I can't believe it is August. These Summer holidays have flown by. They are super excited to get back to school and see their friends. I am going to miss them like crazy, but also feel a bit more relaxed and chilled out (hopefully). We will see. This month, we have all had our hair cuts ready for the new school term. The girls have been a right handful through these past few weeks, but having their bedtime cuddles makes it all worth it. I feel so lucky to be a Mam to these two beautiful little girls.

 

* Linking up with Mummy & Me

6 weeks of Summer holidays nearly over. In a way I feel glad but I also feel guilty. Summer holidays, when you are a stay-at-home parent should be a time to spend as much time with the kids as you can. I remember planning a lot of things before they broke up and I was really looking forward to it.

We did go out for walks and little adventures but we went with other people such as family and friends. If I am honest, I didn't do much with my girls just me and them. I feel awfully guilty. I blame myself. I have struggled this Summer. Mia's behaviour and attitude has been uncontrollable and very hard to handle. Elliw's constant clinginess, moaning, screaming and repeating. It got all too much for me in the end. It drained me. Many times I thought 'I can't do this'. But I got through it, of course. At the end of the night before I got myself to bed, I went to give Mia and Elliw a great big cuddles a kiss. I think that helped. But then the 6am wake up call the next morning - was exhausting.

Why do I feel so guilty? Because it's my own problems that is stopping me taking the girls out by myself. My problems that are stopping me and my girls have our very own fun and happy memories. I get scared, paranoid and worried that people are going to judge me by what I am wearing, what I look like and how big I am. I get worried in case Elliw throws one of her daily tantrums in the street and me not being able to handle it out in public. But it's weird. I get some days where I feel confident (ish) in myself and I don't care what people say or think. Most days I feel paranoid and worried.

I took the girls out for a walk last week, just around the village. It was a lovely day and the girls and myself really enjoyed ourselves. We had a lot of laughter and they were well behaved. I told myself that I was going to do it again the next day. Did I? No. I had no energy. I felt drained.

Many people have been coming over to visit us and we have been going to see people too but there have been some certain days where I just wanted to lock all doors and windows, switch phones off and not think about anything. Just me and my girls. But as usual, things came up. Hair appointments, people doing the back garden etc.

I have so many things going on in my mind recently. The struggles of me loosing weight, big money problems, family problems and over thinking about really wanting my mam to get in touch. It's been nearly 9 months of no contact at all, it does hurt.

I feel really guilty that I haven't taken my girls out for our usual walks and adventures, just me and them. My weight is my biggest problem and although I am trying too loose it, I need to listen to my own advice and not worry about what others think.

I just want to say to my girls that I am Sorry. I will try my best to make it up to you both. Love you. Mam x

Liverpool, England

Hi everyone, hope you've all had a fab week. It's the last week of the Summer holidays for us! We've had a pretty draining week. Thank you ever so much for linking up with #justanotherlinky. Really appreciate you all taking the time to head over to mine or Kirsty's #justanotherlinky post to link up.

Here is to another week! Hope all you lovely people have a great week. Looking forward to reading all your posts this week.

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 FEATURED POST

This post 'When you need to step back' by allthebeautifulthings is well worth a read if you are a blogger and a parent! 

 

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 ** GRAB THE BADGE **

 

 

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The last Friday of the school summer holidays. The weather this week has not been to bad, although we have been stuck indoors the past two days. We haven't been stuck, but I have been to lazy. I feel over-tired and keep falling asleep in the day, which I never usually do!! Mind you.. once I realise I am falling asleep I keep myself awake. As I know if I fall into a deep sleep, one of the kids are bound to wake me up.

The lovely Catriona who blogs over at lovedbymummy came over today with my nephew Osian. Me and the girls love it when they come down and visit us. The girls were super excited to see them. I wasn't much fun company because I have been feeling so drained past few days. It was a lovely few hours in the house with them both. Osian, Mia and Elliw played nicely with trains, making cups of tea and drawing flowers and cars.

When Osian and Catriona left, the girls went to play upstairs and I dosed off to sleep again! I tried to stop myself going to sleep so I decided to tidy up the living room and playroom whilst the girls were behaving. I went upstairs to see how they were and this is how I found them...

 

I found this hilarious.. and they couldn't understand why I was laughing so much!

I was recently asked to review a product from Dry Kids. I took a look at their website and I decided to choose their Raspberry Pink Waterproof Jacket. Seeing as the weather has been pretty rubbish up here in North Wales and seeing that we are getting close to winter, a waterproof jacket would be ideal for the girls. I was in need of a waterproof jacket for Mia as she has outgrown her old ones.

 

FEATURES

• Easy fold away if not needed

• Elasticated cuffs

• 2 lower front pockets

• Reflective tape detail

• Vented back with mesh lining

• Waterproof fabric

• Hood folds in collar

 

This 100% polyester waterproof jacket is perfect to fold away if needed. You can fold the coat into the front pocket zip. I thought the elasticated cuffs were great as I am not keen on rain coats or jackets that have non-elasticated cuffs. The hood can be kept inside the collar, which in Mia's words is 'cool!'.

OVERALL - I am very pleased with this waterproof jacket we received. It's perfect material to just pack away and take out if it starts to rain. It's also a great jacket to wear even if it isn't raining. It's a thin but very waterproof material which is just what we need with school starting next week. Mia is very happy and pleased with her new jacket.

 

* We were given this product free of charge, in return of an honest review. As always, words and images are my own.

What is the ideal family car? There are many cars around these days but only few cars which are ideal family cars. You need to think of many things before buying. You could look up for more information about the car, or if you have got your eye on a certain car you could always rent a car out to try it out. Parkway offer contracts which is great if you are wanting to buy a car but would like to try it out first.

1. THE SPACE
You need to be sure that there is plenty of space in the front back of the car. Be sure that there is enough space for you and your family to sit comfortably. Car seats usually take a lot of space, so again this is something you could think about and try out first before buying.

2. BOOT SPACE
Have you got enough room for your pram in the boot? As well as other things you may need, such as your food shopping.

3. 5 DOOR CAR
When you have kids it is always best to have a 5 door car. I don't know how I would of coped if I had a 3 door car. The back doors are ideal to take your car seat out and in, as well as getting your child in and out of their car seats too.

4. AIRBAG SWITCH
In some cars you can switch the front passengers airbag on and off. If you can't switch it off then you can not put a car seat in the passenger seat.

5. STORAGE
This may not be the first thing you think about when buying a car but having extra storage can be ideal when you have children. You could store things in the underfloor storage, side storage instead of having to bring them back and forth to the car each time you go on your car journeys.

What is your ideal family car?

 

* PR Collaboration

Many people have come up to me or messaged me asking me how to start a blog. Don't get me wrong, it's really easy to start one up but to actually blog and be a blogger is much more. Before even starting a blog, there are many things you need to think about and these are 5 reasons why you shouldn't blog -

 1. YOU WANT THE 'FREE THINGS' - God knows how many people have asked me how do I get 'free things' with my blog. Of course I feel greatful that I get these 'free things' through my blog but it's not as easy as you think. You need time to review the product, take photos of the product, time to write your honest opinion about the product and promote your review through social media once you finished. If you do get to the stage where you have the opportunity to review a product, you will understand that in the end it is part of being a blogger.

2. NO TIME - You need time. A lot of time to blog. I'm not talking an hour a day or a couple of hours a week either. On average, I blog about 20-30 hours a week on my blog. Sometimes writing a post can take you up to an hour or a couple of days to write up. You need time to promote your blog, engage with your readers, time to reply to comments, time to visit and comment other blogs, time to build up your blog and keep it up to date.

3. HEART NOT IN IT - If you're heart isn't into blogging, if your heart isn't into taking photos, if your heart isn't into writing then there is really no point in your starting a blog. Is there? To be a blogger, you need to enjoy it. You can't be successful in something what your hear isn't into.

4. YOU'RE NOT PATIENT - Let's be honest, page views and gaining readers doesn't come overnight. Just like loosing weight, you can't loose a stone over night (that would be great though!). You need to work for it. You need to promote your blog. If you started your blog as a hobby and you want to work on it harder to work with PR's then again, you need pa tient. They will come to you eventually. Put in as much hours as you can into your blog. If you're not a patient person, then blogging might not be for you.

5. NO IMAGINATION - Every blogger needs some kind of imagination to write posts. It's always good to have some kind of humour in some posts that you write. A bloggers mind works 24/7, trust me! If you have no thoughts for content for your blog then starting a blog may not be for you.

Writing all that above, let me just state that you don't have to be a professional photographer, you don't even have to be a great photographer either. As long as you have a camera or a phone with a good camera, that is good enough! You will more than likely gain more readers if you have photos on most of your blog posts.

Do you have any other tips?

Going abroad is an exciting time for anyone, whether it is your first time or you 20th time! But the most hated thing (for most people) to do, is packing. When I went to Thailand, which was the first time I went abroad, I didn't pack until 2 days before. I had no idea what to pack, what was important to pack and what was not important to pack. Luckily my partners parents go abroad to Thailand every 3 months and have done for the past 10 years, so I got some great tips off them and they helped a lot.

1. MAKE A LIST
Before you pack, write a list of everything you need. It might be easier to do it in order, for example; Clothes, Night Clothes, Beach, Kids etc. Remember to pack that list with you so you can tick them off again when you pack abroad to come back home! The last thing you need is to leave something behind.

2. CAMERA
This was the best thing I had brought. I took over 600 photos when I was in Thailand. I wanted to capture something every day. I wanted to look back at the photos and remember the day. I took my main camera, spare camera and my iPhone.

3. MAIN AND SPARE CABLES
This is a tip I got from my partners Dad. Take all cables for your cameras, phones, iPad and any other technical item you are taking with you, but also bring spares with you, just in case! It may be a good idea to pack them all together into one zipped bag or plastic bag.

4. MOBILE PHONE
It may be pretty important to bring your mobile phone. If you have an iPhone like me, then you may know you can't take the Sim Card out, but you could buy a spare and cheap mobile phone abroad. My partner used his Mams old phone and I borrowed a phone from the next door neighbours in Thailand. It wasn't top of the range, but that is the last thing on your mind when you're on holiday. A mobile phone is great in case any of you lose each other and want to contact family back at home.

5. SELFIE STICK
This may not be on a top list for many people but I wish I had taken my Selfie Stick out with me more whilst I was in Thailand. There were hundreds of people using them. If you want a photo of all of you, a selfie stick is a great idea.

6. MEDICINE
This is the one thing me and my partner didn't pack. We really regret it. My girls had over 70 mosquito bites each. We took them to hospital in Thailand and we were charged £60+ for their medicine. Other countries are different to ours. I was in the room talking to doctor in Bangkok Hospital, Hua Hin and Elliw coughed. Doctor told us she needed medicine for the cough, although she had no cold, it was just a normal cough. So I am sure you get the picture, try and remember to take your own medicine and try to avoid the hospital/pharmacy abroad unless you really do need it. You may even need some paracetomal yourself as you may get a tummy upset whilst abroad.

7. UNIVERSAL PLUG ADAPTER
Different countries have different plug-in's. Luckily my partners parents had universal plug adapters at their place in Thailand. It's not something people think about when packing, but if you want to charge your phone, use the hairdryer and charge your other things such as laptop, camera etc, then it is a good idea to pack it.

8. BOOKS
I don't mean reading books. I mean books to help you learn more about the country you are visiting. Maybe you can buy a phrase book, so you can try your best to talk in their language and try to understand their language when talking. Buy a map or a book talking about things to do in the country you are visiting.

9. MONEY
This is something you probably won't forget anyway but it's still a good idea to write it on your list (1). You can exchange in your own country or abroad.

10. PASSPORT
This is the main thing if you want to travel abroad! Can't go anywhere without it!

Am I missing anything? I'd love to know!

We all know how stressful it can be to raise a child (children). Having children can put a strain on your relationship. You both feel stressed, tired and drained. Every parent deserves a break now and then. The normal relationship things can be non-existent after you have children, but there are ways to bring that spark back into your relationship.

 • Go out for a meal, just the two of you. It can be a great way to bond, get to know each other more and catch up on things that you haven't been able to say to each other whilst the kids are about. It can be really relaxing for you both.

• Have a quiet night in the house, spend time together in bed and get that spark back whilst having some fun and maybe trying some new things with buying some toys! You know what I mean...

• Go out for a walk. A time you can both relax, chill and talk together with no one interrupting you. A time for you to be stress-free whilst getting some fresh air.

• Make time for each other. When the kids are in bed, both of you sit down, ask each other how each other's days have been and be interested and listen to what you both have to say.

How do you keep the spark in your relationship? Have you got any good tips?

* PR Collaboration

Me and my partner spent the weekend in Liverpool for my birthday. It was a really nice break and time away from the kids. But back to Friday night first. We went to visit our friends new baby boy (who is beautiful by the way) then we went into town to get food for us and Elliw, whilst Mia was in her Dads. We came back home about 9pm. After putting Elliw to bed and half way through Hollyoaks, our kitchen ceiling had collapsed. We finally managed to get some sleep at midnight. We started a bit later than we hoped on Saturday morning, we dropped Elliw off in my partners Mothers around 9.30am then off we went.

The ques were ridiculous. It took us around 4 hours to arrive when it should have only taken 1 hour 50 minutes roughly. We stayed in Premier Inn on Albert Dock. We didn't stay in the room long, we decided to have a walk around the dock then go to the centre to do some shopping. We tried Yo! Sushi for lunch, at first I wasn't keen but once I tried it I was glad we went there. It was so tasty! We did more walking around the centre then we went for a drink in a pub on the Docks. I didn't feel 100% after so we went back to the hotel and I rested whilst my partner went for a shower and got ready. I went for a shower and got ready after him then off we went to Pizza Express for food. We got there just on time because the weather was awful. Rain and thunderstorms. After food we walked quickly back into the room and I got changed because I wasn't comfortable in the jeans or heels I was wearing.

I changed into my leggings and converse (classy! ha ha) and we went for one drink in another pub near the hotel. Luckily the rain had stopped for a bit. It was really nice to talk to each other and have no kids interrupting us and neither of us getting stressed or having to give anyone a row. We then went for another walk but as we walked from behind the pub there were police officers blocking the road as a groom-to-be, 24, sadly died after jumping in the Docks. We were so shocked that something like that happened so close to where we were staying. My thoughts are with all the family.

The rain started back so we decided to head back to the hotel, ordered some Ben & Jerrys then went to watch a film but by 11.30pm I was fast asleep! The next thing, it was 9am. In the morning we decided to have breakfast in the hotel then we packed up and checked out. We then went to a museum that was next to Albert Dock, free admission and it was great. We really enjoyed it and the views from the windows were gorgeous. It was so hot on Sunday so we were really lucky. Afterwards we went shopping again to get a few things for the girls. After a good few hours walking, legs aching, we finally reached the car and we started off home. We arrived just in time, as the minute we went in the car it started pouring down!

It was really nice to have a day and night to ourselves. We missed the kids a lot- we talked about them a lot but we fully enjoyed ourselves and are planning to bring the kids with us next time we visit Liverpool as found a lot of things that kids can do there.

Hoorah! It was my birthday on Saturday 22nd August. I'm officaly 23 years old (not sure if it's good or bad though!?) Another 2 years and i will be half way of being 50. That scares me... a lot! At 23 years old i never thought i would be where i am now. I have such an amazing partner and two beautiful daughters. I couldnt of asked for a better life right now.

Seeing that i am 23 years old today, i thought i'd write 23 things about me - some you may know, some you might not know!

1. I hate the sound of people chewing/eating
2. I had Obstetric Cholestasis in both my pregnancies
3. I had to be induced in both my pregnancies, and never gone 40 weeks
4. I was brought up by my amazing Dad
5. I was bullied in school
6. I haven't seen my Mother since December 24th 2014, her choice
7. My first language is Welsh
8. I gained 7 stone during my first pregnancy (bad I know!)
9. I was a size 22 at my heaviest, now I am a size 16
10. I played violin in primary school for 4 years
11. I was in a dance group with primary school and performed 'Hey Mickey!' and 'Thriller' in front of hundreds of people in a local Theatre
12. My favourite bands when I was a child, was STEPS and Spice Girls
13. I always wear odd socks
14. I am not the tidiest person in the world
15. I have 5 brothers and 1 sister
16. One of my brothers live in South Wales
17. I love watching horror movies
18. Anything with loads of circles/bubbles/dots close together, makes me feel sick!
19. I never used to cook anything from scratch before Slimming World in 2013
20. I was 16 years old when I fell pregnant with my first daughter
21. All my best and close friends from school still remain friends together but we have drifted apart since I had my kids
22. I have 5 tattoos
23. I have dyed my hair, black, white blonde, pearl blonde, bright red (like Rihanna) and dark brown

Hi everyone! Welcome back to week 17 (OMG!) of #justanotherlinky. I have some exciting news to share with you all!! We have a brand new co-host!! Everyone pop over to say hello to the lovely Kirsty / somethingcrunchymummy! I am so glad she contacted me asking to be a co-host! Her blog is amazing. So now, #justanotherlinky will be here and Kirsty's blog too, every Saturday until Wednesday.
Right, back onto this weeks linky. Thanks ever so much to everyone who took their time to link up last week. Loved reading all your posts! Looking forward to reading all your posts for this week.

Meet your hosts
HOST - Beth | Life-As-Mum | @lifeasmumblog
C-HOST - Kirsty | SomethingCrunchyMummy | @crunchy_mummy

Rules
- No more than 3 posts a week
- Comment on at least 2 other posts (more if you have time)
- No reviews
- Giveaways, Sponsored posts allowed
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We would really appreciate it if you could grab the badge below onto your post or blog, or even just a link somewhere on your blog would be great!
Feel free to tweet your post along with the hashtag #justanotherlinky and tweet your hosts @lifeasmumblog and @crunchy_mum and we will Retweet you.
By linking up to this linky you are giving Beth & Kirsty the right to copy one of your photos if you are chosen for Featured Post of the week.

Linky is open every Saturday morning until Wednesday 11:55pm.

Featured Post

This weeks featured post is from the lovely Emily who blogs over at twinmummyanddaddy
Read her post here

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** GRAB THE BADGE **

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An InLinkz Link-up

I love taking photos. I am not the best, but that doesn't bother me. Anyone who knows me personally, know that I always have a camera at hand whether it is my camera or my iPhone. I take at least one photo a day. I have captured 99% of our days out. The other 1% is probably when I either forgot my camera and my iPhone was out of battery. I have thousands and thousands of photos on my laptop and I should really take the time one day and just print each and every one of them out. Thinking about it, I have got another laptop which has thousands of photos on to, which I should really fix before the photos are deleted.

I have always loved taking and looking at photos. I can sit for hours looking through photo albums. I'm lucky that my Taid likes doing the same too and he has hundreds of photo albums. I've been through some but not all of them. We will do it one day. I think capturing days out is a good way that you can look back and just think back to that day. Every photo tells a story somehow, doesn't it?

I love taking photos of all kinds. Although I am not so much into taking photos of flowers close up, I love scenery and capturing family photos and of my girls. Something that can tell me a story, something that can take me back to the day it was captured and remember it like it was yesterday. I think without half of the photos I have, I would have forgotten about most days.

Taking photos of the girls is something I try and do each day. I love looking back at photos from when they were newborn and comparing them to now. I love making collages to see how much they have grown. I don't think there will ever be a time in my life when I will stop taking photos.

I

Life with little ones isn’t always easy, and sometimes by the end of the day when you’ve got the kids tucked up in bed, although you may be officially ‘off duty’ you can be left feeling stressed out, as if you’ve been pulled in every which direction because the various people in your life have been making demands all day. You probably feel in need of some ‘me time’. 

by  Ducklover Bonnie  

Keeping control of your brood can leave you feeling wiped out at the end of the day 

Even better if you can find a way to unwind without having to leave the sofa, and that’s where playing online games of chance can come in really handy. One of the major attractions of playing games such as slots that you find at the many different online casinos such as bgo, Gala and NetBet is that the games are dependent on chance rather than the player’s skill. When you’re feeling frazzled, the last thing you want to do is to have to think through or strategise your moves when you play a game, as you would with a game such as poker. Instead, you want something that’s entertaining and fun, and may just land you a handy lump sum of cash if you happen to have luck on your side. 

The slots games at bgo.com offer just that kind of opportunity, with a myriad of different games to choose from, each as entertaining as the next. Whatever you’re into, you’ll find a slots game that suits – some are themed around comic book superheroes, others on sports such as football, or linked to blockbuster films or TV shows, such as Game of Thrones. 

What’s more, playing games such as slots doesn’t have to cost you much, especially as there’s such high competition among casino sites to secure new customers. Most sites offer a welcome bonus when you first sign up and make a deposit, often there’s a 200% bonus available, which means if you put in a starting fund of £10, you have £30 to play with. Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’ll win when you play, so it’s a good idea to keep playing bets to a minimum on each game – that way your initial amount will provide you with entertainment over a longer period. 

How do I know I’m getting a fair chance? 

You might be sceptical about the idea of playing a game of chance online – how do you know that the games aren’t rigged in the sites’ favour? Of course, every game has a certain house edge attached to it – just as in any land-based casino. But you can check the player return percentages on any game before you decide to play, so that you know exactly where you stand. And as for the results of each spin – the patterns are determined through the use of random number generator (RNG) software, so there’s no way of predicting what results will occur. RNG simulates that element of chance for all online games, and it’s as random for the player as it is for the casino. No-one knows when the big wins are going to come. 

It’s not all about winning 

Although few of us would turn down the chance of winning a great cash prize, most slots players are realistic when they play. They understand that the win is a possibility, not a probability, and if you play with that mentality, then you’ll never be disappointed with the outcome of a game. Take it at face value and enjoy the fun of playing first and foremost. That way, if and when a win comes along, you can appreciate it as a bonus on top of the entertainment and relaxation you’d have got from just playing the games. 

Playing slots isn’t challenging or demanding; it’s simply fun – and that’s why it can be a perfect antidote to a busy and stressful day. 

I was in college. Half way through my childcare course. I met someone through college, fell for him, he played me. But I won't go into much detail about that. Roughly 3 months before my course finished, I fell pregnant. I walked to Tesco with my friend to buy a pregnancy test because I was 7 days late of my period, we walked back to my house and I took the test. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I did what you have to do (pee on a stick!) and looked at the test quickly and couldn't see a line so I kept it flat on the side. I stood up, picked the test up and the line was there.

I was pregnant.

I walked back into my bedroom, looked at my friend and told her as I burst into tears. I was scared. I was petrified. First thing to do was to phone the Dad of the baby. He didn't believe me. He laughed. In the end I think he did believe me because about 1-2 weeks before I took the test, I was feeling ill with stomach cramps. I told him and he had a feeling I was pregnant.

About a week before I found out I was pregnant, I found out that the Dad of the baby started a new relationship. So when I found out I was pregnant, I knew I was going at it alone. He hurt me. He used me. I won't say more.

I told my Dad's partner at the time. I went to my work experience the day after which was in someone's house {child-minding} and my Dad knocked for me. He had booked an appointment at the Doctors for me. I felt sick. I knew he was disappointed, he told me he was. Doctors confirmed I was pregnant and told me I was roughly 7 weeks and I would need to book an appointment with the midwife. So I did. On our way back home, my dad and I started crying. Like I said above, I was petrified. Of course, he asked what was I going to do with it. I was young but my age didn't change my mind. I was keeping the baby.

That is when it all went wrong. College wasn't much fun in the last 3 months. His friends calling me selfish because I wouldn't go for an abortion. One of them phoning my Mother telling her I am pregnant and again, calling me selfish for not getting rid. I hadn't even told my Mother yet that I was pregnant. If you follow my blog you may have realised I don't have a good or close relationship wit her.

All I had through my pregnancy was stress. The baby's Dad didn't want his girlfriend or anyone else to know he was the Dad. I didn't listen to him. I wasn't making myself out to be some sl*g. He begged me for an abortion, more than one. Said he would be there for me if I got rid. He would take me there and be there for me. Did it change my mind? No.

My first scan appointment was coming up. I started a small job in a local after school club. I fainted within my first hour. Luckily, my scan was only 2 days after. The hospital told me not to worry too much as it was probably low iron. Babys Dad promised he would be at the first scan. He didn't. My Dad came with me to my first scan. I will never forget how nervous I was. I had no idea what was going to happen. I lied down and they put the cold gel on my stomach. I looked up and my baby was on the screen. I was amazed. I fell in love. I was proud of myself that I did not listen to all those horrible people who told me to abort. I was happy. But still, at the back of my mind I was scared.

At 17 weeks I was sitting in my Dads chair in the living room. I felt an odd movement in my belly. I kept feeling it. It was baby moving. I was so happy.

Baby's Dad even promised he would be at the second scan. He wasn't. He was with his girlfriend instead. I did find it hard that they were together. Not because I wanted him but because he was choosing his girlfriend over his own unborn baby. My Dad came to my second scan again, that is when I found out I was having a baby girl. I was over the moon. My Dad took me to a place called Conwy and bought the baby her first baby grow, with the words 'Welsh Baby/Babi Cymraeg'.

The baby's Dad started denying his own baby. His friends were saying he wasn't the Dad. I argued so much through my pregnancy. I was fed up of being made out like the bad one. If he had only stepped up, grown up and provide for his unborn baby then things would have been a lot calmer and a lot less stressful. He even told me he would smash mine and baby's face in if I didn't stop arguing with his girlfriend. I was 20 weeks pregnant. I felt sick. Why did I still try and get him involved? I knew he wouldn't do such a thing and he was just acting all 'hard' infront of his friend who was driving.

I remember sitting on my bed, holding my bump and crying. I remember talking to myself {sad I know}. apologizing to baby that I was letting her into this world to a single parent. Promising her that I will try my best to be the best mother ever to her.

Baby's Dad did nothing through the pregnancy. Absolutely nothing. My Dad helped me through the whole 9 months {and after} of pregnancy. I had Obstetric Cholestasis in the last 10 weeks of my pregnancy. When I was roughly 38 weeks pregnant my own Mother started arguing with me calling me a silly b*tch for not wanting her in the labour room. I wanted my Dad and she was jealous. She doesn't know me properly, I don't know her properly. I don't feel comfortable around her, she has never been there for me so why would I want her there in the same room when I am giving birth? After the amount of stress she put me through, the day after I had my normal appointment at hospital and my blood pressure was extremely high. I had pre-eclampsia. The next morning I was induced.

My Dad phoned the baby's Dad to tell him that I was getting induced. He said he wasn't coming because he had a rugby game. My Dad was my birthing partner. You can read my labour story and my life as a single mother soon.

Being 16 and pregnant was nerve-racking. All my friends were going out like normal and I was home and learning to grow up quickly. I had people judging me. Plenty of stares and names but it's made me who I am today. I have grown up and I honestly wouldn't change it for the world.

Hi everyone. Thanks so much to everyone who linked up on the first ever week of #reviewitwednesday. I apologise for there not being a linky last week! I was super busy, feeling drained and stressed! Let's just say I had a stressful week! The joys of motherhood eh? Right back on to week 2 of #reviewitwednesdays

 I would really appreciate it if you could link up the badge somewhere on your blog or blog post. Or a link back to the linky. Thanks!

 

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An InLinkz Link-up

It has been over 2 years since I started my own blog. If someone sat me down 2 years ago when I started and told me 'In 2 years time your blog will have some lovely readers, PR's contacting you every day and you will have great opportunities and some income' I would never of believed them. Although I only started my blog to document my family life and days out, something my girls could look back on where they are older {hopefully!} But now it has become more than that. I still blog about my family life, our adventures, updates of the girls and my journey through motherhood, and I won't stop that. I really enjoy blogging, and I don't think I will ever stop.

When I first started blogging, the only blog I read was OhSoAmelia, written by the lovely Kerry. She was the one who inspired me to blog. I loved reading her posts and updates of Amelia and it's lovely following her blog and watching her family grow. The past year I have read more blogs and discovered a load of other brilliant bloggers. But only in the last 6 months or so have I engaged with a lot of other bloggers. I never like to be in the 'limelight' so always stepped back for commenting on a lot of posts weekly etc. Now it is in my weekly routine that I make the time to comment on a lot of my favourite blogs. Here are just a few {in no particular order} -

Bump-To-Baby is written by the lovely Alex. She is a mum of two of the most handsome little boys, Ethan and Logan. Alex blogs about her family life, updates of her two little boys and shares some great product reviews too. She is also a Vlogger. You can find her vlog here.

OhSoAmelia is written by the lovely Kerry. Kerry's blog is what inspired me to start blogging. I love her style of writing. Reading updates about her two gorgeous children, Amelia and Harrison. Kerry blogs about her family life and her journey through motherhood. I had the lovely opportunity to meet her and Amelia, about 2 years ago. She has helped me so much with my blog, and I can not thank her enough.

SuperBusyMum is written by the awesome and lovely Debs! Debs is an amazing mother to 5 kids! Doesn't she deserve a medal on bringing up 5 kids?! I struggle to cope with 2! Debs blogs about her family life and I love reading updates and things she gets up to with her 3 youngest kids.

LovedByMummy is written by the lovely Catriona. I know Catriona in real life. She is actually one of my best friends. She is also my nephews Mother! She blogs about the most handsome and funniest little boy, Osian. I love reading her blog, her style of writing and reading her adventures.

MummyBurgess is written by the lovely Kay. She is a mother to her beautiful daughter, Darcie. She is also expecting her second child, who is due in September. Kay shares her family adventures, updates of Darcie along with lovely photos and other great advice posts.

YouBabyMeMummy is written by the wonderful Aby. She has a beautiful daughter, Baby. She writes up some fantastic blogging tips along with her motherhood journey and other great posts. I love reading posts about Baby and watching her grow.

ChicGeekDiary is written by the lovely Jen. She has a beautiful son called Noah. She blogs about her journey through motherhood and about her son. I enjoy reading all her posts. She gives out great advice.

SomethingCrunchyMummy is written by the lovely Kirsty. She is a Mum to two beautiful little boys, Finley and Noah. She also blogs about her journey of motherhood, her experiences and family adventures. I love reading her posts weekly/daily.

TwinMummyAndDaddy is written by the wonderful Emily. She is a mum of twin girls. I love reading her posts about what her and her family have been up too. She also shares her experience of motherhood. She is the wife of DIYDaddyBlog, Nige, which I also enjoy reading.

LifeUnexpected is written by the lovely Chloe. She is mum of one to her gorgeous little girl, Evie. She shares her days out, messy play ideas and shares some fantastic advice. She also writes about her motherhood journey.

These are just some of the blog I read weekly/daily. I love reading each and every one of those blogs above. They are fantastic bloggers, if you haven't come across their blog before, take a look! You'll be glad you found them. I will be attending BritMums next year, if any of you are attending, do let me know! Would love to meet you all.

If you enjoy reading my posts, why not follow me via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bloglovin' for more.

Last week me and the girls spent a day with friends, Sairish and her two adorable children. We have been planning a day out together for quite a while, so in the end we decided to visit Gypsy Wood. Gypsy Wood is about a 10 minute drive from my house, but we all took the bus. The kids loved the ride on the bus. They were also super excited to visit Gypsy Wood. They have all been there before and love it each time. The last I went with my girls was last Summer and it has changed quite a bit since.

I think we chose one of the nicest days. It was so hot {hot for us anyway!}. The entry price wasn't too bad since we spent the whole day there and the kids really enjoyed themselves {prices below}. Once we paid, we took the kids straight to toilet then let them play. They went straight onto these odd looking car/cycles. They had loads of fun on them though. The girls ended up then going to play in the little Wendy house where they enjoyed making 'food' for us.

We moved on then to the castle fort which is a big playing castle for kids. We saw that the train was leaving just as we arrived, we saw some empty spaces, so decided to get the kids quickly and we went on the train. The train driver was great. He got all children involved. He told the children to shout 'dragon' each time they see a dragon, on their travels. After the train ride we went to sit on an empty picnic bench and the kids went to play nicely. We had lunch a bit later.

After lunch we went to see the animals. There are many animals to be seen, such as, pigs, Shetland ponies, rabbits, chicken, cockerel and more. I bought some animal feed in the shop so the kids enjoyed feeding the chickens, rabbit, goats and pigs. On our travels, we stumbled upon a little house where a fairy lived. The kids were super excited. When it was Mia and Elliw's turn to see the fairy, they went really shy and quiet. The fairy gave them some fairy magic and stone in a bag, along with fairy dust on their hand.

 

The children had the great opportunity to brush a Shetland pony, stroke and hold rabbits and guinie pigs, they also got the chance to play with the playful and friendly dog their too. The kids were in their glory. Mia loved holding the guinie pig, but got a bit scared when it moved up on her a bit.

I think we left at the right time. The kids were starting to get tired, especially Elliw. We had a full 5-6 hours there and I would really recommend you to visit Gypsy Wood if you ever visit North Wales.

You can find Gypsy Wood Prices here, If you are unable to find Gypsy Wood, here is how to find them along with a contact number and times.

* I paid full price for tickets. I have only shared this with you because of my good experiences and how much fun the kids have each time we visit.*