Unlikely Mum

Unlikely Mum Makes: Easter Nest Cakes

April 11, 2019 manderpantz

I don’t know about you, but making Easter nest cakes was one of my favourite things to do (and eat!) as a child. Bringing back some of the nostalgia, I’m hoping to spread the joy to Travis and start a new Easter tradition for us.

I’m not much of a baker, however these sweet treats are super easy to make, with no need to even switch the oven on, so there’s pretty much no way you can go wrong! With no baking and a quick prep time, they are the ideal activity to involve your kiddos in too. Although I imagine at 18 months, Travis will only want to eat all of the chocolate or wear the mixing bowl as a hat!

What you need:

Ingredients

Half box of Shredded Wheat (the big ones!)
200g Cooking chocolate
2x share bags of Cadbury’s Mini Eggs

Equipment

Glass bowl
Saucepan or microwave
Cupcake cases

Method

1.Break your chocolate into pieces and place into the glass bowl.

Microwave: cook in short bursts of 10 seconds at a time, ensuring the chocolate melts evenly and doesn’t burn. You’ll probably need about 6 or 7 goes at a 200g bar of chocolate all broken up. Be sure to stir in between microwave blasts too!

Hob: fill your saucepan halfway with water and place the large glass bowl on top. It’s worth noting you’ll need a larger bowl than pan for the bowl to sit properly and melt efficiently. Keep the water simmering to heat the chocolate evenly and stir as you go.

2. While the chocolate is melting, break up some shredded wheat with your hands. Usually about 5-6 will suffice.

3. Once chocolate has melted, add in the broken shredded wheat and mix well.

4. Spoon the mixture evenly into your cupcake cases, pressing the spoon into the centre of the cake to make a nest shape.

5. Place 3 mini eggs into each nest cake

6. Place all cakes in the fridge for a couple of hours to set

7. Enjoy!

Uncategorized

Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts

March 27, 2019 manderpantz

I’ve already listed some of the great crafts you can do with your toddler to create fun Mother’s Day gifts, but I’m also planning to give some handmade Mother’s Day gifts of my own this year. Because no matter what age, you’re still someone’s child!

While my ideas of gifts are a bit further reaching than hand crafted cards and tokens for chores and tea, it doesn’t mean there’s any less thought or love going into them. It just means there are usually more steps to take and items required to make them!

Here are some great Mother’s Day gifts you can make at home

Homemade Candles

I shared a post around Christmas time, all about how to make festive candles. The principle is basically the same, though I’ve bought some nice rose and jasmine oils which I plan to use to scent the Mother’s Day candles. I will also be steering away from Christmas ribbon to decorate, instead opting for more pastel shades, and some lovely washi sheets to decorate. I’m still undecided on whether to write Mum/Happy Mother’s Day anywhere on them yet.

Homemade body scrub

Who knew that body scrub was actually insanely easy to make yourself? Literally all you need are 2 or 3 ingredients, with the main decision being: do I use salt or sugar as the exfoliating element of my scrub? I would recommend using almond oil within your scrub, as it’s highly rated for its nourishing properties, but coconut oil works well too (and smells great!). I’m going to test out some brown sugar, coconut oil and honey, but there are endless possibilities with homemade body scrub – add loads of natural ingredients (think leaves, fruit etc) or essential oils to achieve your desired scent and consistency.

Homemade cookies

Flowers and chocolates are the go-to Mother’s Day gifts, but what about swapping the Milk Tray for something handmade? Whether you’re a baking novice, or fancy attempting this stunning cupcake bouquet I found on Pinterest, there’s something extra special about a sweet treat that’s been handmade. Plus your mum might share your wares with you, so a win all round!

Homemade makeup bag

So I haven’t made a makeup back since my Fashion and Textile class in high school c. 2005/6. However, if you’re a dab hand with a needle and thread then this shouldn’t be too much bother. The size I’m thinking of making is around 6-7 inches wide, so it’s probably more of a travel essentials/handbag size makeup bag. All you need is some fat quarters (Aldi usually have nice, seasonal patterns in their Special Buys aisle), some wadding (optional), a zipper, fabric pins, and of course a needle and thread. If you have a sewing machine, even better, although that’s not essential. Here’s a great tutorial video I found, showing how easy they are to make (minus the wadding).

Wee disclaimer: I’ve no affiliation with any of the external links shared, I just read/watched and thought they were useful, and hopefully you do too!

baby and toddler activities, Mother and Baby classes

Baby and Toddler Swimming Lessons

March 15, 2019August 6, 2019 manderpantz

One of my favourite all-weather activities for Travis is his swimming lessons. We’ve taken him since he was around 5-6 months old, and he absolutely loves it. Having grown from the baby classes into the toddler classes, it’s easy to see progress in terms of his abilities in the water, but also his confidence in water and his ability to listen and follow instructions.

Why swimming lessons?

If there’s one thing I could recommend to new mums looking for things to do with their little babies it’s this. There are so many benefits of this for mum and baby. Remember when the midwives gave you information on water births and they spoke about babies being surrounded by water when you carried them? That’s a main reason for starting swimming lessons so young – babies grew surrounded by water, so it’s something they are familiar with.

If, like me, your newborn absolutely hated bath time to begin with, swimming lessons are a way to combat that. Sure, they may scream the pool down the first couple of times (Travis returned to doing this again last week, despite swimming for a year!) but that’s only normal until they get used to the water. The lessons involve simple things like pouring water over different parts of your babies body to get them used to water whilst learning body parts too.

Other great reasons for booking a block of lessons are that it helps you create a routine with your child, going at the same time every week, whilst encouraging mums and babies to get out and see other mums and babies. As mum is going in the water too, it helps you get some gentle exercise (and not so gentle as your baby grows into a 2.5st toddler!) as you bounce your baby and guide them through swimming techniques.

Selfishly, I’ve also always found that it’s quite tiring on Travis, so it means he usually goes for a nice long nap afterwards – a godsend if mum is in need of some rest too, or just a hot cuppa in peace!

What do lessons involve?

As well as pouring water over the body, there’s time to splash, time to kick, and time to play at the end too. As your baby becomes more confident in the water, your instructor will show you how to hold baby to get them to move as if they were swimming. This encourages their motor skill development and invokes the urge to kick in the water. Your instructor will also guide you on dunking your baby underwater. Believe me – this is far more traumatic for mums than babies the first couple of times! In fact, I actually chickened out and only put Travis in up to his neck the first time.

There are usually songs or nursery rhymes to accompany most things you do, so you get that repetition and association that’s key to babies’ routines.

Depending on how well your baby adapts to and enjoys the water, your instructor will introduce floats and various different moves, such as lying your baby on their back and guiding them across the water. Like with everything, every baby develops at their own pace so there’s no time or age limit on anything really.

The toddler lessons involve more floats and swimming – and sometimes even letting go of the floats to watch your little one go! Plus there are opportunities to “catch treasure” by encouraging your little one to reach under water to bring out toys and (toy) coins that are placed on the steps of the pool.

How soon can I book swimming lessons?

The advice from health visitors is to wait until after your babies’ first round of jags. I think this is probably due to the fact that swimming pools and changing areas can be a breeding ground for germs.

However, after your baby is 8 weeks old, you’re free to book onto the next set of lessons. The lessons in our local pool (Ready, Steady Splish and Ready, Steady Splash) run in blocks of around 8-10 weeks to coincide with school term time. This might mean you have to wait a few weeks longer than planned to start, if there’s currently a block in the middle of running.

The only downside of blocks running like this is that there are no lessons during the 6 week summer break, but if your child has started before this then I’d strongly recommend taking them for a little splash during the holidays so they still remember the pool.

How much do lessons cost?

The price very much varies from area to area, and depends if you chose to go with a brand of swimming instruction (such as Water Babies) or stick with your local council pool offering. I’ve heard that some big brand name classes can cost upwards of £70 for a block of just 8 lessons.

Our Ready Steady Splash classes are run in the local council pool, and a block is usually between £28-£35 a time. The cost is dependent on the number of lessons per block, and other factors such as bank holidays within the block. This tends to affect us as Travis’ lesson day is a Monday, but most pools offer a variety of days and times to choose from.

What should I bring to swimming lessons?

As you would for swimming yourself, bring a costume and towel for each of you. There are costumes with in-built flotation devices/materials for kids, but it’s entirely up to you if you want to pay extra for this or just buy a simple all-in-one or two piece. As Travis has gotten older, I’ve found a two piece trunks and top set is much easier to get on and off a wriggly toddler than an all-in-one.

Swim nappies are other essentials, as nobody wants to be swimming alongside a poo! At first I was so paranoid, I used a disposable swim nappy with a cloth swim nappy on top so no accidents could leak through! However just one is enough, whatever your preference!

If you can, I’d recommend buying some travel-sized toiletries to keep in your swimming bag, with baby wash and Aveeno cream at the top of our list. Travis has quite sensitive skin which is prone to eczema in the folds so a slather of Aveeno after swimming keeps this away. And of course, be sure to pack the usual nappies, creams, wipes and spares just in case!

Finally, I’d recommend a snack/feed or toy to keep them occupied while you dress yourself. Unless of course you have another parent, relative or friend on hand to help for that bit!

baby and toddler activities, Parenting

Mother’s Day Crafts for Toddlers

March 14, 2019 manderpantz

I can’t believe I’m almost celebrating my second Mother’s Day as a parent – time really does fly when you’re having fun! I don’t know about you, but Mother’s Day for me is more than just a card and gift kind of holiday, it’s about really giving back. It could be because my birthday is also in March (UK Mother’s Day peeps), so I don’t really want or need any additional gifts, or it could be because I find time and experiences as more valuable gifts than anything you could buy in a shop.

I just think, what could be better than giving back some love and care which has went into some hand-crafted tokens of appreciation? Things like handmade cards go a long way in my book, although obviously I won’t be making any of these with Travis for myself (I’m not that sad!), I know we’ll have fun creating memories as we craft. Hopefully the grandmammas who are in line to receive the crafts appreciate the homemade gifts!

Here are 5 Mother’s Day crafts you can do with your toddler:

Handmade Cards

Handmade cards are always a winner, and no doubt you will receive some from nurseries and schools anyway. All you need is some card, coloured pens/pencils, and any additional 3D materials you want to stick onto your card. We opted for tissue paper flowers this year, using coloured tissue wrapped into a flower shape and stuck on with some craft glue via a glue spreader. I’m considering adding some glitter that’s gathering dust in a drawer, but not sure the mess and glitter for days is worth it!

Mother’s Day token booklet

The value of the tokens is completely up to you. If your toddler is already speaking and communicating well, why not ask for their input on the tokens? For me, I’d like tea and coffee tokens so that I can have a hot drink or 2 made (probably by dad) on request, and possibly also enjoyed whilst hot! A couple of the tokens could contain chores such, like a laundry token or dish washing token, or even a simple tidy-up token that your little one can do. Here’s a link to an interesting pin I found with some simple token ideas.

Decorate a plant pot

Flowers are a common Mother’s Day gift, so why not go that one step further and really personalise this gift by getting crafty? Plant pots aren’t hard to come by – garden centres, B&M, Ikea or online stores like Amazon will have a range to choose from – and decorating them is fun and easy. Why not get your little one to help paint it in mum/grandma’s favourite colour? Or maybe glue on some coloured letters spelling “Happy Mother’s Day” or “Greatest Grandma” or something similar?

If plant pots and growing your own flowers doesn’t fit with your mum or grandmother, you could always try decorating a vase instead.

Breakfast in bed hamper

Growing up, it was always traditional for mum to have breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day. How much myself or brother helped, without setting off the smoke detector, was another thing however. Depending on the age of your toddler, you might not think they are ready to help with the breakfast in bed just yet, but that doesn’t mean they can’t help prepare and decorate a breakfast hamper for mum. Many craft shops have small hamper baskets, or you can simply buy a small wooden box which can be painted and decorated. Why not help your toddler choose the contents (tea/coffee sachets, jam jar etc) and pack with shredded paper or cardboard – another sensory stimulant.

Personalised photo frame

What could be better than your toddler picking out their own unique memory of you or a grandparent and adding their own personal stamp. All you need is a treasured photo, and a plain photo frame that fits the chosen photo. B&M do loads in various plain colours and sizes. Then it’s entirely up to you – why not add polka dots in mum/gran’s favourite colour, or shade that matches the colours of their living room (or wherever you want the photo to be proudly displayed!). If you know that mummy likes flowers or stars for instance, you can always draw some on, or pick up some embellishments from your local craft store and stick those on. Similar to the plant pot, you can also add in a message like “Happy Mother’s Day” or “Best Mum/Gran in the World” or even a favourite quote or saying that’s meaningful to you.

baby and toddler activities, Parenting

5 Fun Free Indoor Activities for Toddlers

March 10, 2019March 11, 2019 manderpantz

Spring has almost sprung, but if like me you live in a country where the weather is increasingly unpredictable, spring can be a gamble in terms of plans to make with your toddler. A few times in the past couple of weeks we have planned to go feed the ducks or visit farms, go on woodland walks and a number of other outdoor activities. Sadly, between rain, hail and even snow, it wasn’t meant to be.

However, with cancelled plans comes the panic of what to do instead (in my case anyway), as I always fear my little one won’t be as stimulated with the same toys, no fresh air, too many cartoons and the like indoors. I’m probably mad, but I think it’s important to introduce new toys and activities to keep kids interested and entertained.

Here’s my top free indoor activities to keep toddlers amused and learning:

Animate stories

Storytelling needn’t be solely a bedtime activity – reading books can be fun at any time of day. Travis cannot get enough of books and stories, especially books where there are things to touch (aka all the “That’s Not My..” books which he loves), as the interactive experience adds a new level of enjoyment to the book. Another way to do this is to animate the stories you read. For example, if it’s a book about animals, I’ll get down on all fours and pretend I’m the animal, making the noise it makes. We also use teddies to act out the story. Of course this doesn’t have to accompany a book, you can make up stories or simply tell them from memory with props, sounds and actions.

Flashcards

Flash cards are a great way to add an educational element to staying indoors. Whether your toddler is young or almost at pre-school age, flash cards can be used to introduce word association, encourage speech and, as your toddler gets older, they can be used to complement any reading or spelling they may be learning at nursery or school.

Build a den

Is there anything better on a miserable, cold, grey day than diving under a fort and getting all cosy? Whilst it may not be the relaxing, quiet blanket-fort you’d envisage for an adult, you can create a den for the kids and transport them out of the living room/bedroom for a little while. Bigger toddlers can help building the fort, whilst smaller ones will enjoy exploring inside. Why not pretend you’re camping in the woods and the teddy bears are coming for a picnic? Or maybe you’re in the jungle and the tigers and lions are just outside? You can even combine activities, like reading inside the den, just to mix things up a bit.

Word Tracers

As your toddler develops, you may want to introduce reading and writing activities. Word tracers are ideal for this. What’s a word tracer I hear you say? Well they are exactly as they suggest – practical sheets which allow toddlers to explore and create words that the sheet outlines. Want to print one for yourself? Here’s one with action words.

Toddlers are always on the move, so this action words word tracer is perfect for them. Word tracers are a fun way for little ones to gain practice with their fine motor skills and beginning letter recognition. They can even act out the words as they trace. For even more fun educational resources, check out Education.com.

Make and pretend

It’s time to get out the cardboard boxes and dig out some of the recycling material and get ready to make and pretend. Rice or lentils in a plastic bottle becomes a musical instrument, as does elastic bands over an empty tissue box. Bigger boxes can be cars, planes or rocket ships that fly around the room. If you’re more crafty, why not use some of the old toilet roll tubes, empty egg cartons and yoghurt pots to make your own space ships or princess castles or whatever your imagination chooses!

baby and toddler activities, Parenting

5 Free Activities for Toddlers

February 28, 2019March 4, 2019 manderpantz

At this time of year, the weather can be unpredictable, so it’s important to have a mix of indoor and outdoor activities on-hand to keep your toddler amused and learning. The list of things you can pay to take your kids to, or things you could buy to amuse them is much vaster than this. However, unless you’re a millionaire it’s just not practical or possible to fork out every time your kid is bored or needs some stimulation.

Here are 5 go-to activities that cost nowt, but will keep your child amused, active and learning.

1 Feed the ducks

Maybe I’m showing my age, as maybe it was something to do with Rosie & Jim, but I always loved going to feed the ducks as a child. Watching all the ducks come up for bread, sometimes getting a glimpse of little baby ducks and feeling a bonus thrill if swans or geese dropped by was often enough to make it fun. However if you feel like making it more of an educational experience, why not count the number of ducks and swans with your child, or point out the different types of birds that are feeding.

2 Playpark

Failsafe option every time. Playparks are always a winner, as kids never seem to get bored of swings or slides! Plus, playparks these days seem to be getting more and more impressive by the minute – flying foxes are all the rage in my neck of the woods! That’s not to mention the elaborate climbing frames, sandpits and trampolines that have become more commonplace in playparks. Usually there will be other kids around in the park too, meaning your toddler can enjoy playing with other kiddos too.

3 Playdate

If there’s no other kids at the park, why not get in touch with a mum friend and arrange a playdate? I’ve already written about how much of a saviour playdates are, but don’t just take my word for it, experience it for yourself! Whether you go to their house, they come to you, or you meet in the playpark (weather permitting!), there are loads of benefits for mums and toddlers.

4 Messy play/crafts

The same toys and the same cartoons in the house can get boring and repetitive after a while, and your little one might need some more stimulation after a while. If the weather is putting a dampener on any outdoor activities, why not get the crafts out or make some messy play? This doesn’t have to involve buying loads of craft material in – I bet you have plenty of items in the house that could be used. From basic colouring and drawing, to experiencing shaving foam, soapy bubbles and other interesting textures, your household items could become a great hub of crafting and messy play for an afternoon!

5 Bookbug

Another activity which I think is great for babies and toddlers is Bookbug. Run in Scotland in local libraries, Bookbug classes last around 45 minutes and consist of story time, rhymes and play. The aim is that parents and children will also check out books for their child and encourage reading from an early age. Classes are suitable from birth until around three years old, and take place weekly throughout term time. You can find out more about this great free activity in my Bookbug Week 2018 post.

5-free-toddler-activities

Childcare, Parenting

Moving to a new room in nursery

February 24, 2019 manderpantz

Just when we thought we were getting comfortable with routines and whatnot, we were told by the nursery that Travis is ready to move up to the “bigger” room. And I’m delighting and despairing at the same time.

“The big room” is the room babies move on to once the nursery are happy that they have become confident toddlers and think they will enjoy the challenge of new games, learning and experiences. The room hosts kids roughly from around 18 months to three years old. Obviously every child is different, so some may move shortly after their first birthday if they are confident walkers, in a good routine, or seem to be getting bored in the baby room, whilst others might be nearer two before they make that step.

I am of course delighted that my little munchkin is ready for this next chapter. At 16 months, I feel like he’s definitely progressed from the eight month old he was when he first started, and has come on so much even since his first birthday in October. Plus he’s been wearing clothes for 2-3 year-olds since the start of the year!

So in a way I wasn’t surprised by this announcement from the nursery, but it was still a bit daunting. I was only just coming to terms with the fact that my boy is no longer a baby, but a toddler, and now I have to prepare for him playing and learning with kids double his age!

New challenges new experiences

One thing a new room promises, is a new environment to explore. The nursery have informed us that Travis will make visits to the new room during his regular nursery sessions, to give him a taster of what goes on in the room, and to get used to this new environment. Hopefully this will minimise the shock and confusion once he moves over there permanently.

I’m confident that he will love this room, as there are not only new toys and new nursery teachers, it’s also a big step away from more of the “baby” items and routines of the old room. For instance, there are little tables and chairs for having breakfast and lunch, rather than the high chairs of the baby room, and instead of cots/cribs for naps, everyone has their own mat and blanket.

In terms of fun, there are more advanced toys to explore, and an outdoor garden area specific to that room, which I’m sure will get much more use as the months go on.

More independence

Within the bigger room, I think Travis will have more independence, as there’s a lot less one-on-one attention from nursery teachers. I’m hoping this will give him the confidence to explore and play on his own, but also to make friends, share and play with other kids. I’m also hoping that he’ll make the transition from high chair to small table and chair quite smoothly!

Picking up new skills

When he moves up, Travis will be one of the younger ones in the room (despite probably being one of the tallest!), so I would like to think he would start to pick things up quite quickly from some of the older toddlers. Maybe his speech will come on by listening to other kids attempt sentences, and maybe he will get better with cutlery (he’s a very hands-on eater!) by watching kids his own size, and maybe he’ll pick up a million things that I’ll probably immediately wish he hadn’t, as it takes him another step further from being my tiny little baby!

Parenting

Playdates; the winter saviour for toddler mums

February 13, 2019 manderpantz

Its winter, it’s miserable, it’s dark and there’s nothing exciting like Christmas or New Year left to get excited about. The temperature is sub zero and unpredictable; will it be ice or snow, rain or hail in the morning?

Chances are, you and your toddler aren’t getting out to the park, because even when the sun is shining it’s still Baltic outside and you fear that their bum will freeze to the swing or something (just me?). Nursery is fun and all, but as a fellow mummy friend pointed out, we don’t get to see our little ones play there and we don’t get to join in and play with them.

Watching them play and interact
That’s just one of the things that make play dates so great. You can watch your child play and interact with another child, and get a sense of how they are developing and playing. You can join in and offer any guidance on things like sharing and “being gentle” with younger or smaller kids.

Time with other mums
Adult company is so important for all mums, whether that’s first time mums, new mums, mums of toddlers, teenagers or a whole football team of kids. Whilst the adult company is treasured no matter who it is, there’s nothing like trading stories, worries and advice with a fellow mum. You can talk about your wee one without fear of boring the bum off them (like with co-workers or childless chums) and can enjoy hearing about their wee ones progress or simply lend an ear if needed.

Exploring and learning new things
Play dates in different locations can involve lots of exploring of new surrounding, new toys and new faces. This is why it’s a great idea to switch play dates up between parents houses and places like soft play. Your child will not only enjoy uncovering new toys at their friends house, they will also discover new ways to play with their own toys with a play pal.

Making the day more exciting
In the winter, it can sometimes feel like days blur into the one same monotonous routine, guided by the weather. This often means staying in or finding indoor activities to amuse your child. Playdates take the boredom out of the repetition of staying indoors, making the day that little more exciting for your child. It might not seem like much to us, but even the addition of just one friend and mum into their usual daily space can add much more excitement and fun to their playtime.

I’m sure there are many more reasons why playdates are an absolute godsend for toddler mums, all backed up with scientific evidence and everything, but these are the things I’ve found to work and benefit out little family. I’d be interested to know if you have any other points to add or different ways you keep your toddler amused and learning in the winter!

PS Shout out to my mum pal who inspired this post after a play date with her and her little bear. Check out her videos here.

mum life

How I lost the baby weight

January 27, 2019 manderpantz

Whilst everyone is busy doing the 10 year challenge, I’ve been looking back just one year and seeing a total difference in myself inside and out. Funnily enough there aren’t too many pictures of me with all the baby weight, as I craftily shied away from pictures and let everyone focus on snapping wee Travis.

For me, it was important to lose the baby weight from both a health perspective (I took eating for 2 to an extreme and was particularly overweight) and to feel better in myself. If you’ve never had children, it’s hard to describe just what a miraculous change your body goes through, and the affect that can have on both your physical and mental health.

The things I really struggled with were things I’d read about but still wasn’t prepared to live with – the stretch marks and the sagginess. More so than the weight element, it was the shape of my body in this new form which caused me frustration, and which I struggled to accept. However I knew if I lost weight my shape would change, maybe not back to the exact way it was before, but into something more recognisable to me, a shape I was more familiar with.

Here’s how I did it:

Start off small

Just after my 6 week post-natal check, I was declared fit for exercise (by myself). At this point I decided to go back to my old faithful Clubbercise, and really get back into getting my blood pumping. My fitness instructor had started a variety of new classes in my 5 month absence and I was keen to give them a go. So I did a Clubbercise and Deep Hau5 class back to back, and I genuinely thought I was going to die.

The secret is to start off small. As soon as I was able, I took Travis out in walks in his pram, to give us both fresh air and to get my legs moving. Walks do wonders for mental health and tired mums too, so it’s an all round win. Even if you’re just walking to the corner shop and back each day, I thoroughly recommend it to get some fresh air and your bones moving.

Get what you give

I was very aware that I was still eating cake almost every day for at least the first 3 months of Travis’ life. In fact, I still eat more cake now than I ever did before he was born. However, I’m more in tune with the balance of it these days. If you constantly exercise, but constantly eat fatty, high calorie foods, chances are you’ll struggle to lose weight. So, after a few struggling exercise sessions, I started to cut my portion sizes down, add more veg to meals, and cut back on the cake.

I wish I could say I had a miracle diet and provide you with some magic recipes, but I found that just cutting back, and fuelling my body properly before exercise really helped. I didn’t cut anything out of my diet and I didn’t starve myself. Ok, so the pounds didn’t come crashing off, but slowly and steadily I got there.

Find a routine

Life as a mum revolves around routines, so why not an exercise routine too? It was much easier to find time to exercise or get out walking when I was still on maternity leave, but after I returned to work, things became more blurry and there seemed less hours in the day and more reasons (excuses) not to exercise. I found that sticking to the 3 same exercise classes on the same 2 days of the week worked impeccably for me. When I have a set time to exercise I can look forward to it (or sometimes dread it!) each week, plan childcare etc around it and generally see and feel my progress week on week. For me, routine is the key to keeping on track with any goals, so it made sense that it worked when I was trying to lose those parental pounds!

Share, don’t compare

The first few months post-partum were difficult in themselves, but I struggled with my body more so as I compared myself to Instamoms and super mummies who managed to get actual 6 packs just 12 weeks post-partum. Whether that was real or airbrushing, whether they had babies that slept all day to allow them to exercise, or nannies that looked after baby while the PT looked after mum, it didn’t matter to me. All I saw were mums who were able to go back to being who they were, in the visual sense anyway, before they went through the miracles of pregnancy or childbirth.

But lets face it, sitting comparing yourself to others and feeling sad, doesn’t actually do anything positive, does it? Why compare when you could put yourself out there, actually try and do your best for yourself? I found that approach difficult to take at first, but once I did, boy did it change things for the better. I know have a whole fab fit fam who I see every week, and we all encourage each other and compliment each other when we see a change in the other. Positivity is infectious and so much better than comparison and negativity!

That’s how I managed to lose the baby weight, with no miracle “cures” or magic exercises (although pelvic floor exercises are magic. Highly recommend if you want to get back to exercising!) How did you do it?

Baby M's firsts, Uncategorized

December Firsts

January 10, 2019 manderpantz

I can’t believe our Year of Firsts has come to an end! How quickly the last 365 days have flown by, each one with a new experience and learning curve for both me and little bear.

As the year has passed, our milestones have become less, but even in December we managed to accomplish a fair few firsts.

Christmassy firsts:
We had a trifecta of Christmassy firsts on 1st December where we visited Helensburgh Winter Festival for the first time. It’s a great local festival that takes place across one weekend each December, full of market stalls, entertainment, festive food & drink and more. It was here that we took Travis for his first trip to see Santa. Last year he was barely able to see without squinting, never mind be expected to see that it was Santa, so we saved this first for his second Christmas. It didn’t go down well, there were lots of tears and tantrums and one big hug at Santa’s beard. I’ve heard that’s quite common, but it’s pretty horrifying trying to explain to kind strangers dressed as elves and Santa that you’re sorry your child is a Christmas hating weirdo.

A slightly better first from the festival was the first time seeing reindeer. Like actual, live reindeer! It may also have been a first for mum, I’ll need to check with my parents but I don’t remember seeing reindeer in the flesh before. We got to pet them and there was an opportunity to get photos taken with them, but at that point Travis spied some dogs which were far more interesting and of his size, so off he toddled to see them instead.

First time using a fork
This was a big feeding milestone as we hadn’t really let or encouraged Travis to use cutlery before. He was haply to either be spoon fed by us or use his fingers to pick at his food hinself. So we were equally surprised and delighted when he wanted to take my fork off me and use it himself, not prompted by us. Now, in fairness, it can be a fight to feed him as he wants to try and be independent (despite picking things off the fork half the time) and feed himself which is more time consuming and messy than I’d like it to be!

First nursery Christmas party
On Thursday 20th December (bizarrely not a Friday?) Travis attended his first nursery Christmas party! Unfortunately I was really ill so couldn’t go, but I heard he enjoyed eating party food (surprise!) And although he hasn’t been Santa’s biggest fan, he had to sit beside him when he got there and even managed to get a present from big beardie without crying!

First Christmas illness
I’d hoped I’d be able to share “first Christmas dinner” this December, as last year I think he was still only on about 6 oz of milk per feed at Christmas time. However it wasn’t meant to be, as we had our first Christmas illness instead. I think it was related to teething, but he spiked a fever and pretty much refused food except for fruit puree and a few mouthfuls of soup. There was advent calendar chocolate involved at some point in the day but that was as festive as it got. It will need to be third time lucky for first Christmas dinner!