Cooking With My Little Fussy Eater

So little legs has started going through a bit of a fussy faze with food. She still eats enough but definitely picks and chooses - I find myself excusing her with "she's got a cold" "probably her Molars" etc but I'm not kidding anyone - those molars don't seem to have any problems munching through a bowl of strawberries or a slice of chocolate cake. Funnily enough the cold hasn't stopped her recent requests for hot chocolate and tea cake every time we pass a coffee shop

I have to just face it, she's decided she's in charge of what she eats and she is well aware of the good stuff. As much as I like to encourage independence and opinion it's apparently my job to ensure this tiny feral person grows up to be a healthy, well rounded human so the time has come to widen those culinary horizons before she resorts to only eating yogurt and licking butter of crackers! 

When D went through a similar phase we bought the I can cook cookbook and started to let her help in preparing her own meals so I thought I'd throw caution to the wind and allow little legs to do the same. 

I thought to avoid disappointment for both parties we'd start simple and opted for an oven baked sausage pasta. Pasta and roast dinners are a favourite in our house but I thought starting with something she might potentially not enjoy could having us falling at the first hurdle. F loved it, followed instructions perfectly and was super proud of making her own dinner. 

End result was actually pretty tasty and almost all was consumed which I'll take as a win. 

She even did her own washing up, Now I just need to train teach her to pop herself to bed and pour me a G&T before she goes! 

Bonfire breadstick sparklers

I love fireworks night and this year is the first where the little humans are feeling excited as well (although I fear Freya's excitement may be short lived when she actually hears them but I'm staying optimistic) 

We've ben doing lots of fireworks arts and crafts but through we'd try a bit of firework cooking - these sparkler breadsticks were a brilliant place to start, super easy and super messy!

It's simply breadsticks dipped in melted chocolate and decorated with whatever sparkles, sprinkles and stars you have - pop in the fridge and you're done!

Autumn

I've said it before and I will no doubt say it again, I bloody love Autumn!

Walks, Hot Chocolate, Pumpkins, Fireworks, Birthdays and the festive promise of Christmas - perfect!

School run mum fashion with Love the Sales

My eldest has just started Reception and like many mums the whole mums at the school gates thing is completely new and I must admit I did feel a bit of pressure to dress in a certain way. Right or wrong we do often make judgements on how people look and present themselves and mums at the school gates are no different. I also feel like I'm at a really awkward age clothes wise. I'm increasingly aware that I am not a young trendy 20 something anymore (who an I kidding I haven't been for years!) but I am really not ready to throw in the towel fashion wise yet either. So I'm trying to strike the right balance - stylish, comfortable and practical. The practical bit is a must as no one want to see a 36 year old, dressing like a teenager who could easily be her own daughter!

For me school run mum fashion is all about layering. Im usually freezing when I leave the house, but by the time I get home after depositing said school child, pushed a buggy up the biggest hill in Hertfordshire (not a fact, please don't correct me on this) and the sun has started to make an appearance I'm a red faced, sweaty disaster. This fabulous Cape from Dorothy Perkins at Love the sales is the perfect solution.

 

Lets talk shoes, we would all like to imagine ourselves tottering elegantly up to the school gates in nice skinnies and heels but the reality is more skidding on a wet leaf and taking a small child out while in our heels, so I have 2 school run essentials - pumps and UGGS - yes I know they are the marmite of boots and will seriously divide opinions but I happen to love them - who couldn't love a shoe which essentially feels like a small fluffy dog is cuddling your feet

Love the sales have great selection of UGGS and these are my current faves - I normally opt for the super fluffy but these are so practical as well as still being fur lined. Perfect with jeans and an oversized smart shirt. 

So finally to combat the nemesis of all school run mums - the rain!!!! If anything makes us want to run or our cars and risk sitting in traffic until lunch time its the thought of dragging our children through the freezing cold rain, usually on school photo day knowing by the time we get there we will all look like drowned rats and miserable with it! So coats - it has to be waterproof and it has to have plenty of pockets for the many fir cones, feathers (really what is it with kids and disgusting old feathers?) leaves, old sweet papers and if you happen to be the owner of a toddler like mine, tissues covered in her freshly picked bogos!

This Barbour Parker is perfect, stylish, good quality and an absolute bargain on the love for sales site.

There is a huge selection of clothes for the whole family on the love the sales site so have a gander and if you really fancy a bargain don't forget Black Friday is just around the corner (25th November 2016) and you'll find even more bargains available. 

Disclosure: Via Love the Sales

Willow the Pillow: A Review

We've had a little visitor at the beingmumtoday residence and I have to say he's been made very welcome. We were sent a beautiful toddler pillow case from the lovely folk at Willow the Pillow and F has decided that he is very much hers and has found him a place in her reading corner.

Willow the Pillow is more than just a pillowcase he's a little character, promoting blissful sleep and friendly companionship. As parent we all love sleep despite how little of it we actually get and to have a product which talks about resting and sleep to a child is great - F might actually listen to Willow rather than me when it comes to bedtime.

From a mummy point of view the pillowcase is beautifully soft and I love that it is made from 100% Organic cotton and printed with eco friendly water based ink. The packaging is minimal and again eco friendly. I love the design, simple and very very cool - I'd happily have a little family of Willows dotted around my house.

What I also love about Willow the Pillow is the ethos, a small start up company making something unique and individual. Making more than just a product and instead creating a real concept bringing the product to life. Their fabulous website tells the story of Willow and you can follow his travels on there as well as on Instagram and Facebook.

F loved her sleeping pillow and I have to say I agree.

We were sent a little Mini Willow pillowcase but all words and opinions within this post are my own.

Stand up beside the fireplace.........

There's my big girl, so so ready for her first full day at Reception, and here's me, so not.......

This is the Beginning of an adventure for you D there is so much ahead of you, you'll learn so much, grow so much and I hope you'll have an amazing time

Im not so confident about me however, I'm not ready to not have you here with me all day, I'm not ready to not make you lunch, have impromptu park visits or snuggle together watching a film while your baby sister naps. I'm not ready for you to spend more of your day at school than with me.

I'm going to miss you, my first baby, my biggest girl. I keep thinking back to those years before F came along, we were inseparable, my little Velcro baby, some days you only wanted me and secretly I loved it. We did everything together and had so many little adventures, then  F came along and we became a little gang, I felt awesome with my girls either side of me - 2 hands , 2 babies - now one of my hands is empty.......

but I promise you despite the tears, my heart is so full and so proud.

So there it is, the day my baby got a little bit bigger.................

My Nametags - A Review

Every year as the new school year comes upon us my twitter and Facebook feed are full of fed up status's of mums and dads drowning under the never ending job of labelling their children's school uniforms. Whether you are sewing, writing  or ironing labels onto the massive pile of dresses, shirts and cardigans it is not only a massive pain the derriere but a painful reminder that summer is over and your baby is now heading to school. 

Well this year it's my turn and like everyone I have a substantial pile of grey, white and red to label with my biggest babies name and class but thanks to My Nametags I can feel at least a little smug in the knowledge that the job only took me and D a few minutes to do. 

These brilliant little tags are literally stickers which stick to clothes, shoes and equipment and do not come off - we've worn them, washed them and they're still stuck fast - brilliant idea. 

The website has a massive selection of designs and you can choose what text you want to add. From design to delivery was super quick and they look brilliant. D loved helping me put them on her clothes and we have plenty of spares for replacement stuff throughout the year. 

We were sent a set of Nametags labels for the purpose of this post but all opinions are my own.

Little Dish 'Pots and Pies' Review

Freya is 2 in a month and we are starting to see glimmers her fussy side creeping into mealtimes, I tend to give her the same meals we all eat and to be honest the same meals we have all eaten for ages so when we were given the opportunity to try some of the new Pots and Pies meals from Little Dish I thought it would give us a chance to test that emerging palet with a few new tastes.

The Pots and Pies range are a nutritionally balanced selection of rice, pasta, traditional pies and mash topped pies. Hillary, the founder of Little dish is a mummy herself and created the brand 10 years ago when she found that you simply couldn't buy nutritional, healthy and most importantly tasty meals for toddlers. She works alongside nutritionist and fellow mummy Lucy Jones to ensure that all Little Dish meals meet the needs of her early days - healthy and delicious!

The Pots and Pies range is a brand new selection of meals and each

• is made using 100% natural ingredients
• is low in salt and contains no aded sugar, additives or preservatives
• provides at least one of a child's recommended five-a -day
• contains a source of Protein
• only ever contains British meat and sustainably sourced fish

I wouldn't normally opt for ready meal type dinners for the kids due to the issues with high salt and sugar but knowing this isn't an issue for the Little Dish meals it makes then a realistic option and for the convenience of having a nutritionally balanced meal available at short notice Im feeling optimistic. 

I opted for a selection of meals, some which I knew F would like and others which were bit of a gamble as she either hasn't had them before or hadn't necessarily enjoyed them.

 

Packaging is great, colourful and instigated conversations about what was in the meals and what vegetables she would be eating. I personally loved the little pots and the easy pull lid is exactly that - no burning your hands trying to slice it off with a knife!

We tried the spaghetti and meatballs first and as predicted this went down a storm, pasta is a staple in our house and F ate the lot. The Pasta bolognese was the same and having tasted a bit of both meals I can understand why - they both has a good flavour and lots of texture.

F wasn't keen on the fish pie we tried and I must admit I found the pie a little watery But her big sister however loved it and finished it off for her. 

The Little Dish pots and pies range will be priced at £2.30 which is a little more than I would like to pay for a child's meal were I making it fresh at home but for the convenience it's a good price to know the meal you are giving them is good quality and they'll eat it! 

You'll find the range in all major supermarkets alongside other foods in the range such as the healthy pizzas which I have tried in the past and the girls loved. 

From a personal point of view ready meals will never replace coking from scratch for me but I would be lying if I didn't admit that there is a place for them from a  convenience point of view and to know that I can have the same convenience with the children from time to time but be confident that the meals are healthy makes life that little bit easier, which as a mum of 2 under 5 is always very welcome!

“I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity.” 

Just left my job...........

I'm sat on a train from Euston on my last day commuting to London, and I'm feeling it all - sad, anxious, excited.... After 10 years working for the same university in central London I've left my job to start up as A self employed childminder.

After having the girls work felt completely different, I still loved my job and I feel privileged to have worked in a job where despite the frustrations there are days when you leave feeling like you have made a genuine difference to someone's life but I really started to feel torn. 

After having the girls I realised what I really wanted was to be working within the early years sector, I loved watching my own girls learn and develop and to be honest was continually astounded by how amazing these little people are - the extent to which young children can learn, grown and understand the world around them is inspirational and to be able to be part of that learning and to encourage and be part of that progress is a real privilege 

It hasn't been an easy process, undertaking the training with a 1 and 4 year plus a job in London is a challenge in itself. I'm experiencing massive delays with my local police force for my DBS clearance and Ofsted's own registration process takes forever. That and the fact that every step and stage of the training and registration costs a small fortune but I will get there!

It's so disappointing that the process is so time consuming, as someone who has used childminders there is a real need out for good quality, reliable and flexible childcare there yet it seems like there are constant obstacles in the way of those trying to set up.

So all of this means that sadly I wont be able to get working as soon as I want and Poor Mr R will be working his butt off to keep us afloat but it'll be worth it. Seeing how happy my big girl is to have her mummy at home with her is a very big reminder of why I'm doing this and what we can gain as a family as a result. 

I have no doubt a bit of me will miss London, miss the little bit of child free time I get when working, not to mention the regular salary but there is a much bigger adventure ahead for me and my Girlies and can't wait!

On one of our very rare child free meals we recently went to Jamie's in St Slbsns and I had a fantastic fish stew, in fact all the food was predictably fantastic!

We were recently invited to try The addition to Jamie's in St Albans - Jamie's Pizzeria so we're very happy to agree and even took the smalls with us this time!

On arrival we weren't entirely sure where to go as the Pizzeria is directly next door to the existing restaurant but we were soon shown the way and shown to our seat

The restaurant had a great decor and felt really relaxed, it's attached to the main restaurant (with shared toilet facilities) so felt a little unusual but the welcome was warm.

Having young children, other than the menu there are two things I look for in a restaurant which I hope will make it possible for me to 1) actually eat my food while it's hot and 2) pretend that eating in a restaurant is a lovely stress free experience and we enjoy every second of it. The highchairs and the activity packs!
Thankfully Jamies Pizzeria uses Stokke highchairs which along with the ikea ones are pretty much the only two which Freya can't escape from (well they make it a little harder) this meant that there was at least a 50/50% chance she would stay sat down long enough for us to order and eat the starters. The activity packs were also good - colouring crayons etc, possible a little old for Freya but she's generally happy with some colouring. 

So the food...... The menu is fairly simple which I quite liked as it often means whats there is good quality and well cooked rather than a place trying to cover everything and not doing anything particularly well. We started with olives as both the girls could literally inhale them and some delicious garlic bread with rosemary.  
For mains we all ordered pizzas (there is a forno dish of the day for those wanting an alternative but we felt that as a pizza restaurant we wanted to try the pizzas on offer) The pizzas are really delicious, fresh and light with a definite homemade feel to them. The girls had the kids pizza which also came with a shaker salad which they loved. My cheese monster big girl complained about the lack of cheese on the pizza and to be fair she had a point but it's minor and I'm sure you could request extra if you wished.

We were probably too full for deserts but it felt rude not to try something so the girls had ice cream and we opted to share a chocolate brownie. This came with toffee popcorn and salted caramel ice cream and was seriously tasty! The girls ice creams were fine but they did come with an amaretto biscuit which they did't like and I thought was a bit of a grown up choice if I was being picky.

As an overview the food was great and I'd definitely recommend it, everything felt freshly made and we all loved our choices

Restaurant wise I did feel having the pizzeria as an attachment to the main restaurant left you feeling a bit forgotten. We booked at 4.30 on a Sunday so I appreciate it wasn't the busiest of times however during our meal we didn't have a member of staff within the pizzeria for the whole time instead they came and went from the main restaurant and there were times when we were entirely alone in the restaurant feeling a little bit like we were in the sitting room at a party while everyone else was in the kitchen.

As a result of this we felt a little flat when we left and both agreed that we'd definitely return for the food but we we didn't feel very well looked after and the dining experience itself was a little detached. I'd be interested to return at a busier time to see if the experience is different

We were invited to try the food at Jamie's Pizzeria but all words and opinions are my own

Flying with Young Children, A Survival Guide

The one thing I was dreading most about our first holiday abroad as a family was the flight, it was only 4 hours but I literally had no idea how we would keep F the energetic, stubborn little mountain goat in one place for 4 minutes let alone 4 hours!

I planned, I researched and I purchased to try and ensure a smooth flight where I would at least emerge with my nerves intact and not have the rest of the plane wanting to shove my little darling into the overhead storage

As it turned out the flight was a breeze, the kids were impeccable and I couldn't have been more proud *smug* 

That said I know this wasn't without some careful planning and Im not going to be foolish enough to think it will be like this every time. So here are my top tips for preparing to fly with young kids and toddlers

1 - If your little one still naps, try and arrange it so they need to sleep during the flight, obviously you don't want to push them too far so that they scream the entire journey but we gave F a very early nap so that she would need another one later in the day and although it was only an hour it meant we had a little quiet time.

2 - We also used the airport time as a chance to let them run off some energy prior to boarding, there is usually plenty of walking opportunities and if you can, find a seating area where they can safely have a bit of freedom to stretch their legs as they will be sitting for a long time once you board

3 - Think about food - snacks can save a million situations so make sure you have plenty to hand. I took little boxes of raisons and things which would take a bit longer to eat to keep them occupied for longer. We also took a packed lunch with us as I knew there wasn't in flight food included and the stuff you can buy isn't exactly kid friendly. This meant that they also had a little plane picnic to keep them busy and kill some time.

4 - I was particularly worried about how the kids would react to take off, whether they would be scared, whether their ears would pop etc and again I worried far too much as they did brilliantly. we concentrated on looking after one child each and ensured they were occupied and positive during the take off and landing. We had sweets and dummies at the ready in case their ears popped and I bought them both a little soft dolly which I whipped out of my bag just as we were taking off and this acted as a great distraction. 

5 - Have plenty of activities ready to keep them occupied. I bought both the kids some new things which I kept hidden in my bag and bought out at intervals during the flight. My 4 year old had a new pencil case with an activity book, a small playmobile set and a new book. I also got my 19 month old a pencil case and drawing book, some toy cars and a book. F loves opening and closing things at the moment so this kept them both busy for a good part of the flight. 

6 - Finally whether you love them or loath them don't under estimate the power of electrical devices. We took both the Leap pad and iPad on the flight and had some of their favourite shows downloaded ready to go. Our return flight was at night and although my 19 months old slept the whole journey my 4 year old found it hard to drop off so watching a few episodes of her favourite shows while lying down helped her relax and they both slept right through landing and had to be woken up when we reached the airport. 

7 - Try to RELAX, I know that sounds easy but if your baby cries try not to be too bothered by those around you and just concentrate on ensuring you are both comfortable - rest assured yours won't be the only child making some noise on the flight and if you're lucky they won't be the worst! 

8 - If however they are - there's always GIN!

I Bloody Love Spring!

Right now things are pretty much all over the place in our little lives, almost sold out house, have no where else to go after the gazumping dabacle, work/ study / life balance is well.....unbalanced and little legs has decided that rather than sleep she is going to cry every 20 minutes unless she has a dummy in her mouth and one in each hand. All in all this has left us stressed, fed up and knackered!

However I woke up this morning to blue skies and an undeniable feeling that Spring is on its way and it just made everything feel a little lighter.

Yes we may have to stay in our little 2 bed abode but D loves the idea of bunk beds and it really is an awesome house.

Yes I feel stressed by working, studying and looking after the kids but it's temporary and will hopefully pave the way for a big changes and a much more home focused future 

And yes we're knackered but I'm pretty sure most parents of 18 month olds are knackered as well. I've been here before, I know it will pass and I know in my heart that she's not doing this to deprive her poor parents of much needed sleep, she's having a hard time and needs us - its just a shame she needs us all night long ZZZzzzzzzz

Thank you spring sunshine, thank you new flowers, thank you ice creams as big as our heads and thank you for the prospect of summer! we all need a little perspective sometimes

Little Pip is 18 Months old

Miss Freya Pearl

You're 18 months old today and I thought I'd take the chance to mark you officially becoming a mini person and sob quietly that you're not my tiny baby anymore

When i found out we were having another girl,I just presumed we'd have a mini version of D but I couldn't have been more wrong, you're Freya and although you couldn't be more different from your big sister together you're both pretty perfect!

you are so lucky have D as your big sister, she loves you so so much and she's going to no doubt bail you out of trouble for the rest of your life, she'll be the one holding the window open for you to sneak through when you come home late, she'll be getting you out of trouble, covering up for you - She'll have you're back no matter what. D loves being your big sister, she's flourished in the role and you've given her so much confidence watching how she plays with and looks after you is the best thing in the world

You on the other hand are cheekiness personified, you have a huge, fearless, funny character. You drive D crazy sometimes, you want everything she has, won't cuddle when she wants to, will definitely cuddle when she doesn't! But its so clear you simply adore her and I hope you'll be best friends forever.

I'm so proud of you every single day and I love watching the little person you are becoming.

You are funny, love attention and can be a stubborn, independent little lady when you want to

Your favourite place is the swings and you will sing and dance until you fall asleep (literally)

You love books and drawing and baby Jake and Igglepiggle are your current heroes

You LOVE cake especially chocolate cake and will eat spaghetti Bol every day of the week!

You stand on everything, climb on the unclimbable and it is an absolute miracle we haven't had any visits to A&E yet!

You're becoming so so clever, you can say so much and I know you understand so much more. I was going to list your words but you can say so much now it would go on forever!

You're amazing, you make me laugh constantly and I really do love you more than chocolate!

Happy 1.5 birthday Baby Pip

Boots Opticians Launch New Eye Test Storybook - Zookeeper Zoe

BootsUK have launched a brand new exciting eye check story book this week called "Zookeeper Zoe" 

Developed with the National Literacy Trust and in collaboration with Celebrity Dad Peter Andre, this is a story book with a difference. Throughout the book there are a number of interactive eye check activities which will help parents to identify if their children require an eye test. Aimed at Children aged 4-6 it tells the story of a little girl called Zoe who during a trip to the zoo ends up being a zookeeper for the day. For Animal crazy Zoe this is a dream come true and she has a fun filled day with the animals helping keep the zoo open. 

The eye checks are integrated within the story so children will enjoy taking part in the activities without even realising they are doing so, meaning parents can work through them in a fun and interactive way. 

Mr R wears glasses and has done since childhood do it's something I'm aware of for my little ones, this is a great way of keeping an eye on the children eyes while indulging our love for books!

As part of the Launch of Zookeeper Zoe Boots held a fantastic Animal themed party at the St Martins Lane Hotel in London and invited us along to join them. We had a brilliant morning and there was so much to keep the girls entertained, from facepainting (a particular favourite of Daisy's) a very popular balloon modeller, craft tables for mask making and colouring and not forgetting real life animals for the children to meet! Daisy loved saying hello to the snakes, parrot and Lemur and even at one point had a huge snake slithering over her as she lay on the ground!

There was also a wonderful comfy area where we could sit and read the book have our photo taken with some of the Characters - Freya was particularly keen on the Gorilla! I loved the green screen where the kids could have their photo taken and have it made into an identity badge for them to wear during the day - Daisy loved hers and it's a great memory of a fun morning. 

The entertainers on the day were truly brilliant, so friendly with the children and even had my normally shy girly dancing round like an elephant. The magic show even had us grown ups amazed and they ended with a lovely picnic together while the adults enjoyed a few glasses of  fizz and canapés. 

All in all a brilliant morning and a suitably fun filled way to launch a great idea and great book. Ours has definitely become a bedtime favourite!

Zookeeper Zoe is available free from BootsUK and Boots Opticians stores while stocks last. It can also be found online at www.zookeeperzoe.co.uk

5 Ways to Make your Mother's Day the Best Ever, with Champneys

We all hear the same things every year, people saying how they don't need a special day to enjoy motherhood, remind themselves their a good parent or be treated kindly by their family and yes this is all well and true but in reality it's just nice! As a busy mum it's lovely to have a day where we remember who we are, think about how much our families mean to us and be appreciated for how hard we work and if alongside that we get a bit of relaxation along the way whats there to complain about!

So when Champney's got in touch and asked if I would like to join their challenge to blog about 5 things which could make Mothers day the best ever I thought why not - it's good sometimes to remind ourselves we doing a good job of the hardest job in the world! 

So here's mine.........

1. A bit of peace and quiet. As mums we all have our own expectations of peace and quiet. For some it might be a weekend away or a spa day but for me, a lady of little pleasures just a wee alone without the toddler attempting to 'help' or a cup of hot tea sitting down without a four year old declaring 'mummy I'm princess Fiona - you be shrek!' is an absolute treat.

2. A meal out. Technically for me this is simply anything I haven't cooked and more importantly I won't have to wash up after. The fact someone else has the pleasure of picking up the toddler debris really does make it Mother's Day heaven!

3. A lie in. There aren't many parents (at least those telling the truth) who get enough sleep at night so the thought of a little child (and husband) free extra sleep in the morning is the perfect Mother's Day treat. And when I say lie in I really only mean till 7am I'm not greedy! 

4. A long hot bubble bath. Okay maybe a long hot shower, bugger I'll take a super quick Luke warm shower if I could only get away without shave my legs with little eyes peering at me, a toddler scaling the loo to eat the toilet roll and the foreboding knowledge that at any second your mobile phone/clothes/hairdryer/fully dressed toddler might join you

5. If none if the above are possible then you can always rely on the fail safe, always a winner, Mother's Day treat and bring me a large cold G&T - perfect

I'm pretty lucky and I'm happy with my lot in life but a little bit of time alone to relax would never go amiss. So when Champney's asked if I'd like to try their A little something special gift box it sounded like a lovely excuse to take a bit of time to myself. The set comes in a beautiful sunny yellow box with a real feeling of quality and the products smelt amazing as soon as I opened the box. The box contains:

• Citrus Blush Enlivening Shower Cream
• Citrus Blush Enlivening Daily Scrub
• Citrus Blush Enlivening Body lotion
• Summer Dream Rewarding Bubble Heaven
• Summer Dream Rewarding Candle

All the products are full sized and it feels like a real treat to receive, I can't wait try out  them all out and give myself a little time to relax after a fun filled mother's day. 

I was sent the Champney's gift box for the purposes of this post but all words and opinions are my own. 

So, we got gazumped.... and the rest........

To the scumbag who committed to us buying your home and then went and exchanged with another buyer did you realise or care.......

We have 2 young children

We work bloody hard to make ends meet and have put everything we have financially into buying this house

We started to plan a future there for our children and shared our exciting plans with our equally as excited children.

We were looking forward to an exciting year building our forever home.

We've already spent thousands on fees, surveys and solicitor costs

I used to see the positive in people and believed most people were essentially good but now I'll forever be wary and sadly consider everyone's greed and self centredness before seeing the good 

And most importantly, you made my 4 year old cry - You're a dick

I'm no housing expert or indeed conveyancing solicitor but it's worth knowing that in England Gazumping is very much a thing and perfectly legal - in a sellers market its often used to put buyers up against each other to get the best deal. However what isn't ok is what happened to us - our seller's solicitor issued 2 contracts and placed us in a contract race without us being made aware. Contract races, where 2 buyers literally race to exchange first, (although clearly bonkers) are legal but each party needs to be aware and in agreement which wasn't the case for us. Don't worry it's being pursued by our solicitor.........

Waking up from a bit of blogging Hibernation

Its been a while and I feel like I've neglected my little blog lately. We've got so much going on at the moment that blogging has suffered, although I'm going to think of it as a bit of winter hibernation.

Anyhow I do plan to keep beingmumtoday very much a current blog especially with the crazily hectic but exciting year ahead.

Currently selling and buying house - girls need more room, we need a playroom study so I'm bound to be spamming the world of social media with house and interiors pics - Pinterest as you imagine is not in hibernation - literally pinning for England with that bad boy

Work / study / Kids - that's pretty much my life. Planning some big changes work wise which I'm hoping will make family life a little less hectic so I'll be blogging how that goes

First holiday abroad with the minis - Ds off to reception in September so this is our chance to afford a decent holiday - we're off to the holiday village in Rhodes and I can't wait