Monthly Archives: May 2012

I’ve found love

31 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Cloth nappies, Motherhood

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Review

When I was pregnant, I had no idea of the many varieties and brands of baby change bags available. I naively assumed I could just chuck a nappy or two into my current handbag and that would be that.

Oh how wrong I was.

It wasn’t until my mother in law insisted on buying me a change bag to match our green buggy that my eyes started to open. But again, the idea of buying a bag specifically for nappies seemed a little pointless.

Then, when Frog was born and I eventually started venturing out to mother and baby groups with her, I started to notice an array of nappy baby change bags on offer. The posh mums had a Pacapod or Storksak. These were the ultimate in baby change bags. The Landrover of the changing rooms. They were a status symbol. Continue reading »

Sunshine

30 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in Play

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It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon and I’ve hit a wall. I’ve done an eight hour radio shift, almost two hours of commuting and my toddler is running me ragged.

During the last hour I’ve already become victim to at least four violent, stormy tantrums. The Terrible Twos are taking their toll.

Having sought some cool in the kitchen I move myself and my angry 23 month old into the garden. She is hot and bothered. Grumpy.

But she spies her second favourite thing in the world. Her hat. And I bask in the radiance of her smile, snapping the moment on my phone to remind myself of this happiness when the next tantrum arrives. Continue reading »

Would you have taken the money?

29 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in Social media

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I bought a dress while I was shopping for some groceries in the supermarket this afternoon. It was one of those impulse buys. It was less than twenty quid and I’d eyed it up last time I was browsing for socks for my almost-2 year old daughter.

I never buy clothes for myself, you see. Or rarely anyway. It’s even rarer that I make an impulse purchase.

My impulse buy

It’s a money thing.

This is something I cringe from writing, because it’s so at odds with “me”. I hate to talk about money. Which, being self-employed, is probably something I need to get over.

Maybe it’s a British thing. Or maybe it’s that I don’t find “money chat” particularly interesting. And by “money chat”, I mean anything to do with purchases, status symbols, big cars, expensive stuff, houses. Continue reading »

How to bake without baking

28 Monday May 2012

Posted by in Play

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I won’t lie to you. I’m not a particularly “bakey mum”. I only trundle out the flour and mixing bowls once every few weeks, when my 23 month old daughter is particularly grumpy and it takes the promise of baking some cakes to calm her.

So the cute kids bakeware items sent to me by Dunelm Mill have remained untouched until today.

And, the thing is, it’s too hot to use them for what they are designed for. At least, it was today. Who wants to be stuck in a boiling kitchen when it’s shady and cool in the garden? Continue reading »

On renaming food

24 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Weaning and eating

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Picture the scene. It’s a beautifully hot evening. Myself, Frog and the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine are enjoying an al fresco supper of homemade spaghetti bolognaise.

Frog discards her spoon and rams her tiny fingers into the middle of her plate.

After much rummaging, she proudly brings forth a piece of pepper.

And the conversation goes thus: Continue reading »

Equality begins at home

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by in Family, Relationships

≈ 23 Comments

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Photo credit: Katch

This time last year I was officially still on maternity leave, but had started to build a portfolio leading to a new life as a Work At Home Mum.

Despite being busy trying to fit in 30 hours of work around looking after our baby 24/7, I was pretty much in charge of everything domestic. From cooking to washing, dishwasher unloading to the occasional dusting spree, the house was my domain. The (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine had two duties: putting the bins out and being in charge of the barbecue.

How terribly 2012. Continue reading »

Not giving up

20 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in Walking

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Usually on a Sunday I like to post a photo with no words, taking part in the Silent Sunday tradition.

But not this week.

Because yesterday I filmed a little video. And after all the posts I’ve written about my non-toddling toddler’s struggle with walking and hypermobility, the frustrations and questioning looks, the worry and negativity… I wanted to put something positive here.

This is what determination looks like, in the form of an almost 23 month old little girl with wonky feet and uber flexible limbs. This is what not giving up looks like. Continue reading »

Escaping the prison

19 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in Sleep

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With her second birthday just 6 weeks around the corner, it’s fair to say my beautiful Frog is no longer a baby.

Despite her inability to confidently walk unaided (although we’re getting there, step by step) my girl is feisty, chatty, independent and extremely bossy. She certainly isn’t the tiny, helpless little bundle we brought home from the hospital.

Which means – we think – that she’s ready for a bed.

The whole “moving from cot to bed” is yet another milestone that parents can become obsessed by. On the scale of riveting conversations, the discussion about my daughter’s bed readiness ranks pretty low (about a 1 or 2 I guess) and isn’t something I’d expect anyone other than myself to give two hoots about. Continue reading »

The Diary: How to persuade a child to go on a booze cruise

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Family, Travel

≈ 6 Comments

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Photo credit: Dunnock_D

If you ever have trouble persuading your children to join you on a jolly across the channel to collect some cheap booze, then I have the answer. At least, my eleven year old self does.

It’s in this week’s transcribed entry of the diary I started in 1994. (Yes, I know, it’s embarrassing. But I’ve started now and it’s too late to back out.)

***

25th October 1994

Dear Diary, Continue reading »