All-in-One Mum

This wonderful Guest Post was created by the lovely Leanne over at  My Little Life of Scrap .  It is a heartwarming blog that I thoroughly enjoy reading. 
After a quick gander at her 'about' page I had to do a double take as I could tick off every single one of her roles, character traits and interests (bar photography) as my own.  Great minds clearly think alike and things like that!  It made me want to follow her blog and I'm sure you will too.


 Part Time Worker – Full Time Mummy 
 
 When we started trying for a baby and even when we found out we were pregnant – the whole concept of returning to work was never discussed. I guess I had always assumed I would return. To be honest, money was a main reason. I don’t think we could get by on one income. Another reason is, and this is a hard one to say, I enjoy my job. I’m good at it. I enjoy the people I work with and (real mummy confession time) I enjoy being me, just me. However I had know...

I recently bought my daughter the  Tomy Octopals Bath Toy  as she was getting slightly bored with her existing selection of animals, cups and other water squirting bathroom floor wetters! My only regret is not buying it sooner!  My daughter saw the box and couldn't wait to open it when she saw the picture of the brightly coloured characters. The Octopals sit neatly on the 8 numbered 'tentacles' on the green base as it floats in the bath tub.   The little creatures themselves also float and stick to the side of the tub which caused great excitement when my little one discovered this.  The orange 'head' has a number of holes in it where water can spurt out of once it has been filled. A few games that you can play with your little one: Line the Octopals up in number order (numbers are on the opposite side to their faces). See how quickly you can stick them to the side of the tub and then pull them off! Make a sequence of colours along the rim or side...

As I was looking through my mentions on Twitter I came across a Tweet from the fabulous Life and Bows .  I clicked on the link and was taken to her blog post showing the Liebster Award that she had been nominated for. The Liebster award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. What is a Liebster Award and what does the word mean?    Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.  All the things that you look for in a blog I guess?  Well, things that I look for anyway! I have only been blogging in earnest since January 2012.  I never quite realised how many talented individuals there are in the world, all bringing their unique styles, personal touches and creative flair to this every expanding blogosphere.  It has opened my eyes to so many different things as well as changed my ill-informed options on certain topics....

Looking forward to seeing what Meerkat toy my daughter is sent!! Ax

Roots and Wings by Linda A. Janssen Years ago when my children were five and nine, we were visiting a friend's house for a family barbeque. As I was ducking into the powder room, a linen wall hanging in the nearby hallway caught my eye. At the top was an embroidered oak tree, with thick branches of all sizes; strong roots grew deeply below the ground. Several birds in vibrant shades of blue and red sat perched in the upper branches. A particularly glorious yellow bird was caught in mid-flight, its open wings spanning the air as it glided away from the tree. But what stopped me in my tracks was the embroidered poem beneath the tree: For you, my child, I wish two things: to give you roots and give you wings To say these words resonated with me is an understatement. The words struck an immediate chord in my heart. I experienced such a moment of clarity that I knew, truly knew, that they captured the essence of parenting. I searched the wall covering...

Rice Krispies remind me of childhood.  Happy mornings (and sometimes lunches) spent with my ear hovering over my bowl listening to snapping, crackling and popping! My toddler daughter also loves Rice Krispies which she fondly refers to as 'Krispies' and recently entered the Britmums Colour Me In Rice Krispies Competition .  She loved being creative with the fabulous pens that we were sent to make her masterpiece so I thought, why not be creative with the Rice Krispies too?  So, cue Rice Krispie cookies! This is the recipe that I used... 45g butter 300g marshmallows 180g Rice Krispies I prepared the Rice Krispie cookie mix while my daughter was having her afternoon nap. Melt the butter in a bowl over a pot of boiling water on the stove (bain marie).  Once melted, add the marshmallows and stir them in with the butter as they melt.  Depending on the size of your bowl, you may want to add them in stages. Once the mix is completely melted, remove from th...

Last Thursday I received a rather large box of Rice Krispies from BritMums.  Included in my parcel was a fabulous Bumper Colouring Case from WH Smith which was made up of 58  pens, pencils, glitter glues and markers for my daughter to use to decorate the famous Rice Krispies characters on the front of the box. I made the fateful mistake of showing her the colouring case just before we were about to head out the door to nursery.  I couldn't get it out of her tiny hands for want of trying!   So, thinking on my feet, I grabbed my daughter with pens in tow as well as the box of Rice Krispies and headed out the door.  I decided that dealing with a toddler melt down on a Friday morning really wasn't top on my agenda and that she could do with a lesson in sharing, so why not let her take the pens and Rice Krispies to nursery and colour it in there with her friends? Well, it was a big hit!  The children loved it and her key workers (aka wonderful and am...

Yet another wonderful contribution to this months Guest Post from the fabulous  Beautiful Clusters of Life , showing us working mums that you really and truly can make it work.  Please take the time to read her truly inspirational blog. A Bit About the Author Mommy to a 1 year old boy and a 2 year old girl.  A business woman.  A opinionated wife.  Balancing life as a mogul &mommy by day ... and great social life by night! The Juggling Act It’s a norm in Singapore to actually have both parents working while their children are in child care in  or a lot of enrichment classes (whereby the maid would have been instructed to take them to). The education system in Singapore is OVERLY competitive. Kids are expected to be able to recognise letters & numbers at the age of 2. Somehow being parents in Singapore, you do have a lot of pressure of balancing your children’s life. I believe in my kids being kids. I do want them to be an all-rou...

So, you think you have an interesting caption?  Let me know.  Leave a comment. Ax

Oh my goodness!  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the fabulous lady behind Little Magic Beans  nominated me for a Reader Appreciation Award.  I honestly never set out to blog for any other reason other than I enjoy to write, so thank you for this! I did try and trace it back to see where it stated and about 5 minutes down the line I got a bit sidetracked by all the open windows of the fabulous blogs I'd hopped across.  Definitely well worth giving it a go and, if anyone knows where this originated, please let me know! So, here are the rules for this award: Include the award logo somewhere in your blog. Answer the questions below for fun, if you want to. Nominate 10 to 12 blogs that you enjoy, or you pick the number.  I'm opting for the latter. Pay it forward: Provide your nominees with a link to your blog post and comment on their blog to let them know they've been included and invited to participate. Pay the love back with gratitude and ...