Leo and the first snowfall

Dear Leo,

You gazed in wonder out of the window as the snow started to fall. As it started to settle you just stared all around. It was all so new and you just had a excited sparkle in your eyes.

The ground was starting to turn white...

I grabbed your snow suit and bundled you up so we could run outside, I wanted you to experience your very first snow fall. It was Saturday 4th February 2012, I had been awaiting the first snow all winter...So I could at least show you a glimpse of the white stuff, that is ohh so much fun to play in.

One day I will help you build a Snowman and have a snow ball fight with you! Not this time though....You are a little young and throwing snow at you may daunt you for years to come as you are just 7 months old....The last thing I want to do is give you a complex!

You wait for Daddy to show you how to use a Sledge....I will have to supervise...Daddy likes steep slopes that I am afraid I wont allow!

We took a little walk instead so you could take in your surroundings, the snow fell in your hair and made your little eyes blink. It wasn't a heavy snow but it was your first all the same.

We didn't stay out long as it was bitterly cold. After our little walk down the drive we went back to the house and warmed ourselves back up...we then watched the snow continue to fall through the window.

Next year you will be walking...and talking! I still find this hard to believe...but I promise as soon as the first snow falls, I will build you a Snowman. He will be your very first and he will wear a scarf and have little stone eyes, you will be awe struck by the carrot that is his nose! There is a fine art to Snowman building...but with Daddy's help we will make a bigger one than this!!

Happy first snowfall Leo, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I.

Love Mummy xx

It's Your Story - Love Is...Book Review

Following on the theme of Valentines Gift Ideas I have been sent a 'Love is...' book from Itsyourstory.co.uk. For those of you looking for the personal touch this Valentines Day, I believe I have found your solution, so instead of traipsing around the card shops and coming out with the same gifts as Joe Bloggs......Earn yourself some high Valentines score points and some hot fiery kisses!


My first impressions of this personalised Valentine are excellent and some of you may already be familiar with this remarkable naked couple from the 1970's, they are the much loved art work by Kim Casali and they are featured throughout the book. You can see just how in love this little cartoon couple actually are...and no matter how little they have on...they never look even a little bit flustered!

The artist Kim Casali has made a small fortune with her cute naked cartoons, in the regions of between £4 and £5 million a year! So with this special little couple making a come back this Valentines Day...Kim really will be sitting pretty!

Itsyourstory.co.uk specialise in personalised books, they have a truly outstanding collection ranging from the birth of a baby to Anniversaries and letters from Santa, you can even pick up calenders with your special dates included.

If like me you want to get your other half a special something but find the inclination to look around the same shops BORING and then coming away with the same mindless gifts year after year...A chore....then ordering online and making a personalised gift, that your other half will just love, may just make your life a little easier...it did mine!

Ordering your Love Is... storybook could not be easier, simply visit  ItsYourStory.co.uk and click on the featured Love Is... product image, this will take you directly through to a page featuring a large picture of the Love Is... story book cover. You can also scroll through larger sized images of some of the other pages featured in the book!

The Love Is... personalised story books cost £17.50 - I can confirm that the quality you receive is brilliant, they measure 20.6cm x 21.7cm and have 32 pages in total. They feature 24 Love Is illustrations, and 12 of those pages are personalised by you.

The personalisation's include your names, your favourite television programme, or film, that you like to watch together, the name of your favourite restaurant, the girl's date of birth and her favourite food and your names on the front cover. 

When the time comes to personalise your Love Is... story book, you simply add the book to your shopping basket, this will prompt a pop-up window to appear asking whether you want to continue shopping or checkout. If you go to check out you will see your Love Is...  story book sat in the trolley waiting for your personalisation.

For me I do feel that the personalisation should be done prior to checking out. I did return back to the starting point thinking I had missed the all important step. I did finally realise and got all the important details filled in, and submitted my final choices.

You are then asked to choose your delivery method, Books from It's Your Story ship within four and 10 days of you placing your order. Standard delivery is £2.50 and express is £6.00 - I chose standard delivery and my order was here by Saturday! (I ordered last Friday!) So this was a very quick turnaround (Next Day!) and exceptional service on their part. Especially with the amount of orders that must be flying in with Valentines Day just 8 Days away!

My personalised 'Love Is...' story book arrived in excellent condition and was very well packaged.  The paper used for printing is very good quality, nice and thick. The front and back covers are laminated and the book is bound together to produce a spine, instead of other options out there where it is simply stapled together...producing a not so attractive feature!

Over all I have to say I am extremely pleased with the 'Love Is...' Storybook, and it took me under 10 minutes to order it (after working out how to personalise it). The price tag of £17.50 is well within budget and for the quality of the book, I would say is a bargain!

If you are now thinking 'Wow...What a Valentine!' I have more great news for you!

Order the personalised Love Is... book and receive a personalised A4 Love Is... calendar (normally £12.50) absolutely FREE!

Simply add both the Love Is... book and the A4 Love Is... calendar to your shopping basket and enter the voucher code VALENTINES2012 for your discount. £12.50 will be deducted from the total amount payable.

Offer not valid in conjunction with any other offer or voucher code. The VALENTINES2012 offer ends 23.59hrs on Thursday 9 February 2012. This is the last date for calendar orders for Valentine’s Day delivery. Offer excludes P&P.

Happy Valentines shopping everyone! I am sure you will love your 'Love Is...' book as much as I do...and I am sure Luke will also have a big grin on his face when he opens it up on Valentines Day!

Enjoy your naked love couples!

Laura xx

HiPP Organic Mini Pots Review

We have kindly been sent the new HiPP Organic Mini Pots for Leo to have a taste of, this fab new line was launched just last month, and they are perfect for the initial introduction to solids as they can be used from 4 months onwards.

HiPP says:
Mini Pots will be positioned in the market as the perfect format for introducing solid foods to babies. Made from the finest organic fruits, picked at the peak of ripeness and blended with a ‘little bit of organic yogurt’, they are available in two flavours; ‘Apple and Pear’ and ‘Banana and Peach’.


Mini Pots are available in packs of 6 and the 'little bit' of yogurt makes the whole taste experience smoother and the taste milder to suit a younger baby's developing palette.

We started weaning Leo a few months ago now, he was a hungry baby and began to really love his food.

We started off with baby porridge and as the weeks progressed we started to introduce Vegetables and Fruit. These new Mini Pots would have been a brilliant way to start Leo off, he is now on 3 meals a day, and as of today he has been enjoying HiPP Mini Pots as snacks after his meals.

Leo has given the HiPP Organic Mini Pots a BIG thumbs up, and when we have eaten our way to the bottom of the pot...he has smacked his lips readily together and searched for more!

These pots happen to be conveniently sized in 50g pots as HiPP have listened to our Mummy voices and reduced the sizes to avoid wastage... I am sure I am not alone in feeling annoyed when there is lots of food wasted during the weaning of a baby.

HiPP says:
Whilst an abundance of 100g fruit pots are readily available in the baby food market, research has revealed that consumers find the product size too big for first time tasting experiences. HiPP Organic recognised this untapped demand for a smaller serving, which led to the launch of two Mini Pot variants of pureed fruit ‘with a little bit of yogurt’ in 6 x 50g pots.


My rule of thumb is not feeding Leo anything that I would not eat myself. Which I think is fair game. So I of course try anything and everything that I intend to put in my baby's tummy. I personally LOVE the fruit and yogurt combined in these new Mini Pots...now I just have to remember...they are for Leo...and not myself. **licks lips and slowly puts down the pot.....**

What I really REALLY love about the Pots are the fact they do not need refrigerating! I am one of those Mummy's that is always on the go and packing Leo's lunch into his changing bag and heading out of the house for the day! This makes it easy to keep the food fresh, provide Leo with a healthy organic treat, and also get Leo's 5 a day in him!

Mini Pots are the latest addition to a full and yummy range, if you are interested in finding out further information you can visit www.hipp.co.uk

HiPP Organic Mini Pots are available in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Boots right now. So if you fancy a wholesome yummy treat that your baby (and you....) will enjoy, then give them a try today!

Roaring and a non existant bedtime routine!

This past week my whole bedtime routine for Leo has gone to POT...and that is to say the very least. If you ask me what has changed, I will look at you blankly and my mind will start to ponder. To answer the question on all of your lips...I don't know what has changed, and I don't know how to fix it.

Since Leo's sudden change in sleeping I have been trying everything. I have brought bedtime forward, fed him his tea later, sat quietly (as always!), let him win and kept him up and put him in the jumperoo so he can burn off his very apparent energy!

None of the above has worked.

So what has his new 'routine' been like I hear you ask!?

Well...I feed him his solids between half 4 and 5pm, and taken him straight up for his bath. I then get him ready for bed after his splash about, and he then starts to calm down and has a bottle which he will take his time on...I cannot usually get him to drink the full 8oz's these days and to be honest...I think thats where the problem lies.

I say this as he is taking the bottle but he is not fully committing himself to drinking it, meaning that come 8pm, he is hankering after another one! At 7 months old we have been getting through 3 bottles from 8pm through to the next morning, and he still wakes once a night for a 6oz bottle!

Last night was a particulary bad night, he stayed awake until gone 11pm and despite my greatest efforts he would just not go down! I have to put my hands up and say that I brought him through to watch tele in bed with Luke and I. I just needed some time to unwind myself.

Tonight...I think/HOPE we have a turning point. Straight after his bath I got him ready for bed and made up his bedtime bottle. This was at around 6:30pm. With this I came and sat in his nursery in the rocking chair, opposed to downstairs. This gave him peace and quiet.

He wouldnt take the milk to start with and performed his swan call and also his new talent...roaring! He now mimics the GRRR sound, and for me...I crack up just hearing him do it! He really nows how to get me.

I let him get on with it and before long, I think he bored himself. He took about 4oz of milk and that was it he wouldn't drink any more for about 20 minutes or so. In the end I got atleast 7oz down him and then put him straight down at around 7:30! RECORD time!

I have not heard a peep from him yet...here's hoping we have broken his little party routine and can get him back onto my wave length!

How have you dealt with your little ones disruptive bedtime behaviour? I am open to suggestions!

I will let you know if the changes implemented tonight make any difference! Tonight is the first night in weeks I have sat down to watch One Born Every Minute on my own!!!

Laura xx

A Busy Mum's Valentine's Tips

Dear all busy Mummy's,

If like me you are looking for some luxury this Valentines Day! Look no further, with the big day now less than 2 weeks (14 DAYS) away Save.co.uk have provided some brilliant ways to achieve some special 'Grown Up Time' of course...on a lovely price tag.

So if you are stuck for ideas....Here are some toe curling, exciting thoughts on how to spend Valentines Day 2012, of course with some very welcome discount codes to enter at the check out!


Spoil Her Package
Everyone needs a little pampering, especially as the winter doldrums take hold. Treat your partner to a little sparkle, blooms and perfume to make this Valentine's Day indulgent!

Swarovski: VALENTINE2012 - 10% off £100 purchase
Arena Flowers: SAVECOUKVDAY12 - 10% off any order
Boots: LOVEBOOTS - £5 off £45 - Fragrances

First Valentine's Day
We've all been there. It's your first Valentine's Day together as a couple, and you're not sure what route to go. Do you go serious and traditional with chocolate and flowers or take a more unique turn with a personalised gift? You can afford to go with your gut with these vouchers from Save.co.uk!

TheGiftExperience: SAVE - 10% off any order
Arena Flowers: SAVECOUKVDAY12 - 10% off any order
Hotel Chocolat: SAVEVAL10 - 10% off of any order of £20 or more

Couples Getaway
Sometimes the best way to spice things up is to get out of town and kick back with your better half! Take a holiday this Valentine's Day without taking a hit to your wallet. You can also save on post-holiday memory-making with a voucher to create a custom photo book.  

easyJet Holidays: VALENTINE - £20 off £500 - Couples Weekends
MyPhotobook: VDAY2012UK - 20% off Photobooks
SecretEscapes: SAVEVALENTINE - £15 Free credit voucher for all new customers

Food Lovers
For many, the true way to one's heart is through, well, their stomach. Treat your loved one to some delicious dishes with vouchers guaranteed to get his or her mouth watering.

Hotel Chocolat: SAVEVAL10 - 10% off £20
WineGifts4U: 5OFFVDAY - 5% off site-wide

Ladies Night In
No matter what your relationship status, it can be fun to get in the spirit of cupid with your girlfriends. Plan a night of makeovers and shopping with your ladies, without ruining your budget.

Boots: LOVEBOOTS - £5 off £45 - Fragrances
Tucci  (clothing): LOVE2SAVE – 15% off site-wide (valid until Feb 15)
WineGifts4U: 5OFFVDAY - 5% off site-wide
FeelUnique: LOVEBEAUTY - £4 off £40 voucher

I hope this offers some help in choosing your Valentine's special gift. I personally think I am going to have a real look through some of the above deals in the hope I can pick up a real bargain! Of course....We wont tell Luke will we!

I have already started to put together a little bag of 'goodies' for Luke, but I will see what I can now add to it...I expect we will be going out for dinner on the 14th February, and leaving Leo for a few hours with his Granny and Grampy, so we will be making some grown up time for ourselves, as I do think it is very important to do so.

Last Valentines was my 20 weeks scan with Leo. I found out that I was having a little baby boy! I just don't know where the year has gone.
What will you all be doing this Valentines Day, and what are your usual traditions for the romantic day? Lets hear your stories!!

Laura x

A duck feeding we will go...

With the arrival of Leo's new Quinny Zapp Xtra, we have been taking it for many a test drive on our walks around the area (In a bid for me to get comfortably back into my size 8's! Yes I am still TRYING to keep my New Year Resolution!)

We are very fond of our new Quinny (But that is another story...A review I will write up at a later date!) and I was wondering what Leo and I could do together while being out and about.

We happen to live a 15 minute walk up the road from the local town and the River Avon. What better way to spend a day, than to take a leisurely stroll into town for a Costa Coffee...and then taking the now 7 month old to feed the ducks for the first time!?

So that was our plan. On Saturday while Daddy was at work, Leo and I did just that. I was not sure how Leo would react...if at all he did react? Was he not to young to take any of the detail in?

Any doubts I had about him enjoying feeding the ducks were gone when he broke into a wide eyed smile and took in every detail. He loved the whole experience.

I had bought a loaf of bread so we could feed the ducks, and of course Leo took the opportunity to stuff the bread into his mouth, learning to share..or steal from the ducks.. Leo was excitedly kicking his legs and watching the Geese walk ever closer to us. My main worry was that the Geese may get a little to close and we would have to make a run for it!

The worries I had about the Geese increased when one took a snap for the other and ended up with many a feathers in it's beak! So I was edging further back...Yes I admit it...I was a bit of a nervous wreck.

It was a sunny but bitterly cold Saturday so I had to make sure that Leo was wrapped up nice and warm while we were by the river. I am so glad that I did take Leo to do this as it was something we both enjoyed doing together, and he has definitely proved my wrong...he is not too young to enjoy doing things like this.

I am most certainly going to be taking Leo to feed the ducks on a weekly basis. It gets us both out of the house and spending some quality Mummy/baby time together and of course...there is nothing wrong with fresh air!

We just have to get Daddy to come along next time!

It is safe to say that I am completely and utterly exhausted from all my walking, I seem to have abandoned my car on the pretence that I would rather walk...EVERYWHERE. I am quite impressed with myself, that and I am enjoying the Quinny. :-)

How have you all been and what was your first experience of feeding the ducks with your little ones?

Paid My Dues

I am a firm believer in karma, what comes around goes around. I am one of those people who never seems to catch a break and is always a by-stander...watching everyone else's dreams come true. When out driving in the car I seem to come across every Red traffic light. In fact they seem to purposely change upon my approach, like their main aim is to catch me out.

I have had some rather BIG exciting news and it seems that those traffic lights have been put in their place and will only be turning green from now on. I cannot go into detail but it seems that my dues have been paid. My big break has arrived and we are in good stead for our house hunting. The aim is to save hard and in the next couple of years, break out on our own.

I am still waiting for this news to sink in, and I am pinching myself hard to see if I wake up. My little family are on cloud 9 and when I return to work later this year we will be pushing forward with our future.

It is safe to say that we are all very happy, and our family unit will one day in the next few years, be HOME OWNERS!!!

We now just have to save very hard, find our perfect property and make it our own! Tonight we are having a celebratory Thai takeaway, so I am off to pour myself a very large glass of Pino Grigio...hehe..

Wish us luck!

Laura xx