LITTLE DISH - CLASSICS AND SAUCES RANGE

We love Little Dish over here, their meals are some of my favourite to give the boys when I'm not serving up a home cooked meal as honestly, as a working family we just don't have oodles of time each evening to cook. Plus, my boys both have serious appetites and they don't want to hang around for too long with a rumbly tummy. It's about this point when Little Dish save the day. We've loved Little Dish since the very beginning, we worked with them when they initially started out and they've been staples in our kitchen cupboard since that very day. Convenient, delicious and at least one of their five a day - I can't really ask for much more.

A YEAR AS A MUM OF TWO - THE REALITY

A year ago I was just beginning my life as a mum of two, I was nervous, unsure of myself and a little overwhelmed. Two children under the age of three hasn't been easy, I'd be really lying if I said that we've all breezed through this past year and I'm already wanting to pop out another. Quite the contrary, the thought literally makes me want to whizz John off to the snip clinic and never see him return. But, it has been amazing. I know for now that the hardest parts are over, and day by day life gets that little easier with two little boys under my belt.

CALL ME CRAZY - I AM THINKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS.

I love Christmas, I live and breathe it come September. I'm one of the annoying people that is talking about it now and popping the festive tunes on in the car as soon as we've waved goodbye to August bank holiday. It's the only celebration that everyone around me gets to enjoy and look forward to together, other festivities like birthdays or going on holiday are very relative so you don't usually get the same build up as you do for Christmas, you know that feeling in the shops during December? When all the Christmas lights have their 'switches on' so the streets are twinkly as you're grabbing your last minute presents, I love that, and I can't freakin' wait for it to roll around.

WHAT TO PACK IN YOUR CHILDS NURSERY BAG

Packing my sons nursery bags is one of those things that always stirs up some kind of mum guilt. What if it rains today? Is he going to look silly if he puts this spare top on with the shorts he's wearing today? Is there enough in there? It never stops. Every week I top up their bags with new things, weather appropriate and usually a whole host of other crap they'll never use. But, it eases my soul. As a nursery nurse myself you think I'd probably have a little understanding of what to pack wouldn't you? So, I'm going to share exactly what goes into the boys bags, and why.

*THAT* BEYONCE PHOTO

So, Beyonce has popped out two babies and sent the world into overdrive, but let's face it, what does Beyonce do that doesn't set the internet into meltdown? That elevator fight, becky with the good hair, those pregnancies photos and now this postpartum snap. The girl can't catch a break since she showed the world her two newest additions - who might I add look SO adorable, though it seems nobody has actually looked at the babies because most people were too busy criticising her for not being 'normal' or 'real'. I mean excuse me? Since when does a woman have to put herself out to the world, looking like a piece of crap, for the benefit of making other women feel more 'real'?.

SUNDOWN ADVENTURELAND REVIEW

I don't know how I've not spoken about this magical place before now, it's a mere fifteen minutes form our house and we absolutely love visiting. We've decided next year we'll be investing in some annual passes, as there is so much to do here I really can't see us becoming tired of it. If you hadn't already guessed, I'm talking about Sundown Adventureland, a theme park for the under 10's based in the East Midlands. It's such a fun day out, Noah who is four in December has loved it since he was able to walk and I'm certain he'll continue to do so for the years to come.

IT'S RENOVATION TIME

We've lived in our house now for over two years, and with welcoming a new arrival in that time, redecorating was never top of our priorities, understandably I'm sure you will agree. However the boys are getting older by the minute and I've found myself desperate to get the house exactly how I want it bit by bit. It's no complete gutting and re-do situation here, it's more a few licks of a paint and a new soft furnishings job - thankfully because I am certainly no DIY professional. We wont talk about the day it took John 6 hours to put up a shelf. I'm wanting to make my house a home in short whilst documenting each step of it with you guys.

A HOLIDAY WITHOUT CHILDREN - SELFISH OR PERFECT?

I'm not sure if I've mentioned, but we're holidaying without the children later in the year (that is a complete joke, I feel as though I never shut up about it) We are really looking forward to it, quite recently when watching a vlog from the lovely Emily whilst on her family holiday, she said something whilst explaining why her children were in holiday club, that I completely understood 'It's so we can have a little bit of a holiday too'. Don't get me wrong, holidays are a break from the stresses of home life, work, household chores etc, but children are still bloody hard work when abroad and sometimes you need a break when you're on a break.

FED REALLY IS BEST

It's been almost a year since my blog post on why I bottle fed my boys, there isn't any big story to why I couldn't breastfeed, it was my choice, our choice as a family and one I'm really happy we made. However, I'm a lucky one, so often that choice we're so fortunate to have is ripped away from new mothers and newborns, illnesses, breast reductions, milk allergies, low milk supply, the list is endless of medical reasons that can prevent a mother and baby from starting that feeding journey that so many begin every single day. But are the 'excuses' heard through the harps of what is best for your child, since when did something that is an incredibly sensitive subject for many, become a target of weakness in which to bring another mother down?