All-in-One Mum

The first thing my husband said to me when I jumped in the car on Friday after work, with a rather mischevious look on his face I might add, was "You didn't tell me that we had to look after the Koala for the weekend". Now, any sane adult would immediately look for the stuffed toy but after a long day at work and in a complete state of shock at what he had just relayed to me I asked him where it was?  It's amazing how my mind automatically jumped to visions of having some small rodent or other creature roaming in my house for the weekend.  I had guinea pigs and hamsters growing up and cleaning up after them was definitely the least fun bit.  Also, it was predominately my mom's job which means that it is now MY job to do. This in itself is a very scary job.  We have a cat.  Cat's need feeding and occasional grooming but otherwise, they do their business outside of the house which has nothing to do with me cleaning up after her, thankfully! After I quickly ...

Whilst reading through Chloe's blog at A 20 Something Mum I noticed a new badge on her profile saying 'Babyhuddle Elite Blogger' .  What I found was list maker heaven!  Babyhuddle is a fabulous website that was started by a husband and wife team to help parents and soon-to-be parents make informed decisions on what to by for their babies and children.  The lists are created by other parents so you can find comfort in the fact that the products have been tried and tested for comfort, durability, ease of use; generally things that parents look for in a product.  Just one example of the fabulous lists that the members have created is  'baby travel essentials' .  Join the site and you can make lists of your own as well as ask questions and have them answered by the other very helpful and friendly members of the Babyhuddle family.  The other joy of the site is that you can also buy the items that you see.  Hoorah! I'll be blogging for...

I can't believe that it took me nearly 2 years to sew this very small knitted toy together.  The big question is, why did I find the thought of it so daunting? Before my Gran passed away in September 2005 I would have asked her to help me to complete most of my knitting projects.  She was a very talented knitter and sewed beautifully too.  I would knit a jersery or whatever I had decided to do at the time and she would either finish knitting it (we had the same tension in our knitting) or sew it together for me.  I knew that if I ever got stuck I had my Gran to help me out.  She taught me to knit when I was 5 and I am so grateful to her for this skill.  I love using my hands and being creative and find knitting very therapeutic and relaxing. As in most things in life, you learn through trial and error.  I do my best to make the finished knitted product look at least half as good as what my Gran would have done which is quite a challenge. ...

this becomes.... My goal for this week is a very simply one and that is to finish off and then put together a Winnie the Pooh knitted soft toy.  I started knitting this for my daughter before she was born in April 2010 and unfortunately never completed it and it has been sat under my bed in a shoe box ever since. I find knitting very theraputic and it is also extremely rewarding as everything that you make has a use in your life, whether it be a jumper, tea cosy, scarf, blanket, soft toy or pillow cover, each item you have crafted will retain memories from the time that you spent creating it.  You can tell that I'm a real nerd at heart! this! I aim to finish this little Pooh Bear by next Sunday afternoon and then post it to my sister in South Africa the following week.  More information on the reason why I'm sending it to her will be posted in the next few days, so watch this space! What is your goal for this week?  Once you've posted it on your...

Join my  All-in-One-Mum Weekly Goal  challenge. My goal for the week is to finish my book and start another.  Yes, I know it seems silly but I'm busy at the moment so it's hard to make the time to do it.  I'm 60% through my book.  No, I didn't calculate that but my Kindle did! Come on, be a sport.  You know you want to! Ax

I've been married for nearly 6 years and I still love all things wedding, so when a friend asked me to go with her to a Wedding Fair at Hatfield House I jumped at the chance.  Picking the venue, the flowers, the dress, the rings, the cake and everything that goes along with it is all so incredibly exciting! Not all of the exhibitors were able to attend the day unfortunately due to thicker snow fall in surrounding areas putting a spanner in the works.  The individuals and companies that were present though were all of a very high standard and so I'm glad that it wasn't me that had to decide between who would be perfect to give me my dream wedding day. I've often talked about my husband and I having our 10th wedding anniversary in Hawaii.  Our actual anniversary is in June but we would tie it in with Ironman Kona which is in October.  We would be killing two birds with one stone in doing so as hubby gets to watch the ultimate Ironman race and we can renew our vows ...

I think I have fallen in love.   Completely head over heels in fact!   A very routine shopping trip turned into a rather fabulous outing today!   I stumbled across the  most wonderful, fabulous and amazing kitchen storage ranges at my local Marks and Spencer.   With collection names like Circus, Geisha, Animal Print, Retro and Cherry Heart, how could they go wrong?   The spring cookware collection is also completely gorgeous and simply on first sight would inspire anyone to cook and bake in an utter frenzy of food happiness!   The snaps you see are of a couple of the Circus tins that anyone who loves to bake should, in my humble opinion, own.  I will definitely have to buy them and once they are filled with scrummy cakes and bakes, I will post the photos for all to see. My store also stocks La Crueset and with Valentine's Day just around the corner, what better excuse to buy the collection of 3 gorgeous  h...

Heather Smith is the founder and creative genius behind London based  Thelbridge Curtains, Blinds and Chairs .   She realised that not only did the blinds and curtains that she was creating for family members and own home look fabulous and very professionally sewn but that she enjoyed making them too!  What started out as a hobby has become a successful small business that is run alongside Heather's full time career. Chairs are the latest addition to the Thelbridge family.  I happened to see a photo of one of her first creations and I simply had to have one for my daughter, Isabella.  I contacted Heather straightway to see how I could get my hands on one!   They are perfect for watching telly (snuggled up in a blanket), reading a book, leaving at Grandparents, popping in the boot to take to a friend, having at your holiday home ... I could go on for a while here people! Our lounge is very bright with greens, reds, oranges and a Mexica...