My Sunday Photo

A day trip to Brighton

The power of blogging - thoughts from a blogger's child

It recently occurred to me that whilst I am now a blogger, it is also true that  I am a blogger's child.
You see, whilst my siblings and I grew up, my mother (who was a writer amongst many other things) wrote a weekly post for a parenting website about the funny things that happened in our family life. As you can imagine, a house filled with four children and an eclectic selection of pets was certainly plenty of inspiration for her. It was called 'Nesbit Road'.

At the time, I confess I didn't pay too much attention to what was written - the posts were created over the course of my teenage years and I think I must have been paying more attention to friends, parties and the Backstreet Boys- but Mum did occasionally check in with me to make sure I didn't mind if certain stories were published. This was over ten years ago and the blogosphere didn't have quite the same reach as it does now (and there was no Facebook or Twitter), so I usually said yes.

After the blog ended, Mum spent some time pulling together the posts for us all into a book. She'd written the posts over seven years and created a 166 page memento for us all - a lot of posts(!). And when I received it (I think I was in wedding planning mode at the time) I thanked her and set it aside to be dipped in and out of at a later point.  I didn't realise then how cherished this book would become.

Since my mum passed away three years ago, that book has become one of my favourite books on my book shelf. It's something I read when I want to laugh at the silly things that happened when growing up or when I'm feeling teary and just want to hear her voice - it's funny how powerful writing can be. It's something I read when I just want to remember. Remember my mum.... and the quirky things that used to happen on a fairly regular basis back in 'Nesbit Road'.

This all got me thinking about the power of blogging and how positive it can be for us, our children and our families. In writing about parenting, the big issues and the day-to-day, we are autobiographers of our family lives - witnessing, capturing and preserving. I know there are many debates around digital footprint, content copyright and over-sharing but the simple act of writing about your family life (whether to share or not) is a positive one.

In this digital age where children will grow up with thousands of pictures and videos of their childhoods, it's important to make sure that you are present there too. Writing captures our tone of voice, our humour, our observations and moments of family life that your children may not be able to recall.

Whether they log onto your blog in years to come, find a notebook or even pick up your book, I can guarantee they will smile when they read your words. They will hear your voice and recall moments that were long forgotten. They will remember.

So to all you bloggers, keep writing and being inspired by your family and those silly moments. Enjoy that bit of time you spend reflecting and writing about your day and how life really is for you this week.

And to my favourite blogger of them all, my mum, thank you.

My Sunday Photo

A Sunday morning spent at our local lavender farm. 

Dinner for one? Baked eggs in avocado recipe

The month of June in our household has meant a lot of late nights working for OH as well as a trip away. I have been on full-time bath and bed-time duty and so by the time I get round to making some dinner for me, I just want something on my plate as soon as possible - cue eyeing up the cereal cupboard....

But this week I have been inspired and have found a rather tasty, healthy and (most importantly) easy recipe which I wanted to share - Baked Eggs in Avocado.

Super simple and very easy to make.

All you need is:
1 avocado
2 eggs

salt and pepper
paprika/cayenne pepper
salad (whatever is in your fridge -  I've used tomatoes, basil, feta cheese and spring onion)

balsamic vinegar

All you need to do is:
- preheat the oven to 220 degrees (fan)
- halve the avocado
- place the two halves in a baking dish or ramekin
- crack one egg into each of the avocado halves ( be careful to keep the avocado upright and try and pour the yolk in first - this can get a bit messy)
- season with salt and pepper and paprika
- bake in oven for 15 minutes or until the egg is cooked through
- top with salad and a splash of balsamic vinegar

And voila! A tasty, simple, summer dinner. Enjoy ☺️

For more information about this recipe click here

Breaking the blogging silence

                                              

So I've been a bit quiet on the blogging front recently... in fact, it's been a few months. Not on purpose but, as I'm sure other bloggers will know, blogging can often be put at the bottom of the never ending to-do list. 

It's been an exciting few months though! We've moved house and I'm now back at work (in a new job) and have been getting to grips with juggling being a mummy, working and life in general. Abigail is now walking and keeping us very much on our toes. She's also starting to talk with new favourite words dog, duck, ball and shoes (or dooos). It's amazing to see her grow and to watch her personality shine through. Although I didn't realise the terrible twos can start at fifteen months!! 

I do wish sometimes there were an extra couple of hours in the day (the plea of all parents). There's nothing I would love more than to spend my evenings writing, reading, tweeting, linking, liking and sharing - but the reality is by 7.30pm I'm really good for very little apart from watching a bit of Netflix and pretending to listen to my husband. 

So I've been more of a blogging observer. Keeping up to date with my favourite bloggers and enviously tracking #britmumslive (maybe next year).

This summer I will definitely make more of an effort to post, even if it's just a few words. These summer evenings do make the days feel that little bit longer, don't they?

In the meantime, I thought I'd pass on a few Netflix recommendations for those of you who, like me, are curled up on the sofa by 8pm...*

1. Grace and Frankie - I confess I didn't have high hopes for this but found to to be genuinely heart-warming and hilarious! Roll on season two...

2. Chef's table - so I'm working in food and hospitality PR now and I saw this as a bit of research but it was really interesting learning about chefs Massimo Bottura and Dan Barber. One for the foodies. 

3. Once Upon A Time - it's amazing how they link all the fairytales a together

4. The Good Wife - always good to watch an American law drama

5. Pretty Little Liars - a guilty pleasure but it's so good!

*Netflix has in no way sponsored me to write this post and I can guarantee my husband's list of recommendations would look very, very different. In fact, our profile looks like a confused mix of gritty dramas, indie comedies and a few episodes of Peppa Pig thrown in for good measure!

Now we have a one-year old

   

So it's official, we no longer have a newborn baby. I can no longer count my daughter's age in weeks or months (well, I can try months for a bit longer but will likely just get that weird look as friends put their mental arithmetic to the test and attempt to make sense of what I have said) and can now say I have a one-year old. And wow what a year it has been. 

Timehop shows me pictures of my post-birth self cradling my tiny sleeping daughter on this day last year. Oh how far we have come since that newborn haze,  surrounded by muslins and pillows! 

Today I have an explorer on my hands. Crawling round our new home (yes, we finally moved!), unpacking bags, climbing the stairs with already too much ease (supervised!) and reaching higher and higher for things she should not have. A is already very observant, and today for the first time, I saw her pretending to have a conversation on her baby phone full of laughs and 'no, no,no!' Now might be the time to start watching we say in front of the B-A-B-Y...

This milestone has me thinking about the past year and what I advice I would give myself or indeed anyone with a newborn now.  A couple of tips spring to mind:

• get comfortable: whether it's the sofa, rocking chair or your bed, settle in for lots of cuddles with your little one and get to know them. 
• eat and drink plenty: you need to keep your energy up! But don't go overboard on cake, your body really needs the good stuff right now.
• take lots of pictures and videos: capture as many moments as you can.
•  forget dieting and trying to lose weight: give yourself a break, you've just had a baby! It took nine months to make your little one, why wouldn't it take at least nine months for your body to get back to normal?
• try not to do too much too, too soon: this can be particularly challenging if you've only recently started maternity leave and are still adjusting to life without meetings and spreadsheets. Take each day at a time as you learn to live with your baby and handle all the practicalities. 
• cherish every moment: even when it feels like you will never sleep or shower again. You will.

Now, what does life with a toddler look like? *Gulp*

6 Top Apps for New Parents

Our mobile phones are becoming increasingly integral to our day-to-day lives and also (scarily) part of our parenting. How often do you look something up on your phone? Dr Google is definitely an acquaintance of mine...How many times has your little one  reached for your phone or tablet? How often do you pass your phone with an app that you know will keep your little one quiet and entertained for a couple of minutes at least? Maybe you don't do this. Certainly before I was a parent I ruled out tablet use for my unborn child. But I have changed my mind in these past few months and I see how happy A is to play on a phone and experience the colours and sounds (right before she tries to put it in her mouth).  So I've given in and think that a bit of supervised use on child friendly apps is probably the way to go ( I may, however, be writing another post soon about the destruction of my phone by a nine-month old... watch this space).

There are a whole host of mobile apps out there aimed at parents and children and in these past nine months I've been surprised at how many I have used. I wanted to share with you my six top apps that we have found both useful and entertaining. I hope you find it helpful :)

1. Safe Dreams

I confess we downloaded this the first night we brought A home. We'd read somewhere that newborns feel comforted by white noise because its a familiar sound after hearing mum's heartbeat for the last few months. Safe Dreams is a free app that plays white noise sounds like jet cabin and womb sounds. You can set the time on it too so that it plays long enough to help soothe your baby. Ideal for those first few weeks.

2. Baby Centre

Often when you are looking on-line for information about babies, Baby Centre ranks quite high in the search results. The Baby Centre app is really useful as it provides daily updates about your baby and what's happening to them at different stages. There's a chat forum which can be helpful if you are looking to connect with other parents with babies of the same age and you can use the app as a picture diary of your baby too.

3. The Wonder Weeks

The Wonder Weeks app has been created to support The Wonder Weeks book. It breaks the book down into short, summarised chunks that are easy to read when you have a spare five minutes. The book is based on 35 years of research about the development of babies in their first couple of years and the milestones that they reach. I personally find all this very interesting and it has been a great resource to use when trying to understand A's behaviour and development. It has also helped to explain a few cranky phases!

4. Go Baby

Go Baby is a great app for London parents. From your location it can pinpoint the closest child-friendly venues and it details if they have baby change, high-chairs and lift access. This is a fairly new app so listings are being added all the time but its particularly well set up for central London travel.

5. Koi Pond

OK, so this is my new favourite app. So simple and is perfect for babies as they learn about cause and effect. The app is simply an interactive Koi Carp pond. The pond is full of fish and creatures and every time you touch the screen you interact with the pond i.e. scaring the fish away, splashing the water, creating ripples etc. It works really well on a tablet and I think I may be enjoying it just as much as my daughter!

6. Rhymes

Nursery Rhymes have been brought to life and into the twenty-first century with a dose of animation and bright colours in a mobile app. The old favourites have been animated into interactive videos for your little one's amusement. In Old Macdonald, the cows parachute, the pigs play the trumpet and the farmer dances (who knew!?!). Rhymes is an essential mobile app to keep handy when you need a break from singing!

5 inspiring parenting quotes

After a long day, I do like to spend a bit of time on Pinterest to unwind (my OH doesn't quite get it and often finds me chuckling to myself). My favourite section is 'quotes' and I find many insightful, funny and touching words. I often come across inspiring parenting quotes that make me smile as they illustrate the reality of day-to-day parenting. It's nice to know I'm not the only one out there looking round their house wondering where all the mess came from...again...

I've pulled together five of my favourite inspiring parent quotes. Let me know if these resonate with you or what your favourites are!

*most of these quotes are anonymous so haven't been credited.

Five reasons why Blogfest Rocked

           

So yesterday I headed off for my first child-free day in eight months and went to Kings Place for my first ever blogging conference; Mumsnet's Blogfest. It felt a bit like the first day of school as I didn't know anyone but I was very excited by the line-up and the thought of using the learning part of my brain again! 

It was an exciting, educational and truly inspiring day and here are my top five reasons for why Blogfest officially rocked. 

1. The panels: I felt very spoiled as I got to hear from a whole host of writers, journalists and bloggers. From the Fleet Street Fox to Suzanne Moore to Francesca Martinez and Nick Hornby, everyone who spoke was inspirational and left me with some food for thought. My favourite quote of the day ( there were many to choose from) came from Suzanne Moore; ' Writing is about living, live as much as you can'. True words. 

2. The masterclasses: as a new(ish) blogger and digital addict I am keen to learn as much as I can about the world of blogging and social media. I found both the 'getting more from Google' and  'advanced social media' sessions invaluable and I'm now itching to get to grips with Google +. Wish me luck! 

3. New friends: it was so lovely to meet some new blogging friends and find some great new blogs! It was amazing to see how the internet had brought us all together and I look forward keeping up with with these lovely ladies in the future.

4. The Twitter screen: during the panel debates, the live twitter stream was projected up on the big screen. It was great fun to see everyone's responses to the live debate and it made the discussion feel very interactive. I was also secretly ( or not so secretly) pleased when my comments popped up!

5.  Gin & Tonic: the day ended with some well-deserved gin & tonics from Fever Tree. It was a lovely chance to have a good chat before jumping on the train home to see how OH had fared with the little one...