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.