Monday 27 April 2015

Mummy Guilt


The time has come for me to say goodbye to my life as a stay at home mum and embrace the life of 9-5. Leaving my boy all week is going to be so hard, I miss him enough when I don't see him over night! I hate the fact I have to go back to work full time and I feel this incredible sense of guilt. Guilt that I have to leave him with family 40 hours a week. Guilt that he does not understand where or why his mummy has been gone for so long. 

I think as mums we all feel like this at some point and I know it will pass once we have settled into our own little routine. He will some day learn that me going back to work when he was a baby was to make a nice life for us and that alone makes everything worthwhile. Deep down I know I am doing right by him but it still doesn't stop this feeling and if I had it my way, I'd stay with him all day every day! 

Today when I got home from work and my nan dropped him off his little face lit up and I got the biggest smile from him along with lots of sloppy kisses (did I tell you he does that now? It's all kinds of adorable) and it was the best thing to come home to after a somewhat average day in the office. Our time together is precious and the past eight months has flown by without me even knowing it.

Love you George x

Rachael xo


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Friday 17 April 2015

Money Saving Tips for New Parents





Babies are expensive and it only gets worse as they get older! I have found some simple ways to save that little bit more money because let's face it, every little helps.

Switch to cheaper nappies
Asda's own Little Angels nappies are just as good as Pampers and they are a fraction of the price. I get over 100 nappies for £12 when they are on offer. I have also heard good things about Aldi's own nappies but we are yet to try them. I did find with Little Angels we had a few leaks of a night time whilst he was on bottles only so I did use Pampers just of a night time, but it still saved me a fortune.

Look for offers
I think this is one nobody needs to be told, we all love a good bargain. We always get our baby wipes from Amazon when a 12 box of Johnson's is on offer. I think we are stocked up for the rest of the year! Buying multipacks works out to be a lot less expensive than individually so do your research and shop around.

Make your own food 
We go through so many jars of baby food a week, it is ridiculous. They are always on offer which is a relief to me because I cannot cook so they come in handy. I want to start making my own food for George though because it will be so much nicer and just healthier in general for him, I just like the convenience of jars. I purchased some plastic pots from Asda for £1 and they can be put in the freezer.

Join your local baby buy/ sell page on Facebook 
I recently joined my local buy/ sell page and snagged a bargain on the same day. You will be surprised at what you find on there, some of it is tat, but some of it can be really good, just be quick because items will go fast.

Baby and Toddler Events 
Check out your local supermarkets for these events because they have some fabulous deals on everything from car seats and highchairs to food and clothes.

Don't dismiss pound shops
Some pound shops have some cracking things, I've seen Woodwards Gripe Water in there, they have teething rings and even food nets (much cheaper than some of the branded ones and they do the exact same job!

Shop in low end high street stores for basics
I refuse to spend over £10 on baby grows for George when he is just going to be sleeping in them. I won't even splash out on vests and socks for him, with the rate he grows out of clothes, it just isn't worth it. I find supermarkets perfectly fine for these items and even good old Primark!

Breastfeed
Not only is breastfeeding most beneficial for your baby, it is free! Formula milk is so expensive and when George was newborn, we used to go through a box a week. Now he is on solids we use it less so it lasts a bit longer but I wish I'd been able to breastfeed to save on the cost of milk.

What tips have you found that have helped you save money?

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Tuesday 14 April 2015

George at 6 and 7 Months



It's that time of the month again where I talk about the love of my life. It appears that I never did write a six month update which means there will be two months in one. Bad blogger. Bad mummy. I have honestly lost track of time lately, with doing a few days in work, shopping, going on coffee dates, not to mention the copious amount of gigs that March and April have brought me. 

So where do I begin? George can now sit up all by himself, he was unsteady at first, but now he's got it down to an art. I no longer have to sit behind him and can leave the room for a few minutes if I need to. When he does not want to sit up anymore, he flops back so we have to strategically place cushions round him to soften the fall. George visited the park with his grandad and went on the swings for the first time this month, he didn't look too bothered by them, he was just quite chilled. However, on a third visit to the swings with mummy and nanny, he was giggling away. Keeping up with physical activities, he can now roll over both ways instead of getting stuck on his back, and by god do I wish he would just stay still. I need eyes in the back of my head, I will turn away for 30 seconds and his little hands will be grabbing at the ornaments on my fireplace! I am dreading the day he starts crawling already.

We are now up to three meals a day! We started weaning George at 4 and a half months because he was a very heavy boy. We started small, a little baby rice or porridge with a bottle at breakfast time. Then we introduced dinner, then dinner and a pudding. Then lunch and pudding. It was really difficult at first because George refused to drink water and his body was trying it's hardest to get used to a new diet which resulted in him becoming a little "bunged up" shall we say. We had to give him liquids via a syringe but I caved and gave him some juice. This only lasted roughly two weeks and he was right as reign again.  Introducing new foods to George is one of my favourite things to do, I love watching his face as he discovers something for the first time. He loves banana but refuses to touch vegetables so that is something I need to persevere with. If anybody has any advise on which fruits and vegetables make good fingers foods, let me know in the comments below. 

Nanny Sue started singing Pop Goes The Weasel to my boy and he absolutely loves it. His face lights up and he belts out the dirtiest laugh I ever heard. Another game he has grown to love is Peekaboo, he even moves your hands away from your face. We are currently trying to encourage him to clap but he looks at you as if to say "I'm not a performing monkey. Leave me alone, mother!" He will hold your hands as you clap though, so that's something right?

We now have a tooth! This was such a tough time for both George and myself, it really felt like he had been teething forever and he struggled cutting his first tooth. First came the grouchiness, then came the runny nose and cough. Two days later a tiny, little white tooth poked through. Thanks Nanny Sue for finding it and buying me a present! Every day we notice it a little bit more and he looks so funny with one little bottom tooth. I  totally underestimated how sharp it was until I put some food in his mouth and he bit me! Beware mums, they are like little razor blazes.

He has learned to push your hand away when he doesn't want you to do something, such as dress him, touch his head, or even just touch him. But the thing I love most about him, is he now gives kisses, it is the single most, adorable thing in the whole entire world. He moves his head forward and opens his mouth for one of those baby kisses that they do. His personality is shining through with each and every minute.

George, I love watching you grow every day and I love all these new milestones that we are going through together. You are perfect.

Rachael xo


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