Places and Spaces - The Playroom

We recently updated our conservatory to house Bubba's ever growing toy stash which I think must multiply overnight. I've written about it here before but every time I go out there I love looking around as it's so bright and pretty and a lot of people say it's got a seaside feel about it, so I thought I'd share it with you.

On our recent holiday, I got a little bit obsessed with collecting shells as we went to the beach every evening and ended up carting a lot of them home and so I decided to have a shell jar. Whenever we go to a beach from now on I am going to collect and add to the jar as an ongoing reminder which Bubba will probably want to play with as she gets older. I also have an owl obsession, I have no idea why or how but I do and throughout our house they can be found dotted around.

My lovely bunting and home-made blind, I haven't taken close up photo's because my stitches aren't very straight yet but the more bunting I make (and I've made a few already as I got a bit bunting trigger happy over the summer) the straighter I get the sewing machine to go.

My favourite photographs are hung from a garland that I originally bought for my wedding but never used and it now wraps around pipework above our outside/inside toilet.

 Home-made photo frames, the button start was the first to be made, the second was a pretty little cross stitch which matched our conservatory colours and I've still go one to go but as everything, it's a work in progress.

Bubba's table and chairs, not a day goes by that she doesn't sit here for something or other and it's usually piled high with puzzles and colouring books and crayons. I love these little things and they go perfectly in our bright and breezy room.

My little haven, my lovely little corner that I sit and watch Bubba from or escape out here to look at the garden once she is in bed. It feels peaceful and grown up.

Toddler to Teenager in a weekend

We've had a weekend of it, my darling little girl has turned into a, very opinionated, whirlwind of activity. She is good during the day most of the time but is starting to rebel against me and also has a few teeth coming through which compounds the situation.

Her favourite word is currently 'no' but it is said in a more cockney EastEnders 'Naaha' with a look of disdain. Her other new word is a demanding 'more' which gets louder and louder with each minute that passes in which her demands haven't been met.

I could give the UN peacekeepers a run for their money at the moment and although I'm sure this is true of every 20 month old, it's wearing me down this week. I have to bargain and compromise at every turn and I don't always win the battle before the next one begins.

My sister in law gave me some very good advice once, she mentioned that with her daughter she would choose her battles and didn't always sweat the small stuff. I remember this often when Bubba is telling me in no uncertain terms that she doesn't want to eat her dinner in the highchair and so we move to a carpet picnic because in the long run it really doesn't matter.

Bubba no longer willingly waits at the door at nap time and if asked if she wants to go to sleep I get the obligatory "nah" (in fact if I ask her anything these days she instinctively goes to say 'nah'). Hubby had to pretend to go to sleep on her floor at nap time today before she would give in and go to sleep because she was fighting it with all her might.

If she is feeling particularly savage and is bored of someone's time and attention or a situation (or even the TV sometimes) she will wave in their face whilst repeating "bye" and moving away from them. It's the ultimate slap down really and she does it unflinchingly. 

Trying to dodge mummy's affection

And then she smiles and belly laughs and that's it, I'm putty in her hands again. Another battle begins...

Easy Meal - Pesto

I love pesto and used to buy it in jars until I realised how easy it is to make. I followed a recipe from the River Cottage Baby & Toddler Cookbook which I wrote about here.

What you'll need:

50g pine nuts

50g bunch of basil

1 garlic clove (chopped)

35g finely grated parmesan (we use grana padano)

80ml extra virgin olive oil

squeeze of lemon juice

The first thing you need to do is gently toast the pine nuts (on a baking tray in oven set at 180c) for five or ten minutes - they burn quickly so  keep checking them.

Then put the nuts, basil, garlic and cheese into a food processor and whizz it up until it resembles a paste. The nuts can be left chunkier for a slightly different taste.

 












Then slowly add the oil until you feel it is a thick purée, I don't tend to put in as much as they recommend in the book so have a little taste as you go along. I then squeeze a couple of lemon slices into the mix and black pepper to taste.

  

It can be kept in the fridge covered for a few days and I add it to pasta (that I've made myself) or have it on ryvitta with smoked salmon. The best bit for me is that Bubba loves it and I know it's not as processed or salty as the shop versions and so easy and quick to make.

Bubba's Nicknames

After reading a funny blog post about nicknames here and commenting on our nicknames for Bubba, It inspired me to write this post. I knew we had lots of names for her but didn't realise how many and how strange they are, I feel happy we aren't the only ones out there with a collection of nicknames.

Here's our list - poor little thing has so many names it's a wonder she knows what she is called!

Pigeon
Pidge
Sausage
Fred
Fray
Frazzle
Frazzle bob
Bob
Splodge
Badger
Pickle
Kipper
Squirrel
Crazy frog
Cheekster
Squid

Five Things - reasons why I know I'm a mum

I talk about someone else's toilet habits daily 

At nursery we discuss how many 'dirty' nappies and the consistency or rather the nursery staff just tell me and I hear myself say "Oh four dirty nappies today, perhaps she's teething again!" whilst feeling relieved I dodged that particular bullet. I ask my parents when she goes to them so I know what I'm up against later and with hubby, I gleefully (yep I'm that exciting) discuss the level of explosion and consistency for the day.

I talk in months not years 
To be fair, some days I talk in minutes and hours because it gets me through...days seem too long let alone months! But I vowed I wouldn't be one of 'those' mums who talked in months but you just can't help it. I'm hoping when she reaches the grand old age of 2 (24 months) I'll revert to years.

I smile knowingly at people with children 
It's like a secret club that people without kids could never imagine that upon joining, their whole lives would be disrupted. We are all in it together and once you have a child and you realise the level of commitment and stress...and by then it's too late! It's also a knowing smile because however bad it seems to get you would do it all again in a heartbeat.

I'm an authority on everything and nothing 
I can wax lyrical on rubbish subjects and know irrelevant information about children. I can conjure up very imaginative answers for Bubba's pointing and squealing questions. Yet when I need to remember things or I'm having an adult conversation, my brain goes dead! I flap my arms wildly, trying to remember what I was saying and loose track, yet if you ask me when a child is ready to potty train, I can give you the whole list of things to look out for.

I am obsessed with sleep...mine, hers and hubbys...or the lack of it. 
I never realised before how much I need my sleep (and how much) and what I'm like without it.  I can be quite competitive in proving I am more tired than hubby or Bubba. If either of them dares to yawn in my presence, when I'm the one who spent last night sleeping on her floor because she was having a funky night and I listened to her snoring most of the night, then someone needs to hand me a cappuccino and make it snappy!

Easy Meals: Easy Peasy Pasta

I've owned a pasta machine for a few years now and I used to regularly make Hubby fresh pasta for dinner and would make all these wonderful creations of stuffed ravioli which I would proudly cook like a perfect Stepford wife (yes this was before kids when I had all the time in the world). Recently it has got very dusty in the cupboard and Hubby and I, when we see it, both say we must get it out and use it again.

Well last week I dug it out and dusted it down to make Bubba some fresh pasta because it does taste so different from the supermarket 'fresh' pasta and the dried varieties. The best bit is that it is so simple to make, like silly simple.

You will need:
100g plain flour (as a guide I do 100g per person)
1 egg

(so just increase the quantity per person on the egg and flour)

How to make:

Put the flour into a bowl or onto a work surface if you are feeling authentic.

Make a well in the middle and add a pinch salt

Drop egg in the middle and mix the sides inwards with a fork until it's all mixed in (keep at it as this doesn't happen instantly).

Then get your hands in and squidge (yes that is a technical term) the mixture together, kneed until it is like play dough in consistency.

Let the ball rest for 30 mins in a bowl with clingfilm over the top.

Now you don't need a pasta machine, it just does the job a bit quicker, you can use a rolling pin to get the dough thin (not quite see through). It also doesn't matter on the level of thickness, it's up to you really.

You can see the spots through the pasta

Lightly cover your surface with semolina so the dough doesn't stick. I laid mine out and cut with a pizza cutter into rectangles (small ish ones as pasta swells in pan). Pinch it in the middle and you have lovely little (or in my case, rather large) bows.

I made homemade pesto (which is also so easy that it's almost silly) and added shredded courgette, asparagus and peas to the mix.

The Struggle

When I started this blog I made a (subconscious) decision to never moan about any individuals or situations here...mainly because it is in print for all to see for an eternity. Plus it's just not my style and if I want Bubba to read this blog when she is older then I want the memories and events to be nice ones.

I've realised that this can leave things rather fluffy and one dimensional. I often ready the glossy blogs where the photos are gorgeous and the kids seemingly well behaved. Although I'm slightly addicted to them (just as I am to those lovely glossy magazine) I'm sometimes left feeling deflated.

My life doesn't feel as shiny, my child isn't as well behaved and I often compare my life negatively against the seemingly brilliant mothers with great hair and angelic children. Hubby is always telling me not to compare as you never know what goes on behind closed doors but I still do. I feel pressure to take bubba more adventurous places at the weekend rather than the supermarket but we don't always achieve this. Besides she seems to have fun walking up and down the aisles picking up things. Isn't that what's its all about in the long run,she won't remember the boring bits.

Bubba likes looking in the bin

Anyway, I digress, I need to confirm that motherhood is a struggle for me and I have days, weeks and months where I wonder why no one told me beforehand how hard it is (usually as bubba is moaning and dribbling all around the house, I've run out of milk and forgot to get dinner out of the freezer!) There are the shiny, happy, sparkly days where everything goes right, my child is an angel and I look like I'm doing it all easily. I stress, these are the odd 'days' and what I probably won't say is that I slept on bubba's floor from 3am because she couldn't settle, I feel like death and just want to lay in the corner eating food that doesn't fit with my diet!

There is a mothers unsaid code where we all compare and berate ourselves and succumb to 'guilt' at the drop of a hat. My guilt list is longer than any Christmas list I've ever had and I'm always adding to it - guilt for taking her to nursery, not playing enough 'new' games, letting her go hungry when she refuses another meal...I could go on.

I need to stop and take a breath and realise a lot of people are happier with a lot less. I'm lucky in so many ways and bubba is loved and loving and I'm doing my best. We are all doing our best but it is a struggle and probably always will be. I've just got to remember this when I scroll through glossy photos of non dribbling children and mothers looking fabulous, it's obviously one of their 'shiny days' and it'll be my turn again soon.

Mama wants...mama needs

I'm one of life's magpies, I love a good bargain but what I love more is to covet what others have. My life is blessed and I'm truly lucky but it never stops me wanting what others have so in an effort to change I've decided to put together a regular list of what I currently covet in the hope I can relieve the urge to covet.

First on my list of want but don't need right now is il Tutto georgia Hobo baby bag £259

This is more than a baby bag, it's a bag that shouts 'I'm a woman who knows what I'm doing'. It's serious, it's sexy and it's functional and for me it was love at first sight. 

We currently have little use for a baby bag because Bubba is more self sufficient but if I did then this lovely wouldn't be far from my thoughts.

Fox jumper by Sugar Hill Boutique  £45

I love, love, love this cute jumper and the foxes body wraps around onto the back of the jumper. 

Animal pictures are a big thing this autumn and this little number is one of the cutest around at the moment in my opinion. It's just a case of thinking of a way to keep this out of Bubba's grasp if I got it as she would try and steal this from my grasps.

She rides above it print £60  by Chase and Wonder - 

I was truly gutted when I found out this was sold out as I kept going back to look at it. They have an updated version for 2012 but I'm still a little bit in love with the original that I'm not sure I want the other one. 

The stripes and ribbons appeal to me and for the moment I'll just keep coming back and staring at this marvel.

   

Food face plate by Fred - I first saw this on Instagram and fell in love with it straight away so searched for it and found it here at Mollie and Fred. £9.99 I can see myself and Bubba having fun making lots of different creations.  

It's a brilliant way to get vegetables at least on the plate and make it harder for little eyes to ignore (which Bubba currently does, it's like she can see through anything remotely healthy).

 

Cath Kidston purse £26. I love spots and this lovely creation fills me with all sorts of warm feelings and the only downside that I can think of is that I'd be getting my purse out of my bag more often if I had this purse...which as we know can only mean one thing - spending more money in Cath Kidston!

What actually goes in

For a while now I (like many first time mothers) have been obsessed slightly with how much Bubba is eating at each meal. As she gets older and more discerning over what she will or will not eat, I've found myself getting too caught up in how much she actually consumes per meal when I return to the kitchen yet again with what I perceive as another mainly uneaten meal. When she has cleared the plate I feel almost jubilant and happily report back to my mum and husband as if it is daily news.

Enjoying fish and chips on holiday

I've seen a few others on Instagram (to which I'm addicted) photographing their toddler meals and so I decided to take this one step further and document a week of meals with before and after photographs so I could see what I'm returning to the kitchen with. The results I found quite surprising as I often look back and think it was a bad food week when in fact she is eating as much as she needs and is pretty consistent (most of the time). 

I only focused on one meal a day, usually dinner as lunch time we are often out and about or I am at work and these meals she either has a sandwich or finger foods and I give her a hot meal at dinner time to help her get through the night. Breakfast isn't included either because she eats a lot at that time of day, at the moment she is on two breakfasts a day (I know, I know...how can I worry about food consumption when she is eating loads in the morning...but I did ok). After every meal she is given fruit which normally consists of either strawberries, grapes or apple and at dinner time she also has a yoghurt (sometimes a fruit pot at lunchtime).

Saturday: Homemade pizza and wedges - this combination always goes down well and she has never passed up a homemade pizza so I was expecting most of this to be eaten.

Sunday: Bubba has always enjoyed mince but went through a faze of not eating anything with a strong tomato flavour so it is still sometimes a bit hit or miss. This was a hit as I added a bit of normal gravy so it wasn't too strong.

Monday: Vegetable risotto (couple of mouthfuls), followed by smoked cheese and a slice of toast. It's typical that as soon as I wrote this post about how much she liked it, she decided not to eat much. But looking at this photograph makes me realise that she still ate quite a bit of it (or maybe I sort of helped eat some!!).

Tuesday: Spaghetti hoops, liver sausage, cheese triangle and crumpet.
She wasn't too sure of the liver sausage but ate it in small pieces along with the hoops (but wouldn't touch it on it's own).

Wednesday: Nursery feeds her lunch and dinner but sometimes she doesn't eat much whilst she is there so I usually give her an egg based meal as they are quick and easy, she had scrambled egg when she got home and ate the lot with some left over hoops.

Thursday: Was supposed to be beef casserole but we got home late so I prepared her toast and cheese. She wouldn't touch it and asked for a yoghurt which after one mouthful she was promptly sick all over us both and continued into the early hours. 

The end of the week went a bit wrong as she came down with a tummy bug and all bets were off and for the last five days has only picked at food (and we are talking two rice cakes and a piece of cheese a day!).

Bubba's Sleepy time Space

When Bubba was smaller I used to spend a long time in her room just watching her (can you tell I'm a first time mother!!) and always loved the look of her bedroom, there are lots of things to look at and it's just a really inviting space. The walls are a mixture of minty green and white and she has a lovely star motif blackout blind that reminds me of Cath Kidston, the curtains and lampshade are beige and were in the room originally. Where ever you look there are trinkets like her russian dolls or hanging things to marvel at and we are always adding more quirky things as we go.

The other night I spent the evening rocking her in her chair as she was unwell and I looked around thinking if I was young again this is exactly what I'd want my room to be like. Not too girly yet very feminine and soft, with lots of things to see so I thought I'd share these because I know as she gets bigger, her room will change as she does.

I like fairies in little girls rooms because they always seem magical and inhabit a world of promise, I found a little fairy door whilst we were on holiday and like the idea of putting one in a tree in our garden but we don't have a tree. Instead we have fixed it to her wall so that the fairies can come and go. I hope she believes in fairies and magical things because secretly I still do.

Shelves stuffed full of teddies. All little people seem to amass a large collection of teddy bears from birth and Bubba was no different, I have some bears given by family whilst we were in hospital that have sentimental attachments for me and so took a photo of her surrounded by them and then put bears on shelf below.

When I was little I had a special money box at my nan and grandad's house (all the grandchildren did) that we put our pocket money into. I was lucky enough to get mine back recently but before I did I always hoped to buy Bubba a toadstool as mine was (It's the red and green one in the picture). So for her first birthday my mum and dad got her a beautiful money-box with a fairy on a toadstool. Hubby mentioned once that he collected money boxes when he was younger and so that is what we are doing for her too (inadvertently as my other nan had got her a mouse money-box for her birthday and we got the dinosaur one just after she was born).

The heart shaped bells were given to me on my wedding day, we used to have up and hope to put back soon, a scratch off map as Hubby loves to travel and look at maps but as it was above the change table which we still use, it was all too easy for Bubba to touch and try and pull off the wall. So the heart will move round the corner when Bubba is too big to fit the change table or is out of nappies, whichever is first.

I was and still am astounded by the talented people around me, my mum, aunt and family friends are all good at knitting, sewing and crochet and we received some wonderful gifts when Bubba was born. I'm hoping to use some as throws on her bed and the sewn piece sits on the back of the chair in the corner. It really inspires me to get better at knitting and I've started to teach myself to crochet, these all seem to be dying skills in the younger generations so I hope that they are things I might be able to pass onto my children and grandchildren in time (got to get better at them myself first).