2nd Birthday Preparations

Darcie will be two on Monday and I can't believe how quickly it has come around!! Last year we threw a big party for family and friends, but this year we fancied doing something a little different. Bewilderwood has been a place I have wanted to take Darcie ever since she was born and now she is at the age where she can enjoy it we decided to make a trip. It looks so much fun and to be honest I think we will all enjoy it too! I can't wait to see her making her own little adventures in the woods discovering all the characters there! 

For her special gift, this year we decided to really work on her play area in our living room, making it an inviting and creative place to play. Take a look at this sneak peek I posted on Instagram...

I'm still playing around with the layout and organisation but I'm really pleased with how its turning out! We got her the Ikea kitchen which we will give her on Sunday morning along with the rest of her presents. I feel a little bit funny about giving them to her early but she won't get anytime on Monday to open them! 

As always I'm looking forward to documenting her special day and sharing it with you. Be sure to check back soon with a full post on her new play area, please also leave me your play area posts bellow too!

Mummy B xoxox

Why I'm NOT Bothered About THAT Wedding Body!

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I'm not the skinniest of girls, I have lumps and bumps, carry more weight than I probably should and deep down know that I would like to lose 11lbs more. 

BUT

I'm not going on any diets, spending hours in the gym all just for ONE day. As much as I wish I could be that girl, I'm not. To be honest, I have been dealing with my own personal goal for the wedding. To be anxiety free. Since having Darcie I have had a strange and horrible feeling that I couldn't figure out what it was. It made me have heart palpitations (which I'm getting now as I write this!!) my stomach fill with knots, my head filled with aches, constantly feeling on edge and the worst one was shortness of breath. As many of you know, I had a traumatic birth with Darcie and at one point I wondered whether or not I had postnatal depression. I was quizzed by a doctor and a midwife and they said I wasn't so I just tried to put it to bed. Once I got myself into a routine, the feelings subsided but then when I had to return to work all these feelings came back and were even worse than before.

I never spoke to anyone about this. Its my one big regret. I let it take hold of me, this strange feeling that I just couldn't understand. I would snap at Jamie for no reason, go to bed with headaches or lay there for an hour whilst the heart palpitations subside. Then on the 13th of February I had a little melt down and started to tell Jamie all these feelings. We started to do a bit of research and came across anxiety. Anxiety can include a number of symptoms such as,

Pounding heart

Sweating

Stomach upset

Dizziness

Diarrhea

Shortness of breath

Tremors

Muscle tension

Headaches

Fatigues

Insomnia

All of which I had suffered, some much more frequent than others. I then started to talk to close friends, who where so very shocked that I had been silently suffering away, they thought I was joking at first! Apparently I'm a good actress.

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I then found quite a lot of mothers had suffered with this and that it was very very common. Immediately I felt at ease. I found reading about other peoples experiences on other blogs very therapeutic. Knowing that I wasn't alone and actually knowing what these symptoms were made me feel better, not completely, but better! 

So I decided that after a month and a half of trying to get that dream wedding body I was going to stop (since having Darcie I have lost 2 1/2 stone anyway) and concentrate on being the best possible version of me on the inside. 

I still get these feelings now, but nowhere near as much as I did. Now I only feel anxiety when I have a valid reason (well to me) to worry, whereas before it was ALL the time. I feel that now I can recognise the symptoms and can much more easily overcome them. As they say knowledge is power, and in this case I feel it was. 

Anxiety is a bit of a taboo subject, probably why I'm feeling anxious writing this, but I feel its something that I just need to share. One, to help me and two, to help others recognise the symptoms, even if it helps just one person that will be enough for me.

I hope I haven't rambled too much! If you have any tips on dealing with anxiety please feel free to leave them in the comments :)

Mummy B xoxox

May Bank Holiday 2014

Firstly, I hope that you have all had an amazing bank holiday weekend!! Our's has been pretty blissful, although I'm now completely knackered as I write this!

Our bank holiday wasn't shaping up to be a good one. We bought a new car (well to us anyway) on Friday and had been unable to update our policy due to our insurance companies website being down - and them not having any other means of contacting them put us in a sour mood. Luckily on Sunday the website was back up and running and we were able to get it sorted! So on Monday, a very excited Jamie, who wanted to go and play with his new toy, got us up at 6:30 am! Dressed and ready for a day of adventure, we just needed a destination. We decided to head to Thetford Forest High Lodge, an amazing activity centre! We hired bikes and took a longish (family friendly) route (and got lost) for two hours. It was perfect, the sun was shining and Darcie was having so much fun! 

The rest of the day was spent hunting and trying to discretely buy Darcie a couple of birthday presents. Her birthday is exactly one week away and because we have been so busy with the wedding it feels like it has sprang up on us!! 

I have really enjoyed today, mainly because its been quality time, no distractions from social media or wedding, work, house worries. Just us spending perfect quality time together!

And for me the holiday continues as I'm now off for half term!! YAAAAY!

Right now time for bed....

Mummy B xoxox

What's In Lilly's Closet - Review

Hi Guys! I'm here today with a review of some gorgeous hair bands and clips from What's In Lilly's Closet. April (Owner) kindly sent Darcie a very generous selection to try. When we received the package I got really excited, I have never bought Darcie fancy hair bands before and felt giddy at the thought of her wearing them!! We opened the parcel together and Darcie was immediately smitten with one particular head band...

Can you guess which one??

Yup you're right, the Sofia the First bow was the first one she wanted to try on. As soon as it was on her head she proudly beamed  "mummy I'm a princess now" - bless her little cotton socks! These first three I'm sharing with you all have a similar ruffled frayed flower as it's feature. I think this are gorgeous and the colours are very typical girly girl.

Prefer a traditional bow? No problem! These simple yet gorgeous bow are perfect for finishing off an outfit and come in an array of colours. April was sweet enough to have a little look through my Instagram pictures to find out what kind of colours she wore and so I was very pleased to see a yellow bow... we do love yellow in this house!

Oh look how pretty the bow and dress looks together!!!

This lovely cream flower is the largest of all the headbands we were sent, I think this would look really sweet with a denim dress or even for a wedding - just the right colour!

Lastly, Darcie also got some very cute hair clips... though I'm quite tempted to pinch the white ruffle flower for myself! These aren't just for kinds you know!

I have been so very pleased with our goodies I have gone on to make a further order with April to try some more clips. Make sure you take a look at all the lovely options (HERE)!

I also did a video review if you fancy a little watch...

Hope you're all having a lovely Bank Holiday weekend, the sun is currently shining here and I hope it continues (was AWFUL yesterday!).

Mummy B xoxox

The Mummy Tag YouTube Version

I decided I would do 'The Mummy Tag' for you all over on my YouTube channel!  I definitely waffled on for a bit but hey, sometimes it good to have a little natter!!



I tag anyone that fancies doing a YT version! 



Mummy B xoxox

Mr Nutcase iPhone Case Review

Today I am going to share with you my fantastic new custom iPhone case which the lovely people at Mr Nutcase kindly sent me for review. I had been after a new iPhone case for a while now and this one is perfect!

I love that you can design the case yourself, choosing your own pictures and text to make it completely personal to you. The quality is good too, I thought the pictures may get scratched easily but have been using it for over a week now and its in beautiful condition still. 

The website was nice and easy to use, you can even design it on your phone! Another area I was very pleased with was the delivery. Mr Nutcase offer free world wide delivery and not only is it free it is super quick! Great if you're looking for a late gift. 

Overall I have hesitations with recommending this product, in fact its the nicest custom case I have come across so far! They offer custom cases across a range of different makes and models of phones and iPads too!

If you were to have your own custom case, what or who would be on it??

Mummy B xoxox

Toddler Summer Essentials

All this warm weather has got me looking forward to the summer holidays and in particular our honeymoon! With my ever growing toddler we will have to be getting her some new summer gear, here are a few items that I have been loving. 

The top row are all items from NEXT. I love the swimming costumes, in particular the pink one. I had one very similar that was pink and yellow! I also like the cover ups, perfect for when the sun is at its peak or it gets a little chilly.  This lovely little back pack, Peppa Pig of course, would be perfect for our honeymoon and is from Marks & Spenser, keeping all her little bits safe! Green People's Organic Children Sun lotion is a must for us, it doesn't irritate her skin as all and is suitable for when she has eczema out breaks. Some good sunnies for the beach, H&M offer some lovely ones for a relatively small price. Finally, a hat, much needed especially if this warm weather continues, this one is from H&M too.  

I think I will do a little series on summer goodies, in preparation for our honeymoon! I love posts like this as its like shopping at home, so please leave your links on your summer finds!

Mummy B xoxox

Great Yarmouth Day Out

Sunday we decided to go for a Sunday drive and ended up going to Great Yarmouth. I have love/hate feelings when I come here, I spent a lot of time here as a child, especially with my Nan and Grandad who have now passed away. I also lived in Caister (just next to Yarmouth) for a little while and I detested my time there! So when it became obvious that this is where Jamie was heading, I started to feel a little apprehensive. 

Thankfully the day was a blast, reminding me of moments from happy times with my beloved Grandparents and making new memories with my little family. 

If you have ever been to Yarmouth, you will know its a classic British seaside town - with extra tack! But to be honest thats what makes the place charming, in its own unique way! We started out visiting at Joyland, which is a funfair aimed at smaller children and we just HAD to go on the "Brians" - I'm not even sure if thats its official name, but thats what we have always called it! 

After all the excitement we were very hungry, not fancying the usual fish & chips, we decided to head to the American Diner which is situated next to Joyland right on the sea front!

The food was a hit all round! As we were so full, we felt we needed a little bit of relaxation and headed to another well known Yarmouth attraction, the horse and carriages for a little ride! It was hideously over priced, but Darcie loved every minuet of it!

Next it was straight to the arcades! Who can resist, especially when your toddler spots Doc Mcstuffins characters as prizes!

And finally a good stroll along the beach before heading home...

Was such a lovely day, the weather was the best we've had this year and made me super excited for our honeymoon!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Mummy B xoxox

OOTD A Sunny Saturday

After a manic week I wanted nothing more than to chill out with my girl and do something special for my blog. I decided to do a little filming and create a little 'Outfit Of The Day' (OOTD) video including little snipits of our day. It was also a chance to me to test out filming on my "big" camera... which was a little tricky as it is so bulky! But I have to say I'm quite pleased with my first attempt of this style of video. So here we have it....

All of Darcie's clothes can be found at Next in their current collection (This was complete fluke that they were all from there!)

Hope you enjoy and let me know if you would like to see more little clips like this!

Mummy B xoxox

23 Month Update

I just can't believe that in a few weeks my little girl will be two years old. How is that possible? 

Every month I think of how far we have come as a family, not only has Darcie learnt and grown into a beautiful little person, but we, as a family have learnt so much. I just can't wait to finally become Mrs Burgess and another new chapter will begin.

This month Darcie has continued to expand her vocabulary speaking more in sentences than ever before. She has also really got into singing, "Let it go" from Frozen and "Happy birthday" being her go to song choices! 

Darcie has also mastered her balance bike. Last weekend we spent the afternoon riding around the block, it was soo cute!  

So her next update, her second birthday, will probably be the last monthly update I do. I feel she is just too old now and I would be writing the same things each month! My little girl is growing so fast.

Mummy B xoxox

Break The Habit & Improve Your Future

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Being a parent can mean huge lifestyle changes and wanting to put your children's needs first is only natural. Whether its eating healthier, exercising more or even just watching what you say, all these little things may play on your mind. For many parents, one habit they may wish to banish is smoking. I have never smoked or can even see the appeal of smoking but I have grown up with grandparents who smoked and seen their battles with breaking the habit and know its not an easy journey. 

Living smoke free can have so many benefits for you and your family, for example after one month your skin can be clearer, brighter and more hydrated; three to nine months after your breathing will improve; after one year your risk of a heart attack and heart disease will have fallen to about half that of a smoker. Another element is the cost of smoking. When you have a baby finances can be extremely tight, I can't imagine how we would of coped if me and Jamie were smokers too! Lastly are the benefits of those people you love. Passive smoking (breathing someone else's cigarette smoke) can increase the risk of cancer and other health problems, in particular it is very dangerous for children with risks such as cot death, asthma, meningitis all increased when exposed to second-hand smoke. 

So how can you go about quitting? 

There are so many was of getting yourself smoke free. The NHS offer a lot of advice and support for those people looking for this huge lifestyle change. There are also so many products out on the market to help. One relatively new product that many smokers have turned to are E-Ciggaretts. E-Cigs offer people that nicotine hit and are around 95% healthier than regular smoking. The e-cig Store offers smokers lots of advice and support for their customers (something which they take great pride in) helping them to find the right products to suit their needs. 

If you're looking to be smoke free I wish you all the luck in the world. Believe in yourself and make that change. To help you get started use the coupon code MUMMYBURGESS15% for 15% off.

Mummy B xoxox

*Sponsored post

My YouTube Trailer

I wanted to create a little video for the opening clip on future videos, so spent a little time this evening putting one together! 

Let me know your thoughts!

Hope everyone is having a lovely week, mine has been a slightly busy one. Really looking forward to the weekend as I will get to spend sometime with my beautiful work friends for Sev's Hen do... Super excited!

Mummy B xoxox

DIY Paper Flowers Perfect For Weddings

Today I'm going to share with you these gorgeous DIY paper flowers that I have been busy making for our wedding. They are really easy to make and are a beautiful decoration, perfect for any occasion. I am using them to decorate our favour boxes we received from Paper Themes, I'm also using lace and vintage name tags - they are starting to look beautiful!

Here is what you will need to create these paper flowers,

paper (sheets from a book,  sheet music, gift wrap etc)

 scissors

pencil 

glue gun

You could add beads which can be placed in the center of the flowers to add an extra special touch.

Step One

Take the paper and cut out a circle, I made mine quite "wobbly" so the petals will look softer. If you do a straight line instead you will get a more circular looking flower, which does look lovely but its not quite the look I am going for. Try to play around with the design so you can get the look you want.

Step Two

Then cut into the circle (making soft waves) and make a spiral. Make sure to leave a round area in the middle of the spiral, this will make the flower base.

Step Three

Using a pencil, wrap the spiral around keeping it tightly wound. Work from the outside of the circle into the middle.

Step Four

Once you have wrapped all of the paper around the pencil, gently pull out the pencil keeping a nice tight hold of the flower.

Step Five

Then arrange the "petals" how you would like, then add glue to the base of the flower.

And hey presto you have a flower!! I hope I have made it nice and straight forward because they really are easy to make. I have 80 to make in total so they have been keeping me busy!

Mummy B xoxox

New Google + Page

Hi guys! Kind of an admin post here, but I now have a Google+ page which you can follow me on. It is linked to my new YouTube channel and I'm hoping it will be better to keep the two linked rather than using my personal Google+ account.... I hope that makes sense! 

If you followed me on Google+ before I would really appreciate it if you could follow me on my new page located in the sidebar as I will no longer use my old one for blogging purposes. 

Thank you!!!

Mummy B xoxox

My First Vlog

It finally uploaded!! Remember its not perfect, we didn't do anything very exciting it was just a chance for me to have a go and play around with editing... which I thought went ok but now it has uploaded there is a section of video with no sound (for about 20 secs), though when I check on my IMovie maker the sound is on there so don't know if there was a problem with the upload... I guess that's something else I need to learn!

Hope you enjoy, I have a long way to go to get the video's how I want, but its a start!!

Mummy B xoxox

Mine & Darcie's Little Get Away + Some Exciting News

This weekend was Jamie's Stag Do, and as they were having it fairly local they decided to all stay at our house (I know, I'm brave right?!). So as me and Darcie didn't fancy being in a house full of drunk men, we decided to stay at my parents house and house sit for them.

Darcie was a little weary when we arrived, and very confused when my Dad and Sarah (step mum) left. She kept saying "Grandad gone?" and "Daddy at work?", bless her! She soon settled down... at 10pm! On Saturday we spent the day with friends, it was pretty perfect and got to see all my bridesmaids. I love chilled out days like this. 

Today, Sunday, we spent in the garden and going on a little walk. We fed the ducks, spoke to the horses and blew dandelions so fairies could be born! 

Whilst all this was taking place, I decided to do a little vlogging! Only whilst we were at home and on our walk. I'm taking my time, getting used to filming, talking on camera and editing (which takes an AGE!!!) and as we speak it is currently uploading!! Its a BIG step for me, as I have said so many times, I adore watching family vlogs (a guilty pleasure of mine!) and I have actually enjoyed putting it together! The filming part was easy, I just used my phone (I will progress onto a better camera!) and the editing part, though it took me a while to get used to iMovies, was lots of fun... so satisfying to see the finished piece! It is most definitely not perfect, but its a start! Keep your eyes peeled it should be up shortly!

Mummy B xoxox 

HomeBargains Wedding Range

When I think of HomeBargains, I do not think of weddings. So when I was asked whether I would like to see a few pieces from there recently released wedding line, I was full of curiosity and said yes! 

I fell in love with quite a few pieces...

The Birdcage I thought was very beautiful, its quite simple so could be decorated in a number of ways to fit within your theme. With my wedding only a matter of a few months away, I can see this fitting in with my vintage theme. Dressing it up with either flowers or candles.

Another lovely piece is this gorgeous Mr & Mrs sign, unfortunately it broke whilst in transit (and now they are currently out of stock) but I'm hoping a bit of glue and paint will do the trick!

This gorgeous lantern is sure to fit with most wedding themes, when used it gives off a beautiful soft glow. This will be perfect for the tables outside during the evening.

I was also sent a card board cake stand, napkins, scatter crystals, a traditional wedding horse shoe and a wedding card post box. What I loved about these items are that they are so cheap prices range from £1.50 - £8!! These are perfect for adding the finishing touches, and most of the items are quite plain offering the opportunity to put your own personal touch to make them fit within your own theme.

If your getting married make sure you check out the full range at http://www.homebargains.co.uk/. 

Mummy B xoxox

I was kindly sent these products for the purpose of the review, all opinions are my own.