Magical Snow Day in England

There is nothing more magical than children's reaction to snow. Little LadyBug (LL) went to sleep on Saturday dreaming of snow and woke up very early to discover a layer of white snow covering the neighbourhood. She was very excited and quickly got dressed so she could go make a snowman.

My Mother-Daughter Trip to London

This week I took my daughter to see Peppa Pig Live in London. We were very lucky when we won tickets from Donna from What The Redhead Said blog. We had a fun time seeing the show but what I will remember from that day was the joy of spending time with my daughter.

Sadly the last time I had a Mother-Daughter date was over ago. I remember shortly before my Baby Boy was born that Little LadyBug (LL) and I had lunch at Subway. Being very pregnant I was impatient to head home but LL was sitting across from me eating her sandwich slowly and just smiling at the world around her. I knew that these times of just the two of us were going to be less often once the new baby arrived and I cherished this moment.

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} Summer Fun with Water Balloons

The couple weeks have been very busy as I have been work on learning my new job.  I am very grateful for the ability to work from home, develop new professional skills, and make some money but it means less time for developing this blog. I hope in the next couple months to start sharing some of my favourite crafting, cooking and new product reviews but writing about my children and our life adventures still brings me lots of joy.

When I became a Mother, I often thought about my favourite summertime memories and could not wait to make new memories with your children. A couple weeks ago, I introduced my daughter to WATER BALLOONS. We practiced filling up and popping some balloons before Daddy came home so we would be ready when it was time for wet fun in the backyard. 

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} Exploring the Neighbourhood with My Daughter

Some of my favourite times with my family are just lazy weekends around the house. We always walk into town during the weekends to buy food for dinner or visit the bookstore but this weekend we decided to something a little different.

We went exploring around our neighbourhood. Our first adventure was just around the streets near our home. We really did not know what was behind the fence at the end of our garden. So we decided to put on our coats and walk past our detached neighbours' homes and see where the sidewalk would lead us. We discovered that the general public could not walk behind our fence but it was the backyard for a housing complex for elderly people. I often see individuals gardening and talking.  Little Ladybug (LL) then took me and than Daddy on further trips around the neighbourhood to explore.

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} 5 Months Old - Little Man

I definitely feel that time is flying by fast when I realise that my "Little Man" is already 5 months old. He is learning lots from his Big Sister and has many "firsts" the last month or so.

In the last 6 weeks, we took our first family holiday as family. It was the first time that he slept away from home. I think he enjoyed experiencing a beach for the first time and looking at new things but he did seem really happy when we got home. He looked really relaxed to be back in his blue bouncy chair. 

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} - One Sunny Day at the Beach

This photo is from May 2013. Mr L, Little Ladybug (LL) and I spent a week on holiday in Cromer, Norfolk. This was the first time that LL discovered the joy of digging in the sand and making sand castles with her Daddy. I love this photo of me and my girl. It is an "ordinary moment" of time when I felt very content with my life and looking forward to the future. As I sat on the beach and enjoyed the sunshine, I was thinking about the 12 week scan we had a couple weeks before and trying to imagine Little Ladybug being a "Big Sister".  I was happy that we had this exciting time to look forward too.

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} - Extra Moments with Daddy

We had several "ordinary" moments his week when we got to spend extra time together as family. Mr L (aka Daddy) had Monday - Wednesday off as holiday. Little Ladybug (LL) continue to attend nursery as normal and there is no holiday from Motherhood but it was lovely to have extra time with Mr L.  On Monday, LL went off to Nursery while I took Bumblebee Boy (BB) to his 1st Baby music class without his sister. I loved having some one-on-one time with BB and met a couple new mums.  It was amazing watching BB react to the bubbles and playing with the feathers. He wanted to spend some time on his tummy looking at the bubbles.

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} Little Ladybug Growing Up

Last week a group of my fellow mummy bloggers were going through the emotional process of finding out where their children would be starting school in September.  I am very grateful that I have another year before I stay up until past midnight in hopes of finding out as soon as possible if we got our top school choice.  Even though my daughter is not heading off to Reception until September 2016, I still have been thinking alot about how quickly my daughter is growing up.

In February 2013, I went back to work after maternity leave and Little Ladybug started attending day nursery full-time. Dropping her off every morning was very hard and really missed her sweet face during the day. She started out as a Caterpillar. She enjoyed crawling around and learning how to walk and then run.

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} ZSL Whipsnade

A year ago, Mr L and I took Little Ladybug to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo (Dunstable, Bedfordshire) for the first time. We went on a windy March day and bought tickets for the day but quickly decided to purchase an annual membership.  The annual membership includes entrance to ZSL Whipsnade and ZSL London and is worth the value if you plan on visiting at 3 or more times a year. Under 3 years old is free.



We have made many memories at Whipsnade Zoo the last year.  We have been informed by email when an elephant, giraffe, pygmy hippo, and red panda were born. We have watched the baby lemurs play with their mothers and aunties away from the males.

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} Silence of the Night & Baby Boy

In the silence of the night is when I am most relaxed with my beautiful baby boy. I must admit that I am normally feeding him and checking out Twitter these days but I do try to stop and completely memorise his soft sweet head. Those little fingers that are often gripping on to my pyjama top or reaching out for warm skin are so special.

He is normally drinking his favourite milk with his eyes closed but once in awhile I look down and he is staring at me. He is smiling and chatting more these days and in the quiet of the night is when we have our best talks. There is no sister making noise or the humming of a children's TV program in the background. There is just him and I cuddling in the dim-lighted living room. Sometimes he wants to bounce up and down on my lap. Working on strengthening his legs and wiggling his bottom. Soon he falls back to sleep peacefully and I sneak back into bed. In the morning, I wake feeling tired but he wakes up and gives me a huge smile. The smile and look in his eyes says "Thank you Mommy for the warm milk and cuddles last night". I am trying to remember every moment of my son being a baby. I don't know if will have another baby in the future so I need to cherish these "ordinary" baby moments. I love you sweet boy.

29/03/2015

01/04/2015

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} Being Poorly and Skipping

I can not believe how quickly time flies but I must accept that I am mother of a 3 year old.  You are often warned of the "Terrible Twos" but I enjoyed the year Little Ladybug (LL) was 2.  My job situation changed and I got to spend more time with her.  She was my sweet and helpful little girl. She was very sweet and gave me lots of cuddles while my pregnancy. She loved talking to my "bump".  As her vocabulary increased in was enjoyable having conversations with her.  I loved she could express what she was thinking about.  She had fun baking, learning to use a scooter, and tea parties with Daddy.

Now Little Ladybug is 3 years old.  She has learned that she is allowed to say "no", she can choose to not do something and to fake cry.  She is still my sweet little girl but also can be very challenging.

My Beautiful Mother

On an "ordinary" summer day this beautiful picture was taken by my father of my mother holding my sister and me.  My mother thought she was going to have a boy in January but on December 23rd she went into labour and was told 6 hours before we were born that she was having twins.  Everyone was very surprised.

I have always loved and respected my mother for our kind heart, ability to cheer up the greyest day, and her endless support but did not realise how truly amazing she was until I became a mother myself.  She has never complained or expressed how hard it was to be a first-time mother with twins.  I currently am adjusting to being mother of two and I find it extremely difficult so I understand now that it must not have been easy.  I am grateful to have two very loving parents in my life. 

I love you Mother!

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} Teddy Bears and Teapots

When Little Ladybug was around 4 months old, I discovered a local music class run by Hillary and Stacey of Hartbeeps.  This is the one baby group that I have been loyal to over the last years.  It is on Monday mornings so it helps to start the week off active and keeps us from being sad that Mr L (aka Daddy) is back at work.  I met a couple of my really good friends at this class and have enjoyed watching our children get older together.  When it was time to head back to work after maternity leave, Little Ladybug went to a childminder that I met at Hartbeeps.  These days I get to take her every Monday to the "Happy House" session that is designed for toddlers to 4  years old. Little siblings are welcome so now Bumblebee Boy comes too.

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} #9 Snow Day

On February 3rd, 2015, we woke up to discover it had snowed.  Little LadyBug was only a couple months old the last time it snow enough in our part of England to build a snowman.

We decided to have a "snow day" and keep Little LadyBug home from nursery.  My husband would have loved to "work from home" but he had a training at work. I think he was very jealous that we got to play in the snow.

The snow was melting fast but we put on our warm clothes. I put Bumblebee Boy in the sling and we prepared to gather enough snow to make our 1st snowman together.  We took all the snow from the area in front of the house and put it in a waggon to transport to the back of the house.  We had fun creating "Harry" with his rocks for eyes, nose and mouth.  Most of the snow melted by lunchtime but "Harry" took a couple days to slowly melt away.  These are the days to remember.

  

{THE ORDINARY MOMENTS 15} #8

The lovely Katie at Mummy Daddy Me has inspired me to start documenting the "ordinary moments" of my family.  

In the last couple months there have been several moments that have been extraordinary.  The birth of my Bumblebee Boy on December 9th will be a day that I will never forget.  Little Ladybug's 3rd birthday was very special because we were celebrating her birthday but also spending time with the amazing children and adults that came into our lives because of her.  Another extraordinary moment was when Bumblebee Boy smiled at me for the first time.  I hope I never forget his sweet baby smile and him winking at me.

Since we have new baby in the house, we have spent most of the last couple months at home.  The moments at home could be considered ordinary but these are some of my favourite memories.  I loved watching as my daughter and son have started to interact and respond to each other.