More Than a Room

We have been in our house over a year now and in some respects we still have so much to do in order to make this house our home. It will never be ours, not really. But there are things we can do, adjustments that we can make to make us feel like it is. 

We have spent time recently trying to make Leo's room his own. I still detest the wall paper that is in there but short of pulling it all down and re-decorating (and of course getting permission from the landlord...) we are limited to what we can do. We purchased Leo a new bed, a racing car bed, so I am thinking about getting him some new wall stickers and motifs just to tailor his room more to his age and taste. 

As for our room it is not too bad. Ideally I would like a different colour scheme in there but sky blue walls make it a airy and light room. We have just invested in a new desk and moved the television from it's original stand onto the desk, this means that Luke can finally install his computer and make use of the television as a monitor. This actually gives us more workable space within the room and I may even take up residence there when it comes to getting blog work completed. 

We installed a new king size bed in our room last year and it has been my full intention to treat us to some new bedding. This is something that has been pushed to the very bottom of my to do list and as of yet I haven't purchased any, I think this would make a huge difference to our room and would add a touch of colour over the very dull Grey that is currently on the bed. My attention has recently been drawn to the affordable bed in a bag from TJ Hughes that has everything you need for a complete bedding solution. 

Each bed in a bag set has everything included that you will need to complete the look you are trying to achieve. Included within the set you will receive a duvet cover, pillow cases and in some sets even a bed runner.

Now we have Christmas behind us and we have already prepared for Leo's Birthday in June, we have some extra pennies in our pockets where we can actually look into purchasing new bedding, lighting or storage. There is so much I would love to do, especially with Spring just around the corner, I would really like to get out into the garden and plant some bulbs ready for them to flower over the next few months.

Are you planning any home improvements in the coming weeks? I would love to hear what your plans are and what you will be doing.

Disclaimer: This is a Featured Post.

Simply Winging It

As with many aspects of life parenting presents you with many different choices to make and paths to choose along the way. I have realised recently that I am not one to follow any which way guide on how to parent Leo, I just take everything as it comes.

You could say that I am simply winging this parenting lark, taking the good with the bad, the happy and the sad and making decisions as I go along. This means that I don't set un-realistic goals and I just let time work it's magic. 

Of course we make plans and we have structure in our lives, I guess that is why bedtime is a fun process and not a battle to keep him in bed. It is why he wakes up fully refreshed and ready to face the day ahead of him. When I say I am winging it what I mean is I go with whatever life throws my way, I have never set a age where I thought 'I want Leo in a bed by the time he is...' or 'I will have the bottle off Leo by the time he is...' to me they are un-realistic goals that I couldn't reasonably enforce. 

They are simply aspects that evolve in their own time and I am not one to want to rush that along. Every change that happens in Leo's life is ultimately governed by him, and the last couple of months have been full of change. Leo made the transition from cot to bed, he began to leave blanket and his milk bottle behind during the day, he even started nursery and in recent weeks he has given up the bottle for good. 

Each change has been easier than I ever anticipated, and I am sure it is because we have just let time work it's magic. Leo has got to a point where he realises he no longer needs his bottle, and he understands that babies have bottles. He realises that he is now a big boy... Or a big girl depending on which time of the day you catch him! It was as though we had both come to a mutual understanding and decided that we weren't going to fight each other over it. Leo was given his beaker with squash as a compromise (water really would have been pushing it!) and we haven't looked back since. 

For the most part Leo is a really easy going little guy, of course I won't plaster over the tantrums because of course they go hand in hand with a two year old, but throughout everything he always has a smile on his face.

I like to think my 'winging it' attitude reflects my relaxed approach to parenting. Everything that happens is played by ear, if it works great. If not then we will find another way to reach the goal. If something hasn't worked out this time around, we wait a few months and try again. We are currently on the cusp of potty training and this is something that we are being very relaxed about, we don't want to push Leo to fast to soon. It is something that we need to address when he is 100% ready. The potty has been out since he was about 18 months old, but until a few months ago he wouldn't even sit on it. We have progressed in the sense that he will sit on it these days, he tells us he needs a wee and we all sit there in suspense wondering if this will be the moment that he takes that first pee. I wonder if I should reach for the camera... Then... Leo gets up and declares that he is done. Only for us to discover he hasn't actually been. 

As with everything else I am sure that first wee-wee on the potty is not very far away. We will keep on winging it in our relaxed approach and we will continue to watch Leo flourish.

The Big Boy Bed Verdict

When we decided to take down the side on your cot,

we weren’t for one second sure whether you would be

happy with this change or not.

You were so excited as soon as the side came down.

You bounced happily on your now open, big boy bed.

You went down to bed almost as easily as you always do..

Despite being pleased that you could get out on your own if you wanted to.

That first night you slept really well,

there was no accidental falling out,

and there was no deliberate getting out either.

You stayed in bed and slept soundly until the moon relinquished

his place in the sky, and night became day.

I awoke to a bang and thought that maybe you

had tumbled out of bed.

I looked at the video monitor and you were gone.

You were on your way into my room to give me a big smile,

and a good morning kiss.

You were so pleased, and so far 2 nights in…

You are loving being in a big boy bed.

We waved ‘bye bye’ to the side of the cot and you accepted that you now had a bed instead.

Another milestone you reached in your own time, 

and I guess the next thing will be potty training.

But we will get there… When we get there.