Thursday, 26 February 2015

My Captured Moment #7

 
My Captured Moment this week is a photo that I took on Monday of my younger Son, Noah, and his best friend. They were running between my friends living room and her daughters bedroom. Then all of sudden it went very quiet. Which is never a good sign with these two. So I tiptoed in and popped my head around the door and saw this. Thankfully I had my phone on me so I could get a photo of them. They were watching the world go by, pointing out the window and chatting away to each. I couldn't understand them but they could obviously understand each other.
 
I look at this photo and it fills me with so much happiness. It is such a beautiful photo and captures them at their best, with each other.


Running in Lavender

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

My Ordinary Moment #4

Last Friday we had a rare day at home. The only thing planned was a walk after lunch to go and spend some of Finley's reward money at the recently opened T K Maxx. I had said to the boys we could stay in our pj's until lunchtime and they were very excited at this prospect.

Finley was given a Gruffalo money box for his 3rd Birthday and he was obsessed by it. He loved filling it with money, be it 2p's or £1 coins. So my husband and I decided to capitalise on the love of this money box and used it as a reward scheme. We had said if he did something good, i.e helped tidy the toys away or stayed dry all day, he would get some money for it.

Well it has been building up and we had said he should start spending it as the whole 'you can have a pound if you have dry pants at bedtime' was wearing off as he wasn't seeing anything from the money. Then other day it broke. He wanted to count the money so rather than waiting for Mark or myself to get it, he picked it up, dropped it and it smashed. He was gutted.

I invited Nana over for lunch, and after we had all eaten off we went. We decided to make a stop off at the ducks to say hi as both the boys love them. It is a beautiful spot just a 5 minute walk from our house.

As we were there while throwing bread Finley cut his finger on a stick so took himself off to sit on the bench. This is where I took this photo and I love it so much. It captures Finley in his moment of thought. He really has a beautiful soul. This to others may sound silly as he is only 3 but he is so caring and loving.



I was a little lost but I'm back!

I've not been blogging for long. I started my blog at the beginning of January and went feet first, all in and started writing, tweeting and communicating with lots of lovely mummy bloggers and loved it. The blogging community is amazing and I am so glad I am getting the chance to be part of it. I was joining in with linkys and blogging about 4 times a week.
 
But then something happened.
 
I'm not sure what.
 
I'm not sure if it was our family week away with not much internet access or the fact that I was starting to do a little bit of work for my husbands office at home. But all of a sudden I felt really lost within the blogging world.
 
I wanted to write but I wasn't too sure what to write about and I kind of lost my way with the linkys. I slipped into a mode where I just wanted to spend time with the boys and my little family.
 
I stopped really venturing on Twitter and Facebook and kind of became a recluse to the cyber world. I also stopped posting so much on my personal face book page as I got very conscious of the fact that maybe people didn't want to see a million and one photos of me and my children just because I love to see them.
 
As I write this I feel very emotional. There is a knot in my stomach and I don't know why. My children are growing up so fast right in front of my eyes and I don't want to miss a second of it.

This may have been at the back of my mind when I stopped writing for a week or so but I then realised my blog is a place for me to document and save such cherished memories and stories of my children and family that in years to come I can look back on.
 
I love blogging and I know I haven't been doing it for very long but after a little break I'm back. Not sure why I had the break but it has made me want to write more!

Wicked Wednesdays #6



brummymummyof2

Friday, 20 February 2015

My Captured Moment #6


My Captured Moment this week is a photo that was taken of my eldest son at a family wedding. I love this photo so much. We were given this picture in a frame last Christmas and it has taken pride of place on our mantel piece ever since. 

It captures Finley beautifully. He is with one of his trains that at that time in his childhood he was obsessed with. The picture holds fond memories as well as it was the day my brother in law married my now sister in law and it was the most beautiful day. 

Running in Lavender

Monday, 16 February 2015

My Ordinary Moment #3

This past week I have taken a step back and really watched the boys. I have sat on the sofa and watched them play, I have peeked around the door from the kitchen to see them playing together in the living room while I am cooking tea and I have seen their relationship as brothers build and a strong bond grow. My Ordinary Moment this week is one that really filled my heart with so much love and pride. It was a photo taken on a very ordinary daily occurrence, walking from the house to the car. As we took the corner to walk up the passage to our car park Noah held out his hand and Finley took hold of it. I nearly cried.


The moment right there I wanted to bottle up forever, thankfully I managed to get my phone out in time to take a photo. Even though you can't see Noah's face (my youngest) he had the biggest smile on his face - pure happiness that his older brother was holding his hand.
 
These two are growing up far too fast for my liking but I am so privileged that I am their Mummy and that I get to share these moments with them.
 
 

My Valentine's cinema date with Peppa Pig & Finley

I have only ever taken Finley to the cinema once and that was to see Postman Pat The Movie. He absolutely loved it, even though he did get a little restless towards the end (and when the popcorn ran out!). So when I saw that Peppa Pig was to be on at the cinema and that it was only 60 minute long, I thought this was a great opportunity to give the cinema a go again. Plus, it was released on Valentines day which meant I had the perfect date with my little guy before an evening with the husband.
 
I told Finley we were going to see Peppa Pig about a week before. He has the best memory in the world and all he talked about last week was 'going to the cinema to see Peppa and her golden boots'. And every time the advert came on the tv he would come running to tell me that we'd be watching it that weekend.
 
We got in the car on Saturday morning and Finley was so excited. We were meeting Kerri and Finley's best friend, Harry, there and all Finley could talk about on the way was seeing them. We got there early so we went in, picked up the tickets and went to grab some popcorn and treats. He made a beeline for the pick and mix and as it was a treat I said he could have a little bag (still costing a small fortune!!) and went and grabbed some kids boxes for the boys. Once ready, we took a seat and waited for Kerri and Harry. As soon as Finley saw they were coming he got up and ran to them holding up Harry's box in excitement.

Cheese

We headed in to find our seat with pick n mix, booster seat and popcorn in hand. Before we could even sit down Finley wanted his popcorn! I tried to get him to hold off and wait until it started but when there is popcorn in Finley's reach there is no waiting.
 
There was an advert that kept repeating between trailers and Finley did make me giggle by shouting 'oh no not again' as each one came on.
 
Then he needed a wee, during Postman Pat he needed a wee 6 times!! So I thought we may have the same thing again, but thankfully we didn't.
 
Settled back in our seat and on came Peppa Pig. Finley was so excited he laughed so loud and sang along to the theme song (very loudly!). Then on came some people from 'Milkshake'. I loved that they had these short interactions with the children between the episodes and it kept Finley interested. They got the children to do little dances with their arms and to sing along which was great so Finley didn't get bored.

Concentration!

The 60 minutes consisted of 4/5 episodes of Peppa Pig, all of which I had seen at least 10 times (we watch a lot of it!), and a 15 minute special episode not aired before. The episode was about Peppa's golden boots and Mrs Duck - Finley loved it and I have to say so did I!
 
Towards the end of the last episode Finley was getting a little restless as he's not that great at sitting still at the best of times. However, I would totally recommend it to anyone with a Peppa Pig fan.
 
It was lovely to have a morning with Finley having a giggle and eating sweets. He really is growing into an incredible little boy and every time we have some quality time I see that he has grown up a little bit more. It makes me sad but I'm also proud that my husband and I are bringing up such a beautiful boy.

Thursday, 12 February 2015

My Captured Moment #5


My Captured Moment this week is one from my wedding in May 2012. Along with the birth of the boys this has got to be one of the best days of my life!

This is as we are just leaving Malmesbury Abbey where we got married. I love this photo as it captures a moment which I'm looking at my new husband and you can see the happiness on my face. 

Running in Lavender

Sunday, 8 February 2015

My Ordinary Moment #2

Last week we went on a mini break to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and to spend some time together as a family. We booked a lovely beach side apartment just a few weeks ago and off we went on Monday.
 
As it is out of season there wasn't that many attractions or beach side shops open so we spent a lot of our time walking along beaches, in amusements playing on the 2p machines, at soft play centres and eating ice cream. I loved every minute of it and I was rather surprised at how relaxed I came home feeling considering it was a holiday with a 3 and 1 year old.
 
I am very lucky that I get to be a stay at home mum and spend every day with the boys. My husband works so hard that I can do this and I don't think he will ever realise just how much it mean to me. So this week he got to spend the whole week with the boys. Seeing the three of them together is just magical and when Daddy is around Mummy doesn't really get a look in. But I don't mind as I get to witness the Daddy/Son/Brother bond that the three of them have and this is so special.
 
This photo is one of my favourites from the holiday. I get to take the boys to the park and push them on the swings whenever I like so this for my husband was a luxury. The smile on Noah's face is just magical. I also took a video and his laugh is just captivating and will stay in my mind forever.


 
 
Looking back on our week it consisted of all little ordinary moments that I will cherish forever and in years to come they will be the big moments that mean oh so much.
 
 


The Guilt and Questioning Myself

Since having my two boys I feel guilty about everything! I never feel like I'm doing the right thing and I'm constantly questioning what I'm doing. But at the same time, I like to do things my way whilst still fishing for advice from friends and family.
Right from the start when Finley was born I would question everything I did. He cried so I questioned whether my breast milk was enough for him and should I give him a bottle. I would text my friends who I knew breastfed and would ask what they did as I wasn't sure if I was doing it right. And then when he went onto solid I would feel guilty if I bought pre-made food when I was too tired to make up a batch of homemade food.
I fell pregnant with my second when my youngest was 13 months old. So as I got bigger and it got hotter (I was due in July 2013), my energy levels dropped. Finley has always been so energetic and all I wanted to do was sit. I felt so guilty for not being able to squeeze through all those small tunnels and gaps at soft play and for sitting in the garden watching him play as my body would just not give me the energy to play.
When Noah was born I also breastfed him but he didn't put weight on too quickly. He had a tongue tie that was found at 4 weeks old and as such he wasn't able to feed properly for the first few weeks. This meant my supply hadn't been established properly from the start. But I was told by the health visitors to keep going with the breastfeeding. He put on weight but very slowly, and he was 'scrawny' as my Nan puts it. As soon as I gave him a bottle his weight picked up. However, I still feel guilty for not putting him on the bottle sooner.
Now the boys are getting older they fight and they push the boundaries more and know how to push my buttons. I try and stay relatively calm but the time that I do shout at them 10 minutes later I feel guilty for it and wish I had just remained calm.
When we have had a really rough night with one of the boys and I am so tired my eyes are finding it very hard to stay open, I may give them a biscuit or some chocolate to keep them quiet and occupied for a while. Or I may let my youngest have sugar puffs for breakfast as it will take him half an hour to eat the bowl of them. But then I feel guilty for giving it to them as I feel they were for selfish reasons.
When Finley plays up, and sometimes it really gets to me, I question myself as a mother and if it was something I had done along the way.
I feel guilty when we stay at home all day.
I question whether I take them out to soft play enough or whether I take them to the park enough.
I really do feel that I can never do the right thing but I think this is just part and parcel of being a mummy. I think its because we want to be the best we can be. With all the social media we want to be the perfect parent. But social media doesn't show all the rough times other parents have, we see the pictures of children playing happily together and all sitting around a table eating lunch nicely but what we don't see is the screaming tantrums when they had to leave the park, or the fights over a toy that they both wanted. Or the throwing of the food because its not what they wanted!
I really wish I could go through everyday and know I was doing it all right but is there a right way?!
I want my children to look back on their childhood fondly. I really want to be the best parent in the world to them...
Binky Linky

My Sunday Photo 08.02.15



OneDad3Girls

Friday, 6 February 2015

Precious memories created with my eldest

We have just got back home from a lovely week in Devon. Just the 4 of us which was amazing. I also got to spend some quality one-on-one time with my eldest - since having Noah in July 2013 I don't really get much time with just Finley, plus he's now at pre-school. I do miss my special time with him. I hope this doesn't make me sound awful as I love having both my boys and I wouldn't change it for the world, but I sometimes think Finley misses out on time with just Mummy. Finley is such a fun, loving little boy that is full of energy, to the point that I really don't know where he gets it from as he doesn't sleep well (Finley and sleep are not friends). And every second spent with him I cherish, but my alone time with him is so special.
It was the last day of our holiday yesterday and we were starting to pack things up ready to come home in the morning and I looked out the window onto the beach which our apartment sat on and wanted to go for a walk on it with my Finley. 


View from our beachside apartment at Croyde Bay, North Devon
It was 4 in the afternoon, so the sun would be setting soon and I knew there would be great views. I know how Finley loves to run and explore so I asked if he wanted a walk along the beach. He instantly jumped up and was straight to the door to get his welly boots. We got all wrapped up, selfie stick in hand, and headed out the door just the two of us while my hubby and Noah stayed in the warm. We had the most amazing time, just walking and climbing the rocks. He is now 3 1/2 and his speech is incredible and chats constantly. He also asks questions all the time but having this time alone with him I was able to really engage with him and enjoy his company.


The start of our adventure

We started our walk by running up a sand dune, he cling onto me so tightly as not to fall and his face when we got to the top was filled with pure excitement. This for him was a big adventure with Mummy and it fills my heart with so much love.


We walked hand in hand to some rocks, taking a few selfies on the way, and climbed these rocks to see what we could find. He held on so tight on the rocks and I just thought to myself, this will be a moment that I will always remember.


Once he got bored of the rocks (as he hasn't got the greatest attention span) we both ran in the wind along the beach which was clear of people and all I could hear was Finley's laugh along with the sound of the sea. These two sounds together will stay in my mind forever, treasured. As we got to the other side of the beach the sand was pristine, untouched. So I grabbed some drift wood and started to draw in the sand, Finley did the same and started drawing a road as he described it.




Once we finished our drawings we walked along a little stream leading to the sea that was coming from a nearby fishing lake.

'A bridge' Finley exclaimed excitedly, so off we went to this bridge where he did his gruffalo impression. Stomping across the bridge (his imagination is just amazing, he is so much fun!) We walked along a path which I knew would lead us back to our beach side apartment and we stumbled across a park. Off Finley ran with a squeal to go down the slide and along the obstacle course. I noticed the time on my watch and had to cut his play short to head home for tea. As we came round the corner to the beach entrance where we had started our walk, there was the most amazing sunset. Out came the selfie stick to capture some more memories. 


 Finley was now hungry and asked to head back inside. As soon as we got in the door Finley went off with Daddy telling him of our adventure on the beach and finding the park, finishing with the fact I forgot to put him on the swing, oops!
This hour I had with Finley I will truly treasure for the rest of my life. I love this little guy so much and he brightens everyday with his fantastic character.

Binky Linky
Mami 2 Five
Share the Joy linky at bodfortea.co.uk

Thursday, 5 February 2015

My Captured Moment #4



My Captured Moment this week is a photo which my husband took not long after Noah (my youngest) was born.

There are many reasons I love this photo, the main one being that it captures a moment I
will never get back and locks it in a photo for me to cherish forever.


Running in Lavender

Sunday, 1 February 2015

My Ordinary Moment #1

This is my first Ordinary Moments link up to Katie's Sunday linky at Mummy Daddy Me. I love this linky as it has made me sit down and have a good recap of my week.

There have been plenty of extraordinary moments, as there are every week with my boys, but when I really look there are also plenty of ordinary moments that mean so much to me.

My first Ordinary Moment has to be this one that I took on our day to Westonbirt Arboretum this week. You can read in a previous blog post (Some days just don't go to plan) how our day didn't really go as well as it normally does on our trips here. It is Finley sat on a bench eating a snack. This to anyone else is nothing special but to me this is Finley, my hungry toddler that likes to have a little break from his adventures to have some food.




Black and White Photography Project - 1st February 2015



I took this photo on Christmas day of the boys and my husband opening a present. I love it so much as they are so close and to me this captures Christmas, family and love. 

 photo 4d06e438-4e6a-4f3b-88b2-0c1093350397_zps361ad0e9.jpg

My Sunday Photo & Silent Sunday - 1st Feb 2015



OneDad3Girls
                   
                                                           

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