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What’s the story?

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Sunset, July 2011

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One of my favourite ever photographs; we live in an urban idyll, just ten minutes out of town by Metro, but by a perfect patch of God’s green land. What could be better when you live in a gardenless flat than having this view on your doorstep. We walk here EVERY evening of the week, rain, snow or shine.

I may have mentioned I’m a worrier, before we ate our marshmallows by this wee campfire one evening I made Alex look up whether there was a possibility that we might be arrested or worse for starting a small fire, I saw it getting out of hand taking with it swathes of trees etc, it didn’t…

Five huge bottles of water and a bit of stamping later (just to make sure it was definately out you see!) we headed for home, stopping by the pub for a cider and smelling suspiciously like smoky bacon crisps! The police have yet to catch up with us, two newlyweds enjoying each others company just two weeks after their wedding, this photograph evokes happy memories of long summer evenings gone.

Studying and reading whilst parenting

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Studying and reading whilst parenting

I am reading about new parent’s perception of time at the moment and am probably going to be doing some research around this area. I’m finding studying, working and trying to juggle family life and run a home rather interesting! The way I work is to immerse myself in my topic, I talk to people about it, read about it, dream about it, and now it seems I have so much other stuff in my head, the nappy washes, what’s for dinners and when’s the childminder always, that I also write post it notes about it….all around the house….

So I’m sort of finding that yes, time does fly now I’m a parent, but it could just be that I’ve stuffed my brain to the rafters as any student would. I don’t feel very studenty, I feel like a fraud carrying a student discount card and sort of wish I could use it in useful places, like less Topshop more Mothercare and the likes! Ironically I probably achieve more in less time than I did procrastinating through my first degree!

Any tips for managing not to have anything vital fall out of my head would be gratefully appreciated! Help, I’m a student, send post-its!

Craftiness

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Super quick late night crafting, I like to keep my hands busy to keep them out of the biscuit barrel and protect my weightloss! Made with a small cardboard box, pva glue and papers and bits n bobs from the latest Papercrafter mag, I had to have it, I am big into the nautical theme at the moment and the whole crafty pack was all seabirds, anchors and beachhuts!

What’s the story?

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What's the story?

Slightly blurry, taken at 3 in the morning, a smiling in her sleep 13 week old Joss. This photograph is on my desk at work, to others it is a smiling snap of a sleepy baby, to me it holds so many precious memories.

When I took this photo it was probably one of the first nights that I wasn’t terrified of being a new mum. Shortly after I snapped this Joss started giggling in her sleep, the video that goes alongside this photo makes me laugh so much, you can hear me quietly chucking in the muffled background, coming out of postnatal depression and enjoying this snuffly little lady.

Why did I take it? For Daddy to enjoy the next morning? Perhaps, but more so to remember that every sleepless night is so so worth it, and after last nights teething ‘worst sleep ever’ it’s lovely to see this photograph again!

Testing Bibisili Bibs from Piccolo Bambino…Great Fun!

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When I was pregnant we looked for local baby retailers and particularly wanted to find someone who stocked SkipHop products amongst others. We came across Piccolo Bambino just down the road in Northumberland. When we saw that PB were looking for product testers for the Bibisili bibs they stock we contacted Emily and she sent us Poppy Pig to test.

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Why do we like them? Well as well as being funky and fun for toddler mealtimes they’re eco friendly, a must in this household! Made of 100% food grade silicone and lead, BPA and phthalates free they’re eco friendly, non toxic, odourless, flexible and harmless to baba’s skin.

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We are big fans of the crumb catcher design, helping keep clothes clean but also making a handy pouch for dropped chunks of food, perfect for a messy tot!

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We’ve used this for a week now, it’s seen some stubborn weetabix, messy sauce and plenty of crumbs but cleaned really well and a quick wipe between meals on the go means it’s portable too, no stains as yet and we eat a lot of tomato based sauces!

We like the adjustable neck, it’s a great design actually, others on the market are chunky for wee necks (some remind me of a neck brace, haha!!) and the adjustable hook and eye design keeps the bib in place preventing tugging hands from removing it, whilst giving room to move.

With loads of cool designs including Deano Dino and Sammy Seal you’re sure to find one (or two, or three!) for your little ones!

Check out Piccolo Bambino and Bibisili on facebook:

#/pages/Piccolo-Bambino/138944636204690?fref=ts

#/Bibisili?fref=ts

and on twitter:

#/PiccoloBambin0

#/Bibisili

We’re famous….again!

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We're famous....again!

I love magazines with a passion, glossy pages, snippets to dip into, I love to read blogs and I know paper is terribly bad for the environment, but I do share them with friends and make collages and recycle them after reading! We wrote into Prima Baby and they asked us to answer one of their Mum SOS questions, and here we are in print! Not my first foray into media but lovely to see our Jossy’s smiling wee face in the press!

Love Necessity Review

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Love Necessity sells cloth nappies, and you know how much we like nappies! When I saw that LN were sewing up a storm and looking for testers for their baby and toddler wear I stepped in line to test a toddler dress with Jossy.

When the dress arrived I was delighted with the print, if you check them out on Facebook at #/LoveNecessityNappies?fref=ts I think you’ll agree that Andrea, the mama behind LN has a lovely eye for fabrics.

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I often find that clothing for babies and toddlers in the shops is just too grown up, instead Andrea has chosen fun, colourful fabrics that are playful and well co-ordinated. As party dresses go, we tend not to go for the big and bulky but pared down and well made, the ruffles give it a party feel without being OTT. It more than accommodated Joss’ big big boosted nappies! The fabric itself is a lovely lightweight cotton, it washed and dried brilliantly – it’s been through the tumbler just fine, and is a lovely cool dress for these hot days we’ve been having, perfect stitching work and ruching to boot, it’s a lovely dress and has got lots of compliments at our Baby Social group!

Thanks Love Necessity for a really gorgeous dress!

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We have some winners to announce!

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I have thoroughly enjoyed running my first blog competition and reading about what your little ones like to eat! This post comes with thanks to Munchkin for providing me with the prizes, we’re thoroughly enjoying the Munchkin Mummy experience!

The winners, chosen at random with the help of Joss and a top hat (OK straw boater) are as follows:

1) Hstaveley24

2) Dani jameson

3) Beverley Kirwin

4) Rosie Cheeks

5) Andrea Unsworth

6) Toni E

7) Eloise Latouche

8) Sarka Baran

9) Janet Abladey

10) Paige Shail

I will email you all and ask you to send me your name and address so I can get your prize to you!