It's a miracle!

Well this is a really good week and I mean a really good week!! I am writing this blog with a smile on my face and a spring in my step!

My delightful, adorable, amazing little C has been a true angel, she has slept through every night for the last week going to bed between 7:30 and 8:00pm and sleeping through until 7:30am, I wll not lie to you she has got up in the night but as soon as we put her back in bed she is asleep without fuss or chatter she is so accepting of her bed time routine I almost don't feel like it is real!

apart from not using the buggy on nursery days and her having tea at home we are doing nothing different, C has done it all herself, maybe it is the sudden change in the weather that has effected her mood or maybe a growth spurt I really don't know, but I am certainly not complaining about it.

But at the moment our house is a very happy harmonious one we are all sleeping so much better and C wakes up in the morning and asks for her breakfast, is happy to walk to nursery and is having the best time at nursery and is full of chatter and funny little comments and stories she is a true pleasure to be around.

I am loving the weather to and hoping that with the improvement in the weather will come an improvement in my arthritis as it has been pretty awful recently, but the fun I am having with C and all the stunning clusters of beautiful spring flowers that I keep spotting all over Brighton are really lifting my spirits, oh and the fact that my hubby has booked our first family holiday abroad I am currently a very happy bunny!

I still plugging away at my cupcake business, if anyone wants to try my cakes i am baking for fresh new beginnings Yummy Mummy event at a wonderful Eco Spa in Brighton called Uniquely Organic

Yummy Mummies

With rebirth and the patter of tiny feet in mind, our 'Yummy Mummy' event is taking place on Wednesday 30 March, 6-8pm. It's not just for mums though as anyone can come and help us celebrate this evening of girly fun. For £3 entrance, you get two talks on pregnancy massage and pregnancy yoga by UO practitioners Susie and Lucy respectively and there's 20% off all products and treatments booked on the night, plus 15-minute taster facials for just £5.

To secure your place at our event and to book your taster treatment simply contact reception on

01273 726973 or email info@uoecospa.com.

Sorry for the plug but I really want to succeed in my business it is my passion and I love being so creative final plug please check out my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flour-s it fu

Sprinkles/189413704427678

Thank you for reading and until next week stay healthy and happy!

A quiet week and a bad bus journey!

Well this is a surprise we have had a very quiet week, we have had no major battles with C she is sleeping fairly well and I actually feel like I am making up for some lost sleep.

My hubby made my weekend by booking us our first family holiday abroad for early June I cannot wait BUT it means I really have to sort the beach body out!! I feel that with the state it is in I could clear the beach in 5 seconds flat and have it all to myself. It is going to take a lot of will power and hard work but i will have to do it.

Since C has been getting some sleep she is like a different child, so vibrant and cheeky, she woke up the other morning walked into the kitchen were my hubby was making the tea and said "Daddy I had a lovely sleep!" she has been so much more affectionate and her temper has calmed right down. We have had no more biting so I feel I have succeeded and made a few steps forward.

I just need to get my arthritis back under control and all will be right in our little world, on that note I would just like to say to the women that had a go at me on the bus the other day for sitting in the "Disabled or those less able to stand" seats, that just because my disability is not visible and I am young does not give you the right to shout at me on a packed bus "there is nothing wrong with you get out of those seats, the cheek of you taking up seats that some people really need" I was having an awful day with my arthritis my lower back was aching so badly I just wanted to sit and cry, my hips felt like someone was trying to pry them open with a crow bar. I had constant muscle spasms going on in my neck and shoulders I felt so low and she just made it 10 times worse.

I know my disability is not visible but I look like hell at the moment and I know I am young (well 32) but it is so unnecessary to try and humiliate someone, if she had asked kindly I would have moved and she just made such a flash judgement on me without even considering that I could have a serious problem and I don't normally sit in those seats no matter how bad I feel but the bus was really busy and everything was hurting so much I did not fancy pushing through hordes of people, I would just like people to not have a go at me, I really have had enough.

It is hard enough constantly being uncomfortable tired and feeling in general like an old lady, as well as having a 2 year old to look after and yes I know I chose to have a child so I cannot really complain about it, but I did not choose to have a child that does not sleep.

I have an auto immune disease which means my own immune system is attacking my body, I am on immune suppressing drugs to stop it happening which means I have next to no immune system, so to sum up I have pretty crappy health, and I really try not to moan about it but sometimes I just have to let it all out.

I have the most amazing family who listen when I moan and give me love when I most need it and the most amazing hubby who is always there for me, even my little C asks to give my back a kiss when I say it hurts and gives me the best cuddles that really do heal the worst of ills so I am going to stop this little rant right now chin up and best foot forward (and I really do have one of those)

Have a happy week xx

Weddings, Flower Girls, Little C the Disco Diva and Biting...

This week has been all about building up to two of my best friends wedding, and making sure that little C kept her mitts of her pure white flower girl dress.

She was very excited about meeting another of the flower girls Luli who according to C "lived in a pan" meaning that little Luli comes from Japan. C certainly fulfilled her duty as flower girl she managed to keep her dress clean right up to the point that the food arrived! she walked back up the aisle with the wedding party, she interacted with all the adults on our table even getting them into the sticker books given to her in a goody bag (I think they enjoyed them more than her) wearing her animal masks and feeding them her much loved peas.

We thought she would be shattered but she heard the disco start up and was the first on the dance floor, Little C is a total disco diva throwing some impressive shapes. she was enjoying it so much she lasted until 11pm and out danced both the hubby and I, we had to call it a day as I had forgotten my flat shoes and was really feeling the pain of wearing heels for the first time in a long time, and it wont be happening again any time soon!

Bless her she was so tired that when we put her in the car seat and before we could even close the doors the Duracell bunnies batteries ran down, she was snoring heartily with a content little smile on her face as if to say "my work here is done!"

C still managed to wake up twice in the night and was up at the ungodly hour of 6:30am much to Daddy's horror and disgust as he was at the hotel bar until 2:30 in the morning as he had not been drinking due to driving and tried to make up for it by meeting up with the wedding party in the bar and relaxing into a few pints (much earned and deserved I have to say)

This beautiful wedding will not be forgotten in a hurry it was so emotional and heartfelt, and you really felt like a part of the whole day and experience, and I could not wish my to friends a happier future together they really are two amazing people!!!

We had a great week of sleep and seem to be taking little steps to getting C into a better routine. Potty training is going from strength to strength with her wearing Knickers all the time and even being able to take a nap for 2 hours without any accidents and whenever she is at home with me she has started to nap during the day again, total and utter bliss!!!!

And then we had 3 awful biting incidents at nursery just to add to our ever growing list of things we need to educate C about NOT doing because it is not nice and naughty. The first two incidents were in retaliation two other incidents during the day (this in no way excuses what she has done), but the third was to tally unprovoked, the biting did however start after C herself was bitten on the face which left a bruise and four nasty little nasher marks.

As a parent I know I should not feel this but I felt embarrassed and slightly ashamed that it was my child doing this, you never at nursery want your child to be known as a biter!

We have demonstrated lightly on her arm what happens when she bites her friends and she seemed to be quite shocked and got even more upset when I demonstrated it on her Bun Bun and Moo Moo her much loved soother teddies, this seemed to effect her even more and since we have done this we have not had any more biting but we have to wait and see what the next few weeks hold?? as I feel most of the biting came from being very over tired, but hopefully with the new routine and C getting more sleep the biting will not happen again.

I would love to know how other parents have handled a child who has started biting, if you read this blog and have any advice please please leave a comment as I am really interested and may be able to take on any advice given!

Oh so tired!

I know it sounds like I moan a lot (yup I do!!) but blimey this week has been exhausting.

I have been trying out a new routine with C to see if we can help ease her major sleep issues which i spoke about in my last blog, so i will try not to repeat myself to much, and unfortunately I have a habit of doing just that!

We are no longer using the buggy on nursery days, we have our long walk to the bus stop at least 30 minutes with the speed C walks, calling a snail speedy would be quite accurate she walks so blooming slow, and then she stops to point at and aske to stroke every hound we come across.

Then on the way home we walk the 25 minute journey to the bus stop with C asking if every adult male and female we come across is somebody's Mummy or Daddy and no matter how much I try to explain to her that not everyone is daft enough to have children she still insists in pointing and shouting at the top of her lungs, thankfully people find it quite amusing and say whether or not they are a Mummy or Daddy.

C no longer eats her tea at nursery, she was so put off eating with 4 kids hanging off the table gawping at her food and trying to stick their fingers in it, she just gave up trying to eat.

We now have a routine of Tea, Bath, books, milk and thankfully so far sleep! yes I really said sleep glorious sleep!!! Her little legs are so tired and heavy, and it seems we have found a way to zap the left over energy from the day. She is now sleeping about a 5 hours straight before the first wake up and she is much easier to put back to bed, by the third wake up which is now about 4:30am she will get into our bed which I can handle.

BUT from all the walking and picking up of C when her legs go to jelly and she is tripping over every 3 seconds and the half a ton of gear we have to take to nursery now that she is potty traing, 3 days a week i resemble a pack horse, my poor back is in pieces and this in turn makes me super tired.

I have since stopped believing that my caffeine eye roll on will have any effect on my incredible panda eyes. The toe joint steroid injection I had a few months ago is once again so painful that it hurts to put my foot in my trainers. I feel another visit to the docs is coming to approach the subject of my painful elbow which is now so sore i cant ignore it and I know this is going to involve more needles and steroids.

I am going to leave you with this little anecdote:

I have nagged my hubby to clean our fish Wobble out for months, the poor blighter was in a very sorry state. My hubby had a lack of storage for wobble while he cleaned the foetid tank and decided the only receptacle available to him was my daughters unused pink potty!!! and much to his amusement sent me in to the bathroom to take a look but did not tell what I was looking for? Until I looked down! I did try to berate him but could not for giggling, he was sniggering like a naughty school boy with such delight at his little prank.

Till next week peeps

What a week....

This week has been exhausting C has been a mare for going to sleep, it has been taking sometimes up to two hours to get her to sleep, and it is so frustrating as she will scratch the mattress hit herself on the head with her Bun Bun and Moo Moo, keep getting out of bed telling me the gap in her door is not perfect that she needs a wee, or that she needs squash or the V Tech ceiling projector on her little chair is not in the right place!!!! aaarggghhhh is all I feel like screaming!!!!

She has a million excuses for not settling to go to sleep.

So this week I decided I had to try and do something drastic I stopped using the buggy, in the vain hope that it may make her more tired, on the days we go to nursery we walk to the bus stop which is a good 20 minute walk and on the way home from nursery we walk a good 20 mins and get off the bus and then a ten minute walk to get home.

C usually falls asleep in the buggy on the way home from nursery and I walk the 45 minute journey to get some exercise. I put C to bed while she is asleep, but this is a big problem as she sleeps for2 1/2 hours and then wakes up and it can take another 2 hours to get her back to sleep, it is almost like she uses this as the day time nap she does not have during the day any more.

Well the first day we did it at bed time C fretted for a short while in the chair in her bedroom had a couple of stories read to her and then asked to sleep on the floor, we laid down together and within 5 mins she was out cold, only waking once that night and then on Tuesday we had hell again and the week just continued like this, needless to say my eyes could now rival a pandas and I am getting more forgetful and ditsy by the Second (and for those who know me well, yes it possible)

On the days that she is not at nursery I try to make sure she is using as much energy as possible and trying to stick to a good routine, she does tend to take a nap during the day which is lovely and she does not do this at nursery, but it really effects her sleep and the enduring battle starts again.

My worry with C's sleeping issues is what effect the lack of sleep is having on her, she still seems very happy keen and eager, she still whizz's around at a million miles an hour, but does constantly tell the hubby and I that she is tired and will flake at various times in day for a period of time to sit quietly. Her eyes look purple and she looks like she has bruising across her nose and as a fairly pale child this stands out quite a bit. We both look a completely state at the moment both so tired.

But the week also had it's big upside, I won two clients for my cupcake business, and did some work for TJ at Bras for Mums at the Baby show in London which was really good fun it helped that I had a good friend by my side! and I got meet some lovely Mums who I now have have contact with on twitter

Through this work I was given a baby sling to try it takes children from newborn to a child up to 35lb and I have been using it. C was delighted by it, and really enjoyed the face to face conversations we have been able to have while walking and she seems really comfortable.

I feel like all I do and speak about at the moment is C's sleeping issues and how tired I am, I am a mum on the edge. I promise my next blog will be lighter and fun

Until next week xxx

Sorry this is a mushy one!!

Well I am a little late on getting this out this week, mainly due to the fact that little C and I have had horrid colds. With C being completely wiped out, loosing her voice and having a throat infection. But enough about that I really want to tell you the following:

I had one those moments with little C this week that I will always remember and cherish, where I realised that I am not a bad or useless mother!!! I went out for the first time leaving my daughter with a babysitter from nursery (she was amazing but it was the first time she had sat for me) and went out on my best friends hen do, while my hubby was on the stag do in Manchester. Never before have we been apart in separate cities and left our daughter in the care of someone else.

It was a little tough getting out the house making everyone late for our meal, C was very aware I was going out and totally thrown by the fact a nursery staff member was in our house.

When I arrived home slightly tipsy at the ungodly hour of wait for it ...... 12:30pm, I am not a huge drinker due to my medication and I let my hair down a little to much, my gorgeous little C padded down the hallway at 1:20 in the morning calling out "Mummy where are you I need you" I picked her up and she snuffled into my neck and started snoring heartily (one trate she picked up from her dad I wish she had NOT!!!) all the while me telling her how much I loved her with tears poring down my face, I know I know it was probably the alcohol!

But never before have I felt so needed and loved, my heart swelled to such proportions I thought it would burst. Not since my wedding day and the birth of beautiful little C have I felt this way.

I know alcohol induces strong emotions and as a practical non drinker it will effect me more, I feel that with or without it I would have been in floods of tears with a swollen heart for I finally felt like I had been accepted as a mother, and by the one person who I wanted the approval of the most, my daughter and she is only 2, I finally feel like she knows I am doing the very best I can. That I am not just the one who has to administer the discipline in our house and play bad cop to Daddy's good cop, that all the routines we follow are for her good.

Man how is it that someone so little make you feel so much emotion, it is phenomenal what what motherhood can do to you!

I love you my gorgeous little C

Potties and Sleep Deprivation

Well this has been an extraordinary week, to me maybe not others i will explain later But mainly it has been about little C sleeping or not and potty training!!

In my beautiful circle of Mum friends (and believe me they truly are!!) it is the dreaded thing and few were surprised when I said I had started the dreaded potty training, but I have to say so far it has not been to painful.

We have had a potty in house for probably the last 8 months and it has been used for everything you can imagine, on one occasion before it was ever used for its true purpose I walked into the room to find my little C eating her much loved fruit from the pink plastic pot!!

I have on many occasions tripped over the retched pink plastic pot, thankfully never with any pee in it. We have gained a second one to, this one being a chair type number higher off the ground still pink, now there is more to trip over in the dark! this one was given to us by Little C’s much adored Cousin Emma in the vain hope that it would encourage C to try the potty more. so now we have two pink potty’s one includes images of peppa pig.

C did start to use the potty but it was hit and miss she went through a period of time only wanting to sit on it while watching Mr Tumble and if a wee appeared it was by pure fluke and she was just as shocked as we were when it happened.

But the last 6 weeks have been great she has been using it more and more and we invested in a toilet seat and step and we have discovered that she C is a little toilet monster only using the toilet, leaving the two pink pots loitering in the corners of any room C has deemed to move them to.

She is now going to nursery 3 days a week in a pull up due to the length of travel we have to do, Idon’t fancy a pee soaked buggy! and wearing knickers all day and home again in a pull up for the night. Wearing knickers at home and even waking in the night and asking for a wee so we are making good innings on a lengthy process. Maybe one day i will be able to turn the 10 alarms off on my mobile phone that go off every 45 mins flashing up potty time on the days that little C is at home (They are seriously turning me into a dizzy dribbling wreck and make my ears hurt and all my conversations stop!) My husband recently commented to a friend “never has taking a pee been so celebrated” really made me chuckle

Well sleep is another matter we have had a nightmare with our daughter since she went into hospital just after her 1^st birthday with a serious chest infection and breathing difficulties, 3 nights spent in hospital and our little C’s came out of hospital with a mended chest but seriously damaged sleep.

Up until the last month C was waking up on average at least 4 times a night after 12:00pm,being put back in her bed for her to sometimes not fall back to sleep at all. The worst case being trying to get her to sleep for 2 ½ hours for her to end up getting up with me and watch DVD’s and not go to sleep until 1:30 the next afternoon. I was seriously delirious my hubby had to come home from work to calm us both down. That was the day after 3 months of being off her dummy I gave it back to her to save my sanity, as soon as I did she asked to go in her buggy and fell straight to sleep and proceeded to sleep through to the next morning, this was the most extreme.

Recently though things have improved, instead of taking over an hour to get her to sleep or sometimes more she seems to have accepted that she has to go to bed and will willingly get into bed have stories read to her, drink her milk, and what seems like ages of twitching, fidgeting asking for a wee and her new favourite “can i have just a little milky” she gently nods off to her glow worm (the best £10 i have ever spent!). But at any point in the evening we can hear the thundering of tiny elephant feet coming down the hall.

Normally this just means she is still asleep and easily popped back into bed but again an hour down the line she will be up again, we pop her back into bed and another two hours later she will be up again asking for milky and getting quite upset until we give in and give it to her. By 3:30 in the morning she is in our bed kicking the covers off making the hubby and I very cold and pretty naffed off and very tired!!, this on top of the medication I take that makes you tired , the lack of sleep and a lot of pain from a pint size foot being thrust in your eye you get to the stage that I reached, I had to give up work as my arthritis was off the chart and I was going as a mad as a march hare.

While writing this C has been up twice and I anticipating she will be in my bed by 3:00 (not so bad tonight as hubby is on a stag do so leaves us plenty of space). We have tried every combination imaginable to ease the sleep situation and can come to no conclusion as to what is causing it, we can only pinpoint the time it started. Anyone who reads this that as an suggestions please do leave a comment and i will try it out and let you know how it went.

Two good thing that has come from this is my ability to fulfil a dream of starting my cupcake business and boy have things taken a giant leap this week When I have more details I will share but for now Flour & Sprinkles has been born.but I have also had good news from the hospital on my 6 monthly check up at the hospital my specialist was very happy with the improvement in my condition purely down to the medication and giving up work (oh and a lot of steroid injections).