Farmers Market exploring - The Ordinary Moments

There's something about finding new local things to do that just makes me really happy. Filling our weekends with new experiences and visiting different places is one of my favourite things to do, and more so with Henry. I just want him to experience as much as possible, and integrating it with our normal life is so important to me.

So when I saw a new Farmer's Market for Southampton, I decided it was the perfect excuse for a Saturday morning trip out.

I love a good Farmer's Market anyway, I think it's because it remind me of home and little town life. Plus there's something very satisfying about supporting small local businesses and finding really great food and products.

So a couple of Saturday's ago we went along to the Oxford Street Farmer's Market for a bit of a look around and a little shop.

What's in our just-in-case hospital bag and toddler bag

For our second baby boy, we have a home birth planned, so the bulk of my recent planning has been around ensuring we have everything we need in the house to bring baby boy into the world.
However, that doesn't mean we're off the hook for bag packing!

Ever the organiser, I've packed a normal hospital bag as well, just in case I have to be transferred to hospital.
Hopefully this will be completely unnecessary, but I'd rather pack and not need it, than be unprepared.

I'm also packing a second bag this time, specifically for Henry, so that if I'm in labour during the day he has a bag packed to go to his Godparents house until he can come home again.

Luckily, last time around I packed a pretty good concise hospital bag so I'm pretty much sticking with that as a base, but with a little update, and less in the way of comforts as this is just an emergency bag!

Opening birthday presents:A toddler gift guide

Post contains review items*

My little man turned two!!
That's still pretty crazy to even think about, let alone say out loud.

However turning two was a whole lot of fun, and involved a very early morning (he really does not believe in lie ins) with presents and cinnamon buns!

I have to admit, shopping for kids is actually really hard work. There's literally so much available to buy kids, so it's working out what they will actually enjoy. And it's so easy to fall in to the trap of buying and buying, because you see just another gift that would be perfect.

Getting our garden kid ready for Spring

This is a collaborative review post*

The seasons are a changing, hopefully at least, and with that means getting ready for much more outdoor play and adventure.
We've always loved getting outside, and with our garden almost completely renovated now (we just have some wood chippings to put down, and a tidy of the flower beds) - you can see some of the original garden in this post.

Alongside our Wendy house which we put up over the summer courtesy of Dann's parents, and hand painted by me, we wanted to add a few extra toys and outdoor play things for Henry and Baby Boy to play with. We have a sand and water table, and plans for a mud kitchen to be built this summer.

Money-saving Mama - a mini guide to cost saving for baby no.2

This is a collaborative post*

Everyone knows that babies are expensive right?
Well they are initially and then they sort of level out a bit, and then they get a bit expensive again, and you just go through money cycles.

Then you have the GENIUS idea to have a second baby.
Because, you know, it wasn't THAT expensive the first time, so I shouldn't be so bad the second time! Right?

Well with a little planning, it doesn't have to be so bad.

There are places you can save money, with your first, second, third or sixth child.

Your one stop cosy Christmas shop

Who knew the Christmas with a toddler would be so hard and so much fun all at once.

It's exhausting keeping up with Henry, but seeing the wonder and excitement on his face is definitely worth the early nights.

Alongside trying to be super organised, and only partially failing, we're taking advantage of stores that can cover multiple needs at once, because convenience is the name of the game when you have a little one in tow too!

On top of present buying, we're also in need of our family Christmas essentials, and nothing says Christmas like cosy, food filled days at home with your favourite people.
Enter Morrison's* with their one stop shop for all your Christmas needs.

Christmas gifts for mums and mums-to-be

My final gift guide for you today!

Mum's are kind of the forgotten ones when it comes to Christmas time. With the hustle and bustle of getting everything ready and buying all the gifts, it's the perfect time to treat the mama in your life.

One thing I'm big on for mums is self care, because we all know that mum's never put themselves first so it's the job of the gift givers to push mum's into treating themselves.

So my gift guide for mamas and mum's to be is packed with treats and good stuff!

Christmas Gifts for your fave foodie

Christmas is all about the food right?
Well it is for me anyhow, after the presents, of course!
And one thing I love is foodie presents, and luckily, so does Dann. However we have pretty much all the standard kitchen utensils, so I've been on the look out for new and obscure bits.

So my foodie gift guide, perfect for the food fan in your life, who spends all their time in kitchen.

Christmas Gifts for a Photography Fiend

You guys know I'm like the biggest photography fan ever right? I'm still learning, and feel like I could keep learning new things every single day, but I love photography and camera stuff.
To be fair, if you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know how much I adore photos, so I think this might be my favourite of all my Christmas guides. 

For your favourite photography fiend and camera lover, here's my top pics.... (yes that was intentional!)

Christmas Gifts for your geek friend

I always always find Dann incredibly difficult to shop for, in fact, guys in general are pretty hard to shop for. So my fail-safe is always geek inspiration.

Of course I know that not all geeks are guys, but I will admit this guide was inspired by the guys in my life, and a little something, something for the geeky girls.

So I've pulled together some of my absolute favourite geeky gifts, perfect for any lovable nerd.

Christmas Gifts for a toddler

Christmas shopping for kids, particularly babies and toddlers, can be a bit of a mine field. What do kids really want? And possibly more importantly, what does mum and dad want the kid to have?

To kick off my gift guide season, I've put together a few of my favourite finds, perfect for toddlers - including a mix of keepsake items, as well as role playing toys and educational and fun play room additions.

#OneLessWorry How We Get Christmas Ready

My favourite time of year is almost upon us, but I have to admit I usually start my Christmas prep way before December hits.
I like to think I'm a pretty organised person, and that quality seems to go into over-drive when I start planning Christmas.

One of my favourite things about Christmas is actually the present buying. I just love buying gifts, and I really love shopping for them. Searching out that perfect gift just gives me a little buzz, especially when I know they are going to love the gift.

But this means preparing early as one thing I have learnt from becoming a mother is shopping centres, kids and crowds are a cocktail for catastrophe, even if the pushchair does give you ample storage for all those bags.

Autumn Home Decorating

Autumn is the best season isn't it?
I pretty much think it is a holiday in itself.
I mean every holiday has it's own form of decorating, and so does autumn, and I am so on board with autumnal decorating!!

Let's be honest, an excuse for candles and pumpkins was always going to be a winner with me, and if you through in a little Halloween quirkiness it's literally like this season was for me.

So with a little help from Homesense*, I've been adding to our home with a little Autumn and Halloween decorating!

Autumn has Sprung: A fashion shoot in the woods

It's hardly a surprise to any of my regular readers that I'm a big fan of autumn, and aside from the whole Hygge factor, and the extra cosiness, tea and warm tones, the other thing I adore about autumn is the fashion!!

I'm all about knits, scarves, hats, boots and oversized everything! Plus I'm really a dark tone kind of person, with a little white thrown in (pastels just don't work on me) so autumn colours really make me happy. Give me black, brown, blue, red, tan, and yellow clothes any day of the week and I'm a happy bunny!

I've recently found a great new love in the form of WearAll* who are bringing the best of the autumn fashion trends to life, and I couldn't say to a little fashion shoot with all of the autumnal vibes!

Redefining my wardrobe and the issue of the mum tum

A lot changes during and after pregnancy, and one of the biggest (after you know actually producing a child) is the change to your body. I both loved and hated being pregnant, and getting used to a changing body was definitely hard.
Post-baby, I shrunk down reasonably quickly and got back into my pre-pregnancy jeans within a few weeks of giving birth, which I must admit was quite pleasing. However, the weight-loss stalled...

Getting Spring Garden ready

Anyone else really looking forward to Spring now? Don't get me wrong, I know British Spring isn't always much better than our Winter, but it is a teeny bit warmer, with a little more sun! And with the first signs of Spring, comes the hint of Summer, and that's a season I'm really looking forward to this year.

Anyway, with Spring in mind, we've been thinking about all our Spring cleaning, which always results in us decorating, re-arranging and organising some part or another of our home.
This year, we're focusing on our garden. With Henry hopefully being on his feet come the summer, I want to get him outdoors as much as possible, which means getting out in the garden. And it requires a much needed spruce up.

Don't bust those purse strings - save money this January

Does anyone else get a little tense around this time after Christmas?
All the festive happiness has dissipated, the Christmas food dwindling, and your waistline has grown three inches at least. And the state of your bank account leaves you reaching for the left over mulled wine.

On top of it all payday feels like it's six weeks away still, and you're rapidly getting into the single digits and on the cusp of eating beans on toast for the remainder of the month. Just as well you put on that extra cheese weight over Christmas, as meals are looking less and less comforting.

Luckily there are a few ways that you can save some money this time of year.

Remember when we lived here - a keepsake to remember

You guys know how much I love books. I mean I've talked about them enough over the last few months haven't I?
The thing is I loved books as a little girl and would literally be reading all the time. It was a running joke in my household that you couldn't get my attention as I always had my nose in a book. And I have so many fond memories of the books that shaped my childhood (some of which you can read about here) that I want to make sure that Henry gets that same experience.

I really think books make the most perfect gifts. Maybe it was your favourite book from when you were little (like when Alice and Arran bought Funny Bones for Henry just because they adored the book as a kid), or it was a book you really wanted to read but never got the chance to (we have the entire Faraway Tree collection from Emily, which I have never read, but am so looking forward to reading to Henry when he is older), or maybe it's a book that they can treasure forever.

Earlier in the month I wrote about Lost My Name and their amazing personalised books. We adored their first book, so were over to moon to receive their second one - The Intergalactic Journey Home*. Whereas the first book talked all about creatures that spelled out your little ones name, The Intergalactic Journey Home is space themed, but ends with your little one coming home - and of course it's personalised to your actual home.

Pumpkin Patch

I love autumn, and that ain't no lie.

We're really lucky about where we live, as we're really close to the city, but also are surrounded by loads of rural adventures like farms and woodlands.
Within walking distance of our home is Pickwell Farm, and it's a place that both myself and Dann have both expressed a want to visit. So luckily for us, when Alice messaged me last weekend to invite us on an impromptu trip for pumpkin picking,we strapped Henry into our Ergobaby and wandered on down.

We had beautiful October sunshine for the lunchtime trip, and honestly we had such a laugh. I mean three bloggers (Arran also blogs - Alice and Arran are basically working on being the Beyonce and Jay-z of the blogging world, I swear) and a pumpkin patch, plus a sleeping four month old, made for a picture perfect photo session, plus we all needed MANY pumpkins for our homes. Alice will be getting crafty with hers, and ours will be used for Henry's Christening at the end of the month for our autumn picnic theme party!

Here's some photos from our morning in the fields (word of warning, this post is very photo heavy!! But you know that's kind of my jam!!).

Westquay's Your 5

What girl doesn't love to shop? And with us heading straight into Autumn and Winter right now, the fashions are a'changing and that means a wardrobe update is required.

And what shopping trip is complete without a little personal shopping.

Last weekend, Westquay's team of personal shoppers and stylists were helping out us ladies of Southampton with our five key wardrobe items for AW16 - Your 5.