Momma's Monkeys.

So Daisy had her first trip to the zoo this week, well first where she wasn't a tiny bean asleep in a pushchair, and saw my favourite puffer fish... who had somehow lost an eye?! :/ and sadly the lions where no where to be seen but she had a good time, costing me a fortune in kiddy rides and stuffed animals. We had been saving up for quite some time, putting pennies in a piggy bank and selling old toys until we had enough to have a day out together before beebee comes along so I was pretty happy to throw £14 at a deformed looking giant guinea pig type animal teddy.

 After a fabulous screw up with maternity pay, no blame placed anywhere other than where it should be placed.... I'm happy to start a new week with a lovely picnic in the park with the Mr and a whole bunch of family from his side. Watching Daisy running about and enjoying an ice cream is always a beautiful sight and hopefully after I sort out a stack of forms and payslips etc. tomorrow, I can enjoy some time with the sister, who has a week off and maybe make some bits and pieces with Daisy and other delights of not wanting to risk going outside incase I pop.

 (Place your bets)

A recent make sees these guys born.
I'm putting together a little 'I'm a big sister!' package for when Daisy visits me and beebee in hospital or when we bring beebee home, which will include this little pickle along with several other little goodies to help her feel as special as she is (and if she hates beebee to start off with she has the fun of having some pressies to open.) I have also made one for the Boy. I'm hoping they will both be very loved and be kept until 'the kids' are old and the monkeys are smelly, have eyes missing and an arm of the others sew on to the other...

...See you when I'm old and I'm sad about my children growing up too fast guys.

Baking My Own Nemisis.

So, the last time I get to see beebee while he is still protected from the outside world, I'm told the 'computer is guessing' he weights roughly 6 pounds!! This is average. To most quite small if he was to be born now but Daisy was 5 pounds 15 ounces so I have had a firm word with the little blighter and ordered him to stop growing or ask to get down from the table.

Get out!
Get out!
(I'll miss you but...) Get out now while you still can!

Daisy got her usual good girl sticker from the sonographer (if that's the correct term) Its so nice that she can be allowed to see her baby brother in Momma's tummy. I guess this makes up for seeing the midwife who helped deliver Daisy, the cleaning cupboard you gave birth in and all the noises and feelings of when I gave birth the first time. needless to say I was a little pale coming out of the maternity ward. 

Make it, Daisy Maker.

While the Mr was cooking us a wonderful dinner, as usual, me and Daisy sat in the garden while it was still warm and made some lovely colourful pasta. Fab for filling half an hour.

First get the little one to put pasta shapes into a lock seal sandwich bag and then pop a few drops of alcohol hand sanitizer in with the pasta. Get them to pour in some food colouring and lock the bag which they can then have great fun shaking up and rubbing all the colouring into the pasta. Do several different bag with a different colour in each. Great for learning colours!
Once you have done all your colours beebee might find it hard to leave them to dry but they need to be put on a paper lined tray and left in the sun to dry. May take a day or two so have something else to do for when the fun colourful pasta thing is snatched away!

After the pasta is dry tie a knot in some string and ask beebee to thread the shapes onto the string to make 'jewellery' wonderful for motor skills and learning colours and also for Daisy to get her confidence kick of 'LOOK AT ME PAPPA! BOOTIFUL NECKLACE!'

Garnier Perfect Blur & Mirical Skin Perfector.

I've been wanting to try the new 'Perfect Blur' by Garnier for sooo long now. I was hoping to save enough Boots points to get it for free but My God it takes forever! so I brought it while it was a little bit reduced and used the points I had to get the new BB cream ' Miracle Skin Perfector.
I was looking at the Nanoblur, which claims to make you look 10 years younger in 40 seconds! but I had seen nothing but bad reviews. the Perfect Blur is AMAZING. it visibly blurs wrinkles, imperfections, open pores and shine. Its light reflector technology helps give a lovely glow when applied to the skin after the normal moisturiser thanks to its high concentration of light reflectors to diffuse light in all directions for delicious looking skin.
   The packaging is super girly which is always fab, A quick shake and a little blob of the product (goes a long long way, which is also a bonus...) it glides over the skin like silk and instantly my quite large and 'orrible pores disappeared. not even exaggerating. My complexion was instantly considerably more even and fresh looking. I could have easily worn this without any additional make up, with a possible reapply during the day but all in all the best primer product I have found. Its always good when you can eventually find something that works for your skin (we all know what a challenge it is ladies) so I cannot rate this product enough.

   The BB cream on the other hand.... is pretty bloomin' fab too! I tried two or three BB creams before and absolutely hated them. they didn't cover, they go patchy and orange but the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector goes on like a moisturiser and covers evenly and effectively. the Perfect Blur is a sure help for the application but the BB brings its own little goodies with its anti shine, extension of blurring imperfections and pores, evening the tone of the skin and boosting glow and sprinkles a little sun protection on top too. For someone with dulling pregnant skin, red patches and large pores and shine I just love these products. Im sure Daisy will squeeze the BB cream all over a mirror somewhere and use the other to wash her hands or something but for now they are a little slice of happy.

Ultimate test: Apply after child birth and see how it makes me look! Beebee due in a month Eeek!

Gromit Unleashed.

From July 1st to September 8th, Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal and Aardman Animation are hosting a public art exhibition which has been scattered across the city of Bristol in form of 'Gromit Unleashed.' At the end of the trail the Gromits are to be auctioned to the highest bidder to raise money for the Bristol Children's Hospital Charity. (You can register your interest of bidding on the below website.)
   The Bristol Children's Hospital is one of "only a few specialist children’s hospitals in the UK providing life-saving surgery, care and treatment to children on a local, national and international scale. The hospital is now expanding to create one of the most influential children’s hospitals in Europe.
Specialist paediatric healthcare and pioneering treatment require constant investment. By supporting Gromit Unleashed, you will be helping to save the lives of sick children. Treatment unimaginable a decade ago is now within reach, and with your support we can make this happen." -  http://www.gromitunleashed.org.uk/

With over 70 sponsors and a lucky collection of celebrities and artists Nick Park's Gromit has never been more sought after. over 100,000 people have already been on the look out for 80 differently designed 'Gromits' which have taken over the city of Bristol. Standing over five foot tall, each Gromit embarked on a journey, on the 1st July, to their individual locations for all to discover on the Gromit Trail. The Gromit Trail can help you discover lots of Bristol's oldest streets and landmarks down to the usual central locations. From Cath Kidston to Joanna Lumley's 'Poetry in Motion' its hard to have a favourite!
If your following the trail, you can pick up a free Gromit Passport which you can have stamped at 6 different passport stops, giving you a piece of Gromit Unleashed merchandise to take home at the end of your search. There are also plenty of limited edition pieces to go around. With over 400,000 visits to the Gromit Unleashed website, of which a quarter where from overseas, and more than 16,000 people visiting The Art of Gromit Unleashed shop, opposite Bristol Children's Hospital and the exhibition inside the shop at The Mall Cribbs Causeway has seen an average of 2,000 visitors a day, everyone is going to want a piece to take home!

A personal favourite of Daisy's is the "Stat's the way to do it, Lad!" by artist Gav Strange. Daisy has also been inspired to paint her own Gromit after a ride on the Gromit Train in Cribbs Causeway and a find of several Gromits. I don't know about anyone else's little one but Daisy is very much enjoying "GROMIT!"

Dear Jo.

So Daisy is super bossy, likes to say NO! when she is being told to do something and YES! when she is told no, she is enjoying screaming and shouting at us and being an all round bratty bum.

1) Warning
2) Time out for 2 minutes after explaining why she is in a time out
3) When the 2 minutes have been completed, explain again and ask for an apology
4) Kisses and Cuddles
5) Hope Jo Frost is God and this is effective.

Any advice?

Baby brain says no to a catch up.

I suppose having zero followers means I don't need to do a catch up! Although I do wish I had pictures of Daisy's second birthday... I'm one of the ones who doesn't take many pictures because I would rather enjoy the moment completely. Anyway, Daisy is in full swing of being two, I'm super pregnant and currently enduring the head of a small foetus in my ribs 24/7 for the past few weeks. ouch!
Daisy excitedly went out with Nanna and Grandad this morning until early afternoon so I drew up our Blueberry (and chocolate) muffin recipe for Daisy to colour and keep in our scrap book.

Does anyone else keep a scrap book with their monsters?!