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.”