Mama's Boy

Dear Freddie,

A Spring Spruce Up – Making Time for Home Improvements

Being a Mum is no easy task – fact. At the best of times, it’s a constant juggling act and most definitely a full time job. A major part of being a parent also includes the inevitable sacrifice of nearly all of your free time! From first-hand experience, I know this can often be frustrating, especially when you have a never ending to-do list…

At the moment, I’m (trying) to make it my project to spruce up our home and give the place a fresh lick of paint as we enter into the spring months. It seems like the perfect time for a change and is a definite way to get me motivated for some spring cleaning! As a firm ‘do it yourself’ advocate – I’ve been reluctant to hire any decorators or outside help, however finding the time to get things done myself has been a challenge! That’s why I’ve put together a top 3 list of clever and time saving DIY-hacks that can help busy Mum’s, just like you and I to get the job done without a fuss! 

Thoughts on decorating the kids’ bedroom

There are few areas of the home that seem to need more constant attention than the kids’ bedroom. Whether it’s finding new and inventive ways to store their rapidly expanding toy collection, or just updating their beds to fit their growing bodies, it seems like there’s no shortage of things to be aware of.

And whilst updating the decor of a children’s bedroom can be a costly business, here are a few ways that we can decorate their rooms in a way that’s relatively cost-effective and can be surprisingly fun too!

Self-expression: Although a child’s bedroom should focus on giving them an adequate sleeping environment, it’s also important to make sure it’s a place where your child can express themselves. So whether that means encouraging their inner artist by helping them to paint a cute wall mural, or even getting some handy peel-able wall stickers, it shows that decorating a children’s room should be fun as well as functional.

Breastfeeding and Teeth

I knew I wanted to try breastfeeding Freddie, from the moment I found out I was pregnant. In fact, I had always said that if I ever had another baby, then I would try breastfeeding. Not once have I regretted my decision. I honestly have never thought about stopping until I got badly bit. I hadn't thought about how feeding was going to be once Freddie had teeth, but he had his first tooth at around four months old. He's now eight months old and has a full set of front teeth, top and bottom. He has 7 teeth all together and another 2 or 3 cutting through.

It's OK To Be Selfish Sometimes

I used to be this girl who was always joking, always happy and just took everything day by day. I'm not saying that I'm not happy now. Of course, I am. But it's tough. There are days where I wish I could turn back time so I can be me for a few hours. I can't remember the last day I was by myself, with no kids. I was so excited to visit Bluestone again. I felt like it was something we all needed, as a family. No routine. No school morning runs. No work. Just having quality time - all five of us. We all had such an amazing time. I can't actually say there was a bad day or a stressful day because there wasn't.

Easy Ways To Save Money When You Do Your Food Shop

Having kids can raise your weekly or monthly food shop a lot. On average, we spend around £100 per week on food. That doesn't include our trips to the local shop during the week for top ups. However, there are many weeks we can get the food shop down to around £60-£70. This is when I follow the tips below. It really has helped us, and I need to stick to it more often. When you've got kids, ever single penny counts.

5 Family Breaks in Wales

Something that my partner and I love doing is travelling around and taking the kids to different places. One of my goals is for my kids to have memories of us taking them to different locations, in the UK and abroad. We've only been abroad with them once but we are planning to go more often when Freddie is a little older. We've had a few family breaks in Wales and we've always enjoyed ourselves. 

Times I've Needed Money Fast

We're a Mum and Dad to three kids. We have a mortgage on the house and so we are paying for everything that needs paying. However, we've never had any help in our previous houses we lived in either. Many things have happened here in the past 3 years and times have been tough with money. I wouldn't like to know how much money we've spent to repair and replace things in our home. Sometimes things happen unexpectedly and the unexpected always happens at the wrong times. I find everything comes in three's which is quite a pain, and so expensive.

'Goodnight Little Freddie' - My Fairy Tale Books Review

I used to read a bedtime story book to the girls every single night up until I fell pregnant with Freddie. I am slowly getting back into the routine of reading a story each night to them as I used to really enjoy it and it was a time of a one-to-one bonding too. It was good for me and them. The girls have so many books and my favourite kind of books are personalised ones. I find personalised books are the kind of books you can keep until they are older. It's just a personal book, to you and your child. My girls absolutely love reading books that include their name. 

My Sunday Photo

Linking up with My Sunday Photo over at Photalife

The Siblings Project {March}

We've done a few things March already. We've stayed in Bluestone, Wales, again and we enjoyed every single minute. We had a lovely family day out in Tenby and Aberystwyth, as well as staying overnight in Havordfordwest. Also, Elliw turned 5 years old on the 5th, the day before we went for our little holiday break. All three kids really enjoyed themselves on holiday. It was a different scenery for us all. Neither of us had to worry about routine so much. It was laid back and fun. 

You Are 8 Months Old

Oh my, where have these months gone? Freddie is 8 months old already. How is that even possible? I was only 21 weeks pregnant this week, last year. How mad is that? It makes me so sad to think my youngest and last baby will be one year old in just 4 months time. To believe that this time last year I was preparing myself for labour and meeting our little boy. It's mad how time flies by, isn't it? It saddens me so much that in just a few months time he will be toddling around the house.

A Day In Sunny Tenby

After spending the week in Bluestone, we decided to spend the last day in Tenby which is about  25-minute drive. I used to visit Tenby often when I was a child, and so I was excited going back there but this time, with my own kids and my partner. The weather was absolutely fantastic. The sun was shining, and we spent most of our day on two beaches. The views were absolutely stunning and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was truly beautiful.

Nomi Highchair Review

In a few weeks time, we are going to be re-decorating our dining room. It's not been touched since we moved in and it's in need of a lick of paint and updating. At the moment we use our dining table as my desk for all my work bits, and the girl's arts and crafts. I can't wait until we have our dining table back again for its proper use. I love sitting at the table as a family, with no tv and interruptions. Just a time we can all have a chat and play games.

We have used the dining table a few times since Freddie was born, though, I just move my things to the side, but it's a hassle doing it all the time. When we do use the dining table, I didn't like to leave Freddie in his bouncy chair, so low. He's always been the kind of baby who loved having a nosy and looking around. The Nomi Highchair has been perfect for us. We've used the Nomi Highchair many of times while we are sitting around the table so Freddie can see us too. 

The Nomi Highchair grows with your child. Firstly, you use the Nomi Baby which is designed for babies 0-6 months. This is a different seat. The seat is bouncy and comfortable. This is what Freddie has been using. He absolutely loved it. The Nomi Baby is the perfect height for baby to be involved in family meals and even to feed. The Nomi Baby also has a 5-point harness to keep your child safe. For newborns, you can use the 3-point harness. There is three different coloured mattresses (covers) to choose from; pale blue, light pink or dark grey.

The Nomi Mini - restraint is designed for babies 6-24 months. This Nomi Mini makes your child feel safe around the table. We haven't used this position, yet but really looking forward to in the next few weeks once the dining room has been done (keep a look out for photos of us using it, on social media). The Nomi Mini is an attachment to the chair. This will keep your child safe during meal times. There are small wheels on the rear legs which reduce the risk of tilting if you child was to push themselves backwards from the table, which many kids love trying to do! The Nomi Mini is available in 7 brilliant colours.

Once your child is confident enough to be able to climb up and down from the chair, you can remove the Nomi Mini and have it as an extra seat at the table. This is recommended to be used from 24 months onwards. The fantastic thing about the Nomi is, once the Mini has been removed, it can be used up to the age of 12 years old. Not many baby products can be used for over 10 years. 

Other accessories you can have for the Nomi are:

Harness: This is perfect for keeping your climbing child safe in their Nomi Highchair. This will give you peace of mind too.

Cushions: Keep your child comfortable by ordering their cushions for the highchair. There are 3 colours available; dark grey, pale pink and pale blue.

Tray: Evomove now also offers a tray for the Nomi Highchair. This is perfect for babies who love to have their own little space. Available in 4 colours.

Other Information:

- All their materials are recyclable plastic

- Very easy to move around

- The restrainer is compatible with the latest safety standard

- The foot pad provides two levels, perfect for growing up

- Wheels at the rear back reduces the risk of tilt

- The ideal height for joining in at the family table

- You can customise the Nomi to your taste

The Nomi Highchair by Evomove is priced from £199.00

This is a very reasonable price, considering it is suitable from birth to teenage years. 

* We were kindly given this item free of charge in return for an honest review. 

As always, words, opinions and image are my own. 

Our Stay at Bluestone, Wales

* Warning: This post is picture heavy! *

If you follow my Instagram, you will know that we had a family break last week. We were kindly invited for another week stay at Bluestone. We first went back in December, but with a friend as my partner wasn't able to get time off work. You can read my previous post here. I was really excited to visit again and even more excited that my partner was joining us this time. We prepared ourselves for all kinds of weather, rain and shine. We bought a few outdoor wear such as waterproof clothing and shoes. We also bought some walking shoes for us all as we planned to walk a lot during our stay.

There are many lodges to choose from at Bluestone, and it's perfect for couples, smaller and larger families. The biggest lodge sleeps up to 14 people. We stayed in Gateholm Lodge which sleeps, 6 people. It's an upside lodge, which the girls absolutely loved. Downstairs there was 1 double room with an en-suite, 2 twin bedrooms and 1 bathroom with a walk-in shower. Upstairs was a spacious all-in-one living area, dining area and kitchen area. It's really modern and has some fantastic views out the windows. Every lodge comes with a high chair and travel cot. If there are stairs, then it comes with a stair gate, which is perfect for families with young children who aren't safe on stairs. The living area comes with a modern flat screen TV, coffee table and two 2 seater sofas. The kitchen comes with everything that is needed in a kitchen such as your cups, glasses, cutlery and the rest. All you need to do is, buy your own food. There are two main supermarkets about 10 minutes away from the resort, which is what we did.

The girls were super excited to visit the Adventure Centre again. The Adventure Centre is a huge indoor play area for kids of all ages. There are activities to do such as wall climbing. You have to pay for them. However, there are other things to do for free such as the playing in the play area and mini golf. There's a mini arcade there which the girls spent most of their time there. No child will get bored there. Freddie had lots of fun in the ball pit, and he loved it and all the colours. There would be a cafe upstairs if you fancied a cuppa or some lunch.

Bluestone has many activities each day. Indoor and outdoors. When you check-in you will get a pack and in the pack will have a list of all the activities and what age range they are, as well as their price. Most activities start from £7.50. We did two activities last time we visited, and it was fantastic. The effort they put into the activities is amazing. This time, we didn't pay for any, but we did go to the light experience, which was free. It was fantastic. The girls were amazed, and we went there more than once during the day and evening.

My favourite part of the resort was Camp Smokey. We didn't do much walking last time we visited, and we came across Camp Smokey randomly one day of the week. I would only advise you to visit there if you like walking and don't mind a good walk back to the village. I loved it, and so did my partner and the kids. We visited the Camp more than once in that week. The girls toasted some marshmallows which they loved but didn't eat the marshmallows afterwards. They had fun walking on the stepping stones in the river and even enjoyed the walk back to the village through the forest woods.

It was a fantastic week. We hired a golf buggy for the last two days, and I'm glad we did it for the last half of the week. The price wasn't too bad, and the girls enjoyed it. No cars are allowed on site unless you are unpacking and packing. Only bikes and golf buggies are allowed on site. There is a long stay car park nearby. There is also a vehicle that picks you up to take you somewhere, like a bus, if you wish.

The staff are extremely friendly and give you a warm welcoming. My partner and the girls went swimming two mornings; I was unable to go because my swimsuit didn't fit (oops!) but they loved it there. My partner said it was a huge pool. Blue Lagoon is also open to the public. You get tickets to visit the Blue Lagoon when you check-in and you can visit the pool as many times as you want - during your stay.

Bluestone over various length breaks. The stays are; 3, 4 and 7 nights. It's also open during Christmas, and New Year, you are best to book in advance if you are looking to stay over those dates. You will not be disappointed. The views are stunning. The walks are great, however, we were hoping there to be more places to walk and longer walks, but the walks we did during our stay were still fun.

* We were kindly given a 4-night stay in Bluestone, in return for an honest review. 

All words, opinions and photos are entirely my own.


This post has been linked up on various linkys. You can view my daily linky list here.

Top 5 Vloggers You Need To Follow

I started my vlogging journey at the beginning of the year and although I've not got into the full swing of it yet, I'm still learning and have made more vlogs than I thought I would have done. My biggest downfall is confidence. I've not filmed in front of my partner, yet but hopefully I'll pick up the courage and do it soon. I have managed to get confidence for Insta Stories, so I hope my confidence will grow more soon so I can do more vlogs. If you haven't subscribed to my channel yet, I'd love for you to follow us here.

I love watching vlogs and here are my top five favourite vloggers;

Kerry Conway

Katie Ellison (MummyDaddyMe)

Sarah (ThisMamaLife)

Charlotte (Write Like No Ones Watching)

Hannah (HiBaby)

Who are you favourite vloggers?