OUR KIND OF MONDAY


You know those days out that you plan in your head? About how much fun it will be and then it's the biggest let down because, well, kids, and their freaking unpredictable nature. Well I'm happy to report this was NOT one of those days. It played out exactly as I planned in my head, dare I say even better?! God help us on our next day out which I'm sure will kill this smug disposition. But ahhh, lets just enjoy the short-lived smugness while we can, us parents deserve that at least!


With a holiday Monday and no set plans we decided to head out to Cairnie Fruit Farm as we knew strawberry picking was still available and seeing as our boys can eat strawberries by the bucket load, we thought it would be fun for them to see how they are grown and get to pick them fresh. They loved it so much. Caleb was squealing whenever he found a really big strawberry, Archie was picking the smallest ones he could possible find, and I think by the end of it they finally grasped the concept of what was a ripe strawberry ;)


If you're not familiar with Cairnie Farm and you live or are visiting Scotland, it's a must with kids. It's best known for it's giant maize maze, but if you want to still catch it you'll need to hurry as they cut it down in October and feed it to the cattle. The boys loved running around it all while giving us mini heart attacks every time they went out of sight. Ahh who am I kidding, we tried to dump them in there but they were totally on to us and somehow found their way out ;)


A personal highlight for me though had to be the field of sunflowers. There's just something about sunflowers. Their colour. Their sheer size. They're happiness in a flower. Seeing a big crop of them all standing tall, all turned towards the sun was beautiful. You can also cut them yourself to buy, four stems for £1!!! Part of me wanted to take them all home, another part felt bad cutting them down. So I settled for four stems, which are still making me smile dotted around our house.


Before we knew it the best part of the day was done and Archie hadn't napped. They were still having so much fun at the play park there, but ya know how a missed nap can go. One minute life is good. Who needs naps?! Naps are for the weak. Then just like that they hit a brick wall and it's the end of the world. So before we got to that point we got ourselves back in the car and headed towards Anstruther, giving Archie just enough time to have a snooze.

I love Anstruther, it's so pretty and home to the BEST fish and chips.


If there's one thing I could change about where we live it would be that I wish we were nearer to the sea. The boys are always so content at the beach, wadding in the water, playing in the sand. The minutes quickly turn into hours. We planned to grab fish and chips and just eat them on the beach, but my little waders got a little too adventurous and soon water filled their wellies, much to Caleb's joy as he tipped the water out. It was starting to get chilly as the sun set, so off we went for fish and chips with hot cups of tea. The perfect end to a pretty, darn perfect Monday.

* For those that are interested, Archie's salopettes can be found here. They are the softest most gorgeous material which I wish they would just make in my size already. His trusty Converse are from here.

Can you believe all summer I needed too bribe Caleb into a t-shirt and now that summer is wrapping up, guess what? I now can't get him in long sleeves. Ahh, kids. He picked this one out himself but similar can be found here. He also chose his Stan Smith trainers because they are the colours of his football team. You can't argue with that.

Similar dungerees that I'm wearing can be found here, and I love wearing light jumpers just as the season changes, you can find similar here. I also swear on my trusty Converse too. I bought these years ago and they are still going strong. Perfect for all weather and all mother conditions ;)


Thursday, 22 September 2016 Comments: 2
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WHEN I TURNED THE TV OFF


Now that summer is starting to wrap up we are definitely spending more time at home again, and that means all too often the TV is being switched on first thing in the morning and kinda not (read: not) going off until we leave the house. To top it off my little people seem adamant on watching different programmes and therefore watch TV separately. Yep, we only have two TVs in our house and it turns out the boys are making good use of them.

Now I'm all for TV having it's place in a family home. How else are we meant to cook dinner? Or have fresh, clean clothes to wear? Or just get five minutes of peace with a hot cuppa? TV, I freaking love you. You save my butt daily. That said though two kids programmes running simultaneously, both totally annoying in their own right is just a step too far. So after a rather dramatic, 'Right, that's it, TVs off!!!!'. I had two little faces looking up at me with, 'NOW WHAT?' written all over them. Hmmmm time to not panic. Oh it's one thing being all high and mighty and switching the TV off, but it's quite another thing to actually have a back up plan. Which at that very second I didn't.


I don't know about you but the mere phrase, 'Kids crafts' gives me an internal shudder. Images of paint splattered all over furniture and clothes with very little on the page itself, play dough that is played with for all of seconds yet you'll be picking it out of your couch for the next fortnight, spring to mind. Lets not even talk about glitter. Now this is all worth it if this keeps them entertained but otherwise it just becomes one big tidy up task whilst muttering to yourself that you don't know why you bother. Personally I think we get ahead of ourselves when it comes to crafts and forget that it doesn't matter how interesting or exciting we make it, a four and a two year old are only going to remain attentive for a certain amount of time. Which to us grown ups is no time at all.

So with no fancy crafts up my sleeve that day. I pulled out paper and crayons. I've noticed with Caleb if you just give him free reign with crayons initially he just draws scribbles, and would go through a few thousands sheets doing just that, but if you ask him to draw something specific with a visual aid he's a wonderful little drawer. After that point he then starts to draw other items from memory.


With that in mind we headed out in the garden to pick flowers we could then draw. We talked colours, counted petals, talked about our favourites and why. I intended to draw with them too but I found myself just sat watching them both. Colouring away, sharing crayons. A simple task had turned into such a lovely learning experience. Archie saying new words and learning his colours. Caleb working on his pronunciation and vocabulary. 


Such a simple task became such an enjoyable one, and kept us all busy for the best part of an hour. Which in toddler time may as well be two weeks. Result!!

I would love to hear any activities you swear by at home. Anything that will keep Paw Patrol and Thomas the Tank Engine from simultaneously ringing in my ears is good with me!

I'm looking to recreate this nature/drawing task once a week. I'm thinking with Autumn around the corner there's going to be lots of fun stuff to gather and draw. It will be pretty cool if we can document all the different colours of the leaves as they gradually change.


Wednesday, 14 September 2016 Comments: 4
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SAND IN YOUR TOES


This day was so good. One where you relive your own childhood memories whilst getting to watch your own children make theirs.

We were in Liverpool visiting all the family and the weather was glorious, and dare I say at times too hot?! I know, shoot me, I'm that person who complains we get no good weather and then as soon as we do I'm all, I'm too hot, I'm too hot.

With the sun high in the sky and blue skies for miles my mum and I decided to take the boys down to Crosby Marina. If you're ever visiting Liverpool with children this place is a must. It has an amazing park play area, sand dunes, the beach, and a promenade. The boys were literally in heaven. It's also home to the amazing sculptures 'Another Place' by Antony Gormley, which is 100 cast-iron, life-size figures spread across the seafront. They're incredible and completely eerie. I've not seen them in years and I forgot how truly impressive they are.

I hadn't expected such good weather in Liverpool so didn't even think to pack the boys beach wear when I was in Edinburgh. So we went old school, Caleb in nothing but his undies and t-shirt. Archie, no nappy and his t-shirt. There's something that makes me smile silly about this. I remember doing this as a child before the age of becoming self conscious. They just looked so free, which I'm sure is exactly how they felt. Exactly what childhood should be all about.

We spent the entire day there and left exhausted, happy, and with a truck load of sand in the car. I took a little video of our day there which I hope you enjoy watching. I love when the boys watch these videos that keep shouting, 'THAT'S ME!!!', and I love that I have these videos so I'll never forget the little things. Like how Archie would rush to the sea but then run away from the tide coming in with squeals of laughter, and how he would scream, 'BUBBLES' (his word for water) at the top of his lungs. The way it shows how much confidence Caleb has now and his sense of adventure, and how much they both loved having their grandma join in the fun. Such good times.

//  For those that are interested, Archie's hat is from the very adorable Little Sun Hat. They do the most beautiful hats and bonnets and I'm currently hosting a giveaway over on our Instagram account and the winner will get to chose a hat/bonnet of their choice! The giveaway and details can be found here.

// My baby change bag in the video is by Pacapod, and if you'd like to read a full review of this clever beauty of a bag that can be found here.
  
Tuesday, 9 August 2016 Comments: 0
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FINALLY A BABY BAG TO LOVE with PACAPOD


When I was pregnant with Caleb there were a lot of those, 'first' purchases I was so excited about. The pram. The cot. The teeny tiny neutral baby grows. I still can't help but smile now when I pass the newborn section in shops. It brings back all that excitement I felt at the time.

One purchase that completely eluded me though was 'the baby bag'. Which was crazy to me as I adore me a good bag, but I just couldn't get excited about a bag (however practical) that was so far removed from my usual style. There wasn't anything that warranted the price tag for me. So instead I bought a Longchamp shopper and put a separate baby change mat inside. It worked at the time but due to its lack of compartments there was a many a time spent digging for whatever I was looking for. Not ideal when you have a screaming baby on your hands. 

Roll on four years and the world of baby bags has certainly become something to get excited about. Not only have designs become even more practical but finally they look like a bag you would lust after baby or no baby. Pacapod have created just that with their beautiful Firenze bag in pewter. I was really excited when asked to review this beauty. For one, I adore bags, and two, I feel I've got a very good idea about what I want and expect from a baby bag now. I mean it's only taken four years and two babies ;)


What makes Pacapod particularly special is their 3 in 1 system. It's such a clever idea which really makes life so much easier. Pictured above is the front of the bag opened to reveal two separate pods inside. The beige pod has a change mat attached and plenty of room for your nappy, wipes, and cream. The red pod comes with a bottle warmer inside and is perfect for carrying food, drink and snacks. It also has straps on it turning it into a backpack for your little one too. Genius.

Each pod is easily removed and better still can be attached to your pram on their own if you didn't need an actual bag with you. I love this feature for many reasons. I like that the baby change pod can be taken to the toilet without the whole bag needing to go with you too. I still get grossed out by the stories of how much germs our bags pick up by being taken to public bathrooms. Also, when we're out as a family of four their are points in our day were we may split up for a bit. Toilet trips, naps etc. I love that instead of one person having the bag with EVERYTHING in, we are now able to pass over the pod that is needed for the particular child and then we can go our separate ways. It's something I never would have factored in when looking for a baby bag, but it really makes life as a family of four so much simpler on days out.

Once fully packed for the day this does make the bag pretty heavy, but I think this is mostly unavoidable when kids are in the mix. This however makes the pram straps to attach your bag to your pram even more invaluable.


This bag has definitely become a staple for me and I even use it when I don't have the boys with me, which says how much I love the look and design of this bag. Forget the days of the ugly mum bag ;)

If you're a mum to be then Pacapod bags are wishlist worthy, and to all the mums who like me could never find a baby bag you loved, ladies, things have indeed changed.

The Pacapod Firenze in pewter is currently available to pre-order here, with delivery in August.

Sunday, 31 July 2016 Comments: 4
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IT STARTED WITH A RUG


Creating a new space can always be a little daunting, especially if you're like me and like multiple looks and eras. So for me a starting point is committing to a particular piece that you fall in love with and then taking it from there.

For me that turns out to be a rug. I have a love affair with rugs. Like give me them all. I find they're a cracking starting point when designing a room, as you instantly have your colour palate determined and the type of look you're going for. For example, I went with this Ferm Living beauty (pictured below) for our living room. Now I would usually recommend living in a space before you start buying new pieces but I fell in love with this rug instantly and it became our first purchase for our new home that wasn't even built at that point.


With it's Nordic vibe and cool tones I knew I wanted to pair it with grey furniture, I didn't want the room however to have a cold feel to it, therefore I picked out some copper and brass tones. I love how the metallic pops without being overpowering.


Since we went with cooler tones in the living room I knew I would want colour in the dining room (which leads on from the living area). Now in my dream of dreams I'd be sourcing a Moroccan or Persian rug beauty, but hello, reality, and hello, I wanted it for underneath my dining room table, ie. dumping ground for half of my kid's dinner.

So here's a top tip of mine, if ya can't afford it, check out Gumtree (secondhand selling website) in your area. It is crazy what you can find on there, with some people actually giving things away for free, I guess the bonus being for them that you save them the hassle of getting rid of it. Other people trash is others peoples....and all that.


That is where I can across my Iranian treasure that was completely in my price range, and because of it's vintage nature (it has slight wearing which I actually think is the charm of these pieces) and its rich colour it has made it the perfect rug for under a busy family table. With such a statement piece I knew I didn't want anything else competing with it, I therefore started to source industrial looking pieces.


Now knowing how much these two rugs had brought to both these rooms I now wanted one for our kitchen living space too. The kitchen itself though determined what type of rug I was looking for, that and a couch we had already purchased.

I had felt a little unsure about the colour of the couch at the time. With having grey units in the kitchen I knew I didn't want yet another grey couch, white was out because again, kids. We instead went with an oatmeal beige, which if I'm honest I wasn't really completely sold on but I adored the style of the couch. I needed to find a rug that would tie the beige couch and grey units up nicely.

I found all that and more at French Connection. Btw when the hell did French Connection start selling home ware?? All I know is I'm happy they did. This rug was the missing piece to this space, with its beige and grey tones offset nicely with blush pink and mint it's fitted in perfectly, and funnily enough has made me love my 'beige' couch all the more.


So there you have it, three major rooms in our home on the way to being complete, and it started with a rug. Rugs are bloody awesome.

Thank you so much to everyone's support and kind words with the blog relaunch. Don't forget to enter our giveaway on the previous post here. Only a few more hours left so go, go, go!

Thursday, 14 July 2016 Comments: 6
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