Bedtime Routine

Bedtime routine at two years old

It has been about two months now since we discovered a magic element that was previously missing from Darcie's bedtime routine. However, I post this with great caution hoping I won't jinx it! Before this "magic element", we tried all the usual things to help Darcie fall asleep. The only thing that would work is if either me or Jamie laid by her side till she fell asleep. Whilst, yes, this is lovely, it could take two hours. It got to the point where is was exhausting and actually quite stressful - not a good environment to be falling asleep in!

Then one evening I had a eureka moment. Why doesn't another member of our family have a go at comforting her? No, I didn't call in the Grandparents, I let Lady (our dog) come into her room. This maybe very controversial, but to us was a no brainer. Darcie and Lady have a very special bond. Lady is patient and doting and Darcie adores spending lots of time with her best furry friend. Lady doesn't go in her bed, she simply lays by her door and thats all Darcie needs and she falls asleep by herself. No crying, no tantrums and no two hour battles. Its like we now have our evenings back, and we can have some much needed chill time. Of course occasionally we still have some difficult evenings, if she has had a nap during the day sometimes it takes her a little longer to settle. Or if she is feeling unwell, but, on the whole - its so much better!

So how does our routine go now she is two?

• Bath
• Snuggle time on the sofa with a cup of milk  
• Two stories in bed
• Her night music comforter gets turned on
• We say our goodnights and "love you's"
• I turn her light off and leave her and lady to settle
• After 10mins I check to make sure she is asleep and then Lady comes back down stairs

Its completely magical to see their bond, just knowing Lady is near her room is enough for Darcie to feel safe and comforted. So for me and Jamie we are pretty indebted to our amazing doggy!

Does your child have a special bond with their pet? Or does your child have any unusual ways of comforting themselves at bedtime?

Mummy B xoxox

Things That Make Me Happy

The little milestones 

Now Darcie is two the milestones seem to have slowed down, however there are two more recently that I'm ever so proud of. Firstly she is now able to go to bed all by herself. You maybe thinking why is this such a happy "thing"? Darcie has spent her entire life reliant upon us helping her to soothe herself to sleep. It's something I hadn't hoped to do, but it just became one of those things. This last month we have seemingly turned a corner and now experience relatively stress free bedtimes (hurrah!). The second little milestone is that Darcie is making more of an attempt with potty training. She regularly asks to go to the toilet (she hates her potty) and most of the time actually does go! I don't feel we are at the stage to try knickers, but we are definitely getting there now!

The colder evenings

You may think I'm mad, but I adore autumn and winter. I love everything about it, including the cold! I love to snuggle up, drinking hot drinks, watching a tv series (usually in one go!), wrapping up and going for walks. I literally can't think of many things I dislike - even the rain I love!

Home

Our home is getting more and more homely. It feels like we have grown into the home now! I remember when we first bought the house back in 2011, for the first year it was so bare. We were fresh out of university, in actual grown up jobs, using deck chairs as a sofa until they were delivered! But now, I look around and it is filled with happy memories. In fact sometimes I think it won't be long before we have outgrown the house.

Family

Of course my family make me happy, but sometimes I just forget how flipping amazing they all are. We are so fortunate that if ever we need advise or someone to turn to, they are always there, it what ever capacity they can be. Of course my Husband (just being able to say Husband makes me extremely happy!) makes me happy on a daily basis. One evening last week, I had a particularly long and tiering day at work, he did the food shop, made dinner, ran me a bath (and left towels, pj's all ready for me). To be honest he does these things on a regular basis, but as they say, its the little things that make you smile. Not forgetting Darcie, with her rapid broadening vocabulary, it has been wonderful to be able to have conversations and share secret jokes with each other.

What makes you happy at the moment?

Mummy B xoxox

Silliness

Because sometimes you just have to be silly.

Mummy B xoxox

A Pang of Guilt

Today Darcie went back to nursery, after having an amazing two weeks off. Normally I never experience guilt when leaving Darcie at nursery, she happily runs off and shouts "bye" as she goes and says hello to her friends and key workers. 

This morning was... Different.

Darcie looked up at me and asked to be picked up as we walked through the doors - not unusual as she often asks for a quick cuddle. So I picked up my beautiful girl and we walked through the entrance. Darcie was warmly welcomed as all the workers asked about the wedding and our honeymoon, whilst we shared stories, Darcie quietly hugged me a little bit harder than she normally would. As I said "Darcie, it's time for mummy to go to work and for you to sit with your friends" she hugged me for two solid minuets, nuzzled into me. I embraced her, and just closed my eyes and suddenly felt so overwhelmed!

 We had an amazing summer and I think Darcie loved spending so much quality time with her mummy and daddy. This little embrace felt like she was saying a silent "thank you". She then pulled away and said, "love you mummy, bye now" and off she went and sat with her friends ready for breakfast. It was a strange moment, the nursery drop off is usually so rushed- and she is not normally fazed in the slightest. Though there were no tears (that would be incredibly out of character), I couldn't help but feel a slight pang of guilt as I waved at her through the window. 

On the way to work, I couldn't help but think about that moment. We have been so incredibly lucky that we have been able to give Darcie so many amazing experiences, and that has only come from hard work and generosity of loved ones. I went from feeling ever so overwhelmed with guilt to feeling so overwhelmed with happiness. 

Life is a funny thing.

Hope you have all had a fab Monday!

Mummy B xoxox

Summer Memories

Well its fair to say that we have had a pretty incredible summer ! It is one that we will treasure forever and ever. But what about Darcie? 

This summer we finally tied the knot, it was something so beautiful and more perfect than we can ever imagined. What was even more special was that we got to share it with Darcie. 

But at only two, I can imagine that this beautiful day may get forgotten. So to try and make sure she remember's the day and just how special it was we have put a few wedding momentos in her room.

Everyday she talks about her dress and that day, saying how "mummy and Darcie were princesses!". It's very sweet. I'm hoping this will help her remember, along with a photo book which we will create once our professional photo's have been sent to us. 

We also had our amazing honeymoon in St. Ives, Cornwall. I made sure I blogged our honeymoon so we could remember the trip in detail, but I think I would like to work on a scrapbook too. Perhaps we could make it a family project.

Darcie had so many incredible experiences, all of which we amazingly were able to document through photo's or this blog - this is why I love blogging!

Other day's out have included, Bewilderwood, Ickworth House, Gt. Yarmouth and countless walks in the countryside trying to get everything ticked off our '50 Things' list.

I often get friends and family who just don't 'get' blogging, the reason is THIS. Keeping our memories alive, sharing them with loved ones, giving the opportunity for Darcie to be able to look back, remember, treasure and enjoy. 

This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots 100 August challenge. If I'm lucky enough to be chosen we would like to go to Elveden Forest.

How do you plan on treasuring your summer memories?

Mummy B xoxox

This post is dedicated to Jim, sleep tight.

Darcie's Reads // Dragon Loves Penguin

Hi guys! I'm here today with a new feature which will be running every saturday until Christmas - Darcie's Reads. 

Darcie is a big lover of books, and to be honest I love it! From a very early age it was clear to see she was going to be a bookworm, and so now, at two, she has a pretty impressive book collection. I thought it may be quite nice to share with you some of her favourites. There is something about children's books that I just can not resist, the lovely stories and illustrations are just so magical. The first book that I'm going to share with you, is a very naughty purchase I made today. Yes Jamie I can picture you rolling your eyes... But it is an absolute beauty and the story so heart warming.

Dragon Loves Penguin, by Debi Gliori (RRP £6.99) is a tale of a dragon in need of an egg and an abandoned egg in need of a mummy. All would seem perfect but when the egg hatches the baby isn't like the other dragons, it is in fact a baby penguin! But his mummy loves him, no matter what, even when the other babies aren't so sure. Little do they know that being different can actually be good, and the penguin saves the day!

This story brings a tear to the eye, it mentions how you don't need to have all the latest toys and how all you need is a mother's love. So very true. The perfect read for bedtime, snuggling up with you little one.

This book has beautiful illustrations, perfect for Darcie to make her own story to (she loves to do this "Once upon a time...").

I would make this a must for your little ones book list, would be a perfect Christmas present too (yes, I really just said that in August!).

You can find this book in most good book stores like we did, alternatively you can buy on Amazon, HERE.

Mummy B xoxox

Darcie goes to the cinema

So on a rainy morning whilst on honeymoon, we decided to take Darcie to the Cinema for the first time. The cinema is a real treat for us, as we never really go! But we felt the time was right and she was just about ready to sit for a long(ish) period of time and enjoy a film and popcorn!

The film of choice was Disney's Planes 2, we had only just seen the first one a couple of days prior so Darcie was familiar the characters. We decided on an early viewing to try and avoid a busy period, just incase she was a little unsettled. There were only a handful of parents with their children, one could of been Darcie's age - so that was a little comforting! I don't know why, but I have always felt a little nervous about taking a tot/small child to the cinema, but really, if they play up/don't like it all you have to do is leave! 

So, we bought our tickets and stocked up with popcorn and we were good to go!

We made a 'big deal' about what we were doing,  letting Darcie know that this was a special treat and we were about to go and see the special planes we watched the other day. Darcie got so excited when we were watching the adverts, she clapped at the end of every single one! So cute... When the film eventually started she shouted "Aeroplanes" in such a gleeful way, it brought such a big smile to mine and Jamie's face! 

She was pretty much settled through 3/4 of the film but then she started to tire. We just rolled with it, I let her sit on my lap then she wanted to sit on another seat, then take her shoes off... But to be perfectly honest she wasn't at all that bad! I would definitely take her again for a rainy day treat!

When did you take your little one to the cinema for the first time? 

Mummy B xoxox

Nature Misses You

Im teaming up with the lovely people at The National Trust to let you know that nature misses YOU! We are all guilty, at times, of spending a little bit too much time in front of the telly, on our phones or laptops and not enough time enjoying the wonderful world around us. As a parent, I'm conscious of making sure that I encourage my daughter, Darcie, to get out and explore, whether its just in the garden, a local park or something a little bit more adventurous.

The National Trust launched a fantastic website called "50 things", the site inspire children to get outdoors and complete 50 activities before they are 11 3/4! I think this is a brilliant idea and was really surprised at some of the "things" of the list. Most of them are simple and free activities - there are really are no excuses for not getting stuck in and to start exploring! 

The website itself is fantastic, if you join up you also get the opportunity to unlock special certificates, games, hidden challenges and rewards for the best exlporers.C

During our honeymoon in Cornwall, we decided to tick a few things off the list. We managed 8 in total! Not bad going! We had so much fun completing these things, all of which didn't cost us a penny. This is perfect for the summer holidays, especially as we are now well into the holidays and the kids might be getting a little bored, so why not give it a go?! If you want to download your own 50 Things list head over HERE.

Here are a few snaps from our adventures so far...

I think Darcie was most keen on the wave jumping, rock pool searches and kit flying... she is a definite beach tot! We can't wait to keep going on with our adventures, I'm determined to get everything ticked off the list... and as she is only two its definitely doable! I'm hoping to keep you updated on how she is doing, I would love to hear from you guys as well if you fancy joining in!

Do you think your children would enjoy this? Have they already completed the list?

Mummy B xoxox

Update in Photos

With much of the wedding preparations taking up a lot of time, it has left me a little behind on here! So I thought I would share with you a couple of images from the past two weeks...

As many of you may already know, Jamie is a keen biker. a couple of weeks ago we spent the evening at a local track, Snetterton whilst Jamie did a few laps. It was a lovely evening as we decided to take a picnic and as it was pretty deserted, Darcie could happily play and let off steam.

Last weekend was a trip to Bressingham Steam Museum where we encountered Peppa Pig!! Darcie was mesmerised, as was I by the looks of it. It made me even more excited to share with Darcie the magic of Disneyland one day...

Last week Darcie also spent the day with one of her bestest friends, Lilly, whilst I was at work (thank you Hayley)... look how cute they were on the bus...!

I thought she was rather brave taking two two year olds out for the afternoon!

On Sunday we spent the afternoon baking, I had been feeling poorly days previous to this so we needed a "pick me up" in a cake form! Darcie pretty much made the mix herself, I just helped with the weighing and the final mix... what a little star!

This was followed by a stroll on Southwold beach and chip in the evening. Which was perfect after a crazy week!

This evening we went on our favourite walk through Wortham Ling, we even laid on the floor for 5 mins just watching the clouds... blissful. Time out like this (and in a way from blogging too) makes you really appreciate things so much more. I say that all the time, but I need to find the time to take a step back from the world a little more often.

What have you been up to? What have I missed?!

Mummy B xoxox

Toddler Play Space UPDATE

As I have mentioned in recent previous posts, for Darcie's birthday we decided to improve her play space and make it a really functional and neutral space. You can see what it was originally like HERE. 

We wanted to have some clear organisation to make sure she starts to learn to put her toys back properly, taking real ownership of her space. As you can see all the furniture is plain and neutral, which was a conscious decision and inspired by (very very loosely) on a Montessori play area. I like the idea of Darcie having different areas to play and learn. 

For example, I got an Ikea Expedit unit, they are super cheap (£20) to store her boxes. I was getting fed up of them just getting random toys dumped in there with no real organisation. I used to find Darcie would become disinterested if her play area and toys if it was disorganised, so I decided to use this to make it easier to organise and less tempted to just shove "stuff" in boxes. So in the top left we have her cuddly toys, top right is her music box, bottom left is her role play box and bottom right is a mixture items. On the top of the unit I have some wooden toys (and my old play house... who else used to have one of these?!) that she loves, she quite likes to sit on the wooden box next to the unit and play with these! 

Keeping with the theme of being organised, I got Darcie these neutral tubs for books, plastic toys and her very precious Toy Story characters! Rather than have them on a shelf up high, I have kept them on the floor so she can get to them easily and she can the decide what she wants to do, I believe this particular idea is key to a Montessori play area.

Next is Darcie's desk, again from Ikea, offers her a place to read, draw, colour and play. The table is the same colour as the rest of our living room furniture! Perfect.

This Ikea box (only £16!) is perfect for storing her bigger toys, she also likes to sit and ponder here. On the top I just put a few of her birthday presents out for her to enjoy.

So the main item we got for Darcie for her birthday is the Ikea Kitchen, I just got the bottom set (you can get a top piece that attaches to this) because it hides nicely behind our sofa! She is in love with this, she is always asking me and Jamie if we want a drink and then fetches us tea or juice! Its a lovely basic kitchen that offers children some imaginative role play. 

Im really pleased with this small area of our living room, my only regret is not doing this earlier! I would of been great to create some "busy boards" for when she was younger!

I hope I have given you some ideas if you're looking to create a play space. My house is very small but we're starting to learn to make some really functional spaces making the best of what we have.

Mummy B xoxox

Chicken Pox Has Hit!

So my little munchkin has caught chicken pox! It's inevitable with children, especially if they interact regularly with other children. When I picked up Darcie from Nursery yesterday her key worker told me how the girl who she had spent most of the week playing with had caught chicken pox and to be aware. Well this morning she had a nice little collection of suspicious spots! 

At the moment she hasn't had much of an outbreak, they are mainly on her legs, belly and a couple around her neck, so fingers crossed she doesn't re-act too badly!

She has spent the day playing and resting with her Daddy, when I got home I was greeted to a water fight...

"A great way to keep her nice and cool" said Jamie. What actually happened was I was attacked by Darcie and I was the one who ended up getting "nice and cool".

Hope everyone else has had a great start to the weekend!

Mummy B xoxox

Bewilderwood Fun Perfect For A Two Year Old

On Sunday we celebrated Darcie's second birthday with a trip to Bewilderwood. We had the entire side of my immediately family (Darcie spent yesterday with Jamie's side) and it was lovely to spend the day together. 

Bewilderwood is a magical adventure park set in a beautiful wood in Norfolk. It is the setting for the children's book 'Boggle at BeWILDerwood' by a local author Tom Blofeld. I had been so excited to visit this place, I had herd so many wonderful things that I knew it was a must visit for Darcie. 

It was a glorious day, sun was shining, lovely and warm and, bizarrely, it was fairly quiet making it the perfect condition for exploring!

I loved how the park was set out,  making it easy to navigate round the and for perfect for children to get completely absorbed into the world of Twiggles and Boggles! 

The play parks were a mixture of climbing frames, obstacle courses through the tree's and lots of amazing slides! Even my brother enjoyed this part!

I thought Darcie may get a little scared going through the tree tops but she was the least bit worried! I had to put my brave face on for sure!

There really was so much to see and do, plenty to keep children of all ages entertained.  Another lovely element to the day was how the staff interacted with the children, telling the stories and keeping them engaged with all the different activities. Darcie loved the stories, such a pleasure to see!

After our adventures we stopped by Wroxham Barns, for ice cream and to feed the lambs...

And if that wasn't enough we then stopped off for dinner in Norwich at La Tasca! The perfect end to the perfect day!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Mummy B xoxox