Taking photos...



Making banana cakes...

And chocolate fudge cake...

Lapping up the sun...

Perfecting the art of tantrums..

Hi Blog,

*waves*

How are you? It's been a while. Well it hasn't, it's only been *gulp* 11 days and the last thing we talked about was a competition for Alton Towers tickets which Second Time Mummy won (congratulations!). Just before that I treated you to a post about our day trip to West Midlands Safari Park, this is the kind of thing we've been doing the last few weeks. Getting out lots and doing things together.

Things have been hectic around here blog that's why you've not been maintained as well as you usually are. I've been a very busy woman which has been sorting out life and things to do with life. Its had its highs and lows (mainly highs) but sometimes it has got a little too much but then I have found the perfect cure for this in the form of coffee,cake and the latest Cath Kidston magazine.

Today has been the first day in a while that I've actually been able to sit down and breathe, get the laptop out and re-enter cyber world. My google reader is bursting at the seems along with my emails. Both of which I will tackle when more coffee enters my system, wondering why I didn't say wine then?? Well I've decided to give up alcohol for lent. I guess that could of been a post of its own. Glowstars doesn't believe a can go a week let over 6 weeks.

There is so much going on in blogosphere which I need to catch up with! Becky over at Baby Budgeting has a new ebook out, my post about dealing with chicken pox is up over on the Baby BornFree website and my ego has seen me been listed over on the Bounty Baby homepage as a top Mummy Blogger to follow , PlayPennies blogger that they love and even more fantastically Tots 100 blogger of the month. It seems that the last month has been the best blogging month for me so far.

Blogging is by far on of my favourite hobbies and something I very much enjoy doing it so don't worry blog, not going to be giving you up anytime soon. Blogging this year has seen me become a Lego Duplo Mummy who are kindly sponsoring me to go to CyberMummy and putting me up in a hotel with the other Lego Duplo Girls. I continue to be a Huggies Mum who sponsored me for CyberMummy last year, the brand/blogger relationship I have with these guys is fantastic and I very much look forward to working with them in the future. I was proud to support the Dettol Mission For Health campaign which is helping to promote a healthier environment in the home, community and beyond. Head over to the where in exchange for you clicking like, they will donate 20p to Save The Children.

I do promise that if I owe you a email, blog post, review, blood or anything else then you will get it in time. If you do want to get hold of me importantly about anything then the best way is to DM me over on as that comes straight through to my iPhone. This doesn't mean you can spam me like crazy *looks at * but I'm getting there, the online me has just had to take a backseat whilst I sort out the real world.

Life is going great right now despite everything. I'm so excited about mine and Oli's future that this cancels out any other crap that life wants to throw at me.

Me and The Baby x x

This is what weekends and sunny days were made for...

Thanks so much Emma for allowing me to guest post. My own blog Baby Budgeting is all about making and saving money as well as living as creatively as possible with an under 5 on a budget.

My children and I love to read and libraries are one of our most frequent hangouts. We have been reading Spring books (getting in the mood) for a while now. In honour of world book day this week here are a couple of our favourite that we are sure you will like too.

by Eric Carle: Picture Puffin (1997)

Seeds are a wonderful part of Spring and this is just the perfect story to start to think about how they grow. Eric Carle is as fabulous as ever and this is a marvelous story. When the tiny seed is blown away from its parent plant, it travels a very long way – over seas, deserts and mountains. The tiny seed survives the hazards of the journey and finally falls onto fertile earth. It grows and grows, becoming the tallest, biggest flower for miles around. A great book to preorder from the library.

by Sheridan Cain and Jack Tickle (Little Tiger Press; 2004)

This book is an absolute favourite in our house and has been adored by both my children. They have the pop up version. It follows the story of the caterpillar who so wants to fly yet all he seems to be able to do is munch his way through Spring. You can imagine how it ends with the most gorgeous final pop up butterfly. A lovely way to tell the caterpillar tale and one that children are endlessly fascinated by. I’d get a copy of this one for keeps

These book reviews as well as a host of Spring crafts, songs, poems, baking ideas and all the Spring festivals can be found in my new ebook. 50 ideas for a sensational spring fun on a budget with under 5’s

click to buy & download now. £1.50

Do...

• Pack plenty of toys to keep the child entertained, pack your whole toy be if needs be. Much easier then wrestling a screaming toddler. Failing that attempt to stream postman pat on your smart phone which will keep him entertained for all of 7 minutes.

• Use raisins and water as suitable snacks. Make sure the water isn't in a squirty bottle.

• Pack spare clothes in case of nappy leakage, messy clothes or general abuse of their clothes.

• Bring travel changing mat in case of toilet is out of order and you have to change on a seat.

• Try and take someone along with you, always handy having a extra pair of hands to help you catch flying shoes/toys/snacks.

• Try and travel when it's nap time leaving you hands free to chill with a coffee and muffin. Just don't expect people around you to be quiet, causing child to wake upon that first sip of latte.

Don't...

• Forget to put the breaks on, if you don't it means the pram goes wheeling half way down the train causing passengers to laugh and you much embarrassment.

• Think it will be ok to give child felt tips instead of crayons to play with, you will end up at your destination with a child covered head to toe in felt which may or may not come off with a baby wipe. In my case it didn't.

• Give milk chocolate buttons as a snack because its just silly of you. very silly.

• Sugary snacks? Sillier then silly.

• Bring packs of bacon flavoured crisp on board with you, these will stink the whole carriage out and cause passengers to give you the most disgruntled of looks.

• Think you can ignore a dirty nappy. For your noses sake and the passengers change it if possible.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a launch for Dettol's mission for health campaign along with some other mummy bloggers. Well today is the official launch of the Dettol's Mission for Health campaign and I want to share some information about it with you.

The reason behind the campaign is that Dettol want to promote a healthier environment in the home, community and beyond. This will be done through some key initiatives; Dettol’s , healthy habits lessons in schools and .

Dr Dawn Harper, of channel 4’s ‘Embarrassing Bodies’ fame, along with the BBC’s hygiene expert Dr Lisa Ackerley and Prima Baby’s expert midwife Nikki Khan are all supporting the campaign giving practical advice on how mums can improve hygiene at home especially for those mums expecting or bringing home a new baby, requiring them to be especially vigilant in the home. We got to meet these 3 different experts ourselves and we listened to what they had to say on the subject.

Talking about family health, Dr Harper comments: “Mums are naturally eager to do their best for their family, to keep them happy and healthy. But with our hectic lifestyles, standards may slip! How many of us mums know our kitchen floor or bathroom taps are not cleaned as often as we like? Even our computer keyboards could do with a good anti-bacterial wipe!”

“Dettol’s Mission for Health will help mums take back control, by suggesting quick and easy ways to keep their homes hygienic, helping to protect their family’s health and advising them on the tools to do it. By going online they can find out information about hygiene hotspots in the home, and healthy living advice for the family and in particular first time mums.”

We heard from Prima Baby’s expert midwife Nikki Khan who talked about hygiene during pregnancy and those first few years. We had a interesting discussion where someone bought up the topic of not keeping children away from all germs but Nikki reinforced to use how important it is to keep newborns away germs and healthy because of how their bodies are still learning to adapt to the world and that their immune systems are still growing.

Hygiene expert, Dr Lisa Ackerley is also on hand to offer her advice through informative and easy to follow videos which will be available on-line. She explains: “This campaign is really reaching out to give support to help get the fundamentals of good home hygiene in place. Mission for Health wants to give mums the knowledge and tools to ensure they can do their best to keep the home a healthier and hygienic place to live.”

Some great tips for those joining Dettol's Mission for Health

· Regularly disinfect commonly touched surfaces as some harmful germs can survive on surfaces for longer periods, which can then be transferred to other surfaces in sufficient numbers, representing a risk to catch them and develop an infection
· Use a surface cleanser with proven efficacy to kill 99.9% of harmful germs including E.coli, Salmonella, MRSA and the flu virus
· Practice good hand hygiene; wash hands regularly with an antibacterial hand wash and dry thoroughly.
· If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer. There are many gel and foam varieties available for use while out and about
· Practice good cough and sneezing etiquette - always cover your nose and mouth with a tissue and dispose of immediately
· Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes with your hands. This will reduce your chances of getting infected

Every mum's top priority is their families health so as a mother to a toddler I am proud to back and support the Dettol Mission for Health campaign. You too can get involved by visiting Dettol’s new website www.dettol.co.uk/missionforhealth and dedicated Facebook page where for every person who “likes” the Mission for Health Facebook page, Dettol will donate 20 pence to Save the Children, aiming to donate £20,000 to the charity which supports community causes in the UK and abroad.

The Mission for Health Facebook page will also offer the opportunity to win one of 5,000 Dettol Baby Packs containing useful tips on getting ‘your home baby ready’, helping new mums be extra vigilant in the home. The pack also includes vouchers for money off Dettol Surface Cleanser Spray and Dettol No-Touch Hand Wash System.

Disclaimer : I have not been paid in anyway to back and support Dettol's mission for health campaign, I was however was given a goodybag which contained some of Dettol's fantastic products.