Friday 30 September 2016

Sweet Potato Crips

I think I must have one of the hungriest toddlers ever, who quite often wants to eat again only an hour after having his breakfast! All the shop-brought healthy baby snacks are brilliant and handy at times, however, the cost quickly racks up when you buy them all the time. It was for this reason that I decided to hit Pinterest to try and come up with some new ideas for homemade on-the-go snacks. 

After looking for a while, I found these Sweet Potato Crisps. They are sooooo easy and cheap to make and, while they do take a while from start to finish, they don't need constant attention so you can just leave them in the oven to cook. I have made these loads of times now and feel that I have perfected the process!

Here is how you do it...

Firstly, you just need a sweet potato (a small one is plenty for a toddler and a few for mummy) and some olive oil. I have been using 'Fry Light', as you really only need a tiny amount. 


I use a food processor with the cutter attachment for the quickest and neatest shapes. However, most cheese graters have the slicer bit on them, or you can just cut them with a knife, but I would try to cut them as thin as possible. 


Then you lay all of the slices out on a baking tray - I have 4 baking trays that I use (told you it makes loads) and you then spray them with a tiny amount of the fry light/olive oil. 


Next, you simply pop them into a pre heated oven at 120c for 1 hour. After the timer has gone, you will need to get them out and flip them over before putting them back into the oven for another 40 mins. 


They made need longer if they still look and feel moist, depending on your oven. 

Once they cool down a bit, they are ready for snack time! 


If I was making them just for adults, a bit of garlic & salt or paprika & salt would taste amazing too. 

Let me know if you make these or if you have any other good ideas for homemade toddler snacks!

Love Sophia xxx

Wednesday 28 September 2016

20 Week Pregnancy Update

Here is my 20 week pregnancy update....

So, I completely forgot to take a picture this week but thought I would include one of the scan and a little baby-grow Chris and I brought just after it. 




Symptoms: I am amazed that I am now half way!!! And this week, I have felt very normal. I am slightly tired at times but I don't think it's anything to do with pregnancy, probably just down to working and normal life with a toddler.  

Food Cravings: Nothing in particular this week!
Movement: We had the 20 week scan and I found out that the placenta is at the front, as I had suspected, which is why I have not felt movements quite as much recently. 
Sleep: I have had no problems sleeping this week - Chris got my pregnancy pillow down from the loft a few weeks ago but I have only just started using it (forgot how comfy it was)! 

Things I am missing: I am missing my wardrobe, big time, as I have very little things to wear at the moment. Think I am going to have to start doing some serious maternity shopping!!!
Best Moment: Having the 20 week scan and hearing that the little one is growing just perfectly, actually on the slightly small size which is not like Jackson at all!! But they do say that the baby doesn't really start piling on the weight until 28 weeks, so we'll just have to wait and see! All the other checks came back fine and he/she looks like a healthy baby. 
Not really sure how I managed to not ask but we decided that we would not find out what we were having this time.
Worst Moment: Nothing comes to mind this time, must have been a lovely week!!
Love Sophia xxx

Tuesday 27 September 2016

18 Month Update!!!

My gorgeous boy Jackson is now an 18 month old toddler and I can't believe it!!!! This is the first update I have done since he was 15 months, as I felt that he wasn't doing the huge steps in his development as frequently as he once was when he was a baby. However, since the last update, we have done lots of things, including 2 holidays, a couple of birthdays and lots and lots of play dates with his little buddies!!! 

Milestones

His hair has grown loads and he has now got little curls, which are so cute. He also has 16 teeth and the last few aren't suppose to come through until 20 and 31 months, so I have been told, meaning we have had a few months off teething!!! 

He has started talking a bit, with not too many proper words but some of the ones he does say are; hiya, ta, here, this, mama, dada, yaya and kounia (which is greek for swing). He also says a few more bits that only his mama or dada would understand! 

He loves singing and dancing, which is so funny and cracks us up every time he does it. Chris has also taught him to bow after he does a little dance! When we sing certain songs he has learnt to do some actions for them too. 

He has also learnt parts of his body - he will touch his head, tummy, feet, nose and ears on demand.

We have done a few sign language words too. These include please, friends, food and sorry. He does do some more but I need to try to work out what they mean as sometimes he puts his own spin on them! 

It's hard to write down everything he is doing because he's just growing into his own little personality everyday. He is such a clown, in that he loves to act silly and make people laugh but he is also really kind with sharing and cuddling/kissing. However, he has started to push the boundaries recently by pulling hair, biting and the occasional bit of pinching. He also does have tantrums from time to time when he throws himself back and cries on the floor (which can be quite hard not to laugh at some times!).  

Routine

His day to day routine is as follows:

7:00/7:30am - wake up and has milk in a beaker
7:45am – breakfast
11:30/12:00pm – lunch
12:00/12:30pm – nap time, anywhere between 1 hour to 3 hours
3:00pm – snack
4:30/5:00pm – dinner
6:00pm - bath
6:30pm - beaker of milk
7:00/7:30pm - down for bed


Clothes and Weight

He is wearing 18-24 month clothes now.

I haven't got him weighted in ages but I will be going on Friday, so will let you all know the verdict! 







Love Sophia xxx

Sunday 25 September 2016

Baby Names

I have been watching the Youtube channel, 'Channel Mum', for a while now and I have recently added my own Youtube channel to their huge collection of mummy Vloggers. They send out monthly emails suggesting topics for everyone to talk about in their posts - one topic this month is baby names.

Following this theme, I wanted to talk about why we chose our little Jackson's name. I have also included 8 names, both boys and girls, that I love but don't think we will be using for our next arrival. Hope you enjoy it!


Love Sophia xxx

Wednesday 21 September 2016

19 Week Pregnancy Update

Here is my 19 week pregnancy update....





Symptoms: I have been very tired this week but think it is partly down to the fact that I have gone back to working 4 days a week, now that the Summer Holidays are over, and back to my normal working hours. I have also been quite busy most evenings.  

Food Cravings: Nothing in particular this week!
Movement: The baby's movements have got weaker and I don't feel quite as often. My midwife did make a good point though, that I may not feel as much as I am busy with a toddler this time, whereas, when pregnant with Jackson, I would focus on it more. 
Sleep: I have struggled to get to sleep this week but once I am asleep, I am sound asleep (apart from during those crazy storms the other night)! 

Things I am missing: This is the same as last week really but instead of wine, I have missed cocktails!!! We went out for a date-night for our anniversary to The Crazy Bear and they do the best cocktails ever (I did have a cheeky sip of Chris' Mojito, which tasted amazing!!). I also had a mini glass of bubbles on Sunday and definitely miss that!
Best Moment: I started pregnancy yoga this week and felt amazing afterwards, as I slept soooooooo well. I left the studio already looking forward to next week's session. 
Worst Moment: I love the sun but at the moment I have no proper summer clothes that fit properly and there really isn't any point in buying any, seen as it will turn to Autumn soon. I just don't feel comfortable in what I have which is frustrating. However, I still would never wish away this amazing weather we have had!
Love Sophia xxx

Monday 19 September 2016

Me Time

When you become a mum, 'me time' doesn't come around as often as it might have done before. Some reason's for this are obvious but also I work 4 days a week and, being pregnant at the same time, I am normally very tired by about 8:30pm every night. When Chris is home, I love spending time as a family but I do also think it is important to try and squeeze in a few things that are just for yourself, something I feel its extra important now as it is going to be even harder to do when number 2 comes along! 

One thing that I have started doing this week is Pregnancy Yoga. I also did this when I was pregnant with Jackson and absolutely loved it, so this time round it was a no-brainer. Every Tuesday between 7:30-9:00pm I head down to a local class and have some mummy and baby-bump time (I went for the first session last week and it made me realise just how inflexible I have got!!).

Something I used to do religiously was to get my nails done every 2-3 weeks. Now that doesn't happen quite so often but one of my really good mummy friends is an excellent Beautician, so I am able to head round to her and do my nails when the babies are in bed, which is brilliant because, otherwise, I don't think I could ever get to the salon! 

Jackson is having at least an hour nap in the afternoons at the moment. It is amazing how much you can get done in that time - I normally make dinner, do the dishwasher, tidy up a bit and have some rest by either watching some trashy TV or quite often I will write a blog or upload a picture, anything to do with my blogging hobby really. 

Finally, something we have set up recently that makes us very lucky indeed; for the last month, my mum takes Jackson on a Thursday evening every other week at around 5:00pm and I don't pick him up until the next day around lunchtime!!!! It was my mum that suggested and even requested we do this and it means that by 5:30pm on a Thursday, I have finished work, am baby-free and Chris is not coming home for another hour. Therefore, I race around tidying up and then jump in the bath (I love taking baths, especially when I am pregnant). Normally, the only way I get to have a bath is by sharing it with Jackson which, don't get me wrong is a lot of fun but, as I am sure you can imagine, is definitely not relaxing! 

It isn't a massive list but I think doing a few things like this is really important to not let the daily routine get on top of you! What do you guys do for some 'me time'? 

Love Sophia xxx

Sunday 18 September 2016

Jackson's Wardrobe

I love these types of blogs because I get to show you all one of my favourite things - Jackson's outfits for the week! He hasn't been bought many clothes recently, so some of you may have seen these before... 



Day One 
Top: John Lewis
Shorts: Next 


Day Two
Top: Next
Shorts: Zara 
Bib: Funky Giraffe 



Day Three
Vest Top: John Lewis
Dungarees: Jojo Maman Bebe
Shoes: A local shoe shop near us, the brand is 'Pepino by Ricosta'


Day Four 
Bib: Funky Giraffe
Top: Primark
Shorts: Next
Shoes: A local shoe shop near us, the brand is 'Garvalin'


Day Five
Top: Primark 
Leggins: Zara
Bib: Funky Giraffe 

I may have just done a cheeky online shop too, so look out for new clothes in my upcoming blogs/vlogs!!!

Love Sophia xxx

Thursday 15 September 2016

West Wittering Beach Day Trip

On Tuesday this week, we heard the weather was going to be gorgeous. Chris also has Tuesday's off work, so we decided to pack our swim-wear and head to the beach for the day! 

The weather was a bit cooler than back home which, with babies and sun cream, actually made it a lot easier. We bought a bucket and spade, whilst there, for them to built sand castles and we also paddled in the sea - we didn't brave it all the way in but there were quite a few people swimming. 

Theses are my favourite photos of the day.








Did you manage to make the most of the weather?

Love Sophia xxx

Wednesday 14 September 2016

18 Week Pregnancy Update

Here is my 18 week update: 


Symptoms: I have been feeling a lot more tired this week, which I think has also made me feel a little sick at times, but nothing too much to complain about.

Food Cravings: Again just lots of FOOD!!! I have had a very hungry week this week and just can't seem to get enough!!!
Movement: I felt a few hiccups and tried to get Chris to feel but I think that it's still a bit too early. 
Sleep: I have been struggling to wake up properly in the mornings, as I am still so tired when i do! But sods-law, the two days I could have had a lie in, I was up at 6:30am (what is up with that!!)!

Things I am missing: Unlike my last pregnancy, I would have liked a glass of wine this week. 
Best Moment: We had our 16 week midwife appointment this week and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which was amazing. We also got all the blood results back which were all good. 
Worst Moment: I am worried about how much weight I will put on this pregnancy, as I am eating a lot. Plus my boobs have already got massive!!!
Love Sophia xx

Tuesday 13 September 2016

Jackson's Week in a Lunch Box

I thought I would share Jackson's lunches for the week: 

Monday: This was a picnic-style lunch for 2 babies. I made them spinach and cheese omelette, mixed berries and melon. They also had fake mini cheddars and biscuits in case they were still hungry. 



Tuesday: This was a big lunch but Jackson was very hungry and he nearly ate it all! He had chicken pie with mushroom and spinach, cucumber and cherry tomatoes, which he did not eat, and for desert he had melon and strawberries. 




Wednesday: This lunch went down so well. It was pitta bread, peppers, mushroom and grapes with humous for dipping. We have recently had a few dinner parties, so have had crisps and dips out and Jackson has loved dipping the crisps into the dip, sucking it and then dipping again (which is gross)! That gave me the idea for this lunch but this way he got his own dipping pot so there were no worries of double dipping!


Thursday: Picnic lunch again. This time it was a Philadelphia sandwich with a few Quavers (Mama ended up eating the rest) and grapes. The raisins and orange were eaten as a snack. 


Friday: Jackson was at Yaya's house for lunch and I forgot to ask her for a photo. She did say that he had a chicken wrap with blueberries. 

Saturday: Jackson and I made cheese scones in the morning. He had one for lunch with grapes, tomatoes, peppers and humous. 


Sunday: This lunch was using up the scraps before our food shop came. It was pasta with salsa and cheese and then pear and blueberries afterwards. 


Love Sophia xxx

Monday 12 September 2016

Day in the life- 08/09

I decided to film a 'day in the life' video. In it, we had a lovely time visiting friends, seeing Yaya and having a cheeky date night! Here it is... 


Love Sophia xxx

Friday 9 September 2016

Bedtime Routine

I love to hear about other people's routines with their children, so I thought that I would share Jackson's typical evening/bedtime routine...

I call the the period from 4pm onwards, each day, the 'Witching Hour'! This is when Jackson starts to get really hungry and tired. I try to delay dinner until 5pm everyday but that just doesn't always work. Often we head to the local park to try and distract his hangryness! Then, when it is finally time for food, he wolfs it down and has been needing less and less help to do so recently!




Normally by about 6pm, Daddy is home and always gets the best welcome from Jackson. He has a quick play and then it's upstairs for a well needed bath. 



Jackson has a bit of eczema so I don't always use bubble bath, but if I do, I use the 'Burt's Bees' one, as it is very natural and organic. We also use the Burt's Bees shampoo a few times a week on his hair (normally every other day). 



Jackson loves the bath, his favourite game is throwing the toys out of the tub and getting water all over the floor - he also loves splashing and soaking Mummy and Daddy! 



After his bath, we smother Jackson in coconut oil and then get him ready for bed (look how straight his hair is afterwards!!).



He is then normally crying for his milk by the time he comes back downstairs. We have normally recorded 'In the Night Garden' on CBeebies, so one of us gets a cuddle while he watches it and drinks his milk. 




By 7:30pm, he is put to bed for the night. 

Let me know if your little one's routines differ at all! 

Love Sophia xxx

Wednesday 7 September 2016

17 Week Pregnancy Update

Here's my 17 week update: 

Symptoms: Again, nausea has been much better this week - YAY!! I have been extra tired though, but not sure if it's because I have been back to my normal routine again, cleaning like a crazy person when the little man heads to bed for his afternoon nap.

Food Cravings: Just any food in general this week!
Movement: I have felt a lot more movement this week and not just when I concentrate on it. 
Sleep: Not had any issues getting to sleep recently but the dreams I have been having this week have been awful! I've actually woken up in tears and struggled to get back to sleep as some of them have shaken me up so much! 
Things I am missing: Nothing in particular this week. 
Best Moment: Reading all the comments and PM's I received from my pregnancy announcement video. Thank you all so much! 
Worst Moment: Has to be the bad skin again, BLOOMIN SPOTS!!!
Love Sophia xx

Monday 5 September 2016

Favourite Toddler Books

Recently, Jackson has really started to become a bit of a book worm. I thought that I would share some of his favourite books at the moment:



'Poppy Cat Loves Reading' - We got this one when we registered the little man's name. It's about 'Poppy' the cat reading different books and each page has pull-down flaps for him to look at. I am not sure how long this one will last though, as he gets quite rough with the flaps sometimes! 


'First Words'- again, this one is a flap book, where each picture reveals the word behind it. He both loves doing it himself and also watching me turn the flaps and pages for him. 


'Mr Men: Mr Happy's Smiley Day' - I loved Mr Men books when I was little and have all of mine in the loft ready to give to Jackson when he's a bit older. When I saw this hard copy, I had to buy it for him. I am so pleased to say that it is one he brings me to read over and over again. It's a very simple story of how Mr Happy is happy all the time. 


'Say Goodnight to the Sleepy Animals!' - In this one, the Cat goes to each animal to say goodnight. All of the animals are also textured, so Jackson loves stroking all of them and saying quack quack as he does it, regardless of the animal, which seems to be a new thing he does after we showed him what noise ducks make! 

Do your children have any favourites or do you remember any of your's from when you were young? 

Love Sophia xxx



Sunday 4 September 2016

Finding out I was pregnant

Chris and I never wanted to have a big gap between our children, so not long after Jackson's first birthday, we thought that we would try for number two. To our surprise, it happened in the first month of trying! The very beginning was the same as last time, as I had none of the tell-tale signs that I might have been pregnant, but I did the test anyway because we were obviously trying. When we first found out, even though I did lots of tests, I just couldn't get my head around the positive result. For a while, I really didn't believe that I was pregnant.

After it had sunk in that I was in-fact pregnant, I started getting horrible thoughts that I would lose the baby. This made it hard to connect with him/her, as I was so sure that the pregnancy wouldn't progress. I think that people nowadays have become so much more open about miscarriages which, don't get me wrong, I think is really good that they aren't afraid to talk about it, but it does make me much more aware of what can do wrong and, in turn, brings on a lot of worry. One of the reasons that we did an 8 week private scan was so that we could see the baby and hear the heartbeat, to put our minds at rest. Apparently, hearing the heartbeat at 8 weeks means the pregnancy is over 90% more likely to continue as normal, which is a brilliant statistic and was definitely a huge reassurance. Once we saw the little baby, I cried and felt massively relieved.   

However, while all of this was happening, I was also suffering from nausea all day long, something that I did not have that badly when pregnant with Jackson. Some people will hate me for saying this but I felt a slight dislike towards the baby at times. I have cried loads about this and felt awful for it but not for one moment did I wish that I wasn't pregnant nor did I ever forget how lucky I am. 

Since about 12 weeks, I have just felt better and better about the whole thing, which I think is down to a number of reasons. Firstly, as soon as we told all of our family and friends, I could openly talk about everything and hear other people's views. Secondly, at about 14 weeks, I felt the baby kick which is probably the most amazing feeling that you can ever experience. Thirdly, I have started to show a little and my body is starting to look less like I have eaten too many pies and more like I am actually growing a baby. And finally, I am starting to feel normal again and not like I am about to pass out or be sick all the time!!! 

I am not sure if it has been so different this time because I have Jackson to look after too, but I am so glad that things have started to get a lot better because, now that he has a little brother or sister on the way, I want to ensure that Jackson is just as well looked after and knows how much he is loved. I want to cherish this time that I have left as a 'mummy of one', before the exciting moment our family is extended. 

As someone who loves to read blogs and turns to the internet a lot for answers and advice, I found that there wasn't much information about this type of experience. I am sure that I am not the only one who has had these thoughts and would love to hear all of your feelings about your experiences during pregnancy. 

Love 
Sophia xxx

Saturday 3 September 2016

Best photo's of the week

Hope you all have had a good week! Thought I would share some of my favourite photo's from our week - here they are...


We went to 'pick your own' at a local farm, Jackson spent most of the time eating all the fruit as we walked along!! Also, he seems a bit obsessed with wearing Dada's hat!


Not only does he share Dada's hat but also his ice cream! 


Nothing better than an ice lolly on a hot day. 


This may seem like a strange picture but it was a really exciting moment as it means we are now ready for laying new turf and then we are done with the garden!!


This one made me laugh - look at his cheesy grin and crazy hair!!


I don't often do bath time, as it is normally Dada and Jackson time, but Chris was doing the turf in our garden so it was my turn to take over. He loves the bath, his favourite game was to splash Mama!!

Love Sophia xxx