5 Happy Things #6

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This week has been a bit of a tough one for our household. Max has been pretty ill with a sky high temperature and sickness bug and we’ve spent most of the week cuddling on the sofa with him snoozing and co-sleeping during the night. It’s made me realise that I really don’t deal well my child being sick and makes me appreciate how agonising it must be to have a child going through a serious illness. So not so much a moment of happiness to kick off, but more a note of gratitude.   In cheerier news, we got our Christmas decorations down from the loft yesterday and that’s kicked off the festive feeling for me! There is something truly nostalgic ...

Dear Santa … My Christmas Wishlist

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Dear Santa, This year, I would really love it if any of the following gifts were to find their way into my stocking on Christmas Day! Anthropologie Gold Monogram Mugs £8 I've loved these for ages and was pretty devastated when they sold out of the gold edition ones last year before I could get my hands on one. I'd love one of these this time around! A K, obviously. Jo Malone, Wood Sage & Sea Salt £42 for 30ml I'd not bothered to even try this Jo Malone scent until recently, as I tend to be more of a fruity fragrance (Pomegranite Noir, English Pear and Freesia, Blackberry & Bay are my go-to scents), but I had an urge to have a spritz recently and I'm ...

5 beauty sins you’re probably committing

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We all know the importance of a good beauty and skincare routine and yet there are certain cardinal sins that I know I am guilty of committing, and I bet a lot of you are too! See how many you can tick off the list…   Not cleaning your makeup brushes regularly How often should we be cleaning our brushes? Experts say once a month at a minimum, twice a month for any brushes you use around your eyes. Hmmm, not sure I can remember the last time I cleaned mine, so it’s time I got the baby shampoo out and got cleaning. On the plus side, cleaning your brushes regularly means that they last longer, shed less, and give a better finish ...

Sundays are for…

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Sundays are for snuggling on the sofa, still in your pyjamas at 10:00, with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee and a pain au raisin. Sundays are for faces free from makeup, for ripped jeans and woolly jumpers. Sundays are for roast chicken, with crispy roast potatoes, cabbage and steaming hot gravy. Sundays are for bracing walks through the woods, crunching leaves underneath your wellington boots. Sundays are for no dinner, because you're still full from lunch. Sundays are for curling up on the sofa with a cup of hot chocolate.   Whatever you're up to this Sunday, enjoy it!

Toddler Boy Winter Fashion

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When it comes to clothes, I think it's fair to say that my little boy has a far more frequently updated wardrobe than I do. The changing seasons mean that a wardrobe overhaul is required and I have a few go-to places that I love for toddler boy clothes. Zara Zara do a great range of clothes for little boys, and I love their 'Shop by Style' feature that lays out all the clothes in a little outfit. I'd been eyeing up this green Bear sweatshirt for ages but unfortunately it's currently sold out in all sizes (and I keep seeing children in it everywhere which just rubs it in!). Luckily this blue version is a good substitute.   I loved the outfit laid ...

Musings on Motherhood and Guilt

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Mother's guilt is a phrase I'd hear splattered around a lot before I became a mum and I have to admit it’s not something that ever particularly resonated with me (why would it though, when I wasn’t a mother?). But since having Max it’s something that I’ve felt acutely and I find that at the back of my mind there is often that nagging voice:   ‘A good mum would have done that differently’   On an average day some of the concerns that might run through my head go something like this:   ‘You’re too strict’   ‘You’re not strict enough’   ‘He should be eating more, that’s why he’s so small’   ‘He clearly eats too much – he just finished a whole adult portion there!’   ‘Maybe he would be better off ...

6 of the Best Midcentury Reproduction Pieces

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The success of Mad Men has a lot to make us thankful for, not least the rise in Mid-century reproduction furniture in the UK market. I love the midcentury look, but sadly the real thing is a long way past my budget, so I'm thrilled that there are so many great pieces available - I've lined up my favourites to share here. Karla Armchair - Swoon Editions I've been eyeing up midcentury Parker Knoll armchairs for ages - the sleek lines are so sexy. What most of them tend to be missing though is the funky upholstery that caught my eye with this one. Swoon Editions have collaborated with textile artist Michelle Mason and TfL, whose tile designs for the Bakerloo ...

My relationship with running and the Couch to 5K

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I am not a natural runner. I was the type at school who shunned any form of exercise, who would ‘go long’ during rounders, who saw the monthly ‘cross country’ as a nice leisurely walk around the local housing estate (although that perhaps says more about my school’s view of what the term ‘country’ covers). Suffice to say, I was not a fan of exercise.   Fast forward a few (ahem – many!) years to around my mid-twenties, and I finally discovered that exercise is the only way that I shift weight. And somewhere along the line I realised that I quite enjoy it.   Even after a long time of working my way through various home workout DVD’s, I still hadn’t tried running ...

What I’m watching… The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds

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Are you watching The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds? It’s the second series, we’re two episodes in and I’m finding it charming and fascinating in equal measure. In it, we follow a group of 4 year olds as they are introduced to each other for the first time. Through a Big Brother-esque setup of hidden cameras and microphones we get to listen in and observe their social interactions, with commentary from psychologists. As you would expect, there is a healthy dose of the surreal, as one little boy walks into the room and declares “Today I am a swordfish”, but it’s watching the children’s emotional rollercoaster journeys that is so captivating. In the course of a one hour episode ...

How to have a happy childhood

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I’ve been pondering lately on what makes a happy childhood. It's probably fair to say that this is every parent’s wish for their child, but what is it that constitutes a happy childhood, and how do we achieve it? One of the most amazing things about becoming a parent has been the joy that Max has brought into our lives. It’s something that I always heard parents say, but never quite understood – I thought they meant that their child made them happy; now I understand that that’s part of it, but it’s the crazy giggles, the innate joy that they find in little things that makes their face light up and your heart burst that is where that joy lies. ...