Bottle top hyacinths

I'm really loving all the little signs of spring which are appearing around The Heathers at the moment. When every new season comes around, I'm always convinced it's my favourite. I think it's important to embrace everything, rather than complain about how cold or hot it is or that you've got to de-ice the car or you can't so much as step out of the back door without lathering on your sun-cream. I love winter as much as I love Summer for completely different reasons. What I love about Spring is the way everything seems to be waking up, its beauty and its colours.

We've been a little slow in starting our Easter/Spring crafts this year. No sooner do you seem to be doing Christmassy things, than you're whipping out the plastic Easter eggs and the pastel bunting. It all happens rather too quickly for my liking. Where does the time go? Our first Spring-themed crafting attempt was this cute little hyacinth craft using bottle-tops.

We started by cutting out some paper stems and leaves and then mixed some pastel-coloured paint to make our hyacinths. Tommy then dipped a bottle-top into the paint and pressed it on the paper in a vertical arrangement, creating the shape of the flower. I was really impressed with the overall effect of using a bottle-top. It was really effective!

 

 Even Isla had fun making some bottle-top prints!

 

 

A Superhero Bedroom!

Before we moved into The Heathers, we knew we could have quite a lot to do decorating-wise. I think wherever you move to, no matter how 'perfect' the house is, there will always be that urge to put your own stamp on it - to make it your own. We knew right from the start there wasn't a single room we wouldn't want to change. That's not to say the house wasn't already lovely to start with (it absolutely was) but things just weren't done to our taste. Because we didn't have the budget to do everything straight after moving in, we decided to prioritise those rooms we wanted to change the most first. Plus, to me it doesn't really make sense to decorate a whole load of rooms at the same time - they'll all need doing again at exactly the same point anyway and, as much as I enjoy decorating, I don't quite fancy spending an entire year doing it, as it has seemed since we moved in!

The children's bedrooms and playroom were the priority for us, as these rooms would house most of the huge number of toys we'd managed to accumulate over the last five years. What annoyed me most about our old house was the lack of storage space and the fact that the children's stuff literally took over every room. So we figured if we found a home for all the children's belongings first then we'd easily be able to crack organising the living spaces and make them free from clutter. That was the plan anyway.

We have started the process of decorating both children's rooms and have done the large majority of the decorating. So now we're just down to the nitty-gritty as to the furniture and accessories we want to buy. Tommy is superhero-mad at the moment so we have opted for a Marvel-themed bedroom.  Although we're going along with a theme, we'd also like to incorporate some of his other interests too  - like his passion for Lego and his cars.

Spider-Man is probably Tommy's favourite Superhero character, so with that in mind we've chosen a Spider-Man mural wallpaper for one of his walls (middle right). This one is by Walltastic purchased through Amazon. It was reasonably-priced, surprisingly easy to paste onto the wall and definitely gives his bedroom the wow factor!

To match this, we've bought a stripy rug from Dunelm (top left), a Spider-Man duvet set from Home Bargains, which was something ridiculous like £10 and I've also got my eye on a small circular rug (top middle) to go near Tommy's bed. We also intend to decorate the remaining walls of Tommy's room with a few Spider-Man wall stickers (bottom middle).

We have a ridiculous amount of Lego in our house already and I can only see it increasing, so high on my list was some kind of storage system for his Lego - those pesky little pieces just wind up everywhere, don't they?! So we've ordered some Lego brick storage boxes which are so handy, come in different sizes and slot together like real Lego pieces. I've begun organising Tommy's Lego and putting individual sets into plastic zip-loc bags and hopefully this will avoid the seemingly-inevitable 'mixed up box of Lego where you cannot for the life in you find the tiny little piece you need to complete a model.' Every. Time. That's the theory, anyway.

I never used to be a fan of IKEA (the nearest one is about 100 miles away from where we live) so  I've never really considered it as an option as a place to even browse for furniture and (at the risk of sounding snobbish) I always dismissed it as cheap, poorly-made tat. However, we've bought quite a few pieces from IKEA recently and I've been so impressed with everything, both in terms of its quality and price. We found these white storage boxes (bottom right), which are part of the STUVA children's range and they are brilliant for storing the children's bulkier toys. The draw pulls out from underneath on wheels which is a great additional bonus.

As for the remaining furniture we need for Tommy's room, I think this will have to evolve more over time as opposed to us thinking getting everything at this stage. In the very near future Tommy will probably be needing a desk or table to do his schoolwork on. I love this desk and pinboard from GLTC (middle), which will be big enough to see Tommy through at least a few years but isn't bulky enough to take up too much space in his room.

I would like some sort of dressing up corner in Tommy's bedroom, as he loves nothing more than to don his Superhero costumes. I found a lady who makes personalised signs (you can find her here) and something like this Superhero sign would be just perfect. We will also need to consider how we are going to display Tommy's Lego models and car collection. There will also be a dedicated space for some sort of bookshelf/book display too.

I can't wait to see all of my ideas come to fruition - I'll keep you posted and show you the finished room once it's finally completed. Best get cracking!

Playroom Inspiration

Having a playroom in our house has long since been the dream, since we never had the space in our previous house. When we were going the process of finding our "forever" family home, one of the things that was an absolute must on our list, was a space we could use as a playroom. We were delighted when we came to view The Heathers as it offered a large bedroom we could use for the children to store the large majority of their toys and a space in which to generally have lots of fun, make a mess and leave it that way. For a short while at least...

I am not usually one to be so optimistic about decorating or thinking about how to design a room but because we are so happy with our new house, it's something I am all of a sudden so excited about and loving getting my teeth into. Any time I have spare at the moment I am searching Pinterest browsing for ideas as to how to decorate our already lovely home, putting our own stamp on it and improving it. I also want to get things right, unlike we did in our first home together, bodging every job, making snap decisions and then realising perhaps in our haste that we hadn't chosen items and colour schemes wisely enough. So I'm taking my time this time and making sure we get things right the first time.

A playroom for us will be one of the main rooms we use in the house, the "heart of our home if you like. Up until recently, we've been so busy unpacking, sorting and carrying out the "desperate" jobs, we've had little time spare to do the things we love to do - play and craft! With this in mind, the playroom we design will need a designated corner for crafting, with somewhere to house all of our craft materials, paper, pens, paints and the like and perhaps a small table for working on. Our playroom has also for me got to have a cosy corner for reading and chilling out in - perhaps a tepee or some sort of canopy. Bookshelves are also a must for us - we literally have hundreds of books that need somewhere to live. They filled every room in our old house. It will be nice to have an area where books are displayed an attractive way and an area where both children have easy access to them. Ideally we'd also like an area reserved for role play - perhaps a kitchen/shop area where the children can play together.

The theme
When we were thinking about colour schemes and/or a theme for the playroom, we settled upon a bright colour scheme. I really like all the modern-looking monochrome playrooms/bedrooms that pop up everywhere on Instagram and Pinterest but I wanted something a little less cold and sparse than this. I wanted a space that was a lot warmer, somewhere that oozed fun, warmth and life. So we've settled on a primary colour scheme, with a rainbow, sun, cloud (I guess, weather-related) theme, along with the odd hot-air balloon thrown in. Is this all even a thing? I don't know! It seems to you right now that it's probably a really quickly thrown-together idea, that I have little direction but I promise you, a LOT of thought has gone into this and if it ends up looking like the image I have in my head, it'll end up being a beautiful room. You'll just have to take my word for this for now. I'll go into more detail as to why we've chosen the theme in a later post, perhaps when the room's finished.

We've chosen only the paint so far ('Bonjour' by Valspar) which is a really bright - perhaps too bright - shade of yellow. The walls are already a similar colour but a more orangey-yellow than we want to go for. The rest of it we still need to decide on.

Here are some elements I'm thinking of incorporating into the room:

1. IKEA Kallax shelving unit - we're going to organise most of the children's toys/craft items into one of these shelving units - they are super cheap and sturdy and the cubes come in all sorts of combinations and sizes to suit the shape and design of your room.

2. GLTC Fabric Storage Cubes - these will fit neatly inside the Kallax unit and house our more unsightly craft items, Lego pieces, train tracks, Schleich animals, those sorts of things that can look untidy if left on a shelf. Hopefully then everything will have a place to live, the children will know where to find everything and everything will be kept (relatively) tidy and in some sort of order. that's the theory, anyway...

3. GLTC play shop/theatre - we bought this for Tommy for either his birthday or Christmas a couple of years ago and he absolutely loves it but it's something I would like both children to have access to so I'm making sure I reserve a little corner for this.

4. Farg and Form fabric - I am intending to buy some of this gorgeous fabric to make some curtains and cushions that will complement the whole theme.

5. Pablo Picasso wall sticker/plaque (Etsy) - It is really important for me to be able to celebrate all of the lovely pieces of artwork our children create at home or at nursery and school, so I'd like an area somewhere in the playroom to display their masterpieces. I found this wall sticker on Etsy and I'm thinking of buying something like this or a plaque with the same quote on, along with empty brightly-coloured frames to hang their artwork in.

6. IKEA Smila Sol Ceiling Lamp - this was the only ceiling light I could find of its type, unless I was willing to either fork out a ridiculous amount of money or get one shipped from China. I think this will tie in beautifully with the rest of the room and it's a bargain at just £14!

7. Ava Sofa bed (Argos)  - Although having a space in which the children can play is crucial, it is also important that the playroom can be multi-functional. My parents live two hours away from us and it's important for me now we've got a much bigger house that we've also got somewhere for people to sleep if they stay over. I like this sofa bed from Argos because it's a reasonable price, won't take up too much of the room and it's a great colour.

8. Kidikraft Pastel Play Kitchen - we bought this play kitchen for Isla at Christmas and she has played with it a lot since. Again, it's a toy I would like both children to have access to and it's something they can play with together so it will be going in the playroom too.

9. GLTC Wigwam in Red Star - we love the GLTC wigwams, which cannot only be used inside, but also outside in the garden too. They're a generous size and can be squished up in order to make them take up less space in a room. They are beautifully made and are such magical spaces for children to hide, read and sleep in. It'll certainly help create a cosy corner for ours to curl up and chill out in.

And that's it, so far. I'll be posting an update and showing you the finished room soon, so watch this space!

The day you first started school

Just like thousands of other four-year-olds across the country, you started school this week Tom. You tackled this major life event in exactly the same way you have tackled everything you've experienced before - like it was no big deal. You took it in your stride like everything else that comes your way. I am always the one asking you if you are ok, hoping you still need me to do and help you with things I already know you can and will want to do yourself. I am the one who clings onto you tight a little bit longer when we cuddle or have to say goodbye to one another. I am the one who is scared to leave you and never wants to let you go. But go you must. 

You had your uniform on at seven 'o' clock on that first morning and asked me over and over again when it was time to leave. You were so keen to get started. You weren't just ready to go to school on that morning; you had been ready for the months and months previous to that. We knew it, as did nursery. When we asked you if you were looking forward to school you replied "Yeah" nonchalantly, probably more than anything because that's what we wanted to hear. It wasn't that you weren't looking forward to school - you absolutely were, but everybody was making a big fuss about it and you just didn't see it as a big thing. 

I have no idea where these four years have gone and it seems really cliched to say it but I don't. They just seem to have slipped away from us. I've feel so privileged to have spent most of that time with you - a year of maternity leave with you, a year of maternity leave with your sister and only working part-time has made this all possible. Don't get me wrong, I had days where I was counting down the hours until bedtime, days I wished I had gone back to work instead, days I felt so tired I could barely function and days I wished somebody else would look after you, just for a few hours to give me a break. You were VERY hard work sometimes, particularly as a tiny baby and then of course, as most children are, as a toddler. 

Now more than ever there are still times when I look back and wish I could have given you more, devoted more of my time to raising you, to have been there full-time but it just wasn't possible. If I could have done, I absolutely would have. But I know I've done all I can to prepare you for your time at school. I know I've been there for you as much as I possibly could. I know we are so lucky to have spent that time together, just the two of us and form such an incredibly close bond. You made me a Mummy and taught me what it is to be a parent. I will always cherish those first few years of your life and I would never have missed them for the entire world. My only wish is that it would be possible to do them over and over again with you.

The day you first started school marked the beginning of a new, exciting chapter of our lives. It gives you an opportunity to develop on all the things we and nursery have taught you. It gives me an opportunity to raise your sister in the same way I have raised you, to spend quality time with her and help her learn and grow. It gives me an opportunity to get all the house jobs done, which will leave the weekends free for us to spend together. And boy I shall look forward to picking you up on Friday afternoon each week for each one to begin. 

Tommy - you give me a reason to be proud every single day but that day I held your hand as we walked to school for the first time was my proudest moment yet. I'm not normally the kind of Mum who spouts off about how wonderful you are but the other day I wanted to shout it from the rooftops that "This is my little boy, today's his first day at school and he's going to be amazing!" When we got to your classroom, you must have said goodbye to me about ten times and then, when I hadn't taken the hint, said "Mum you can go now." A small part of me was gutted if I'm honest. Why didn't you need me? Why weren't you crying? Why weren't you clinging to my leg and not letting me leave like many of the other children were? Wasn't our bond as strong as that other parents had with their children? But the rest of me wanted to burst with pride. You didn't need me at that moment. You were mature enough and confident enough to go it alone. You were ready. 

Our house has felt empty for the last few days because you are such a huge part of what makes it feel like a home. It feels like I've lost you to some extent and I'm struggling with it all. I haven't got much beyond moping and trying to keep myself occupied, even though my heart's not particularly in much at all. See I need you as much as you need me, Tom. I'm not used to being at home when you're not there and I'm struggling to adjust. Today, like most days, I shall be counting down the hours until I can walk back up to school to pick you up, you can tell me about your day and we can snuggle up with your reading book.

The day you first started school (although it wasn't to you) was a massive deal for us. We can't wait to see how it continues to shape the amazing little boy we've known and loved for the past four years. We will continue to be there through every single moment of it all with you, helping and encouraging you to do your best in everything you do. 

Isla's 12 month update

Following my post on Isla turning one this last week, I thought I'd write a little bit about where she is now developmentally. We have been a bit concerned about her over the last few months, and particularly more so following her routine 9 month check, which flagged up an area of concern. There were no developmental issues that the health visitor could see, but she was concerned about the fact Isla had an extra roll or crease on one of her thighs. This was flagged up as a marker for developmental hip dysplasia. Queue me reading all about the condition on Google, convincing myself she did in fact have it, and then ending up in a mess because my little baby was almost certainly going to need a big operation and then at least three months with her leg in a cast. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Isla went to the hospital the other week for an examination and, following an examination and an x-ray, was found to have two healthy and perfect little hips. It was such a relief for us and was definitely the bit of good news we needed amongst all the bad news and setbacks we seem to have had thrown our way in recent weeks.

Isla can now say a whole host of recognisable words amongst the incessant, incoherent babble. She knows "dada", "mumma", "bubble", "dog", "there", "boo", "bear", "bird", "car" and "teddy." she greets her teddies (and sometimes the dog) with a big, fat squeeze and says "aaaaaaaaah." Isla can now and again blow us a kiss and she does this super-cute kissy face where she scrunches up her eyes and purses her lips. I keep trying to get a photo but fail miserably every time. She can clap and wave and pretend to go to sleep. Isla loves to sing and dance and she can't help but move to music from the radio or TV. She loves doing the actions to the music from "In the night garden" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. 

Whilst Isla seems to be hitting all her other milestones, she hasn't been quite as quick to meet her physical ones. Quite frankly, I've been fed up of people asking "Isn't she crawling yet?" or telling me that she should be doing this and that by now or telling mr that their child is/was much younger when they learned to do x, y and z. When something like that is said to you, you always feels like it's a bit of a personal attack, like you haven't done enough to encourage your baby, like you haven't got them the right kind of toys, you haven't allowed them to practise the skills they need to be able to develop. This is, of course ridiculous and children do and will develop at their own pace, often regardless of any input you have. Yes, encouragement will speed things up but it won't  drastically speed up the time it takes for them to hit their milestones.

 Isla has spent some time in strength-developing contraptions but has, most of the time, been left to move around on the floor in whichever way she chose. Believe me I've tried everything the Internet/child-development literature suggests you try to encourage your baby to roll over, sit up unaided, stand, cruise, walk and it's still been to no avail. Sometimes you just have to accept that babies will do things when they are ready. It might take them longer than other babies and you might sit there at baby classes thinking "Why isn't my baby doing that yet?" and "What's wrong with my baby?" and obsessing over how old every baby/young child is that you see and how they compare to yours. It just does you no good whatsoever. 

It took Isla until 11 and a half months before she learnt to crawl 'properly.' But from that point, it only then took her a week to learn how to stand and cruise around the furniture - a lot quicker than we imagined. We still await those elusive first steps, but I don't think it will be long before we get to see them. I can't wait 'til she's running around after her big brother - he won't know what's hit him! 

Turning One

Isla - it is exactly a year since you arrived into the world on a day which I thought would be one of sadness rather than celebration. When I think about it now, I believe you were meant to arrive on the date you did. You were meant to forever change the meaning of that day for us. 

Isla - right from the beginning we knew how precious you would turn out to be. Of course, every baby is a wonderful gift but you were extra-special to us. Tommy will always be extremely special because he was our first-born. He made us parents and taught us how to be Mummy and Daddy. You were special for a very different reason. You were our rainbow, our child brought to us at the very moment we were questioning whether we could put ourselves through the trauma of losing a baby again, whether we would conceive again, whether there was something wrong with either one of us. The day you were born was exactly a year to the day that we were told our second baby had no heartbeat. That day you arrived, you not only completed our family, you also glued together the broken pieces of our hearts. You turned a sad anniversary into a beautiful, happy one. 

Where that year has gone, I have absolutely no idea. We can't believe a whole year has passed since we held you for the first time, yet it is difficult to remember what our life was like without you in it. I remember how scarily tiny you were, how I expected you to look exactly how your brother looked but was surprised instead to see that you were nothing alike. I remember Tommy visiting and staring proudly into your crib. I remember Daddy ringing you to let you be the first person to know you had a sister and you replying "oh thank you!"

 Before you were born, I felt like it was impossible to love a child as much as I loved Tommy. I felt like we couldn't possibly be lucky enough to have such a fantastic child again. I felt like I couldn't become any happier than I already was. You proved me completely wrong. There is equal room in my heart for two after all. You are equally as fantastic as your older brother, very different in some ways, very alike in others but fantastic all the same. Now I am happier than I have ever been because of you. 

I love to see the relationship developing between you and your brother. Yes, there is a struggle a large percentage of the time. Yes you steal his toys, get in his way and mean his time with Mummy and Daddy now has to be shared. He doesn't think much to the situation at times and I've regularly raised my concerns about whether you are going to get along or be close to one another. But he is also fiercely protective of you. He won't let anyone come near you if we are out. He climbs into your crib in a morning and talks gently and kindly to you. He helps you when he sees you struggle to do something by yourself. He plays with you, encourages you, teaches you (albeit rather boisterously). When you go to nursery, he only makes it to just past breakfast before he asks if we can go and collect you. You've made him a big brother and what I hope will be a lifelong best friend so thank you. 

We can't believe how much you have grown and changed during the past 12 months. You've gone from a newborn only capable of pooing, sleeping, crying and feeding to a little girl who is beginning to talk, develop a personality and get pretty much anywhere she wants to. You love music and making lots of noise. When music is played, you can't help but dance. You love to play the fool and certainly know how to make us laugh. You are mischievous and have an understanding of right and wrong, although often choosing to ignore what we tell you to/not to do. Toddlerdom is DEFINITELY on the horizon. 

You are a very cuddly baby, you always have been. Mummy and Daddy cuddles are your favourite but you also like your soft toys and say "ahhhhhhhhh" whilst squeezing them tight. Food is a huge hit with you; we're still on the hunt for something you DON'T like! Nothing makes us laugh more than when you are around food and your mouth opens as wide as it can possibly go, just like a baby bird waiting for the return of its Mum. I imagine this is how you will always communicate your need for food or drink. You are such a noisy baby and always voicing your thoughts or demands. 

You are beautiful. Everybody says so, we're not just biased. You have a twinkle in your eye that captivates everybody and means that you always have them wrapped around your little finger. I've never heard Tommy laugh any more than the way he does when he is with you. 

Isla Gracey Doo (as Tommy calls you), you are already far more than we ever hoped or imagined you would be. You, along with your big brother, give me a reason to be proud every single day. We can't wait to see what the next year with you brings. Love you my little one-year-old rainbow baby. 

Our Summer Bucket List - ice dinosaur eggs

Tommy has been obsessed with dinosaurs ever since I can remember, so when I stumbled upon this activity a while ago, I knew we just had to try it. It's an activity that's perfect for doing in the garden on a hot summer's day so it was definitely going to be featuring in our Summer bucket list. It doesn't have to be done with dinosaurs - mini toy cars, small figurines, numbers, letters - whatever you like - can be encased in ice.

To make these eggs, I carefully inserted each dinosaur into an ordinary balloon. I thought water balloons would work best for this but I couldn't get it to work. Water balloons were just far too thin and ripped easily when I tried to insert the dinosaurs. Ordinary balloons were much stronger and didn't rip or puncture. Once the dinosaur was fully inside the balloon, I filled it with water, tied a knot in the end and out it in the freezer overnight. When we were ready to do the activity, I cut the balloons away from the ice and placed them all in a box.

I provided Tommy with chisels and hammers to help break the ice and pipettes and squeezy bottles and a bowl of warm water. He then set to work trying to free each dinosaur from their ice egg. He wore some safety goggles to do this (well swimming goggles actually, but they protected his eyes as he worked nevertheless!)

I was surprised at just how long Tommy sustained concentration during this activity. The good thing about it is that it WILL take them ages to free their items so they will be occupied for quite a while and you can just leave them too it. We'll be sure to repeat this activity again, perhaps with some small figurines. I can only hope it will be as big a hit as it was when we did it the other day!