New Home: Living Room Dream
Here is a few things i would love in our living room -
1 - I am still in two minds with these curtains as i like the ones we have got now too! We will probably stick with the curtains that we have got in our living room at the moment and then change a few months down the line.
2. I love these! They're so cute, and make a room look nice! I've got one big white one exactly like this which is hanging on the corner of the mirror in our living room at the moment. I think it fills up space and makes an empty looking place/wall look nice!
3. How cute is this cat door stopper? Never really had door stoppers in any of the houses we have lived in, but the house we have seen it is just a totally different layout than our house now and the previous one.
4. I love plants in the house, not too much though. I like the colour white, and i really like this plant. It's really pretty i think! Isn't it?
5. I saw these canvases in the sale and i am so gutted now i didn't buy them! I wasn't so keen on them when i saw them in the sale, but i really love them now!
6. Faux 3 drawers - I have a lot of clutter - this means papers and more papers! Letters from Mias school and so on! This would ideal, and a nice deco in the living room!
7. This rug looks so soft and fluffy! I love rugs in living rooms! Since the house we have seen is wooden floored i think a rug would make the room look very cosy!
8. Ahh i am in love with this cushion! That is all i can say about it! Love it.
As you can probably see, these items are all from Matalan and you can see that i have gone for a neutral theme again the same as my previous post about the girls dream bedroom! I also think the colour brown i have chosen is a very warm and cosey colour for a family home.
What do you think?
A Family Day Out
Having a conversation with a 3 year old!
Obstetric Cholestasis
OC (Obstetric Cholestasis) is a condition some women get when they are pregnant - usually starts from 30 weeks onwards. Only 1 in 100 get this condition. It is a condition where there is something to do with your liver. The main symptom of OC is itching. Many women, well most women get itchy during pregnancy, and i find if one person says they're itching then other people tell them to get checked out as it could be this OC. Well to be honest - you will know if you have got this condition. You will know straight away something isn't right.
Mild itching is just the increase of the blood supply to the skin. This can be your bump (mostly) or your legs, bum, hips, everywhere maybe? But it isn't constant.
OC is a condition where you will need medical attention. You would need to go to doctors/midwife asap if you think you may have it. As you will need to be monitored and put on tablets and have cream from the hospital as camoline lotion does not work.
OC usually runs down in the family, and usually only from the mothers side. Weather the mother had OC or/and gallstones. My grandmother on my mothers side (who sadly died a year before i was born) had gallstones, so we presume that is where i have got it from. And now i have gallstones (painful!).
With OC your bile salts don't flow properly, as they are supposed to go from your liver to your gut to help you digest. But with OC the bile salts don't flow properly and pile up in your body instead.
Once you go into hospital or see your midwife you will get your bloods taken so they know if you have got OC or not. My blood results were way too high so i was in hospital every week with it. I was given 3-4 different kinds of tablets and some cream to help the itch soothe a little bit.
It is said that if you have OC there is a chance of baby being born premature or a stillborn. With OC being a link to stillbirths they sometimes will induce you 37 weeks. My first daughter was induced at 39 weeks, my second was induced at 38 weeks. I was given a steroid at roughly 35-36 weeks with my second, i was so scared i was going to have her before 37 weeks. Luckily she was kept safely in my belly until 38 weeks.
Most births/labour with OC are very advised to be at hospital, i was on heart monitior in both my pregnancies and on steroids so i was bed-bound even though i really wanted to get out of the bed (but didn't bother me near the end haha)
Main symptoms of OC
The main symptoms of OC is itchiness all over the body with no rash. Usually the itchiness is worse on the palm of feet and hands. You are itching so much you bleed your self just like i did! My face was red raw when i first woke up with it in my first pregnancy. Usually starts 30 weeks onwards. The itch is un bearable. You loose sleep and it gets worse at night times! (10 times worse!) Dark urine, yellow jaundice of the face are symptoms too.
If you have OC in the first pregnancy then you are to have it in every pregnancy and it will be passed down probably.
The treatments of OC is tablets and cream but the best treament is - the baby being born! That is when the itch will stop all together - lovely feeling but feels weird since you've been used to it for nearly 10 weeks!
If you ever think you might have OC then please just go to the midwife.
Please don't take all this as medical information - All this advice is just my own from my own experience.
Both my babies were born healthy and were very well looked aftered when they were in my belly by the midwifes and doctors.
Moving House Ideas
Of course, whenever you move house, you always end up having to spend money you didn’t expect. That’s why it makes sense to save money whenever you can. The obvious place to start is your mortgage. Getting the right deal here can really boost your finances.
In fact, if you’ve been in your house for a while, you might want to look at remortgaging. Remember that the best deal on the market when you took out your last mortgage might not be the best deal now. Use a remortgage calculator to check.
Declutter as much as you can before you move, that way there’s less to pack. It may not sound like it’ll make a whole lot of difference but it really can! Also, try and use up all your consumables, things like food and household cleaners and toiletries.
If you’re taking appliances or flat-pack furniture with you, try and find the instructions to disconnect/disassemble and reconnect/reassemble them. If you’ve thrown them out, look online. If you can’t find them there, try contacting the manufacturer.
Getting this sorted in advance can save you money as well as hassle. If you’ve told your movers, you’ll do all the preparation, you need to make sure everything is ready for when they arrive. If it’s not, you’ll be charged! Even if you’re moving yourself, you’ll probably be racing against the clock.
So that’s my thoughts on moving, what about you?
Paper Themes Review
Amber Teething Necklace Review
I was kindly sent a Mother and Baby Amber Teething necklaces. My youngest Elliw who is 18 months was all of a sudden waking up at night, being very sore in her nappy and dribbling loads! So i thought - how can an amber necklace work?
These Baltic Amber necklaces and bracelets are hand-made of natural Baltic-Amber. It is thought that when Amber is on the skin's warmth releases miniscule amounts of healing oils from the amber which are then absorbed through the skin into the blood stream. The other thing is based on scientific findings which have shown that amber is electromagnetically (phew!) alive and produces significant amount of organic, purley natural energy! Amber has also been attributed with protection from illness, enhancement of immunity to disease and infection, and to signify an important exchange between the giver and the gift!
But you still think, does it actually work?!
Well it's not only a lovely necklace! it does actually work! I did see a change in Elliw wearing it. She wore it most days. I put it on her when we were in the house, as i didn't like fact of her wearing it in her pram where she wiggles and moves so much whilst sitting down stuck in a pushchair. (I'm a bit fussy sorry!!) And i took it off when she had naps and went too sleep! I would always be in the room with her, unless i just went into kitchen to do a wash or the dishes!
Her nappy rash had calmed down, she stopped waking up at night! So the necklace must have worked! I was quite suprised because some part of me thought it wouldn't but it did! I was so happy! And Elliw loves having it on, and one really good thing is, the necklace isn't big enough for them to bite it like she wants to do once i put it on, then she just forgets about it!
While your child wears this necklace you should not leave them unattended. They are also made for wearing not chewing. Take the necklace off when sleeping or unattended!
Mia has had a few toy princess necklaces from magazines and shops and Elliw goes ahead and breaks them then all the beads are all over the floor! Well what i really like with this necklace is if the necklace breaks none of the beads will go all over the place because the string is knotted between each bead! How good is that eh?!
And look how easy it is too close this necklace!
It fastens with a screw clasp which is very easy too close and open but difficult for your baby to do! Ideal!
You can find Amber Teething Necklaces here & here
Overall - we are very happy with this product. We would really recommend this product to any parents who have teething babies!
Framed Grandma Photograph Notonthehighstreet Review
You can choose any word you want such as Nain, Grandma, Nan, Nanny or whatever you call your grandmother. Which i think is great because most of these shops and online sites don't let you have a choice It's either Grandma or Nana mostly. Lovely way to make it very personalised for a special person. You can also have these done in Mam, Dad or Brother etc!
You get too choose an A4 or A3 size!
You get too choose which frame, size and colour of mount you want which is fab! I chose the white wooden frame with the mushroom coloured mount.
I chose 4 pictures - one of my Nain and my eldest daughter Mia one where Mia was newborn, One where Elliw was newborn and the other of Elliw recently. I thought it was nice having a mix of old and new pictures!
I think its a lovely idea that you can personalise your caption - i wasn't 100% sure what to put on here but i just wrote 'Lots of love from the grandchildren xxx'
Delivery was very fast and parcel was very wrapped up safely.
Overall - I really do love this product and i do think it is worth the money. It makes it very personal for either your self of the person you are buying it for. Lovely thing to have on the wall i think!
You can order one of there here for £38.99
Crazy Soap Review
Bath time foam soap
You can get this in either white foam or green foam! How cool is that?! When i saw on the bottle you could shape it, i thought 'no way?' because it's foam yeah! So i think i was a little too excited too use this too ha ha! Well anyway.. you CAN shape it! It doesn't stick on to your hands either, Mia wanted to make ball shapes with it and then i'd clean her then! She had so much fun with this! The first thing we did because it was foam was we squirted the foam on mia and Elliws head, had to be done lol! Elliw didn't even notice we had done it lol!
What i liked about the foam was it had a lovely fruity smell to it!
The Foam soap can be shaped and bounced! There is PH balanced formula to gently cleanse and moisturise delicate skin! Also it is SLES and Paraben free!
It's quite important to most parents to know what is the ingredients in the things we use for our kids ?! Here are the ingredients to the Bath Time Foam Soap -
Butane, Isobutane and Propan - these are natural colourless and odourless gases which can be used in the formulation of shaving cream, cleansing products, hair conditioners and make up!
Palmitic Acid - This is a fatty acid which is found naturally in skin so this makes it very safe to put on your child's skin!
Triethanolamine - This makes the Ph balance right and keeps everything in order.
Parfum - This makes the lovely smell in Crazy Soap!
Citronellol is just a natural scent derived from plants such as rose, geranium and lemongrass!
CAUTION - Please read the label if you decide to get this product.
Foam must not be squirted in the eyes, ears, nose or mouth! Do not allow contact on carperts, walls or any furniture! Can be stained.
Bath Time body paint
Mia didn't want this on her, i have no idea why, so we used it on Elliw! But only a little bit!
I think Mia would have enjoyed it if she would of let me use it on her but she was very determained she did not want it. So i gave up! They say it is easy too come off the skin, i didn't find it that easy to come off really but eventually it did! But i do think if you want your kids too have fun in the bath this soap would be ideal for your kids!
This is available in red and blue colours!
When she came out of the bath, ahh she was so soft! Which i really love is a soft babies skin.
These are the ingredients used in Body Paint from Crazy Soap -
Aqua - Well it's water!
Glycerin - This is a moisturiser originating from a vegetable sourse. This helps to prevent dryness and make sensitive skin soft and smooth!
Propylene Glycol - This works as a humectant which causes the skin to keep moisture by preventing water from escaping!
Cocamidopropyl Betaine - This creates the BUBBLES!!
Xanthan Gum - this is NOT gum - it can be found in many food products to thicken and stablise them.
Glycol Disterate - this is a skin condition that makes the skin soft whilste increasing the controlling thickness of the product.
Laureth-4 - This looks after Glycol Distearate when it is lonely as a stabilizer, Glycol Distearate always needs this Laureth 4 too work properly!
Parfum - Well obviously too give it a lovely smell!
DMDM Hydantoin - this is an organic microbial compound which Crazy Soap use as a preservative.
Methylchloroisothazolinone - Ahhhh! This is a preservative with antibacterial and antifungal effects withing the group of isothiazolinones.
Mehylisothiazolinone is a preservative. Which Crazy Soap use it to prevent bacteria and mould growing in their soaps!
CI 42090 and CI 16035 are the colours Crazy soap use to make their Soap Body Paints! Lovely but and radiant red colour!
CAUTION - Must always be used under adult supervision - do not use on damanged or broken skin, do not swaller. Do not make contact with face or floors, furniture etc!
Overall - I would really recommend these Crazy Soap Foam and Paint! I am even buying them as a Christmas present and after!
You can look at their website here and purchase them on Amazon.
Have you seen the Giveaway i'm doing? Check it out here and win yourself a Crazy Soap Set!
98 Days Until Christmas!
Time for the trimmings and lights to go up soon, Won't be long and the kids will have fun setting up the christmas tree, leaving a carrot and milk for santa and rudolph, are you excited?
I am a little bit too excited for Christmas this year! I wasn't that excited last year, i was too worried with the money, depression and anxiety BUT this year i can not wait and enjoy myself with my partner and kiddies! Also Mia will be 4 and Elliw will be 21 months by Christmas. I've already started Christmas shopping and looking around for bargains of the toys i want to get them!
Also i actually love this cold weather for some reason! Last year i was much bigger in weight than i am this year, so i found wearing jeans and hoodies way too hot for me. I couldn't stay in them long before i had to take them off, this year i can wear a hoody and jeans and a waist coat on top and still feel fine and cosy! Lovely feeling. (for me anyway lol!)
I love the style this season! These are a few of my favourites ;;
The Naughty Step
Fave blog of the month!
Say CHEESE!
Dinner for children.
In every packed lunch i make Mia, and dinners what i do at home i always try and make it fun and nice too eat! They always have bread with the crust cut off because Mia hates crust, and it is always cut up in soldiers as Elliw is very fussy! For dinners at home i will share 1 packet of crisps between them both which is usually Pom Bears, Skips or Quavers. Once or twice a week they will have a small chocolate bar on their plate for Dinner. and they will always have something healthy with it too weather it be fruit, chicken/ham slices or salad. I'm lucky that Elliw will eat any fruit and any salad but she isn't keen on the chicken/ham but Mia loves the meat and leaves the salad and only eats strawberries and bananas with fruit.
As for breakfast Mia will have coco pops with milk, and few slices of toast with fruit and Elliw will have slices of toast with fruit.
I try my best to make sure they have fruit at least once or twice or maybe more a day!
Their snacks are usually crackers and fruit. So as you can probably tell, salad and fruit is a main thing in the house! We have to buy 2 packs of bananas 2 packs of strawberries and grapes and yet we still have to go to Co-op down the road to buy more in the middle of the week. Just as i am saying this i will have too go down tomorrow too buy some more salad and fruit!
Their Tea is a like a treat for them, but i still make sure something is healthy on their plates. Such has potatoes, veg, meat etc! Their favourite is chips, chicken drummers or turkey dinosaurs!
I don't care if my children have a McDonalds now & then as a treat. As they will have a chocolate from the shop once a week too! I don't agree with some parents being 100% strict with their children with food, at the end of the day they are kids, and kids will be kids!
I find since i have cut down the sweet treat to once a week instead of daily they enjoy it so much more!
Are you fussy with what you put on your child's plate for food?
Do you treat your children now & then?
Are your children in school full time? Do you give them packed lunch or school dinners?