Camping and Scrumping

Ever since I was kid we have spent most of the summer holidays camping, when we was young there was a whole gang of us cousins, that explored the entire day, riding round on ours bike, fishing on the lake, making a lemonade stand to sell on the beach, crabbing off the pier and then saving our pennies up so we could run along the beach to the shop to buy prank jokes and plot our next trick on the grown ups.

And even the days when the rain poured and the mud tracks would fill up with water and create puddles that were deep enough to reach our knees, we loved it! and once the rain had stopped and the mud would start to dry we would be lined up one by one, taking turn's to stand in a baby bath while my mum hosed us down.

It will always be the fondest memories of my life growing up, even now all us cousins have grown up we are forever talking and reminiscing about it. 

I was so determined that my girl would also have this up bringing, to be a real kid with no electronic's, and mud across her face.

We've spent the last few weeks there, strolling down the country lanes, pick apples from the apple tree's, black berries from the bushes and potato picking in the fields. The little ones love it, I love watching them fall in love and make memories with camping like we did when we were young. The plan is still get out there and camp throughout the autumn and the odd winter day to get the most out of this year as we can because we not quite ready to say good bye to camping and getting away from the rat race for this year just yet. 

Meet Pip! My 70's Ride

At this moment in time, I am sat in bed grinning like a cheshire cat....

1. because I am cosy in bed with a cuppa

2. because its cold enough to put my cosy winter onsie's back on andddd

3. meet Pip... 

Pip, I Love Her!

Today started of as a pretty poo day, just one of them days where there is so much to do and soo little time to do it so everything goes wrong! but then my mum rang me to ask if I had seen what my twin brother had brought home ...I searched the garden and the alley but there wasn't anything but she kept telling me to keep looking then the phone lost signal, so I chucked it down and went to answer the back door and my brother was stood with this little beautyyyyyy !

I have been wanting a vintage folding bike for donkeys years!! But the last few nights I have been especial obsessed with getting one, dropping off every night with my phone screen full of picture's of them! 

It was a bit spooky actually out of nooo where my auntie rang my mum this morning and asked if she knew anyone that wanted a vintage folding bike because she had just spotted one in an old shop, not actually knowing that I wanted one, out of everyone she rang my mum!.........Its because me and Pip were meant to be ;) 

At first I was looking at a pastel coloured one, or even white but Pip is a cherry red and she is so much better then one I would have picked!  

I have many plan's for my little Pip.....some new cherry red paint, maybe a wicker and bell! so watch out for her in future posts :) x

Sea Shell's and Rain Storms

Evening beautys! 

Something you may not know about me I am totally, completely obsessed with winter! Don't get me wrong I do not want to wish the summer away for you summer babies and I do enjoy it but I wish that it could be boiling hot for 6 weeks of the year then freezing, cold, grab your coat and hot chocolate for the rest of the year. At the moment I am lovingggg the weather, it may be only august but its been feeling slightly autumnal these past few mornings, which has sent me running to the garden, with my cuppa tea for the last few mornings to grab a feel of that crisp autumn air feeling! It is only august but I cant wait for the real autumn to begin! 

The last few days has been a mixed bag of sun, cloud and rain so on Sunday morning I was looking forward to putting the pjs on with the famalam and enjoy a cosy Sunday with films, chocolate and a roast but first I thought it would nice for Lilah beau to have a quick walk to the park, get muddy and be home in time for the pjs coming out the tumble dryer  but all did not go to plan.....

As we walked along to the park with nanny in toe, we could see the beach was full of families going on long walks all wrapped up, so we thought it would be nice to grab an ice cream from the park cafe then take a quick stroll down to the beach.... we ended up getting totally lost in the sandy moment, walking right along until we reached the next town !! We stopped by the beach huts to grab a cuppa when we realised it was half past 3!!

Realising the time we walked up through, to the top of the cliff where the park is, deciding to walk through the park home. Part of the park is a forest, and as we walked past this area lilah squealed that she had just seen a fairy inside so we must go in and find more. Me and mum giggled as we played along rattling bushes as we went past them insisting there must be fairies inside. Then out of no where the heavens opened and my lordy did pour down! We where sopping wet but the tree's did give us a slight shelter so we camped out in there, under our umbrella until it past.

 It was a beautiful unexpected Sunday, one which I hope sticks in Lilahs memories as she grows up.

A Mummy's Backpack

Gone are the days of cooing over my baby changing bag! I loved my changing bag, every night it use to feel so good knowing that my nappy bag was all ready neatly packed for the next day, it may sound strange to some but I think some mums will know what I mean! All of her little gleaming white bibs and muslin squares, spares baby grows and squeaky clean bottles packed and ready.

It felt good when the day came when it wasn't a military operation to get just to the corner shop, and I could just chuck a few things in my handbag and we're off.

 

Buttt admittedly I do miss it now! SO the other day I was sat in the window early morning with the first cuppa of the day and really fancied getting out on an adventure as early as we could, so I legged it up stairs woke the man, and my little lady, then I ransacked  my mums out house, and under all the old camping things I found a backpack big enough for a picnic and all our things. We spent the day at a village fair we found ( which had an old fashioned punch and judy!!!) and then grabbed a fish and ships dinner on the beach as we strolled home in the evening. 

Now, I have realised that I could coo over a Mummy backpack, with everything a toddler/young kids would need, all  pack and ready for the next morning !

So what do you muma's have in your toddler survival kits ??? I want to know! any tips ?!? And what backpack/mummy bag do you have??

 

So farrrrr we have spare cloths, snacks and a drink, hand sanitiser, wipes, sun cream and sun hat, but what do you ladies have ? any hidden treasures that come in handy with a 3 year old ? 

I also soooo want the new Cath Kidston Autumn flower collection backpack for this purpose its soo beautiful 

What They Didn't Tell You

A post for the future...

Having children changes everything, from your view and opinions on life and your home, your fashion sense, to your lady bits and tummy's !

The sleepless nights, the soggy potty training moments and the ceebeebies tsunami you will be in are a given but what no one warns you about are...

 Them times you said "children wont change me, I will travel across tailand with a back pack, holiday every year, and still make time to go for a weekly pamper...it looks unlucky my lovely chum

I will be a cool mum, my kids will love me always, we're be friends as well as daughter/mother - the deal is your be irrationally overprotective, that beauty of a child is your cub and you are a mother lion willing to destroy anything that may upset or maybe a danger to your baby cub...... and sometimes this will annoy your children 

You'll struggle to cling on to your lady like dignity.... your children will hide under your skirt or pull out your boobs as they jump all over you in public ..... or in my case you'll share a toilet cubical with them and because they think it is hilarious they will shout out over and over again "mummy why have you pooed your self ?! mummy why have you pooed your self ?! mummy you've pooed yourself!........... in fact I most definitely didnt my little madam just thought this was bloody hilarious to shout out in a Marks and Spencer's toilet packed full women. 

Never again will your handbag look like the inside of a glamorous women's bag..... your keys with a pretty, glittery keyring, your make up, some nice smelling hand moisturiser. Swap that for nappies, wet wipes, snacks and little sticky raisins hanging around the bottom of the bag and that nice smelly hand moisturiser will be a bottle of hand sanitiser because children will stick their hands everywhere and in anything!

Oh and your going to have to let go of that lovely idea that your little ones will much prefer their greens over their sweets, your only drive yourself mad trying to achieve this! 

However no matter what any one else thinks, of course your children will grow to be ballet dancers or famous Olympians

You'll loose hours of your life staring at that amazing little piece of you growing and changing everyday.

You'll laugh till you cry at just something they said that made them sound soo grown up!

You'llbe so unbelievably overwhelmed and proud of them

You'll love that little person so much, that it actually hurts, it really does!  

So having children changes everything, so apologies to those who I loose touch with or friends who we are no longer on the same level any more. We will meet again my lovely, maybe as two older mums pondering over these magical times in our lives :) so for now cuppa's cup and carry on you beautiful mummy's xxx

The Making Of The Princess Dress

My mum use to work in clothing factory  growing up, making everything from dresses to swimwear for Mark and Spencer's. So now that I have a free summer, mums going to pass on the talent :) 

If you saw my previous post you would have seen that lilah had a princess themed party to go to so my mission was to make her the ultimate princess Cinderella dress! I marched off to the haberdashery in town to buy up all the  lovely pale blue netting and material. I was lucky to have found any there as the man behind the counter said he has had so many amazing mummy's in there buying up everything pale blue to make Frozen dresses! 

It took a few days to make the dress as I am only learning but I loved being able to be so creative. I would love to be able to set up a little business making and selling these dresses and all things girly one day :)

Mums machine 

Sat in the garden sewing 

The finished Cinderella dress. 

Princesses in wonderland

Blogging from the garden today as it is the first nice sunny day in about 3 days! .....Sat with a cup of tea in one hand and Vogue in the other ( Victoria beckham looks so amazing on the front of this august issue)

Butttt today's blog post is about Princesses in Wonderland....when I feel pregnant with Lilah Beau before I knew she was a girl, I found this thing online, something like a Chinese birth sex chart. You had to find your age on the chart and then follow the rows along until you find the month you conceived your baby. When I did that, there was an entire row of all blue squares meaning a boy, but one small pink square in the middle which I landed on. I did hope for a girl secretly but I was happy either way and thought nothing more of it. Through the rest of my pregnancy everyone I knew who was pregnant was having a boy, even on my first night of staying in the hosptial after having lilah, the midwife was really excited to look after me and Lilah because she said on that night Lilah beau was the only girl baby on the entire ward. Soooo you never know maybe there was something to it.

However I did make it my mission to find another girl living near that was also having a baby girl ! And I meet keisha :) !

Both our girls are so so similar. They were both real big babies, they have always been taller then the other kids their age, people have mistaken them for sisters, even the girls themselves,  say they look alike, Lilah was looking at a picture the other week and asked me if it was her or Aurora. and obviously they are both outstanding beautiful :)  We use to joke that its nice when they play together because they look in proportion for their age hahaa :)  

It was Aurora's 3rd Birthday the other week, and keisha goes all out ! she spends weeks preparing and making everything and her birthday cake making skills are kick arse amazing hahaa ! Aurora wanted a Princesses in wonderland theme so it was a mixture of princess meets the mad hatter.

The amazing birthday cake Keisha made 

Aurora and Lilah 

Birthday Girl Aurora 

Lilah Beau