My Kate Winslet/Gwyneth Paltrow moment

"Oh my God, I can't believe it...I didn't think I was going to win anything! Okay...Oh look, I really did win it! Oh gosh, okay. Thank you so much. Thank you so so much."

- Excerpt from Kate Winslet's Emmy speech, 2011

"I would like to thank the Academy from the bottom of my heart..."

- Excerpt from Gwyneth Paltrow's Academy Award speech, 1999

Don't you just love awards? I do...I've won one! 

I have finally got to experience my own Kate Winslet / Gwyneth Paltrow moment. I have had an award bestowed upon me from the fabulous bloggers, Mother Venting, From Fun to Mum and More Than a Mum Blog. Thank you so so much for this award *blub*.

So what did I win - a shiny trophy? A large pile of prize money? Some sort of high-cost, luxury prize? 

Mr Shark saves the day

I love it when children's toys can be put to a practical use.  Let me explain...

A few nights ago we awoke to a cold and misty morning.  There was a distinct chill in the air with touches of frost glistening on the blades of grass in the garden.  You could see the wind casually blowing the slowly dissipating mist to and fro and making the trees sway gently in the breeze.

Sophia and Dexter had a date at a local playgroup that morning so, from the moment they were up and out of bed, the countdown was on to make sure we got there on time.

Siblings: Worlds apart from the start

In my last post, I talked about my pregnancy with Sophia, the diagnosis of talipes and her subsequent treatment.  When I became pregnant for a second time, I thought I knew what to expect and was prepared for any potential hiccups along the way.  Silly me!


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Sophia and Dexter are two totally different people, with individual personalities and quirks.  You may say that it's to be expected - of course, they have their own special characteristics - but what I certainly didn't expect was that their differences would be so obvious even before Dexter was born. 

Best foot forward

In a much earlier post back in October 2011, I briefly mentioned that my little girl has a condition which requires regular monitoring at a London hospital.

Now that the chaos of having to post every day for NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) is behind me - yes, that's right, I've fallen by the wayside already - I've got some time to explain more about Sophia's condition and hopefully raise some awareness at the same time. 

In a nutshell, Sophia was born with Congenital Talipes Equinovarus (CTE).

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What's in my bag? Come and see...

This week I have had a close encounter of the very random kind.

Over on twitter, some very lovely mummy bloggers have been egging each other on to show the world what on earth they carry around in their handbag.  I fear it's slowly growing into something of a monster.

Ten questions about...me!

You may or may not have seen a "10 questions" meme currently traversing the blogosphere.  Well, it's finally landed on my lap (metaphorically not literally).  It does what it says on the tin - it's ten questions about whoever's been tagged.  In this case, that person is me.

The meme was started by Super Amazing Mum who I've never met but now think is totally awesome to have gotten this virtual 'chain-letter' going.  It came to me via the very lovely Rollercoaster Mum so I hope I do a decent job answering these questions.  Here goes...

The best of friends, right to the end?

Teddy bears are funny things. What is it about them that children love so much? What is it that attracts children to one particular bear - one they may not have paid much attention to before - and makes them love that teddy with all their heart?

And what do you do when that teddy is so loved and so cuddled, that it's in danger of falling apart? This is my dilemma.

Sophia is in love; madly, deeply in love. His name is Barney and he's her cuddly, brown teddy bear. They're best friends and go everywhere together. 

I can't quite remember when they came to be so close. Barney arrived in our family during Sophia's very first Christmas. He was a gift from her Great-Grandmother, my Nan. 

Poppy pride

Today, the nation will fall silent for two minutes at 11am to remember those who have fought, and still are fighting, in the name of freedom and liberty.

I think it's a great tradition. I've been wearing my poppy with pride and will certainly try to instil the level of respect that these heroes deserve in my children.

Even if you don't agree with more recent conflicts, I think the poppy is a powerful symbol of sacrifice and bravery by past and present service men and women.

A Moody Englishman

It's been one of those days today. Well, it started out as one of those days - you know, one of those where everything seems to be against you - and ended up probably being my highlight of the week.

Why? Because I got to meet a Moody Englishman that's why. No, not my husband on a bad day, but Lewis Moody - an England rugby World Cup winner. And he cooed over my baby!

Preparing for a winter wonderland

The weather has been fairly mild of late, only recently getting colder. It's finally starting to sink in for me that winter is on its way...it's just under seven weeks until Christmas after all (eek, better get shopping!).

This might be a bit premature of me, but I've been thinking about the likelihood of us getting snow this year. After all, it did arrive in November last year and I wouldn't be surprised if it happened again this time round. The weather 'experts' seem to agree that it's on its way, although can't seem to pinpoint when (didn't they originally say October??).

You know you're watching too much Cbeebies when...

Someone asks you which band you like and, without even thinking about it, you reply, "Zingzillas".

You see Justin Fletcher everywhere.

You only know when spring / summer / autumn / winter is officially over because Cbeebies changes its season song.

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the bravest mum of all?

The very quick answer is...not me!

However, since becoming a Mum I have discovered a new level of bravado that I never knew I had.  Pre-babies, it was fine for me to scream and go 'doolally' over the sight of a spider scuttling across a room.  Now, I don't want to pass on any 'irrational' fears to my offspring.  The downside is, of course, that I have to try and appear brave even when I'm terrified on the inside. 

Guy Fawkes Night: How young is too young?

I've recently been asked whether fireworks are unsuitable for a two-year-old.   It took me back to last year's bonfire night when we took Sophia to see her first firework display.

It was November (obviously!) and I was about six months pregnant.  We had decided to get away from it all, probably for the last time before the baba (now called Dexter) arrived.  My husband booked us into the plush Armathwaite Hall hotel in the Lake District, the first time we had ventured that far north, and we excitedly packed our bags and loaded up the car.

The simple things mean the most

Ever since having children, I've discovered that I have lived two lives; one before my babies came along and the one I am living now as a Mum. 

Pre-children, my husband and I would get our kicks from boozy nights out, long holidays (when we had saved up for long enough) and generally doing what we wanted when we wanted; we didn't have to worry about getting home to the babysitter and if our plans changed at the last minute, it didn't matter.

We were married for three years before I became pregnant because we wanted to make the most of things and enjoy being married before we committed our lives to raising children. 

Trick-or-Treating: Does it always have to be on All Hallow's Eve?

You may think that I'm a bit late with this post, Halloween being a couple of days ago and all.  But, I think I'm being quite efficient.  You see, we didn't 'celebrate' Halloween on the 31st October.  We donned our costumes and went trick-or-treating last night instead.

"What on earth?", I hear you cry.  But let me explain; my husband was working until very late on Halloween and didn't want to miss seeing the children dressed up in their costumes.  I mean, look how cute they looked - who would want to miss that?!

Yes, even the teddy had to dress up!