So today we decided to pop to Puxton park for the first time. As we payed the staff member wasn’t overly friendly and just passed across the leaflets and we went in.

First we went to see all of the animals. This was definitely Emilias favourite part. You can buy feed for a £1 a bag to feed to certain animals which it states on their pens.

As my girls are both under two overall there wasn’t really a lot that they could do. There was a little park, obviously the animals and then a small area of soft play. Which unfortunately states for under three but older children were just running around and pushing smaller ones out of the way. When I contacted a member of staff about this they resolved it very quickly.

Under twos do get in for free so potentially this may be why there isn’t a whole lot for them to do. Most of the on site activities are aimed at older children. I would go again but I would definitely say you’ll get more out of it if you take a child 5+

We have kindly be gifted a lollipop baby camera to try out.

The packing was really nicely presented and organised inside with the different components being individually boxed. It comes with illustrated instructions so it’s so simple to understand what you need to do to set it up and install it.

The lollipop baby camera connects through an app in your phone. What I found super handy was the fact that you can have the video on your phone or you could choose to just have the sound, you can check on them wherever whenever! Perfect for me as I constantly worry. You can play various music and white noise sounds through selecting them on the app.

The picture quality is great in light and dark. It also will notify you if it’s too noisy in the room or if your baby is crying. When this happens it also records a video snippet that you can watch back!

I would 100% recommend the lollipop baby camera and if you love to move rooms around the amount of times I do it’s even great for that too because you can twist it on to furniture or to stand or even pop it on the wall!

I have to admit when I found out i was pregnant with Ottilie I had so many emotions. I was so happy Emilia would have someone to play with. A sister to cause trouble with , I’ll probably regret saying that in the future.

The one sentence I always hear is you must have your hands full. I’ve heard it from family , friends and more strangers than I can count. I even walked into the doctors to which he stood up and said they can’t both be yours and no matter how many times I said yes they are , he for some reason refused to believe me.

Of course I couldn’t agree more I do have my hands full , it’s one massive juggle but it’s something that I wouldn’t change. To see how their relationship has grown is just an amazing thing to observe and be a part of.

There are so many highs and also a lot of lows. It’s non stop right up until bedtime , it’s stressful trying to manage looking after two children but doing everything else that needs to be done in between. Emilia will happily be playing and along comes Ottilie to try and play. Although Emilia doesn’t see it that way.

The washing pile has definitely doubled, the nappies have certainly doubled maybe even tripled two under two isn’t easy some days it’s very stressful , that being said I really wouldn’t change it.

They’re the best thing I’ve ever achieved and I’d do it all over again.

We have kindly been sent a chewy moon snack box to try out. Well I say we but Emilia was a big fan of this idea and wouldn’t share with anyone. So chewy moon is this fab snack subscription box that gets delivered straight to your door from as little as £5.48 per week.

You get perfectly portioned snacks that are created by nutritionists and 100% natural. You can choose all sorts of plans over on their website http://www.chewymoon.com

Emilia received

•raspberry fingers

•vanilla biccies

•popped cheddar

•carrot orange wedges

•strawberry stars

As I said above I wasn’t allowed anywhere near them she’d put them near my mouth then take it away and say “no no no” to which she proceeded to eat them all and tell me how yummy they really were.

They also add a lovely little touch of collectable cards to play with and a nutrition slip inside each box to tell you all about the ingredients.

I feel like every New Years everyone says new year new me and then lists all of these resolutions that don’t ever get stuck to. I know I for one always say it every year and then it just doesn’t happen!

This time I really do want to stick to it, I’m so self conscious. I hate posting pictures of myself I constantly feel gross to put it politely. I don’t really ever talk about this or express this to anyone ever, but I have two beautiful children who look up to me. I don’t want them growing up and being self conscious of themselves and feeling like they have to look a certain way to be accepted.

So who cares if I constantly have large black bags under my eyes , a stylish mum bun and sometimes I’m still in my pyjamas at lunchtime. I’m not focusing on what’s Instagram acceptable but more on just spending time with the girls and letting them know it’s best being ourselves.

Oh that was harder to write than I thought! Actually writing down what you keep in your head to yourself for all this time.

Happy new year everyone x

over the past week we have been trying out Www.babycup.co.uk baby cups. They are mini open cups for babies and young children, to encourage sipping instead of sucking. By doing this it stimulates the correct jaw and facial growth which then also helps to avoid crooked teeth and orthodontic problems.

Both Emilia and Ottilie can now use them and I have to admit, it made me so emotional. For the longest time I’ve wanted Emilia to drink from an open cup but they were all always too big. I never thought that my 7 month old could drink from one as well.

The girls now have them at every meal time and I’m so pleased as not only do they promote healthy teeth but also good orthodontics, baby talk and fine motor skills. They’re also made in the uk , BPA and phthalates free.

I just wish I found these when Emilia was younger. I can’t recommend them enough!

sip sip hooray !

We own a three bedroom house in which Emilia had her own bedroom and the plan was to start doing Ottilie’s , but to be truthful they both co sleep in with me their dad works nights and I just prefer it. So I decided to do the girls in one room together ( when they eventually go into beds) and create a play room in the other for the mountains and mountains of toys in this house.

In the bay window area I popped their ball pool on some play mats. Along with some cushions and a basket of books. The basket is from IKEA which I then painted pink on the bottom.

Next is the kitchen also from IKEA which i again decided to do a bit of diy and paint the doors pink and then metallic pink handles. Along with their pink wooden storage trolley, and of course Emilia’s beautiful doll from Sonia’s little treasures.

Then I wanted to create an arts and crafts area. So I put some IKEA spice racks on the wall , again I painted the front of them grey. Which now stores their paint and pens in. The toy storage is IKEA which again I painted this time in chalk board paint so I could pop what goes in where on the front.

And lastly the beautiful grey triangles and you are so loved decals just finish it off perfectly. I still have a few more bits to add but I’m pleased with it so far ! Let me know what you think !

Products

• Ball pool – eBay

• Basket – IKEA

• kitchen – IKEA

• wooden trolley – vertbaudet

• Handmade doll – Sonia’s little treasures ( on instagram )

• Toy storage and shelves-IKEA

• Grey triangle and you are so loved decals – Decal_folk ( on instagram )

Where do I start the little lady who made me a mummy , my first born child. We waited 7 months for you test after test saying not pregnant. Then in August a test that said pregnant. I cried and cried and just kept crying I was so excited yet so nervous all in the same breath.

Skip a few months ahead and on the 12th of April you decided to make an early appearance (1 month). I just remember going to the hospital so worried and scared that this was it I was about to be a mummy. Was I ready , can I do this 100 thoughts flying around my head.Not only did you decide to arrive early but also very quickly, and there you were at 8.59am on Wednesday the 12th April my tiny beautiful little 5 pound 8 ounce baby. My very own daughter.

Could I really do this , be a mother, raise a child. All I knew was I would be the best mother I could be to you. From the very beginning you were the happiest little girl. You observed everything going on around you and picked up on things so quickly.

Now you’re nearly two it’s all gone far too quickly.

You are so clever you say sentences .

you know all of your animals and the noises they make.

You love to sing and dance.

You can count to ten.

You know your primary colours.

The list could go on forever but the main things are that you are the best big sister and honestly the most wonderful little girl. I just want you to remember you can do anything you want to , be whoever you want to be and don’t let anybody tell you any different. You are beautiful and always will be my little girl.

Okay so the first blog post ..

Theres a few reasons why I wanted to start a blog.

• To look back on all of the memories

• To be able to have somewhere to write all the things whizzing around my head

• To look back on what the girls were like and what they go up to

But one of the main reasons

H O N E S T Y

I feel like on Instagram you upload your lovely photos and the great times your having. I know I do it myself but reality is being a mama is hard.

It’s the best thing to ever happen to me. I remember growing up I wanted to be a mummy or of course a princess I mean who didn’t want to be a princess.

One thing I have learnt from being a mama is one day it’s perfect everyone’s happy the house is clean the washings done the girls have done so many different activities , and then in another breath it’s a complete disaster. Like today I simply needed to pop into town to get some wet wipes before we ran out , easy right ?!

W R O N G

Ottilie just wasn’t having any of it getting both of the girls ready to leave she cried continuously. When in the pushchair she cried continuously, when I carried her she cried continuously. I did everything possible to try and make her happy, fed her gave her her dummy and Betsy. Cuddled her rocked her the list goes on but she just was not having any of it. I got about two minutes into the walk and I stopped , I cried and I took a deep breath. I went and got the wet wipes and then I came straight home, and of course no prizes for guessing as soon as we were home she was as happy as can be! Children hey!

Heres to hoping tomorrow is a better day!

Just remember we’ve got this mamas even with no sleep and all the breakdowns in between !