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Sunday Photo | B&W Photography Challange.


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LINKING UP WITH:
 

OneDad3Girls

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PODCAST'S BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLANGE WEEK 12.

Frozen Loom Band GIVEAWAY!

I thought it was about time I give my lovely readers a great giveaway! I've been trying to think what everyone would like and what is 'in' right now. Whats better than some loom bands and Frozen?! They're both so popular right now so I thought I would giveaway One Frozen Loom Band box to one lucky reader! Also this great prize will be with you just in time for Christmas!
Read below for details of the prize and the T&C's.

There are 1000 Loom bands, 50 clips, 1 hook, Loom maker and storage case (size: 29cm x 14cm x 5cm).

Please read.
- Giveaway starts 27th September.
- Giveaway ENDS 18th October at 11:59pm.
- Winner will be chosen within 24 hours.
- Winner will be notified via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter.
- ALL entries WILL be checked, so please do NOT cheat.
- UK entrants ONLY (sorry!).

GOOD LUCK!!

* Please note: I am not working along anyone with this time. I have purchased this item myself with my own money for one lucky reader to win one. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Every Pregnancy Is Different.

I am a bit disappointed and gutted that I didn't start blogging before I had the girls. So I've thought i'd just write about the things I remember being different with both pregnancies. Here is my story:

First Pregnancy
In my first pregnancy I was a single mother and just 16 years old when I found out, so yes it was pretty scary but I knew I had my family there for me. When I was around 12 weeks pregnant I fainted on my first day of work! Luckily I only had a scan a few days after so the hospital told me to wait until then, everything was fine! I fainted again a few weeks later, it turns out I had low iron and somehow the midwife 'forgot' to read the results and give me the iron tablets until I was over 30 weeks pregnant so no wonder I was light headed all the way through my pregnancy.
I remember one morning in the first 3 months of my pregnancy, before i had to go to college I felt really ill. I was sitting against the radiator on the bathroom floor and I couldn't move. I felt so nausea. Luckily I recovered in enough time before I had to go from the house to get the college bus. Another thing I used to get between 4am - 6am was cramps on top of my leg. I remember having them for the whole week once and I'd always wake up and sometimes in tears because it was hurting so much! I just took it that Mia was lying awkwardly. My pregnancy was great other than those little things.
However, when I turned 30 weeks pregnant I woke up in the middle of the night itching the palm of my hands and under my feet, then it started to itch all over! My face was red and full of scratch marks! I remember waking my Dad up to tell him I couldn't sleep and couldn't stop itching, I was shattered. But I did wake up at a decent time in the morning so I was up for quite a few hours by myself. We got out the pregnancy book and luckily there was a paragraph about the symptoms I was having. It was called Obstetric Cholestasis. We went to the midwifes in the doctors and they sent me straight to the hospital to get checked over then from then onwards I was in hospital twice a week getting monitored. I was on loads of tablets a day and thankfully the itching did stop towards the end. I was also seeing a consultant every fortnight, my last consultant appointment I got my blood pressure done and she turned round and said I had pre-eclampsia so went to see if there was room for me to get induced there and then. There wasn't, so she told me to phone the next morning too see what time I could go into labour ward to get induced.

Cravings: Twirl Chocolate, Milky Way.
Food's i'd gone off: Pasta, Beans, Cheese.
First Kick: 17 weeks.

Second Pregnancy
I kind of had a feeling I was pregnant before I took the test because I was feeling quite unwell but it didn't feel like a bug. Then of course, I was pregnant! For the first 13-14 weeks in the evenings I used to hate going to bed because that was the time I used to have to sit up, feel so sick and in pain with stomach pains because I felt so sick. At around 8 weeks we had to go to hospital because I started bleeding, luckily we were sent for a scan at 9 weeks to see if everything was okay, thankfully everything was fine. I was light headed again in the pregnancy and I was given iron tablets. I felt every pain in the pregnancy, it actually wasn't as smooth as my first (not at all!). It also didn't help that I was having to carry children in my job, and also I had Mia too look after too. I couldn't stand going on buses, especially having to go on a bus to work I used to hate it! Around 25 weeks pregnant I got Obstetric Cholestasis again. This time I only had to be in hospital once a week, but on the same tablets. The itch calmed down a little but not a lot. I lost so much sleep, looking back I'm sure I lost maybe a good full week or two of sleep all together. I tried sleeping on the sofa and on the floor and I couldn't! The bed sheets would go through me and I could not sleep on them at all. From around 30 weeks pregnant I fell into depression, something I don't admit too and I wish I would have spoken to someone about it there and then as it got a lot worse months on.

Cravings: Chocolate Eclairs and Garden Peas.
First Kick: 13 weeks.

Many people get painful veins during pregnancy. You can get them before but worsen during pregnancy. You can get them treated but they advise 3 months after delivery. specialistveincare provide all the information you need if you are wanting advice.

* In collaboration with specialistveincare {June 2015}

Elliw's First Bus Trip

Well, it wasn't Elliw first bus trip, but it was her first bus trip with no pram! I was quite nervous taking her on the bus with no pram but even more nervous going to the bus stop with her with no pram! As I had no idea how she was going to be. If she was going to play up or be behaved?! However, we walked to the bus stop and she kept trying to get me to hold her which I just told her to carry on walking. Shockingly, she was well behaved at the bus stop. We waited about 10-15 minutes and she was great. Sitting on the wall and I carried her for a bit of the time too. She was really good!


I was going out for the day with my Dad and I knew I wanted a new pram so there was no point me bringing the old pram with me! We got on the bus and she was really excited. Typical, the bus stopped at nearly every bus stop! Usually I get the bus that goes straight to my Dad's hometown but the bus we got only went to the town just before my Dad's so we had to take two buses, but it wasn't as bad as I thought until we reached the last 10-15 minutes of the bus ride as Elliw was starting to get really bored and started to play up. It shocked me that by the time I reached my Dad's house it had taken us over an hour to reach there on bus. Usually getting one straight bus takes about 20 minutes, but yet again both buses did stop on nearly every bus stop!
She really enjoyed it and i'll deffintley be doing it again with her. But I will make sure I will be going to someones house if I do take her with no pram, otherwise it would be a disaster as when she is bored - she is a very different girl!

My Little Artist




Yes! So as you see this little monkey thinks she's a clever little girl to draw all over her mouth AND in her mouth! The other thing was, it was just 15 minutes before I had to get Mia from school. I tried scrubbing her with a wet wipe and it just wouldn't come off, only faded a bit but her teeth were still green as anything! Luckily Iwan's mam took me to school to pick Mia up so I wouldn't have to take Elliw out. Ignore her hat, it was a handknitted hat made for her when she was newborn and she decided she wanted to wear it around the house when I took this photo!  It doesn't matter how many times I try my best to hide felt tips and pens they always seem to find one somewhere! No idea how or where. She was happy enough to come straight too me after she did it to show me her 'amazing art work'. As you can guess, she did have a row! The amount of times she has done this at the most awkward times too!

Are your little ones little artists or atleast think they are?!


Mummy & Daddy.

I was thinking earlier that I made this blog to jot down memories for both my girls to read when they're older. So I thought it would be great to take a look back at 'memory lane' of me and my partner, family and friends!

MAMMY
 
This is me (mam) when I was younger. Here, I am pictured with my Dad (your Taid). Writing this now I am 22 years old. I lived with my Mam and Dad when I was a baby, then when they split up things happened which you will probably know by the time you read this. I was then living with my Dad from roughly3/4 years old. I am the eldest sister to Nathan, Connor, Sean, Alex, Elize and Corey. I went to the local school and made some great friends and lovely memories. My favourite band was Steps. My favourite film was Beauty and The Beast. I always and still do love writing. I always used to pretend I was a teacher when I was younger ha ha! I went to college after school and did a Childcare course then I fell pregnant with Mia 3 months before I passed my course. I got a job not long after Mia was born as a Nursery Assistant. I quit after I had Elliw as couldn't afford the childcare and travel costs at the time. I am now a play worker in an after school club.
 
 
DADDY
 

 
Your Dad (Iwan) was born the same year as mam but in February, Mam was born in August. Your Dad works as a Plumber and works for his Dad (Your Taid). His Dad has had his own business now for years. One of your Dad's favourite TV Show's is LOST. We have actually watched it for the 2nd or 3rd time now, and probably have watched it many more times by the time you read this too.
 
HOW WE MET
It's quite funny how we met actually! In 2010 I had your Dad on my Facebook, I tried talking to him but he was 'dry' replying so didn't bother talking to him again ha ha! I made a new Facebook not long after, and because I didn't know him I obviously didn't have him or even think to add him either. One day in April I had a friend request off him and I messaged him saying thanks! And there it began! He was supposed to be working, but we messaged each other for quite a long time ha ha. On April 15th my friend took me to The Goat, a local pub to where your Dad lived/s. I remember going in there, so nervous, as I had never ever been there before either and nervous meeting him! He's told me he actually asked a friend to look around the corner too see if I looked OK - ha ha! Well I guess I was approved lol. From the minute we looked at eachother we clicked! I had a good feeling. It was pretty awkward as we had friends with us too but it was good. We met up a couple of days after and that is how it all started. We moved in together October 2011. I moved from my Dads (Your Taid) to your Dad's village. Since then we have lived in two private rent houses and we have now bought a house, which you are probably still living in by the time you have read this.
 
 
This was the first photo taken of me and your Dad. We have had some great memories and plenty more to come too. He's been fantastic and such a great and an amazing Dad to Elliw and a wonderful fantastic Step-Dad to you Mia.
 
 
 



Our Autumn Walk


The weather has been really odd recently! It's just like Summer, so hot. I think we're actually getting nicer weather this Autumn than what we have had in the Summer. My partner had a day off work Sunday so we decided to go out somewhere, but wasn't sure where. We decided to phone my Nain & Taid and ended up meeting them in a place called Llanfairfechan. It's a lovely safe place to take children and to go for walks. We had a lovely walk, even though most of it was playing football with Elliw and we went to the park too!


Elliw absoloutley loved it! She loved running around and holding the ball! We managed to teach her to kick the ball too, even though she didn't do it much as she ended up falling on her bum most of the time ha ha!  Elliw is wearing a gorgeous Pumpkin Patch Unicorn Raincoat (£24.00) which has a lovely fleece lining inside the coat. Everyone has made good comments about the coat. It's ideal for the weather we having recently, it isn't too thick for the sun but also warm for when the winter comes and waterproof in the rain!


Elliw loves wearing wellingtons! So we were lucky enough to be able to choose some for her. We chose the Toby Girl's Natural Rubber Boots which had a lovely flower pattern and I love the colours! We decided to choose a size 7 as she is in the middle of size 6 and 7! Some shoes will fit her size 7 and some size 7. She absoloutley loves wearing them and it was great for our walk and run around.



The dress she wore is the Pumpkin Patch Dandelion Sees Printed Pinafore. I love the colours, and as I was looking for something this dress really caught my eye and I just had to get it for her. I could picture her in my head wearing it, and when I put it on her it suited her so well with her white t-shirt and tights! She loves the dress. When I put it on her it was a little tight around her tummy but there was an adjustable strap on the inside to make it a little bigger.

* We were kindly sent vouchers to purchase these products. I also added on extra money to get these items. All words, opinions and photos are my own.

Super Busy Mum


Mum Of Two Girls




A lot of people tell me 'I don't know how you cope with two girls' or something across those lines anyway. Yes it is hard, and those who say it isn't - then i'm sorry but you are lying! (haha). The only times that are hard are when they're arguing and fighting and obviously going through phases such as not listening and trying to push your buttons etc! We've all been there haven't we?
When I was pregnant with Elliw I did think a few times 'how could I share my love?' All my love was to Mia and I couldn't think how I could share it and I could love another child as much as I loved Mia. The minute I held Elliw, my love was shared! It was such a nice feeling to have.


 At first Mia wasn't all that sure but in the end she used to love helping me out by feeding, changing clothes, changing nappies and helping Elliw to sleep. One thing I will never ever forget about the early weeks is how Mia used to wake up, come into our bedroom and go straight to hold Elliw's hand whilst she was in the moses basket. Even when Elliw was sleeping she would hold her hand and stroke her head. Every single morning for a good few weeks.
We did find buying things for them got a lot more expensive especially when Mia started her toilet problem and when Elliw started on food. We tried our best to budget, and still do. I have found I don't 'treat' Mia as much anymore, such as getting her a nice toy as now I would have to treat two! However I do it once in a while but otherwise their treat in the week is just a small sweet/chocolate or a cake from the shop on the way home from school.
The sleepless nights were hard, especially that it took Elliw around 7-8 months to sleep full night. She then went through a phase every few weeks where she would wake up quite a few times in the night, and it would last for 1-2 months, it still happens now! Mia recently takes quite a while settle to bed and Elliw has always taken a while to settle but we're so used to it now.
Were all busy every day now with Mia going school every day and Elliw in Playschool twice a week and nursery twice a week whilst I work.
When times are hard, then they are hard! There is a lot of arguing every single day. Elliw has been in a very long phase (over a year in fact) of hitting and its been getting worse! She will hit, punch, bite, kick and pull Mia's hair! And yes you can guess, Mia screams! Which I don't blame her! That's where the naughty step comes in handy. That is used daily in this house and im glad! I couldn't cope without it. It is nice to have a break whilst Mia is in school but its Elliw that is the most hard work I find. But we live! And I wouldn't change them for the world!

Do you have two or more children? How do you cope?

* More on this subject to come in the next few weeks/months.

BannerBuzzUK Wall Sticker Review

I love wall stickers, but never got around in buying any. Luckily, we were kindly asked recently to review a personalised wall sticker. I do think I should have chosen different fonts as I found it very difficult to stick on the wall as the letters were flopping everywhere! I know the letters aren't very straight and they're a bit wonky. However, I was tired when I was sticking it on as it was in the evening but I knew I wouldn't have peace doing it with the girls awake. From afar it does look ok, and doesn't look wonky!
I've had a lot of comments from people about how nice the wall sticker is! Many love the quote that I have chosen. Overall I did find it quite difficult to stick on the wall, but it is worth it in the end once its up and looking nice!

You can get your own personalised wall stickers at BannerBuzz with prices starting from £6.99!

* I was given this product free of charge in return of an honest review. All words, photos and opinions are my own.

Disney Club Penguin Review


We were kindly asked a few weeks ago if we would review 'Disney's Club Penguin'  magazine and online game for a month.
First off, we received the magazine, which had two freebies, a water gun and some badges. I kept the badges aside as I didn't fancy the girls pinching themselves. Mia absolutely loved the water gun and played with it for hours and still does. The magazine was really good I thought, it had some comic strips and lots of colour catroons and both girls were interested in the magazine, and honest truth is that they have not ripped it and it is upstairs right now on their book shelf! That is VERY shocking. But I am glad they like it.
We were also given free membership for Club Penguin. Club Penguin is the #1 children online game. Club Penguin started in 2005 and since then 220 million penguin avatars have been created. It also plays in 6 different languages! It is where children can meet but as penguins. This website is very safe for children to play.
Overall, Mia did enjoy playing. However I do think she was a bit too young, so she didn't get to play on it as much but she did enjoy playing whilst she could. I would recommend this game to children who loves online PC games!

You can pay monthly for the Club Penguin Membership Online and magazine monthly.

* We were given this product for free and the month free trial for the purpose of this 100% honest review. All words, photos and opinions are my own.

B&W Photo Project


Linking up with PODcast's Black and White Photography Project.

My Sunday Photo




OneDad3Girls

Busy Week

My last post was done on the 4th September! Since then I've had quite a busy week. Good and bad but mostly bad! On Friday night we had to take Elliw to hospital because her ear was bleeding a lot. I feel so bad, because it was my fault. I was cleaning her ears around the outside, and then she moved and the cotton bud went in a bit to far! Safe to say I did cry ALOT! She screamed/cried for about 10 minutes but after that she was fine. I decided to phone NHS and they told me to take her in to A&E.
Luckily it wasn't busy so we didn't have to wait long. We got asked to come into a room where they just weigh her and get some details on why we were there. We were then told she wanted us to go to Out of Hours for Elliw's ear to be seen quickly. So we just waited, then got sent to the out of hours which was only through the door. We got called in and the doctor was so lovely and helpful. She checked Elliw's ears and said there was ALOT of blood in her right ear so she called another doctor for advice. We were then sent to the children's ward which we were there for about 2-3 hours if I remember. It was a very long night. It also didn't help that I was getting stomach cramps which I thought it was just because I was nervous or hungry.
We waited for 3 doctors to check her ears and then we were told we were allowed home finally! She is due to have a hearing test very soon so I really hope it all goes well. She is perfectly fine in herself though.

 
On the way back it was coming near midnight, and we had to pick Mia up from my partners mothers house because she wouldn't sleep there and kept saying she wanted me! So we had two very tired little girls in the car waiting to go to sleep! Me and my partner decided to go to sleep the same time too. Luckily, both girls went straight to sleep.
 
I woke up twice in the night feeling un well but thought nothing of it. 3am came and I couldn't get back to sleep, I was in so much. Lets just say the toilet was my best friend! I then didn't have the strength to walk back to bed so I slept on the landing floor for half an hour! So glad I did, as I cooled down a lot. I managed to go back to bed and sleep for a couple of hours. I still wasn't well in the morning but had to get up as my partner had gone to work. Mia was going to her dads by 9.30 so I had to get her ready to go. Iwan had gone to get me some paracetomals before I headed to work but it took me about 2 hours to take them as I felt if I was to walk downstairs I would loose my balance! The kids were good though fair play, for a change! Thankfully, later on in the day I wasn't too bad. I forced myself to the shower to freshen up and I was feeling a little better so we decided to go food shopping. Then my partner wasn't well! So we just had quite a boring weekend!
 
Sunday I forced myself to clear the front room! which is finally done. I haven't finished it yet as I need to get storage and make it look a bit better and homley. Photos will be up on the blog soon.
Monday was teachers training and Mia had a party to go to so I took her there whilst Elliw was in nursery. It wasn't good for Mia as she was scared stiff of the 'Minion' dress up! However we had a good day otherwise.
Tuesday was a normal day, school and work for us.
Wednesday I was unwell again! Even had to call in sick with work.
 
However one good thing is I guess, I have reached 3 stone 5lbs loss with slimming world!
 
So as you see, I've had a busy week! That is the reason why I haven't been blogging much this week!
 

Job Interview Tips

As you might know I started my new job a couple of days ago, I had the job interview before the summer holidays and I have been asked to do another two interviews. One was today which went really well. The other one I had to let down as I just couldn't work around the hours. I always get nervous when I am getting ready for an interview. I always worry if my mind is going to blank, am I going to mess up and so on. However in todays interview I was so relaxed and I actually enjoyed the job interview. I thought I would give you a few tips on how to make a job interview kind of relaxing.

Time
First impressions always count right? So the last thing you need to do is turn up late in an interview. I always go around 5-10 minutes earlier than the interview time as it shows you are keen and shows that you can come in to work on time.

Dress
Dressing up smart does show that you have put effort in yourself for the interview, also it can show that you are a clean and punctual person who looks after themselves.

Organised
It is always best to be organised. Take your qualifications, CV and anything else that you think might be needed. Even if they don't want it, at least you have shown effort and interest in bringing them with you.

Prepare
Make sure you prepare yourself to answer questions or maybe doing a trial run. It's always best for you to prepare so you don't get stuck for words. In the job interviews I have been in they always usually ask questions like - 'What could you bring into the job' , 'How would you handle this situation (describes a situation)' and so on.

Yourself
The main thing is to just be yourself. Show that you are confident. As they say, first impressions do count. Also, do not pretend to be somebody you're not. Show your personality and just try your best to relax!

Have you got any other tips?


First Day In School.

2nd of September 2014 the first day of school for my first baby girl. I can't believe how fast these years have gone. She was in uniform and part-time school last year, however this year she is in FULL time school! Yes, full time!! I can't believe it. My little girl is actually growing. But she will always be my baby. I did mention at the start of the summer holidays that she was starting big school but I don't think she really understood. I didn't mention It through the summer but the past few days I did. She wasn't really excited, well to be honest she wasn't excited at all ha ha.
This morning she kept saying she didn't want to go. She said school is boring and she doesn't like it. However, I managed to get her excited when I told her that her best friend will be there too! We woke up around 7.30am, had our breakfast, I did some house work and then got the girls dressed and ready. She started to get moody when she saw the skirt as she thought she would have to wear tights but I showed her that they were high knee socks not tights! She was fine then thank god! She has a thing about tights, no idea why. Anyway, my partners mother came down around 8.30 to see Mia and took us to school. Elliw got pretty upset when she realised she wasn't going into the school too! She will be starting Cylch Meithrin on Thursday.

The first day went really well, i'm writing this just before I get ready for my first day in work. Im working in an after school club in Mia's school and Mia will be coming to me so I can't wait to ask her how was her first day! Elliw is in nursery right now too, 1-6pm. It's quite nice getting a little break before I go to work because I am so nervous right now!

How did your childrens first day of school go?