Exciting times!

The last week has been a busy week.

Manchester:

On Friday I travelled to Manchester (my home town) to see family and celebrate my nephews 11th birthday. It was loads of fun catching up with my sisters and niece going out for family meals. I got to see my 4 nephew's who grow up so fast that every time I see them I swear I've blinked and they've shot up another foot.

Me, my sister (left) and my niece (right) at Chiquitos.

Pregnancy week 7:

I arrived back home on Tuesday afternoon just in time for my 1st midwife appointment. I was worried about the reply when we told her this is our 5th baby but she was lovely ' A big family, how lovely.' It was a reply I grinned ear to eat at, after all the last person you need to feel judged by during pregnancy is the one woman keeping you are your baby safe. We went through all the notes (I really did forget how long they took to fill in). Checked dates from LMP and estimated that baby Hobbs is due around the 20th of December (eek!) though this could change with the 12 week dating scan.

I love to read up on what's happening with my baby this week (what expecting mother doesn't ?)
This week our baby is the size of a blueberry and is around half an inch long.

He or she is now growing limbs.

Knowing how our baby is growing keeps me sane it gives me a reason for why I feel so tired and sick all the time (and have a lovely 'greasy' shine- see picture at top haha) as at this early stage there is no other evidence that there is an actual baby in there (roll on scan day) although we know there is. I always love to see them on the 12 week scan as it sort on confirms that actually, yes it's real... It's really there!


 Oh and my latest cravings ? .... Jaffa cakes and Mcdonalds salads.

We're not just expecting santa this Christmas !

Yes it's true !

.


                  We are expecting #5... exciting

 

Honestly we never really planned on a large family but parenthood has been an amazing time.

We are over the moon , the kids are really really excited so now we just have to wait patiently haha.

Though we never imagined having 5 children it seems perfect. We are looking forward to feeling kicks, hearing babas first cry and everything else.

It's so exciting to be having a Christmas baby (really looking forward to not being the size of a blimp in summer) as Christmas is a very exciting time anyway this only adds to out joy and anticipation.

We have had many congratulations from good friends - phew! - and we thank you all.

10 things us parents survived !

Ahh the joy's of parenthood ... A time of moments, some good, some bad and we have survived them all. I have picked out a few of my most exhausting, stressful or just plain funny moments.




1. Birth:

 Ok so this one is a lot of things - Happy, exhausting, worrying, emotional and over all amazing but every parent has been through it and survived. Ladies know it's our least glamorous time with various medical staff popping their head around the door while you are sprawled on the bed sweaty, half naked and looking no more life like than a zombie !





2. The offensive compliment:

People often compare your new bundle to a person, Mum, Dad, sibling... Unfortunately some people don't think before they speak 'Aww he looks like a little wrinkly old man' ... Yeah thanks for that... shall we shove you in the bath for the next 9 months and see how you turn out ? ... didn't think so!


3. Bumping in to old childless friends:

Normally it's not so bad venturing to the supermarket with children *gulp* . However the day you have shoved you hair up, wiped the chocolate off your once upon a time fitting jeans with a baby wipe -which has now left a white fluffy mark instead!- your toddler is having mini melt downs for every item on the shelf and ... Oh this has to be the day one of your old glamorous friends just happens to be there in her white top which has no jam stains or anything. She looks clean and refreshed you find yourself darting behind a stocking trolley but it's too late you have been seen - crap, now you have to style it out... Even looking like crap - you survived.


4. Sleep .. what's that ?

Remember the last time you went  to sleep when you wanted to and woke yourself up feeling refreshed ? Hahaha nope, me either! Scientists should study us - really!- Adults need on average 7-8 hours of sleep but we have been rocking the 4 hour sleep look for years and what's more we have mastered it. With our Russel Brand hair and our wild badger eyes we do a million things on very little sleep at all. We all have our auto pilot days and our auto pilot fail days.. Did I put these keys in the fridge ?






5. Sudocrem:

Need I say more ?

A while ago I stumbled upon a bunch of parents telling their sudocrem story - yes it's THAT common - we have all been there, screamed, cleaned (maybe while blubbing) and then eventually laughed about it!... If it hasn't happened to you yet - be prepared !




6. The public tantrums:

Oh yes, this survival is repetitive .. You will be embarrassed, stressed and totally judged by every person around you no matter which way you handle it. You will still be thinking about this the next day when you prepare to go out with your little cute, perfect, gorgeous , TIME BOMB ... you will tense up as you walk by any toy store, sweet store or pigeon because of course your currently cheerful little toddler WILL want it !... Que your invisible stage of an exciting drama show for entire public viewing.


7. Poop & Puke:

You know how you seem to be getting on top of that cleaning ? .... Well here comes super stomach bug to wipe you all out for a week !

As an adult we tend to make it to the loo or a bucket.

Kids however - The rug, couch, wall.. basically ANYWHERE & EVERYWHERE will do!

And you will be cleaning the aftermath for the next month.






8. Hey hey we're the monkeys !

 Did you know that monkey's fling poo ?

Well toddlers do too !
Yes there is a lovely stage when your clever little child figures out how to undo nappies. This normally happens when they go to bed and are not in view of parents. This results in you changing bedding, bathing a toddler and disinfecting the cot at 1am.





9. The awkward questions:

Why do you have hair there ?
Where do babies come from ?
Do you have sex with daddy ?

Yep the awkward questions normally occur at the most unexpected, inappropriate time and you will have to think on your feet. I have been asked all 3 of the above and many many more by my 6 year old who is very inquisitive. The word sex she had picked up from 2 teachers at school talking about it while she was in ear shot... it made for an odd conversation as at 6 it's a question of how much do you reveal... I think it went well.


10. Being outsmarted:

As children get older they get smarter and soon they are out smarting you. I have been teamed up against by my children a number of times, they plan ... like some sort of strategic MI5 mission. One distracts while one takes cookies and they huddle together after enjoying their reward for sheer cunningness. Or when your child bulldozes your point in an argument with simple logical.


Yes these moments of survival are harsh but in years to come they will be the memories you will laugh at, the stories you can tell to the girlfriends and boyfriends and they will make you proud of everything you survived. xx

The common cold - The myths and facts.

We all get ill at times, the common cold is one that people get quite often.
Treating a common cold is quite simple but there are a lot of myths about treatment or even how you got the cold and how to prevent it.
Remember there is no cure only symptom relief.

Symptoms of the common cold include:

• runny or stuffy nose
• coughing, sneezing, or sniffling
• mild body aches
• mild headaches
• general feeling of illness

So skip the googling as like the cold these myths are pretty common.


#1 - If you don't wrap up warm you'll get a cold.

I've heard this one a lot. Things like 'put your coat on you'll get a cold' but it's just not true.

A common cold is caused by a virus that you will get with or without your coat on, not wrapping up warm will make no difference at all.
I think the name 'cold' makes this one easier to believe as a truth.

But why then are colds more common in winter ?

The reason they are more common in winter is purely through close contact of people. People stay in doors more in winter allowing the virus to spread between people more easily.


#2 Chicken soup.

Ahh, good old chicken soup unfortunately it is not a magical cure for a cold. However the steam could help and the vitamins are good but not good enough to have much of an effect on your cold. It is yummy though and there is nothing like home cooked food for comfort while you are ill. So eat all the chicken soup you like you may as well have nice food while you are ill - if you can taste it that is.







#3 Wet hair.

As a cold is a virus going out on a cold day with wet hair will have no effect what so ever. It certainly won't be the cause of a cold. In fact I use this while having a cold to cool me down when my temperature soars.



#4 Vitamin C.




This one surprised me the most. Normally when I get a cold I get some honey, lemon and some Vitamin C. While honey and lemon do help with symptoms it has been proven that Vitamin C has no effect on the common cold. Though if you do take Vitamin C daily it may reduce the severity of your cold slightly if you should get one.





#5  Sweating it out.

Sorry, this one is a myth too. You can not sweat out a cold and you will just make yourself extra hot and extra sweaty for no reason. Though you may get hot and sweaty while having a cold, being hot does not actually help cure you cold.







Facts:

• Coughs and sneezes spread diseases. Yes that good old rhyme is true, to prevent spreading the cold virus sneezing into tissues, throwing them away and washing your hands will prevent spreading the common cold.

• How common is common ? On average, adults have about two to four colds a year. Children have three to eight as their immune system is more vulnerable to infection.

• Steam inhalation. Sitting over a bowl of hot water with a towel on your head will help ease your symptoms.

• More than 200 types of virus can cause a cold. Now it makes sense of how common is it , no wonder!

All is not lost.

There are still a number of things that you can use,  not to cure but to ease symptoms of the common cold.

Honey - great for soothing sore throats.
Steam - helps for congestion.
Vapour rub - again helps for congestion.
Fluids -  replenish the water lost from sweating, dehydration will only make you feel worse.
Rest - giving your body time to rest up is important.
Salt water (adults) - gargling salt water can help reduce the pain and swelling in the throat.

Colds normally last around a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. You will be back to yourself in no time.


When to see a GP - (Taken from the NHS website)
You only really need to see your GP if:

• your symptoms persist for more than three weeks 
• you have a high temperature (fever) of 39°C (102.2°F) or above
• you cough up blood-stained phlegm (thick mucus)
• you feel chest pain
• you have breathing difficulties
• you experience severe swelling of your lymph nodes (glands) in your neck and/or armpits

See your GP if you're concerned about your baby, an elderly person, or if you have a long-term illness, such as a chest condition.


If you are reading this because you are ill, I hope you are better soon ! xx

Marriage - I didn't ... I do !

Marriage seems to be a normal part of most people's lives.
Most people hope to find 'the one', get married, have children and live happily ever after.

Not me.. I never really planned to get married.

 

 

Of course I'd dreamt about a big white wedding but as I grew older I realised that a big white wedding is not a marriage. After all the reason for a wedding day is to get married but marriage scared me.. in fact it still does. I have been with my partner for 9 years, we have 4 beautiful children and after years discussing it - We have finally decided to do it !

Me and Ste in 2006 - my 16th birthday

  I realise that the things that put me off are not actually to do with me or my partner.. they are to do with other people's marriages:


  I didn't want marriage to just be the next step.

  It should never be just the next step, yes we are a little different and had children first (which to be fair is quite common now) but even having children together didn't automatically make me want to get married.

Marriage is not taken seriously by everyone.

I blame this on watching way too many wedding programs but I love to see a good how we met, fell in love and got married story. However these programs are the worst to showcase very naive, newly met couples who barely know each other. Honestly the amount of time some of them have been together (like a month) I'm surprised they know each others last name but then again some people just know and do get married quickly and are still together years and years later.




Me and Ste in 2007 - my 17th birthday.

I will only get married once.

No I don't have an issue with people who get married 3-4 times but personally I only want to get married once, for life - that's it !

I hate a fuss.

As most couples would love the spotlight to be on them on their wedding day I really hate being the centre of attention, it makes me feel awkward.. though I think this is pretty much unavoidable on your wedding day I really don't want a big white wedding with 2nd cousins that I haven't seen since I was 4 ... I want a very small, very intimate wedding.




While a lot of couples strive to have the perfect day with sit down meals, a number of bridesmaids, ushers, flowers girls .... Which is lovely ... but just not me, not us. I want a simple wedding with little touches, close family and good food. I want to spend our day celebrating with the ones we love, the ones who it matters to and of course one of the best things is our children will be right there with us.







I see me and Ste being together for ever, yes we argue, bicker and we are both pretty competitive but after 9 years we can still have each other in stitches over the silliest of things, we still flirt like we have been together a few weeks. We know each others flaws and my god we both have a fair few but yet we still appreciate each other, we still have fun and honestly when we are old and frail I still think we will be picking each other up on down days, laughing at stupid things and still nagging each others ears off... but that is perfect for me. xx

We are planning to get married next year, when we will have been together for 10 years. xx

Before I was a parent.... I was the perfect parent.

As parents we see the childless parents all the time - These are people who are watching you , judging you, though despite having no children yet themselves - they know it all.

Oh yes I was one of those childless parents who thought I knew a better way to handle the pressure of parenthood.. I thought I could diffuse tantrums in seconds, negotiate with a toddler and much more all without raising my voice or becoming slightly frustrated.






THEN... along came motherhood and whoa! It chewed me up and spat me out.
I'd gone from knowing everything to having to learn everything. The things I thought were easy situations were now a huge wall which seemed impossible to climb over.

My whole perception was changed in a heartbeat and my way of thinking drastically changed:





Then - Yes, you may have another cookie despite it being an hour before dinner time and you've already had two, whatever makes you happy.

Now - No, you can think again if you're having any biscuits at all right before dinner time, you can kick, scream and roll around on the floor the answer is no.








Then - oh you don't want to be put down ? OK I will carry you as long as my arm is still attached.

Now - You have legs, use them. I refuse to carry you everywhere.

Then - Don't do that darling, it's not very nice x100.


Now -  Don't do that darling, it's not very nice x1 ... I've said don't, now stop x1... Right, that's it ! you need a time out.






Sometimes in my house I have to turn a little psycho just to get anyone to listen. It's not often but the kids seem to figure out that they have gone way too far and all of a sudden they begin to do things I haven't even asked them to do yet. Despite thinking pre-children that I would never have to raise my voice to get my child to listen... Sometimes, there is no other option.

I don't give in to demands of my little people, that only proves to them that if they kick off for long enough I'll give in. Yes I've learned a whole lot more since becoming a parent, including how stupid my pre-parent views were.

I now smile when I see childless parents judging me because I think to myself.. One day you will realise how little you actually know, just like I did and that day you will realise that you will also be judged the way you once judged... and one day you will smile about it too.

Eurovision .. The UK have our entry !!!

We finally have our entry for the Eurovision song contest !

We also have two for the price of one, yep we have a duo... Electro Velvet.

 Alex Larke and Bianca Nicholas

The song

I'm still in love with you : I'm not sure it's love but I think it has potential , it's very British, pretty catchy along with having vintage charm with a modern twist.. Not much more could be crammed in.

Watch the video here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02lf7hq

The big question is what will Europe make of it ? ... I'm not sure about that either, I think it will be a controversial. I think some people will love it, some will hate it ...Let's cross our fingers !

Still very very excited for the big final ... 72 days to go and I'm hoping time will somehow fast forward.

Please let me know what you think of the song, Is it love or not ? xx