I will miss those midnight feeds?!?!

I know I have mentioned being tired a few times, what Mum doesn't mention it every now and then. The midnight feeds have really been getting to me.

However I realised something last night. I will miss them! (I know, I think I may have lost the plot, but bare with me).

I can already tell that my son is growing quickly. My tiny newborn who was unable to do anything is now a thriving three, almost four, month old. He can roll over, hold up is own head, giggle and smile, can see better and is starting to grab things.

It is likely that at some point in the next three months that he will start sleeping through the night.

And I will lose those these precious moments of comforting and his sweet smiles. He often wakes up fussing but the moment I go to him he gives me the biggest smile! How can I not love that? It feels like those cheeky midnight smiles and giggles are our little secret.

I find it really funny, even at 3am in the morning, when he is smiling behind the teat of his bottle. Big eyes beaming full of mischief.

So while I complain about these midnight feeds, that seem to take forever, I also secretly cherish these moments.

Either that or sleepless night have caused me to slowly go insane...

Deliveroo: Good food straight to your door!

Have you ever had a day where you want something good to eat, but you don't want to cook and you don't want the typical take away? But going out seems like a big task. Especially if you are a parent!

As a new parent date nights are few and far between. Venturing out for a meal seems like an indulgent fantasy sometimes!

But after a day where a teething baby has terrorised me relentlessly sometimes I can't face cooking and a salad just isn't going to cut it. But I know that going out to eat, with a 3 month old baby, requires a level of preparation and dedication that I don't have the energy for.

Well, I may have received the answer to my prayers in the form of a flyer through my door.

A flyer from a company called Deliveroo!

This company delivers food from restaurants throughout Sheffield. (They also do this in other locations too including Manchester, London, Brighton and more. For details visit their website here). As I live in Sheffield I am going to focus on the Sheffield based restaurants they deliver from.

Deliveroo proves that not all "takeaways" are created equally, especially when they are offering delivery from restaurants such as the Wig & Pen, Milestone, Craft & Dough, Smoke and more!

I convinced my Hubby, after one pretty tiring day, that we should try out Deliveroo... for research purposes of course! We ordered burgers and a sharing platter from The Common Room.

The food was with us within 30 minutes, the delivery guy was professional and nice and the food was d.e.licious!

I was really impressed with the idea, service and generally the idea of what Deliveroo is offering. This autumn and winter I can eat delicious, restaurant quality food while watching Strictly Come Dancing in my onesie!

And with that in mind I had to share it on here, because there may be other parents out there that need this like I do. :)

This is not a sponsored post, image from http://techview.me/

My hardest day so far (as a parent)...

Today has been a pretty hard day so far. It is my last day of maternity leave before I return to work tomorrow. I am only going back to work part time so I didn't expect to be so emotional about it. I am generally a pretty practical person.

When my son has his injections I don't get upset, because I know they may save his life.

When he had his introduction sessions at nursery I didn't cry, because I believe the social environment and many toys would be great for his development.

But today I have been teary. I know that nursery will be good for my baby and that returning to work will be fun and provide more financial stability... But part of me is really going to miss this special time, which has been just me and my son.

The time I have had on maternity leave hasn't been all amazing, it hasn't been full with excitement every day... There are days when I haven't really changed out of my PJs, days where Archie hasn't stopped crying, days when I have been exhausted.

What has made this time special is my son. Today has really made me realise that your children are only little once and how important it is to cherish the time with them. At the risk of sounding completely emotional (and making the post way to soppy) he really is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I could happily spend every day with him (no matter how uneventful).... Until he turns 14, because I have heard that 14 is the age that all children become horrible.

It also feels like the end of an era, yes I know I sound way too over the top. But I can't help it. This signifies the end of a time with my son that will never be repeated. When we have children in the future, and I have time off, I will be pregnant or have another baby to look after. So it won't be the same. This is truly a period of time that won't happen again and it does make me sad thinking that one precious stage of his life is already finished.

But I also have to remember that with this stage finishing that other exciting moments and stages are coming up. While I am an emotional wreck over it being the end of my maternity leave I can also appreciate that it is an exciting start to something else.

It feels like we are really starting family life now I am going back to work. Getting into that routine of balancing work and family, and while that is daunting (as I have no semblance of a routine at present) it is also pretty exciting to contemplate. I loved my childhood in many ways. All because of family life, the things that stick out to me are Sunday roasts, time with my siblings after school, school days and lazy weekends. All just time with my family, nothing really special but unique and memorable for their routine. Sometimes the things that we love are the simple things.

No memory makes me happier than thinking of those reliable Sunday roasts, watching Time Team as a family and wishing Monday (and school) wouldn't come around too quickly.

I feel like this is the stage we, my little family, are now entering... And I am really looking forward to every moment.

In the meantime, today I plan on doing nothing except cuddling my little boy, watching him sleep, maybe crying a little and generally soaking up every last moment of my maternity leave (and one on one time with my baby).

Mummy Haul

I love doing "haul" posts, I think it is a lot of fun to share the things I have recently bought and am loving.

I have now done a few baby hauls but I now fancy doing one for myself. I have had to buy a few things for myself lately, just for practical reasons.

The first 2 things I wanted to share are my new jeans. Unfortunately I am not one of the lucky few whose post pregnancy tummy shrank back down immediately after giving birth. I am getting there but slowly... My old jeans fit but come with a muffin top that make me look like a home baked loaf of bread, and sadly my maternity jeans (which I have been wearing a lot) have now got a hole in them.

Salted Wash Skinny Jeans

So I had a nosey on the online Next clearance section and found a couple of jeans I purchased. They are still maternity jeans but instead of the large over the bump panel they have a smaller panel or adjustable side panels (like the shorts I got for my holiday, link to my blog about them is here).

I got some light blue jeans with the adjustable side panel in the "pocket area". I love these because I can make them tighter as I lose the pregnancy weight. I am 5 foot 3 inches so bought them in the short size. When I tried them on I did think I could have gotten away with the regular length size but I really like that they aren't really long skinny jeans. They remind me a bit of Capri pants, but not that short. These are going to be perfect for wearing with boots in autumn and winter. They are also very comfortable. They are only £12 on the Next website too.

Blue/Black Narrow Band Boot Cut Jeans

Link to the Next website here. Pictures are from the Next website.

In addition to these jeans I also treated myself to another pair. These are in regular size and were a perfect fit, length wise. Again they feel so comfortable and they are going to be great for wearing over boots.

The design says boot cut but they do flare ever so slightly. The band across the belly means it is stretchy but it is quite tight. So I will be able to use them even when my tummy goes back to pre-pregnancy size (fingers crossed!). They are only £14 as well.

I highly recommend the Next jeans for maternity wear. These designs would be great for the earlier stages of pregnancy. I find the in later stages, when your tummy is bigger that the large over the tummy band is better. But the great thing about getting these, if you get them while pregnant, is that they will also be handy for after pregnancy while you get your tummy/figure back. Or, like me, they are just great for post pregnancy.

Sorry they are only website pictures, but I have neither the legs or tummy to be modelling them and do them justice. :)

I also had to buy myself some black, flat shoes as I go back to work this week. :(
I am going to miss being on maternity leave so much but I am lucky that I am only going back to work part time and will still get lots of cuddle time with my little boy!

Black, flat shoes may be a pretty boring purchase but I have to share these as they are a great buy/tip. I always, always buy black Crocs for work. My job involves standing and walking around for 8 hours a day so comfortable shoes are an absolute must. My shoes must be smart though, so I buy the Crocs shoes that look like work shoes.. Like these which I recently bought...

Me modelling the shoes... Future foot model? Maybe not...

They are the Women’s Adrina III Flat. They are currently £19 on the Cloggs website.

They do have a pattern on them which is cut out but when I wear these with tights they aren't noticeable and look smart. What makes me love using Crocs for my work shoes is that they are so comfortable. As they are made of that "jelly style" material they mold to your feet instantly so I never get any blisters from wearing them in. They feel very supportive and are washable. They also last for ages. I have a pair of black, flat Crocs that I have had for years and they are still going strong.
Now on an indulgent level, I have started selling Avon and decided to buy some of their products for myself. It was nice to treat myself to some beauty products after 3 months! I bought some items because they are good products and well priced, but I also feel that if I sell the products then I should have tried them myself and be happy to recommend them.

My first order is yet to arrive but I really wanted to share it on the blog as I am really excited about what I have ordered.

Firstly I got some Argan Oil Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave in Treatment. Argan Oil seems to be really popular at the moment so I thought I would give it a try, and my hair is always in need of a good nourishing hair care set!

When I looked up the benefits of Argan Oil I discovered it is meant to be very moisturising, so great for skin and hair. It is also good for a styling agent (it helps reduce frizz... which I definitely need with the damp days of autumn approaching!).

In addition to this I also bought a few nail products. Including 2 new nail varnishes. Their Desire and Tender colours from their Nailwear Pro+ collection. These are 2 of the 3 new colours they are currently promoting which are only £3.00. I love these colours because they are really autumnal and will be great to wear with so many things!

The Avon website also showed this great way of using them...








I definitely want to try something similar with the colours! The full details and tutorial is here.

I also treated myself to some press on nails, for the days I am feeling too lazy to paint my nails but still want to make some effort. I bought the pink set and the floral set on the pictures below. They are currently only £5!

I really liked the smell of their new fragrance Attraction as well. It also comes with a free gift this month. For only £15. I am a sucker for a free gift so bought the fragrance and free gift. I really like that in the brochures they have a lot of rub and smell tabs so you can smell them before you buy!

And speaking of free gifts I am going to buy the new mascara they have out in the current brochure. It is waterproof and is only £8.50 and comes with 4 free items: 2 eyeliners, 1 brow brush and a eyeshadow pen. Told you... a sucker for a free gift! :)

All Avon product pictures are from their brochure/website. If you want to view the current brochure you can do here: http://www.avon.uk.com/PRSuite/custonlineOrderEBrochure.page?acNo=Mzc2NDUwMzE=&source=RFlNQ1VSTA==&custRepOrdr=1

I hope you enjoyed the blog post. Have a lovely day! :)