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Thursday 30 April 2015

We Grow Together!

Im writing this with tears in my eyes, not because im sad but because im so proud to be your mum.

Together we have been through some pretty tough patches but some damn amazing ones too! Whoever said parenthood was easy could never have been a parent, its the most exhausting, challenging, emotional job in the world yet it offers up the most rewards!

James when I became your mummy I was so scared I felt like a child myself at just 19 how could I possible raise you to be the beautiful boy I knew you could be. Having you meant I had to grow up but that's just what we did James we grew together! I taught you to clap, to walk, to talk, You taught me to love, care and become a mum.


I often look back and wonder if I did enough for you, did we go to enough baby groups? did I teach you enough, did you socialise enough? did I feed you right? enough? all these questions running around my head but you could make it all right with a simple "love you mummy" and I think we did ok James. You are excelling at school and despite your tantrums you are a beautiful young man who never fails to make everyone around you smile with your witty come backs and general cuteness.


Im still learning from you now James, when I applied for your school last year I had endless sleepless nights, it was such a big decision that was going to shape your young life. How could I make that decision by myself? But you guided my through you came with me to the school visits you told me what you liked, I researched until I could read no more and now you have been at school almost 1 year I can see how happy you are and I think we made the right choice!


Evelyn when I was pregnant with you I stressed so much, how could I find anymore love in my heart when it already felt over flowing for your brother. How would James cope with having a brother/sister? How would I cope with 2 children? But when they placed you in my arms and clique or not I loved you so much and my love for you and James wasn't shared, it felt like my heart grew bigger and I was filled with more love.


Although I had learnt so much with James me and you were on a whole new learning curve, me as a mummy of 2 and you as a baby sister. James was besotted by you and you loved him too. James could make you smile in an instant and I knew you were a mummy's girl as I was the only one who could settle you when you cried. It felt amazing to see you and James growing together and I am amazed at how quickly you are learning new things with the help of your loving brother.


Its true what they say all babies are different and you totally proved that! You have tested us out with very little sleep and cried and cried with no real explanation. I like to think of those as your "little diva" moments because you are usually so calm and relaxed and can always offer up a smile.

There are things that you have both taught me in life and on of those things is that sometimes it is the smallest things in live that bring us the biggest smiles, the largest amount of love and make us realise just how precious life is.

xXx

Saturday 25 April 2015

Puddle Ducks - Evelyn's first swimming lesson.

Evelyn loves water! Ever since she has been a tiny baby she has loved bath time and I regularly take her to our local swimming pool for a splash around.

So when we were recently contacted by Puddle Ducks with the offer of some swimming lessons I knew they were something Evelyn would really enjoy!

Our first impressions of the pool were that it was a little tricky to find. The pool is set within a school/ library setting and there are no real signs from the road for the pool or the lessons. It would have been lovely to see a Puddle Ducks sign to the outside of the pool just to indicate to parents where lessons were for people who were new.

The changing rooms were separate for male and female and open plan meaning there are no cubicles although this will of course be different for each pool, I also only found one baby changing table which was a little tricky with 8 babies all trying to get ready for the swimming lesson.

However once we reached the pool we were greeted by the lovely Jen who was setting up ready for the lesson. She was warm, friendly and said hello to all the parents and babies as they came to the pool side. As it was the start of a new term and the first lesson with Puddle Ducks for some people Jen went through some safety guidelines and then we got in to the pool.


There were 8 other parents with their babies in the class + the teacher and I loved the fact the class was small and personal. We gathered in a large circle and Jenny taught us some techniques to get the babies splashing, kicking and preparing them to go under water. I found these really useful and they are simple techniques that can easily be practiced out of class, in the bath or if you take your baby swimming yourself.

The class incorporated songs with fun and simple techniques and actions which made the whole lesson fun and enjoyable for the babies. The main focus of the Puddle Ducks swimming lessons seems to be to make sure your child is confident and capable in the water which is exactly how I want Evelyn to feel!

(Under water photo taken during a Puddle Ducks under water photo session, this Isevelyn but a photo provided from Puddle Ducks.)

The lessons are priced at £13.50 per 30 minutes which is a more than some other swimming lessons, however with Puddle Ducks the classes are kept small meaning you and your child get lots of swimming time and interaction with the teacher. There are also lots of swimming aids and toys such as rubber ducks used which you don't often find with swimming lessons, the toys definitely gave theses lessons the fun factor for Evelyn!

Overall we really enjoyed our first lesson with Puddle Ducks and can't wait to go back to our next lesson on Sunday!

Do your little ones attend swimming lessons or have you thought about swimming lessons?

xXx

Sunday 19 April 2015

My Nametags **REVIEW**

I am sure every parent with a child at school or nursery will know the pain of having to label every item of clothing your child could possibly wear at school/ nursery.

When James started school in September I spent the evening before writing his name in all his jumpers, t-shirts, trousers etc in the hope that if they were to get lost they would be returned. However a 1 month or so down the line and several washes later the names had washed out of most items, and we had a lost jumper (and school jumpers really are not cheap!). 

So when I was asked if I would like to review some name labels from My Nametags I jumped at the chance hoping it would mean an end to my endless efforts of writing James name in everything!

The process of choosing your labels is really easy. You can choose a background pattern/colour, a name (and the colour of the name) and the font, You then pick a picture (if you wish) to go beside the name on your label, I let James choose the picture so that he could easily identify his items as his and he chose the bat (no surprise as he is a huge batman fan!). 


Here are our finished labels - 


They arrived really quickly in the post in a padded envelope to keep them safe. I was really impressed with the overall look of the labels the colours were vibrant, bright and the name large and clear perfect for James to spot. 

With the name stickers there is no stitching or ironing involved, you simply apply the sticker to the label of the clothing (it sticks better to the label) and then allow at least 24 hours before washing. I have to admit I was dubious that a sticker would stay put through the wash.... but it did!! No signs of lifting or movement in the label and the colours were still bright and clear. 

(the label after 3 washes)

The My Nametags labels have stayed put and have made it really easy for James to identify his items in school, especially as the weather is warming up and he is forever leaving his jumper laying around the classroom. The great thing about them being stickers is that you can use them on things other than clothing. I have even attached one to James water bottle for school and inside his shoes, both have stayed in place too! 

If your children are about to start school in September (or are already at school or nursery) I would highly recommend giving My Nametag stickers a go! These labels are priced at £11.95 and that gets you 56 stickers!! So plenty to label all uniform, PE kit and have spare. 

You can purchase My Nametag's HERE

What do you use to label your child's clothing? 

xXx

* I was not paid for this review. All opinions given are my own.
* If you would like me to review your product or service, please email me on xJessLegresleyx@hotmail.com.

Thursday 9 April 2015

The Picklesuit **REVIEW**

If you have had a baby or are currently pregnant you will be more than aware of the amount of products on the market that claim to make life a little bit easier, however we are also aware that not all of them actually work!

I recently came across the Picklesuit as a product that claimed the make life a little bit easier by avoiding those pesky poppers on the legs of baby grows, so we were delighted to be given the opportunity to try it out.


The Picklesuit is an innovative design that brings to the market a new system of opening and closing your babies babygrow. The Picklesuit replaces leg poppers with chunky moulded plastic zips with clever fabric flaps to cover and protect the legs from the zips making it super comfy to wear.

Firstly I would like to say the Picklesuit came beautifully packaged wrapped in tissue paper with a Picklebee logo sticker, then placed inside a pretty yellow organza bag. It looked so pretty when it arrived it could have easily been given as a gift just as it came!


The body part of the suit still features the usual poppers meaning it lays flat to the body and doesn't bubble up (as I often find with full zip suits). The Picklesuit also features non slip feet in sizes 6 months plus giving extra security for those babies on the move like Evelyn!


The Picklesuit we received pictured above is made from super soft yet stretchy micro fleece but if that may be a bit too warm for your little one the Picklesuit also comes in cotton!

The sizes are really generous for the Picklesuit! We received the 12-18 months size as Evelyn is very long as is currently wearing 12-18 month leggings however this suit still has lots of growing room. I love that the size is generous especially for when Evelyn sleeps in her Picklesuit as I like her to have room to move around so this was perfect.


I was a little apprehensive as to whether the suit would actually help make changing any quicker but after using it a few times I was sold on the idea! Its make quick nappy changes so much quicker. It is also much less fiddly especially now Evelyn wants to be on the move all the time and her legs certainly don't stay still long enough to do up all the poppers on a normal grow, but the Picklesuit solves that as it is just 2 simple quick zips.


The Picklesuit is available is sizes newborn all the way up to 18-24 months and is priced at £19.

To check out the other designs available or to purchase a Picklesuit for your little one check out the Picklebee website - www.picklebeelimited.co.uk.

xXx

* I was not paid for this review. All opinions given are my own.
* If you would like me to review your product or service, please email me on xJessLegresleyx@hotmail.com.

My Little World books **REVIEW**

James loves books especially since he started school and can now read lots of words himself! Reading with children is something I have always thought to be such an important thing to do with children as it has so many benefits as well as providing some quality time with your child.

So when we were contacted by Little Tiger kids to review some new books that were being released very soon we of course jumped at the chance!

The first book we received was for Evelyn and it was called "Thank you".


Although Evelyn cannot read yet we still ensure we read to her on a regular basis and this book has a finger puppet incorporated for another aspect of the book which really held her interest!

Thank you from Little Tiger helps teach children about saying thank you. It reinforces the importance of manners in a fun, enjoyable and accessible way all with the help of a doggy finger puppet!

We have read this book several times since receiving it and Evelyn loves the finger puppet, even James has been sitting with us and reading along. The pictures are clear and bright and the words within the book are kept short and simple, perfect for younger children to understand. The book is also wipe clean so if mucky baby fingers want to touch and play with the book its easy to clean.


The book is aimed at children aged 0-3 years and is priced at £6.99.

The second book we received was for James and was actually more of an activity pack than a book. It was called Farm and is a sticker book and jigsaw!


The Farm pack comes in a sturdy box with a plastic handle and is perfect for keeping the jigsaw in. I particularly loved the idea of sticker book, It not only was a fun sticking activity but it actually had a story inside too, so it can be used again even once the stickers have been used! You basically read along the story and add the animal stickers that it asks for on each page.
The jigsaw had large chunky pieces but still had plenty of pieces making it just challenging enough for James who is 5.


James loved the combination of the puzzle and book and its great that both items can be used time and time again and kept safe inside the durable box they come in. This set is aimed at children aged 3-5 years and is priced at £8.99.

You can find these books and more from My Little world range of books here - www.littletiger.co.uk

Do you own any My little world books? If so whats your favourite?

xXx

* I was not paid for this review. All opinions given are my own.
* If you would like me to review your product or service, please email me on xJessLegresleyx@hotmail.com.

Wednesday 1 April 2015

Becoming a mummy of 2!

Before I had Evelyn I spent every day wondering how I would cope with 2 children. The logistics of it, how I would cope, there's only 1 of me and 2 of them that will be soon demanding my attention 24/7. I worked myself up in to a frenzy of worry whilst pregnant with all of these scenarios in my head of how I was going to fail at being a mummy of 2.

When Evelyn arrived those thoughts briefly left my mind James was besotted by his new baby sister and all Evelyn did was sleep (oh those were the days!). That was until she began becoming more alert, awake and demanding! 


When Evelyn reached around the 4 month mark she began being really alert, wanting to look round and explore her surroundings. At this point we also reached the clingy, I want to be carried all the time stage. This was when the "fun" began. Then when she learnt to crawl at around 8 months it became a whole new challenge!

I am not going to lie being a mum of 2 with a 5 year age gap between them is hard. James wants to play with all his small toys such as Lego and Transformers whilst Evelyn just wants to eat whatever James is playing with (despite having a whole tub of her own toys!). 

Of course my time does quite often have to be shared and sometimes I simply can't do something. For example if we go to the park and James wants me to go climbing around the park with him, I cant just leave Evelyn in her pushchair on her own so he has to go and climb without me. Now he understands that mummy can't always do everything he asks he is much more understanding of the situation and takes full advantage when daddy comes with us.

We try and ensure that James gets a little bit of 1 to 1 time with either me or his dad to read together or play a game together and just to chat. It means he gets his little be of time with 1 of us without Evelyn crying or requiring our attention. In that time our attention is 100% his!

I also found investing in things such as a Bumbo seat or Jumperoo/ baby walker means that baby can be placed down for short periods of time leaving you with your hands free to get on with other things whilst baby is safe and often entertained.

Sometimes it does mean that Evelyn has to whinge a little longer because I cannot just jump up and abandon what I am doing because she wants picking up. I have 2 babies and splitting my time fairly is part of my job now.

Would I change it.... NO! Ok so there are moments when I could rip my hair out and lock myself in a small cupboard until my husband gets home, but the good times far out weigh those moments. Seeing them sit down together and James teaching Evelyn how to work different toys, whilst she stares at him intently taking everything in melts my heart. 
Just thinking of them growing up together, learning from each other and knowing they have each other makes me smile every time. 


So if like me you have those 2nd baby worries just try and remember that whilst there will be times when things are tough and when you feel like all your worries were right this moment in time is a short one and soon they will be growing up. Yes the bickering and arguing will inevitably continuing, probably forever but the good times will always out weigh the bad. 

Whilst having Evelyn meant our life became a little more crazy, a little more hectic and a little more noisy. It also meant our lives were filled with a few more smiles, a lot more laughter and double the love and that totally makes it worth it!

Do you have any advice on becoming a parent of 2 or more children? Please do share below.

xXx