Shopping haul.

photo from google.

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BHS

 Brave PJ's - £6.50

Hair ribbins - £2.50

Matalan

 Boys priate swimsuit - £8.00

Coat hangers - £3

Asda Living

Purple swimsuit - £14

Tutu swimsuit - £7

Arm bands - £6

Infant float seat - £11

Huggies little swimmers - £4

Lush

Creamy candy bubble bar - £2.50

Floating island bath melt - £4.15

Think pink bath bomb - £2.50

Acorns Charity shop

Book, Remember me - £1.45

Tank top, forever21 - £3.95

Carluccio's

(because no shopping trip to Stratford is complete without something sweet)

Strawberry meringue - £1.99

Archie learns to sit.

Archie has wanted nothing more then to sit up for a while now, if you try to lay him in your arms he will wiggle and moan wanting to sit up. Even while on his play mat he gets frustrated after only a few minutes, so I've started sitting him in either his Bumbo or between my legs so he can play. This week for the first time he started to sit unaided, first for only a few seconds but by the weekend he was doing it for long periods of time! I'm amazed, and slightly tearful at this. Another milestone hit, another reminder he's growing up.

Charity shop haul

Saturday shopping, normally means heading to the local charity shops and having a look around. I love old unique things, I'm also looking for some gorgeous jars / tins for all my baking bits. This week I only managed two shops - we had other plans for the afternoon and I normally spend 30 mins in each shop. The photo above shows my little haul - minus the Barbie doll I brought as Eva was playing with it when I took this photo.

Amaretti Virginia buscuit tin
Brought for £1.50.
After looking for this tin on the internet I have found one selling for £8.96 on Ebay.
I fell in love with this tin after seeing it, it's beautiful. I adore the vintage design, although the date on the bottom of the tin says 2005, so it's actually a new tin the design is the same as the one the company started using in 1860. I was going to use it to store pasta, then I remembered nobody in my house eats pasta so that would be pointless. I'm not sure what I'll use it for yet.

Autograph at Marks and Spencer shirt 75p
StMichael at Marks and Spencer t-shirt 75p
On the M&S website a shirt from the same range is £10 new and the T-shirt is £8.

 7.0mm Needles £1.99
& chunky wool barley shade £2.49

Barbie doll £1.50
This is the old style Barbie with bendy legs at the knees. My daughter has quite a few of the news one and they are no longer bendy. Barbies these days are between £10 - £20 depending on the type. The hair is matted but a quick sprits of Laundry softener with sort this out & leave the Barbie smelling fresh.

Learn to knit.

Back in January I wrote a post about things I wanted to do this year. I'd already done one which was "keep a blog", the next was Learn to knit. I'm actually very annoyed with myself for not learning any sooner! Yesterday I picked up my knitting needles for the first time and managed to knit a basic knit stitch. I was actually amazed how easy it was. Casting on was also alot simpler then I first thought. 

My first square.

I now plan to knit all different coloured squares and stitching them together to form a lovely blanket for my son. 

I am also going to have a go at Crocheting.

The mummy tag.

  I found this while looking through some other blog's and thought I'd give it a go.

1. Are you a Stay at Home Mum, or a Working Mum?

I'm on maternity leave at the moment, but I consider myself both as normally I am at home all day then once my boyfriend is home I head out to work for the evening.

2. Would you have it any other way?

Now I know some mum's are all for 'this stay at home' stuff but honestly, I love working, I love earning my own money and having a little bit of freedom away from home to talk to adults and have a bit of time to myself.

3. Do you co-sleep?
Yes I do. I've done so with both my children. I plan to write a blog post on this in the future.

4. What is your one must-have item for your baby?
A noisy toy or his white blanket. 

5. How many kids do you plan on having?

Once we'd had our son we said "no more",  5 months on we are now talking about having a third. I'm not sure when or if this will happen but I always said I'd like 3 children.

6. Date night? How many nights per month?
We don't really do the whole 'date night' thing. We go out normally around once a month if that, and only when there are special dates, the rest of the time the kids are with us. We're fine by that and our relationship isn't suffering in anyway.

7. Your child's favourite show?
Eva loved Peppa pig until about 6 months ago, now she's more a fan of Tom and Jerry. Archie doesn't watch TV to have a favourite show yet.

8. Name one thing you bought before you had your baby and never ended up using?
 A bumble bee car seat wrap thingy. He wore it once or twice but that was about it.

9. Your child’s favourite food?
Eva loves Jacket Potato's. Archie is yet to be weaned so Milk.

10. How many cars does your family have?
Just the one.

11. Weight gain before pregnancy, during and after and now?
Before my first pregnancy I was 8st just over, afterwards I'd gained only a stone. At the start of my pregnancy with Archie I weighed 9st 7lb and by the end I'd gone right up to 10st 10lb, which stayed for two weeks afterwards. I am now around 9st 2lb.

12. Dream holiday with your kids?
Disney Land.

13. Dream holiday without your kids?
New York, although I'd love to take the kids with me here to, but one child free day to just shop would be amazing.

14. How has your life changed since your baby has been born?
I've matured, my whole way of thinking has totally changed.

15. Finish the sentence: 'It makes my heart melt to see … '
My children laughing together.

16. Where do you shop for your kids?
Mainly Asda living.

17. Favourite makeup and skincare products?
I don't wear makeup. I wear a Nivea face cream.

18. Huggies or Pampers?
I used Huggies with my daughter as I found Pamper's leaked with her. Huggies are no longer around, we did manage to get some before all the shops sold out but they leaked so I use now mainly Morrisons little big.

19. Have you always wanted kids?
Yes. But not until I was in my 30's. My mum was a young mum and I watched her struggle on her own.

20. Best part about being a mum?
Hearing my daughter tells me she loves me, it makes everything worth while.

Eva turns 5.

Monday (3rd) my gorgeous little lady turned 5 years old and I am amazed just how fast the past years have gone. She's now properly into the child years, in some way's I'm happy about this, excited about this even but for so many other reasons it makes me sad. My 5lb 15.5oz baby has gone, and her place I have a happy confident little girl, who's very clever for her age. I miss all of those first moments, first smile, first steps.. of course we have so many more firsts to come, I know this and yet I'm still sad. I guess only another parent will understand what I mean. 

Birthday presents

- Body game for the LeapReader

- Doll and horse

- Bath crayons

- Snow white dress

- Scooter

- Watch

- Small doll with toy cats

- Clothes

- Dart board

- things for her doll.

It would seem..

That after 5 months I have hit that broody stage once more and I never thought that day would ever come. Maybe it's because so many people around me are having babies or are pregnant, Or maybe it's because Archie is no longer a new born, he's lost that new born smell and is slowly becoming a "real baby" (what ever that means) I'm shocked that I ever got to this stage again, seeing as I am still in pain from his birth and I'm so not ready mentally to go though pregnancy any time soon. But every part of me aches for another baby. I want to pee on that stick and see that second line, to lay down on that couch while some women puts cold gel on my swollen tummy and searches for a new life in my womb, to feel first kicks, hiccups and stretching.. I can't say labour is something I ever want to put myself through ever again. It hurts ALOT! (that I do remember) however, bringing a new life into the world is very much something I want to do. Maybe not now, but in the years to come. Adding to my family would be amazing.