Mummy Tag

So I thought it would be fun to take part in the Mummy Tag challenge and answer the following questions. I'd love to read your answers too so if you decide to take part please link me or tag me!

Okay here we go ... 

1)  Are you a working mum or a stay at home mum?

I am a stay at home mum who will be returning to college in September.

2)  Would you have it any other way? 

Nope! I love being here at home with them. Don't get me wrong I am looking forward to going back to college in September and having some time for myself but I do enjoy not having to work at the moment. We aren't well off but we have just enough with Matt working and me off. It would make no sense financially for me to go back right now anyway as childcare would be more than I would earn. 

3) Do you co-sleep?

We did with Livvy and it worked really well for us. She slept through in our bed from four weeks old and she stayed in with us until she was around 14/15 months old. We didn't struggle too much with moving her into her own bed at first it was just as she got older the problems began but it wasn't so much because she wanted to be back in with us it was more the usual problems like fearing monsters etc now she is 4 things are getting better. She goes to bed most nights with no issue its just the odd night when she is over tired that she wont settle as easily. 

This time around with Toby we have done the occasional night when he hasn't settled properly but for the most part he sleeps in his own crib next to our bed. He settles and sleeps so well and i'm really proud that he too is sleeping through the night.

4) What is your one must have item for your baby?

With Livvy it was her Fisher Price musical seahorse and muslin cloths! The seahorse was her absolute favourite and settled her down so easily when she was upset. Muslin cloths were and still are a god send for everything and anything. Sick, spit, snot, you know all those lovely bodily fluids that babies like to share. With Toby its been his Ewan the Dream Sheep, we used it from day one in the hospital. Even though it is fab for settling him to sleep he can fall asleep without it too which I am pleased about as I didn't want him to create too much of an association with that and sleep. Another must have has been the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine. This only came out near the end of our bottle feeding journey with Livvy and I just know we would have loved it then too. Its made life so much easier. Toby can go from being fast asleep to starving within a second so standing around cooling down bottles would have been way too stressful for us! 

5) How many children do you plan on having?

To be honest I'm really not sure. I go between being really content with two especially with having one of each. Then I have moments where I'm cuddled up with Toby and I can't possibly imagine never having another newborn again. I think if we did have any more it would be the age gap we have now because it has worked so well for us. Livvy is an amazing big sister and she has been asking if we will have any more babies so who knows.

6) Date nights, how often do you have them?

Not often enough if i'm being honest. It's been a while since we last went out just the two of us but I think that's normal with having a four month old at home. We don't have family here so we don't have a readily available babysitter. We do have date nights at home though, takeout and a movie is our fave! Its nice to have time without the children but we have to try to talk about something other than them haha.

7) Your child's favourite show?

Well if you know Livvy at all you'll know its without a doubt Paw Patrol. She is obsessed, to the point where most days she pretends she is a puppy haha. She has started to really like Elena Of Avalor recently though and she still watches things like Sofia and Doc. There's also a new show called Rusty Rivets on now that shes taken a liking to. 

8) Name one thing you bought before you had the baby and never ended up using.

With Livvy it was the baby bath seat, she hated it so we ended up giving it to a friend. Oh and the bottle warmer too, useless. With Toby there hasn't really been anything as we literally only bought what we needed. I think things are a lot easier with your second as you become wise to what is essential and what isn't.

9) Your child's favourite food? 

We have always had such a food battle with Livvy, its a constant struggle but i'll be totally honest here if she has chocolate she will inhale it. She also loves apples and bananas too though and has started trying a lot more recently. Toby hasn't properly started weaning yet but we have given him cucumber sticks to soothe his gums and he loves them!

10) How many cars does your family have?

None. Matt has his licence but we can't afford one just yet. Everything we need is easily accessible walking or by bus anyway.

11) Weight gain before, during and after pregnancy?

I don't have exact numbers but i had hyperemesis during both my pregnancies so I initially lost a lot of weight, then when I could manage to eat it was all the wrong things. After having Toby I was at my highest weight so I joined slimming world back in January and I have lost 1st 2lbs so far.

12) Dream holiday with your children?

It would have to be the typical no expenses spared Disney trip. Its something I hope we can do one day. I know they would both love it and I would probably enjoy it just as if not more than them. I think its one of those holidays that every parent hopes they can fulfill this wish for their children.

13) Dream holiday without your children?

I'd love to go see the Northern Lights, its on my bucket list and its something I have always wanted to do. Saying that though I know Livvy would be amazed by it so I would feel so guilty doing it without her.

14) How has your life changed since having children?

It would probably be easier to say how it hasn't changed really. Nothing truly prepares you for how life altering these little beings are. They completely consume you in every way but its in a way that you wouldn't change for anything in this world. My days have gone from working, going out to gigs all the time, seeing friends, doing whatever I wanted when I wanted to doing laundry, washing up, playgroups, nursery runs, cleaning and harnessing skills I never thought I had.

15) Finish the sentence "It makes my heart melt when ..."

... I see how caring and protective Livvy is with her brother. If he starts fussing she starts saying "Alllrriiigghhhtt Toby its okay!" Then she will try calm him or give him his dummy.

16) Where do you shop for your children?

Mainly Next, H&M, Zara. I absolutely LOVE Turtledove London clothes for Toby too. I don't buy tonnes of clothes anymore, I used to go mad when Livvy was younger but now I try to buy things that will mix and match.

17) Favourite makeup and skincare products?

Foundation wise I will always be an Estee Lauder girl. I've tried so many others but this one just works best for me. Eyeshadow is always one of my Urban Decay palettes, I love how pigmented and long lasting they are. However any other products I grab what I like the look of.

18) Huggies or Pampers?

Neither, we use Aldi nappies. They are fantastic!

19) Have you always wanted children?

Yes, always. I played with dolls way longer than most girls do and I was the first to offer to babysit. It was like a calling. Cheesy as that sounds.

20) Best part of being a Mum?

There are some pretty crappy parts, it can be lonely and tiring but when Livvy wraps her arms around me and gives me a huge cuddle or when Toby looks at me and smiles it makes every hard moment melt away.

So there we go, I hope you enjoyed reading my answers.

Jem
xoxo

From Bump To Baby

So I thought I would share with you a few bump and other photos from my pregnancy with Toby :)

Here we go!

We found out so so early on this time. I literally took a test the day before my period was due and got the faintest line. I showed it to Matt but he couldn't see anything and he told me not to get my hopes up but I just knew!

I was a little addicted to seeing that number go up!

After a scare I was sent for an early scan at 6 weeks, the midwife was unsure if she could see baby as it was so early on so we had an agonising 2 week wait ahead. At 9 weeks we went back and look! There was baby. That teeny little splodge.

12 week scan! I couldn't believe how much baby had grown in just 3 weeks.

I already felt so much bigger than I did with Livvy and I was only 13 weeks gone.

All ready to go find out which team we were on.

You can just about make out the massive bruise on my side from where he would constantly kick me.

More than ready to meet my little man.

I took this the morning we went in to be induced then posted it onto my Instagram and acted as though it was just a normal day. I loved keeping it secret that we were actually on our way to meeting him. I don't think anyone clocked on haha.

Finally here and safe in my arms.

It all feels so long ago now yet he's only 10 weeks old! I'd love to have another but pregnancy is so rough for me that I  don't know if I could cope haha. Everyone said to me after Livvy that no two pregnancies are the same. Trust me to be the one who goes against that and has two identical pregnancies!

Jem x

Me, Myself & I

So in my last post I talked about my new year goals. One of them was to dedicate at least one evening to myself every week. Now, it might seem like quite a trivial or daft thing to have as a goal to most people but to a mother it will make a lot of sense.

As a mother you put your needs to the bottom of the pile. There's the children, the housework, the cooking, errands, bills and everything else that needs taking care of before you even think about what you need. The problem is if we don't stop and take care of ourselves, not only in appearance but emotionally too, then we aren't going to be able to function properly for the other things that need doing. You can't pour from an empty cup and this is the one thing I need to remember.

So now I've started a simple but effective routine as such for myself every Thursday evening. It's very cliché and something everyone does really. Please excuse the photographs, I'm still relying on my phone until my charger arrives!

The first thing I do is run myself a hot, and I mean hot, bubble bath complete with candles. Okay you say, a bubble bath, what's so special about that? Well in this house its not very often I have the bath to myself. Usually its crammed full of toys, a toddler and a baby, so having it all to myself is a little luxury.

Now I don't know about you but I love to have a drink and a snack whilst I'm in the bath. Usually I'll have a glass of wine and something naughty but seeing as though I've just started Slimming World again I've switched to a cup of tea and a Hifi Bar. To be honest I love these bars and it actually feels like you're having a proper little bar of chocolate.

So after I've sorted that out its time to get in and relax. I'm loving the NSPA range of facial products at the moment. I tend to use the face mask once a week anyway so putting this into my relaxing routine seemed like a natural progression. I get quite dry skin on my t-zone and its brilliant for that. I usually have around half an hour in the bath. Anymore and I just get bored. I used to be able to lie in there for so long but since having Livvy I just can't anymore. I start getting agitated for some reason.

I much prefer getting out after doing my face mask then relaxing in bed with my book for a good hour. I love books, getting lost in someone else's world for a while just seems to calm me down. I'm working my way through No Safe House by one of my favourite authors Linwood Barclay. So not only am I fulfilling one goal by having time to myself but I am also working towards my other goal of reading at least twelve books this year.

Whilst I'm doing all this Toby is usually fast asleep in his crib. He loves it so much and sleeps for hours in it. I always feel so much better after my evening alone. It gives me time to recharge my batteries so I can be the best Mamma to my little ones. I can tell I'm due some me time when I start getting snappy, everything feels like its going wrong when in reality its not. I just need to take a big deep breath and go relax for a while.

So to all my Mamma friends and to any of you who are reading I hope this has made you realise you need to put yourself at the top of the priority list sometimes. You are just as important as your children, your partner and your home. So find something you enjoy and go do it. Put the Mamma guilt behind a door for a couple of hours. Trust me it does you the world of good.

Jem x

Another Year Over

So here's to a fresh start.

After my last post things got very manic very fast. Our little boy ended up having to be induced two weeks early but I'll save that story for another time. A quick introduction to him if you don't already know ... Tobias Keith Metcalfe. Toby for short. He's now 9 weeks old and is cuddled up in my arms as I awkwardly try to type with one hand. Again I  shall introduce him properly another time.

Today I decided to sit down and work on my goals for 2017. I never really make proper resolutions, I just like to make a list of things I hope to accomplish over the coming year then I break that down into a list of short term goals for each month to help me achieve the end result. I find this much more manageable than setting huge ones that I'll more than likely fail at within the first week.

I thought I would share some of them with you today and would love to hear what your goals or resolutions are too. So here we go.

1. Start using my SLR camera more .

Photography used to be a massive part of my life. Somewhere along the way it got pushed to the side and its time I made it a priority again. In order for me to get anywhere with this I had to order a new charger first! I lost mine over a year ago and always kept putting it off. I used it as an excuse but now was the time to stop. So this morning I have already taken the first step and ordered it. I'm a little rusty with photography so this will be a learning process all over again.

2. Read at least 12 books.

Reading again was and is a favourite hobby of mine. I kind of used having children as an excuse (seriously I'm terrible for making excuses for everything) for not reading as much as I used to. I've been reading the same book now for over a year which is shocking! I used to read a book a week before I had Livvy. I'm nearly done with this one now then I've already got my next one lined up. Any book recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

3. Lose all my pregnancy weight.

I'm not happy with the way I look at all. I feel frumpy, I have less energy and my skin breakouts have turned into one long battle. The thing is I know its all my own fault. After I had Toby I just got lazy again with food and chose convenience over health. I know I can shift it because before I got pregnant with him I lost over half a stone. So my first step to achieving this goal is getting back to Slimming World on Thursday.

4. Dedicate one evening a week to myself.

This is probably my most important goal. I will probably go into more detail at some point about why I've chosen this to work on. As a short description isn't really possible.

5. End the year with at least one blog post a week.

Pretty self explanatory. I just need to give myself a kick up the bum with this. I love writing blog posts so I need to make more time to do it.

I hope I have inspired you to think about things you would like to happen this year.
I wish you all a very Happy New Year! I'll leave you with my cheeky boy from earlier today.

Jem x

The Perks Of Being A Mother

Hello again!

Yes ... once again I failed tremendously at blogging. Its one of those things that I love doing but then I struggle to get time to actually sit and write. This is changing though. I need to start taking some time out of my day to do something I really enjoy. I need something other than being "mummy" all the time. A break from the endless laundry pile, the washing up and the general upkeep of our little family home.
Don't get me wrong I love being Mummy and I love being a housewife but its so easy to get lost in those roles and forget who you are. I feel like writing lets me escape for a little while, which will probably sound strange considering most of what I write about is being a Mummy haha!

So ... what is life for Jem right now?

Well i'm still pregnant! I am 36 weeks on Thursday and we are expecting a beautiful little boy :)
Our little family is so excited to meet him and Livvy is getting well into big sister mode already. She is constantly talking about him or giving my tummy cuddles and kisses. Its adorable to watch her love him so much already and I can't wait to see how she is when he arrives.

Talking of Livvy she is  FOUR now .... FOUR!! HOW did that happen? She's grown up so much this past year. She's a proper little girl now ... all traces of babyhood and toddlerhood are pretty much gone. It makes me sad but also so proud to see her personality blossom. Although she does keep pretending she is a baby ... that or a dog. That girl is obsessed with dogs and is convinced we are getting a puppy soon. We aren't!

Anyway I'm going to try put a post up once a week, it may be slow for the next couple of weeks as everything is very much in the air with this pregnancy at the moment. I have to go for another iron transfusion on Tuesday and then a growth scan the following week to see if we will be letting baby arrive naturally or if we will be getting induced early.

Last thing ... i'm changing the name of the blog to The Perks Of Being A Mother ... this will also be my new Instagram handle and youtube name (vlogs may be being resumed once baby arrives!) It just felt right. I'm starting a whole new chapter in my journey as a mother and it felt like the right time to change.

Jem xoxo

10 Weeks Bumpdate

So I am 10 weeks already!

I know its not THAT far along but we found out at 4 weeks so to us it feels like a lifetime already. Especially when we kept it secret from most people until 9 weeks. Livvy is so excited to be a big sister. Lately all she talks about it buying toys and clothes for the baby and telling me all about what she wants to do with him/her.

So here's how things are going at 10 weeks!

How far along? 10 weeks .. well and two days really.

Symptoms: Extreme fatigue, nausea and sickness allll day, just like last time, hormonal acne, very sensitive teeth and my boobs are still a bit achey.

Maternity clothes? No not yet, I have bought a couple of loose fitting tops and some stretchy jeggings as jeans are making me uncomfortable at the moment.

Stretch marks? No not yet. I didn't really get any with Livvy expect for a couple on my thighs and boobs.

Sleep: I feel so so exhausted. I am having to go to bed a little earlier than usual and I'm napping at least twice in the day which means my housework is slipping! I need to clean my house asap but you know what right now its not the number one priority.

Best moment this week: Livvy giving my belly a hug and kiss for the first time.

Miss anything? Having energy and being able to eat without feeling so nauseous.

Food cravings: Nothing specific, i'm kind of just eating what I fancy at the moment because its hard to keep anything down.

Anything making you nauseous or sick?  Yes!  Everything :(  

Labour signs: No!

Belly button in or out? In! It never popped out with Livvy so I'm interested to see if it does this time even though it makes me feel a bit weird haha.

Mood: I'm happy and excited about being pregnant but the nausea and sickness are really dragging my mood down at the moment. I'm trying to focus on the fact its a sign baby is happy and healthy though so that does help a bit.

Looking forward to: My midwife appointment on Tuesday. There's a lot I want to talk about with her so it will be good to see her.

                               

I'm going to do updates every two weeks I think as sometimes not much changes week to week. Hope you enjoyed reading this and I will update again at 12 weeks!

Jem xo

The even bigger update!

So when I was updating you on the last two years I kind of left out one small announcement. It's nothing major I swear.

That's right we are adding another little munchkin to our family! Livvy is so excited to be a big sister and we are thrilled that we are having another baby.

Jelly Bean is due early November and I am currently 10 weeks pregnant. The scan was at 9 weeks and they were so tiny! I can't wait to see he or she grow. I will be doing bumpdates along the way so watch out for those.

Jem xo