Recipe For a Perfect Day...

It's workshop time again over at Sleep is for the Weak (I know, where does the time go?), so go have a look for some great writing and inspiring prompts to get your creative cogs a-turning.

(Click here for the prompts, and here for the links to all of this week's entries.)
(But read mine first, or I'll pout.)

This week, I chose:

2. Write a recipe for something abstract - i.e. a recipe for a good/bad day, recipe for a perfect Halloween, recipe for a happy mummy/daddy etc.

 

(And don't worry, you don't need to be from the house of Nigella to give this one a whirl :D)

Recipe for a perfect day.

Start with a base of sleeping in until at least 8am, with mummy waking gently from slumber to the sun shining, birds tweeting, and baby chatting contentedly to himself.

Smooth over a thin layer of milk, plus peach & banana porridge for baby, and a thicker layer of coffee for mummy. (For best results, use proper coffee, made in a pot, not instant.) Add Nutella filled croissants to taste.

Combine with a couple of large cups of morning playtime. Equal measures of singing and dancing and cuddles.

Snuggle up with a slice of good reading and quiet time, then set aside for a minimum of one solid hour napping time.

Once rested, blend in a portion of lunch – perhaps granary toast with mushed up avocado for two, with added strawberry fromage frais. Add a liberal pinch of mess – it’s all part of the fun of learning!

Mix in a lovely walk in the sunshine, adding your choice of park or seafront. Be sure to thoroughly marinade with all the sights and sounds along the way.

Cover with an afternoon nap. Once chilled, blend in something delicious for baby’s tea and leave to settle while watching Hollyoaks together.

When the daddy gets home from work, generously apply more cuddles.
Combine daddy & baby, and gently whisk in more milk, and the bedtime story of your choice.
Place baby in cot, sprinkle with goodnight kisses.

In a separate bowl, combine mummy, daddy, some tasty dinner and at least two large glasses of wine. (Can be substituted with bottles of beer as a variation.)

After all the ingredients are combined, gently simmer and enjoy the warming satisfaction of a perfect day.
And don’t forget to save the leftovers for tomorrow!

 

read more...

The Six Month Milestone

Okay, actually, it was 6 months last Tuesday, but what can I say, being a mummy is a busy job, and it's been a week filled with plumbers, and coffee dates, and a mummy & daddy date, and distractions. And a stupid cold. So, y'know...

Anyway.

The Little Dude, is six months old. One hundred and ninety days today to be exact.

It's an odd feeling - on one hand, I absolutely understand what everyone means now when they say 'enjoy it- it goes too quickly!' - and on the other, I can hardly remember what life was like before being a mummy. (in a good way I mean, not just because of the perpetual exhaustion!)

It's amazing how much has happened in such a relatively short space of time.

My little boy has gone from a tiny little wrinkly pink bundle, just short of 7lb, who didn't care for much else than sleeping, pooping and mummy's boobies, to a wrinkle free 17lb of inquisitive little baby boy, complete with a tooth, who grins, and giggles, and is interested in just about anything and everything he can get his chubby little hands on. (particuarly my mobile, the tv remote, the dog...)

In the early days, we used to spend hours just snuggled up together - in bed, or on the sofa - the little dude feeding or snoozing - gently snoring and blowing tiny bubbles in his sleep - me, gazing in complete awe at the beautiful little person I'd made. (with a little help from the daddy, obviously ;D) From day one I was so thankful to the baby gods for blessing me with such a happy, chilled out little boy - and he was a sleeper too! I kept expecting the bubble to burst, but touch wood, it hasn't! Yay!

Now, our days are spent rocking to mummy's favourite tunes (he particuarly enjoys the work of Maximo Park, The Guillemotts, and ELO - good boy!), dancing, chattering about nothing, going for walks, play dates, and mummy indulging in all manner of silliness to encourage those delicious little giggle-fits.

He's gone from not being able to hold his own head up to rolling around the floor at will, pushing himself up, grabbing anything that looks interesting, just about sitting up unaided, and looking likely to start crawling at any minute.

And then there's the weaning! I love watching his little face each time he tries something new - and the look of sheer joy when he has a fist (and face!) full of rusk, is priceless.

In short, it's been an eventful half a year.
And it's been wonderful. Everyday brings something new, and I'm loving every minute of it.

I can't wait to see what the next six months have in store.

read more...

Everyday Inspiration...

Mummy Porridge Brain is putting us to work again in her Writing Sweatshop Workshop :D
Hop on over for more brilliant prompts to exercise ye olde grey matter & get your creative juices flowing.

This week, I toyed with opting for No.1: You get a day off. No kids, no housework, no responsibility. Where would you go? What would you do? - but all I'd do is a. sleep, b. make like a potato and veg with dvds, junk food & readables, or c. retreat to my wonderful magical room of fantasy. Given that c sadly doesn't exist, and a&b wouldn't make for terribly exciting reading, I have decided to go with:

5. Sit in a room of your house you spend a lot of time in. And really LOOK. Notice all the details you usually miss, and describe them with all the creativity you can muster. Let the every-day inspire you.

Sitting comfortably?

Me too. On my sofa, in my living room.

My living room, which, once upon a time, was a haven of carefully selected, 100% colour coordinated, classy, comfortable, chic. Deliberately positioned cushions, perfectly aligned coasters on polished coffee table, pretty photo frames and other objects dotted here and there (always grouped in threes - it's an interior design thang sweetie), no mess, no clutter, everything had it's place.

Then I had a baby.

An almighty inflatable donkey attached to a felt play mat sits on the floor to my left. To accommodate the overflow of my growing boy, he's been joined by a safari themed playmat in all the colours of the rainbow. They don't match eachother, much less the rest of the room. They are strewn with various rattles and cuddlies, a muslin square, a baby whoozit, and what looks like a lump of half eaten - yep, it's a chunk of chewed-round-the-edges rusk. (note to self - pick that up.) To my right, there's a bouncy chair. A bright blue bouncy chair, covered in frogs and turtles. That is definitely not in-keeping with the decor.

A few feet in front of me, my once Mr-Sheen'ed to within an inch of it's life coffee table, is now littered with... stuff. Let's see, there's an empty little stars pot and a bib, smeared and smelling of strawberries. There's a copy of Cosmo which I think I managed to read about 4 pages of before a certain someone decided that pretty, glossy magazines make great noises when ripped and crumpled. There are 2 cold half cups of coffee, a distinctly drool-covered remote control, and oh look, another chunk of rusk.

Other side of the table, the faux-leather magazine rack that used to be where the uncrumpled glossy magazine loveliness lived, now houses nappies, wipes, and a selection of creams. And, there's a bright blue changing mat propped up against the wall. (At least it matches the bouncer I suppose.)

Right of the coffee table, is the other sofa (those still match too. Just.), and on that, sits the love of my life. My Mr, My other half, The Daddy, My best friend. He's half watching TV, half falling asleep, and in his arms, is the reason for the inflatable donkey, the froggie bouncer, the nappies and the empty little stars pot - our son. The tiny little person who somehow comes with more stuff than the Mr & I have put together. (even including my bags & shoes. really.) Our precious little baby boy who came along and turned everything we had gotten to know as normal completely upside down.

Sure, a tiny part of me misses the serenity of the way this room used to be.

Yes, I'd love to sit and drink a whole cup of coffee while it's still hot, while nonchalantly flipping through a glossy magazine.

And no, I probably wouldn't miss playing 'hmm, wonder what that new stain is?'.

But the thing is, I'm a mummy now, and I love it.

I love the toys everywhere and the general sense of disarray & mayhem.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

(Though the neurotic tendencies do still insist on coordinated cushion covers and the groups of three - gotta have some standards!)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Josie was right - the everyday really can be inspiring! - Have a go yourself - it's very fun.

And remember, the first rule of Writing Workshop, Is that you don't talk about Writing Workshop.

Except actually, you should. Lots. To everyone. It rocks.

 

read more...

Sunday Night Catch Up...

Dinner made by me & eaten? Check.

Dessert made by the Mr & eaten? Calorie-filled Check.

X-Factor watched & laughed at? Check. (Whitney, have never been a fan, but really, you should have quit while you were ahead.)

Baby fed & sleeping? Cutieboy Check.

Dog curled up on my toes keeping them lovely and warm? Oh yes. (Every home should have a furry hot water bottle).

Time to catch up with all those memes like I said I would? Checkity Check.

Which actually, isn't as big a job as I thought, because everyone had given me the same award!! And I'm very pleased and flattered to say, it was the one up there in the top right - uh-huh, apparently I'm a great read :) - *blush!* So thank you muchly Sandy, MrsOMGPregnant (who is now an OMGMummy to a completely gorgous little girl!), and the 2 other people who my fuzzy little brain can't remember - SORRY!! (if it was you, shout & I shall link!!).

Anyway, rules of the award are that I'm now supposed to share 10 people/memories/places/things that make me happy, so here we go...

1-3: My Man, My Boy & My dog. Between the three of them, they make me smile more than anything else in the world, every single day, and are also responsible for 99% of my best memories. I love them all crazy-lots and am so thankful for them. I'm very blessed.

4: The day I found out I was pregnant. Also known as the start of our biggest ever (ongoing) adventure. Still smile when I think about it.

5: The first time the Mr took me to Tenerife. Two weeks of sheer unedited fun. We had an absolute ball & saw the sun rise more or less every morning we were there. We've been 6 times since, and can't wait till the Little Dude's a bit older so we can go back with him.

6: Blur @Hyde Park, this summer. I had waited almost a decade to see them live, and it was worth every minute. Such an amazing day.

7: My photo albums. I've always been a bit of a shutterbug, and as a result have pretty much my whole life documented in photo-form. One of my favourite rainy day pastimes is flicking through years & years worth of memories, smiling & giggling. (And occasionally dying of embarrassment!)

8: Doctor Who. But only David Tennant ones. If ever I'm in a funk, had a bad day, or otherwise feeling sorry for myself, curling up with The Doctor & a big mug of hot chocolate will help. Actually, same goes for Will Ferrell movies. Especially Zoolander.

9. Animals! Random? A little maybe. But I have so many happy animal memories, I thought it best to lump them into one. I've seen dolphins in the wild, hand fed squirrel monkeys, held an almighty giant tortoise, had numerous parrots perched on me, kissed a baby crocodile, and lots of other fun bits and pieces (without going into all the pets I've loved & lost over the years), the memorie of which all make me smile. I adore animals, always have, and hope to pass that passion on to the little dude. (He already loves dogs :D)

10. The first time I sold a piece of jewellery. The feeling that someone I didn't know was choosing to wear something I had made was fantastic. And it doesn't get old - everytime someone buys something I've made I get the same exciteable little buzz :)

have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed doing that, it's nice to reminice about good stuff - I could easily come up with another 10, but I'll stop, and pass the love on to all the great reads on my blog list. I'm going to be rubbish though & not name anyone specifically, because having taken so long to do it myself, I'll only end up tagging people who've already done it.
So if you haven't, do!
Because you're all great reads - that's why I read you!!

Oh, and speaking of great reads, Kelly over at A Place of My Own is running a great competition to win a copy of her friend's new book, which sounds brilliant - go check it out.
(even though I'm hoping to win, obviously!)

And now, night feed, then bed. Sleep's a thing that makes me happy too.

read more...

A room of my own...

The very lovely Josie over at Sleep is for the Weak, has kindly set us all some blogging homework, in the form of some very fun writing prompts, head on over to check out Josie's surreal new conspiracy theory plus all the other great submissions.
(After you've read this one here, obviously :P)

Anyways, I've gone for option no.3:

Imagine an extra room in your house just for you. Time would freeze as you stepped through the door, leaving your life frozen behind you and giving you unlimited guilt-free time to spend there. What would you fill it with? What views would it have out the window?

Sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.
Firstly, the room is going to have to be tardis like, in that yes, it fits neatly inside my house, but once you're in there, is far far bigger than any of the other 'normal' rooms.
On entering, there's a delicious waft of freshly baked cupcake smell, as low & behold, Johnny Depp, my personal cupcake chef, is hard at work in one corner. And yes, he lets me lick the bowl ;) (hahaha!! shameless, sorry.)
In another corner, I've got THE sofa from central perk in 'f.r.i.e.n.d.s', huge plush beanbags and vintage cushions GALORE, plus shelves and shelves of all my favourite books and all the sure-to-be-great reads I'm yet to get to.
To the left of the library, there's the walk in closet. Yep, just like the one in Ugly Betty, choc-full of utterly delicious vintage dresses and gorgeous shoes and bags and accessories and needlessly pretty other things.
Don't get too hung up on the couture though, we've just reached the huge bay window, where - what's that? ah yes, it's Mr Alex James, of Blur fame, sitting in my big retro egg chair, strumming a guitar, seranading me at will.
And if you'd care to take a peek out the window, I'm sure you'll enjoy the view - remember the land of chocolate & candy in Willy Wonka? Well that's my garden, uh-huh, I know, fabulous.
In the last corner (yes, I know I've had more than 4 corners - nobody said my perfect room had to be square), it's craft heaven. There's an easel set up (in perfect light, of course) with dozens of brushes and paints in every colour of the rainbow. There's a huge table, which I never have to clear, and a wall full of drawers and boxes, stuffed full of beautiful papers and beads and embellishments and glitter and buttons and ribbons... it's almost even better than Johny's cupcakes. Yes, it's that good.
And in the middle of the best room ever, for when I tire of cupcakes and art and literature and fashion (unlikely, but sometimes it's nice to take a break), there's a huge fluffy rug, and a whole bunch of tiny puppy dogs. Because no matter how bad your day's been, everything is better with a puppy on your lap.

Now then. Who do I see about having this fabulous room installed in my house please?

While I deliberate, don't forget to go check out all the other great posts at Sleep is for the Weak - and if you're not a follower over there - why not?? Fix it! And join in on the wonderful weekly workshops.
Oh I love alliteration :)

read more...

Accomplishment & Memes & Zombies...

Busy, but lovely weekend here in the little dude household.
It was The Daddy's weekend off, which is always good, because we get to indulge in some 'family time', and I get a lie in on Sunday morning (and coffee brought to me IN BED!! how i love that man of mine :D)

Also, if you're wondering what that fuzzy glow I'm rocking is all about, no, I haven't been at the ready brek, that, my friends, is the smug glow of accomplishment :) The little dude's room is officially finished! The light fitting is fixed, the new shade is up, and the black out blind is fitted. I've also gone through all his clothes, pulled out everything that's now too small, and organised everything else by size. Tidied up *all* the lingering clutter, AND put all the photos I've taken from birth - the end of August into albums. Phew.

And now, I'm even making time to blog! Check me out!! Although I am cheating a little and opting for a meme in place of actual content. It's a start.

I’ve been given allsorts of lovely awards & memes to do lately, but haven’t had the chance to sit down & actually do them yet. I will though, honest.

This one is jumping the queue though, because a. I’ve been tagged twice now, by Kelly and Lorraine (I just realised, if I’d put that the other way round, I’d have been tagged by Lorraine Kelly – hahahahaha!! Yes, it’s the little things that amuse me :D), and b. it’s short and sweet. (and easy.)

So here are the rules…

1. Collect the book that you have most handy.

2. Turn to page 161.

3. Find the 5th complete sentence.

4. Quote the sentence on your blog.

5. Pass it on to 5 other bloggers.

Well, I’m currently reading “Pride & Prejudice & Zombies”, by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith – yes, you read the title right, it’s Elizabeth Bennet at her feistiest, kicking undead zombie butt. It’s fabulous.

I don't get nearly as much time to read as I used to pre-baby (funy that!), but I do try to make a point of reading at least a few pages everyday - just to keep the old grey matter working if nothing else.

Anyway, the sentence I have to share is…

“Regard for my sister’s credit and feelings prevented any public exposure; but my honour demanded a duel with Mr Wickham, who left the place immediately.”

Have I convinced you to give it a whirl?!
If you love the original, and you love zombies, you can’t go wrong. So long as you can keep an open mind and embrace the madness! :D
You can buy it on amazon here.

As for the tagging, oh I hate this bit – I’m always late to the party & end up tagging people who’ve already done it, so I’ll just say anybody who hasn’t done it, and would like to, consider yourself tagged.

Now, back to Mr Darcy…

read more...

Wordless Wednesday: Let's go to the PARK!

Last week, while the sun was still shining (seems like a distant memory now!) the daddy & I took the LD for his first jaunt to the park.
think it's safe to say it won't be the last! (not sure who enjoyed the swings more- the daddy or the little dude!)
And more importantly, there's just something immensely satisfying about being out as a proper little family, you know? Love it. 
*promise* i'll get round to a more substantial post (and all the tags i've had) very soon!! :) ♥

read more...