for the first few months I agreed but to be honest I was slimmer then than I am now.

I started back at the gym but am finding it really hard to keep up with not having any help with the kids other than my husband after work, and how tired I am at the end of the day. I just need a quick fix diet to kickstart me, as when I see results, I'm hoping as it has in the past, that I'll be motivated to keep it going.

I've looked at every diet going and am confuddled.

HELP!!!!

Baby to Boy in a Hair Cut

Something struck me this week and it frightened me half to death.

'MY BABY IS NEARLY A LITTLE BOY'

These two photos of Caleb were taken within a day of each other. In one he's still my little baby and in the other after a swift hair chopping by mummy, hes a little boy. How did it happen so fast?

All this does is make me even more broody for my babies to go back to babies. Sophie is gone way past babyhood into her 13th year this year. She's gone past the point of no return to babyhood, but how long can I try and preserve it with Caleb?? Its scary how fast the time goes and how something as mad as a haircut can take my baby and replace him that easily with a little boy.

Happy Mummy= Happy Kiddies

We moved into this house 3 and a half years ago and we have done the odd bit to the back garden like put up a fence and build a shed but the last few weeks I've needed something to get my teeth into as Ive been a bit down. My mum who's a super keen and good gardener suggested growing some veggies which would mean I would have to build my own veggie patch etc as our whole garden was just grass. So I did, and the gardening and landscaping bug well and truely struck. In two weeks I have trellised the fence and trained the plants up it, built a veggie patch and planted, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, rocket and all manner of herbs. I built the patios and edged the whole garden with coping and wooden mini fencing. I've planted strawberries in hanging baskets at the shed, and in a huge tub at the bottom of the garden and have transported and nursed a dying rodidendron (spelling) to a tub next to the shed. I've also planted a raised flowerbed under the kitchen window which cant be seen here. On friday there I couldnt find anything to do in the garden so I pulled everything out of the shed and cleaned it out. I have never done gardening or outdoor work before as I'm not a huge fan of dirt and oogey stuff, but Im loving this project. I get the ipod on and my music up full and really loose myself in the whole experience. This picture was taken before some of the stuff was done and to be honest its still not finished yet but I will need to take another when the whole garden is done and the sun is shining.

Where was the little chap while I did all this and built patios etc? Well, he was here, sleeping. He loves a good nap in the afternoons so while he sleeps I get me time. I find it helps lift my mood and gives me a sense of achievement which benefits the kids too as I'm a happier mummy a the moment doing all this, and a happier Mummy means happier kiddies.

As you can see from Calebs face its meaning happiness all round in our house. Theres been less bad moods from him and more laughs all round. This makes me a very happy mummy.

I always poo-pooed my mum when she said that my stress rubbed off on the kids but I'm believing it now for sure. Long may it continue.

Voting Day.

Well General Election day has arrived at last after all the hype, build up, leaders debates and bitching. Im quite excited strangely. Ive never voted before, not through choice but at the last General Election I was nearly 9months pregnant with sophie and was in Hospital with a placental bleed. It just didnt seem that important compared to what I was going through personally. I wasnt a home owner or a business owner so really didnt have much of an opinion anyway.



People always say we have a right to vote and everyones votes makes a difference, but at that time I would have been ticking a random box for not much reason really. This time round I have read every leaflet, watched every programme, am a homeowner, a parent and a wife. I think all of these factors will add to the decision of which box I tick. In the last few years our house value had slumped by over £30k, Ive been made redundant, my husbands wages have dropped substancially, we nearly lost our house last year and I have had another child. Those are all the negatives from our current goverment for us, but it wasnt all bad. Under current Labour leadership we got on the housing market, the Child Support Agency has changed its policies and I have at last recieved some maintenence after 12 years and we've had new hospitals built locally. I also appreciate that some people have prospered under Labour.



The one thing I wont do today though is vote on the past. I hate it when people bang on about 'the last time we had a Labour goverment' or the 'Maggie Thatcher' years. Neither Gordon Brown, David Cameron or Nick Clegg are those leaders and I intend to vote on their recent policies. I cant understand why people vote for a party because thats who they always vote for and who their parents voted for. To me thats a wasted vote and completely makes a mockary of the fight we had for the right to vote. Lets take their policies, read them thoroughly without predudice and vote for an improvement to our personal/working lives.



I dont care who people vote for individually but I hope everyone stands by their vote for the right reasons and whats best for them.



Good luck to all three parties and I pray tomorrow we have the right goverment whether it be a new one or an improved old one. :o)



(Hark at me!!! I'm a grown up)

Happiness doesnt cost a thing!

I was thinking today about the little things that make life good when you're little and how little ones dont need alot to enjoy life and have fun. Its not always the things that cost the most that make the biggest smiles.







Sophie always loved to play with magazines and paper and crayons when she was little. Even sometimes playing clap a handies for hours on end with her seemed to amuse and entertain her endlessly. Calebs loves to play with plastic cups. Granny bought him ELC stacker cups for his birthday but hes happy with any. He loves to turn them over and over, roll them
, stack them and generally just loves cups.

On Wednesday of this week we went up to my parents house and I dug out some of my nephews and Sophies old toys from their garage. We took them into the garden and he enjoyed playing in the sunshine for soem of the afternoon, but the thing that made him smile the most, was a dandilion my dad gave him to hold. He sat and pulled the petals off and tickled his face with them. I watched him with amusement and realised that the toys were a bonus, nature was the cheapest toy and the one that made him smile the most. I wish I'd caught him on camera with it but I was enjoying watching him too much. This was the little thing that made me smile alot this week. :o)