Natural History Museum

We took the kids to the Natural History Museum today which was a lovely day out and one which we will definitely repeat. Though I do think my children are still a little too young for it. They did enjoy it but they probably got more out of our visit to the Science Museum a few months ago, which has two interactive sections, one aimed at under 5s and one called Launch Pad, which Freyja in particular went mad for.

However, the Natural History Museum, which personally I prefer, was still really good for them. The dinosaur section has completely changed since I last went and both kids really enjoyed that bit - particularly the couple of models of moving dinosaurs and the fantastic 'live' T-Rex who looks you right in the eye as you walk past his enclosure - it really is quite unnerving!

We did the museum in two parts - dinosaurs, mammals and the body in the morning, followed by lunch at Giraffe (which look a little longer to walk to than we expected, but we were rewarded with the bizarre sight of High Street Kensington packed out with New Zealanders celebrating their National Day, all decked out in fancy dress). We then returned to the museum to do the insects, birds, earth and volcanos before heading home.

Afterwards I asked Freyja what had been her favourite thing out of the whole day. We'd seen dinosaurs, a polar bear, a peacock displaying its tail and beautiful butterflies. We'd travelled through the centre of the earth and witnessed erupting volcanos. We'd even walked past a gang of grown men dressed as smurfs.

And the best thing according to Freyja? The shop.

My child, the consumer. Gah.

Theo likes trains

Dressed for breakfast

Leotard, tutu, dressing gown, sunglasses. Well, what do you wear for breakfast....?

Dear Dog Owner...

Part of owning a dog is the responsibility that comes with it, and that responsibility includes cleaning up after it. As unpleasant as you may find it to scoop that poop, believe me it is far more unpleasant to be the unfortunate person who stands in your dog's shit. And even more unpleasant when that person is a 4 year old, wearing her brand new Kickers, whose immediate reaction is to burst into tears and lift up those new Kickers with her hands to have a look at the mess.

The streets of South East London are littered with it. I really do wonder how so many people around here seem to be totally unaware of their responsibility to other both people and to the place they live in. In what way do you think it is okay to let your dog shit all over the pavement that everyone else has to use and just leave it there?

Perhaps the issue is that you are just too stupid to understand how it works. In that case, let me talk you through it. Your dog poos. You pick it up using a bag - one which you have taken out with you because, you know, you own a dog. You put the bag in a bin. There are usually quite a few around. Some parks even provide bins solely for this purpose, imagine that!

Sadly, I suspect the real issue is that you just don't care about either your neighbourhood or other people. You probably even think it must someone else's responsibility. But actually it is yours.

If you can't be bothered to clean up your dog's mess, you shouldn't have a dog.

Together

One of the delights of having two children is not only the fact that I can tell them to go and play together when I'm busy, but also just how wonderful it is when they are playing together and to watch their developing relationship. Seeing them being affectionate or laughing or playing or even just sitting with each other makes my heart swell. It's like my feelings for each of them get bundled together into one great big bubble of love.

Of course, they fight like cats and dogs much of the time. Freyja can be an introverted soul, enjoying her 'me-time', while Theo just likes to throw himself into it all and get involved. Freyja is sensitive and bossy, Theo cheeky and defiant, not always a happy combination. Theo wants to do everything that Freyja does, which is not always well received. And they'll do their utmost to be the one who is being thrown in the air by daddy or tickled by mummy.

But when they do play together, they seem to relish each other's company at a level beyond any of their other friendships. They get quite rowdy, fighting and tickling and chasing. They can make each other laugh and laugh. And increasingly they share hugs and kisses as well as games and laughter.

To anyone else, they probably have an indifferent relationship or one where Theo annoys Freyja and Freyja shouts at Theo and tells him to leave her alone. But to me, privy to their moments of hilarity and abandon, as well as those quiet times when Freyja climbs into Theo's cot in the morning and reads with him, it is something special.

Freyja is also very protective of her brother. While she will quite happily tell him to go away and leave her alone, if someone jokes that they are going to take him home with them, she's straight on the defensive, shouting 'no, you can't have my brother'. And when I use the old 'okay we are just going without you' trick on Theo, it's Freyja who throws the wobbly, tearfully sobbing to me 'you can't leave Theo, I love my brother'.

Whether their bond will last who knows? But it is one of my real hopes that my children will remain close friends throughout their lives. For now, I love that they have each other, a little buddy to play with, to eat with, to sit quietly with or to chase manically around house.

Molo Kids

I have only ever bought one thing by Molo - a football print T-shirt for Theo - because they are quite expensive. But they are lovely - along the same lines as the Auntie Ollie clothes I mentioned in a previous post.

I just love the realistic prints and the bright colours. Little Sunflowers stocks a really good range and the girl's daisy print and butterfly print they currently have in stock are just beautiful.


I've put up pictures of a dress and skirt but you can also get tops, leggings and romper suits in the same prints.

Gorgeous!

Happy Ever After

One of Freyja's current favourite bedtime stories at the moment is one about a little girl who rides on her toy unicorn to find out what makes people 'happy ever after'.



We read it tonight and afterwards I asked Freyja what would make her happy ever after. Without hesitation, she replied:

'Pizzas and pancakes, some nice smelling flowers, a beautiful handbag, ballet lessons and some pretty dresses'.

Okay.

She then asked me what would make me happy ever after. I told her that I'm happy when she and Theo and Daddy are happy.

'Anything else?' she asked

'Well, just being with you and Theo and Daddy'

She looked at me for a while, then said 'and some peace and quiet...?'

Oops...

So my No Added Sugar parcel arrived. I opened it up, and inside, as well as Theo's lovely new green T-shirt and a present that I had bought for a friend's baby girl, was this:

and this:
Oops. I don't really remember buying them.

Yikes.

What's It All About?

I started writing my blog a few months after my daughter was born. I backdated a few months based on my memories but it has pretty much documented my life since Freyja arrived, gave everything a good shake and sent me off down the path of motherhood and all that brings with it.

I write my blog for me. A few people I know read it, and a couple of others I don't know read it. But, ultimately, it's for me. It's my outlet, it's my diary. I love reading back on old posts, seeing what Freyja and Theo were up to a year ago. I try and make it look a bit pretty and put up my favourite pictures of my children, and photos of clothes and toys that I like. I try to relate the majority of my posts to motherhood - not because that is all I am about, but because that is the theme of my blog.

In October I found out that I was listed on the 100 best UK parenting blogs. I hadn't really taken much of a part in the blogging community up to that point, so I was pretty amazed to see me there, languishing at number 99, but there none-the-less. It opened up a whole new blogging world that up to that point I'd only be dimly aware of.

Since October I have dipped a tentative toe into the blogging community. It's been rewarding and, on occasion, slightly alarming, but mostly it has connected me to other bloggers, helped me improve my own blog and made me think about what I want my blog to be.

I've taken a more active part in commenting on other blogs. I've contemplated whether I should put myself forward for reviewing products. I've stressed about the fact that I'm not 'a writer', like so many bloggers seem to be. I've worried that most of my posts were actually quite boring to anyone but me. I've worried that I can't write well enough. I've worried about the subjects I choose.

And then I've come full circle and remembered that I blog for myself.

My blog should be whatever I want it to be and nothing else. I've now read so many blogs which are all different and all fabulous in their own way. I've discovered so many that, having resisted for ages, I've finally asked my husband to show me how to use Google Reader, which he gleefully has done. I haven't joined Twitter though. Yet...

I absolutely love reading everyone else's fantastic blogs and getting inspiration for my own and my list of must reads is growing daily. I used to find that sometimes I struggled to write posts that weren't just a record of what happened that day, but reading other blogs has given me so much inspiration that I always have half a dozen unpublished posts that I'll probably never get round to putting up.

I'm really glad that I decided to branch out and join in (even if it's only on the fringes) - it's been enriching in many ways, not least in making my blog that little bit better. So I'll keep that toe dipped in.

But I'll also remember that, ultimately, I write my blog to remind me of these times. And because I enjoy writing it.

I write it for me.

I love H&M

Theo in his uber-cool tiger print 'T' fom H&M:

Three Voices

These are the voices I can't get out of my head (and just to clarify, for anyone who knows me, these are the voices in my head, not Adrian's....)

Voice 1: It's time to start thinking about the 3rd child. You always said you'd have 3 children and Theo's nearly 2 now and you don't want too big a gap between them. Time to start planning...

Voice 2: Quit your job! Quit your job!

Voice 1: But if you quit your job, you won't be able to buy No Added Sugar T-shirts and go out for lunch on a whim. And you will not get any maternity pay and will struggle to pay your childcare costs when you go back to university.

Voice 3: Ah yes, university. Change of career, a full time student again for 2 years, not earning any money the whole time. Doing something for yourself. Do-able with 2 children. How about with 3?

Voice 1: Okay, but what will you look back at and regret? Waiting a few more years to re-train or not having another child?

Voice 3: You might regret the 3rd child you know. Don't forget how it feels when Theo refuses to get in his car seat so you are late leaving for work. Or when Freyja whines and whines and whines until you snap and then feel terrible.

Voice 1: I don't think you would ever regret a child. Think about how they make you laugh. How Theo's face lights up when he sees you in the morning. How Freyja tells you you are her best friend. How your arms ache a little at the end of each working day because you want to get home and cuddle them.

Voice 2: Quit your job! Quit your job!

Voice 3: Think about the practicalities. More cost, more time, more stress, not enough attention to go around, less for each child. The sleepless nights. Remember the nights...

Voice 1: But you always wanted 3 children. Your family doesn't feel quite complete. And these kids certainly don't need more stuff.

Voice 3: Well, you'll be able to re-train sooner and it will be less stressful with only two children, both financially and practically. How are you going to afford full time child care for a baby while you study? Will you even want to study full time with a young baby?

Voice 2: Quit your job! Quit your job!

Voice 3: Actually, you know, you could quit your job now if you don't have any more children....

Voice 1: But something will always be missing...

Voice 3: Things are just getting easier now. You can leave the kids with the grandparents. You have a spare bedroom! Think about how they drive you mad sometimes...

Voice 1: But....

Voice 2: Quit your job! Quit your job!

Where will I be at the end of this year? Which voice will shout loudest?

Written for Sleep is for the Weak's Writing Workshop No 11

No Added Sugar

Just been on the No Added Sugar website and they have a really good sale on their long sleeved T-shirts. I had already bought Freyja two of their tops from the ASOS sale:

And have now bought one for Theo too:

When I do this sort of thing - impulse buy more clothes for my kids that they don't really need - I remind myself that because I do work those 2 days a week I can buy this stuff from time to time.

I Am Woman - through my rose tinted specs!

Well it's an obvious one, and I'm not sure I'd say it's something I'm 'guilty' of, just something I, and probably many other women, do - I definitely view the births of my children with rose coloured spectacles!

Freyja's in particular has taken on some kind of mystical quality in my mind, where I'm sure I wafted around the room in a floaty piece of chiffon, listening to tinkling music and then popped her out with barely a sigh. The reality, I well know, was me huffing around, totally starkers, in a room in Lewisham hospital, throwing up and crying.

It actually was a very easy, straightfoward birth and although I do know that of course it hurt like hell, I look back on it still and think - wow, I did that!

Part of the reason that Freyja's birth has been elevated to the status of 'perfect birth' in my mind is because Theo's didn't go quite as well. As far as births go, it was still pretty simple and trouble free but I know that I felt quite out of control, that the pain was intense and then there was the small matter of me thinking he wasn't actually alive when he came out...

But even his birth has been transformed into some kind of goddess like feat to my mind's eye. I may have felt on verge of panicking and I may have told myself that I was never, ever going to put myself through this again - and yet I look back on it and what I feel is elation.

The pain, the worry, the exhaustion - it's all gone. All I remember is feeling like the strongest woman alive.

Thank goodness for rose tinted spectacles. And hormones...

(written for Sleep is for the Weak's Writing Workshop No 10)

Breastfeeding

Muddling Along Mummy recently wrote this very honest post about breastfeeding. Of course, this got me thinking about my own experience of breastfeeding (I'd think of nothing to write about if I didn't read other blogs...)

I breastfed both of my children, exclusively, for a year. I am proud that I did it. But I do not count myself as part of the 'Breastapo' either. I think you do what is right for you, and if that is formula, then that is fine. I would not want to judge anyone who chose to use formula, for whatever reason they have.

Now, I do actually think 'breast is best' and, if it were my place to do so (which it isn't), I would encourage new mothers to at least give it a go. But, in my experience it isn't easy and if something has to give and if that something is breastfeeding then so be it. We beat ourselves up about so many things - if formula works for you then do it. I was formula fed. I am healthy, intelligent and I love my mum.

The first 2 weeks that I breastfed my daughter were complete agony. Every feed took about an hour and she needed feeding within an hour and I dreaded it every time. I would be crying at the thought of having to feed her. Once latched on it was bearable but that initial latch was excruciating, like razor blades. I would literally be in tears. My midwife kept checking the latch and saying it was fine. But getting that tiny little mouth to open wide enough to latch on like all the books said it should be done seemed practically impossible. One of my nipples ended up badly cut and I have been left with a scar that reminds me that things you eventually do with ease don't always come naturally and so you should never judge those who choose not to go there.

The midwife told me to pump on the cut side and just feed from the other side to give it time to heal. Eventually the pain of breastfeeding subsided but I still didn't do it with ease. I needed at least 5 pillows around me to prop the baby up. I don't think I have a body that fits naturally for breastfeeding - I am tall and small breasted. I had to hoist my daughter up to the height of my boobs to feed her, there was nothing relaxing about it. Any hopes I had of a routine were out the window, not only because of her constant feeding but also because I insisted on feeding her before I left the house because I was so terrified of having to do it in public and not being able to.

One kind mum I met recommended I go to Mothercare and feed in the breastfeeding room there as my first attempt at feeding out and about. Slowly, slowly I became better and eventually I could feed walking around, one arm propping her up. But if anyone had told me I would be able to do that in those first few weeks I would probably have laughed (and not in a nice way) in their face.

I carried on, and perhaps that's only because I was lucky that it took only around 2 weeks for the pain to subside. I just wanted to breastfeed. But I would not have blamed myself or anyone else for deciding not to do it - if that pain hadn't subsided I don't think I could have carried on. Feeding during that time was such an ordeal and something that I dreaded so it was certainly not the bonding moment to be treasured that you read about!

I carried on for a year because 6 months came around very quickly and I felt that I'd only just got the hang of it, so it seemed natural just to keep going.

I was prepared for it to be difficult with Theo as well, but luckily it wasn't. A bit of initial soreness but I slipped easily back into breastfeeding again, for which I am thankful, as I know that is not always the case. I breastfed Theo for a year, because I was able to and I had done the same with Freyja. It seemed right to do the same for both of them. But, again, if I had struggled with Theo I might not have applied this rule to myself.

The thing with breastfeeding is that you expect it to be the most natural thing in the world and for most people it just isn't. If there is one thing I remember from those crazy early days of motherhood it's that you need support, not someone beating you up for your decisions - so no one should judge anyone who is just trying to do their best.

And that is why, despite being a breast feeder, I'm not a member of the Breastapo either.

Bloggers for Haiti

I am joining in to raise awareness for the Bloggers for Haiti JustGiving page, through which you can donate to raise money for a shelterbox for those suffering in Haiti.

I found out about this through the blogs that I read. Hopefully reading this will lead to at least one more person donating.

It's done...

...I have submitted my application for primary schools for Freyja. I feel sick and relieved in equal measure.

Although I have put 4 choices down I am 99.9% sure that she will get a place in the one I have put as second choice. However, I would love her to get the one I put down as my first choice. But it's a little further away - we're talking a 10 minute as opposed to a 5 minute walk here, so there's not much in it, but in Lewisham, where schools are oversubscribed, that makes a big difference.

I'll know on the 21st April. My preschool honeymoon is drawing to a close.

My Favourite Photo

I've been waiting to be tagged in the favourite photo meme , but have decided to just tag myself as lots of people opened it up to everyone...

I've thought long and hard and gone over all the gorgeous photos of my children, of which there are many. But the one photo I truely love and would hate to lose is this one of my husband and me on our wedding day. Yes, it's a bit obvious and probably a little bit naff to chose a wedding picture. But it is (probably...) my favourite photo.


I hate all photographs of me and very rarely have my picture taken. I honestly can't stand seeing them and realising what I really look like. But I've yet to see a photo of a bride that looked bad, and luckily this extended to me on my wedding day.

This picture was taken as we left the church. I'm laughing as I've just noticed a couple across the road who have stopped to watch us and Adrian has looked over and started smiling. There are many pictures from my wedding day that I like, but this one is my favourite. I think it caputures a spontaneous moment of happiness, but in a formal setting, under the archway of the church.

A year later I was pregnant with Freyja, though I didn't yet know it...!

It would be wrong to put this photo up without crediting the wonderful photographer you took it. Alison Purvis-Gisbourne was just starting out when she photographed our wedding, but a quick search on Google shows her business is now booming.

I'd like to tag my husband...let's see what he comes up with!

Mini Boden II

Today, Freyja and I made a winter version of our Mini Boden masterpiece:



As you can see, I am no artist, but Adrian assures me that my crappy stick people lend the picture a certain charm...

I love doing the crafty stuff with Freyja. It alleviates the guilt somewhat about the amount of telly I let her watch.

Red Shoes

They say (at least somebody does, I'm sure) that every woman should own a pair of red shoes. Well I've just bought mine...

Everyone at my work received a little (tiny) Christmas bonus this year. I've never had one before and normally when I come into a bit of unexpected money I just say that it will go toward something I've already bought or something we've got coming up.

But not this time. I bought myself a pair of red patent Mulberry ballet pumps. OMG!



I don't normally do designer stuff for two reasons. First, there is plenty of good stuff on the high street. Second, I can't afford it. But I do have a slight weakness for Mulberry accessories and have a purse and a bag which I bought (or rather had bought for me, with only the slightest of hints required - thank you, hunni) on sale.

Then, I just happened to go onto their website the other day and just happened to have a peek at the sale items and just happened to see a pair of ballet pumps in my size on sale...

They arrived yesterday. In a beautiful Mulberry bag, in a lovely shoe box, wrapped in tissue paper. My first thought was that they looked too small for me but when I put them on not only did they fit perfectly but it was like slipping my foot into a soft, cushioned silky slipper. I've never actually even tried on a pair of designer shoes before so this was a real first for me. It was like walking on feathers (yes, I may be getting carried away here...)

So I am delighted with my little purchase. What's more, because I have treated myself to something that I will wear (ballet pumps rather than, say, a gorgeous pair of stilettos which I'll put on but never actually wear on account of feeling like a giantess in them) I may actually get my money's worth.

I wonder if it would be too much to get the black pair too, which they also happen to still have in my size...?

A new discovery - and a resolution

For Christmas, Freyja and Theo received these wonderful little items from my mum:













They are from Aunty Ollie, an Australian make and are right up my street. I do like a good print. I had a look and you can get them in the UK from a website called Charlie Barley.

They cost more than I would normally spend on clothes for my children but they are what I would like to dress my kids in if money were no object. I can't actually bring myself to buy expensive clothes knowing that they will spill things down them and grow out of them at an alarming rate (well Theo does anyway, Freyja seems to fit her clothes for years). But as a gratefully received gift from my mum - or if I find them on sale - these Aunty Ollie clothes are just want I like. And yes, yes, the kids like them too - which little girl wouldn't want to wear a dress covered in ice cream sundaes?

Generally I am a Sainsburys and H&M devotee when it comes to kids clothes. Both do cheap and not run-of-the-mill clothes and are particularly good for boys. I also tend to go a bit mad in the sales, especially at GAP and all those gorgeous Scandinavian brands (Katvig, Polarn O Pyret, Ej Sikke Lej). And the odd treat from No Added Sugar. And who can resist Monsoon? And the occasional bargain from TX Maxx. Oh, and ASOS now has Little ASOS....the list grows!

My mum buys a lot of my children's clothes for them. She is a demon sales shopper and always manages to get them good stuff. She also buys beautiful floral dresses for Freyja from market stalls and little boutique shops. I used to find them a bit old fashioned but have completely come round to them -on their own or teamed with a pair of bright tights, a T-shirt and a hoodie, they make the perfect, comfortable, easy to wear but pretty outfits all year round.

So, my kids do quite well for clothes. My problem, which extends to my own wardrobe, is that I have a tendancy to 'keep things for best', which actually means they never get worn. Especially with the kids, who just keep on growing. In fact, this particular dress Freyja has never worn, despite now being almost too big for it . I just kept getting it out this summer and deciding it was far too pretty to be worn to the park, or the cafe or to Sainsburys. (By the way, if you read that post, turns out she is not a tomboy).

So my resolution is to make sure these lovely clothes get worn - both my things and the children's.

Here is Freyja in her lovely Oilily dress which I found in TK Maxx:


Okay, so this was taken on her birthday, which is obviously a special occasion. But it's a start.

The Grin

I will never tire of asking Theo to smile:

If in doubt, do nothing

Adrian and I contemplated 2009 over a glass of bubbly last night and decided it had been good to us. For us it was a year where we didn't start a new job, didn't get married, didn't get pregnant, didn't have a baby, didn't buy a house....we just lived for a bit.

The latter part of the year for me was one where I contemplated my future and what best to do. I have gone over every option possible with where I want my family and my career to go. I've been quite distracted by it, not completely happy and anxious about making the right decision.

So I finally decided not to make a decision at all. I'm not going to change anything right now - I'm just going to live with what we've got and where we are for a little longer. I'm working two days a week now, also doing my voluntary placement at Kings College Hospital and am enjoying the days I have with my children.

So here's to doing nothing for a bit longer - Happy New Year.

Check these out!

Sweet potato muffins - and they taste great. Success at last!


At the request of Baby Genie, here is the recipe (I took it from the newsletter that Abel & Cole send out with their boxes):

Ingredients:
150g brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
120ml vegetable oil (though I had to use olive oil as had no vegetable oil. Tasted fine.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
100g plain flour
150g wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp salt
450g grated sweet potatoes (it's a killer grating them though...)
2 handfuls chopped walnuts and/or 1 handful raisins or other dried fruit (I just put in walnuts)

Preheat Oven to 180c/350F/gas4. Oil 12 large muffin cups.

In a small bowl whisk together the brown sugar, honey, veg oil, vanilla extract and eggs.

In a separate large bowl, mix together the plain flour, wholemeal flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and grated sweet potato.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture, stirring gradually to mix together.

Stir in the raisins/dried fruit and/or walnuts.

Spoon batter into muffin tins and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. I had to bake them for an extra 10 minutes, but that may well be our dodgy oven.

Easy peasy! Had one for breakfast, yummy. Though Freyja won't eat them. She has an aversion to eating pretty much anything we bake together for some reason.

Christmas Day

This was to be a magical Christmas because we were spending it together, just us, creating our own traditions and our own Christmas.

On Christmas Eve we went out for an early dinner then stopped off at some friends for a quick hello, present swapping and glass of vino. It was an hour well spent but we paid for it when we got home. My plan for opening one present - GAP pyjamas, orange for Theo, pink for Freyja - followed by mince pies and sherry for Santa went a little awry. Theo had this face on throughout:


It was very noisy.

The next morning, the first person to wake up was me, at 6.20am. After half an hour I heard Freyja stirring and then, heartmeltingly, 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' came floating from her room.

Once downstairs, she called me in to see that Santa had been. She finished off Rudolf's carrot (strange child), then she played with Theo's Duplo and he played with her paint set.

After that the day just unfolded slowly and at our own pace. No expectations, no one else to please. I like a good family Christmas as much as the next person, but every now and again, something a little less hectic doesn't go amiss,

We didn't make any new traditions, or create a fairy tale Christmas day. We just enjoyed being together, eating nice food (a duck for us and a little poussin for the kids!), drinking quite a lot and watching our children enjoying themselves.

The children got loads of presents, of course. We bought them a children's set of chairs and a table (which we actually only got today in an early morning dash to IKEA) and Father Christmas got the paint set for Freyja and the Duplo for Theo.

And me? Adrian and I got each other a new boiler for Christmas. We were delighted when that packed in last week...

Now again they show that they do love each other...

Happy Birthday No 4, Freyja

Wow, 4 years old. We celebrated with an ill timed outing to Giraffe on South Bank. Not only did the entire population of London also go to Giraffe today but we left it a bit too late leaving the house so Theo was way past his good-mood window - not to mention starving - when we finally got seated. The food was lovely though, and both kids got a balloon. Giraffe is one our favourite child-friendly-but-not-actually-a-children's-restaurant places to go. We also like Wagamama and Gourmet Burger Kitchen.

This year we bought Freyja a proper birthday present. I'm usually a bit boring with presents. Because they get so much from friends and family, I tend to feel a bit guilty buying toys for them. I intended on using birthdays to buy something a bit more meaningful and long lasting. So far Freyja has received 2 pictures (only 1 of which is 'meaningful and long lasting' ) and something else which I can't remember.

So this year we bought her a shop - Cherry Blossom Store . We toyed with the idea of getting her the Rose Petal Cottage but it was a quite a lot more expensive (we found the store on offer at Amazon for £40), plus she already has loads of play fruit and vegetables, perfect for stocking a shop. She was given some extra foodie bits and pieces at her birthday too - lovely tiny packets of fairtrade coffee and M&S organic biscuits (!!), plus little wooden eggs you can cut in half, all from the ELC. So Cherry Blossom Store it was - I've been very excited.



We put it up last night and this morning Freyja walked into the room and said 'Wow'. Her and Theo spent a good hour playing in it before she even turned her attention to the pile of presents stacked up behind it. Then this evening I played shop with her - it turned out to be a very interesting game. The eggs cost £5 each, the bottle of olive oil 50p. I asked for dog food, but that wasn't in stock - would cat food do? I asked for some chicken that I could see on the shelf, but was told 'we don't sell chicken'. When I complained that a box of cereal was very expensive at £9, it was whisked off me and returned at the much more reasonable price of £1. And every now and again she has to do some 'magic' in the till - something to do with finding out the price of items.

It's been a lovely day. As always, I've seen massive changes from age 3 to age 4 and it continues to surprise me how much difference a year makes. This year has been one where Freyja has started to settle down into being an easier child, a little less reactive, a little more in control of her emotions. Still so young, but growing up. And maybe I'm also getting a little better at being her mum.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart.

So this is Christmas...

...and all of my Christmas cards are neatly stacked on the table, last post well and truely missed. Gah. I only send a few to family and even then can't actually get around the posting the damn things.

We have a few friends coming round for Boxing Day and New Years Eve and have Freyja's actual birthday nestled in the middle so I will be quite busy for the next week or so.

But the shopping is done, the presents bought and wrapped (just...) and the husband has just called to say he's finished work and is on his way home. Freyja is tracking Santa on the Norad Santa tracker (thanks Rowan). We're all going out for an early dinner. And it is the first Christmas in four years that I have not been either pregnant or breastfeeding. How can I feel anything other than festive?

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year to everyone!!

The Party!

Freyja's birthday is the 27th December. Before I had a baby I could never understand why people had babies at Christmas time. I told Adrian that we would have to make sure that we didn't have a baby at Christmas time. Then I got pregnant and realised my baby was due at Christmas time. And no, she wasn't an accident.

Originally I thought that I would make sure that Christmas and Birthday did not overlap at all but actually it's hard to do that and I've realised that the best approach is just to embrace the festive season and make the most of it.

This year, for her 4th, we went for a winter wonderland theme. Adrian and his dad hung up 200 feet of snowflakes on string, cursing me the whole time - but it did look pretty. I think perhaps I overcompensate for the fact that it is so close to Christmas and go a bit overboard trying to make it special for her. But I do enjoy it all...


Freyja greeted everyone at the door with the words 'where's my present?' and after cutting the cake (which was so fabulous it has its own blog post) declared that the first slice was for her because it was her birthday. She also cheered herself when we sang happy birthday, doing a sort of victory wave to everyone. They always manage to show you up somehow don't they?

But really she was quite the hostess, taking all her friends through to the kitchen to have their faces painted (by my sister, who is the only creative one in my family and therefore always gets landed with that sort of stuff), getting drinks and food for everyone and not even complaining when, during pass the parcel, I managed to miss her out so she was the only one who didn't get a go (or a chocolate coin). My dad at one point commented it was 'turning into a brawl', but I think things were pretty much under control.


That was until I made the mistake of letting Freyja open her presents. Children of this age barely respect the fact that wrapped presents belong to someone else and once they are opened it is a free for all. I really was quite frightened. Children, paper and presents were flying about and Freyja was unwrapping as fast as she could go. I was fearful of losing what little control I had of the situation and will not allow present opening during party time again for quite some years.

A vat of mulled wine and many sausage rolls later everyone said their goodbyes. I think I enjoyed the party almost as much as Freyja did - the best thing about having a Christmas birthday is that everyone is just so merry.

Cake!

My friend Paul is really rather good at making cakes. He made his daughter a lovely ladybird cake for her 1st birthday. When Freyja saw this she asked Paul to make her a cake for her birthday. He agreed and then she told him what she wanted - a squirrel.

On Sunday we had Freyja's birthday party. Paul came round with the most perfect pink squirrel cake I have ever seen. Actually I've never seen a squirrel cake before, but this cake looked like a squirrel cake should look.

Freyja was delighted. She wants Paul to make all her future cakes - these are: a butterfly, a bee and finally a horse. At least he has a few years to work that last one out!

Thank you Paul - it really was a perfect cake.

A message from Santa

I know everyone knows about this, but it is so sweet that I'm going to put it on my blog too:

portablenorthpole.tv

For the second year in a row, we’re bringing Santa closer to you! Help someone you care about receive a personalized video message from Santa Claus himself using the PNP console, a technological breakthrough that makes real-time communication with the North Pole possible!

I just did it for Freyja - called her in to see her message from Santa. She sat on my knee, totally in awe of Father Christmas, nodding at all the things he was saying. It brought a tear to my eye.

Night Nappies

I potty trained Freyja when she was coming up to 2.5 and it was relatively pain free. I did not, however, tackle the night times. She was dry at night for a week when she first potty trained and instead of seizing the moment, I left it, something which I was starting to regret a year later when she was still waking up with soaking nappies and showing no signs of making it through the night.

Well, I am pleased to report that, having started to think she was never, ever going to get out of night nappies, she is at last completely nappy free.

I think my mum may have had something to do with it. At least while we were on holiday she made a few comments about having got all of us out of nappies way earlier and then the next thing she was telling me that Freyja was dry in the mornings.

So we got back to England and Freyja wanted to finish the packet of nappies before she attempted without. Every morning I was throwing away yet another dry nappy and trying to convince her to go without. I even tried hiding a few but she saw through that. And then, last weekend, we finished the packet and she went to bed without one. And she wet the bed. And then she wet the bed the next night as well.

We decided to give it one more try (with a bit of bribery thrown in for good measure) and so far she has stayed dry since - and is also the proud owner of a new My Little Pony play set.

I don't lift her before I go to bed - I've tried it and she doesn't wee. She's gone straight through a few times but usually she wakes up and comes to get me in the night when she needs to go. Which is great, though it's wreaking havoc on my undereye circles.

The Tree

We put the tree up last Saturday. This was because Freyja had asked us when we were putting the tree up every 30 seconds or so since waking up that morning. Eventually I snapped and sent her and Adrian to get one.

All our decorations are red and white, bought 2 years ago by me in some ill thought out decision to try to be a little bit tasteful about the whole thing. It seems you can only do tasteful single colour schemes if you spend a lot of money on a lot of decorations and have at least some idea about what to do with these things once you get home. When I was little our tree looked like someone had vomited multicoloured tinsel all over it. A great big heap dripping with glitter and not one pine needle visible beneath the glitz. Now we are grown, by mum's inner interior decorator has won out and she goes just for green and gold. But I loved our psychedelic tree and decided this year that kids want colour, not taste. So I bought some new multicoloured baubles, dug out all the different decorations I could find in the house and gave Freyja free rein.




It looks ace. It looks way cooler and much funkier than any tree I have ever decorated before. Though it is still a long way off from reaching the dizzy rainbow heights of my childhood Christmas tree.

I Saw Santa

Over at Sticky Fingers, there has been some pondering about when you stopped believing in Santa. I don't have any memory of suddenly realising Santa doesn't exist and no idea how old I was when I no longer believed. My sister is 5 and half years younger than me and I know that I pretended to believe for a lot longer than I actually did believe. But there wasn't any traumatic moment when I suddenly knew.

One Christmas I remember clearly is one of the few that we spent in Wales with my Nain and Taid. I can't remember how old I was - probably 4 or 5. My grandparents had this glass brick wall separating their entrance hall from the living room (they were way ahead of their time...). It made everything look blurry and as my brother and I crept out of the bedroom early in the morning, he suddenly froze, turned to me and urgently whispered 'go back to bed, Santa is still there, I can see his big red bum!' We ran back to bed and only later realised that Santa's big red bum was in fact the Wendy House that he had got me for Christmas. Ho ho ho. We still laugh about it now, almost 30 years later...

With Freyja just coming up to 4, we are firmly in the believing stage. Last Christmas, just before she turned 3, was the first Christmas that she really 'got it' and I am so looking forward to this year. We are spending it alone and I know I'll get ridiculously excited about the prospect of creating our own traditions and special memories and I keep coming over all Cath Kidston and planning lovely crackers and candles and table settings.

I've got as far as buying a few baubles from Paperchase and then having a stress-attack about the fact that it is actually December now.

Great Blog!

I don't normally do this, but this blog is just hilarious and brilliant: Kitty Tells It As It Is.

I found it via The Potty Dairies post for British Mummy Blogger of the Week - though, as she says, it is not your run of the mill mummy blog.

I'm home sick today - struck down with the dreaded cough/cold/how-the-hell-am-I-supposed-to-know-if-it's-swine-flu-or-not virus. In between sleeping and coughing I read all of Kitty's blog posts and I laughed, gasped and laughed again. Go and read!

Hmmm

So, I finished my Twilight reading over the weekend and normal life can resume again. I really enjoyed them but must admit to feeling a teensy bit surprised about a few bits in them, particularly in the last book. I won't go into my opinions on it - there are plenty of people out there arguing over whether it's just a harmless fantasy/love story or if it's actually telling a whole generation of teens that controlling (abusive?) relationships are ok. And that if you have sex you might die!

But from a purely entertainment, can't-put-this-book-down angle, they were ace. You really can read too much into these things, I think.