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Showing posts from May, 2014

Kids & Veggies

Gah.... It's another "teaching parents to suck eggs" study.  According to the BBC there has been a study done to see if children can be convinced to eat vegetables if given them regularly. Apparently 2 in 5 children will start to eat a certain vegetable if they are served it between 5 and ten times (Presumably in a relatively short space of time, hopefully not daily. No one wants the one same veg ten days in a row!) My question is..... did we really need a study for this? Is it not common sense? I have 3 kids. Jack is 6 and eats ALL the veggies he is given, often asking for seconds in things like broccoli and cauliflower. Tom is 4 in a couple of days and, while he isn't a fan of veggies like Jack, will grudgingly eat pretty much what ever I give him - even ones he calls "yucky" like leeks. Georgie is 2 and will still avoid veggies where he can unless they are his particular favourites. I'm confident this will change over the next few years as it h

Starting To Nest!

Vests from the set Jack chose I went out with Jack today and he chose Bean's "coming home" outfit a gender neutral two piece set with a fluffy elephant on it. Then we found some vests and a hat to match! So that's that sorted! All I need for the hospital bag now are the nappies and something for me to wear when I come home! I've been trying to sort the nursery a bit. We're a bit stuck now until next week when Georgie's new drawers arrive. So far his clothes are still in the nursery room drawers, which Bean will need. But once he has his own drawers I can start looking through my baby clothes and cloth nappies, give the drawers a good clean, and check over the baby toys to see if they are in need of cleaning. I started to look at what we had for baby and there is just SO much stuff that we already have! Loads of soft toys, musical toys, a couple of play mats/gyms with interchangeable toys (about 2 bags of toys for them). I want to get a new bounc

Metformin, The Conclusion

Tuesday came round and I called the GD nurses to discuss this whole " I'm not taking Metformin " thing, and left a message asking for them to call me back. Mid afternoon I got the call. It wasn't Zoe, my GD nurse, but her counterpart. She had my notes in front of her though and she knew I was calling about whether or not I would consent to taking the medication. I explained very quickly why I wasn't happy with it. First off that it wasn't licensed yet. She assured me it had been used safely for years with no reported problems but I just explained again that I wasn't willing to take that risk with my child. And secondly, that I disagreed with the doctors opinion that I needed it in the first place given that the other GD nurse Zoe, the GD MW, dietician, and consultant where all happy. He was basing his prescription on a handful of days with untrustworthy blood sugar results. She asked who I had seen and I described him to her. "Oh, him"

Bumpdate @ 28 Weeks

Metformin?!?!? I've had another run in with the GD Clinic...  This time it's not the Consultant, it's some other random doctor who wants me to take Metformin because I'm fat and he believes my baby will be fat. I have no medical reason for taking it, and it is not licensed for use in pregnancy either here in the UK or in the USA. Hubby and I looked into this medication - using sensible and reliable sources like the NHS's own web site - and the facts seem pretty clear to me. This is being trialled on over weight pregnant ladies and I am being put forward as a test subject without my consent. Needless to say I wont be taking it. I'd love to rant on and on about this, but I already have done over here on my Pregnancy Blog . Have a read, I'd love to know what you think! Here's what Fertility Friend says about baby this week: Your baby now weighs about 2.7 lbs (1.2kg), measures about 10.4 inches (26cm) from crown to rump, and

Why I WONT be taking Metformin!

So yesterday I went for my GD clinic appointment and growth scan . I came out with box of metformin that I wasn't too happy about being given because I believed that my blood sugars are under control (and they are). When I got home I told Hubby about it and asked what he thought about my decision to wait until after the weekend and be convinced that my blood sugars were in fact NOT fine before I consented to take the meds. He did some research before he gave me an answer. And I'm so glad that he did! Before I go on I need to make it very clear that I am NOT trying to convince other people not to take metformin, or to stop taking it if they already are. I am simply explaining why I am not going to be taking it.   You can always speak to your doctor or midwife if you find yourself in my situation and are worried.  Reasons I don't want to take Metformin: Ref 2 1) The NHS website says "do not take this medicine during pregnancy" (ref 1) 2) The information

Growth Scan & GD Clinic

I was seen by a trainee sonographer today. She took some very big measurements... her mentor had her retake a few of them and didn't watch all her measurements. While she was lovely and friendly, and very happy to have another look at baby's gender and get my a nice pic (nice as you can at this stage) I'm not sure she got them right. I am sure baby is a bit on the big side because mine always are, but not as big as she recorded - 30+ weeks when I'm 27w 3d. Got a free pic though! I also wound up with a very over cautious young doctor (who tells everyone to call clinic every week which the rest of the GD team say isn't the case). He wants me to take metformin daily even though my bloods aren't bad, just borderline at bedtime. I have an issue with this! The GD consultant, GD nurse, GD midwife, and GD dietitian were all HAPPY with my bloods. Just this one guy that wasn't. Sorry, but without the back up of the team I have seen regularly (for 3 pregnancie

Seaside Project - Part 3

This was easily Jack's favourite part of the project this half term!  We made SUNGLASSES! The frames are made out of pipe cleaners, twisted together (carefully to avoid any sharp bits), one for each eye and one for each arm. These fit Jack, so you might have to adjust that if you want to make some for different sized people. The lenses are cellophane. We drew round the frames to get a template and then attempted to glue them to the pipe cleaner frame. We failed.... and wound up using double sided sticky tape instead! Jack wanted novelty sunglasses an had been on Pinterest looking at some super hero masks and other similar things made with fun foam. He wanted a proper beach theme, so we went with sand, sea and palm trees. I admit I talked him out of buckets & spades, people, deck chairs, assorted fish and sea shells etc. simply because they are supposed to be sunglasses and not a full mask! (Although we me might just do it for fun for ourselves later!) I helped him

Bumpdate @ 27 Weeks

Last week in 2nd Tri? Or 1st week in 3rd? Now, depending on who you ask I am now either at the very start of my 3rd Tri, or the very end of my 2nd! Personally I'm not sure which is right, and I'm not really that bothered any more - not like I was with my first preg for example.  Either way, the end is now in sight! Scary thought! Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to meeting Baby Bean, and child birth doesn't scare me any more. But it's the thought that this preg - my last preg - is so very nearly at an end and it feels like it's gone in a blink of an eye. I've bought nearly nothing for this baby, and only a few basics for the hospital bag. I'm sure I will wind up on a shopping spree next week after my growth scan (where I can get baby's gender confirmed). It'as just all happening so quickly! Here's what Fertility Friend says about baby this week: Your baby weighs about 2.5 lbs (1.1kg) an

Pin it Party #30

Welcome to the Pin it Party! with your hosts  My Life as Mumma Walker  &  Embracing the Good Life Let's keep it simple: Link up any posts you have that you would like to have shared on Pinterest Follow the Host boards:  CharlieBeth79  and  embracingtglife Check out and pin other party linkies - as many as you can! Follow as many of the other party linkies as you can Follow this party's board and wait to see your post get pinned!  HERE I'd especially love to see great blog posts with pics, recipes, DIY, crafting, reviews, blogging advice, beauty & fashion. That said, it's pretty much rules free, but please remember that mine is a parenting blog so don't share something which might be seen as too offensive! The Button: You don't have to take one, but it's there if you want it! Tweet Powered by Linky Tools Click here  to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list... Follow Pin it Party by Ch

Seaside Project - Part 2

Jack and I spent a lot of time looking for and at pictures of Blackpool going back to the 1940'. We chose that decade because that's when his Nana was born (1944) so he could talk about differences in seaside holidays between her being little and now. He chose two pictures from each decade from 1940 to the present day and made a poster (thank you picmonkey ) and then took a look at our own holiday snaps from Blackpool over the last few years. He noticed similarities: Playing on the beach, riding donkeys, visiting Blackpool Tower, eating ice-cream. Things that haven't changed in 70 years! He also noticed that there seems to be more things to do as time when on, like the Pleasure Beach and arcades, and fewer people. I think he did well! Facebook has changed it’s policy for posts to Facebook pages like mine. They are only showing posts to a few likers unless I pay to boost the views. Since I don't earn money from my blog (or at least not much, not

Haven's Cala Gran Holiday Park Review

How lucky were we to be invited back to Cala Gran at Fleetwood for another review weekend? The kids love this place already, so it was interesting to see what changes and improvements had been made which was going to keep them interested this year. The first thing that struck us was the "Little Cubs" slots in the Daytime Activities, a daily slot aimed specifically for young children, new born to 4 years old. Tom was not interested... he's 4 in a couple of weeks and did not want to be classed as a "Little Cub" and instead wanted to be off doing what his older brother Jack was doing - which was fine because he was off doing activities for kids aged 3+. George, however, LOVED the "Little Cubs" sessions. We went to two sessions while we were there: Ned's Tots and Tunes, and Anxious' Sensory Morning. There was a good mix of children from a wide age range - older siblings were welcome to take part and join in, and parents actively encouraged to

Bumpdate @ 26 Weeks

Baby Brain Alert! The day I went to see the Midwife was not my best day ! The appointment it self went fine, but everything else was just CRAZY!  Baby is doing well be all accounts. Very active! MW took the heart rate twice because the little thing had been kicking manically just before she took the first reading so the heart rate was high. Once baby had chilled out for a few minutes it was back to normal. MW says that's all good. It's normal for heart rate to increase with exertion - a bit like us running up a hill. I'm measuring a tad on the big side - surprise surprise! I have a growth scan coming up soon so no doubt that will confirm it too. Aaaaaand I totally for got to pick up my MAT B1 form  that I need for work. Just the latest in important things I am forgetting on a daily basis. Here's what Fertility Friend says about baby this week: Your baby weighs more than 2 lbs (1000g), measures 9.6 inches from crown

Pin it Party #29

Welcome to the Pin it Party! with your hosts  My Life as Mumma Walker  &  Embracing the Good Life Let's keep it simple: Link up any posts you have that you would like to have shared on Pinterest Follow the Host boards:  CharlieBeth79  and  embracingtglife Check out and pin other party linkies - as many as you can! Follow as many of the other party linkies as you can Follow this party's board and wait to see your post get pinned!  HERE I'd especially love to see great blog posts with pics, recipes, DIY, crafting, reviews, blogging advice, beauty & fashion. That said, it's pretty much rules free, but please remember that mine is a parenting blog so don't share something which might be seen as too offensive! The Button: You don't have to take one, but it's there if you want it! Tweet Powered by Linky Tools Click here  to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list... Follow Pin it Party by Ch

Midwife!

I've not been having the greatest day, the car was playing up this morning, traffic was crazy getting into work, assorted office technology was refusing to play nicely, and I had a phone call with my boss which wound me up too.... So I was somewhat glad to pop out for a bit this afternoon to see the midwife. Shame really, because it wasn't the best appointment I've ever had. Baby looks to be measuring "big" already (although the chart is similar to my prev pregs so I'm not worried) and I need to check out the result of my growth scan in two weeks time. Baby's heart rate was well up and had to be checked again after 5 mins or so when it had calmed down. It's likely due to the massive kicking fit baby had just put me through moments before hand. And it looks like I have another water infection.... I'll hear about the results for that next week. She told me I would need to book an appointment for my 28 week bloods that would HAVE TO BE at 28 wee

Seaside Project - Part 1

Well, with only two weeks to go until half term, Jack finally came home with a Creative Homework project! Talk about panic stations! Two weeks isn't very long, especially when we're going away for the weekend. Anyway, we shall give it our very best go! Jack has chosen to to give the Art & Design a go and make some funky sunglasses. And we're going to look at seaside holidays and compare holidays now with ones in the past. We'll make a little booklet or posters about it and probably focus on Blackpool (since we're staying near there this weekend). Here's some stuff on Blackpool through the ages: Blackpool Tower Blackpool as a Victorian Resort Facebook has changed it’s policy for posts to Facebook pages like mine. They are only showing posts to a few likers unless I pay to boost the views. Since I don't earn money from my blog (or at least not much, not even enough to buy one posh a coffee a week) I wont be doing that. The best way to

May Day Weekend Bathroom Update!

May is chock full of bank holidays! And Hubby hasn't been working for the first one... well, when I say "working" I mean he hasn't been out to his day job. Instead he has been beavering away at the ol' DIY again. He has charged ahead with the tiling in the bathroom (which I haven't got a photo of yet, but I'll get one for later), and today he has had fun with the old Lath & Plaster which was part of the old bathroom wall (the one that came out last year) and consequently part of the ceiling for the stairs and over the front door. If you recall when it " rained inside the house " you'll understand that this is a job which has been on the list for a while (the livingroom ceiling will still need doing at some point). So today has consisted of dropping Jack off at school and then dragging the other two lads to the tip, Wickes and B&Q . I dread to think how much the Hubs has spent. In truth I try not to think about it.... But that

Moths

On a moth hunt.... Hubby is scared to death of them. Two nights ago I almost died laughing at him when a teeny tiny clothes moth fluttered near him and he went all Kung foo ninja freak and then screamed like a girl before scampering off. Seriously, I'm still laughing 2 days later! Last night he manned up and caught it in a pint glass. There are two more in here tonight... (God knows where they're coming from, it's like they can smell fear). Just caught him up a step stool in the kitchen, balancing on one leg, blinded by the kitchen light, while the cat tries to nudge him off (he went in to feed the cat and got distracted by the moth). He captured it and I had to dispose of it. The other one was on the top of the kitchen window, over the sink. All but impossible to reach! But I had a go for him (his nerves were shot). It escaped, flapped towards us, and I had to swipe it out if the air with a piece of jus-rol packaging, where it spiralled down and crash landed (

Bumpdate @ 25 Weeks

Need. More. Sleep. I don't know why, but I've suddenly lost the ability to sleep. Or at least it feels that way. Some of it is pregnancy related; uncomfortable bump, sciatica, needing to pee etc. Some of it is mum related; kids falling out of bed, getting up too early, preventing me from napping in the day.... If you have kids yourself then you'll understand what I'm on about. The really mean thing is that even when I do sleep I've started getting bad dreams again. Mostly about Hubby leaving. Which is daft because he's not given me a reason to be paranoid, with the exception of being at work we're all but joined at the hip (he will hardly let me out of his sight in case "something happens" to be and baby), and frankly we're getting on great. It's after baby is born that we row, lol, hormones meets sleep deprivation meets massive change..... but even then we make up within the day and it's all ok. 

Pin it Party #28

Welcome to the Pin it Party! with your hosts  My Life as Mumma Walker  &  Embracing the Good Life Let's keep it simple: Link up any posts you have that you would like to have shared on Pinterest Follow the Host boards:  CharlieBeth79  and  embracingtglife Check out and pin other party linkies - as many as you can! Follow as many of the other party linkies as you can Follow this party's board and wait to see your post get pinned!  HERE I'd especially love to see great blog posts with pics, recipes, DIY, crafting, reviews, blogging advice, beauty & fashion. That said, it's pretty much rules free, but please remember that mine is a parenting blog so don't share something which might be seen as too offensive! The Button: You don't have to take one, but it's there if you want it! Tweet Powered by Linky Tools Click here  to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list... Follow Pin it Party by Ch