Leo turns 4..

January baby birthdays always come round in an instant after Christmas.. and here I am now thinking I need to get a move on to think about what cake to do (he’s asked for all sorts from a pirate ship to a poo emoji cake) and what we could get him that he didn’t get for Christmas and I always feel extra pressure to make sure his birthday is special because of it being January.

In the last year me and Leo have had the biggest fights, I guess we sort of clash and he is one determined to have the last say kinda kid. But at the same time we are now the closest we have been which I just love. He tells me I am “double thumbs up” a lot which is such a turnaround.

When Olive came along, it was no surprise that Leo felt a bit pushed out. He was a lot older than Arthur was when he became a big brother and he didn’t bat an eyelid. Leo was just under 3 and definitely knew he’d been promoted from my baby. Luckily he never held this against Olive and has always fussed over her so lovingly, he definitely held it against me though and would always want Daddy to do everything for him.

I’m not sure whether he just gradually “forgave” me or it was because I made extra effort to ensure me and Leo had a bit more one on one time but whatever it was worked and now we are the best of friends.

We love the fact that Leos speech can sound slightly baby like still. Throughout December it made me smile every morning when he asked for his “Alan Calendar” and when he talks about penwings (penguins), it is just too cute and we know it could stop any day as his speech widens so we are just enjoying it while it lasts.

Leo absolutely loves being at his nursery, he goes 3 days a week but would happily go more. In the summer break I even found him in tears and when I asked what was wrong he wanted to know why nursery was still closed! This has always made it super easy to drop him off as he usually runs off without saying goodbye.

Being the middle child he has the best of both worlds as he makes a great play friend for both Olive and Arthur and can flit between them depending on what he wants to do. He is also more than happy to play on his own especially outside. He is definitely my outdoorsy one!

This year I’m definitely making the most of our Mondays and Fridays together before he starts school in September, something he is more than ready for and will love as much as Arthur. Arthur is especially looking forward to looking after him at school and Mummy is really looking forward to the one school run not two in the mornings!

So I want to wish my darling Leo a very Happy 4th Birthday.. you might be obsessed with poo but not as much as we are all obsessed with your gorgeous face 💙

Happy New Year..

Do people still try and make resolutions? Is that still a thing? I do have a couple of things that I want to try and do in 2019 and there is a physiological aspect to the fact that it’s a new year which makes it feel like it’s the right time to start.

My friend Sarah is one of the only people I know who has made a New Year resolution and over ten years later has stuck to it. Especially at the time I remember it being a big deal (to give up smoking) and everyone else still smoking around her but she did it. Go Sarah!

Since having Olive in 2017, it’s been about as busy as it can get in our household. Arthur started school so the homework and events have creeped in to our weekly schedule as well as going from 2 children to 3. (And no in my opinion once you get past 2 kids they don’t just slot in)

My very small hobby list has decreased to practically nothing and I think it’s about time I make more effort to do things. First things an obvious one if you know me, I need to get back in the kitchen and bake those cakes. It’s something that I’d comfortably say I’m ok at and definitely enjoy it and want to get better. That isn’t going to happen not baking as practice does make perfect after all.

Next, at some point this year I want to start some yoga classes. I wish I’d done a mum and baby class now with Olive as I learn more about the pros of doing so, but hey ho I will endeavour to at least get the ball rolling myself.

I also want to dip my toe into something work wise, some of you may know that I have a little interest in all things ‘police’ related – I’ll say no more! But I keep coming back to it when I think about what I’d like to do work wise, now I don’t mean pacing the streets catching burglars but I’d like to get a job with the paperwork side of things. My dream job would be CID but that still involves a fair bit of being fit and that’s something I’m not! I’m not sure whether this year is the year for that but something pretty low key and adhoc hopefully would be grand.

Lastly (although I’m sure theres more) I need a old school night out. It’s been a while and getting married recently has made me remember how much I do love music and all the elements to a good night out. We have got a gig booked in for March already so that’s a start but I think I need a Cheltenham night out in the diary!

So there it is, my hopefully achievable new year hopes and plans. If you’ve done any then best of luck with seeing them through and I’ll have to do a catch up later in the year of how I’m getting on!

I’m back!

Hi – it’s been a little while hasn’t it! Just a quick note to say I’m back..

When I decided to start this blog I never wanted to feel rushed into uploading posts to read so when Christmas drew nearer and I was shoulder deep in wedding plans something had to give. I decided rather than just write any old thing I would just have a clean break.. which leads me to now and I feel a lot less busy!

Going forward I don’t have a plan of how often I’ll upload, I used to try and do it weekly but that’s not always possibly so I’ll just try and make it as regular as possible with no rules in place!

So on that note a Happy New Year to you if you’re reading this and keep checking back to see what we have been up to!

Olive is ONE..

Happy Birthday to my darling little girl Olive. I would never of guessed this time a year ago that the mysterious bump I carried around for 9 months would of been a girl. It was still the best surprise I could of asked for so thank you Olive for making me so shocked I asked the midwife several times if they were sure!

Last days with a bump..

She was a very sleepy newborn even having to wake her to feed! The boys were fascinated with her from day one and the fact that they have a willy and Olive doesn’t is still a regular bath time conversation one year on.

First cuddle with Daddy

When Olive was born I decided to start this blog as a way of looking back at my thoughts and pictures as well as getting my baby brain to think again! It’s been a nice little side project that I’m hoping I can write more on the older the kids get.. I also hope I’ve kept it well balanced in terms of mood and not all doom and gloom!

Meeting her brothers for the 1st time

In the last month there isn’t much to report actually and I think this normal when babies get closer to 1 and also why this is my last monthly update about Olive as the changes happen a lot slower so I will probably change to every 3/6 months to make it a more interesting read.

First photo with Mummy

Olive has surprised us a little by not being this quiet little girl we assumed she would be after two boys. That was a bit silly to assume really, of course having two brothers has just meant she wants to be exactly like them. From being able to crawl up the whole flight of stairs to throwing a tantrum at food that she doesn’t want Olive is definitely showing off lots of character and a little bit of frustration I imagine.

Full of smiles most of the time!

Her hair is growing loads now, slightly mullet like but she’s pulling it off well. She weighs around 9.3kg and wears 9-12 month clothes. She also had her feet measured recently for the 1st time (another last milestone!) and fits a 2.5F shoe.

Hair growing fast!

Olive is showing signs to be a bit of a fussy eater, I have wondered if this is because she’s been dairy free and her diet has been a little bit limited, I also wonder with her being the 3rd she eats a lot of snacks on the go while we are out more. She loves most fruit, tomato pasta sauce, Nush yogurts (check them out if you are looking for a non dairy alternative – delish!), Soreen, Violife cheese, peanut butter, fish cakes and raisins. She’s not keen on vegetables, chicken, apples, sandwiches and mashed food like mash potatoes.

Enjoys a photo or two..

Turning one is a such a huge milestone especially when it’s your last baby but I am so excited for getting to know Olive more, hearing her start to talk and seeing her walk. She is truly the best final puzzle piece we could of wished for.

So chuffed to be outside playing..

Opening presents with Daddy..

A moving unicorn went down well..

Dairy free chocolate cake (cake 1 of 2!)

A balloon twice the size of herself!

Me and my birthday girl..

Happy Birthday Olive, it’s been a great day and we can’t wait to celebrate again at the weekend!

Trick or Treat… Glossybox October Halloween Special 2018

There has been so much hype online about this months Glossybox I couldn’t wait to see it for myself. For those of you that don’t know what Glossybox is, it’s a monthly beauty subscription box. It’s £13.25 a month including postage and usually contains 5 full size if not a very generous sized sample size and you receive make up, skin care, hair care even perfume. It really is great and this month was my 12th box so it must be good!

So let’s just admire the box – so on point for Halloween don’t you think?! There were two box designs this month, as you can see I got the Trick themed box and there was also a Treat named box. Both have the same items just slightly different colours or shades of products. All the products are cruelty free.

This month there are 4 full size items and 1 deluxe mini size and I’m pretty sure it’s a good box value wise.

First up is the sneak peak from last month. It’s a rather daring shaded lipstick by Illamasqua and retails at £20. The Trick box came with a purple shade while the Treat box is a bright pink. Definitely a great add to a Halloween themed box and would look great on the 31st October but other than that I wouldn’t personally wear this shade. I’ve passed this on to a great Youtuber that I watch and follow on Instagram, I would totally recommend checking her out (Lucy Purtface)

Next is a eyeshadow palette by Sleek makeup. We had one around 6 months ago and the colours were a bit dark for me. However this palette is much more my cup of tea..

It’s RRP is £8.99 and there’s 12 shades to play around with. It’s also cruelty free!

The third item this month is by This Works, it’s a 3 in 1 mask, primer and moisturiser and this is the only non full size item in the box. It’s a 20ml sample that would still cost £17.00 (the full size is 40ml and £35). It boasts to be able to rapidly erase signs of tiredness (hello.. needed!), boost hydration and prep for make up so I will definitely be giving it a go!

Next up is a translucent powder by Luna By Luna Cosmetics. Again this packaging is so fitting to the Halloween box. It’s a setting powder that would cost you £17 in the shops. It says it will help keep your make up feeling fresh and it’s also good at hiding pores.

Lastly this month we have a product from MUA, this is a brand I see a lot (I think Superdrug might sell it) and it definitely looks like it costs way more than it actually does. It’s a bronzer and contour kit that retails at £5. The packaging is gorgeous and is a great size. I think the Treat box got a highlighting kit instead of this but very similar packaging.

I am really pleased with the items this month, love the themed box as well. The items this month total £68.00 which is just incredible for a £13.25 box.

Next month the sneak peak is a matte liquid lipstick by Huda Beauty worth £18.

I would love to hear what you think of this months box, did you get the Trick or Treat box?

Shopaholic on a budget..

As we are getting married around Christmas time (great timing with the most costly event of the year!) my monthly favourites may take a back seat as I try not to spend as much!

However, I love shopping for clothes especially for the kids so I will just be doing it on a strict budget! Olive and Arthur needed a few things and so I set myself a budget and decided to shop savvy.

H&M – Jumper £7.99, Long sleeve vests £8.99 and trousers £4.99

Primark – Polo tops £4, trousers £3 and long sleeve tops £6

Nutmeg @ Morrisons – Trouser tights £3.50, Tunic £4 and Cardigan £7

From left – H&M – Jumper £7.99, T-shirt £2.99, Primark – Jeans £6 each, Jumper £5

One thing I always do is think ahead especially when there is a sale on. I was in the Cheltenham’s Waitrose in the summer holidays and they had a great little sale and picked up these 4 items for £2.50-£3 each rather than £10-13 each. I sized up to next summer (18-24 months) and just love them!

I definitely will be checking out Monkey Clothes in Haddenham for some winter supplies too. The great thing about Monkey Clothes is it’s clothes for the time here and now so you won’t find summer shorts for sale in December, it will be winter coats and scarfs which I think is great for picking for the weather that it is.

I also recommend charity shops (in the nice areas!), it’s not hard to stumble across some amazing kids clothes at a fraction of what it would be normally.

It also doesn’t have to stop at clothes, there are so many platforms for buying things second hand these days. I have used some facebook selling pages to buy some great bits and I’ve also managed to sell too. Ebay also is still pretty good for selling and buying too and depending where you are Gumtree can also be great.

I think there used to be such a stigma on using charity shops (I used to work in one when I was at school and loved having 1st dibs on the new donations) or not buying things brand new so it’s great to see how that is now considered “ok” and not only does that mean bargains but also probably saves a lot of people just throwing things out to waste. What do you do with all your clothes/toys etc you no longer need/want?

I’d love to hear about any shopping hacks you have, what shops/places you recommend and what you do to budget any purchases if you have a big event coming up.. feel free to comment below 🤗🤗

Olives 11 month update..

The last monthly update before Olive turns one. The updates might go to every three months then as the changes happen less frequent I find.

Olive has had a great month, she gets more mobile by the day. She can usually be found at the top of the stairs if the boys have left the gate open or she’ll be in the loo with her hands reaching into the bowl. She definitely isn’t any less hands on than her brothers were!

She’s as mobile as you can be without actually walking independantly and she’s gaining more confidence by the day with standing alone. All this movement is making nappy changing as tiring as the ‘7 minute run’ when I was at school. (If you know, you know..)

She’s comfortably in 9-12 clothes and her hair is really growing now. When I get time in the morning she does get a clip in place now!

Olive loves the swings at the park which is great as that means she is in the same place for longer than 30 seconds. The boys also love seeing her go in them and giving her a little push.

Last week we finally had our allergy appointment at the hospital. Thankfully the skin prick tests for milk came back negative, soya had a slight reaction but nothing concerning. The specialist said that she has the non- igE milk allergy. This means she will luckily grow out of it but we have to use the dairy ladder to get there. (This could take a while) So for now we will be taking it very slowly! Also, because Olive is still breastfed I have also been dairy free so I also have to introduce it slowly back into my diet (if I choose to!) as my body is used to not eating it now.

Olive sleeps pretty well now, apart from needing her dummy back in the night. Some nights this can be once, others 5/6 times which isn’t great but at least she doesn’t wake for a feed anymore.

She now weighs around 20lb (9kg) which is what her brothers weighed at 6/7 months so even though she is no way small, she is to me! She is also a slow gainer which just means she isn’t storming through clothes sizes!

It’s been amazing getting to know the last member of our family for the last 11 months, she has slotted in perfectly. The countdown to her birthday is on!

Glossybox September 2018

Wow I’ve nearly been getting Glossybox for a year now. It has certainly increased my beauty drawer and introduced me to new products and brands. I still really enjoy getting my subscription boxes (I get Glossybox and the food box Degustabox monthly – discount codes I’ll put at the end if you want to try a box at a cheaper price).

This month we are back to the pink box, there is 6 items this month (although one is a bit random!).

The box has the “back to school” theme in terms of it being the start of a new year not going back to school ourselves! They hope to deliver a box full of handbag essentials so let’s see if they have..

First up, I have a face mask by Beauty Pro. It’s a detoxifying bubbling cleansing sheet mask with activated charcoal. It’s suitable for all skin types even acne prone skin. It retails at £4.95 and it’s also cruelty free. As well as activated charcoal it has extracts of lime, lemon, apple, orange and grapefruit which sounds like it will smell amazing!

Next up is a product I’ve never had before but I think it’s a great idea. The packaging is intriguing and it is certainly handbag size. It’s a perfume by Wild Garden. It retails at £12 and smells really nice. It’s called Waterlily and has a floral yet not sweet floral smell to it. Really nice and would love to see other perfumes included in future boxes!

Next is the sneak peak from last month, it’s a eyebrow cream by Bang Beauty. This is a brand we have seen before and this time they are boasting that this product will make you achieve HD brows at home. It also comes with an angled brush and I believe Glossybox sent us the colour that is on our profile (you fill out a few skin/hair questions when you join) It’s retails at £16.80.

The fourth item is a lip liner by Karl Lagerfield + Model Co. We had a product from them a few months ago that was great so I was excited to see another. This has the most gorgeous colour, they call it Rosewood, I would say it’s a berry colour. It applies really nicely and seems long lasting. The price for it is £25 which seems very high for what it is.

Next we have a hair product. It’s a pre wash scalp detox by Grow Gorgeous. It’s the only non full size product this month (Glossybox are pretty good at not including too many sample sizes) and they are calling it deluxe mini size. I would say you would get 3-4 applications from this bottle. The price for this is £7.37 and a full size bottle would be £28.

Lastly is the slightly random item, yet useful! It’s a small pack of Wet Ones handwipes. These are £1.19 for 12. They definitely fit into the “on the go” handbag theme. However these and possibly the perfume are really the only products you can use “on the go”. All the products are great this month and will get used I’m just not sure how you could use some out and about!

This month the products total up to over £67!

If you fancy trying out Glossybox I have a discount code which entitles you to 20% off then use –

EMMA-RGY

I also have a discount code for Degustabox which is a random food/snack monthly box which is –

EMMAE-BBDB

See you next month!

Summer holidays..

Summer holidays can be daunting, what can we fill the time doing? Will the kids be bored? Where can I take all three of them that is aimed at all different ages? Is the house going to ever look tidy? (No!)

While these are completely normal thoughts there are other major positives to having the 6 week break. Heres a few to spring to mind..

1) No school run rush! Take the mornings as they come, there really is no need to have a jam packed schedule where you are still rushing about half the time.

2) Sibling bonding, it’s great for the children to spend a lot more time together, the giggles and games and just enjoying the lovely sunshine together is lovely to see and hear.

3) which leads to more family time, if you’re able to book a holiday away even better and then there’s some grandparent visits booked in especially when they aren’t local. No school times to adher to means you’re free as bird.. well as free as a bird you can be with 3 kids aged 5 and under!

4) A bit of a selfish one but no school uniform to wash and iron! Self explanatory but it’s still a very big positive to the summer hols!

5) Finally the sense of feeling just generally a bit more free and not tied to the school run. Do we want to go out at 2pm somewhere… yes we can.

That said, the summer holidays are pretty long aren’t they and if I could give one piece of advice it would be don’t overfill the diary. The kids are more than happy doing the most simple things and I’ve definitely noticed Arthur especially enjoying not rushing about and just simply playing with his toys and in the garden.

This time next week the house will be dead quiet and yes the housework will more likely be done but I’m sure a few weeks into the 6.30am get ups I’ll be missing the madness that is the summer holidays!

Oh well only 6 weeks until half term!

Olive’s 10 month update

Olive Jean has hit the double figures – wow! The scariest part of that is I think she thinks she’s even older too. She is now a fully fledged stander and is constantly pulling herself up on anything that is around. She does make a few steps around and has been spotted even letting go for a few seconds and standing solo.

Her hair is still as crazy as ever. It does seem to change colour a lot and looks very blonde in photos!

She’ll do the occasional wave at you and finds blowing raspberries back at you hilarious! She’s definitely got two brothers that’s for sure!

She has her 4 teeth with another two on the bottom days away from cutting plus movement on the top as well but she’s not that keen to let me investigate!

Her eating and sleeping is pretty good, still not that predictable with sleep but we are getting some 5/5.30am wake ups and thats better than 3am!

Her birthday is so close, I can’t believe we will be celebrating the baby of the family turning 1!

All I want to know is.. what cake shall I do?!