Setting up a Betty's Café Afternoon Tea Role Play area & Tuff tray

Ever since I walked into my local Betty's Café Tea Rooms as a young 20 something and asked for a Dizzee Rascal instead of a Fat Rascal, I've had a bit of a love - hate relationship with the place...

Most recently because I LOVE the cakes, but I'm dairy and soya free so I can't eat them anymore. Arthur, however, can eat them...and does eat them as often as he is allowed! He has a BIG interest in Betty's Café Tea Rooms at the moment and likes to play and pretend that he works there...anything he can find that look like a counter, or a till and hes straight into Betty's mode, "hello, what would you like?"

The best way for a child to learn is through play, especially when the theme is something that they are really interested in, so with that in mind I have spent the last couple of weeks turning our (still unfurnished!) playroom extension into a Betty's Café Tea Room...

The new MAM 2 in 1 Single Electric and Manual Breast Pump - review

When choosing a suitable breast pump to express your milk, it can be hard to know which choice is right for you - especially if you have never used a breast pump before. You may have different needs for different situations, such as a quiet hand held manual pump for expressing from one side whilst feeding your baby to sleep, or a more efficient electric breast pump which you can use comfortably with minimal effort.

MAM have just launched their new 2 in 1 electric and manual breast pump which means you have the choice of either depending on your needs, whether at home or away - with an additional option of mains power or battery power (rechargeable!!) to make life even easier.

We were recently given the opportunity to review this product ahead of the launch and here is what we thought of it....

When words and phrases go wrong - a giggle at malapropisms

We all need a giggle now and then and I have to admit, some of the funniest moments I have come across are when people have got words and phrases totally wrong!  My husband once got "boils my blood" and "gets my goat" mixed up and declared that something really "boils my goat!"  and someone I know who shall remain nameless, in order to spare their blushes, labelled the pain au chocs in their shop as "pannow shocks" 

My youngest sister thought 'make ends meet' was 'make ends meat' like the end cuts of a joint of meat, and I only found out recently that a hand glider was actually a hang glider....

A long time ago now, I asked some of my fellow bloggers about some of the funniest malapropisms they had come across and they didn't disappoint! I have finally found a spare few moment to put them together for your enjoyment....

Charlotte's Christening with ROCO Clothing - review

Last week we celebrated Charlotte’s christening day. Unlike Arthur’s christening which we had planned meticulously for months in advance, the day this time around just sort of sprung itself upon us and we were still trying to figure out what we were doing about setting up the venue for afterwards and sorting out food in the morning!

Luckily one thing I didn’t have to worry about was finding a suitable outfit for both Arthur and Charlotte as we were sent a gorgeous set for each of them from Roco Clothing....

Extension clean up with the Vorwerk Kobold VK200 and new SP600 vacuum mop - review

If you’ve ever had building work undertaken in your home (or let’s face it, even if you’ve just drilled a few holes into the wall!) then you will know how unbelievably messy this can get - the dust just.gets.everywhere!!

 

Add a toddler, a refluxy baby and less than 8 hours sleep a night into the mix and you’ll need a pretty good home cleaning system to tackle what’s left. It needs to be quick, it needs to be powerful, it needs to be easy and for the love of god it needs to give results on the first attempt....no mama has the time, energy or toddler tidy enough to keep going over and over and over...

Sensory Fairy Mark Making Tray

This little sensory fairy mark making activity was cobbled together using a few bits and pieces we already had at home, during one of those moments where we really needed to find something new and interesting to do on a freezing snowy day in the Easter hols!

The dry cornflower has the added benefit of acting a little bit like snow when pressed together and I think Arthur thought I’d been outside to collect some at first!

Naturally, this activity took its own turn and swiftly moved on from a sensory mark making tray to a builder’s tray. After watching a man lay the screed and floor in our extension, Arthur pretended that the cornflour was the cement and rolled it out onto the tray ‘floor’ and filled in the gaps using a spoon. He used the lollipop stick as a floorboard.


To set this activity up, you will need:

When Breastfed Babies Bite - 5 solutions

I know some of you winced in pain just reading that title. Me too. I've been there before. I'm there again. I've been blessed with children who are completely affected by the eruption of teeth in a way that only biting down on the nearest thing can relieve....and multiple times a day this includes the source of milk. I have silently screamed. I have bled. I have DEFINITELY asked Google about plasters for nipples. I have persevered...
 

With my first child, Arthur, the biting started at about 7 months old. At the start of every breastfeed he would clamp down. The first time caught me by such a surprise I yelped, which he found hilarious of course and proceeded to do it every.single.time.

I began to dread feeding him and became desperate for a solution. If I tell you that I came to breastfeed Arthur until he was over the age of 2 yrs then you can safely assume we found a way.

What's in my Makeup Bag?

Strictly speaking, this blog post should probably be entitled 'What's in my Makeup bag number 22...today'. I'm not even sure if I could fit all of my makeup into 22 makeup bags, but it seemed like a good guess as I stood in front of my makeup cabinet this morning and tried to estimate. I can almost hear the chuckle of my husband right now, sat at his desk 14 miles away, shaking his head at my lack of spatial awareness. He would probably describe the scenario as 'at capacity'. I would say, 'still room for more'....

Anyway, it would indeed take me days, possibly months to tell you about  everything in my makeup bag so I have basically just picked out the products I am wearing today. You'll probably have realised by now that I have a bit of an obsession with bareMInerals makeup and I love a natural look. Thanks to Nicola from Mummy to Dex for tagging me. Here is what's in my makeup bag today...

You misunderstand why I blog

Being a blogger has been a real eye opener as to the thoughts and opinions of others (some) who don't blog... The keyboard warriors who tap away furiously with all their might, as if you could feel the physical force of their words... the unknowing trolls who spurt intentional typos such as 'blagger'... and the acquaintance who pops on their judgy pants and thinks its fair game because of what you do... which is ironic really, as typically bloggers are the ones penning their thoughts, feelings and opinions and sharing them with their audience...aren't they?

Squished kisses against the window glass - a poem

Squished kisses against the window glass. 

Carefree wondering in the wet grass. 

Searching for worms. 

Discoveries to share. 

Wind blowing his curly hair. 

Making the most of these childhood days. 

Oh to go back to those childish ways.

Project Playroom Extension - Planning and Building

It has always been my dream to have a house with a playroom (and a utility room, but fun comes before washing in our household!) and sometimes, you have to take a bit of a gamble and spend a bit of dosh to make the best out of the situation you are in. We spend SO many moments talking about what we will have in our 'forever home', but nothing makes you realise the speed at which time passes like watching your children grow. I had started to feel a bit sad that by the time we could afford this 'dream home' our children would be too old to really make the best of it. By practising a bit of mindfulness and attempting to live in the moment a little more, we took the plunge and 'project playroom extension' began earlier on this year...

How to make a bin lorry birthday cake

Last week Arthur turned 3. He had requested a 'blue bin lorry cake' for his party, and so armed with his toy bin lorry for inspiration and a guide, I set to work...

Xmas Day learning fun with Dom and Geri personalised wrapping paper

Not one to shy away from a learning opportunity on any day of the year (hey, learning should be fun so this isn't as 'scrooge' as it sounds!) I've found the perfect product for your gifts this Christmas!

Dom and Geri have a fantastic range of personalised wrapping paper, banners, cards and gifts available, so I decided to try out their Christmas wrapping paper for Arthur and Charlotte....it took me forever to choose a design as there was so much choice, but I settled on this star wrap for Charlotte and a snow globe wrap for Arthur....

6 products to help make infant reflux more manageable

Reflux is not a new experience for us. When my first born, Arthur, was a baby he had colic and reflux so extreme it left us in a place of sleep deprived shock and really impacted on our first few months of parenting. I wrote a blog post at the time 'Dealing with Colic and Reflux in babies' which documented our experience and everything that we tried to help deal with the situation - including medication and plans of action. I still refer back to the post now that Charlotte also has reflux, and if you are in the same situation I would urge you to have a look at the post just in case there is some advice in there which may be of help.

This time around I am more accepting of the reflux, and whilst I am exploring alternative reasons for it such as over supply and hyperlactation (more on this shortly), I am focusing on what I can do to cope better with the reflux and make the next few months as easy as they can be. There are a number of products I really couldn't do without at the moment....

Summer Infant - By Your Bed Sleeper - Assembly, demonstration, review

We have been trying out the NEW Summer Infant By Your Bed Sleeper - the only bedside crib with an optional incline to help with reflux.

This review includes a video which shows our assembly of the product, and a talk through how to use the different features alongside our thoughts on the product itself...

She's finally here - introducing Charlotte Iris

She's finally here! After 2 sweeps, 2 acupuncture sessions and a first stage of induction, our little bundle of joy finally made an appearance on Sunday 13th August - 10 days late. Please bare with me whilst we enjoy our first few weeks with Charlotte and settle into life as a family of four....it may take me a little longer to respond, but we are still here ...

Welcome to the world Charlotte Iris 💕 born on Sunday evening and weighing 8lb 9oz - Arthur loves his new baby sister and wants to give her kisses and cuddles continuously 😍 ...After 2 days and nights now with no sleep I am hoping my milk comes in tomorrow so that I can have a little rest 🤞😴 #newbaby #newborn #babygirl #newborngirl #ukparentbloggers #pblogger #kcacols

A post shared by Sarah - Arthurwears (@arthurwears) on Aug 15, 2017 at 12:35pm PDT

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SENSSE Silicone Facial Cleansing Brush and SENSSE Hot and Cool Toning Bar - review

I am a huge fan of natural skincare - but if I can use this alongside a bit of non-invasive, non-surgical technology then even better! I have posted previously about my experiences with non-surgical facelifts in salon, but I am always on the lookout for products which can be used at home as part of a regular skincare regime.
 

I was recently given the opportunity to try out the SENSSE™ Silicone Facial Cleansing Brush  and also the SENSSE™ Hot and Cool Toning Bar.

Coping with PGP, SPD and Pelvic pain in Pregnancy

PGP (Pelvic Girdle Pain), SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction)  and general pelvic pain during pregnancy is really common. As many as 1 in 5 women can be affected and it is often all thanks to a lovely little hormone called 'relaxin' produced during pregnancy which causes the ligaments in the pelvis to relax. 
 Pelvic Girdle Pain can be incredibly painful and may have a big impact on your every day life during your pregnancy - not just because of the pain, but also the difficulties it can cause in carrying out every day tasks such as walking, lifting, sleeping etc.
If like me, you suffered in your first pregnancy, the chances are it will start earlier and probably feel more severe with each subsequent pregnancy - sorry!

With Arthur, I really struggled during my third trimester and eventually had to stop driving. This time around, the symptoms started as early as 9 weeks pregnant - when I fell down the stairs as my legs just gave way from lack of support. Steadily, it has got worse and I now have a set of crutches to help me walk around - which doesn't happen very often because it is just too painful! PGP or SPD is not easy to deal with, but it can feel almost impossible when you also have a very lively 2 year old to care for!

I certainly haven't found a cure, but there are a few treatments and products available, many of which I couldn't do without, which do make this condition more manageable and a little easier to cope with...If you are suffering from PGP or SPD I hope you find this list useful, and perhaps get a little relief from your symptoms!

Testing for Group B strep in Pregnancy with Strepelle

It's July, which means not only is this Group B Strep awareness month, I am also over 35 weeks pregnant - the perfect time to test for GBS (Group B Streptococcus). Group B Strep is the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborn babies, causing meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia. Most of these infections could be prevented, but the U.K. Is one of the only developed countries in the world which does not routinely test for Group B Strep and many pregnant women haven't even heard of it! Have you?

One in four women carry it and one baby a week dies of the infection. Being a carrier doesn't automatically mean that your baby will be poorly - however, there is a risk that GBS can pass to your baby during childbirth, which can create serious and life threatening complications. Knowing your level of risk means that you can be prescribed medication in time for labour in order to keep your baby safe.

When the birth of a new life means saying goodbye to another...

Back at the start of 2015, having waited 15 days past my due date for the moment to finally arrive, I gave birth to my first child - Arthur. It was a joyous and yet overwhelming experience, filled with awe and wonder and also many, many moments of 'new parent fear'. 

Family and friends came from far and wide to meet this lovely new little person, and watch carefully as we tried to put together some semblance of normal life amidst the sleep deprivation, constant feeding and numerous nappy changes. Feelings of happiness combined with anxiety became the new normal and we shuffled along between us in a state of shock and survival, until 2 weeks later when paternity leave was over and it was time for me to do this mother and baby thing alone.....I'll admit, I got as far as closing the front door behind him, my darling husband, before bursting into tears and sobbing my way back up the stairs, baby in arms, already counting down the minutes until he would be home from work.