Thursday, 31 January 2013

this little one eats... not much with a cold



it has been a while since i have posted anything baby led weaning wise and mainly because there has been little to tell.  Ava eats pretty much anything, makes an impressive mess and all in all it's a raging success.

that is until the small matter of a cold was introduced.  Ava has had a healthy appetite since we began introducing solid foods so it certainly has been a new experience to have her refusing food and getting particularly grizzly at meal times lately.  it is of course natural to feel off your food when you have a cold so i have tried to relax and have just been giving her more milk and plenty of water.

one thing i have found with this cold and a little tip for any BLW'ers out there is that the only thing she has eaten in any quantity is soup.  i don't normally give her soup as i tend to avoid loaded spoons {mainly because it involves effort on my part!} in favour of finger foods but i thought i would give it a try as i could see she was struggling to breathe with her blocked nose when chewing.  well the soup was a success so until she is better it looks like i'll will be whizzing up several soups to fill this little one's tum.  lucky thing my husband bought me a covent garden soup cookbook for christmas!

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

5/52





a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013

// 5/52 ok i couldn't pick so we have two this week.  the top one documents this poor little bunny not feeling too hot with her first cold.  the second was taken at my mum's place.  after Ava had left sufficient sticky finger marks over the oven door and balcony window, she decided this internal glass door deserved a lick.  made us laugh so much!

don't forget it's never to late to join in with this project!  add your link in the comments or follow along with me @thislittlemum on twitter or instagram with #the52parentproject

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

repetitive mum injuries


Ava climbing {and leaving finger prints on} my mum's shiny oven


the dye has actually worn out of the knees on my jeans. i'm surprised there aren't navy tracks all over my carpet.


my goodness being a mum is a physical business.  i have to say i wasn't quite prepared for how knocked about i would be.  of course i knew that labour would take its toll and i suspected carrying a baby around might cause my back some trouble but what no one prepared me for is what i call RMI {repetitive mum injuries}.

i should preface this by saying that prior to having Ava i was known for my calamitous nature.  i can't help it, i'm just clumsy.  well throw lugging around an increasingly heavy little person while toting a enormous bag into the mix and i never seem to be bruise free.  there are the small RMIs that happen frequently, nay, daily; such as bumping my shin as i lift the pram out of the car boot.  there are the chapped hands from over-washing.  there are the sore wrists from repeatedly lifting little one in and out of her cot.

but then there are the injuries sustained from clowning around.  please tell me i'm not alone in this one.  this week i have caused significant trauma to my shoulder from pretending to fall over again and again {and again} because it had Ava in hysterics {worth it}; and took a considerable blow to the head when chasing her on my hands and knees under the dining table.  and it's only tuesday!

so my shins may be bruised and the knees of my jeans worn through, but i go to bed every night knackered and happy.  and i wouldn't change it for the world.

Monday, 28 January 2013

this & that






well it happened.  Ava came down with her first cold.  And we were so close to making it through january unscathed.  oh well, i really can't complain as so far she hasn't really let it get her down and has spent most of the weekend smiling through it.

a word on sunday's cake, if i may.  i make this banana cake ALL the time.  it is my husband's favourite and happily it is one of the easiest cakes to throw together.  i use nigella's recipe but i never add the sultanas and i often throw in some chocolate chips or chunks {in my opinion most cakes are improved by the addition of chocolate}. i think it is close to impossible to ruin this cake.  my husband loves it so much in fact that he will intentionally buy more bananas than we can eat in one week, knowing that overly ripe bananas make the best, most moistest cake.  and here's a little tip, you can freeze bananas.  yep!  when i have only one or two black bananas hanging around {not the requisite three} i stow them in the freezer until i have a trio then defrost by leaving out in a bowl for a few hours {or i microwave them briefly if i'm disorganised.  so most of the time}.  i should warn you though that the insides look pretty gross when thawed, but fear not, they make the cake oh so good.

as Ava recently hit the 9 months mark {yikes 1 is close!} i thought it mandatory to buy her some new clothes.  i found a sale on the little bird range that jools oliver does for mothercare online and couldn't resist buying her some of their gorgeous retro looking pieces.  i was decidedly optimistic in going for spring/summer-ish pieces, hoping some colour would pep up this drab january weather.  and if the weather stays stubbornly wintery, i'll just crank up the heating so she can wear them around the house.

so above are glimpses of the goings on in this little house of late:

// 1. 2. & 3 Ava in her new floral tunic from little bird - i paired it with wooly tights to make it more wintery
// 4. this week's sunday cake
// 5. i nabbed this vintage mug/jug type thing today when on the hunt for something to put my most used utensils in so i don't have to rummage around my overflowing drawer each time.  i'm all about doing very small things to make my life easier at the moment!
// 6. we had a craving for pink gins this weekend {rather a summery drink but we fancied it for some reason}.  they were good and made all the more fun by drinking them from these kitsch glasses.

Friday, 25 January 2013

cold outside? snuggle up / stay busy


i have been internet window shopping quite a lot recently {well, what else can a girl do in this weather??} and have stumbled across some really cute and fun things which seem perfect for days indoors, so thought i would share.

1. rainy day mini blanket from donna wilson - her quirky designs are right up my street and she also has a cool blog that i follow.
2. have long been a fan of luckyboysunday's quirky knitted dolls.  you can get this one - snoop - from  the kid who
3. i would not survive the winter without green and black's hot chocolate.  fact.
4. love this cosy hot water bottle cover from the oh-so-cool fine little day shop
5. i'm a fan of geek-chic and this anorak goober activity book from the kid who looks like fun
6. there's something so wonderfully nostalgic about wooden toys.  these facemaker wooden blocks by miller goodman are available from rume
7. you can't beat a classic children's book to entertain your littles for five minutes {and yourself}.  i love finding books i remember from childhood and reading them to Ava.  this was one of my favourites:  the tiger who came to tea
8. i used to LOVE paper dolls and totally forgot about them until i came across this one.  Ava is far too little but i can't wait to introduce her to them one day.  this dress up belle doll is from belle and boo
9. we have a play tent that keeps Ava occupied {mainly dragging her toys in and out and watching mummy crawl in and out} for hours {well not consecutive hours, she is only 9 months} but this one is a way cooler design than our garish circus tent!  strawberry hill's child's play teepee from not on the highstreet

*this post is not sponsored, it's just for fun*

Thursday, 24 January 2013

4/52



a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013

// 4/52 perhaps a bit random to have a portrait of the back of her head but i love the way her hair goes a bit wavey and curly at the nape of her neck and i want to remember that.  so cute.  {also she likes to spend her time crawling away from me so this is my view for much of the day}.



Wednesday, 23 January 2013

this little person... at nine months





//some serious playing going on
// she's always making me laugh!
// these photos were taken while we were avoiding the horrible weather and playing indoors.  we've done a lot of that lately.

like i said last month, i want to keep a record of all the little things about Ava and what she is doing that i will likely forget as she grows and changes.  so now that she is nine months old {how did that happen??!} here is what my little person is up to:

this little person...

... sits bolt upright as soon as she wakes, invariably with her hair sticking out on one side
... likes to clap.  claps while she eats. claps while she's in the bath. even likes to sneak in a quick clap practice when she's falling asleep
... has days where she communicates solely through the mediums of squeals, shrieks and screeches
... can pull herself up to stand, which comes in handy once she has emptied the bottom shelf of the book case as now she can move on to emptying the second
... knows that i gave her an old tv remote to play with {looks identical to the one we use} and refuses to play with it.  only the real one will do.  and to make matters worse i pick up the dud one at least seven times a day and wonder why it isn't working
... has eight emerging teeth.  eight!
... likes to make growling noises
... has begun to bop to music {accompanied, of course, by clapping}
... has what we call "the exploring finger" which likes to poke in any tiny hole it finds
... likes to pull her dirty laundry from the basket through the rails of her cot into her bed when she is supposed to be sleeping.  this has provided an incentive to stay on top of doing the laundry so the basket never gets reachably full.  perhaps she is doing it to help mummy stay motivated with the housework...
... when given cauliflower cheese will look as though she's eating it, but will in fact suck off the cheese sauce and surreptitiously conceal the cauliflower in a secret fold of her bib
... makes noises which sound unmistakeably like "oeuf" and "boeuf".  from this i have drawn the obvious three conclusions: 1) she is hungry and would specifically like some eggs and beef, 2) she is remarkably gifted to be speaking at so young an age, and 3) she is french.  i am especially pleased about number 3 since i have often noted that french children always look so well turned out and it will be marvellously helpful to have someone fluent in french with us when we holiday in france.

what are your little people up to?

Tuesday, 22 January 2013

this little crafter... and her porcelain pen









oh my goodness, porcelain pens kick arse.  so soooo much fun.

my mum and i being weirdly in tune and mildly telepathic with one another, each bought the other a porcelain pen for christmas thinking how clever we were and both {also unbeknownst to the other} made a secret pinterest board of inspiration for using said pen.  and ever since we have been itching to use them.

so recently we had a little craft party for two involving our new pens and a pile of dishes.  at first we were hesitant.  what should we draw?  how should we decorate the blank white crockery gleaming and unspoilt before us?  i had stockpiled a stash of chipped white dishes which i thought would be perfect for testing our pens out to get a feel for them.  this was a good idea.  at first after a few test doodles we were brave enough to make our first attempts.  however, it all seemed rather scary and, well, permanent.  that is until we discovered that you can just scratch off mistakes {or bad ideas} with a plastic scourer.  this gave us a new confidence and now i fear i may soon be left without a single graffiti'd plate, bowl or mug in the house.  this is such an instantly gratifying craft as there is no preparation {other than a design}, no mess and you can create something quirky and individual in a matter of minutes.  my kind of craft.

so above are photos of a couple of our first attempts and test doodles but we both agreed that we should spend some more time on designs first before we really go nuts.  in the meantime i have been finding inspiration all over the place so i'm sure it won't be long before we break out the pens again.

Monday, 21 January 2013

this & that

  







some glimpses of life around here lately...

// 1. little missy and i have been having to amuse ourselves at home more than usual on account of being british and afraid of driving on icy {british and therefore largely untreated} roads.  we are rubbish as a nation at dealing with snow!

// 2. & 3. sunday's cake this week was a courgette cake with lemon curd filling and cream cheese icing {from nigella's domestic goddess cookbook}.  i've never made a courgette cake before and was so pleased with the results; a very moist and flavoursome cake.  yum yum.

// 4. the snow meant hubby couldn't work on the garage for most of the weekend which was nice for Ava and i as we got to spend more time with him.  {these are garage roof tiles in case you're wondering}.

// 5. & 6. i have had some big thrift wins lately.  i bought this amazing old skool toy for Ava for the paltry sum of £1.25 and it even had batteries in it!  amazing.  i am having to get thrifty with toys as little one seems to get bored of them so quickly we would be broke if we bought brand new ones all the time.  also, i like the character of old toys.  i also found this vintage glass dish for one whole english pound.  love a good nose around the charity shops now and then.

have you scored any cool vintage finds lately?

Friday, 18 January 2013

this little book



I have gotten into a lovely little habit lately of having a cup of tea and sitting down with my book for thirty minutes every day when Ava has her morning nap.  I am going to miss this tranquil "me time" when she outgrows this nap.

I have tried hard to make time to read since quite soon after Ava was born as not only do I just love a good read, but I think it is important for my brain which otherwise becomes quickly filled with baby related ramblings and worryings {ohmygoodnessIforgottomakeabottle, ohnowe'renearlyoutofnappies, whereismyothershoe, whatisthatstainonmytop. you know, the usual stuff}.  For this reason I try to pick something which will make me think a little and try to resist the temptation to reach for a fluffy, easy read every time.

So I'm currently reading Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, the cover of which did not fill me with much enthusiasm what with that woman looking royally bored and all.  But you know what they say about not judging a book and I'm glad I didn't as this is an excellent read, if you are happy to put up with Eliot's propensity to go off on a tangent.  I love the fact that the central female character is so flawed and not necessarily always likeable.  Although I haven't finished it yet, I would recommend it to anyone who is also a fan of the classics.

What are you reading right now?

Thursday, 17 January 2013

in your face january!




1. Ava watching her first ever snowfall yesterday, she was mesmerised.  it was so magical.  well it would have been more magical if we weren't watching it fall on our building site of a garden, but we'll pretend it was a woodland scene / 2. today's purchase

i'm determined not to give into january blues this year. of course i am sad that christmas is beginning to seem like a distant memory but i have too many reasons to be thankful this year with my gorgeous porgeous little one around. and then add to that still being on maternity leave. not going back to work really takes the sting out of january {sorry working people - if it is any consolation i'll likely be back soon and in the meantime i have precious little time to relax with my energetic little person}.

so here's my little list of january busters:

// laughing in the face of moderation and healthy eating by making several dates to go out for dinner with friends for some much needed gossip and giggles. what better way to banish january blues than with laughter? and wine...

// starting new projects. i have my 52 project in full swing and some craft projects on the go amongst other things. stay tuned for updates on those.

// getting outside. nothing like some fresh air to restore the soul. when it isn't raining, i have been making it my mission to go for a walk or take the little one to the park every dry day this month.

// new clothes. ok so spring is a little way off but i always get excited when new season clothes are out. money is always tight post-christmas so i won't be going wild but i will spend some time pushing the buggy around the shops.  or perusing online, adding to my shopping cart then only buying one item or not buying any at all as seems to be my general online shopping habit.

// injecting some colour.  you can just see my new jumper in the first photo - a supermarket find {florence & fred at tesco} and this fun cushion i found on sale today {john lewis}which will be perfect for Ava's room. it's nice to brighten january up with a splash of colour here and there.

so there you have it, my attempt at swinging a big fist full of positivity in the face of january. take THAT, january!

what are you doing to beat the january blues?

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

3/52


a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013

// 3/52 you know you're done on the swings when you see this face

i am really enjoying this project even though we are only three weeks in and am particularly enjoying looking at other people's photos.

remember, feel free to put a link to your shots in the comments or join in via twitter or instagram mentioning @thislittlemum and #the52parentproject. even though we are a couple of weeks in, it's never to late to join!

i have added a snazzy button on the right which i found here but was kindly created by rebekka seale to be used by anyone who is doing a 52 project.  clicking on it will take you to a list of all of my 52 project posts {of which there are only currently two but we've only just started!}

happy snapping!



Tuesday, 15 January 2013

this & that






we've had a week of ups and downs with Ava teething and prone to grizzles or resisting naps but in between there has been lots of toothy grins and laughter.  and clapping.  on the whole i can't complain as she has been a trooper with her teeth considering she has had four emerge in less than four weeks poor little mite.  she is also pulling herself up on everything now and i'm pretty sure she'll be taking her first steps before too long.

hubby remains uber busy what with working crazy hours and spending his weekends building a garage for us {single handedly - he's useful like that}.  however we did enjoy a movie night on saturday, complete with popcorn and wine {we have become addicted to my homemade popcorn with spiced butter lately and we have been known to have it at least four times a week}.  we watched Argo which i can heartily recommend, made all the more fascinating for being a true story.

so above are some glimpses of life around here lately:

1. bundled up and went to the park on the one sunny day this weekend  / 2. this week's sunday cake was an earl grey cake with slightly disastrous rhubarb cream cheese icing which turned itself into a lumpy glaze.  still, tasted good.  / 3. a combination of making a very girly cake {it was also heart shaped} and watching too many period dramas {Downton Abbey, Mr Selfridge to name a few} made me certain that tea should be served in my Nan's old china set / 4. trying to make time to browse through some of my old cook books rather than only reading the new ones i got for christmas / 5. we have been eating pomegranates by the crate load.  love winkling out the seeds for little one to pincer.

what have you been up to?


Monday, 14 January 2013

this little mum wears




here i am finally getting over my self consciousness and sense of embarrassment at doing an outfit post {gasp!}. it's ok if you laugh, i can't hear you from here.

this comes with a huge disclaimer:  i am in no way a fashionista, model, or even a particularly stylish person {all three most probably evident from the photo. i definitely need to work on better poses. and facial expressions.}.  however, i do find outfit posts from other mum blogs interesting and i do like clothes.  so i'm hoping you like this and any future posts i may do.  or i hope you will tolerate it at least.

so the reason i am posting this outfit is that it contains many elements of my mum-friendly wardrobe:

// 1. layers. as some long lasting pregnancy after effect, i still find it hard to regulate my body temperature so layers are a must.  plus, there's nothing like lugging a growing baby around to make you hot.

// 2. flat shoes {or boots}. my heel wearing days are a thing of the past and i applaud mums who manage it. right now heels only come out of hiding for very rare date nights with the hubby.

// 3. dress. i find dresses a really easy wardrobe option as it is only one thing to wash and iron {who am i kidding, i don't iron any more} and if they aren't too fitted they are way more comfortable than jeans, the waistbands of which dig into my not-yet-toned-tum

you will have to excuse the saggy-kneed tights.  such sagginess seems inevitable when crawling around after a very mobile little person.

any other mum bloggers out there doing outfit posts? well, obviously there are and i know of some but if that's you, let me know!


Friday, 11 January 2013

this little old house




 

in my spirit of new year optimism i am making an effort to learn to love this old house we live in.  it is a 1930s house, of which there are many in england and we bought it for its "potential" {a much overused word} which really translates to it being the most dilapidated on the street.  however, despite all our grand plans for this house, since moving in two years ago we have got married and had a baby and so improvements have been on the back burner.  lately i found myself getting fed up with our shabby, tired old house and have been enthusiastically collecting inspiration to my this little house pinboard, dreaming of what our house might one day be.

but after reading soulemama's post on seeing their home in a new light {her home is beautiful and the sort i dream of} i decided to stop dwelling on what is wrong with this house and focus on the parts that i already love and to try to learn to love the less beautiful parts too.

with an impressive list of the broken and the worn-out around here it is easy to focus on the negative.  we have actual threadbare carpet on the stairs, peeling wallpaper, draughty windows, a leaky roof, suspect and quite possibly dangerous electrics to name a few and that is ignoring the quite hideous choices of décor perpetrated by the previous owner {think dappled stencilled shells on the bathroom walls and a blue ceiling}. we often joke that we are living a real life verson of that old tom hanks film "the money pit" and that any time one thing gets fixed, something else must immediately break.  a case in point would be when my husband fixed the hot tap in the bathroom which had inexplicably just ceased to work one day and the following day i came home to find the porch light on the floor, the ceiling having apparently given up holding on to such an old and useless light {the light itself had never worked since we moved in}.

no doubt one day my husband and i will look back with rose-tinted glasses on the romantic days of living in our ramshackle house.  so why not put on the rose-tinted glasses now?  above are some glimpses of the loveable and the almost-loveable in this little house:

1. we found the original 1930s wood doors in the attic and have had them stripped of decades of paint ready for our own choice. / 2. although i positively hated this towel hook in the downstairs w.c. its retro appeal is kind of growing on me / 3. i will never learn to love woodchip wallpaper but the old school light switches are quite cool / 4. this tap has certainly seen better days and i'm not sold on gold taps {or peach walls} / 5. i love our original bannisters and can't wait to restore them to their former glory.

what do you love about your home?

Thursday, 10 January 2013

this little crafter







1. Ava inspecting her new friend / 2. chatting to her / 3. pulling her eye to see how well mummy sewed it on / 4. attempting to pull the eye off with teeth, just to be certain it is definitely secure / 5. chewing the face / 6. cast aside

I love crafts and am just now starting to find more time for them {now that I can use nap times for productive things and am not obliged to sleep from being up all night. well most of the time}.  I made Ava a Christmas present of a stuffed rabbit recently and was pleased to have started and finished a little project.  My mum and I have a bit of a thing about bunnies, any craft we make for Ava seems to involve a bunny.

A friend of mine laughed - some might say a little unkindly - at my poor bunny's face and said it definitely looks home made.  Well, yes but I was going for that home made look {ahem}.  I think it's what you would call "character".  At any rate, Ava seems to like Pru {that being the suitably serious name we have given her}.