Two years ago i moved from a City to a Village. It was so different. I couldn't get used to it really for a while. As when i was living at home with my Dad (in the city) i could just walk to town where all the shops were, but when i moved here, it was quieter and not much to do, well i thought there wasn't much to do. In these past two years, i have started to appreciate where we live so much more. Looking out the window there is a lovely view of mountains and trees, there is a field outside from my house with two lovely white horses. There are so many ways and paths to go for a walk, and safe for the kids. The kids love going for a walk, even if it is just a walk to the park! There are a lot of cycle tracks that we take to go for a walk which is safe too use and just let the kids run around free. 

Do you like where you live?

I was sent a Nabby Baby Monitor recently. I was very excited too use it! Once i recieved it i connected it up straight away - and for once something that was not difficult and something very stress-free too connect!! All you have to do is download the free app through app store, then connect it! very very simple to do. 

Nabby is an advanced baby monitor which connects too your iphone/ipad, android phone or tablet. It uses a special long-range bluetooth transmitter with a reach up to 340 metres. The battery is brilliant! It has a 70 hour battery life! (How good is that?!) and a bonus it only takes one hour (yes 60 minutes) too be fully charged. It charges with a USB lead. If the Nabby loses connection or is on low battery then the Nabby will let you know which is a huge bonus and gives you peace of mind! 

Once the kids are in bed all us parents just want a peacful relaxing evening yeah? Well this Nabby is ideal for that, The Nabby will only go off if the baby makes a noise. The sound is very clear as there are no interferances! The noise of the cars outside or next door did not interfere which is another bonus! The only noise that would set the Nabby off is Elliws cry/noise. The Nabby has the lowest radiation at only 0.08mW - New world record!!

The Nabby has one button that you control which is on or off. You can connect your Nabby too more than one phone, but once you have connected it to your phone then that Nabby will not be visible to others.
You might think once the Nabby is connected to your phone/tablet you might not be able to anything - well you're wrong. You can still talk on the phone, go on Facebook/Twitter and the Nabby still has the exact same strong connection and will still let you know if your baby is making a noise. 

There are great features with Nabby such as temperature - which gives you great peace of mind knowing that your babys room is not too cold and not too hot. You can also personalise your Nabby by naming it! I named mine Elliw. 

After using this Nabby i would recommend it - and would say it is one of the best baby monitor about. 

But it does give you peace of mind especially through the night.

If you would like too Pre-Order a Nabby they are £119.99 at www.nabby.co.uk

This product is currently unavailable to buy. 

* I was given this product too do an honest review - all opinions are my own - i was not paid too do this review. 

Dear Mia..

You have grown up too be a clever, beautiful little girl, who has very bad tempers but also a very caring and loving little girl. The things you say too me are lovely, you have said 'you are my hero' 'i love you' you always know how to put a smile on my face. i'll never forget that day i held you for the first time. It was amazing looking at your beautiful face looking back at me. That moment i will never forget. 

You are starting school next Tuesday, and this time you are wearing your school uniform. You will be going for 2 hours in the afternoon so i'm sure you will be very tired coming home! 

You are still that very protective sister over Elliw. You make sure she is ok, you always check on her, and you both have started to play together now which i love too see. You try your best too write your name now, and you love drawing.

You are now in-

Size 7 - 8 shoes.

3-4 years / 4-5 years clothes.

Weighs 2st 10lbs.

Loves sleeping with her minnie mouse.

Until next time baby girl 

All my love

Mam x x x

I recieved these Facial Wipes from Water Wipes. I was looking forward to use these because every other facial wipe i have used always makes my skin feel like it is burning, and i get very dry skin after using it. I wiped my make up off an my face didn't feel dry at all, i felt fresh after using it and it didn't burn my face. 
They are frangrance free and alcohol free wipes. They don't dry out the skin, no-sting and effective make up removal wipes. These are free from chemical preservaties and other hard ingredients that you find in other facial wipes. 

These are not a medical treatment for eczema/dermatitis but can help to cleanse problem dry skin*



*i was not paid to do this review, how ever i was given these products to give my honest opinion 

I was quite excited too receive these Water Wipes The World's Purest Baby Wipes. These wipes have got 99.9& water and 0.1& Fruit Extract. I wanted too see what was so different between these and normal wet wipes you get from the supermarkets. Well when i used them, i didn't like the feel of the wipes but they were fantastic. I tried to use them for a week on my youngest & eldest. but seeing as they pee & poo so much they lasted a couple of days but i found i used a lot less wipes than normal.

One thing i really liked about this product was Elliw had no sores at all whilst i was using these wipes. 

They are strong wet wipes, so when pulling them out of the packet or cleaning your baby/child they won't rip like some wet wipes do! 

These wet wipes are just like cotton wool and water so they are suitable too use from birth. 

The down fall on these wet wipes is the price as they are one of the most expensive wipes.

*I was not paid too do this review, i was given these products too do an honest review, all opinions are my own nobody elses. 

Next week most schools are back to normal! My eldest Mia is starting part-time school 1pm-3pm and this time she is going in her school uniform. I am so excited. I am quite lucky really that her Dad's mother works in a school uniform so they bought her uniform and new school shoes. When they brought them over, i was so excited and just had to try them on her straight away! (Not posting a picture up due to it being a school uniform) But all i can say is - oh my god, so cute! :-)

Can not wait until she starts school now, and so she can be with her friends again! Hopefully i can get a lot of things done in the house too!

Hard to believe that September 2014 she will be in school FULL time! Where has my 8lbs 9oz baby girl gone?! 

Time goes way too fast -

Are your children starting school next week? 

Summer i nearly ending, The last week of the summer holidays, the week everyone starts going back home and start getting back into routine! Well atleast some/most of you! I am, i can't wait too get back into routine now. Mia is starting part-time school next week. Looking forward for her going there to be with her friends again! 

Mia has been in her dads since Friday afternoon, coming back tomorrow afternoon. As it is Bank Holiday today and Iwan was off, we decided to go out to a place called Beddgelert. We are quite lucky living where we are, the views are amazing. Beddgelert is only about a 20 minute drive away from us. I wanted to go somewhere Elliw could run about & be more confident on her feet outside. So i thought, this is the place too go! And to top it off, the weather was gorgeous! Couldn't ask for a better day.

Sorry about all the pictures, i found my charger for my camera today, so i was excited to using it again ha ha! 

Elliw absoloutley loved running about today - the amount of times she tripped i can not even remember! But she never cried once! I think with children you just need to let them run around, let them be free! 

What did you all do for Bank Holiday?

Well as you know it was my 21st last week and i decided to go to a place called Gypsy Wood for the day with the family. I wanted to do something that the children would enjoy really! And this was the ideal place to take them, and a bonus the weather was fantastic!

This is the 3rd time we have been here now, even though it is only a 10-15 minute drive from where i live. The last time i took the girls there Elliw couldn't walk and i said from that day once she can walk i will take them again so i thought it was a great place too go.
There is a spacious safe park for the kids to play, with picnic benches, and then you walk around and see the animals such as goats, ducks, rabbits, donkeys, pigs, mice and so much more!

I knew i could just let the kids run and do what ever the wanted! (obviously keep an eye on them). Children do need to be free some times and do what they want! This is an ideal place for them to do so! The only part to be careful on was the river part, but it is just a bit common sense to let your child go that far from the park really. 

When Elliw came back from her Nains house today me & Iwan was talking and thinking how much Elliw has grown up in the last couple of days, It really is mad how much difference i have seen in her. She was late walking, and she is so much more confidence in walking now.

(Sorry about the mess in the background)

I really can not get over how much my youngest little girl has grown! She tries her best now to talk, babbling so much. You see her just sitting down playing with toys & you hear her babbling too her self, I always sit and think 'i wonder what she is actually saying?' 

What she loves doing at the moment is putting pots on top of her head, she will come back and forth to me for atleast 20-30 minutes! When i put the pot on her head, she will stand so still and concentrate until the pot falls down. So funny. She's also learnt how to play catch with a ball! She can do Hi-5 much better, she likes to fall down and hear someone go 'uh-oh' . 

She recognises her favourite songs and shakes her bum!! Hilarious. Her faveourite songs at the moment are - Robin Thicke - Blurred lines & Psy - Gangnam Style.

But because she is the 2nd child i do find she is slower in doing things than what Mia was when she was her age, but i think it is because i have to share my attention with them both, and having my own house this time i can't give her 100% attention 24/7 like i did when Mia was her age! Do any other mummies/daddies find this with the 2nd/3rd etc child?

When we found out that i was pregnant for the 2nd time i was in shock as i was on the pill. The 2nd pregnancy was so much different from the 1st. In my 1st pregnancy i never had morning sickness, i never had back pain etc! All i had was Obstetric Cholestatis (which i will have in every pregnancy) but in this 2nd pregnancy, i was crying at night times with morning sickness, i was in agony with back pain, i had no energy, i was so tired and i just really didn't feel my self! 

All thoughts went through my head when i pregnant..

"Am i going to love this child the same as my first?"

You have a child already so you do think can you share that love with another child?! Will you have that same bond with 2nd child as you do with your 1st?

I was so scared i wasn't going to cope with 2 children, Always wondered - How am i going to do it? They both have very different milestones. Also the big question was.. How was Mia going to react to being a big sister? 

Well when Elliw was born, I did love Elliw exactly the same as Mia and i did/do have that bond with Elliw as i have with Mia. The love to both my children is unbreakable. 

I did find it very hard to cope, and i still do sometimes now! I did fall into depression with this but got my self out of it after a year and a bit! If you ever feel too stressed, upset, down and feel like you can't do it, then please talk to someone or go to the doctors like i did. 

It was obviously going to be hard, but i never knew it was this hard to be honest, Mia is a fantastic sister. But still tackling her potty trainning and looking after a 17 month running everywhere it can be quite hectic in this house! Also with Mia's tempers where she bites, slaps, pinches and throws things, i got to make sure she doesn't lash out on Elliw one day.

What i find helpful is if you join them both in to the same thing, For example - if you change the babys nappy, join the eldest in and ask her/him to help you! 

It really helped for me, and i still do it now! 

Now that Elliw is older, she can do more things with Mia such as running around everywhere! And sometimes play, unless she just wrecks what Mia is already playing with (haha) 

Having two children is very very tireing but so worth it.

You have such a special bond with both of them, and i love how they have a special bond between them.

As you might know i haven't always been a stay at home mum! I finished work in a nursery when i was 30 weeks pregnant, then i quit my job once my maternity had finished - a few reasons - I fell into depression, I couldn't take the stress from the workers/boss anymore, I had moved house which was half n hour a away on a bus and the biggest thing, we could not afford childcare for both kids! It would have taken ALL my wages and some of Iwans so we decided for me to stay home with the kids and Iwan stay in his Full Time job. 
I have been looking for work since i quit, but i can't find one which is suitable for us. I would need one close, and need one 7pm - 10pm. So what we have decided is the best time for me to go for a job is when my two girls are both in full time school. I would like to work with children still and work towards my level 3.
Some people may think a stay-at-home mum does absoloutley nothing! As i have heard a lot saying they are 'lazy' and so on. Well i would love too see those people have a child or children and look after them 24/7. It isn't a 9-5 job it is a 24/7 job. 
You need to make sure they are happy, cleaned, dried, washed, fed. Also when they are in bed you're still on duty as a mum by keeping an eye out in case they cry in the night or don't settle! Even those parents with children who sleep all night every night they still have an odd night where a child doesn't settle! 
You need too think of ideas to keep them busy through-out the day, as you probably know babies get bored really quick! Here are a few tips too keep them busy through the day -

• Go for a walk, let them run about. 
• Take them to the park, This is also a bonus if they interact with other children!
• Paint! Let them be messy and paint!! 
• Colouring books and pencils/crayons. Let them be creative! 
• Take them on a day out. Go take them out somewhere such the Zoo maybe! 
• Meet your friends.
• Sing and dance! Why not put the music channel on and just act like a kid with yours!! (excercise too!)
• DIY .. Do some crafts, all kids love doing things like this!
• House work - may seem boring but kids can actually enjoy this! Also your bonding together whilst your doing it!

There is so many things to keep a child entertained during the day! 

STAY AT HOME MUMS ARE - cooks, teachers, childminders, alarm clock, waitress, nurse, photographer, referee, handyman, even planner, hair dresser, personal assistant.

Can be very stress full at times but it is all worth it at the end of the day. 

They won't be babies for long! So make the most of it!

Hello! Sorry i haven't been blogging recently! Had quite a few busy days to be honest, and today/tonight is going to be a lazy day/night! Well what have i been up to? I have been to doctors and got an infection! & on anti-biotics since Wednesday but luckily finish them today! I turned the big 21 yesterday and had a lovely family day out! 
I was thinking for a few weeks what could i do on the day of my birthday, as i went out with a few drinks for a few (too much) drinks the saturday before my birthday (17th August). 

I wanted to spend the actual day with my two girls and family. So i decided to go to Gypsy Wood so it would have been more fun for the girls. Me, My taid, Nain, Dad, Little brother, Cousin, my girls and my partners mother came with us! 
We had so much fun! 

The kids really enjoyed themselves, we were there for hours! There were parts where you can see the animals, and i liked how all the animals had so much space to run or do whatever they wanted! I think Elliw was fasinated about the animals ha ha ! There is so much room for the kids to run about! And to top it all off, the weather was fantastic! Was so hot! 

I was so spoilt! I got ; perfume, money, keyrings, jewellery, lots of cards, teddy, house phones, bag, & drinks!

To end the day off me and my partner got a chinese (a proper meal) which i hadnt had since i started Slimming World in April. 

Oh and we had a cheeky piece of chocolate cake that my dad had bought me! uh-oh. Not looking forward for the scales on Monday!

oh well i am only 21 once , and i really enjoyed it :-) 

Discoveroo Educational Toys and Games!

I was looking forward too what i was going to receive from 1Two , i was given this Windmill Stackeroo, and was very pleased with it! I couldn't wait to give it too Elliw to play with! I knew she would love it!

I think wooden toys are ideal for children, one of the safest toys to have i think! 

Well when i gave this to Elliw she was actually really excited even for a 17 month old! This toy is for 18 months + but she will be 18 months on the 5th next month so i thought i'll just let her play with it now, no harm done! 

She sat there for atleast an hour playing with this toy! She loved it, The round pieces is made of plantation wood and painted with child safe paints so very safe if your child likes biting things like Elliw does at the moment ha ha! 

There are two holes on the round pieces which learn children about 3D, but in my opinion i don't think Elliw was too interested if it was 3D, 4D or 2D whatever ha ha! She was really concentrating on putting the holes on the stick! One thing i really liked was the stick wasn't stuck, you could bend it! Which is ideal for a child who can be very clumsy at times. She loved putting the round pieces on top of eachother in the end, and banging them together. 

I would recommend this toy, it kept my daughter very entertained for a very long time! 

The Windmill Stackeroo is available here (1Two)

Costs - £12.99

*I was given this product for free to do a review. All words are my honest opinion.

Tommee Tippee Beakers

"This is the first & only beaker she has drank out of properly!"

I was given the chance to review two beakers from the Tommee Tippee Explorer Range recently. I was very excited to this review as i'm a big fan of Tommee Tippee Here is what i thought of these beakers -

Purple beaker suitable 12 months +

This was the beaker i gave to my youngest who is nearly 18 months! I was in doubt that she would actually take it, because i have tried so many beakers with her i've wasted money. She will never drink out of a beaker, until now. This is the first & only beaker she has drank out of properly! I love how you turn the teat part (pink) for the teat to open. When i closed it, unlike other beakers this did not leak. I was very pleased with this product. My daughter had no trouble holding it either. 

Animal beaker suitable 18 months+

I gave this beaker to my eldest, 3 years. She was so excited too use it! She loved the design on the beaker, she kept talking about it all the time when she first had it ha ha! What is really good about this beaker is that the drink stays cool as it is an insulated beaker. It is a straight flow when you pick the straw up. One thing i have noticed about this beaker is when i fill it up and we go out for the day so i pack it in my bag, i notice that it leaks sometimes if it is on its side. But i don't know where it leaks from, the straw part or the lid! But doesn't leak much only a little.

What i thought?

After my children using both of these beakers, i am really pleased with them, especially now that Elliw has a proper beaker! Her very own beaker she actually likes to drink out of ha ha! I would really recommend both of these beakers, but my favourite has to be the purple beaker. 

Why not check out their website at - www.tommeetippee.co.uk

* I was sent these products for free to do a review on them. I was not paid to do this. All words are all my honest opinions.

Nexcare Maternity Support Band -

My nephew is due October 16th, so i thought this band would be ideal for Catriona. She wore this for a couple of days and let me know how she felt about it - This is what she had said -

''This product is quite comfortable to use. I found it was just the right size for me and fitted nicely. I was quite excited to try the band when I saw that it helped with back ache, seeing as my back was really bothering me and had been for quite some time, it helped a lot with lower back pains, but didn’t do anything for the pains higher up my back, but I didn’t really expect it too. But overall when I was wearing it the pain was a lot better than usual. Usually when I’m walking about for abit, well not even that long, my bump starts to feel really heavy, but the band was very supportive and stopped it feeling quite so heavy, making walking about easier. since its summer and I’m constantly hot, with the band being skin tight it does get quite hot which would make my skin feel itchy. If I wore it around the house I could easily just put it on over my top and it would be fine, but couldn’t really do that when outside so that’s when it would bother me. But my skin has gone really sensitive since being pregnant, I’ve had to change the body washes I use and everything because of it, so the band might not bother other peoples skin like it has with mine, or if using over colder weather might not experience this problem with the band. Also I don’t feel constantly uncomfortable when using the band, which is definitely something I was starting to find quite annoying, but when I wear the band I find it much easier to sit in a comfortable position.
Overall I think it is a good and helpful product to use, especially if experiencing lower back pains, as that’s what I think it’s helped with the most.''

Visit - Nexcare
For all you readers, claim 20% off on all maternity products when you use the code 3Mmaternity01

* I was given this product for free too review it. I was not paid to do this. All words and opinions are Catriona's only.

When i was pregnant with Elliw (my 2nd) i was always worried on how Mia would react! She was an only child for over 2 years, how was she supposed to react to such a big thing in her life?! When she met Elliw first time in hospital, she was so shy, and she didn't really take much notice of her. She was too young to understand. The first few weeks/months Mia was actually showing how much she loved her little sister so much. Every morning she would come to Elliw's moses basket and give her a bottle or give her toys! She would always like to hold her and play with her. 

Now that Elliw is older, she walks and babbles, Mia does have more fun with her, but i think the only thing she doesn't like is when she is playing by herself Elliw comes along and hits her toys over ha ha! But otherwise they are both fantastic with eachother.

Mia is deffintley going to be that protective sister over Elliw. 

There are a few 'arguements' and 'fights' now and they are only 1 & 3 years old! Elliw has now started to do it back to me which is funny sometimes. (not hitting etc) They both have a laugh with each other so i can't ask for better! 

Still to this day Mia will go see Elliw every morning.

Have you got more than one child ? What are they like with each other ?

Does being a parent change your life? Is being a parent actually hard work?

Well my opinion, yes it is and yes it does.

I fell pregnant at the age of 16 (young i know!) so by the time Mia was born when i was 17 i had to grow up and act so much older than i was. I didn't get those 'teenage life' where your friends go out drinking and go on a girls holiday etc. Never had that and never will. But i wouldn't change my girls for the world.

Money - People don't realise until you have children how much money you actually spend on them! You need to make sure they have milk (if bottle feeding), food, nappies, wet wipes, clothes, shoes & also make sure you have gas & electric in the house for them! And especially before they are even born you spend £100's! Prams, nursery furniture, etc! Also you need to spend if you go days out somewhere in the week or weekends with your children.

Time - You don't really get much time too yourself until the kids are in bed, or if someone babysits for you. It's quite important really too try and get some time to yourself or time with your partner/friends. Children take so much of your time through out the day (and night for some parents) you're constantly on the go, making sure they are happy, fed and changed and get their naps! 

Sleep - With new born babies every parent loses sleep, but as baby gets into a routine some parents catch up a bit on their sleep except an odd night or two! But there are a lot of parents with even toddlers who don't sleep well at night. My youngest daughter wakes up most nights for a bottle, change of nappy and sometimes cuddles or sometimes just cries for nothing.

Has your life changed since having a baby?

Hello, baby girl! You are in your dad's house (well your nain kath's house) whilst i am writting this, and probably sleeping ha ha! Missing you loads even though you only went there yesterday morning, but you will be back tomorrow evening so it isn't bad! You have been a right handful in these summer holidays but it is nice too have you all day :-) you're so funny now you show your proper personality and you're nearly there in writting your own name!! You love drawing and playing with toy figures.
You're a proper little miss independant now. Want to do everything yourself, you want to help me with most things (cooking, cleaning etc) which is good i guess, lets hope you stick at it for when you are older too ha ha.
That is it for now gorgeous girl

Love you lots, always

Mam
xxx

Hello, baby girl you have grown up so much! Can't believe how fast you are growing! You have recently learnt how to 'Hi5' say 'juice', 'tata' , you can colour (kindof) and also recently you tried singing twinkle star in your own way! Twinkle little star always calms you down when you have your tantrums/tempers or when you are upset! You have been upset quite a lot recently because you have been teething, you only have 2 more teeth too and you have all your baby teeth through!! yipee!! You have been brilliant through them all to be fair :-)!! You hardly ever wear 12-18 months clothes anymore you are in 18-24 months. and in size 4 or 4 and a half G shoes. You weigh 29lbs (2 stone!) 
You love playing by yourself, oh and you love making a mess with your food. We know when you have had enough because you throw the plate full of food (most of the time) all over the floor (even smashed a few bowls) and then you flip the table over and just come out of your chair like you've done nothing wrong ha ha! Quite funny but not when i have too clean it all up ha ha! That is why you and Mia sit in the kitchen now too eat because i am fed up hoovering every single day or more than once a day after you decide you finished with your food ha ha! 
It is mad too think that this time next year we will be getting everything ready for you too start part time nursery in school! Where has the time gone ey? 
Anyway that is it for now until another day :)

Love you baby girls, always 

Mam 
XxX

Obstetric Cholestatis is a condition i had when i was pregnant with both my daughters. It will happen again if i fall pregnant again, and it will happen too my girls when they fall pregnant when they are older (much older hehe). I wouldn't wish this on anyone to be honest. I lost a lot of sleep with this condition and especially in my 2nd pregnancy it was very hard going and i fell into depression, i was just so tired and knowing after loosing a night sleep i wouldn't be able to relax in the day because i had another child too care for while my partner was working all day. 

Cholestasis start on the palms of your feet and hands, and then spreads all over your body. You can not stop itching! I itched until i was bleeding, lost so many nights of sleep over it as it gets worse at night. You get no rash/spots etc with this condition.

It is to do with your liver, and if you have this during pregnancy then you will be put on tablets too lower your blood levels to do with your liver. Mine were very high in first and 2nd pregnancy. I was in hospital every week in my first pregnancy and most weeks in my 2nd. I got induced with it in both pregnancies. 

If you think you are itching (palm of feet and hands) then PLEASE go to the hospital!

It can be risky for you & baby BUT it isn't as a big risk as it was years ago.

It is rare too have this condition. 

Usually if you get it from your mother, if your mother had it or if she had gallstones. My mother didn't have gallstones, but my grandmother did. Now i have gallstones and doctor said i would get it because of the Cholestasis. 

If you do get this, try your best not to itch (very hard not too). Try and get as much sleep as you can! Also ask the doctor for cream too help the itch calm down a bit! But the tablets they give you should calm the itchiness off. Nothing can take it away completley, the only thing that can is your baby being born :-)

* All this is my opinion & my words no one else's. It is only my advice since i have been through it. Seek medical advice from a proffesional, and if you think you have this then please contact your midwife.

Instagram, If you don't see me on here then you will probably see me posting pictures on Instagram. i love instagram to be honest! i find it addictive and i love seeing other peoples photos! 

M

I know, i know it is only August! BUT it is only 4 months until Christmas and do you know what? I'm getting rather excited! Elliw will be older and Mia is older and hopefully understand a little more! For Christmas i like to dress the kids up, Past few years Mia has been in Mrs Santa Clause suits/dresses and last year Elliw was in a Santa Clause dress too! This year i think i will just buy them a pretty christmasy dress each! I am so excited!
So yeah anyway, we are going to be starting shopping early October. Booking a hotel to stay in Chester for the weekend and spend the whole day in Chester then go to Cheshire Oaks and hopefully get Everyones (family) and most of the girls' presents sorted that day. So it is time to save save SAVE up big time! Last year we didn't do it until November, and we were so skint over Christmas so we are going to try a different way this year and hopefully we can do it like this every year from now on.
Already trying to think what to get the girls this year for their presents. We might get Mia a TV for her bedroom as her main present as Elliw already has one. I will get them more clothes i think, and new boots and trainers and shoes for them. Hair accessories, but what i would really like to get for them is a big kitchen for them to share! So it would be a joint present for them. Also i would like to buy them a dolls house and quite alot of figures and cars because that is what they love to play with! I have got so many toys for them here so would like to sort them out and chuck alot of them out or even give to Charity Shop! I've got 4-5 boxes full, and over 6 bin bags full in the attic! Not looking forward to sorting them out. Maybe i will even go to Car boot sale next Sunday! We will see on the weather!
Mia seems to like Disney now, well she has done for over 2 years actually. So i think i will get her a few characters from there, and clothes with her favourite characters!

Mia and Elliw would LOVE all of this!! They would be in their glory! I'm going to try and get as much figures as i can i think! You can never get too much ;-) Hehe!
All those items above are from the Disney Store Online.

Looking forward for Christmas so much this year! 

Have any of you started planning Christmas Shopping yet..?

Since living with my partner, we have lived in two private rent houses. We are in our second one still! We have been here for over a year now, and will spend our 2nd Christmas together here. Well next April the rent might go up, so we are looking at buying a house, or maybe rent another cheaper. Or just stay here, we are not 100% sure what we are going to do yet, but we are going to get Christmas out of the way first i think then make a decision next year! Time goes too fast though!

But when we do move, i will look for a totally different kind of house to this one that we are in now, i would like a smaller living room which would be more comfy but i would like another room downstairs. A kitchen big enough for a dining table, and maybe if i'm lucky a spare room for the washing machine & tumble. One double room and two single or little bit bigger rooms upstairs and a decent sized bathroom with tiled floors this time! We have carpet (horrible!) and in our living room we have old fashioned wooden panels on one wall and fitted in shelves brick walls, hard to explain but we can't change the room around and we can't really decorate the house as we want, oh and don't forget the green carpet ha ha! We have painted the hall way which was a dark yellow on bottom and a light yellow/cream on top, we have now painted a brown on bottom and left the top colour, looks so much better!

But if we were too move i would like the living room to have similair things to these -

Cushion & Rug - Laura Ashley.

Everything else from The Range.

I already have the wooden heart but a big one, i have it hanging on the side of the mirror in the living room at the moment, but i think the small ones would look nice on the window handles! or even in the girls bedrooms would be nice. 

It's always nice too look at sites and catalog's at what ideas you could get! Here is a few tips too maybe cheaper your 'dream designs' -

Magazines/Window Shopping - DIY -

Get magazines and go window shopping, take pictures or cut out pictures what you like, and think too yourself if you could maybe make it yourself ? Which may be a lot more cheaper and you could add a personal touch to it to make it unique! Ebay and other sites do great things for DIY crafts.

Most children like a party for their birthday! So here is a few good tips too make a stress-free birthday party for you child/children!

Invite
Quite obvious really that it is important to give out your child's party invitations, it is easy if your child has a birthday party in school term as you can just write all the childrens names and send it to the class! But in the summer quite difficult to get hold of most of your childrens friends in school (if they are in school) as most are on holiday, busy or you have no contact with them. These days some people contact parents via Facebook, Twitter etc so maybe you could try and find them then! When writing invitations try and get everyone to let you know at least a week before the party if they are going to come or not! Then at least you will know how many things you will need to prepare for. Invitations i think are quite special and nice to keep, i make personalised invitations visit my Facebook Page www.facebook.com/onlymadebybeth 

Food 
Try not to spend a lot on Party Food, i use alot of Value food when i buy for Parties! it is only to feed A LOT of children which most of it will go to waste in the end (unless you have left overs lol!) The places i go for Party Food is Iceland, Home Bargains and B&M. There are cheap and food everyone likes! Main party foods are, sandwiches (egg, tuna, ham and jam), onion with cheese on sticks, mini sausage rolls, pasta, cakes, sweets, crisps! 

Decorations & Theme
I love this part! Choose a theme for the party, if your child is older then let them choose, or as a suprise do their favorite character or programme or even their favourite colour! You can get most theme plates, cups etc on Ebay.co.uk

Party Bags
You can get things for party bags on Ebay and in Home Bargains. It is always best to buy bulks of things and share them out in the bags.

Party Games
Party games keep the children entertained during the party, if you don't want to entertain then why not hire a magician or a bouncy castle and music? It will keep the children entertained and very tired at the end of the day ha ha! Even bring some toys out for the little babies/toddlers. Try and get a mix of things if you have invited children of all ages. On thing you dont want in a party is someone to be bored!

The Cake!
I don't see getting a very special cake for a birthday is a great deal really. A cake from a supermarket would be ideal for my kids, because of the amount you spend in the party already, but it is always nice too choose a nice cake personalised! But if you do want it personalised, why not buy the icing pens, you can buy them in most supermarkets. Very easy to make.

Try and get as much help as you can! Make sure you have done most things before everyone arrives, so you can sit down with the parents for a bit and have a chat and let the children run wild and enjoy the party! That is what it's all about!

Hope them tips helped a bit!

Finally i made my very own home made curry! Here is the very easy & simple recipe -

• Garam Masala
• Cumin
• Corriander
• Garlic Salt
• Tumeric
• Curry Powder
• Knor Stock Pot*
• Chopped Tomatoes
• Diced Chicken
• Onions

I put roughly 2 tbsp of each seasoning into the curry.

1. Cook the chicken throughly (roughly 10 minutes) Use Fry Light (If you are on Slimming World/Diet)

2. Add the Onions with chicken.

3. Add the tomatoes, seasoning and the knor stock.

4. Cook to the boil.

5. Serve with rice.

* Knor Stock Pot is just like an Oxo cube incase you didn't know (I used vegtable stock)

As we (parents) are the people the child is mostly around, they learn most things of us. They pick up words from us, and we are responsible for learning our children to say their first words and learn to talk! It's very simple how to teach your children to talk, mostly it is communication and joining in with what your child is playing with. 
When the child is playing with toys, go join in with them and tell them what they are playing with, describe what they are playing with (colours, name, size). Here is a few more things that learn your children to speak;

• Point things out and describe the items.
• Play games. (letter cards, books etc)
• When changing nappy count or do ABC.
• Take your baby/toddler with you to make up a bottle (formula) and count.

It is quite important that they do get taught how to talk, by 2 years of age they should have atleast 20+ words and putting words together. 

Every child goes through a stage where they repeat everything they hear, even from strangers and you wonder where in the world did they get that word from ha ha! It is quite funny sometimes.

I was worried that Elliw wasn't saying much words for her age as what Mia was, but now all of a sudden she is doing so much more! Even copying most things we do (coughing, pulling raspberries etc) it is so funny but so cute! She knows how to do Blow Kiss, started to even sing Twinkle Star by going 'tink tink tink' so adorable!

Back to the point, If you carry on describing things to the child, colours, what it is, what it is for, it will stick into the child's head and they will remember the more they are told! 

Have fun :-)