Little Magic Beans

Back-up bunnies – always have a plan B

Tomorrow is my first day back at work and Little Bean’s first full day at nursery. And I’ve only just realised why people go on about how awful it is.

Last week’s ‘settling in’ at the nursery did not go well. She cried, I cried – it wasn’t pleasant.

The only thing that comforted her on day three was having her bunny there for naptime. I’m a bit dubious about this bunny although I’ve realised there’s no accounting for taste when it comes to little ones.

Like this?Read more…

Team Lloyd

Sport’s Day

Time for a light hearted blog? – Yes Please

Having had one of the longest weeks of our lives Daddy Lloyd and I were totally up for some good old fashioned family fun time. Yesterday was B Lloyd’s first proper school sport’s day, the weather took a break and the sun was shining (honest) we had our picnic packed, sunglasses on and B Lloyd dressed in the colours of Canada.

Like this?Read more…

run of the windmill

Think P-o-s-i-t-i-v-e

P is getting ready to leave on his holiday. He is going to be cycling around the ‘tour de France’ mountains (dangerous for a boy from the flatlands whose only training consists of eating biscuits) But hey ho, it’s still a kid-free holiday in my book. It is also the evening before the great event in the school diary. The teacher’s retirement party. And of course I have volunteered to be the principle cake-bearer for the occasion. I have stocked up on fondant icing, sugar flowers and a professional palate knife so I have set the bar high

Like this?Read more…

F.A.B at Forty

6th Sense

This might be a bit controversial and I don’t want to offend anyone. However, this is a subject that I am hugely interested in finding out other people’s opinions of.
From time to time I still like to go onto the loss forum boards that supported me so much after our son died. I haven’t been on for a while, but the girls were asleep and my hubby was doing some paper work, so Friday night I went to check in and see who was still around.

Like this?Read more…

Me, Myself and I

Badger Boos Daft Adventures

Hello my pawsome followers, sorry it’s been so long since I last updated my Jackanory Story but I’s had to think very hard abouts how to write this latest installment.

As you may remember in Part Five, something terrible happened to me and my surrogate mummy Meegan which terrified me so much I didn’t want to go outside for walks.

**finds a comfy position and starts to remember**

Like this?Read more…

Sleepless In Newcastle

How do you get back to being you?

I guess this is part of the journey I am on and part of the reason this blog has been helping me. I am slowly but surely realising my own worth as a human being and an individual. After suffering so much abuse and self-hating about my weight, depression and coping with the binge eating I have piece by piece lost the parts of myself that made me have an identity and feel I had something to give to the world around me.

Like this?Read more…

Hertfordshire Mummy

Give Peas a Chance!

My toddler is a vegetable refusenik but yesterday we had a breakthrough (even if it was a breakthrough doused in ketchup!)

Like this?Read more…

Mummy’s Little Stars

What is your birthday like now you have had kids?

It was my birthday this week. Not a particular special one; just one more year to forty…which is a whole other story..

Birthdays mean a lot in our house; parties, spectacular cakes (bought of course), cards, meals out, early morning chaos, wrapping paper everywhere and frantic last minute buying.

But typically, that’s for the kids these days. Birthdays have changed, can’t imagine why:

Like this?Read more…

Three Under 3

Panic Stations

What is it about being a mum that turns you into a neurotic, over-anxious diva? Honestly, what is it? Is it the hormones? The post-traumatic shock of having had to actually give birth to the things? Or does your sense of perspective simply exit your body with the placenta?

Like this?Read more…

Dad etc

the night the tooth fairy didn’t come!

My daughter, E lost a tooth last night. She carefully placed the tooth in a sealed box which was placed lovingly under her pillow in anticipation of a visit from the Tooth Fairy.

The Tooth Fairy did not come!

This is E’s video to explain why the Tooth Fairy did not come last night.

Like this?Read more…

Minisaurus

“Mummy Cut My Hair!”

My little Ozzy, oh sorry ‘Buzz Lightyear’ (he’s only answering to that at the moment – it better be a phase!). My lovely golden haired, young boy. Your hair was long, growing into your eyes. People called you a girl, even with your pants off on the beach *ahem*. Daddy  was adamant that you needed a hair cut. And we all know that only one woman can cut your hair. Yes. Me.

So what do you think of your new barnet?

Like this?Read more…

My Darlings and Me

The Most Rubbish Olympic Torch Photos Ever!

Spot the Olympic Torch! You have to look very carefully, but it’s there somewhere. In my defence, I had a 36lbs three and a half year old on my shoulders, an 18 month old child asleep in the buggy by my side and I was being jostled and pushed by a crowd of thousands! Not ideal photo taking conditions. I’ve got serious torch envy… there are blog posts almost every day with the most fantastic, clear photos of the Olympic torch *sobs*

Like this?Read more…

The Chaos Queen

New cushion – now Plump it!

I need all the help I can get to remind myself to keep my house looking lovely, so was over the moon when I found this handmade cushion in a beautiful little local shop.

I mean…how much clearer does the message need to be? PLUMP THE BLOODY CUSHION!

Like this?Read more…

Crafts On Sea

Hello? Yes, I’d like to eat your cake please…

So, last week I was in Wales. And you are correct to feel totally jealous at this, who knew it would be so nice? It’s like Cornwall but without all the overpriced tourist stuff, fantastic! Anyway, as part of the grand tour we visited Ye Olde Worlde tea Rooms, otherwise known as Aunty Vi’s. Basically, it’s Vi’s gaff and you ask her, or one of her relatives for some cake, and then they bring you out some cake. Hang on. I haven’t sold that as well as I should do have I? Lets start again.

Like this?Read more…

3 Children and It

Bisto Moments

Remember those adverts from the 80′s? No matter what was going on in the family’s life, sitting down to a Sunday lunch with bisto gravy, seemed to make everything right with the world. If you’re as old as me, you will be familiar with the catchy slogan ‘aaah! bisto’ which took off in homes across the country.

Like this?Read more…

LearnLoveGrow.com

See me..what do you see ?

A friend once told me that I needed to tell my face that I was happy, days later the beautician commenting frankly that I had an aura of sadness, around the same time, a man in a pub, asking my friend..who had died.

I felt happy, I was happy…but somehow it didn’t translate into how I presented to others. My thought was I am happy therefore I look happy…not so. Oh..to see ourselves as others see us…

Like this?Read more…

twins tiaras & tantrums

Identical Twins! Identical Personallities?

I spent this morning teaching the girls to write letters from a work book I had brought them for their birthday. I thought I would try and give them a head start before starting nursery in September. Monkey as usual was eager to learn, listening to what I said and trying to stay on the dotted line. Mookin on the other hand was her normal haphazard self and making it up as she went along.

It never ceases to amaze me how different the girls are; I suppose as identical twins I presumed that they would share

Like this?Read more…

Catch a Single Thought

What I wanted to be when I grew up

Last week I had a conversation with Meg that went like this:

Me: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Meg (indignantly): “but I am growed up!”
Me: “Ok, you are a bit bigger than you were, but mummy means when you are as old as daddy”
Meg: Ok. *thinks hard* What I want to be when I grow up…”

Like this?Read more…

Bake Yummy

Carrot, Pineapple and Coconut Cake

This cake is incredibly versatile – it would make a excellent loaf cake, a traybake, a layered sponge or cupcakes. I turned it into a Cheetah Rock birthday cake using a swiss roll tin and a half filled loaf tin. This is a very moist cake, sweet, but not overly so and a nice alternative to a vanilla sponge as a base for a birthday cake.

Like this?Read more…

Mini Bookworms

The Somethingosaur by Tony Mitton, illustrated by Russell Ayto

The Somethingosaur is the charming story of a young creature in search of his family, in a ‘where’s my mummy’ scenario. On his travels he asks some dinosaurs if they are his mummy. Eventually he comes to a big mountain with a cave atop, flames come from the cave but little creature is brave because he really want’s to find his family and home. I won’t spoil the ending but it is rather lovely!

Like this?Read more…