Essen & Brugge

This weekend was a very special one, a weekend spent with my daddy! We took the over night ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, then on to the Essen Car Show, stayed over night in Oberhausen and then spent the day in Brugge on Sunday before heading back home on the Eurotunnel. Sounds exhausting but it really was actually quite relaxing... at times!

So lets start our journey from the beginning. We left Friday evening to head down towards Harwich, being in South Norfolk it wasn't too far away. We planned to arrive at 9:15pm to then enjoy a meal and a bit of down time, queing up to hand over our passports, chatting away about our plans for the weekend, my dad opens his passport. Only to be greeted by by my step mums face....

We had to think fast, how were we going to resolve this situation? Was the weekend ruined? No! We managed to meet my step mum at a halfway point and then bomb it back to Harwich. We arrived as the gate was about to close!! But it was SUCH a relief that we made it, luckily we were driving in my dads 'other' car...

As you can tell my Dad is a car lover, hense the reason for this trip. In the morning after a lovely sailing across the channel, we made our way over to Essen in Germany to the Car Show.

The Car Show was impressive, I have been to many over the years and secretly really enjoy them. I mainly love to spend time with my dad, listening to him talk about things that he loves. I unfortunatly don't have much knowledge on cars... I just chipped in occassionly... 'I like that colour', I think that covers my knowledge of cars nicely! 

One thing  that I did take note of was that there was such a wide variety of people visiting the show. It was particularly nice to see families enjoying the day too. 

After spending the day drinking beer and eating bratwursts, we headed to our hotel in Oberhausen for a little chill out time, before heading out for dinner.

Just a little side note here... This weekend I wore this beautiful jacket from Next, such a versatile little jacket that I think is going to get a lot of wear this spring/summer!

On Sunday, we made our way to Brugge, an absolutely beautiful city! Here are a couple of pictures from the day...

In the main square we had an amazing meal, I had a beautiful beef stew in a beer sauce along with a cherry beer... I need to go back just for that meal!!

Wanting to see more of this beautiful place we opted for a little tourist boat tour, it was a great way to learn about the history of the town and appreciate the beautiful architecture. 

I have to say I was smitten with Brugge, I desperately want to go back with Jamie, perhaps later in the year so I can explore more.

I know what you're all thinking... Why did you not spend Mother's Day with your daughter? Well to be honest when we planned the trip I didn't realise it would be Mother's Day! I didn't mind to be honest, it was lovely to have some time with my dad and Jamie made sure I knew I am appreciated by sending my gifts and card with us for me to open on the morning (more on that in another post).

How did you spend Mother's Day? Have you ever been to Brugge?

Mummy B xoxox

Babychic Universal Pushchair Liner Review & Giveaway

I was put into contact with the lovely Lauren, founder and director of Babychic Designs when looking for great products to help babies and toddlers suffer with eczema. Darcie has quietly suffered with eczema ever since she was born, but it gets worse during the warmer months. Lauren's little boy also had the same problems and so she created BabyChic Designs!

 The Babychic universal pushchair liner is a true 100% cotton liner, a lot of current pram liners on the market claim to be 100% cotton but are often filled with polyester filling, which traps heat and can make babies and toddlers hot and sweaty, not an ideal combination if they suffer with eczema or other skin conditions. The Babychic liner has 100% premium cotton outer layer and the inner layer is filled with premium 100% cotton filling, keeping baby/toddler cool whilst in the pram. This helps reduce the risk of eczema and skin irritations - which is exactly what I want!!!

This universal liner can adapt to fit most pushchairs, I have a Quinny Buzz & Babystyle Oyster and it looks fantastic in both. I love how the liner has little ribbon ties at the top to stop the liner from slipping, something which used to really annoy me with previous liners we have tried! 

We chose the "Apple Blossom" print as we thought it would match our red Quinny and it has beautifully! Darcie loved it when I first popped it on, she instantly wanted to get in the pushchair (which was really encouraging as she is all about walking everywhere at the moment!!). The liner is also incredibly soft, making it nice and snuggly for colder days too!

Another element I love about the liner is the fact it was so easy to put on both pushchairs and that it can easily be machine washed - perfect for a busy mum like me with a toddler who likes to jump in muddy puddles!

So if you would like your own Babychic pushchair liner, then you're in the right place! Lauren has kindly offered the chance for one of my lucky readers to win a beautiful liner in the colour of your choice! So if you would like to take part then please follow the instructions below, please be aware that this is only open to UK residents. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next month I will be discussing eczema in more detail, letting you know how we have dealt with eczema with Darcie and some fantastic products and tips that can help ease it, clear it and keep it at bay.

Once again, good luck guys!

Mummy B xoxox

*I was sent this product for the purpose of the review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Our Week In Photos

Our weekly round up in photos! Sorry for poor quality, but they're all from my phone!! 

Watch Sofia the First with your little ones? Then you will get this!!

My no make-up selfie for cancer!

Friday we attended our local fair, winning lots of tacky goods that all childhoods need!!

Saturday morning chill, watching Peppa Pig. Look at those feet!

We had quite a few exciting deliveries this week, including this Baby Chick Liner, I can't wait to share with you our full review and a little giveaway... keep your eyes peeled! 

I was very spoilt this week from the lovely guys at Next, sending me this gorgeous bouquet of flowers along with an invite to their childrens clothing event! Any of my other lovely fellow mummy bloggers going?

Lastly a series of selfies of Darcie forcing me to wear Daddies glasses!

Apologies for not being a very "chatty" weekly round up but all weekend I keep feeling freezing cold and this evening my throat has started to feel a little sore. Typical as I'm due to go to Germany next weekend!!

Hope you have all had a great weekend.

Love Mummy B xoxox

Main Bedroom Tour

About a month ago me and Jamie decided to update our main bedroom. It was magnolia with paint swatches covering the walls, we never could decide how we wanted the room to look, but we took the plunge to just go with it and I'm so pleased with the results! As you can see we went for a yellow, grey and duck egg blue theme which I think has worked well. The room feels so fresh and relaxing - exactly what I wanted!

So lets start with the bed, this be was found at a furniture store fairly local to us which was closing down, it was dirt cheap so we had to get it!  The cushions were from Next a little while back, but may still be available. 

The bedding its self is from Ikea along with the throw, I love it! Its such a nice yellow and really brings the whole room together.

Above our bed we have some photo frames with our favourite pictures. I origianlly put the pictures here until I put them up on the wall, however I'm quite liking the way they look! The large frame is from John Lewis and the smaller frames are from Ikea (they were so so cheap!!)

Next is our bedside tables, they're not in the traditional place as they are at the foot of the bed! This was due to my poor planning and our room being a bizarre shape and very, very small! They are from Ikea and have served us well so far! On my beside table I have my day to day necklaces displayed above from Next, and a gorgeous Disney print from John Lewis.

On Jamie's bedside table he has another print from John Lewis of vintage images of the TT races, perfect for my bike mad man!

Furniture wise, we have a built in wardrobe which was the only form of clothes storage we had in there for a long time! I was getting so fed up with our spare room becoming a dumping ground so we needed to expand our storage!

We opted for the Malm Ikea chest of draws, they are lovely and deep, nice and plain, so not too fussy either!

I also desperately wanted the tall version of the Malm draws, simply because of the lovely storage for jewellery and after lots of persuading, I managed to get my own way!

Finally, the paint we used was the same as in Darcie's room, duck egg blue from Next. We also re-used some old lettering which was from Next again a couple of years back. 

So there we have it, I would love to hear your thoughts on our room. We were so limited with space we found it really difficult to make it a functioning but relaxing room!

Mummy B xoxox

Darcie's Not So Imaginary Friend

A couple of weekends ago, when we went to Hunstanton, Darcie discovered a not so imaginary friend. In the shape of.... her shadow! This was the first time she had taken any real notice of it, she kept looking at the dark figure with a quizzical look the slowly she started to wave. She kept saying "hi" "hiya" and then asking me to do the same. She then realised that this dark figure had a mummy too! So we decided to sit down with her, in the middle of old Hunstanton and explained to her what this "friend" was. I showed her that the mummy figure copied everything I did, then I made Darcie do the same. She then came round to the idea what a shadow was. It was the sweetest thing ever, a moment I wanted to treasure. Now in the morning when the sunlight shines through her window whilst we're getting changed she greets her shadow with a friendly wave and a "hi shadow". 

Moments like this warm my heart, it's the little things that make you smile. I love how the mind of a toddler works, everything is so magical.

Mummy B xoxox

Next Wish List

When browsing online at Next's website, I suddenly realised how Next has increased the number of different labels/brands they stock, bonus for me and a bit of a negative for the bank balance! So I'm being good and at the moment I am resisting the urge to spend! Instead I thought I would share some lovely finds with you!

1. Fossil mint handbag £189

2. Next tube skirt £20

3.Joules top £30

4. Converse trainers £47

5.Next Jeans £24

6. Mocks loafers £45

7. Next £12

8. A Postcard From Brighton top £55

If you fancy having a little nose around Next's other labels/brands they stock please click HERE.

Mummy B xoxox

Ordinary Moments #3

This week has been lovely! This weather has really is put me in the best of moods! We have had a busy week, workwise and blogwise its been very busy, but, that's how I like it! I am very much looking forward to the Easter Holidays, which is three weeks away - will be a well deserved break!

This weekend me and Darcie have had it pretty much to ourselves, Jamie has worked all weekend even though it was his birthday yesterday! Due to his busy work shedule we haven't really been able to celebrate much this weekend, unfortunately that's life sometimes! Me and Darcie have been kept busy and entertained as we had a go at her 'weekend box' yesterday, which was super fun! 

Today was spent with my lovely mum, we went for breakfast at The Angel Cafe which does the BEST eggs benedict.  Then we trotted off to Southwold!

If you read my blog regularly you will know that I adore Southwold, so really it was already going to be a perfect day. We mooched through town doing a spot of window shopping, drank tea and then played on the beach.

Darcie spent the entire time filling up her bucket and then starting again... kept her amused for a good hour whilst me and mum soaked up the sun! It was absolutely glorious!

Next week is looking to be another fantastic week, me and Jamie have to opportunity to go back to our University for the day, so very much hoping for wonderful weather again down in lovely Kent!

What's been your highlight of the week?

Mummy B xoxox

Weekend Box Review

We had a little surprise land on our doorstep this week, the Weekend Box! I was so intrigued by this concept so was happy to give it a whirl. These fortnightly boxes include activities for you and your child ages 3-8, now I know Darcie is not quite 2 yet but she definitely enjoyed the activities we were sent.

The packaging is lovely, brilliant for kids, when the post man put this through the letter box she got her hands on it before I could get there! 

Inside there is everything you need, all colour coded depending on the activity. Perfect. 

Today we decided to have a go at creating a bird, the instructions and matching colour coded envelope had everything we needed for this craft, even down to a little stick of glue! 

The first task was to paint the circular body with the powder paint (you just need to add water), this was by far Darcie's favorite bit, using her fingers it paint! There was loads left over so I let her do some more paintings whilst it dried. Next involved lots of sticking, Darcie loved the feathers!

Here is the final product! I have to admit I did most of this, but it was nice to do something a little different together and build her interest in crafts.

The other activities included were a cooking activity and sound activity. I love that there is a variety to appeal to all. 

As a working mum, this is perfect for us, sometimes after a long week its hard for me to come up with something a bit different to do. I like that you can save the instruction cards and do them again in the future.

These boxes are priced at £7.50 each, if you want to find out more click HERE.

Do you have a favourite craft you like to do with your children?

Mummy B xoxox

*Product was kindly sent to us for the purpose of this review.

Mother's Day Gift Guide 2014

This year I thought I would create another gift guide, because lets face it, sometimes we need a helping hand buying gifts!

First up is this gorgeous scarf from Cath Kidston, its pricey at £35 but who can't resist these beautiful prints?! I love Cath Kidston and I think it appeals to women of all ages.

Who loves a bit of pampering? I know I do! Lush has a soft spot with me, their products are such a treat and I think this Mother's Day set is great for first time Lush users. Priced at £28.95.

Flowers, a traditional gift but who doesn't love to receive them?! These are from Next and come in a beautiful vintage glass vase and are priced at £20.

Something for the home, this cute print is from Not On The High Street and is priced at £16.50. 

Summer is just around the corner so why not treat mum to a beautiful summer bag, this one is from Next and is priced at £28.

Lastly is this beautiful personalised rose gold wrap bracelet from Not On The High Street. It is a splurge at £49, but hey Mum's deserve a little treat now and then.

Of course Mother's Day isn't all about presents, make sure your mum puts her feet up and has a well deserved rest!

Mummy B xoxox