Blog about being Mum and everything that comes with it.
I have this obsesion with buying shoes for Chloe! She defenitely had more of them than me 😁
Now that autumn aproaches I decided that she will have only 2 pairs of boots: one smart and one casual (how many pairs of shoes does a toddler need????) That was untill I have seen those cute as hell boots! There is no way that I will be able to buy only 2 pairs 😁.
Get your hands on them before they go …
From ZARA :
From River Island :
From NEXT
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MEAL … SPINACH PICHI PASTA
This is a great dinner idea for your little one! What is very exciting is how much fun it is for kids to make it and how healthy it is!
INGREDIENTS:
– 100g baby spinach.
– 150g flower.
– 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Put baby spinach and flower in to the food processor and mix until combined well.
You want it to be this same consistency as play dough 😁.
Then to the fun part, you need to shape your pasta. Your little one will have so much fun doing it with you. Divided the sought in to 1cm balls and the roll it until you achieve thin rolls of pasta.
Cook the pici straight away, or leave them to dry out for a few hours, or even overnight. If you are Cooking them straight away add to the boiling water and cook for around 8 minutes; if you cooking them from dry then allow extra 5 minutes.
Once ready put on the plate, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve (this will give you quite a few portions which you can freeze).
I have made this pasta from Jamie Oliver recipe from his new book Super Food Family Classic (http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/spinach-pici-pasta/). I have made the recipe for us grown ups and adapted it for Chloe. If your child is older then you probably can follow the recipe and just miss on some chilly flakes.
Baby Sprinkle, Yes this time it is called a Baby Sprinkle not a Baby Shower. Let me explain; A Baby Sprinkle is a less lavish Baby Shower to welcome your second, third, fourth baby ….. 😊 It’s much smaller and much less extravagant, with the Mum To Be being sprinkled with gifts instead of showered with them. It’s all about having a lovely time with your closest friends and family. Its a tradition which started in America only a couple of years ago, it’s still very new so not many people celebrate it.
I wanted to do something for the second baby, it seemed to me unfair to have a big celebration when I was expecting my first daughter and to do nothing for the second one…. I definitely didn’t want to be the one explaining to my second daughter why there are no photos of her baby shower.
Are there any rules? From what I have found out it’s very similar to a Baby Shower with a few exceptions:
INVITATIONS
Yes you have to have them but this time it can be much less formal: an invitation sent through internet/ group text this time is more than enough (but if you want a fancy traditional invitation go for it).
WHO ORGANISES IT
The same rules apply as with a Baby Shower; Your friend or your family can organise it, or if you are a control freak like me you do it yourself 😊.
THEME
There are no rules when it comes to it, go with what you like, or forget about the theme all together and just have a lovely dinner/lunch/tea party.
TIME
As with a Baby Shower you should organise it by the end of your pregnancy, but at the time that you are still feeling well with minimal chances of going in to labour. 1 to 2 months before due date will be perfect. A Baby Sprinkle should last around 2 hours, it is much shorter than a Baby Shower which usually takes the whole afternoon.
PRESENTS
Don’t expect any. Yes you can make a registered gift list or a general gift list but remember that you already have most of the things for baby so it should only be small things on it. This time is all about just having a lovely time and not the presents.
I had my Baby Sprinkle last weekend and I had a lovely time. A much smaller event than the 40 guests that I had last time. Chloe has loved having a party (“Chloe’s and Baby Sister’s Party”) and being allowed to eat lots of treats. Here are some photos …
As soon as the terrible two’s have descended on us so did the sleep regression. On a positive note our terrible two’s lasted only 2 weeks and we now have our daughter back!!!! Yuppieeee!!!! The sleep regression lasted around 3 weeks and I dare to say it was more painful! Disturbed sleep while pregnant and working full time does not go well together! Did you hear that Chloe?????!!!!
Between the ages of 18-24 months kids go through yet another sleep regression; I hate them!!!! I can just about cope with a teething toddler and lack of sleep that this has been giving us in the last 14 months or so. With teething at least I know that it will last 2 or 3 nights and I also have my best friend Neurophen supporting me 😊 afterwards we will be getting our full night’s sleep; so it’s not too bad. With sleep regression we lose our evenings and our sleep at night!
It all started from the innocent “not being able to go to sleep on her own. We had that previously for 2 or 3 nights if she was teething but not for almost 3 weeks, and not so dramatic! As soon as Chloe wasn’t able to see me or my husband she would be up standing in her cot crying her heart out; I must say it was heartbreaking! As soon as she would see us she would lay down and try and go to sleep, while checking every couple of seconds if one of us is still there. It started taking her over an hour to fall asleep!!!!! 😳 Then came the waking up at night and crying for her Mummy a few times each night 😳
We have tried a trick our friends told us about; each night stand/lie down a little bit further torwards the door, then you stand outside the door and, then finally you don’t show yourself you just shusshhhh them (or as my friends did you put only socks on the floor right next to the door so they think that you are still there … But you are not 😂) And luckily it worked very well!!!!With every step towards the door the night started to improve as well, she was calling/crying for us less and less.
We are done with it now but it was hard guys. We are now back to the odd disturbed nights with the standard: teething, cold or one of 50 different reasons when they wake up at night 😊
We all know that people are very opinionated when it comes to pregnancies and babies … How many of you have experience of people saying: “oh you’re having a boy!”, “Oh you’re definitely are having a girl!” “Are you sure that this is what you are having??? As I think that you are wrong..”.
Where are people taking those strong opinions from ?! Do they know something that we don’t?!
I had it with my first pregnancy and I have it now. People will dispute what we have been told at our ultrasound because apparently they know better and I am not having a girl 😊
As I mentioned before this pregnancy was/is very different to my first one. I have been sick for the first 4 months,now I have a hernia, awfully looking varicose veins etc. People straight away started telling me that I am definitely having a boy, 100% a boy based on my pregnancy (though we all know or should know that how your pregnancy doesn’t mean anything, having morning sickness is not a sign of having a boy/girl). I even have been told that I am definitely having a boy because I am not as pretty as I use to be?? Yes can you believe that someone actually said that to me??!!!!!! 😂
… I would just like to ask everyone to leave my baby bump in peace and stop pissing me off!! 😘
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MEAL …
CARROT AND OAT MUFFINS
Ingredients:
– 280g flour
– 80g rollers oats
– 2 2/1 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 tsp be carbonated soda
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon
– 1/2 tsp ground ginger
– 1 tbsp of brown sugar
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 150g grated Apple
– 150g grated carrot
– 2 large eggs
– 50ml vegetable oil
– 180ml of milk
Cooking instructions:
Preheat oven to 180 C. And prepare your muffin tray or muffin forms.
Add flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, soda and and spaces in to a bowl and stir until all ingredients are combined together. Then add Apple and carrot and mix.
In to a small bowl add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract and beat for a minute or so.
Add the mixture in to your dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Divide the mixtures between the muffin forms ( you should have 12 big muffins or 24 small ones)
Put in to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Let them cool for around 10 min in the switched off oven before taking them out
Enjoy it
My happy, very good, cheerful child has changed overnight in to a crying, whining NO NO NO NO to everything baby !! Welcome to the Terrible Twos stage!
4 days ago Chloe woke up as a totally different child. Instead of seeing her happy smiley face in the morning I got crying Chloe who was getting in to tantrums every 5 minutes about everything !!! And that’s how she is since then.
Everything is a “NO”! Oh no it’s not only one NO, its “NO NO NO MUMMY” !!! With a finger shake added for impact and very often a tantrum when she is throwing herself on the floor and crying like crazy without a reason …..
It starts from the early morning:
Mum: Chloe do you want to go downstairs?
Chloe: NO!
Mum: Chloe do you want your milk (she loves her morning milk)
Chloe: NO!
Mum: I go and make it anyway, while I do it I am being told million of times “No No No mummy”, then she throws herself on the floor and starts to cry … I try to cuddle her; she throws herself on the floor and cries while saying “No mummy No”; I make the milk and leave it on the table … Few seconds later she is drinking it?
Mum: Chloe let’s go and play
Chloe: No
Mum: If she doesn’t want to play I will make myself a coffee …
Chloe: No No No No mummy !
Mum: Eeerrrrr No what? I am not even looking at her at this moment !!!! And then she is off to play happily.
Mum: Chloe let’s go and change your nappy.
Chloe: NO NNNNOOOOO mummy. Off I take her screaming and crying upstairs, and I will just say that changing a nappy becomes a performance of its own.
This gives you a taste of how my last few days have been looking. Everything is a “NO”, lots of crying, tantrums … And try to tell her No to something 😂 the meltdown that you get is something.
This episode in your toddlers’ life is called the TERRIBLE TWOs or as some likes to call it TODDLER REFUSAL! It can develop at any time between 19 months and 30 months. Comes unannounced and strikes with full power, then disappears without a word (I hope so !!!!). It can last anything from a few days to a few weeks but the specialists say that it will definitely go away sooner or later, so remember and keep repeating: it’s just a phase, it’s just a phase…. The reasons behind this behaviour is simple- toddlers say “no” because they can. “They’ve just found out that they have a will, and they want to exercise it,”(Susanne Denham, Professor of Developmental Psychology at George Mason University). When it comes to the tantrums different specialists say different things: some say that we are being tested by the kids to see if having a tantrum will give them what they want, some say that it’s because a toddler cannot express itself, some say that it’s just a reaction to escape a demand and some that it’s pure attention seeking.
There are tricks which can help with this difficult stage and I must say they work. Sometimes they will make the tantrum go away, sometimes they will prevent it, but remember they will not stop it totally and you have to be prepared for the battle of wills.
1. Offer choices
Give your toddler options. Options on how to do something, not if they want to do it. It makes them feel in control of what they are doing and that makes them happy.
If you ask him/her if they want breakfast the answer will be a very loud NO though we know that they want to eat! Instead give an option of cereal or toast.
I found meal times especially difficult. Chloe would just scream when I put her in her highchair, she would scream if I took her off … I didn’t have a clue what to do! So I started giving her lots of different things on her plate so she could choose what she wanted to eat (one main meal which is what we are eating and lots of different vegetables, few plain pasta, a fruit). This and taking the highchair tray off so she could “sit with us at the table” worked miricles and she started eating pretty much everything again.
When dressing them give options of two outfits and get them to try and dress themselves.
Going for a walk I would ask Chloe what shoes she wants to wear and if she wants to walk or take the pram.
2. Distraction
If she/he kick off with yet another tantrum just get them to look at something, pretend that you hear something, show them another toy etc. Works 70% of the time. This will stop them crying for long enough so you can show them something what will keep them occupied. I always say “Chloe have you seen the train?” (she is obsessed with them) and then take her to another room and try to play with her.
When changing a nappy (which for some reason Chloe started hating with a passion) I use toys to stop the tantrum and crying. I tell her that we will change theirs nappies afterwards and she can clean theirs bums, or I tell her that all of her favourite toys are looking at her, and they will scream and cry when she tries to change their nappies 😁 so far it has been working.
3. Ignoring
Sometimes nothing will work and you just will need to let them cry and calm down a bit. If the reason behind the tantrum is you saying “No” to something then you will have to ignore it. As tempting as it is do not give in and stay strong, if not your toddler might learn that if they behave that way they will always get what they want …. And you don’t want to incurage behaviour like that, do you ?😊 or you can just lay down and scream with them 😊
4. Little helpers
Get them to help you with whatever you are doing. Kids love to “help”, it makes them happy. Be prepared for everything to take twice as long, but I will be worth it. Helping with hanging the washing, folding clothes, tidying up, dusting etc
Have you gone throught this stage ? Do you have any tips ? Please share with us !
The second pregnancy is definitely very different! I was always told that by all of my baby mums but didn’t really believe it / understand it. I was shocked to discover how different it is. I am not talking here about the actual pregnancy (this is very different to the first one as well).
I remember being pregnant with Chloe and being obsessed about it and with everything to do with pregnancy and having babies etc. I would know each week what “fruit size” Chloe was, how she was developing; I would be spending hours on the internet researching all baby stuff that I needed, looking for hours for the perfect baby cot, toys. I would be starting to plan her room from when I was 3 months pregnant. I read all of the books about what to expect and bought every baby magazine out there.
I am currently 26 weeks pregnant and have done very little to nothing !!! I am already feeling sorry for my little baby girl as her mum half of the time doesn’t even remember how far pregnant she is (I had to check my baby app to tell you the weeks). I have had no time to do anything: no name ready, no plan of what needs to be done, nothing has been bought…. last weekend we had to make a conscious decision to write down a plan of what we will do each weekend so we are prepared for the arrival of our baby girl!
Don’t get me wrong we are very excited about her arrival, and I love house decorating, planing, baby stuff shopping- it’s my paradise, but with full time work, Chloe and a house to run I have no time or energy! (Even with a husband who does a lot to support – had to mention it So he doesnt get offended).
I will now be booking time each weekend so we can do things for our upcoming baby as well as having quality time with Chloe and some rest/fun…. Lets see how that goes ….
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MEAL …
APPLE & BANANA PANCAKES
Ingredients:
– 50g butter (melted)
– 1 egg
– 1 cup of milk
– 1 1/2 cup of flower
– 2 apples (diced)
– 1 banana (diced)
– 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Cooking method:
Mix all of the ingredients together except apples. When the mixture is smooth and creamy add your grated apples. Fry on a very hot frying pan on each side for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy it !!!!
Time for another holidays special post. I have written one of these last year about traveling with a baby. This is an updated version and angled more towards holidays with a little toddler. We are going on holidays YUPPIE ! In a few hours time I will be on a beach in glorious Cypriot sun TRYING to get some rest😁.
It can be quite overwhelming to pack for holidays with the little one; it can be quite tempting to just pack everything which might result in you needing much more than the allocated 20 kg. These are some tips on what you have to take and what is good to have based on all my traveling experience.
ESSENTIALS :
1. 50 UVA & UVB sun cream – ideally waterproof.
2. SunHat – just make sure that the shade from the hat covers your baby’s neck. More than one is advisable as they get covered in sand and ice cream surprisingly quickly.
3. Swimsuits – UVB protected ones are the best as you know that they are protecting your precious toddler on top of the sun cream.
4. Swimming nappies – lots of them 😊
5. Antihistamine – If you are going to a hot country your baby/child can get a heat rash. Aloe vera cream will help with a mild rash, cooling affected area, and wearing loose cotton clothing. If those things don’t work it is good to have Antihistamine Syrup.
6. Hydrocortisone Cream – another thing which is handy to have just in case. If the heat rash isn’t going anywhere after using antihistamine syrup then this mixed with lotion will.
7. Nurofen / Calpol – or any other pain / fever relief that you are using. You never know when you might need it. I never leave the house without a bottle in the changing bag.
8. Thermometer – a must-have when traveling with a child. We travel quite frequently and I must say I always end up using it. Last thing you want is your baby feeing hot and you not being able to check if they have a temperature or what the temperature is.
9. Nappy bags – at home we use a nappy bin so I never remember to take nappy bags or to refill them in my changing bag. Last thing you want when you are relaxing in your lovely hotel room is the smell of a stinky nappy !!!
10. Beach shoes – let’s remember that our precious babies feet skin is very delicate (not like ours, which requires lots of work to be smooth for a week or so) ; and that they are much more sensitive to temperature.
11. Sunglasses – yes they do look really cute in them but it is more about protecting their eyes than a fashion statement 😊.
12. Bag full of surprises – are you flying ? Is the fight quite long? Be prepared with lots of little things ready to distract your toddler. I have been very lucky as Chloe is quite good at flying; but I am still always prepared. New book which she hasn’t seen before, crayons, stickers, favourite toy, snacks etc. This will make sure that you can keep your baby entertained … You know how quickly they can get bored!
13. Dummy – or bottle/food if you don’t approve of dummies. This is to make sure that your child’s sucks on something at the take off of the plane and when plane starts to descend. Make sure to have something ready to prevent pain in your cute one ears.
GOOD TO HAVE
1. Towel Poncho – kids don’t like to sit in one place, wrapped up in towel waiting to dry and warm up a bit. This is the perfect solution, they are covered, warm and can run around.
2. UVB beach tent – this is very good and much more practical than trying to keep your monster under an umbrella. Chloe loves playing in her one.
3. Formula – this obviously is only if your child still has morning and evening milk. Reason why I suggest to buy it is because kids react differently to cows milk in other countries. When we went to Poland to visit my family Chloe got diahorrea from the milk (on which I was brought up and was totally fine with).
4. Favourite food – I always take Chloe’s favourite snacks just in case she gets a bit funny with her eating. New place, new environment, new people, new routine … It can really confuse baby/child which in turn can affect their eating.
5. Wet wipes – lots and lots of them. I swear you go through them at the speed of light!
6. Favourite bed time book and favourite toy – It all helps child adapt quicker to the new surroundings and makes us feel safer.
7. Travel cot mattress – With all of the suitcases that I have when traveling with Chloe, all the hand luggage needed and pram I have opted for not owning a travel cot. Instead I have a travel cot mattress which you put over the cot. I obviously always bring our own, fitted sheet for the cot as well. That way I don’t have to carry the travel cot, and I have peace of mind that Chloe’s sleeping environment is safe.
8. Swimming costume – you will need more that one. You will have to change your toddler in to a dry swimming suit after the get out of water. This will prevent them getting cold and getting a heat rash.
9. iPhone / iPad – with favourite cartoon. I am against giving those to kids but let’s be honest there are situations when all rules go out of the window and you will do anything to stop your child screaming
Hope that this little guide will help you pack useful things on top of all of the clothes and nappies required 😁
Oh and if anyone has invented something to prevent your toddler from eating the sand please share !!! 😂
NEW YUMMY MUMMY 