TRAVELLING WITH KIDS featuring STORKSAK TRAVEL


Remember those pre-kids days? You know, back when the world revolved around you?

Take packing to go away for example. You can guarantee I'd have two weeks worth of outfits for myself even though I was just away for a weekend, because well you never know what you might need?! 

Then you have kids. Forget outfits. All of a sudden you can't leave the house without taking the house with you. My family are in Liverpool so we are well versed on short haul travel. I still laugh when I think back to what we packed in the car for a our very first visit to Liverpool with Caleb. We couldn't see out of the back window, everything was strategically placed to not squish our precious cargo (Caleb ;)) before we even got there.

I would crave (still do) my visits back to Liverpool, but the packing would literally bring me out in a cold sweat. I packed like my mum didn't have a washing machine or like Tesco wasn't just around the corner. For some reason I felt a years supply of nappies was needed, oh just in case there was an unexpected shortage at the other end. Packing became silly and stressful, and the irony would be I'd be lucky if I had a clean pair of knickers for myself. Ahh how the times change.

Then Archie came along, and I thought how the hell will we get to Liverpool. Hire a mini-van?? So I decided to do the exact opposite. I finally learnt to not pack like a crazed lunatic who thought she was never returning home again. I now only pack the absolute essentials for short haul. 

There's also companies like Storksak taking the hard work out of packing and travelling for us poor pack horses, I mean parents, too. They've just launched their new travel range, all thoughtfully designed with busy, travelling parents in mind. Their new cabin carry-on couldn't have come at a better time for us as Edinburgh airport have started flights back up to Liverpool again. We live super close to the airport now too which makes flying our easiest option. 

So to give you a better look at the bag I thought I'd so something highly embarrassing and upload a little youtube video for you. You. Are. Welcome.

Or well actually maybe it should be me apologising to you. So, yeah. I'M SORRY.  I'm super awkward in it, I say, 'erm' about a thousand times, and my accent is a weird mix of Liverpool and Scottish. I know what you're thinking, youtube sensation right there. But honestly, I find these types of videos useful when researching an item I'm after, and hey, it's good to step out of our comfort zones every now and then, isn't it?! Please say, yes ;)





So if you watched the video you will see the clever insert that is included with this bag. I love that at the other end you can simply take the insert out and pop it on a rail. I think this also makes the bag a cracking candidate for a hospital bag too. You can pack and have everything organised so it's easy to find, plus it has wheels. Which makes life so much easier when you leave the hospital with your newborn in a carseat, still in shock by the fact that they are really allowing you to leave with your baby on your own ;). I tell you this fact was not lost on me second time around either. 

Another positive to this range by Storksak is it's one for the dads too. The bags are stylish, well made without leaning towards a particular gender. I'd actually recommend the cabin carry-on to everyone not just to parents.




Ahh look at my two goof balls! Caleb is going through such a funny stage just now, he's all about playing jokes and making people laugh. Which as you can see Archie laps up.



* This post was in partnership with Storksak, all views and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for continuing to support the select brands we work with which help make this blog possible.
Tuesday, 4 October 2016 Comments: 2
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MAMA TIME with L'OCCITANE


This ones for you mamas, who if like me think their beauty regime basically consists of feeling 'on it', if you happened to have a shower that day and taken your make up off that night. Maybe you didn't even put make up on? Ahh well, look at it this way, you saved yourself the hassle of taking it off.

Seriously though, any beauty routine you once had seems to disappear, doesn't it? Hello. Motherhood. 

I actually find it laughable how much time I invested in my skin and body care in my twenties, when my skin probably needed it least. Now I'm in my thirties and my skin is literally crying out for love yet there just never seems to be the time. Wine and sleep just come higher up on my reward list these days. Sleep, yes, but wine definitely does nothing to help the skin. Now wouldn't that be wonderful?!

So I've vowed to make more time for myself and address my lack of a beauty regime. In the past I've always been one to focus on my face skin care but not my body and I've really noticed a change in the last year. It's always so dull and dry and that ain't a pretty combo, and it's only going to get worse with the winter months coming up. I recently started using L'Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate, it seems the whole world is going crazy for almond milk just now and with good reason.



This body lotion seemed a really good option for me because although my skin feels dry it's also lost its elasticity (thanks, thirties :/ ). I had no idea but almonds are known for their toning qualities which L'Occitane have harnessed into their entire Almond range. The lotion has a beautiful lightweight feel which as you apply sinks right into the skin leaving it feeling soft, smooth and with no residue, which is a big plus for me. I hate when lotions take forever to sink in, this one is perfect to add to my morning routine as it literally takes no time at all.

Though when you add in two helpers it takes a little longer. Ahh, alone time, what is that again? They actually love rubbing it in as it's usually me putting cream on them as they both have sensitive skin, about time they returned the favour ;). Already my skin feels so much smoother and there's something to be said for just how much doing little things, such as this, can really improve your mental health and well-being. When I neglect myself I start to not like myself very much and it's a rut I don't want to fall in again. I want to spend the rest of my thirties loving my body and be proud of what it has achieved, rather than being my own worst enemy.


So if like me you've been in the need of some tlc, L'Occitane is giving away a luxury hamper worth over £300, with some gorgeous runners up prizes too!

First Prize - A luxury L'Occitane En Provence hamper worth over £300.

Five Runners Up Prizes - 3x Shea Butter Travel Essentials & 2x Almond Travel Essentials Collections.

To enter is simple, just click over to the L'OCCITANE COMPETITION HERE and enter your name and email, once complete each entrant will receive a free delivery code as well.

Competition ends 3rd October 2016. Good luck!

I needed to finish this post off with this last picture, because it just makes me smile. No matter how rundown or lagging in my beauty regime I may be, one fact remains, these boys still love me for me. What motherhood may take with one hand it gives with another, by the bucket load.


* This post is in partnership with L'Occitane. All views are completely my own.
Tuesday, 27 September 2016 Comments: 1
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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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