Enjoying Mummy Memories

I wasn’t sure what to post about this week but then I thought I’d share something really simple that I’d enjoyed one afternoon while J was having his snack. A few weeks after J was born I started a scrap book just for him. I wanted to make one with loads of pictures of him growing up over his first year so I actually finished it in December on his first birthday. To some people this might seem like a lot of time and hassle but when I first started making it I was struggling with getting into the role of being J’s mum and I found going over the photos and creating a book very therapeutic. So this week I made a cuppa, put my feet up and gave myself just half an hour to go through the book. Looking back at the pictures gave me chance to appreciate all the times we’ve shared (however hard!) and also made me feel even more positive about how far we’ve come over the last year. 

I’d really recommend other mums to do this once in a while…. Not only are the pictures very cute but it also helps you to remember what a good job you’re doing bringing up this little person! As far as I'm concerned I'll take any chance I can get to keep giving myself faith in my 'mum abilities'! Feel free to share ways you have for enjoying your role as a mum....

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Strike a Pose!

With the last bit of my Christmas money I ordered myself a new yoga dvd and was very excited to receive it in the post this week. On Amazon the reviews promised it to be a great programme for taking beginners right through the basics of flow yoga to more advanced poses that suit a more experienced level. So, Tuesday night I hushed J to sleep, armed myself with my yoga mat and started the general flow routine lasting 25 minutes. How hard could it be I thought? I’d practised yoga most days during my pregnancy and religiously during the 2 weeks that J was overdue (it was the only thing that saved my sanity!). 

Little did I realise that the gentle poses that offered calm and relaxation during pregnancy were nowhere to be found on the Flow Yoga for Strength and Flexibility dvd. Downward dog progressed into warrior pose 1, 2 then 3 and before I knew it my legs were shaking trying to stay in a low lunge and breathe calmly at the same time. 25 minutes later I was collapsed in a ‘relaxation’ pose, muscles aching. But strangely enough I felt great. It’s been a while since I’d pushed myself that much but I figured if my body could get through childbirth then yoga would not beat me! Bring on Friday night for 40 minutes of flow yoga for Legs J 

I would genuinely recommend this dvd if you want something that’s easy to fit around kids/job etc. All the routines are around half an hour long and you can choose whether you want to add on a warm up or cool down section too. Hopefully I’ll still be in one piece next week!

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Homemade Hair Mask

I’ve been getting into good habits with my beauty routine but when it comes to my hair I’m still a wash and go girl at heart. I tend to let my hair dry naturally but with the cold weather and months of neglect, this week I thought I’d give my hair a boost with a natural homemade mask. I chose this recipe out of a few I found….

Blend one banana with an egg then add 3 teaspoons each of honey and milk and 5 teaspoons of olive oil.

I made the mixture and applied it to damp hair concentrating on the ends where I tend to get frizz! Then came the fun bit where I wrapped my head with clingfilm and walked around the house letting the mask do its magic for half an hour. If nothing else this proved to be extremely entertaining for J who laughed at me walking through the lounge and promptly hit me on the head trying to get the strange plastic hat off.

Anyway, 30 minutes later I rinsed it all off, washed my hair (making sure there was no banana residue lurking) and let it dry naturally. I have to say I wasn’t sure what to expect but my hair definitely felt softer and smoother with no frizzy ends! If you don’t want to run the risk of smelling like bananas try one of the other fruity recipes…it’s worth a go to add a bit of shine to your hair (even when the sun’s not shining!)

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J's First Birthday!

J a year ago today!

Wow, it was J's first birthday yesterday. A whole year old! I must say I am feeling a whole lot better than I did this time last year! 


People always say how special the first few months are when you have a baby. To me they kind of passed by in a blur. My little boy is so precious but it took me a good few months to actually enjoy it all, to look forward to outings and visits in the week and to feelremotely like myself again. I think that's why J's birthday feels so momentous, far from feeling emotional and upset about him getting older I'm actually really excited and looking forward to what's to come as he grows up. My body is finding it's own normality and rhythm again and my emotional state has definitely plateaued! 
So now I am a mum to a one year old but yesterday I dressed up like a girl should, party outfit, hair, nails, and makeup. Bear in mind this was only a small family event at my parents house, but  I wanted to celebrate how far we'd come in the last year and I wanted to feel good doing it! Bring it 2013 :)

Just a little pic of what I made for J's birthday, a big appliqued floor cushion with lots of different textures for his nursery.

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Winter Coat Revamp

 Five years ago I bought a lovely winter coat from Jane Norman. It is mid length, navy, fitted and when I tried it on, it was one of those ‘have to have it’ moments. In the last few months my mum has commented several times about it looking old and me needing to buy a new one, but I just couldn’t bring myself to part with it so I set about finding a way to revamp my favourite piece. 

The first thing I did was dye it with a cold wash navy dye just to put some of the richness back into the colour. Next was the more difficult task of relining it. I had already patched the lining a couple of years ago where it had worn under the arms and I wanted to go for something more vibrant than the navy blue that it came with. I found some cheap patterned lining material online and used this tutorial to create a pattern and complete the process. Here it is so far, I’m really pleased it’s getting a new lease of life and that it gets to stay in my wardrobe! 

To finish it off I want to change the buttons and have something silver in mind…. Do you have any examples of old clothes you’ve transformed? 

This is my last post before Christmas so hope you have a good one! 

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