JANUARY - OUR MONTH IN PHOTOS

The first month of the new year is over, and we're now in the second month - how crazy is that? January has been quite interesting. Full of mixed emotions related to parenthood struggles and at the thought of being on my own for nearly three weeks when my partner goes to New Zealand with a friend. It's all crazy, but otherwise, it has been a pretty good month. I have managed to increase my walking miles each week, not walked more than 3 miles every single day, but most days and I'm pleased with that.

I really enjoyed writing our monthly family posts each month last year, but this year I thought I'd do something a little different. I'm going to share more photos this year, each month. I am really enjoying capturing my kids and getting the photo to how I like it, then, of course, sharing it with you all. If you follow my Instagram, you might have seen a change in my photography recently. Hopefully, you all see that it's improved in ways? However, I will still say a bit of a story as to what we did throughout the month too as it's something I'd love to read back on.

Favourite Memories in January:
• Taking my little brother out
• Going for walks with Freddie
• Going for a family walk in Llanfairfechan
• Having a mini photoshoot


 We all went for a family walk in Llanfairfechan. It was really cold but so lovely.



 It's a bit hard to capture all 5 of us into one photo. Sometimes the natural ones are the best.

















 Mia was really under the weather for a good few days after Christmas.




Linking up with these lovely linkies:  My Family Adventures

MY FAVOURITE TODDLER OUTFITS

I am absolutely loving Freddie's age at the moment. He is just over 18 months old and although he's growing too fast for my liking, I must admit, I am loving the fact that I can dress him up how I want. Both girls are now at the age where they love to dress themselves and they both have their own kind of style. With Freddie, I still shop around and buy things that I like, such as adorable leggings, cosy jumpers and tees. Just anything that takes my fancy.

When he was younger, I didn't like spending so much on leggings (many that are handmade) as I felt we couldn't really show them off properly. Plus, he was in his sleepsuits most days. Now that he walks around and is taller, I don't mind buying him proper clothes that look really nice. Does any of that make sense?

The kind of style I am loving on him at the moment are patterns, bright colours and navies. He seems to really suit navy and darker shades with added colours to brighten the outfit up. He also lives in leggings as I find them a lot more cosier and comfortable, seeing as we're mostly in the house during school hours. So, without further to do, here are my favourite outfits recently:

I am also linking up to the lovely Sarah's What My Kid Wore weekly linky that is on every Wednesday. I have missed about 2-3 weeks, so here is everything being caught up.



This whole outfit is from NEXT, except his boots is from the sale on the original UGG website- they are fantastic quality. The adorable mono leggings were only £6 or you can buy them with a 2 for £10 deal which is amazing for NEXT. The jacket is in the new collection is absolutely cosy and great quality.


This adorable all in one is from We Love Frugi and I am in love with it. It's super cosy for winter walks. I put some tights underneath to make him extra cosy and his little shoes are from ASDA George for only £5 - Absolute bargain and so comfortable for him.



These Unicorn leggings have been the most worn leggings this month. I am in love with them. At first I was unsure with the purple/lilac colour but when I put them on him, he looked so adorable and I have loved them on him ever since. I team it up with a dark-grey jumper which makes him extra cosy. These super adorable leggings are from Lamb & Bear and we actually own a lot of their leggings now. They're fantastic quality.

Do you like any of his outfits in this post?

DISNEY SNUGGLETIME WINNIE THE POOH AND FRIENDS PLUSH RANGE


My eldest, Mia, is absolutely obsessed with her teddies. Her bed is full of them, which can be a pain when I tidy her bed. However, it's so lovely that she finds so much comfort in her teddies. She had two main teddies that mean the absolute world to her. She has one large teddy that was given by her aunty and uncle from her Dad's side when she was around 2 years old and her other teddy was given to her on her first Christmas by her Aunty Trina. They are in her bed every single night, and she will not sleep if they're not there.

The large teddy has to be sat in her certain position in the corner of her bed, which reminds me so much of myself. When I was a child, I used to have a teddy placed in each corner of my bed. I always felt uncomfortable if there was nothing there and struggle to sleep. I never had a favourite teddy as such but I did have a certain dog teddy that I adored, but unfortunately, I'm not quite sure where it is now. However, I did have a baby doll which I was obsessed with. I've now given her to my girls, and although they don't really love her as much as I did when I was a child, it's nice seeing my own kids playing with her sometimes.

It's so sweet when I see that Mia counts her two favourite teddies as her friends and she is so protective of them both. It's lovely to see that a child has so much comfort with a teddy. Elliw had comfort with her blankey, whereas Freddie doesn't really have a comfort, as yet. He does like his baby doll that he got for Christmas, and he plays with her a lot.

Disney has brought out a brand new Snuggletime Winnie The Pooh Plus Range, and it's absolutely beautiful. I love Disney and have always had a big love for Winnie The Pooh - he has to be the cutest little bear, right? I was sent two plushes from the range, Winnie The Pooh and a Tiger who is just as cute. They also do an Eeyore, who is super adorable and most definitely one of my favourite Disney characters. The range comes in three different sizes; small, medium and large. We were sent the medium size plushes which are 12".


I adore the soft toned colours, the high quality and how super soft and cuddly the plushes are. They are definitely the perfect chunky soft plush to have snuggle time with and the best friend to have for a child. Not only a child, but these may become an interest to some adults too. Possibly ones who just adore Winnie The Pooh? I do. These plushes by Posh Paws are such fab quality, and I personally think they are at a reasonable price (£12.99 - Prices may vary). The perfect gift for a new baby or a first birthday/Christmas. Your child is sure to make lots of memories with this little bear and his friends.

Also, there will be a UKmums.tv Posh Paws Winnie the Pooh takeover going live on the 12th of February where the will be free downloads and competitions too! Along with a twitter frenzy. Would be fab if you could join.





You can view the Snuggletime Posh Plush range on the Argos website.

* We were given these products free of charge in return for an honest review.
However, all words, images and opinions are entirely our own.






OUR SCHOOL MORNING WALKS


Getting three kids ready to get out of the house by 8.30am is a nightmare at times. We're all moving or running around the house getting everything ready. Even if we're all up super early, there is always something that seems to stop us leaving the house right on time. However, some mornings aren't too bad, I guess. Although I'm not to keen on the school runs, I do feel extremley lucky that I'm able to do them. One day they won't be wanting me to walk with them to school, and I know with Mia, that will happen in a few years time.

I remember all those mixed emotions when they both started school, and it's just crazy how fast the years have flown by. Each year they grow up so much, in their looks, their style, their personalities and just everything. Talking about their style, Mia has had her own kind of 'style' for a long time now. She lover her leggings and tops, while Elliw loves wearing her skirts, tights and a top or a pretty dress with tights. Their styles are so different. However, one thing they do love are a good pair of boots. Finding the right pair of boots to last through the winter days and school runs can be a pain at times. There's nothing worse than buying a pair of school shoes for them and them only lasting a few weeks.

As we walk to and from school each morning and afternoon, I always look for specific features when I buy them boots for school. I always want them to be hard wearing, great quality and waterproof. Chimpunks have a fantastic range of shoes for children. From winter boots to slippers and shoes. Both girls were kindly sent two stunning boots from their Boots range. Elliw had the Ranch Infant in Navy and Mia had the Ranch Junior in a dark red shade.


When they arrived, both girls were over the moon. They are both fantastic quality, much better than I thought as I can be really picky about shoes. I am really pleased with them, and they have had many good comments from friends and family when they've worn them. They are the perfect fashionable and durable winter shoes to walk to and from school.

They've worn these boots most days, even on the weekends. They team up well with some leggings or tights and a dress/skirt. There is an easy pull-on tab at the back of the shoe which helps the child put their shoe on a little bit easier. Elliw uses it each time she puts her boots on. There's also elastic side panels on each side which makes the boot more comfortable, adds that extra touch and great for easy access. They are a great pair of durable full grain leather boots with a chunky non-slip sole.






* Thanks to Chipmunk for kindly gifting us these boots. 
All words, photos and images are our own. 

BALANCING FAMILY LIFE AND BLOGGING


I left my job as a nursery assistant when my Maternity leave finished after having my second baby, Elliw. It was the right decision for us all, especially that I had moved quite a fair distance and couldn't drive, never mind with childcare costs too. Moving on and I was adjusting to life as a Mum of two, it was a huge step for me. I suffered postnatal depression and anxiety a few months after having Elliw. I started to struggle with life as a Mum of two, but a year down the line I found this whole new world of blogging. Well, I didn't actually enter the 'world of blogging' that moment that I signed up because, in fact, I had no idea about the whole thing. In my eyes, at that time, my blog was just somewhere I could write about my girls.

As months went by, blogging was the place I could start to feel like myself. I started to find myself in a way, which is pretty hard to explain over this. But not having much adult conversation in real life, it was nice to be able to come somewhere, during the day or when the girls were in bed, and just be me. Write what I wanted and just let all my feelings and stress out. 

Further down the line and I'm nearly 5 years into blogging. It's been an amazing journey, with a few ups and downs but I'm proud to say that my hobby is also my job, which not many people can say. It's crazy to think that I now earn money through something I love doing. Don't get me wrong, I'd be lying if I said I've enjoyed every single moment of blogging because I haven't - not at all. There have been days, weeks and months where I felt like I wanted to quit. I wanted to stop writing on my blog, I lost all my confidence in the whole thing. I was worried about what people thought about me, and I just lost motivation. Luckily, I got through it, and I come back at it with lots of ideas. 

Another reason I can lose motivation is when everything feels too much. When I can't keep on top of my work, life and parenthood. It can suck at times when I just can't find that balance. I feel guilty when I work on my blog when the kids are awake (when my partner is around), and I feel extra guilty when I'm working all day on it. But since the start of this year, I've told myself I need to be more organised, stop taking on so much work and start to balance my work life with my family life. 

The whole idea of working from home is, so I don't miss so much of my kids growing up. However, working from home doesn't always work like that. Work from home parents/people still need roughly the same hours as an office worker needs, we just need to balance that work-life out with normal life, somehow. 


I was recently kindly sent a Linx Tablet from AO.com as part of their new year's resolution's campaign. It has definitely helped me balance work and family life. Having a tablet that you can just either take out with you or wherever you go, really helps. It's helped me be a lot more organised than normal, such as meal prepping and getting on top of my blog work. As said above, I normally work when the kids are sleeping or when my partner is around. Having the tablet around with me during the day has really helped me, a lot. When I get e-mails through, I tend to write them in Word and also write a to-do list of what I need to do in the evening. Some evenings when I have no motivation to go on my laptop in my workplace, I tend to use the tablet in the living room and work on the social media side of things. This means I get to spend time with my partner as well while watching tv. 

Each morning I have been writing to-do lists, and it has helped me be a lot more organised through the days. It's become a habit to do each morning now. I also love the perfect sizing of the tablet as I can just pack it in my bag if we are going out, which means I can work on the go without carrying my laptop around with me. I have been writing draft blog posts on Word document, which has helped a lot. As well as getting organised with my blog work, I've been making sure I add some things to do with my children or things to do on the weekend to - which again, has helped a lot.


Having someone that's really helped me balance my work and family life, has taken a lot of stress away from me. Knowing I can either do things on the go, do things during the day quickly without having to open my laptop, has really helped. The tablet is exactly like a laptop but on a smaller screen. 

What helps you find the balance between parenthood and work life?




.
* Thank you AO.com for kindly sending us a LINX TABLET as part of your campaign