#MeAndMine - A Family Portrait (December 2014)

What a whirlwind December!

Full of fun, laughs, dramas, love, family, friends and SNOW!

I don't seem to have stopped again this month. Christmas went as fast as it came. It was a lovely one and the children were full of Christmas magic.

They didn't ask for much from Santa but he delivered their presents and more. I will never forget their faces and squeals of delight Christmas morning.

We shared a lovely day together and then Boxing Day they got another wish...

Snow.

It fell thick and fast during a family afternoon nap and when we woke at 4.30pm and it was still falling and did all evening. It was lovely to go out in the fresh snow and build a snowman with them and still it came down. We still have some even today.

To be honest it's been a whirlwind year but these last few months since my 40th birthday have been full-on. I don't seems to have stopped.

I'm so happy with where I am in life. Matt and the kids are my world. We have a huge family holiday to look forward to next year too. I cannot wait.

I know I haven't blogged much this year (it's actually my blogiversary today - 5 years!) but I've been enjoying life more. Spending time with Matt each evening rather than on my MacBook. I didn't think it was possible to be any closer than we were but it's happened.

When I look back over the last year of family portraits it fills me with joy to know that I have a photo of us each month again. They may not be the most professional looking photos (a lot of selfies) but they are real.

They are US.

Jan 2014

Feb 2014

Mar 2014

Apr 2014

May 2014

Jun 2014

Jul 2014

Aug 2014

Sep 2014

Oct 2014

Nov 2014

Here's to 2015 and filling the family album again.

Muddy Puddles Are No Problem With The All In One 3 In 1

If you follow me on Twitter or are friends on Facebook you will have seen my desperate plea for suitable snow gear for Tiny Ched at the end of last year. I'd travelled somewhere especially to get one and they didn't have any.

Frustrated, and without suitable winter attire, I waited for suggestions from friends. There were a few good ones but nothing that quite ticked all the criteria I was after.

Then, a few weeks later, an email from Muddy Puddles dropped in my inbox.

I was thrilled when I looked through their website. They had everything that children need for outdoor play whatever the weather and all the items looked fantastic quality.

We were lucky enough to be sent the Baby All In One 3 in 1 to put to the test and as soon as it arrived I absolutely loved it. 

TC isn't 2 years old until the very end of March but we got the largest size at 2 - 3 years. It was a tiny bit big, as expected, but he still looked great in it (as you can see) and he will get plenty of use out of it over the next year or so. 

What I love the most about it is that it has a fully removable fleece inner suit. When you take the fleece inner out it's like a snuggly onesie! The fleece inner goes all the way through the all in one too, not just the main body. It even goes all the way up into the hood. So you can use the fleece on its own or the outerwear on its own depending on the weather, so it's not just one of these thick winter suits that you only use when it's bitterly cold.

Not only that but the outer suit is completely waterproof but also breathable so kids won't get all hot and sticky in it. The logos are also reflective which is great to keep kids visible.

I thought I may have problems getting TC into a full suit but this is so easy as it has dual zips on both the outer and inner, making it to easy even with the most wriggly and impatient of toddlers.

Let's be honest, the weather so far this year has been awful. Cold, wet and windy so this suit has really been put to the test over the past couple of weeks. It's been to the park in the cold and rain, it's been scooting in the wind and rain and it's seen its fair share of muddy puddles! But, throughout it all, TC has been kept perfectly warm and dry. This not only makes him happy but makes me very happy too.

We were sent the navy All In One 3 in 1 because, as much as TC is in touch with his feminine side, I thought the pink was a bit too much for him. For your little princesses though, the Fandango Pink version looks very cute indeed. 

The hood and cuffs on the suit are elasticated so they stay in place. This isn't the case with the usual baby snow suits that you can pick up most places. I remember we had one for Mini Cheddar when she was a baby and I was forever pulling her hood up.

As I've also mentioned move, most of them are just a standard thickness so you're stuck when the weather gets a bit milder. Also, many of them aren't waterproof at all. Believe me, there is nothing worse than a cold and wet child!

TC really took to his suit and has been so warm in all kinds of awful weather that he hasn't wanted to come indoors. I just need to get him to keep his gloves on now the little tinker!

I'd definitely recommend the Baby All In One 3 in 1 as a great purchase. It's not the cheapest at £59* but you get SO much more for the money you spend and you can't put a price on warm and happy children. Also, keep an eye on muddypuddles.com as they have some great sale bargains and I have seen the All In One 3 in 1 half price before now.

Make sure you check out the full Muddy Puddles range. They have everything from hats and gloves to socks and wellies so you can dress your little adventurers whatever the weather. 

*whispers* They even sell shorts and skirts!

I know TC will get so much wear out of this and we both think it's fantastic.

So what are you waiting for? Go check out the fantastic range of products on muddypuddles.com
now, you won't be disappointed. Just look at TC's happy face...
















I tried to take a good photo that showed how fantastic the suit and the inner fleece is but I couldn't quite achieve it as well as Muddy Puddles did so I'm sharing this on my blog too. Isn't it fabulous?

Image from muddypuddles.com

We were sent the Baby All in One 3 in 1 

but all photographs (apart from image credited above), 

words, views and opinions are entirely my own.

*prices correct at time of writing

#SilentSunday 89

#SilentSunday 86

Inspired by...

#SilentSunday 85

Inspired by...

The Gallery - Green

I have a confession to make. I usually look atThe Gallery theme as soon as it's announced on the Friday but this week I didn't...I've neglected by blogging duties over Easter and panicked yesterday morning. So I ran over to Sticky Fingers wondering what sort of mammoth task we'd been set this week.

Boy, was I relieved to see the theme.  Thank you Tara!  I owe you big time.

A really easy one for me this week and a chance to delve into the archives.

In 2006 my husband turned 30 and one of the things he had always talked about was seeing the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and visiting a place called Tromso in the Arctic Circle in northern Norway.

So, being the kind, loving and generous wife I am, I secretly planned and booked a 5 night trip to Tromso over New Year.  Needless to say this was when I was working full time - now I just give him sex vouchers...if he's lucky (joke!).

I contacted a local Northern Lights guide called Kjetil Skogli to arrange a tour with him and even booked in a night of husky sledging too.  Kjetil is amazing, his passion for the Aurora Borealis is second to none and he will go to great lengths to track 'her' down.  He's a lovely guy who we still keep in touch with from time to time and since we spent the night with him he's even taken the lovely Joanna Lumley out to hunt the Northern Lights!

He supplied us with all the right Arctic gear, picked us up from the hotel and took us away from the lights of the city and into the total darkness of the mountains.  I can't describe what it felt like to be surrounded by complete stillness.  It was truly amazing. He dug a hole in the snow and made a camp fire. We ate reindeer (don't tell the kids!) and drank hot tea...we set up camera on tripod and waited.

Then, the most amazing thing happened.  The Northern Lights appeared.  They moved me to tears.

We saw them again the night before we were due to come home (2nd Jan '07) and they were colours of pinks and purple on that night and danced right across the city.  We were lucky enough to watch them from our hotel window.

Just because I love this picture I'm going to share this one too.  This is my husband and I, in the 'snow hole' waiting.  We didn't realise at the time but the Northern Lights were trying to peak above the mountain top which you can see behind us.

For anyone who hasn't witnessed the beauty of the Northern Lights I can only describe them as magical, almost haunting and eery in some respects.  The different patterns and colours that are constantly changing are beautiful.  This video here will give you an idea of how they move.

I count myself very lucky indeed to have had this experience and it's one I will never ever forget.


Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

Reasons To Be Cheerful...1, 2, 3

The lovely Michelle from Mummy From The Heart has started a new blog hop called Reasons to be Cheerful 1, 2, 3.  You can read about it on her blog here.

So what 3 reasons have I got to be cheerful about today?  I certainly don't feel that cheerful, my hormones are raging (ain't that mother nature a b***h every month) but I can be thankful for some small things.

1. It's Friday

I love Fridays for a number of reasons.  Being a SAHM I thought I'd never really be as happy for it to be Friday as I was when I was working full-time, but I am.  Friday is the day my husband (usually) winds down from his busy working week and I know that we have 2 days to look forward to where we aren't interrupted by business emails or phone calls.  He works from home and it can be quite annoying.  Friday is also the day my Mum & Dad have my daughter in the morning.  I miss her so much but it makes my parents so happy and also gives me some proper 'me' time - usually spent cleaning though :(

2. It's snowing - a lot

After the bad weather in December I should dislike it but I've always loved the snow.  Even when I had to do a long commute to get to work I would never hate it.  Sure, it causes problems on the road etc. but it's just so beautiful.  It will never fail to cheer me up.

3. Mini-break

Those who know me know I love travel.  Sadly our days of traveling Route 66 across the USA in a cabriolet or seeing the Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle are over (for now anyway) but we still like to get away from home when we can.  I'm not sure we will get to have a proper holiday this year but for now I get to choose a two night break thanks to my Mum & Dad.  It's a Christmas present from them.  They got us one last year and we spent a couple of lovely nights in the Cotswolds.  Today we are going to decide where we are off to this year.

So, what are your 3 reasons to be cheerful?