CharlieBeth's "My Life As Mumma Walker"

8 Months Pregnant! We are all but ready for Baby Bean to arrive now! The last few things I needed to buy are here - save for the bouncy chair my Mum wants to buy for us. All I have left to do is wash the baby clothes and cloth nappies I have in storage.... and actually HAVE the baby!  I can't believe it's almost July already! From Tuesday I'll be able to say "I'm having a baby next month!" On Wednesday I am back at the hospital for my GD Clinic and Growth Scan. I am DESPERATE for them to give me an induction date, and narrow it down from "38 weeks ish". I want to be able to plan out my last few weeks before baby arrives (Obsessive? ME?!) Here's what Fertility Friend says about baby this week: Your baby weighs almost 5 lbs (2250 g) and is 12.8 inches (32cm) from crown to rump and about 19.8 inches (44cm) long. If your baby were born now, she would be considered "pre-term" rather than premature. This

Jack has brought home his last homework assignment for this school year. And it's an AWESOME one! Jack has chosen to make a "Bug Hotel", write about Sumatran Tigers, and have a go at making a 3D model of an insect or animal in the style of Eric Carle (of " The Very Hungry Caterpillar " fame). The first thing we looked at were the Sumatran Tigers. Jack chose these because we've seen them at Dalton Zoo, aka South Lakes Safari Zoo (a great place to visit if you're in the area). Here are some of our pictures: Created with flickr slideshow . Jack and I have sat together and looked up Sumatran Tigers on Google & Wikipedia , and he has written an information book on them with photos.  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 bu

I've been whittling away at the " Before Baby List " that Hubby and I knocked up a few weeks ago. There are only 3 things left on the list now! I am very happy about this! I managed to get the crib up a couple of weeks ago, the mattresses for that and the moses basket arrived yesterday (along with the change mat that says "Keep Calm and Change Me Bum", Yay!) This morning I had a spurt of energy and finally got round to fitting the nicely washed and dried seat covers onto the Baby Car Seat. I've had to rearrange where all the kids will sit in the car though. I had planned for Baby to be in the middle with Tom & Georgie either side and Jack either in the 3rd row or the front seat (depending on if Hubby was with us or not). But I couldn't get the seatbelt to wrap round the back of the Baby Seat which meant that it wouldn't be safe. After 15 mins or so of playing musical chairs I managed to get it all sorted though, and honestly I think this is b

With 3 boys and a 4th baby immanent it really is only a matter of time before I wind up in the hospital with one or more of them. It's something I try not to think about, but in reality it is something I should be preparing for. And preparing my kids for, without scaring them witless! We're taking a look at Monkey Wellbeing to make the job easier. What is it all about? The project was inspired by the mother of an 18 month old girl who needed surgery. In an attempt to help her daughter relax and not feel scared she made a book about a toy monkey who went to the hospital for the same procedure. It was an incredible success, and the hospital themselves commissioned further stories. The story of how all this happened is well worth a read and can be found on the Moneky Wellebing site here . What my lot thought of it We were sent: Monkey visits the Emergency Department – Activity Guide £3.95  Children’s Guidebook – Monkey’s Guide to Healthy Living and NHS Services

This is the kind of review that my kids love! Yummy, healthy things to eat or drink. We've been sent some Vita Coco Kids fruit flavoured coconut water to try. I'll be honest, it's not something I've even heard of before, but as we seem to get through a LOT of cartons and bottles of kids drinks - with packed lunches, day trips and picnics - a new variation to our usual purchases is always welcome. What is Coconut Water? I had to look this one up. Coconut water is NOT coconut milk or oil which are high in calories, it is the clear liquid at the very centre of the coconut and is tapped from the young, green coconuts. What's more,  it is: "Naturally refreshing, coconut water has a sweet, nutty taste. It contains easily digested carbohydrate in the form of sugar and electrolytes .... It has fewer calories, less sodium, and more potassium than a sports drink. Ounce per ounce, most unflavored coconut water contains 5.45 calories, 1.3 grams sugar, 61 milligram

With most of the baby preps done now, save for washing the clothes and nappies, I'm focusing on what I need to do to help my body be ready for the induction. It's another week yet before my next GD appointment but I am (as ever) hopeful that they will narrow down that induction date from "38 weeks ish" to an actual appointment. Either way I have about 6 weeks to go to my induction and I really really want to avoid being put on the drip or having a c-section. That means employing what ever methods are at my disposal to get my bits ready! There is a wealth of information on the internet on " preparing for induction " and  " how to ripen your cervix for labour ". I have read sooo much I've actually made my eyes itch! However, it's usually the same things that come up time and time again. Sex...  Yup. Sex. Because sperm contains prostaglandins which can help ripen the cervix, and female orgasm releases oxytocin which is known as the "

Sooooo hot! On Wednesday I felt the hottest I have ever felt in my life.... And I don't mean in a sexy sense. Normally I love the sun. Being British, and a Northern Lass too, "hot" isn't something that happens round here often so I really enjoy it when it does. But it's not so much fun when you are as pregnant and as big as me. I was working too, and our office is not the coolest of places in the summer. The skylights - which are fab for letting in light and warmth most of the year - turn the place into a greenhouse on days like this. Even with the door and windows open there has been no through breeze.  By lunch time I was fit for nothing. As it happens we are having technical difficulties at the moment which means that actual office work is on a serious go-slow anyway until it's fixed. So it was no big deal for anyone when I downed tools, put my feet up on a vacant chair, and just flaked out for most of the afternoon. I still ans

I want to tell you about HelpStopMe.com . This is not a paid review or sponsored post etc. I just think it's something that more people should know about. How many of us have had to deal with depression and / or anxiety? I'm guessing it's a lot of us! All I need to do is scroll through my Facebook feed and I can see umpteen status updates, motos, and YouTube videos shared about depression or anxiety. I've been a sufferer.  Some years ago - before I started this blog - I went through a pretty rough patch after a miscarriage and the breakup of my previous relationship. I was in my early 20's then. I was depressed and anxious, I lost my job over it and started down a dangerous path - thankfully rescued by my now husband. I was medicated to get through it - sleeping tablets, anxiety tablets, and antidepressants. It was not a good time. I started this blog once I started to get better. Some ten years earlier I had a terrible time dealing with the break up of

How's idea was it to have a Summer Baby?! Seriously, I didn't think this through, haha. My Spring Babies were a MUCH better idea! I've had a quiet few days as far as the pregnancy blogging goes. Mainly because it's sooo bloomin' hot! By the time the kids are in bed all I can do is flop on the settee or bed and day-dream about snow flurries! I was an August Baby too, my Mum said she wondered how I coped with this heat. The summer I was born was a soggy one but she said the days that were hot she could do nothing but sprawl out, especially if she's been at work all day! In truth I'm not really "coping" as much as just "getting through". I'm not really complaining about the weather. It's absolutely gorgeous at the moment. Which means that come the Summer Holidays it will probably rain every day! I need to make the most of the sunshine while it's here! So I'm doing my best not to whine and moan and grumble about my swoll

Mum, being there for me. xxx Today my lovely Mum turns 70. My Mum is AWESOME! I don't post about her much on the blog or anywhere else because she is not a massive fan of the internet - doesn't use Facebook etc, is vaguely aware that I have a blog, checks her emails about once every 3 years. But the woman is AMAZING! She had a pretty rubbish upbringing - my gran was a bit twisted and although I never met my granddad I get the impression he was nice but a little odd and weak. It was not a loving or affectionate home that she grew up in. Then she met and married my dad.... that is it's own story. Needless to say she is better off now they are divorced. Without going into too much detail (she wouldn't thank me for it) how she has managed to get to 45 - let alone 70 - without having a total mental flip is astounding, and shows just how strong she is. Far stronger than me, although I try to emulate her. The most recent 25 years of her life have by far been he happi

Image from The Guardian online (link below) It's another one of THOSE news stories!  Schools inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw wants to hit unengaged Mums and Dads in the pocket if they don’t read to their kids or turn up at parents’ evening. - The Wright Stuff Any one else think this is the wrong track to go down? If you've read my blog before you'll know how much time and effort we put into Jack's  homework projects .You all know how we feel about reading to our kids in this family too, and that reading it certainly a really big part of who our Jack is.  Tar all parents with the same brush? We're a low income family. Some of the White British that are listed in these news stories. And yet Jack is up there, one of the top in his class for literacy and numeracy. We are lucky, the hours that my hubby and I work mean that there is virtually always one of us at home. We can - and do - put those hours in to our kids.  But even though I think some people

"Definitely Ish" This has been a GOOD week! GD Clinic & Scan went well on Wednesday. There was no mention of me starting metfomin (doubt it will come up again now), my baby is still measuring big, but not big for me. Consultant said that while the growth charts are called "personalised" they do not take into account any previous babies. This baby is following the same lines as my other 3 pregnancies. She says she's not worried about me or my baby. She'd worry if my baby was small! This is what I have been saying from the start.  I also told her about the hassle I'd had trying to get my antibiotics. She was horrified that that pharmacist had not called my GP and got an alternative brand named, then she had my wee tested then and there, wrote me a new prescription, and directed me to the hospitals own pharmacy. I now have my antibiotics! She also said "We will definitely induce you at 38 weeks - ish!" Which was ab

I think this must the first time in 3 pregnancies I have come out of a GD clinic without a single complaint. In fact I am PRAISING them today! Scan went really well. Bean is still measuring big, but not scary big, just the usual "one of my babies" big. In fact when I saw the consultant she said to me that she would worry if my baby WASN'T big, and that while the growth charts are called "personalised" they do not in fact take into account a woman's previous babies. And this baby was bob on for one of mine. Haven't I been saying this all along? My BP is normal. My bloods are normal. No need to see the dietitian. No sign of that registrar coming to see me, and no mention AT ALL of metformin! I mentioned about the fuss I have had with my prescription for the UTI I got, the one Asda Pharmacy "couldn't find" then "didn't have in stock" and then "couldn't full-fill because it's been discontinued" since I

Ha! Can you tell I got some money in my bank account today??? I have bought some new first size nappy covers to replace some of the older tatty ones we had, we opted against the MioSolo all-in-ones in the end as they aren't tumble drier safe and we NEED to get things wash and dried quickly in this family. I have bought more MioSoft covers though coz I simply LOVE the Bambino Mio brand, and some new nets to go in the nappy bucket. They should arrive in a couple of days. I've got a new Mio wet nappy bag too since we lost the old one on a trip out somewhere and it was a great thing to have with cloth nappies on days out. I have also found a couple of baby wraps / slings which work the same way as my beloved Moby wrap - but for a fraction of the price as they are not branded. I've ordered a red one and a purple one. I should always have a clean one now! And I have ordered some Raspberry Leaf Tea and Evening Primrose Oil to assist in getting my "bits" ready for

Tornado over Lancaster. Photo by David Moorhouse. Well.... who'd have thought it? Little Old Lancaster, where nothing extraordinary ever happens (hardly ever, remember the Earthquake of 2009 ?), had a tornado - well, a funnel cloud - pass overhead last night. I heard the storm. I was just putting Tom & Georgie to bed, we'd read a Peppa Pig book where there had been a thunder storm leading to many many muddy puddles, and then we heard the thunder and pouring rain for real. It was really coming down hard! The tornado surprises me though, because (aside from not being usual up our neck of the woods) when I stuck my head out of the front door wondering where the cat was and why he wasn't begging to come in, there was barely a breath of wind. I would have assumed it would be at least a BIT windy! Fizzy (the cat) made it home shortly after when there was a break in the rain and enjoyed a good rubbing down from me and Jack. Even without catching a glimpse of the torn

Yay!  Look what the fabulous  J R Palmer  nominated me for! I am a big fan of her blog too so I am more than happy to link back to her and strongly recommend you read her blog (and her books!):  Attempting to be a Domestic Goddess  She will make you laugh and cry with her uniquely written posts, and positively droooooool over those cakes! The ten questions I need to answer are:  If you won £/$1000 what would you spend it on? Fixing up this bloody house! What is your favourite singer/group? Don't really have one. Enjoying Green Day at the moment. If you had one wish, what would it be? Safe delivery of this baby in August! If you could meet anyone famous, dead or alive, who would it be? Vincent Van Gogh Why do you blog? Because I have a lot to ramble on about and the Hubby will only listen for so long If you could give something up for 24 hours,what would it be? Heartburn! If you had the chance to move to any country, what country would it be? I wouldn't.

So this weekend, as I am 30 weeks and in the Home Straight, I thought I would jump on the ol' Wii Fit and see how much weight I have gained. Someone with my high BMI should expect to gain up to 20lb throughout the pregnancy. I have gained 18lb. Not too bad, I think. These things are based on the average baby weight of 7.4lb too and my baby will be 9lb+. Now, I know that if I tell the at the GD clinic on Wed that I have gained 18lb they will tut and shake their heads and use it as an excuse to tell me off, try to push me into taking Metformin and so on and so forth. But I am quite happy with it. I know I have eaten sensibly for the most part, celebrations excepted. I am also aware that things like my knickers, and other stuff that doesn't go on my belly or boobs, are getting slack not tight. Take a look at this site here . It's Australian rather than UK but the a average baby size is the same and I can't honestly see much else being that different. If you scroll do

A whole week of early nights..... I have been more tired this week that I have ever felt in my life! And there are still 10 weeks until my due date - although, I have been told by my consultant that I WILL NOT be allowed to get to due date. It's just a case of will they induce me at 38 or 39 weeks. I'm sure I'll feel better once this mess up with my antibiotics is sorted. I'm still more than a little annoyed about that one. Did you hear? I have a UTI, was given a prescription to clear it up. I took it to the pharmacy who took ages to sort it, so I said I'd go for a coffee and pick it up in half an hour. When I get back I'm told it's out of stock, but will DEFINITELY be in by 5pm the next day. I tell them I can't get in the next day, but will be back the following morning. When I go back they take an age to look for it before eventually telling me that it's been discontinued! They have my phone number, it's on my prescription. The

Follow CharlieBeth (Mumma) Walker's board Baby Buys on Pinterest. Oooohh! I have been window shopping! There are only a handful of things we need for this baby, but quite a few more that I would like to have too! Like a second Moby Wrap  <-- this is the one I already have! And I quite fancy upgrading the Bambino Mio cloth nappies we have, has some of the covers are getting a bit worn after 3 babies! Now I have seen the MioSolo , which is their new all-in-one product, and I'm thinking I might buy a few of those as they are (allegedly) from birth to potty training, so while they look expensive to start with they would actually work out really cheap. I'm not planning on replacing the whole lot, but they would make a good addition and I can ditch the more worn nappy covers I have. I'm 30 weeks tomorrow, which mean I have a MAXIMUM of 70 days before I get to meet Baby Bean. Just 10 weeks. And, depending on how these growth scans go, it could be as little as 8 wee

I really need to stop watching The Wright Stuff . I only get wound up by it - which is the whole point of the show I'm sure. Today they ran a feature based on a story from the Daily Fail, sorry, Daily Mail. This one:  Parents held after son, 11, reaches 15 STONE  and asked this question: Post by The Wright Stuff . Image from the  dailymail.co.uk article referred to in this blog post. I'm sure my regular readers will know by now that kids & food is something which hits home with me. In fact, the media, government, etc, wading in and judging all parents and situations by the same standard gets me going every time. So what do I think about parents being arrested for allowing their kids to get fat? I think it's stupid. What difference will it make to the kid or their weight? None! Or... it might make the child depressed and more prone to comfort eating, or trigger some other eating disorder; the child might wind up starving themselves or binging and pur