Wow, there’s one I haven’t seen!

As the familiar opening bars start, the piano tinkles, the unmistakeable yellow, blue and red spider pads cheekily across the screen…

“Mum, will you watch Woolly and Tig with me please?”

I realise I haven’t seen this one and find myself avidly watching!  Woolly, Tig and her Mummy are in the supermarket.  Tig chooses some pink flowers, which makes me giggle because just the weekend before, I did exactly the same with out little-big bear.  She sat in the trolley (just about … she’s getting way to big for the trolley seat now!) and chose some pink flowers for her and Grandma!  So our bear’s obviously got some competition from Tig for the pinkest girliest girl ever.  And there was me and hubby thinking we had the pinkest girliest girl in the whole wide world!

After Tig wanders off and there’s the panic of finding her and Woolluy, it end too soon and it’s time to get back to reality.

I wonder if there’s any more that I haven’t seen?

Read my emotional and inspiring true story ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’. Available now through my website at Virtually All Sorts. 50% of sales to the charity Action on Pre-Eclampsia. …and visit my facebook page or follow me on twitter @ComplicatedPreg

Also available – my indispensable guide to avoiding Working Mum Guilt. Whether you are about to return or have already started back, this book offers practical solutions and feedback from real Mums with real families in real situations. Covering topics such as Post Natal Depression, childcare options, yours and your child’s development and time management – Ditch the guilt today! … and visit my facebook or follow me on twitter @WorkingMumGuilt

Thank you.

 

A Thousand Aprons and Silverspoons

‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read.  Although i don’t find time to read as much as I used to or would like, I do love reading.  I’m now working my way through ‘Aprons and Silverspoons’ by Mollie Moran which is a trip down memory in the shoes of a scullery maid chez Downtown Abbey.  Just up my street.

I love finding a good book but always feel lost when I’m finished.  I love choosing the next book to read.  Will it be the next on the list in the Facebook Bookclub?  Or will I have a browse and see what mood I’m in?  

For now, I’m happy with the one I’m reading.  However, I’ve also got ‘The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared’ reserved from the library. 

Read my emotional and inspiring true story ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’. Available now through my website at Virtually All Sorts. 50% of sales to the charity Action on Pre-Eclampsia. …and visit my facebook page or follow me on twitter @ComplicatedPreg

Also available – my indispensable guide to avoiding Working Mum Guilt. Whether you are about to return or have already started back, this book offers practical solutions and feedback from real Mums with real families in real situations. Covering topics such as Post Natal Depression, childcare options, yours and your child’s development and time management – Ditch the guilt today! … and visit my facebook or follow me on twitter @WorkingMumGuilt

 Thank you.

Just a little observation #2

Following on from a previous blog post ‘Just a little observation’, I bring you little observation #2 !

All you need is a coin. A 2 pence piece probably works best but it you’re really desperate, really determined and focussed, really addicted, a fingernail will do.  or a pen lid.  In fact anything with a reasonably sharp, sturdy edge.

Sitting in a cafe waiting for the hair dressers to open after the school run, a lady wheels her pushchair up, parks it up outside the cafe, lights up a cigarette and gets out a scratchcard.  She is a little unkempt, thin and her wirey hair could do with a good brush and maybe even a wash.  Her eyes are focussed on the prize… which she doesn’t win.  

I then watch her leave her little one (who is about 18 months old) in the pushchair, leg it to the cash point, then leg it to the shop to get… another handful of scratchcards.

She is clearly desperate to win as she furiously scratches away…  maybe it’s her birthday, maybe she’s feeling lucky.  Something tells me not.  Maybe she’s just plain desperate and quite possibly addicted.

Read my emotional and inspiring true story ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’. Available now through my website at Virtually All Sorts. 50% of sales to the charity Action on Pre-Eclampsia. …and visit my facebook page or follow me on twitter @ComplicatedPreg

Also available – my indispensable guide to avoiding Working Mum Guilt. Whether you are about to return or have already started back, this book offers practical solutions and feedback from real Mums with real families in real situations. Covering topics such as Post Natal Depression, childcare options, yours and your child’s development and time management – Ditch the guilt today! … and visit my facebook or follow me on twitter @WorkingMumGuilt

Thank you.

Feeling vulnerable and slightly nostalgic…

As I look out of the window at work, I see a row of little chickens, lining up on the pavement outside, in pairs, holding hands and waiting sort-of patiently to go into the shop next door.  They are on a little trip out!

 

I keep getting visions of our little bear going to school and this just brought that home even more.  I can’t believe that I’m already getting excited, nervous and emotional about it all – and we haven’t even registered her for school yet!

 

Soon enough she will be finding her own way in the life and I find this immensely exciting.  I really want her to be confident and independent, like any normal parent does their little one.

 

In the meantime, I was to hold on to all of her toys that are now too young for her, as long as possible!

 

I was looking at her garden toys: her trike, slide, wendy house and trampoline.  I won’t be long before she will be too big for them *sniff*  

 

You blink and you miss it!

Read my emotional and inspiring true story ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’. Available now through my website at Virtually All Sorts. 50% of sales to the charity Action on Pre-Eclampsia. …and visit my facebook page or follow me on twitter @ComplicatedPreg

Also available – my indispensable guide to avoiding Working Mum Guilt. Whether you are about to return or have already started back, this book offers practical solutions and feedback from real Mums with real families in real situations. Covering topics such as Post Natal Depression, childcare options, yours and your child’s development and time management – Ditch the guilt today! … and visit my facebook or follow me on twitter @WorkingMumGuilt

 Thank you.

 

If only life were this easy… oink!

“Mum….. MUM!!!  DAD!!!”
I knew this one wasn’t a ploy to come downstairs because, “I’ve had enough sleep now!”…

I open our little bear’s bedroom door.
“What’s the matter?”
Our little bear’s sitting up in bed, “I need some help please.  Peppa’s tail has come out!”
So I popped Peppa Pig’s tail back through the little hole in her little skirt.
“Thank you Mummy, I’m tired.”
And off she went to sleep, clearly all her troubles in the world now solved!

If only it was always as simple in the grown-up world!

What’s the funniest/most random thing your little one has called you for in the night?

Read my emotional and inspiring true story ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’. Available now through my website at Virtually All Sorts. 50% of sales to the charity Action on Pre-Eclampsia. …and visit my facebook page or follow me on twitter @ComplicatedPreg

Also available – my indispensable guide to avoiding Working Mum Guilt. Whether you are about to return or have already started back, this book offers practical solutions and feedback from real Mums with real families in real situations. Covering topics such as Post Natal Depression, childcare options, yours and your child’s development and time management – Ditch the guilt today! … and visit my facebook or follow me on twitter @WorkingMumGuilt

 

Thank you.

 

 

Just a little observation…

…while walking to work I passed 2 elderly ladies.  I heard snippets of their conversation:  
“It’ll be a bottle neck and people will moan!”
“Oh, they will!”
“they’ll say ‘it should never have been built’.  They will moan!”

And off I walked, leaving them in their own little world of scottie dogs, walking sticks, perm and sets and gossip… bless ‘em!

What would these little old ladies do with their time if they didn’t have a good gossip?!

It made me smile anyway!

Read my emotional and inspiring true story ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’. Available now through my website at Virtually All Sorts. 50% of sales to the charity Action on Pre-Eclampsia. …and visit my facebook page.

Also available – my indispensable guide to avoiding Working Mum Guilt. Whether you are about to return or have already started back, this book offers practical solutions and feedback from real Mums with real families in real situations. Covering topics such as Post Natal Depression, childcare options, yours and your child’s development and time management – Ditch the guilt today!

 

Just made my 2nd donation to charity through book sales :)

While routinely checking my emails over the weekend, I excitedly saw one from Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing… I read on and discover that I have sold more books, which means that I have just been able to make my 2nd donation to Action on Pre-Eclampsia.  It’s a truly amazing feeling to know that the book I wrote to raise awareness of pre-eclampsia and hellp syndrome is spreading the word and raising money for such a worthy cause.

So a massive thank you to everyone who has bought my book ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’.  You really are making such a huge difference.

On a side note, the biggest respect to everyone who ran/walked/hopped/juggled their way through the London Marathon yesterday… especially to those who did it for APEC.  Well done!

Read my emotional and inspiring true story ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’. Available now through my website at Virtually All Sorts. 50% of sales to the charity Action on Pre-Eclampsia. …and visit my facebook page.

Also available – my indispensable guide to avoiding Working Mum Guilt. Whether you are about to return or have already started back, this book offers practical solutions and feedback from real Mums with real families in real situations. Covering topics such as Post Natal Depression, childcare options, yours and your child’s development and time management – Ditch the guilt today!

 

A PB!

A shameless plug for a very worthwhile cause… my virtual friend’s hubby is running the London Marathon this coming weekend for Action on Pre-Eclampsia.  

It’s a cause close to his an his wife, Kelly Lewis’s, hearts.  It’s also a cause close to mine and my hubby’s hearts.  We have all, as couples, been affected by pre-eclampsia and hellp syndrome.  My hubby and I were lucky enough to pull through with a beautiful cheeky healthy little girl to show for it.  Other couples, like Kelly and David are sadly not so fortunate.  We need more awareness… you can NEVER have too much awareness.  So please, visit David’s JustGiving page and give what you can…  it all helps!

Read our stories here - ‘Hellp Syndrome in Pregnancy – Real Life Stories’ and ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’.  Some of the proceeds of both books go to charity.

Thank you.

Also available – my indispensable guide to avoiding Working Mum Guilt. Whether you are about to return or have already started back, this book offers practical solutions and feedback from real Mums with real families in real situations. Covering topics such as Post Natal Depression, childcare options, yours and your child’s development and time management – Ditch the guilt today!

 

Goodbye Sid… Hello ‘Topsy and Tim’!

Oooh I’m VERY excited!!  It looks like I’m going to be re-living some of my childhood memories through CBeebies…  I’ve just read through a friend’s facebook status that Sid Sloane is leaving ‘Beebies which is very sad.  It’s always sad when old faces leave.  As a parent, you try to sit down to watch TV with your little one but there are inevitably times when you can’t and you crack on with cooking tea/sorting washing etc.  However, the times I have sat down to watch all sorts of programmes with our little-big bear, over the past 3 1/2 years, I honestly do feel like the presenters are old friends!  It’s true!  

As I sit and write this, I’m thinking of our bear’s favourite beebies programmes.  The opening bars to ‘Justin’s House’ theme pops into my head (because I haven’t seen every episode over, and over, and over….!!), then there’s ‘Let’s Play’, then ‘Charlie and Lola’.  ’64 Zoo Lane’ is another one, ‘Numberjacks’ and ‘Timmy Time’.  She goes through phases, which is why we generally have one of each show recorded on sky (anything for a quiet life!) but every now and again we forget to free up some memory and one or two of them disappears… :s

So I’m getting distracted.  Why am I so excited?  I’ve just read on the Beebies website that Topsy and Tim is going to be made into a series.  I used to LOVE reading the 7 days box set.  Seriously.  The Builders, The Doctors.  They were and still are a firm favourite.  So while our bear is busy colouring in her corner, I’ll be sitting watching Beebies!!

 

Read my emotional and inspiring true story ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’. Available now through my website at Virtually All Sorts. 50% of sales to the charity Action on Pre-Eclampsia. …and visit my facebook page.

Also available – my indispensable guide to avoiding Working Mum Guilt. Whether you are about to return or have already started back, this book offers practical solutions and feedback from real Mums with real families in real situations. Covering topics such as Post Natal Depression, childcare options, yours and your child’s development and time management – Ditch the guilt today!

Brace yourself…

2 weeks off work on annual leave and it’s back to reality!  I’m actually looking forward to getting some daily structure back.  We will have to get used to clock-watching again in the morning but it’s not long until the holidays in August…!

It’s been an interesting 2nd week… we decided  it was ‘now or never’ to go for the toilet training!  After a first day of mishaps, we’ve only had a handful of mishaps in the last few days.  Our little-big bear is asking for a wee and is using the loo instead of the potty.  Happy days and long may it continue.  She’s still holding her number 2’s but that’s a hurdle we will soon overcome… 

Read my emotional and inspiring true story ‘Diary of a Complicated Pregnancy’. Available now through my website at Virtually All Sorts. 50% of sales to the charity Action on Pre-Eclampsia. …and visit my facebook page.

Also available – my indispensable guide to avoiding Working Mum Guilt. Whether you are about to return or have already started back, this book offers practical solutions and feedback from real Mums with real families in real situations. Covering topics such as Post Natal Depression, childcare options, yours and your child’s development and time management – Ditch the guilt today!