Reporting live from a hungover mum

Posted in Being a mum, Uncategorized by

Wine

G&T

Sambuca

Cosmos

Nearly fell asleep on the train home.

A woke at 6.30AM and it felt like I had been asleep for 5 mins.

Tv, biscuits and playing with my iphone are the name of the game today, my head cannot handle any whining, crying or screaming.

Bad parenting is probably the only way to survive being hungover with a toddler. Is it acceptable to pay for a babysitter in the day so I can go back to bed?

But it was really fun to be out and not have to deal with the whole nursery/bedtime routine though.

However I can’t believe it’s not even 9AM, wish me luck people.

PS: apologies for a random post but my brain is not exactly working

Happy New Year and OXO Tot Product Review

Posted in product review by

OXO Tot sent me these products for free but all opinions are my own.

Happy New Year everybody! 2015 was the year of maternity leave for me and this year will be my first as a working mum, both have their challenges, both are tiring and I intend to make the most of both!

Back in 2014 I decided to do monthly resolutions,  which was not a bad strategy even though I gave up pretty quickly. This year, my only resolution is to go to Pilates at least once a week but I still haven’t been this week! I really need to do some exercise and carrying A on the same side a lot has really really damaged my left shoulder so I need to sort it out!

Just before Christmas my friends at OXO tot sent me some new products to try, we still use their amazing bib every day so I can definitely say their products are of good quality. They sent us a training cup, a flip top snack cup and a training plate all in the same lovely green as the infamous bib!

 

Arabella was super excited about the cup straight away, I think she liked the idea of a “big girl” cup! It is definitely easy to hold and light so tips and is picked up easily. There is a translucent perforated removable lid that slows the flow of drink, however I think she is still too young because we went from this:

to it being tipped upside down and emptied on the floor in seconds 😦  I’m definitely keeping it for in a few months when she is a bit more under control! But she definitely likes it:

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I really like the design of the plate, it has a weighted non-slip base that makes it more stable. The ring can actually be removed later on for older children. The curved side helps them push the food up when using utensils.

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The plate doesn’t stick so of course the first time we used it, A quickly found the following it fun to pick up the plate and throw it on the floor…

However, we have since made progress, we used it tonight and she didn’t throw it on the floor! Success! It really looks nice and is more like what mummy and daddy use so little miss independent likes it a lot

Last but not least: the snack pot. I love it! I’ve gone from putting her biscuits and other snacks in a plastic bag and them getting crushed to using this, it now lives in the back of the buggy and is super handy.

I don’t use a changing bag anymore but this would easily fit in any bag.

Thanks again OXO Tot and don’t hesitate to check out their full range here: http://oxouk.com/s-149-Tot.aspx

Working Mum Life Hacks

Posted in Being a mum, Motherhood by

2 months ago I went back to work (I can’t believe I just typed that!). I thought maternity leave went by quickly, well working weeks go by even faster!

I thought I would share a few “life hacks” or tips for mums about to go back to work as a few changes here and there can really make your new life as a working mum easier!

  • My main advice would be: do not combine your first day back at work with the first day of childcare because you’ll spend all day worrying about your baby and if you’re like me, you’ll probably cry so will turn up looking a mess on your first day back! The other reason to start childcare before work is to have some time when you are neither working nor looking after your child, this is your last chance for some well-deserved “me time” for a while. Family holidays are lovely but nothing beats spending a weekday afternoon at a spa whilst everyone is at work and somebody else is picking up your baby’s lunch from the floor…
  • I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again, it’s really important to have a plan for emergency childcare. Indeed s*** happens, case in point: I’m writing this from a plane on my way to my first overnight work trip and was called earlier today by the nursery to go and pick up A as she has a temperature. Thankfully Mister B is looking after her but let’s just say calls like that 2 hours before you’re about to leave for the airport add to the stress…(then your plane is delayed and that’s when you really have to take a deep breath!)
  • Get your clothes and your child’s clothes ready every night. You don’t really want to have to think much in the morning!
  • Talking of clothes, I underestimated the effect nursery can have on children’s clothes, basically they get wrecked! So buy second hand or cheap clothes that can get stained or lost, without you being bothered about it. I now separate “nursery” clothes from “nice” clothes one.
  • I was really struggling with the whole week-night cooking thing despite being quite an organised person and doing online shopping. I just couldn’t plan far ahead enough and would lack motivation after the whole “train-nursery-home-bedtime” thing that I decided to do something before our diets suffered too much (and I started spending all my money at M and S at the station!). People, there is a solution and it’s called Hello Fresh. Every Sunday evening they deliver 3 meals worth of delicious food with very clear and easy recipe cards. Each meal takes between 20 and 40 mins to prepare. I don’t have to go food shopping, I don’t have to think of what to eat and in exchange we try new foods (pearl barley anyone?), learn new techniques and eat delicious healthy food Monday to Wednesday (Thursday is Chipotle Burrito day and I’m off on Fridays so have time). I love it! The second delivery was 90 mins late but their customer service was great so I’m sticking with it for now.
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  • Stay on top of washing during the week (a washing machine with a timer helps), you don’t want to spend all weekend doing washing and those dirty nursery clothes need washing asap!
  • If you can, get a cleaner! I’d rather not buy coffee than spend Saturday morning cleaning. It’s the best 20 pounds I spend every week, I’m convinced cleaners provide one of the best value for money services around.
  • Try and negotiate some kind of flexible working arrangement, part time or at least a day working from home, I have Fridays off and it keeps me sane!

All in all, 2 months later I am happy I’m working but wouldn’t want to be doing 5 days a week, all the little things above make our lives run smoother, I also happen to have a very helpful and tidy husband, which makes a massive difference. Behind every great working woman, there is a man, who cleans the kitchen every night and never leaves his stuff lying around!

What are your tips?

All I Want For Christmas Is…

Posted in Life by

…the following list (some realistic, some not!)

  • I’m not going to include the obvious like health and happiness for my friends and family, that goes without saying
  • some new jeans that fit properly
  • some new well fitting trousers
  • a miracle hair cut
  • vouchers for 52 weekly blow dries
  • to go back to the spa at the Corinthia
  • a few bottles of Martini d’Oro
  • a few bottles of very good pinot noir (such as this one, which is my favourite : http://www.snooth.com/wine/marimar-estate-pinot-noir-russian-river-valley-2007/)
  • some new Nike Free trainers
  • a cashmere dressing gown
  • a new carry on Tumi suitcase
  • a Chanel handbag
  • a new watch
  • to be employed as Nigella’s assistant
  • new wine glasses
  • a new mattress
  • an amazing and well fitted wool or cashmere coat
  • for the pain in my left shoulder to go away ( I probably need to stop picking Arabella up!)
  • a cooking class
  • a wooly hat with a fur ball on the end that fits
  • a weekly flower delivery
  • some really good high quality tea
  • a new kettle
  • some very nice napkins
That’s all 🙂 What’s on your list?

10 Things To Do Before Maternity Leave Ends

Posted in Being a mum, Motherhood, Uncategorized by

1. Start your childcare arrangements BEFORE you go back to work. My daughter started full time at nursery 2 weeksbefore I went back and those weeks were bliss and meant she was more settled when I finally started work again (less traumatising all round!). You won’t get real alone time for a long long time so make the most of it!

2. Try on your old work clothes, after a baby, it’s likely some stuff is not going to fit anymore. Then treat yourself to a few nice new things, it will make you feel more confident and you deserve it! TK Maxx, GAP and MandS are great places to look.

3. Work out an evening meal menu for the first 2 weeks back. Trust me, you’ll be tired, maybe emotional and the last you’ll want to do after the nursery pickup and bed time is think of what to cook!

4. If you have access, logon to your work email and delete, delete, delete. Despite having been removed from many distribution lists, I had accumulated TONS of emails over the 11 months I was off.

5. Meet friends for lunch because that is about to go out of the window!

6. A little grooming or a new haircut for example can make you feel more confident when you’re back in the working world.

7. Sort through baby clothes, toys and other “stuff” and put stuff on ebay, donate to charity etc. You really won’t have the time or motivation for such tasks once you’re back at work.

8. If you can, go to a spa or for afternoon tea or the cinema or just do something lovely during the day ALONE!

9. Spend a day at home doing nothing as that’s basically not going to happen again for 18 years

10. Find a working mum friend or “mentor”, I’m lucky to be surrounded at work by some great other working mums who are very supportive and understanding. Nobody else will get why you’re in tears because the nursery have called to say your baby is sick and you’re about to go away on your first overnight business trip abroad. Ladies, you know who you are and you are the best.

First Day Back at Work

Posted in Being a mum, Motherhood, Uncategorized by

This post was originally published on meetothermums.com (http://www.meetothermums.com/blog/view/backtowork)

After taking 54 weeks off work, I hung up my maternity bra, got my nice bag out and went into panic mode as my daughter (Arabella) was too ill to go to nursery on my first day back at work AFTER A YEAR. She had started nursery full time 2 weeks before I was due back and guess what happens at nursery? Babies get sick, especially at the beginning. As a side note, I would highly recommend not combining your first day back at work with baby’s first day at nursery or with a childminder as if you’re anything like me, you’ll end up crying and feeling very emotional. There is no way I could have left her and then gone to the office. I would not have managed to concentrate and it would have been awful.  The Wednesday before I was due to go back I picked her up from nursery and she had quite a high fever. I spent the next few days coming up with “Plan B” for childcare. I don’t know why I hadn’t looked into this earlier, anyway… I then discovered there are websites set up to provide emergency childcare so I organised for a local nanny to come over on Sunday.

Come Sunday I could tell Arabella wasn’t going to be well enough to go to nursery. My husband couldn’t take the day off either (no matter what I was going to work that day!) so I came up with the genius idea of flying my mum over from France (she was actually quite excited to be coming over to see us all) as no matter how nice this nanny might be, I wasn’t really comfortable with leaving her with someone we didn’t know and if she was going to be sick for a few days it was going to cost more to pay for emergency childcare than fly my mum over! In typical nightmare fashion, half way through the interview, my mum called to say her plane was cancelled due to fog, a lot of fog so there wasn’t going to be a flight the next day either. So the emergency nanny got hired on the spot!

Having a nanny made my first day a lot less stressful in the end as there was no nursery run and nobody was going to call me to come and up pick her up. When I got home, the funniest, sweetest thing happened. She handed me Arabella and straight away she started waving goodbye to the nanny, as if to say “you can go now, mummy is here”, it made my day and nearly made up for the fact I had to be reunited with this awful device:

So my advice for your first day back at work would be:

  • Don’t combine it with the first day of childcare
  • Have a plan B and C for childcare in case of sickness
  • Prepare everything you and your baby need the night before
  • Accept the fact it’s going to feel weird and not going to be easy but it gets easier after the first day

Nostalgic Mondays

Posted in Life by

I wrote this on my phone yesterday on my way to work on a very cold Monday morning.

I’m not sure if it’s because I was listening to Adele’s new album (highly recommended by the way!) but I was feeling nostalgic and reflective. Or maybe it’s because a year ago, I was about to be induced but either way I felt like reflecting back on my life and some of the main “events” that have taken place over the years. One day I’ll go into detail on some of them. So here we go, a little trip down memory lane!
2015: first time on national TV (http://news.sky.com/story/1577354/morning-stories-my-tongue-tied-baby) and my baby turns 1 on Thursday! Here are 2 pics from her party on Sunday with all the other NCT babies from our group

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2014: Arabella born, moved to our own flat in Walthamstow

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2013:Year of Fun! Amazing Bali holiday, roof top party in NYC and loads more

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2012: got married !!!

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2011: got engaged
2009: to some extent this was my “annus horribilis”yet also the best year ever because all of this happened: having a party in my hotel room in Abu Dhabi (this was actually naughty and dangerous but fun!), getting very drunk at ascot and  then flying to Budapest the next day for a hen night and not going to bed, Glastonbury with a backstage pass, 3 amazing weddings in September and meeting my future husband!

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2008: introduced my best friend to her future husband
2004: started working in the City
2003: turned 21 in Berlin, my dad even flew over for the occasion!
2002: moved to Berlin
2000: turned 18 and moved to London to go to University
1989: moved to France
1982: Miss Adele is here!

dad

Meetothermums.com

Posted in Being a mum, Motherhood by

Hi everyone!

I am very pleased to announce I am now part of the meetothermums.com blogger squad! I will regularly be blogging on the site and you can find my posts along with others here: http://www.meetothermums.com/blog/bloggers

Meetothermums.com is a great website, it basically connects mums with other mums based on a variety of criteria such as common interests, location etc “Meet Other Mums has been designed by mums for mums to help you create a social network of like-minded mums who are living the same miracles, milestones and monotony that being a mum entails.” It’s free and very easy to join! If you’re interested in widening your circle of friends, you can join here.

blogsquad

 

A Week of Firsts

Posted in Being a mum, Life, Motherhood by

This week was A’s first week at nursery, you might think this means I went back to work this week but think again! Nope, I am a planning genius and have given myself 2 weeks of no baby and no work, which is equal to a life of leisure basically!

Anyway back to the harsh reality of leaving your baby at nursery for a whole day for the first time, it can be summarised by this: she screamed, I cried, I nearly called work to resign and take her out of nursery and then we both got over it and she was fine when I picked her up:

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By the time I picked her up last night, she was even happier after a week of stimulation and fun and tons of food it seems (this has had some very annoying consequences, which I won’t go into here…)

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She still screams every morning when I leave her but I’m not crying anymore and as soon as someone picks her up, she stops (I’ve spied through the window to check). On Monday, I had a lovely “sisterhood of mothers” moment when another mum noticed how upset I was after leaving her and spent 30 mins chatting to me and making me feel better. I got home and it felt WEIRD, it was even more strange to go on the tube WITHOUT A BUGGY, go shopping without her, have lunch with my aunt and uncle without a baby etc. Still the only clothes I bought were for her, Bella-Roo you are always on my mind!

On Wednesday, I took baby steps into the world of television…I will write a whole post about it with links etc. but if you’re interested, tune in to Sky News next Wednesday around 8.50AM and all will be revealed for 2 WHOLE minnutes! One of the most exciting parts involved having professional make up done, which hasn’t happened since my wedding!

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Yesterday, I finally got to use one of my best presents EVER! A great friend of mine gave me a spa voucher after the birth of baby A for what must be the best spa in London. 

  
I had a one hour body massage and then a facial, it was bliss. The facilities are amazing!! It was virtually empty so I had the whole “Thermal floor” to myself, it was such a treat and SOOOOOOO needed.

This was also the first week I didn’t breastfeed in the day and I am happy no report there were no embarrassing leakages, would definitely not be a good look on TV!

Next week, the life of leisure continues with shopping, afternoon tea, lunches, pedicures…

The 10 Month Itch

Posted in Being a mum by

This is going to be a very honest post and I would love you to share your opinions and experiences on the subject in the comments section. I know that I’m opening myself up to criticism and some people just won’t get where I’m coming from, still I doubt I am alone…So I’m going to cut to the chase and admit it: I’m bored of being a stay at home mum. I’m not skilled at all this baby stuff and need more.

I think we are both the same, A is now 10 months old and needs more stimulation too. This morning I went to a baby group and realised I’m just not great at playing with babies, it was lovely to see her happy but I had to push myself to make an effort for two reasons: time alone with her is running out and I am aware of this and secondly I didn’t want other parents to look at me and think “she’s not doing anything, she’s just watching her baby play on her own”. However A is very independent and loves new things so she was quite happy climbing on the dolls house for example:

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She also loves to keep an eye on what’s going on and is mesmerized by other children you can see by her staring below!

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My husband told me the other day that’s it’s not my personality to get down on the floor and play with her but it suits him (so she wont be so deprived after all!). I think I’m more of a “teacher” than a “player”, I really look forward to her reading, painting, cooking with me etc over the coming years. Building blocks and rattles just don’t do it for me. Don’t get me wrong, I do play with her but I really have to make an effort and don’t always really know what to do – I’m not in my element.

Does she feel it? does it impact on her negatively? Is this one of the reasons she whines quite a lot? Who knows…Some women have “working mum” guilt, I have “mum at home” guilt. This only started in the past month or 2, up until then I was OK but recently I’ve had enough and think the fact that she starts settling in to nursery soon is a very good thing. I have not wanted to go back to work early but I think 24/7 for 10 months is slightly too much.I know I need a break because the other day, I was in a shop alone (rare thing) and the cashier asked if I needed a bag and I very nearly replied “No thanks, I’ll just put it in the buggy”… A little caveat here: I am super stressed about the whole nursery run etc, I’m not in a dream world imagining its going to be rosy once I’m back at work, if anything I’ll probably be more stressed and tired!  I’ve not had enough time alone for various reasons and so I am very very excited about the last 2 weeks of October because she will be in nursery full time and I will not be working!

I had actually started to resent mums that seemed to be having the time of their life looking after their babies, it actually made me angry and guilty those feelings were really getting to me. After some soul searching good old Adele style analysis, I have come to the conclusion and accepted that I’m just not one of those women who “loves it” or who wants 4 children or who can’t imagine going back to work. I recently got asked if I was “enjoying it”, I half heartedly replied “yes” (I must stress than I’m enjoying it a lot more than the first month but less than months 2-6) In reality I love her more than anything and think she’s amazing and have enjoyed having a break from work and having the freedom to do lots of different things but it’s all a bit “Groundhog Day” and there are things about looking after a baby that I really don’t enjoy such as the whole weaning thing and the mess that ensues, fights over naps (I’ve been writing this whilst my baby has been in her bed refusing to nap, that’s the reality and how anybody can enjoy that I don’t know…), never ending nappy changes etc. Also I’m not really a big routine person, so the fact you do end up doing lots of the same things at the same time every day just doesn’t suit me (and we have a very loose routine). Add sleep deprivation on top of that (nope she doesn’t sleep through the night, no advice wanted thanks!) and you end up with a slightly frustrated tired bored mum.

Of course I can’t predict how I will feel once back at work, I might want to resign and be back at home after a week, who knows but for now, I need some “me time”, a lot more “me time”, even if this time is spent in front of a screen working with financial data…

When did you get the “itch”? Did you wish you had gone back to work earlier or later? Do you resent mums that LOVE it? How much of it came naturally to you? I would love to know!

linking up to Honest Mum’s Brillian Blog Posts:
Brilliant blog posts on HonestMum.com