Maternity Shopping with JoJo Maman Bebe in Kingston

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JoJo Maman Bebe is one of my favourite children's / maternity shops, so when I was invited to their Kingston store for a VIP maternity shopping event I leapt at the opportunity. I have to admit that although Kingston is my closest JoJo store, it's not one that I've been to often before, more often visiting the Guildford store. The biggest selling point of JoJo Maman Bebe in Kingston has to be their extensive Maternity department. One of the most frustrating things when shopping as a pregnant woman is the lack of maternity clothes in stores. So often you're forced to buy online, and not knowing the stores specific maternity sizing, combined with an unfamiliar new body, results in lots of ...

Me and Mine: A Family Portrait in March

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Spring has sprung and I'm so pleased! We've managed to get out and about so much more this month, and on the whole it's been a good one for us. Our family portraits this month are from Mother's Day, when we headed out for a low key trip to Bushy Park. When I was asked what I wanted to do for Mother's Day, my one request was that I didn't want to go to a restaurant - I'm finding it far too much like hard work these days and a low key walk and trip to a cafe is a much better bet. We took out my new tripod - a proper one now rather than the GorillaPod we were using before ...

#SharingtheBlogLove #38

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A big welcome back to #SharingtheBlogLove! I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day last Sunday. We spent ours with a low key walk in the sunshine at Bushy Park - there were daffodils and blossom everywhere and it was so clear that spring is finally here. The Easter holidays are just around the corner too, so I hope you have some lovely things planned. Max is super excited about an Easter egg hunt - every morning he asks me if we can go and find the eggs in the garden. I've not hidden them yet! But, on with the linky!   What's #SharingtheBlogLove all about? If you are new to Sharing the Blog Love it is a weekly showcase of our favourite posts that have ...

Sharing the Blog Love - Showcase 38

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A big welcome to our weekly #SharingtheBlogLove Blogger Showcase! If you're new to #SharingtheBlogLove, these are mine and Laura's favourite posts from last week's linky. As part of the linky we'd like you to choose one post from each showcase post (one from mine and one from Laura's) to head over to and leave a comment to show them some extra blog love. It's always lovely to take a look at our featured posts this week and see how many extra comments they've had from you guys!   3 Little Ladies and Me I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day. I know it can be a difficult time for lots of people, and judging by the Mumsnet chat forums a disappointing one too, but whatever kind ...

The Best Gardens in Surrey

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We moved to Surrey nearly 4 years ago now, and one of the things I love most about it is the number of beautiful gardens it has. I must have visited so many now, but each garden has something unique to offer and I love that a visit at different times of year allows you to see a completely different side to a place. These are some of my favourite gardens in Surrey to visit.   RHS Wisley RHS Wisley is one of my favourite places to visit and I feel so lucky to have it on our doorstep. It's a huge space, with so many different areas to explore - a large glasshouse, rose gardens, orchards, a pinetum, as well as spectacular ...

Living Arrows 13/52

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You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth – Kahlil Gibran   Max and his cousin are only 3 weeks apart in age, and I'm so pleased that he has a family member so close in age to grow up with. It's not always been smooth sailing as they've navigated the toddler years and learnt the art of sharing, but moments like this make it all worth it. Total heart melt moment right there!  

The Pregnancy Diaries: Week 28

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28 weeks pregnant and into the third and final trimester! Every week now seems like such a huge step closer to meeting our newest family member. I'm starting to feel like it's close and that we need to be sorting everything out in preparation - there's really not that much to do this time around, but I'm definitely getting that nesting urge now.   What's going on with the baby The baby is now about the size of an aubergine which is starting to get quite sizeable I think! He now has tiny eyelashes, and his sense of sight may have developed enough to see light coming in from the outside world. He's piling on the fat ready to make his entrance into the ...

What to pack in your hospital bag (and what to leave at home!)

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Packing your hospital bag probably the stage of pregnancy where the reality of it all hits you - suddenly it's all real. But labour is one of the biggest uncertainties about pregnancy - you rarely know when it's going to happen, or exactly how it's going to go. So planning for it can be really tricky. There are always going to be things that you take that don't get used, and other things that you'd forgotten that you wished you'd had. So what will I be packing in my hospital bag second time around? I found it helpful last time to have 3 hospital bags - one for the labour, one for the baby (great tip: use your changing bag!), and one for ...

#SharingtheBlogLove #37

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A big welcome back to #SharingtheBlogLove! This week has brought the first day of spring and although it wasn't a day of sunshine for us, this week on the whole has felt so spring-like! I can't tell you how much my mood improves once the sunshine beams and the flowers start blooming - it definitely puts a sunnier vibe on everything for me. I hope you've seen some sunshine and signs of spring with you! But, on with the linky!   What's #SharingtheBlogLove all about? If you are new to Sharing the Blog Love it is a weekly showcase of our favourite posts that have linked up. It's a chance to introduce you to new blogs and to share the wonderful writing that exists in the ...

Sharing the Blog Love - Showcase 37

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A big welcome to our weekly #SharingtheBlogLove Blogger Showcase! If you're new to #SharingtheBlogLove, these are mine and Laura's favourite posts from last week's linky. As part of the linky we'd like you to choose one post from each showcase post to head over and leave a comment to show them some extra blog love. It's always lovely to take a look at our featured posts this week and see how many extra comments they've had from you guys!   Jaki Jellz Seeing your children develop their understanding of emotions is one of those amazing things about being a parent. Max has always been quite a sensitive chap, and he's very focused lately on when other people are sad. I loved Jaki's story of her son doing exactly ...